227

Supply
Posted on November 12, 2020 by David M Willis

227 thoughts on “Supply”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    And I need you gone today
    And I need you gone forever
    And if you only go away
    We will see each other never
    And we’ll only be starting a fight
    ‘Cause we’ll never be buds
    Together we can segregate our room with a line
    Your presence like a shadow on me all of the time (all of the time)
    I don’t know what to do and I’m always making jabs
    We’re living in a knife room and we’re doing the stabs
    I really need you to go
    Our temper’s gonna end in blows
    Our temper’s gonna end in blows
    Once upon a time I was falling for Joyce
    But now I’m only falling apart
    There’s nothing I can do
    A total reject of the Dott
    Once upon a time there was Joyce in my life
    But now there’s only us and my snark
    Nothing more to say
    A total reject of the Dott

    1. Doctor_Who

      Ok, who here can sing, we need an actual recording of this immediately.

    2. Bicycle Bill

      Excellent parody of the best song written for Meat Loaf that Meat Loaf never actually recorded.

      1. Raen

        What it written for Meat Loaf? I knew it was Steinman, but I didn’t think it was written for him. I kind of feel like a male version would have wound up consigned to deep cuts.

        1. Charles Spencer

          Steinman usually wrote tons of extra verses. There are probably more conventionally masculine ones already in his notes.

    3. Stephen Bierce

      Would you believe I first heard THIS on an actual Muzak?

      1. Dara

        …why is Picard-era Data lip-syncing a music video?

    4. Ed Rhodes

      Great! Now re-write “Loathing” from Wicked.

    5. Varangian

      BRAVISSIMO!! True art!!! I second the demands for an audio rendition!

      1. Mira

        I tried to do a quick singing rendition! I’ve put it up here: https://gofile.io/d/MfJIFV

        1. Ryan

          Amaaaaaziiiing

    6. robinreneew

      Not worthy!

  2. Doctor_Who

    As much as Becky is being kind of a jerk to poor Dotty here, having a dorm room to yourself (without paying extra for a single) is awesome.

    My roommate quit to join the Air Force, and I got the place to myself for the rest of the year. Bliss!

    1. clif

      And I was just going to say how nice it was that Becky believes in Dotty’s planned future.

      1. Deanatay

        “I have complete and total faith in your ability to get the heck out of our lives, Dorothy! You can do it! I believe in you!”

    2. Andy

      I found out just before my junior year that the friend I’d planned to room with failed out (fun fact: music majors don’t do too well if they don’t go to their lessons). I had a ground floor room in one of the best dorms on campus all to myself, and it was amazing. I could’ve had a single freshman year, too, but I believed the college’s empty threat of “choose someone or we’ll choose for you.”

      1. Ana Chronistic

        I got a single bc my parents coddled my antisocialism after like four failed attempts

        also, my college fund was from an uninsured driver settlement, so w/e, blow it all on me so at least there’d be ONE grandchild who graduated college (somehow)

  3. Icalasari

    Can somebody please tell Becky that the joke ran into the ground long ago and is just irritating now?

    She’s not very good at knowing when to stop

    1. C.T Phipps

      I think one can accept that it’s not a joke and Becky really….just does not like Dorothy.

      1. Nono

        It’s also being extra mean because it’s (intentionally or not) playing into Dorothy’s fears of not getting into Yale.

      2. Daibhid C

        That’s … kind of worse? The jokey “Haha, we’re enemies for trivial reasons” bit is annoying, but within the bounds of acceptable behaviour (as long as Dorothy takes it as such). Actual “I don’t like you because you’re friends with my friend and I will never stop reminding you of this” is … yeesh.

    2. KSClaw

      I kind of worry that Joyce is going to snap at Becky, especially if she keeps getting pressured about her current religious views (but I’m with you, even if it’s some kind of dumb, snarky self defense, it is getting old. Dorothy has the patience of a saint.)

      1. Dark

        Worry? No, I hope that’ll happen. Throw in some conflict between these two. Show Becky she can’t just treat people however she wants.

        1. Rainhat

          Have we seen Dorothy really go off?

          I’m kinda curious now.

        2. Nono

          She went on a small rant at Danny when they broke up, and then was grumpy at Joe after her bad grades, but she’s never gone full tilt.

          Her most extreme reactions were when she slept through an alarm and when Joyce swore.

    3. Yotomoe

      Kinda Becky in a nutshell is it not?

      1. clif

        Everybody has their own personality quirks that can be irritating if you don’t view them affectionately enough. Becky’s are mild.

    4. Diner Kinetic

      Pretty sure this isn’t a joke; I think this is bullying pretending to be a joke

      1. Diner Kinetic

        (oh to be clear I’m here for it BTW, I think it’s an interesting plot and hope it challenges both of them in new/interesting ways)

      2. RowenMorland

        I’m not sure it is bullying so much as she can’t deal with this any more than Walky can deal with adult stuff. Of course it could also be both, and even if it isn’t it doesn’t mean it is fair that Dotty has to deal with it.

        1. Nono

          I’m also not sure anyone’s really talked her away from it, either. Sarah is conflict-averse, Dorothy would get ignored, and Joyce wouldn’t confront Becky about it after nearly two decades of this.

          Best bet would be Walky getting miffed at Becky treating Dorothy like that, but she hasn’t actually exhibited this behaviour in front of him much.

        2. RowenMorland

          That’s a good bet. It does loosely mirror his own shittyness towards Jocye in the past.

