156

Courtesy
Posted on January 31, 2024 by David M Willis

156 thoughts on “Courtesy”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    *Dotty loads up CeeLo Green, “Fuck You”*

    *but also says “neighbor” instead of the other word*

    1. pope suburban

      Ahahaha, as Danny was about to use “ninja” when he thought Sal had asked him to play “WAP.” Which is great, actually, I love an appropriate substitution there.

      1. Enkrod

        Only a ginger, can call another ginger ginger!

    2. pyrock_mania

      I was thinking more like Hairy Soul Man’s “Fuck Everything” but she has beef with enough people in this room to justify the more personal approach as well.

    3. JR

      The clean version just extends the “know” across the second note in “Just thought you should knowwwwww” – fittingly, through the use of a (musical) slur.

    4. Freezer

      Maybe Black Sheep’s “Go To Hail” – which is two minutes of “Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuuuuuuck you fuck you!”

    5. SpaceDorf

      I always find Limp Bizkits “Break Stuff” very cathartic.

    6. Dark_T_Zeratul

      It’s a bit more upbeat and less angry, but maybe Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq’s “I’ve No More Fucks to Give” would be more accurate to her mental state?

      1. Plain Marie

        I love that song. Hum it my myself occasionally even when I can’t remember all the lyrics.

    7. FacelessDeviant

      And its the cleaned up version, “Forget you”.

  2. Karla Jean

    Because she’s cheesed?

    1. NGPZ

      Because Ruth will want to eat is off of her :p

  3. Nono

    I mean, it could be a triple date.

    1. HueSatLight

      Dorothy and Ruth get drunk and start making out. Walky and Jennifer tangled up in the red string of fate.

      1. Gigafreak

        Wonder if Walky’s actually sneaking away. I don’t see him in the last panel.

    2. True Survivor

      Depends on how you quantify it I guess. Both Ruth and Jennifer are in another relationship at the moment, and I don’t think they want to get back together (at least consciously), yet here they are hanging out together bound likely still bound together by the kind of love known almost exclusively to honeymooners and the kind of hate nearly unique to an old couple how have each hired a hitman because they can’t stand the idea of letting the other get anything in the divorce.

      1. Dave the Inverted

        That is some gloriously *evocative* writing. Thank you for improving my day.

    3. a/snow/mous/e

      They tripped and triggered the triple-tryst trap?

      1. Joshua Kronengold

        LOL. It’s like the parent trap only with nobody running it (on purpose)!

    4. Rose by Any Other Name

      @Nono
      Yeah, that was the comment I was gonna make.
      **grabs some virtual popcorn and awaits the fireworks**

  4. Coatl

    The showtime begin

    1. Clif

      Sal is wonderfully perspicacious.

  5. brumagem

    I mean, Ruth’s arm is a tantalizing five inches away from Jennifer’s shoulder. They’re about 3 hours away from moving in together.

    1. Dara

      ikr? it’s like “RUTH! ARM!” xD

    2. morleuca

      They won’t even need the uhaul

  6. Cattleprod

    Walky is the only one present Danny hasn’t dated in any universe… so far.

    1. cbwroses

      There’s a universe where Danny dated Ruth?

      1. TDKnave

        It was one of the first plot arc in Roomies

        1. cbwroses

          Danny and Ruth?
          Man it’s been awhile, because I definitely do not remember that.

        2. Nono

          They definitely didn’t date. They kinda bonded through apathy but they didn’t even get anything close to even teenage lust for each other.

        3. Cattleprod

          Huh. It’s been over 10 years since Ruth’s death was published over on the reprint site, let alone how long it’s been since I read the story the first time, I guess I remembered them as a couple.

        4. HueSatLight

          http://www.itswalky.com/comic/head-alien-prime/
          Bo Wilcox, the one that looks like Howard, is Danny and Ruth’s kid in an alternate universe.

        5. Needfuldoer

          [Ages into dust like that guy from Last Crusade who chose poorly]

        6. RacingTurtle

          Have I forgotten something? I remember them as friends. Maybe friends who would have been interested in dating one another if the opportunity arose, but friends

  7. RassilonTDavros

    Plot twist, this somehow ends up with everyone in this scene paired up… but not with who we’re expecting.

