141

Irrational
Posted on May 7, 2019 by David M Willis
This Saturday and Sunday, I gonna be in CANADA!  Come see me at TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) in, you know, Toronto!  I'll be at Table 248, Second Floor of the Toronto Reference Library.  I'll have books!  I'll have magnets!  I'll have prints!  I'll have an everlasting need to visit locations filmed in Short Circuit 2! my trip to canada funded in part by a grant from the greater columbus arts council

141 thoughts on “Irrational”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    WIN/WIN

    OMG 2 FOR 2

    1. Schpoonman

      Sarah is learning to love again.

      1. LookingIn

        her eyebrows rose two times that day

    2. Clif

      And with the potential for highjinks. WIN/WIN/WIN.

  2. Doctor_Who

    Sarah: “I can has pretend spite?”

    1. Meagan

      Read that as “sprite” and thought it was random that you were bringing up soda

      1. Opus the Poet

        Other sprite, without the capital letter.

        1. Liquid Len

          Bugeye Sprite?

      2. Fasuhn

        … that does make me imagine someone calling Sierra Mist “pretend Sprite” to get a rise out of Joyce, though.

        1. emeraldbeacon

          Joyce has… other issues with Sierra Mist, remember…

        2. HeySo

          But wasn’t 7-Up the pretend Sprite?
          So would that make Sierra Mist pretend pretend Sprite?

          That sounds awfully pretendtious of them.

        3. Kamino Neko

          7-Up was created in 1929, Sprite in 1959. You’ve got the ‘fake’ backwards.

        4. FacelessDeviant

          Yeah. Sprite is just better, not older.

        5. DaveM

          And Schweppes Lemonade is based on a formula which dates back to 1835, and is superior to both those cloyingly sweet sugar waters (in my opinion anyway, there may be different cultural tastes in play).

        6. marianne

          One thing to note is that those formulas are often country specific. Here in the UK, we have Coke that’s far less sweet, it’s really noticeable when a takeaway restaurant has brought in (for example) Turkish or Polish or Russian Coke to save money, which a lot of them do. So I prefer British Pepsi to British Coke, but foreign Coke to British Pepsi. You know, just to muddy the waters of comparative soda opinions further ?

        7. Clif

          What about Pumpkin Sprite?

        8. DinaJoyce

          Often different companies hold the trademark to different sodas in different countries or larger world regions. For example, Keurig Dr Pepper only holds the rights to Dr Pepper in the United States. Usually they all started with similar recipes but over time the different companies tweak the recipe a bit here or there and they end up different. Plus, things like high fructose corn syrup vs. sugar can be substituted without changing the brand.

        9. Agemegos

          My great-great-great uncle invented Schweppes lemonade.

          He had industrialised the process of making carbonated water in the Schweppes factory, and needed to find a way to get people to buy a lot more of it, so he came up with the idea of adding sugar and flavours to it. Lemon-lime was one of his successes. Tonic water was another.

          In 1851, at the Great Exhibition, and as a result of a failure of communication, he was introduced to Queen Victoria as “Mr. Schweppe”.

        10. ValdVin

          7-Up actually had lithium in it, for years. Every lemon-lime soda without it is fake, if that’s the measure of “genuine”.

        11. Agemegos

          Why would that be the measure of “genuine”? Are you saying that Schweppes lemonade was fake Sprite 95 years before Sprite?

      3. Clif

        I refuse to let this conversation go without bringing up Pretend Sprite and the other Sprite Girls.

      4. ziggy78eog

        Pretend Sprite, to quench your made-up thirst!

      5. LookingIn

        same bitter taste, just less filling

  3. ValdVin

    Joyce, you genius.

    1. Dara

      Agreed. This is absolutely genius and I love it.

    2. Keulen

      This is brilliant.

    3. Alanari

      Not sure about that.. I mean, becky probably knows that too. And she might blurt it out.

      1. Sunny

        I wouldn’t be so sure. I think Becky is really good at blurting out some things and keeping others secret. We do know that much of her behaviour is a mask so she won’t be seen as a “Debbie Downer”, and as a gay teenager in a strictly christian-conservative community she probably has a lot of practice not blurting things out unless she means to.