    5. beige

      yeah I’m pretty sure this isn’t a joke. becky honestly seems like she really despises dorothy just for the fact she’s joyce’s friend and becky wants joyce all to herself and seems to dislike anyone close to her

      which has worrying signs for dina and beckys longterm relationship – which is sad as the two are very good together and dina is very happy – as like, it honestly still seems becky’s only plans for the future are ‘marry joyce and ensure nothing changes’

      1. Geneseepaws

        I’m not sure Dina IS happy, she certainly seems .pleased. at having a Real Live Girl (woman) interested in her, but I’m not sure she doesn’t see really deeply into People and knows that Becky won’t go the distance. (Poor choice of words?). Dina is really VERY observant. For all of her confessed inability to predict what other people think she should be doing, I think her insights into peoples emotional states is off the charts. I am making oatmeal of this idea, it will not come together.

    6. Keulen

      Yeah I’m surprised Dorothy hasn’t got tired of this joke already and told her to stop it.

      1. Sam

        To be fair, Dorothy frequently does not play into it and has expressed confusion, annoyance, and every emotion in between before deciding to kill her with kindness. Like, I legit don’t think there is a thing Dorothy could say that would stop her without a major outburst that Dorothy would refuse to do because she controls her emotions better than most people.

        1. Psychie

          Speaking as someone who has spent his life dealing with anger control issues, my view on it is that it doesn’t come from having lesser or greater self control, but rather that what needs to be controlled is stronger or weaker, and that true self control requires training and practice, which is something the vast majority of people never experience the need for.
          I like to picture it as anger is a beast/wild animal and most folk’s anger is a puppy and they are given a kennel crate and some decent leashes, with an option to upgrade. Those of us with anger control issues get a winged hellhound that breathes fire and the same kennel crate and leashes with options to upgrade, meaning if we don’t upgrade the beast is gonna rampage after destroying the crate and leashes and become more and more difficult to reign in.

          Conversely I view the absurdly in control folk’s as having the puppy but taking the same upgrades as those of us dealing with a hellhound. But because of the severe security the puppy grows up feral, neglected, and abused and sooner or later it’s gonna have the opportunity to break free from it’s cage and chains and the person isn’t gonna have the experience to deal with the fall out of the rampage after reigning it back in. It isn’t inevitable, as some of these people are savvy enough to avoid letting themselves be pushed that far and lucky enough to have the option of avoiding it, but nobody has infinite patience and I fully expect Dorothy here to get pushed past her limit eventually and likely spiral because she didn’t expect the severity of her own outburst. Assuming Joyce or someone else doesn’t step in somehow first, of course.

    7. He Who Abides

      But Becky’s a lesbian, that makes everything she does funny and not at all obnoxious! /s

    8. Eric

      I kinda want to tell willis that, but it’s his comic. Literally YEARS dead.

  4. KSClaw

    Keep dreaming, Becky.

    1. clif

      A girl’s gotta dream.

  5. Yotomoe

    “Joyce an I are married (to other people)”
    Subtle Becky…I definitely feel like that’s something I gotta take at face value. There’s simply no other way to interpret that.

    1. Agemegos

      Certainly not for Dina.

      1. Yotomoe

        Who? Oh right her college girlfriend. Sorry I was thinking ahead.

        1. clif

          Yep, Dorothy and Becky are definitely endgame.

        2. Deanatay

          Rly? I saw them as more Civil War.

          Becky’s obnoxious and brilliant – total Tony. And Dot’s hardworking and devoted – total Cap.

    2. ValdVin

      Hey, when a person takes the time to speak in parentheses I believe them!

  6. TheKelliestKelly

    Becky, this isn’t a healthy attitude

  7. Newllend(henryvolt)

    Is there a “All of the above” option for the new Poll?

    1. Leorale

      Also there’s no option for “Booster is behaving like a jerk.”
      The new poll is bad and I’m mad at Willis for it! Grr!

      1. Newllend(henryvolt)

        I don’t really mind Booster being a spiritual successor to Mike except minus the constant “I Fucked your mom” jokes and general disdain for most people around them.

        What gets me irritated is a major number of events happening off screen. I mean I can understand one or two things happening within a time skip but I have so many questions.

        Did Mike really die in his coma? Did Ethan take some time off from school to cope with it along with some other stressful events? What happened between Billie and Ruth? Did they go through that Europe hiking trip like they wanted and it ended badly? Why does there seem to be an odd divide between Amber and Walky and then Mikes death caused Amber to go back to being emotionally closed off? Did Amber and Walky finally get but naked and fucked somewhere inbetween the last few months like everyone wanted?

        I don’t know, maybe I’m just being pissy about it, sometimes we forget that events still happen even during a time skip.

        1. Nono

          The real question is, did anyone bone over the time skip other than Many/Grace/Sierra? Billie and Ruth apparently broke up, Roz and Jacob broke up, Amber/Walky are ???, Becky is being chaste, I don’t know if Ethan is in the mood to be hopping any dudes…

          Oof. Joe? I guess Joe. Maybe?

        2. Julez

          Roz and Jacob weren’t dating?

        3. Nono

          Right, uh, Raidah. My bad. I’d somehow gotten Roz/Joe and Raidah/Jacob mixed up in my head.

        4. Sunny

          And they weren’t boning in the first place because Jacob is saving himself for marriage.

        5. thejeff

          A common read, but I don’t know of anything to really suggest it.
          Jacob didn’t seem to want casual sex, but that’s not the same thing.

        6. a/snow/mous/e

          Yeah, I didn’t get any impression of him saving himself for marriage.

      2. Dara

        Same. I’m not mad about any of the actual items in the actual poll but I picked skipping Halloween because that might’ve been fun.

    2. Dawn T

      None of those are even the things I’m most mad about, I’m most mad that we missed Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Brown family drama. I really want to know the current situation with Joyce’s family.

      1. RacingTurtle

        I really wanted to see those, too. I thought we’d get Jocelyne development, though not necessarily a coming-out story.

    3. JetstreamGW

      No, there’s only the correct answer, because Mike was the best character 😛

  8. FLUFFY

    …is it possible to order therapy for another person in bulk and trick them into taking it?