    1. anon

      i mean, as long as there’s no sal/walky (which i don’t think willis is the type to write that), i think everytrhings fair game lol

      1. Dark_T_Zeratul

        I think Walky would absolutely have them wake up in bed together, just in that “ugh, I’m in bed with my BROTHER” way rather than any suggestion of incest.

      2. Mark

        They’re the last two un-paired. They look at each other.

        Walky: Somehow I shoulda known this would happen.
        Sal: Wanna watch me beat you at Skee-Ball again?
        Walky: Sure, why not?
        [Exeunt]

    2. Firseal

      So… Walky and Ruth, Sal and Dorothy, and Danny and Jennifer?

      Walky and Ruth might actually work (ennui can take a lot of punishment if it knows to brance for it coming and Ruth can vent a lot of greivences in the day and a half before the experiment is over), Sal and Dorothy ends once Sal stops humoring the situation or Dorothy sobers up, and Danny and Jennifer… will end in therapy – for both, and a hospital, for one.

  8. morhek

    That’s ridiculous Sal, Walky would never date Ruth. He’s not nearly violent or toxic enough.

    1. Gigafreak

      …Is Jason?

      1. Mturtle7

        Good point! I think @morhek is missing the fact that Ruth isn’t necesarily attracted to violent or toxic PEOPLE, she’s just attracted to any REALTIONSHIP which she can MAKE mutually toxic in some way. Getting together with Dorothy’s ex while ostensibly trying to comfort Dorothy just might qualify!

    2. Da Boy

      He might enjoy watching her Wrestling Moves though

  9. Joel

    Seems more like previous AND otherwise!

  10. Cmasta1992

    Karaoke Slipshine about to solve the student loan debt crisis

  11. cbwroses

    So Sal and the Boys (not a bad band name if a little simplistic) walk in and suddenly Dorothy is in the mood to sing.
    I wonder who motivated her (of course it’s Walky) and what they motivated her to choose.

    1. Coatl

      I just know that the song will be very intense

      1. Sav

        Maybe the Monkey Master theme song?

        1. Coatl

          She knows Walky very well, so yeah

        2. Clif

          It’s the rain.

    2. Laura

      “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you”?

      “Fuck you and your untouchable face for existing in the first place”? (Ani DiFranco)

      “I hate everything about you”? (Ugly Kid Joe)

      “As cool as I am, I will not be afraid of [other] women”? (Dar Williams)

      “Closer to Fine”? (Indigo Girls)

      “I am not a pretty girl” / “I am 32 flavors and then some”? (Ani DiFranco)

      Hmmm… What do y’all / youse / yinz think? Any other ideas?

      1. Laura

        “Sell out (with me tonight)”?

        “I don’t want to save the world”? (Cock Robin)

        “Everybody must get stoned”? (Bob Dylan)

        C’mon, help us out here… what could it be?
        😉

        1. Laura

          Oh, I got it: “I hate myself for loving you”

        2. Firseal

          “The Rains of Castamere” (Sigur Ros)

        3. Firseal

          Or she could just sing Lone Ranger (by Rachel Platten), throw the mic at Jennifer’s head, and leave.

      2. Weatherheight

        You’re So Vain (Carly Simon)

      3. Mark

        “My Way”

        1. Mark

          Although I can’t get an unlikely outcome out of my head: Dorothy gets sozzled enough to fix Walky with a sultry gaze and pour out “I’m in the Mood for Love”.

      4. NickG

        Further to Dar Williams’ ‘As Cool As I Am’, Dorothy is definitely ‘falling in a slow descending funk”.

        1. Laura

          True, that!

      5. Nobody

        Everyone Else is an Asshole – Reel Big Fish

    3. Masumi

      I do wonder if this is Dorothy giving up on not letting this be a complete mess, it’s too late, this might as well sing.

      1. Clif

        No, I think she’s suddenly energized and is about to do something she needed a bolster of alcohol before attempting.

        Don’t underestimate the Dorothy.