        1. Alanari

          Yeah but she’ll see someone who wants to make fun if her friend in a way that won’t work. She won’t necessarily see it as something that should be kept secret.

    4. Felian

      i’m proud of Joyce for self awareness. She gets how she’s seen, and uses it for good. yay

  4. BBCC

    Best assist from baby sis!

    Seriously though, Sarah, you’re not wrong about Halloween being the best.

    1. Doctor_Who

      I love Halloween because it’s so opt-in. Society expects you to enjoy Christmas, and if you don’t you’re the villain in an Hallmark movie. Halloween however, there’s no right or wrong amount to celebrate it.

      Want to put on a costume, go to parties, decorate your house? That’s fine. Want to just sit at home eat a snickers and watch a horror movie? That also is fine!

      1. BBCC

        Also – no family obligations and while there’s an arguable gift obligation, candy is fairly cheap as gifts go.

        1. Lore Krajsman

          and you only ‘have to’ give it to kids anyway

        2. BBCC

          All trick or treaters are valid! 😛

        3. Makkabee

          My rule is they have to wear a costume to get candy. Doesn’t have to be elaborate — a dollar store mask, put on mom’s dress, do-it-yourself face-paint… just SOMETHING.

    2. regina phalange

      I love Halloween for all of these reasons. The older I get, the more I appreciate holidays where I’m not *obligated* to do anything except what I want to do.

    3. ktbear

      Okay, I’m happy to be unpopular so I’m gonna say it. I hate Holloween with a passion, it’s just another rediculous over-commercialised celebration and I wish to God that it’d never come to my country in the first place. *Disclaimer; your personal experience may vary.”

      1. ruhrow

        It’s not that commercialized, though? Maybe it’s because I’ve always made my own costumes and decorations from scratch with my family, but it’s also kinda nice that uniqueness and individual effort is actually a goal, too. People get jazzed about costumes they haven’t seen before, or ones that a lot of effort was put into…and the fact that there are NO ‘rules’ on who you can/should dress as, it allows people to pick ones they’re passionate about.

        1. Clif

          Maybe that’s why Dress-like-a-Pirate day never really took off.

      2. Nep

        I love it, but I respect your dislike!

        1. Clif

          As long as it’s sincere dislike the Great Pumpkin would approve.

      3. BBCC

        Can’t relate, but nothing wrong with that. Honestly, my family mostly just watches halloween specials or movies.

  5. Poofdepoof

    Joyce is often successfully crafty, yet I am always surprised

  6. Yumi

    Joyce is so sweet.

    Sarah, just…let, like, a couple bricks come out of your walls. Just enough to let some light in.

  7. Nono

    See, normally Joyce would be terrible at acting… except that when she’s a terrible actor, she just freaks out and screams.

    Here, the intended act is for her to freak out and scream, so it’s perfect!

    1. Robbie

      I used to be a lot like joyce. On missions trips in jr high we’d play this card game in the car – the game depended on bluffing. I’m a terrible liar. BUT I’m pretty good at looking guilty like I’m lying whether I am or not so I did pretty well eventually.

  8. Bagge

    Crafty Joyce is lil’sising good.

    It takes a certain comfort with yourself to be able to play with your neuroses like that.

  9. TrueVCU

    THE STUDENT HAS BECOME THE TEACHER

    1. Clif

      THE TEACHER HAS BECOME THE PRINCIPAL.

      1. Megz

        THE PRINCIPAL HAS BECOME THE SUPERINTENDENT.

        1. TrueVCU

          THE SUPERINTENDENT HAS BECOME THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

  10. DailyBrad

    Joyce is getting crafty, I like it. I like it a lot.

  11. Emperor Norton II

    It’s the power of the leather jacket….

  12. Questionor

    Littlefinger would be proud

  13. Stephen Bierce

    *lets the previous day’s Smashing Pumpkins songs continue on the hacked Muzak*

  14. Adama

    Give Joyce a hug. Out of sight where no one else can see, of course.

  15. JessWitt

    What are sisters for but to get a rise out of now and then?