    1. chris2315

      You could try becoming a therapist and then kidnapping the person and tying them to a chair until they talk to you.

      1. Pagannerd

        I believe that is called “becoming a Batman villain”.

        1. RacingTurtle

          I wonder: is there a story in any Batman media in which Harley Quinn kidnaps someone in order to psychoanalyze them? Because I would like to see it

        2. Sam

          I don’t think so. But I do recall there is at least one comic where Harley Quinn gives a child good advice due to you know, actually being a genius, good with children and good at psychology. It is not one that features Joker, who would likely murder said child if he was.

        3. Rainhat

          She once bluffed and impersonated her way into being the Daily Planet’s relationships columnist. She also specifically committed crimes in such a way to make a profiler and a hitman work together to stop her, because she thought they’d make a good couple and studies show thay working on projects together encourages budding relationships.

    2. Bogeywoman

      Oh no! Booster’s cover has been blown!

  9. DinaWho

    “STOP TELLING PEOPLE I TRANSFERRED!”

    “Sometimes I can still hear her voice.”

  10. Taigan

    Becky’s “friendly” rivalry with Dorothy is becoming a bit tiresome.

    1. StClair

      for me, it “became” a while back.

      1. Dara

        I would absolutely be demanding a different roommate. Some kind of dorm transfer. Seriously.

        1. Nono

          But if Dorothy moves away from Joyce Becky wins.

          I guess you could argue to get Becky transferred, but that’s harder and takes longer than moving yourselves.

      2. Agemegos

        About five years ago.

  11. BBCC

    Sorry, Becky, you’re gonna have to wait a while.

    Also, another little note on how Becky’s kept a lot while Joyce is moving on in ways she might not like – that fantasy sounds very much like something she imagined as part of their upbringing, except Becky has a wife instead of a husband and a job outside the home in the updated one.

    1. Regalli

      Yep. I sort of alluded to it before it became a Julia Gray joke, but Joyce’s wild fantasy if she didn’t have to think about what she was taught she ‘should’ do and want is fighter pilot. Now, who knows if she’d continue to want that after actually looking into training and such, but that’s a dream that suggests action and adventure in ways Becky’s doesn’t. (I’m ignoring all practicalities here since I’m pretty sure Joyce hasn’t thought about it in those terms herself.)

      1. BBCC

        Agreed. Being a teacher is a wonderful career but I question how much Joyce will still want it as she moves further and further away from her upbringing.

        I think she’d make a really cool math major.

        1. Regalli

          Could be fun. I just want Joyce to have some time exploring who she is and wants to be in the wonderful world of Trying Different Electives.

          But hey, we could still use a Theater major!

          (… And I only just now realized that Becky’s scholarship’s major requirement means she’ll probably be sharing classes with Dorothy too and this is a goddamn time bomb, even more than I thought.)

        2. He Who Abides

          I alluded to the shared classes issue a while ago (back when Becky and Dorothy were revealed to be roommates). No one else seemed too interested then, nor did anyone cath the Father Ted reference I made in that post either.

          Honestly, no one catching that reference was the harsher blow ?

        3. Regalli

          Good catch! (I vaguely recall this but the last two months have devoured my memory.)

        4. He Who Abides

          Considering everything that’s happened in the last two months, that’s totally understandable.

      2. clif

        But the thing is, it’s Walky, not Joyce who is destined to become a pilot.

        http://www.caiman.us/scripts/fw/f3858.html

  12. Newllend(henryvolt)

    It’s odd to have a somewhat type of rival that wishes you the best and for you to achieve your life goals because they want you out the picture in a way where everybody is happy.

    1. RacingTurtle

      Haha, yes. “Please succeed at all your wildest dreams because I hate you!”

  13. Chris

    Darn. I was hoping we’d keep following Lucy and maybe find out what’s going on with Billie.

    1. Keulen

      I was hoping for that too.

  14. Passchendaele

    becky, setting a $20 bill on dorothy’s desk: aaaaaaaany moment now

    1. Passchendaele

      it still freaks me out that these nerds are on their 2nd semester and I’m on my 5th, I remember reading this when I started college

      1. Demoted Oblivious

        Congrats on being more than half done. I definitely found the higher level courses more interesting. Best luck on the rest of your degree / academic career.

        1. Passchendaele

          I’ve definitely reached the running around and screaming all the time phase of college, but yeah, it’s nice to dive into chemistry and pinpoint the kind of research I want to do. thanks!

      2. bunivasal

        When I first met Walky, Joyce, Sal and Joe, I was a freshman in high school reading Keenspot comics in Study Hall and they were college freshman.

        When I started reading Dumbing of Age, I was a college senior… and they were college freshman.

        As I read this, they are college freshmen. And I am 33 years old, starting my tenth year in my field, with two kids….

        ….and they’re college freshmen.

    2. Leorale

      Ooh $20, sweet, Dorothy can get a haircut

  15. Dr. T

    How did some of the most fun characters become the most irritating ones after the time skip? This is running joke of hers wasn’t really that funny to begin with but now is unbearable.

    1. Nono

      I guess because things got Serious in the last book and also real life made things less funny.

      Drama Tag has been pulled, Shenanigans are no longer fun.

    2. beige

      because it’s not a joke for becky and never was. she dislikes dorothy and wants her gone, and while she’ll say it in ‘haha joke’ terms and not be straight out rude with it, that’s only because by being passive agressive she can pretend she’s not going to upset joyce

      because becky is still fully obsessed with joyce and dislikes anyone else being close to her, and since she can probably see Joyce is changing, it feels like she’s pushing harder than ever to get rid of the ‘influences’ of that

      1. Nono

        Becky’s fine with Sarah. Joyce’s giant friendcrush on Dorothy probably isn’t helping in that department.