        1. Imogen

          IDK, Dotty has been self-sabotaging ever since Billie and Ruth showed up, if not earlier. I could see her using this song as a chance to blow up at everyone in the room. You know, like a breakup song about one partner making the other worse/making you compromise yourself. That would hit everyone in the room.

  12. Warcodered

    Feels like a someone pull the fire alarm sort of situation, level of awkwardness.

    1. anon

      Cue a waiter entrance, ending up somehow being ruth’s granddad down on his luck

    2. Archieve

      On one hand awkwardness has increased, on the other hand aggression has dismissed? Maybe

  13. Hazel

    Rank the best and worst possible hexagon outcomes. Honorable mention to the most surprising configuration.

    I don’t really want to see Walky/Dorothy happen, especially not right now, but I think Dorothy/Ruth has some surprising potential.

    Most surprising would be Dan shifting gears to anyone else, since he’s been so comfortable with Sal, lately.

    1. Coatl

      I agree, I still appreciate Walky/Dorothy and I am even aware that it is not healthy for both of them to return right now, first it is worth letting Dorothy vent, which will provoke a whole series of reactions, obviously.

      But even with the anger she has, she knows she should stop and not create a bigger retaliation. Walky will be in for a tremendous surprise, but I hope this allows him to see Dorothy face to face and not on a pedestal.

      1. morleuca

        I really hope they get a chance to actually talk, though. Maybe discuss boundaries, and acknowledge where they are both at, and what it is they both need right now.

        1. Coatl

          Indeed, it is the top priority now.

    2. Nono

      Walky/Ruth, Jennifer/Sal, Dorothy/Danny.

    3. Xaeon

      Walky/Ruth, Dorothy/Sal, Danny/Lucy (Danny finally saw an opportunity to turn the tables on Walky) Jennifer is just sitting in the corner bewildered.

  14. DarkoNeko

    Jennie is your karaoke somehow manage to fuck up Danny and Sal’s relationship I’m gonna be angry.

    1. Clif

      Who is Jennie?

      1. Taffy

        She’s mentioned a bunch of times in that phone number song.

      2. Derek

        I think they meant Jennifer?

        1. DarkoNeko

          …I mean, yeah, who else ? -_-

  15. Bryy

    Dorothy is about to bring the heat.

    1. DarkoNeko

      [Aggretsuko is approaching]

      1. Coatl

        An inevitable reference

  16. Pocky

    Might be a triple date if the night keeps going like this

    1. a/snow/mous/e

      tripped into a triple date

  17. Dday

    Taking all bets! Who thinks Dotty’s gonna get so ripped she tries to kiss Walky but turns out it aint Walky?

    1. DailyBrad

      Plants one on Sal?

      1. Puppeteer Nessus

        Ruth would be fun as well

        1. Icalasari

          Danny would be the most destructive option

        2. Dr. Sharks

          Oh no. That could happen. RIP twiggy poindexter.

      2. Dday

        FTR yes that’s precisely what I meant, just posting this for posterity so I can say I was right when it happens.

    2. Amós Batista

      OH

  18. brute

    she chooses an incomprehensible death metal song so she can just yell a gutteral AAAAAAAAAAAA for five minutes

    1. I Know Why the Mowed Lawn Screams

      I’ve actually done this before, genuinely always a fun time, 10/10 on the cathartic release scale.

    2. StClair

      In a pinch, Immigrant Song will do.

    3. zee

      Ah, aggretsuko style

    4. v.gay.person

      Me, sister and friends will do growl covers of disney songs. Buncha punk/metal head nerds

  19. Stanistani

    [a complimentary brace of tequila shots arrives]

  20. Chaucer59

    If they can get enough beer, maybe the clothes will come off and they’ll have a Sense8 style orgy.

    1. a/snow/mous/e

      honestly I should try watching that again sometime

  21. BBCC

    If that happens I’ll cackle.

  22. KM

    So, Sal’s basically hinting that Walky and Dorothy are going hook up here right?

    1. drs

      Sal seems to be looking at Ruth and Jennifer.

      But hey, with luck we can get a triple date!

      1. Thag Simmons

        honestly it’s probably a fifty/fifty shot, I could see both

    2. Needfuldoer

      We’ll find out in a few days (our time), when it’s the next morning in-universe.