  16. Leslie

    AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Joyce!!!!! (Sarah is me, and I totally understand her (which says bad things about me))

  17. ian livs

    Awww, I love this. 🙂

  18. Shen Hibiki

    Wow. Ok. Joyce won a lot of points with me here.
    That is sneaky -and- nice at the same time XD

  19. Geneseepaws

    It is really hard to have your eyebrows 4″ above your face. That’s how shocked she is. I love that last panel to death,… Well, into a light coma anyway.

    1. Opus the Poet

      In the Dumbiverse eyebrows are symbiotic organisms that live on people’s faces and feed off their emotions. When eyebrows get an exceptionally strong “meal” they have to jump straight up.

      1. Roborat

        In this case, they are currently in orbit, where they joined Ethan’s eyebrows from Tuesday’s page.

    2. showler

      I was thinking that someone should do a comic strip that takes place above garbage roof which is just a bunch of people’s eyebrows all talking to each other.

      1. Geneseepaws

        That’s brilliant, I wanna see that.

      2. Marsh Maryrose

        I remembered that this was an XKCD strip, but forgot it was a guest strip by Jeph Jacques:

        (aka Internal Monologue and Little Miss Daddy Issues)

  20. Jess

    That’s so sweet! I can’t wait to see their room.

  21. tirachokko

    omg Joyce using your self aware powers for the ultimate good I stan

  22. Arianod

    “Y-you’d do that for ME?”

    1. fire_daws

      Y-you don’t h-have to, baka.

  23. Hazel

    Sarah has discovered love!
    Joyce has discovered deceit!
    Sisters forever!

  24. Ursla Davina

    If only she had fuckface with her the combination fuckface and the leather jacket would make Joyce unstoppable!

  25. Dean

    ‘Sarah, write down a list of things you want me to pretend to hate.’

    1. Shen Hibiki

      “…wait, this won’t work, I actually -do- hate like 99% of this list”

      1. Roborat

        “let’s just say I know how poor an actor you are”.

  26. nothri

    Stop making me squee dammit.

  27. Mr. Random

    So I’m guessing this book is about Identity vs. Reputation. Not just in how they shape each other but jn how they can be used to mask each other and may contradict.

  28. mrnoidea

    “Look, I know it’s irrational, okay? I just don’t like people knowing things about me.”

    Hey look, it’s 90% of my waking existence.

    1. Emperor Norton II

      I hope the other 10% is making plans to create an army of squirrels to take over North Dakota.

      1. Clif

        Today, North Dakota. Tomorrow, South Dakota.

      2. hof1991

        Squirrels taking over a treeless prairie? I know there wouldn’t be much resistance, but though the people might be crazy to live there, not many nuts. And a squirrel army travels on its stomach.

      3. Roborat

        I think Doreen and Tippy Toe might have something to say about that.

  29. Reltzik

    ….. huh. I was speculating that Sarah would be better off wearing a pumpkin head rather than skull head with that costume, but I didn’t imagine she’d be wearing it with a Joyce beard.

    1. King Daniel

      Pumpkins are only really worth wearing on your head against Endermen, anyway.

      1. Reltzik

        Not worth it then. They cut down on your field of vision. Just carry a bucket of water to stand in if one charges at you, plus a million other reasons.

        …. er, no, I’m not a Minecraft geek, honest. *shiftyeyes*

  30. Emperor Norton II

    OK, so serious comment time:

    First of all, Sarah… I’m proud of you. Proud like Karamo is proud of a person who’s just done something they were fearing to do. I want to give you a fatherly hug like he does… though of course I know you wouldn’t want that, so I’m not going to.

    (On a side note, even though we are about the same age, I’d absolutely love for Karamo to adopt me; because the way he shows approval of you when you improve yourself… I’d totally get addicted to that.)

    Because this is a huge thing. It’s a major anxiety point for you to let people in, and I totally understand why. Last time you decided to come out of your shell, it ended up in complete and utter disaster.

    For you to show trust and vulnerability to another person is, in short, you making things better.

    And as for Joyce… OK, so I’m not entirely on board with the idea itself.