        Becky’s still being a dip, mind.

        1. RacingTurtle

          Yeah, it’s partly romantic rivalry. She’s polite to Sarah, but rude to Dorothy and suspicious when Joyce talks about Joe. I love Becky, and I know she’s still feeling unsettled and desperate to hold onto what little from her past is good, but she’s gonna need to get a grip on her jealousy.

        2. RacingTurtle

          Which reminds me that Becky was actually kind of into Joyce/Jacob, which suggests she’s become more insecure since then. Perhaps because she had another huge change in her life…

        3. timemonkey

          It does make sense for her to be more hostile to female rivals than males. She was mostly cool with Ethan when they met.

      2. Nevermaker

        Yeah, I still remember her “friend-stealing hussy says what” comment.

        1. Agemegos

          7th of March 2015.

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/02-threes-a-crowd/resilient/

      3. Concolor44

        Yes. This. Thanks for putting words to my muddled thoughts.

  16. Regalli

    … So, that is DEFINITELY insecurity over Joyce right there.

    Also Becky, Joyce is gonna be a pilot. Who wears a cool jacket. And doesn’t care about foods touching other foods. She’ll be far too cool for a cul-de-sac then.

    Now, a cul-de-sac in SPACE, maybe. (Also don’t worry, ‘cause you’ll be her cool scientist BFF who helped develop her awesome tech and is making space dinosaurs because this fantasy doesn’t care about field specialization. Which is just as cool as being her President BFF, who is also in space.)

    1. Yotomoe

      Ah, and here I thought she’d be a pilot that gets a tv show greenlit.

    2. Nono

      Hey now, Joyce is fine with mac and cheese.

      1. Regalli

        Mac and cheese is a single food, masquerading as two separate components when they are really only parts of a greater whole.

        MAC AND CHEESE IS A SINGLE FOOD.

        (You know, I don’t have nearly as dramatic an issue as Joyce does, but I do prefer keeping the components of my meal neatly separated unless they’re actively meant to be combined. Mac and cheese is perfectly fine, but I would be irked somewhat if I had a plate with mac and cheese and a hot dog, say, and the two ended up touching. It contaminates the hot dog with cheese. This is in no way rational, but it is definitely A Thing I Experience Nonetheless. I just don’t let it bother me except in passing because otherwise I would lose what few points I have for my Functioning Adult Human card.)

        1. Nono

          Where do other similar food fall in? I presume things like pie are fine, but lasagna? Pasta bakes? A trifle that’s half a Shepherd’s pie?

        2. Regalli

          Lasagna’s fine, but pies tend to be trickier just because the texture differential throws me off. I think that’s part of where things get weird. (I love apples whole, but warm sliced ones like in pie or cooked with chicken or the like just doesn’t appeal the same way, even if I otherwise like the tastes together. They’re unappealing mushy in a way they aren’t raw or made into applesauce or the like.) But quiche is generally fine, and that has a similar crust-as-vehicle-for-other-thing concept. Anything that’s intended to be eaten together won’t set off the weirdness, so stir fry or sandwiches or something cooked with a sauce. Dipping sauces or the like – ketchup, dips for chips, syrup – are all totally fine, too, and I don’t mind getting, say, teriyaki sauce I’m having with a protein on rice I’m technically having separately. But if I’m having breakfast that has eggs and pancakes, I’ll probably keep the eggs a reasonable distance from the syrup. Does this affect me at all if they get mixed? Of course not. But I prefer them divided. Something about texture, or taste contrasts, or just a neurodivergent sense of How Things Should Be Combined being weird in a way I just shrug off if it happens but still go ‘no, bad’ internally.

          I should also note that with my texture and taste aversions in general, I’d probably be considered as having ARFID or being on the borderline if my food sensory issues weren’t counted in the autism supercategory. I’ve added some things into my diet over time, but it’s a slow process. And even things it makes no sense to draw separations between get it sometimes – I’m fine by now with tomato sauce on pizza or in certain pastas like ziti, but with other pastas or things like chicken parmesan? Completely unacceptable. I just chalk that one up to ‘probably about familiarity’ and don’t dissect it further, attempts have been made to move sauce into the acceptable category for them and they haven’t succeeded. Food sensory issues are weird.

        3. Schpoonman

          Mmm, chili cheese dogs.

  17. UrsulaDavina

    Well first Dorothy will be the local assistant Parks and Rec director in a small city then move up to city council then deputy director of a federal agency then director then governor of a mid size state then president.

    1. John

      Or possibly be married to the President. If memory serves the finale left it vague on who was the President.

  18. Bagge

    Yup, Dorothy will transfer to Yale.

    She is very sure that is what she want.

    She doesn’t doubt that at all…

  19. abysswatcher1993

    Dorothy: “The residency turned out to be a joke after the elections of 2016 and forward, so now I lead an anarchist commune.”

    Joyce and Becky living in the anarchist commune.
    Joyce: “Woohoo!”
    Becky: “I was this close, Doty! This close!”

    1. abysswatcher1993

      presidency*

  20. Rani

    Ngl I kind of agree with Becky, except with respect to this strip’s cast.

  21. Ornithophobix

    Becky’s first speech bubble in panel two could be transposed without alteration to a Mean Girl type. It would be an awful thing to say to anyone with less composure and self-esteem than Dorothy.

    1. beige

      it’s an awful thing to say to dorothy as well. just because dorothy can take it doesn’t make it any less mean or spiteful from becky.

  22. Reltzik

    Becky, if you really want Dorothy to be gone when you turn around, maybe don’t stand between her and the door.

  23. TemporalShrew

    Good lord, Becky, just start a real fight already.

  24. Cmasta1992

    Christ Becky this is old.