  23. Steelbright

    Wow somehow this became even more uncomfortable

    1. Coatl

      It was already uncomfortable before the others arrived, the discomfort simply increased.

      1. Clif

        Dorothy is no longer uncomfortable. Not sure where we are going from here, but she has something in mind.

        1. Mark

          I just got it: somehow the machine has “I Hate You” from Star Trek IV, and Dorothy gives it an unforgettable rendition, pointing to each in turn and adding shout-outs to several people not present.

    2. Thag Simmons

      don’t worry it’s probably gonna get worse before it gets better

    3. Mturtle7

      However, it’s the kind of uncomfortable that motivated Dorothy to ACTION, rather than just wanting to leave! I call this progress (for her at least)!

  24. Icalasari

    Dorothy drinking. Did not have that on the bingo card

    1. Thag Simmons

      It’s hardly the first time

  25. HueSatLight

    I feel bad for Jennifer, she was trying to get some sober approximation of fun for Dorothy, away from stressors, and now Dorothy’s drinking and her options are most likely sad drunk or pissy drunk. She might still have some sort of catharsis, but the plan is off rails, no wonder she’s frustrated in the last panel.

    1. Masumi

      She was already pissy sober, maybe she just needs to burn through all the pissiness first.

    2. thejeff

      She’s got Sal’s one beer, so it’s not really going to serve as more than an excuse to do what she wanted to do sober.

      Unless she’s even more of a lightweight than Sal.

  26. Schpoonman

    Told you Dorothy would end up with the alcohol Sal brought to the room.

    1. Clif

      So what spectacular thing do you predict Dorothy is going to do next.

      1. John Campbell

        1. Get drunk.
        2. Knock on Joyce’s door.
        3. See March 22, 2012.
        4. Oops, turns out Joyce is with Joe, and Sarah answered the door.
        5. Die of awkwardness.

        1. Mturtle7

          Alternately:
          5. Make out with Sarah instead.

        2. Mark

          Alternate alternate:
          4. Oops, turns out Sarah’s been banished for an hour or two, and Joe answered the door.

        3. Imogen

          It’s happening. The Chaos Theory I’ve been prophesizing for, like, a year is coming true. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, if we’re lucky. THEY ALL SAID IT WAS CONTRIVED. CONTRIVED!
          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-14/02-its-the-love-i-havent-got/autonomy/#comment-1764632

        4. Imogen

          So here’s how it plays out: All our expectations for Dorothy smooching Walky/Danny/Sal/Ruth are averted, because Joyce shows up to the party and finds Dorothy improbably drunk on a single beer. She helps Dorothy back to the apartment. Dorothy impulsively kisses her just as, say, Dorothy’s roommate comes into the room.

        5. Imogen

          Actually, I *know* it’s been over a year, because I’ve definitely used the phrase “just in time for Valentine’s Day” about this theory before.

        6. HueSatLight

          Shakespearean levels of romantic chaos.

        7. Imogen

          I wanted to make a bet like, “At this point, if it actually happens, I will send $50 to the Patreon/to a charity of Willis’s choosing.” I couldn’t make it not sound like a bribe.

  27. DashWallkick

    We’re either getting another song to end the storyline or someone’s doing a bad hookup.

    1. Clif

      Maybe both.

  28. Now

    Panel 2 Walky biting his lip and hosting all of the night sky in the twinkling of his button eyes is sending me

  29. Needfuldoer

    Plot twist: Dorothy actually has what it takes to make it as a singer. She’s been chasing the wrong vocation this whole time.

  30. Taffy

    In a shock to everyone, Dorothy starts singing “Birthday Cake” by Cibo Matto.

  31. Amelie Wikström

    Props to Danny for going ten minutes without giving Walky any shit. Maybe not every interaction they have has to be negative.

    1. HueSatLight

      Walky still probably running on low intensity from relationship trouble and earnest telling off of parents.

  32. Archieve

    She’s volunteering to sing now, so progress?

    1. Imogen

      I still think karaoke was a perfect idea–it’s a fun silly thing that forces the singer to abandon her perfectionism and dignity and just relax with friends.