    But right now, the idea is not important. Not really.

    The important thing here is that you show Sarah that her trust in you is warranted. That you truly care for her well-being. That you respect her anxieties instead of dismissing them. That you want to help Sarah get through it in a way she feels comfortable with.

    What better reward than this could she possibly get from trusting you?

    1. Kelandrea

      I, too, would Love for Karamo to adopt me. Give Me That Positive Validation, Please!!!

      Also- i LOVED your comment. Like, i’m Mostly okay with the idea, because it seems more in the ‘white lie’ style of things- and it really is just for the holiday- but i agree that the import of it lies in the gesture/wanting to help Sarah/showing Sarah that you’re willing to help. I’m also just… so hopeful Sarah ends up with a close and loving group of friends because she Deserves That So Much and i’m so happy that she’s letting someone else in, just a little, and just… so happy!!!

  31. Zero

    …why doesn’t she just say she’s doing it for Joyce?

    1. Needfuldoer

      Immersion therapy is as good an excuse as any!

    2. DailyBrad

      She could, but, if it’s being done to troll Joyce, then there’s less chance of anyone tearing it down.

  32. OnyxIdol

    That’s some grand self awareness there, Joyce.

  33. Eldritch Gentleman

    Awww Joyce you little cinnamon roll.

  34. Ryan

    Sometimes I forget just how likable Joyce can be. <3

  35. BenRG

    You know, I’ve got this feeling that Sarah really has only ever needed for someone to understand her and her neuroses. I wouldn’t be surprised if this conversation is going to end with Sarah bawling her happiness into Joyce’s hair.

  36. abysswatcher1993

    You are finally being an educator, Joyce! Good psychology and caring can do marvels!

  37. Agemegos

    Oh what a tangled web we weave!

    1. Agemegos

      Getting a story straight to tell Agatha is going to be tricky.

      1. Reltzik

        Obviously Sarah got caught trolling Joyce and made up a lie so Agatha wouldn’t figure it out.

  38. foducool

    OH WOW
    mucho character development for Joyce
    *thumbs up*

  39. Bagge

    Between this plan, and Joyce flawlessly blindsiding Mary (http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-9-comic/01-flyin-to-the-red/tattler/), she’s developing as a REALLY sharp operator.

    And I don’t think anyone else in the cast – except possibly Sarah – has twigged to that fact.

    I really look forward to when, say, Dorothy realizes how badly she’s outgunned by Joyce in the “subterfuge within certain outlined parameters”-department. Or when Becky – no slouch in that department herself – realizes that Joyce is fully capable of keeping pace with her.

    Or to put it much more simply: NEVER mess with Joyce.

    1. Bagge

      Or to give it a less positive spin – so far Raidah and Joyce have only tested the waters. Round 1 will probably end badly for Joyce – she is not as ruthless as Raidah and has that whole “morality” thing that hold her back (with Dorothy, Becky and Walky as shoulder angel/demon/slob, respectively).

      Round 2 however will be BRUTAL.

      1. BenRG

        FWIW, I think that Raidah is going to be her own worst enemy in the long rung. Jacob is going to see a new side of her and I don’t think that he’ll like it.

        1. Bagge

          Yeah, my prediction depends a lot on wether or not there will BE a round two, and if Jacob has any agency in any of this.

        2. Clif

          Virtually none.

        3. thejeff

          Or if Jacob will even notice.

        4. Bagge

          Jacob likes pizza.

      2. thejeff

        It’ll be interesting to see what Raidah does now that Joyce has apparently given up her plans to break them up. She won’t believe it, of course.

        1. Bagge

          I don’t believe it to last.

          If nothing else because JACOB has not got the memo that it’s time to call of the (PERFECTLY WHOLESOME AND INNOCENT, I’M SURE) flirting, and if he happens to take a step closer to Joyce that makes her heart go pitter-patter, I don’t think her resolve will last all that long.

  40. Kaz

    Alert, Alert, eyebrows are escaping! Repeat, eyebrows are escaping!