  25. Lynx

    … I’ve been fearing it for months but I’m dead sure now: This is NOT a joke and Becky is being cruel in the nicest, most passive aggressive way she learned in her incredibly toxic environment to do. What the fuck, Dorothy doesn’t deserve this. And I foresee this conflict getting even worse as Becky’s denial crumbles.

    Joyce is changing, and her dreams are going to take her very, very far away from an idyllic cul-de-sac.

    (Dorothy meanwhile is having the patience of a saint. What happens when it crumbles?)

    1. Reltzik

      She REFUSES to crumble. Being the enlightened sort that she is, she will go high no matter what underhanded, bigoted, reality-denying people say or do to her. Surely that will result in the rest of the world realizing that she is the best choice for president. Surely it will. Of course it will. When has it ever not?

      1. StClair

        In this country, we always elect the better person with the better ideas and policies. Always.

        1. Geneseepaws

          Well we certainly wouldn’t elect a clown or a movie star.

        2. Mariah Hardnett

          I’m sorry but a athiest has no chance of becoming president let alone a female athiest.

    2. ElectricBlue

      Yeah, I dunno if Becky’s behaviour changed significantly after the time skip or if I’m just interpreting it differently now, but for me the time skip was the point where Becky’s “jokes” started seeming a lot meaner to me, not to mention more incessant every single time she talks to Dorothy

      1. Regalli

        It does seem more pronounced. Could be the forced proximity to Dorothy now*, could be that the intervening months (and Joyce continuing to change, which I do think Becky’s noticed on some level) have strained her Joyce Insecurities more, could be she’s getting more pointed over time as Dorothy let them slide, could be the whole Dead Dad thing’s thrown another emotional curveball and she’s lashing out at someone she views as competition for the one constant she still has. Could be all of them! Could be none. At the moment, who knows. But she was pretty civil to Dorothy during the campaigning, so this does FEEL more constant.

        * In which case it might not even be the frequency of Becky-Dorothy interactions having insults, they’re just interacting so much more. Though it could be stressing Becky as well.

        1. StClair

          I think that Joyce having something going on, that she is not talking about with her Best Friend (who is definitely Becky), is certainly a factor.

        2. Rabid Rabbit

          It feels meaner because last semester, Becky being insecure about Joyce made sense: Joyce was the one stable point in her deeply insecure life, and the prospect of losing her was extremely destabilizing.

          Now that she has stability in her life again (in the sense of a guaranteed place to sleep, a four-year plan and budget, and, dare one mention, a girlfriend), her insecurities about Joyce start to seem much less healthy and much less charming.

        3. Geneseepaws

          Yes. This.

        4. Lynx

          My only caveat to this beautiful explanation of Becky’s behavior would be, she was never friendly to Dorothy. From the start she did this “friendly ribbing” that screamed possessiveness, and it always was a tad too frequent for comfort. Yeah, she interacted with Dorothy and all, and she does know she’s a smart, caring person she would probably like except there’s teensy thing…

          This is small-church dynamics at their finest. Remember Becky played this long con until the day she’d be finally free (though she had other plans back then!) She had to pick up a few skills in the meantime.

        5. Lynx

          PS: … I don’t think Dina will be happy to realize this is what has been going on, literally only a half-bath away.

        6. Regalli

          Oh, it definitely started way earlier – we can see Becky getting into the realm of potential weird about things as early as their first real interaction (‘if you weren’t straight we’d have a word about your taste in bony poindexters’) and through that section (‘friend-stealing hussy says what’ and ‘godless but not heartless’ – though I’ll forgive that one as Fundie Misconceptions of Atheists – both occur in the same strip as Dorothy offering to spot her for lunch. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/02-threes-a-crowd/resilient/ )

          We also see clear signs Becky’s insecure about her life and Joyce that weekend with the party (the Apples to Apples strip in particular.)

          It’s more pronounced now, but she’s been seeing Dorothy as competition the whole time.

  26. Nah

    …….I understand why her expression is blocked but damn I want to see it.

  27. Newllend(henryvolt)

    “This is it Dotty, you and me shacking it up for however long.”

    When she said that did anyone’s mind go straight to them…well you know.

    1. Sunny

      To them shacking it up?

      Now that you mention it, yeah.

  28. RedCat

    Becky, stop.

  29. Switchchris

    I love most of the characters, but Becky is definitely my fav character.

    1. TemporalShrew

      I can understand that opinion, but is *this* strip really illustrative of the reasons to love Becky…?

      1. clif

        The truth hurts.

      2. Lynx

        Maybe they’re trying to remind this to themselves, gazing sadly upon this display (?)

      3. Mediocre Pirate

        “Favorite character” doesn’t necessarily mean “good person” – “complex character who’s personality is driven by both deep trauma and jealousy” is def interesting!
        yes, she’s an asshole, but i’d be lying if i didn’t wanna see where this is going

  30. Valerie

    I think Dorothy is starting to get annoyed by the whole “rivalry” schtick.

    1. Newllend(henryvolt)

      Then Becky is winning.

      1. Tricia

        Becky won’t be winning when Dorothy snaps and smothers her in her sleep. Or points out to Joyce how gigantic of an arsehole Becky is being and Joyce never speaks to her again.

        …yeah, I know neither of these will happen, but hopefully something does, and soon. Becky needs some serious sense knocked into her. She’s being incredibly cruel and malicious, and needs to learn the error of her ways.

    2. CJ

      I think Dorothy is way past annoyed already.
      Becky needs some therapy, this way of taking her annoyance with the world and Joyce changing out on a Dorothy is not a healthy coping mechanism.

  31. Delicious Taffy

    One of these days, Becky’s gonna pull this schtick at the worst moment and Dorothy’s gonna flip the fuck out on her.

    1. Tricia

      Hopefully very very soon. I’m super sick of this nonsense.