      1. thejeff

        It’s also a great chance to pick songs to sing that’ll let you snipe more or less nastily at those friends.
        Which seems to have backfired on Ruth, but we’ll see what Dorothy chooses to sing.

  33. Adept

    Is that “beer handed to you at the door because you’re a hot girl” thing real, because it sounds dodgy as hell?

    1. Taffy

      Hot girls deserve beer too.

    2. thejeff

      It’s Sal’s curse.

  34. AGV

    Dunno if this is happening to anyone else, but I haven’t been able open this website through my phone’s browser. It says “Request header field too large” and “the server refused this request because the request header fields are too large”.

  35. ValdVin

    Dotty: “This next one’s going out to all the young men in the room. Both of ’em. But don’t read too much into it.”

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OaAgAYHugpI

  36. Hof1991

    I don’t think Danny was trying to avoid a double date with Ruth, but one with Walky.

    Dorothy has come to realize that maybe she should choose her own mental health and Walky over an Ivy.

    Walky stood up for himself but didn’t really do it for Lucy. Lucy would be a choice that Charles would make, just drifting along and not really choosing. He’s gonna make a Jacob choice here and let Lucy down easy and go with his heart. Dorothy was trying to achieve a childhood fantasy. Walky was living in his drifting childish way. Time for less dumbing and more semi-adulting.

    1. Seregiel

      I mean, Walky is a better version of his dad. Dotty is kind of a better version of his mom. It works.

  37. zee

    Damn Wally looks so menacing behind sals hair in panel 3

  38. Cloud

    I’ve never hoped for an aggretsuko reference more

  39. OBBWG

    Love Sal’s look in panel three. That panel wonderfully defines Dorothy and Sal’s relationship.

  40. poyo

    I think Dorothy will be fine, she just needs a support group that she knows she can trust and talk her through this transitional period of her life.

    …………..okay maybe she won’t be fine.

    1. nicoleandmaggie

      :sobbing face emoji:

  41. Shogo

    I really hope she’s going to chew out Jennifer and Ruth, and not swerve into some stupid bitter ex nonsense. But given past behavior, I’m prepared to be disappointed.

    She broke up with Danny at the start of the comic, then got upset when he moved on instead of wallowing in misery.

    She broke up with Walky because she thought he was a distraction, then got upset because he wouldn’t cheat on his girlfriend when she tried to come crawling back.

    1. Daibhid C

      Could you point me to the strips where any of those things happened? Are they anywhere near the strips where she helped Danny realise his bisexuality, broke up with Walky because she didn’t think she was being fair on him, and made a vague pass at him which she immediately said was unfair on him, and on Lucy, and was a sign of just how messed up she was?

      1. HueSatLight

        “I’ve not been fair to you” is her way of making it sound like she’s ditching him as a favor, and not because she doesn’t want to schedule him into her rock solid plan to be president of the US in a couple of decades. Some people, when they do something for themselves, have to make it sound like they’re inconveniencing themselves to do it for someone else.

        Its fine for her to break up with someone because whatever reason, she’s not obligated to stay with someone if she doesn’t want to. But both times it’s been because she doesn’t want to, not because she knows what’s best for them. She’s ordinary, and broke up with them for ordinary reasons. Not as a grand act of selflessness.

        1. thejeff

          She also did realize she’d been unfair to him and didn’t want to continue to set boundaries she wasn’t going to be able to keep, because that’s not cool.

          She would have needed another pause and that pause also would have been a lie.

    2. Mturtle7

      Don’t worry, she’s Dorothy! She’s GREAT at multitasking!

  42. Roam85

    This could be a great set up for a polycule if two of them weren’t related.

    1. ari

      Yeah, it feels like if you’re gonna do the twincest, it probably should be the only thing on your plate.

  43. Taellosse

    Naw, Sal – aim higher. You’re 3 beers away (1 more for Dotty, 2 for Walky) from the coveted triple date achievement!

  44. HoopsieDaisy

    I’m about as excited for the next few comics as ever, but that dang Willis guy’s going to cut away any second! Darn the cliffhangers!

  45. Rocketboy1313

    And then they all fucked.

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