    1. BenRG

      Joyce has been doing that to lots of people lately, hasn’t she? 😉

  41. Koms

    So, Sarah and Joyce are going to make everyone think that Joyce is a neurotic fundamentalist and has a problem with Halloween? This will absolutely go well.

    1. BenRG

      Actually, I suspect that Sarah will reject Joyce’s offer because it offends her sense of fairness and propriety.

    2. thejeff

      Everyone already knows Joyce is a neurotic fundamentalist, so it’s not that much of a stretch.

  42. Anon a Mouse

    Wow. I know this is going to be buried under other comments but I’ve never really had someone word my feelings as perfectly as Sarah did in panel 2. I am fairly talkative in general but when it comes to personal things about myself I clam up pretty quickly and it is EXACTLY that reason.

    1. Foxhack

      Saaaaaaaaaaamesies.

      The first time I opened up to a group of friends it backfired horribly and I was booted from the group. It took me more than 10 years to feel comfortable about opening up again (and it was by accident…)

    2. WikiDreamer

      points to avatar
      I’M NOT ALONE! Amazing what years of gaslighting & threat bearing can do to a psyche

  43. DarkoNeko

    Wow, Joyce.

  44. Steampunkette

    Joyce surprised Sarah so hard she Whoopi Goldberged her. Blasted those eyebrows right off her face!

  45. Vulcanodon

    Aww, Joyce, you’d pretend to be something you’re not for Sarah? That’s sweet.

  46. WikiDreamer

    This…this is all just…SO precious. braces for the inventible DYW Express to railroad dafuq out of it

  47. Callid13

    Wait, wait, wait –

    Joyce is encouraging another person to lie? To violate the Ten Commandments? I don’t recall *that* happening before…

    1. Agemegos

      Which commandment? Lying about your reason for putting stickers on a door is not bearing false witness against a neighbour. It’s not bearing witness against any neighbour at all.

  48. SonicBlueRanger

    This Arc has been so good for Joyce Character Development I love it.

  49. Bill M.

    I know Dina’s not there, but I want to say “Clever girl…”

    Also, Sarah’s about to smile. I like it when she smiles.

  50. Skeptible

    I relate to Sarah quite a bit, but if this was me, it wouldn’t fly. For one thing, telling false things about about yourself is not the same as not telling true things about yourself and I wouldn’t be okay with telling lies. For another, the point of keeping private is so that people don’t judge you, and this would result in people judging you for something that isn’t even true.

    1. Daibhid C

      Yeah. I think the way Sarah would see it is, she has an image. It may not be an accurate image, it may not even be one she wants, but as long as things appear to fit it, nobody will ask follow-up questions.

  51. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

    You know, I think Joyce might be my favorite character.

    1. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

      Who’da thunk

    2. Bagge

      Joyce is best pony.

  52. Meta

    Joyce :)) 🙂

  53. erejnion

    Awwwwwwwwwww, that’s really cute! Joyce FTW!

  54. Joe

    This is the best gift that Sarah has ever received.

  55. Jenny Islander

    This is reminding me of that one fancomic about the Battle of New York where Hulk is standing there watching Captain America give everybody else their orders while thinking, “Just try, you so-and-so, just try to tell me what to do, just try,” and then Cap says “Hulk, smash,” and Hulk goes all (0)~(0)

    1. Yumi

      Even though it’s of no interest to anyone else, I have to share that I missed the word “New” in “the Battle of New York,” and my brain went, “Right, right, the Battle of York from the War of 1812…wait, the Hulk?”

      I didn’t even know I remembered that battle.

  56. Jay

    Awww

  57. AutobotDen

    This is quite possibly one of the nicest things Joyce has done for Sarah. and also a very sweet and sincere attempt to make up for being a butt earlier.

  58. Twirls

    What’s the face for “this is so cute but also it hurts my heart and brain for both of them”

  59. Lexi

    Why not just…. Say Joyce put up the decorations? Like seriously, how hard is it to be like “Ugh, Joyce did that, she’s obsessed with Halloween, apparently.” it doesn’t have to be mean.

  60. Jhon

    Stop that, Joyce. When you become completely self aware, the comic is over.

  61. Jago

    Awww, Joyce. That is so sweet.

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