      1. Agemegos

        Yep. It has been going on since March 2015 and it was barely funny even then.

      2. Uniquitous

        You and me both.

    2. timemonkey

      I don;t think Dorothy will, but if she keeps pushing like this Joyce will.

  32. Kitschensyngk

    I give it a month before Becky strangles Dorothy with a phone charger cord.

    1. Nevermaker

      Or the other way around.

      1. Keulen

        I’m betting it’ll be Dorothy trying to strangle Becky first, if Becky keeps up with this tired joke.

        1. timemonkey

          Nah, Dorothy will just ignore her causing Becky to get more and more obnoxious because she needs a reaction.

  33. AntJ

    how long till dorothy snaps

  34. Mister Gray

    Wow, Becky has not gotten over her crush.

  35. StClair

    I’m sorry for Dorothy, and for Dina.

    1. Agemegos

      Who was Dina with when she explained that she understood that she was a rebound and unlikely to last?

      1. Nevermaker

        Sarah, if I recall correctly!

  36. Catman

    Honestly, I normally love Becky, but for some reason her begging of Dorothy hits different here. I wonder what’s up?

    1. StClair

      begging, negging, what’s one letter? (they’re even adjacent on the keyboard!)

    2. Libby

      I wonder if Becky has noticed Joyce is a bit off of what she’s used to and is begrudgingly wanting to ask Dorothy if she has any idea why. I can’t help but think that somehow Dorothy will realize what Joyce is now atheist, since she was encouraged to explore different faiths and came to the same conclusion. A moment of “Oh that’s a familiar sentiment coming from Joyce.”

    3. Bogeywoman

      I think it’s a really unhealthy expression of her hurt and insecurity. She and Joyce were best friends for yonks, loved each other in platonic and not-so-platonic ways. Then Joyce found a new “equally best friend” within weeks of being apart. Someone smart, self-assured, pleasant, kind and thoughtful. That stings when you know you’re not as good as the other person. Then Joyce begins to reject things from her life before, even growing more distant from Becky. Becky’s also lost all her social connections and support from her old life, has little stability or control over her life and hadn’t seemed to deal with the magnitude of the impact of all this on her emotional and me talk health.

      Her capacity for dealing with hurty feelings are on par with walky, probably in part because of her conservative background where, you don’t air your dirty laundry in public, and are expected to be happy with your lot. And she’s Becky, the happy-go-lucky jokester. Can’t say “hey I’m scared I’m losing my best friend” “everything’s changing and I don’t know how to deal with it”, can’t talk to Joyce who is suddently keeping secrets and pulling away, can’t talk to dina because she doesn’t want to make dina feel the same rearrange as beck does toward dotty. She might not even know why she feels the way she does, but I don’t think she hates Dorothy. She doesn’t really want any to be hurt for her to get what she wants, but she doesn’t realise how hurtful her behaviour is.

      I don’t think Becky is a bad person, but I think she’s a person go needs to learn to regulate her emotions better and handle conflict wayy better….. but that’s like 90% of thecastbcthey are in that weird in between age where you do have to learn how to handle shit oor drown in it. And like 90% of the cast herlearningis gonna come in the form of life beating
      her lil dyke ass so hard she has gravel rash on her gall bladder.

      1. StClair

        well said, wish I could give you an upvote. please accept these kudos instead.

  37. Rabid Rabbit

    “Becky, it’s not going to be today, because you’re blocking my way out of my study space and I’m not your ninja of a girlfriend. Will you fucking move so I can go pee?”

  38. Barswanian

    And now, kiss!

  39. BenRG

    Becky, you do know that you have a girlfriend, right? So you aren’t allowed to want to keep Joyce all to yourself? Just… get over it, okay? You’re not Joyce’s romantic type and that’s the way it is.

    As it is, Becky is being a bully and a jerk here and I can’t believe that she doesn’t know it. Maybe she’s more her father’s daughter than she ever realised?

    1. StClair

      ouch, there’s a take.

      1. Tricia

        It’s not entirely that far off. Both of them are hyper-focused on their own wants and needs, and feel they can trample over anyone that stands in the way of their desires. Her dad might have gone to more extreme measures, but their methods are two sides of the same coin in a lot of ways.

        1. Pearl

          Going too far with a wacky joke on your roommate is exactly the same as kidnapping your daughter at gunpoint to send her to ex-gay conversion therapy camp and criminal conspiracy with a mob boss who literally murders her classmates. Amazing take.

        2. Delicious Taffy

          Hey kids, would ya like to see the strawman?

        3. StClair

          it’s not the same, but they come from similar places/urges, was the idea (I believe).

    2. Geneseepaws

      She had him as an example of how to adult. I sympathize, but do Not condone this. She needs Dina more than Dina needs her.

      1. Geneseepaws

        However, my heart goes out to poor Lil’ Orphan Becky. She’s very alone and needs to know that she has some family. A visit from Hank would probably undo her for a couple of hours but do a world of good. A bottle of coke, a few Yo-Ho-Hos, and a bottle of rum, and it’s lesbian suicide pact all over again.

    3. timemonkey

      She’s also her mother’s daughter. Being loud and wacky makes everything okay!

  40. Arianod

    OK Becky, now you’re just being annoying.

    1. timemonkey

      Only just now?

      1. Arianod

        Now, now, that’s not what I said.

  41. Delthor

    Becky, no. I’m just going to imagine Sarah popping into the room in between panels and bapping Becky on the nose with a rolled up newspaper, saying, “No, bad Becky!”

    Because this is too sad otherwise.

    1. Mediocre Pirate

      Sarah still has that baseball bat if i recall O_O
      (becky cowering and hissing like a cat in response is fantastic imagery tho

  42. Nenja

    Becky, can you please stop with this soon?

  43. Tricia

    I didn’t think there would be a character I disliked more than Carla, but it’s definitely happened now. Hopefully Becky’s over-inflated sense of entitlement will be quashed sooner than later.

    1. Geneseepaws

      I quick she’s whistling in the dark. I think she’s doing this so she appears self-confident and self-reliant. And I’m afraid she has tears on the flick of an eyelash.

  44. TheHabbadasher

    So, now that the whole ‘evil dad’ thing is over, I’m guessing it’s time for Becky to get the full Dumbing of Age experience, as far as character growth is concerned.

  45. Zaxares

    Ohhhh yeah, Becky’s still carrying a torch for Joyce. I mean, I don’t blame her. I know what it’s like to still feel a wistful, lingering love for a past flame that just refuses to die. But really, this is just going to cause all kinds of pain and heartbreak all around. For Joyce, because she’s most definitely straight and has previously expressed discomfort with Becky seeing her in that way. For Dina, who must learn to live with the knowledge that there will always be a part of Becky’s heart that will belong to another. And for Becky herself, who must live for the rest of her life wishing for a future that can never be.

    1. SillyGoose

      I think you’re being a bit pessimistic there! Sure, it’s true as this point.
      But the situation hasn’t been out in the open for that long, so I don’t see any reason why it can’t change yet. “Always” and “the rest of her life” – well, maybe, who knows, but also not necessarily. Becky’s young and willing to change. That lingering feling can heal yet!

  46. Sombrero

    Becky, if you keep talking all the time, Dorothy’s grades will go down and she will remain forever at your same cul-de-sac.

  47. Lone Duck

    As an atheist, who still deals with subconscious Christian ticks, I can empathize that Becky, for all her LGBT changes, still sees herself and Joyce as ‘wife’. Still imagines they’ll be together forever. Reality is gonna hit her like a landslide.

  48. Shariku

    How does transferring to Yale actually work (UK person here, so the systems are a little different)? Is this something that could happen for Dorothy unexpectedly? Is she just waiting for a place to open up, or is she working to get credits in order to transfer to Yale. Is this something that could happen early? Or would she be waiting until the end of semester 2 at the earliest for it to happen?

    1. BenRG

      Basically, it would involve being accepted as a student by Yale’s collegiate board (an incredibly difficult endeavour, given the sort of courses Dorothy is aiming at), setting up your tuition payments and getting Indiana University to transfer all your transcripts and grades over to them.

    2. BenRG

      Further to my reply above. There would be interviews with professors and administrators too. No, this couldn’t happen to Dorothy unexpectedly.

      What COULD (and I suspect WILL) just drop out of the blue is a rejection letter from Yale. Because everyone with ambition wants in on the Yale law course and only a few ever get in. Those that do typically have to be the best of the best of the best in academic and social terms.

      1. Shariku

        Thanks for answering. Is it normal to go to one university and then switch to another like this, or does this imply Dorothy has already tried to go to Yale and failed. In the UK, even for places like Cambridge and Oxford, you would normally apply straight out of school. No going to one uni and then switching to another (unless something went wrong).

        1. John

          In my life experience its not a terribly common thing, but it does happen. I went to a Community College for my Associates Degree and then transferred to a 4 year university to finish up my Bachelors. My older brother transferred schools a couple of times. Most people seem to stick with one for their entire college career, but transfers do happen.

        2. Joyfulldreams

          It is generally more common for people of more meager means. The better the school, the more expensive, usually. Often people will attend a cheaper school to get as many required credits as possible and then transfer to the better, more prestigious, more expensive one later on for the actual core of their studies.

          Spending 2 years at Yale is significantly cheaper than spending 4 years at Yale, and if you’re paying an insane premium to be at a specific school, you don’t want to be paying top dollar only to take Yale’s version of English 101 if you could do it at a cheaper school, especially if all you REALLY want is to take Yale’s 301 or whatever for the connections and prestige it brings.

        3. thejeff

          But getting into Yale as a freshman is actually easier than transferring in. There aren’t a lot of spots open in later years.

          Best bet would actually be to do the undergrad at IU, then apply to Yale Law for grad work.

      2. timemonkey

        I doubt Dorothy will be rejected, we’re just not going to get far enough down the timeline for her to actually transfer.

        1. Heavensrun

          I dunno, I kinda feel like giving up on getting into Yale is the only direction she has for character growth. A rejection letter could be an inciting incident, but she might also just decide that it’s okay to be happy where she is. An -acceptance- letter might also promote the development, when she realizes she’ll have to leave behind Joyce, and that triggers her to realize her unfathomably deep love for the whacko fundie chaos magnet.

        2. BBCC

          I hope not. I’m tired of stories where the only way an ambitious girl’s story can go is them giving up on said ambition (or at least part of it) for her relationships or deciding its unrealistic and doing something else. It’s not better for me if the relationship is a friendship instead of a romance.

          I’d rather get back on her learning to achieve a proper work-life balance.

        3. BenRG

          I think it would be a lot more interesting if Dorothy has to fight her way to the front from behind.

        4. BBCC

          I don’t mind that but at this stage in her life, and the most relevant to the comic, ‘the front’ is Yale.

        5. Mediocre Pirate

          Dorothy is already dealing with anxiety, providing emotional labor all over the place, a breakup due to “should” vs “want,” a friggin kidnapping, and watching her bully stumble into the very job she would kill to have!
          And all while being a perfectionist holding herself to incredibly high standards? I’d say Dorothy has pleeeeenty to deal with in terms of character growth, fridging her dreams not required!

  49. Shteevie

    Bravo. BARVO!

  50. James Rye

    Becky, you know, Dotty could chose Joyce as her personal assistant or something like that, right? Then you are all alone (together with your married other) on the couch watching Dotty become president like Joyce stands behind her in a neat, incredible looking secretary outfit and you will be like “daaaaamn, I got a new fetish”.

  51. Josh Spicer

    Becky…what the actual hell?

  52. Varangian

    BECKY, PLEASE! This isn’t the way!

    Just treat her with sweet, icy politeness and watch Dorothy crumple into a singularity under the weight of her own impossible ambitions! She’s like a supergiant star, Becks! Look in your science book! Those go supernova without needing the push!

    1. Varangian

      Like, you know what would be a *power* move, Becky? You know what would fix her little red wagon?

      Getting on Twitter and leveraging your current clout and your work on Robin’s campaign to get ANOTHER political internship. Make friends in DC.

      Eat her dreams in front of her, Becky.

      1. timemonkey

        Nobody aside from Robin would put up with Becky.

        1. clif

          Look at the way Les tossed her out. Oh, wait.

        2. timemonkey

          I wasn’t aware Leslie was in politics.

        3. Heavensrun

          She can honestly say that she turned around Robin’s campaign from a lost cause to a probable win, and that if Robin hadn’t dropped out, she would be personally responsible for one of the biggest turnarounds in political history. I think she could get in the door.

        4. Varangian

          Yeah, exactly this

          Also like, it’s dumb to pretend Becky is some kind of social pariah? She’s perfectly capable of getting along with people, she held down a job at Galasso’s without any notable incidents and her version of Robin’s Twitter got popular for a reason.

          Honestly, it’s more like no one could put up with Robin except for Becky. Becky could absolutely get along with a politician. Hell, say, AOC would probably be delighted to have her as a staffer.

  53. DarkoNeko

    so rude

  54. Needfuldoer

    “Are you still there?”
    – Lopsided orange Aperture sentry turret

  55. Rabisch

    Nice to see how much Becky believe in Dorothy ability to achieve what she want. I’m just worried about the fact that a tiny bit part of Becky still hope to marry Joyce.

  56. Spencer

    I like Becky well enough, mostly when she’s with Dina because they bring out the best and most interesting facets of each others’ characters, but I do wish that she’d stop being treated with kid gloves all the time.

  57. Amelie Wikström

    If you look at where Becky is coming from, this kind of prescriptivist shenanigans, where she has decided Dot is going to be her rival and a comically terrible roommate straight out of a sitcom and all that, really seems much milder than it could be. It’s like she has taken everything about how she was raised to believe everything in the universe including human will is running by God’s perfect script and jammed it into this one absurdist bit just to let it out in some way.

    I do hope Joyce at some point yells at her about using people as props in her personal TV show, though.

  58. Jhon

    One day — it will be like a miracle — Dotty will just disappear.

  59. Opus the Poet

    Notice that Becky had to specify that she would not be married to Joyce, this is part of the joy of same-sex marriage.

  60. Rycan

    Walky’s not the only one who can’t deal with emotions in a mature matter.

  61. Anastasia

    Becky is continuing the trend of becoming my least favorite character.

  62. Dev

    Man, this hurts because this is such the best friend mentality – but people grow and change as they move from childhood/teenager/adult and typically? Best friends change.

    Becky is holding onto hope that nothing will change when it already has. It’s sad, because she’s gone through so much with her orientation, losing the parents, and may be clinging to the one thing that she thinks won’t change – though it already has: her relationship with Joyce.

    I know Dorothy isn’t perfect (and shouldn’t be held to those standards) but neither is Joyce. Conflict makes an interesting story and also resembles life, but the few times that Joyce has stood up to Becky being a little bint, it’s immediately thrown back in her face in a typical teenager selfish move by Becky. There’s a lot of selfishness here and Becky really needs to get therapy.

    If it wasn’t just the fact that Dotty’s roommate moved rooms and typical college paperwork would shove a new mid-term applicant into a spot, I would have figured that Becky somehow figured out how to be near Joyce or requested it, which is even more incredibly unhealthy and mildly terrifying to realize as I’m typing this. It’s moved past joke to obsessive and I don’t see this going well for anyone involved.

    As it is, even if they all finish college, unless Becky works twice as hard for her studies – she’s going to graduate AFTER them anyway, which would be even more of a wake up call that Joyce is moving on.

    The bigger kick in the teeth here would be Joyce transferring to a different school before Dotty – if only to get away from this one. I wouldn’t be surprised at this point.

    1. Axel

      about the graduating after them, she is only one term behind (so probably about 5 classes of credits behind iirc?). if she picks up a summer term, or takes a couple extra classes in this and the next term, she’ll be golden

    2. Mediocre Pirate

      Shit – Dorothy probably offered for Becky be her roommate to be a nice person/a good friend, which makes this all the more heartbreaking.

  63. Heather

    I’m sure back just this time last year Joyce was right there with Becky in her dream (not realising that Becky wanted to clearly marry *her* and the faceless husbands were just mindless set dressing). But…Joyce’s dreams have possibly changed. Even before becoming an atheist she was thinking of other things.

    She possibly wants more than just a version of their parents lives where they have a bit more freedom to make decisions as the parents rather than as kids and that’s it.

    Granted I was agreeing with others about Becky knowing or at least suspecting Joyce *has* changed/joined the atheists, but this has me on the fence again with such an idea (granted, she could also simply be needling Dorothy for possible info on Joyce in some way while turning her obnoxious sniping up to eleven to do so hoping for a break, just in case she knows).

    On the other hand perhaps these 3D chess machinations are giving her too much credit. Only reason the Robin situation didn’t blow up in her face was because Robin stepped down.

  64. Bob

    Why is Joyce not talking to Becky about her problems? She is so stupid and needs to grow up.

  65. Sporky

    I don’t say this a lot because I love her and thinks she gets a lot of undeserved crap, but Becky… get the fuck over yourself

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