363

Established
Posted on February 21, 2015 by David M Willis

363 thoughts on “Established”

  1. Seerow

    “So… about my boyfriend…”

    1. JessWitt

      Mm-hmm, let’s get to that, shall we?

      1. Seerow

        Just figured it’d be an easy thing to bring up for Joyce to be yelled at over. Everyone gets to be happy!

        1. Bagge

          I think it will be much harder for Joyce to be yelled at by Becky then she hopes. I think what she REALLY will get when she finally starts to explain everything that’s going on is pity.

          “Awwww, poor Joyce, you tried to get a boyfriend so hard so you ended up with a gay dude. That’s kinda hilarious in a sad kind of way… what, it was because of a lost sense of security because of an attempted rape… shit, Joyce. Are YOU OK?”

    2. Mr k

      “Hey, not fair. If you’re dating anyone gay, it should be me!”

    3. Nono

      Ex-boyfriend, technically.

    4. lekoppa

      Did Ethan “agree” to the breakup? I’m not entirely convinced that he wasn’t attempting to postpone it. Either way, while seeing Becky’s reaction to the Ethan/Joyce relationship would be really interesting, I’m not sure Ethan is ready to come out. I’d hope Joyce is sensible enough not to out him.

      1. Anywhere

        If you break up with someone, it doesn’t ACTUALLY matter if the other person agrees or not…

        1. thebombzen

          If it did, I’d say “Warning! 1950s approaching! Watch out for bigotry and ownership of women!”

        2. John

          Depends if you remember you did it or not.

        3. Usayasha

          I was convinced that this was going to link to Legend of Korra, because that legit happened in Book 2: Spirits.

        4. Urukak

          Oh good, so I’m not the only one.

        5. John

          I don’t even know what that is.

        6. Joy2b

          I hate to declare that you’d love it without knowing you, but if you’re here, there’s good odds that avatar would leave you smiling.

          It’s an american made cartoon, but looks a lot like a well made anime. Korra’s about the same age as the dumbing of age characters, and going through some of the same things. There’s other anime flavored neat things going on, supernatural martial arts, long running mysteries, some steampunk. The characters are funny and learning and interesting, the art is gorgeous, the writing is for both kids and adults, and the series creator stood up for having a female main character.

          Free episodes: http://www.nick.com/legend-of-korra/

        7. Mara

          My thought exactly.

        8. Kiapdx

          Same

        9. Xalthicus

          I was disappointed that it wasn’t.

        10. TemplarKnight

          Haven’t seen Enough, Fatal Attraction, or Gone Girl, have you?

          It sometimes REALLY matters if the other person agrees to the break up

        11. Kryss LaBryn

          I see your Enough. Fatal Attraction, and Gone Girl, and raise you a Wayne’s World:

          Stacey: “Just because we broke up doesn’t mean we can’t still see each other and go on dates and things.”

          Wayne: “Yes, actually, it does. That’s exactly what it means.”

        12. Anywhere

          No “turn your key” joke? Maybe I am getting old D:
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strong_Box

      2. Time Sage

        You can’t really agree to a break up. Once one side says it’s over, it’s over. You can in some siutations convince them otherwise but there’s not agreeing to it unless you’re both unhappy and both want to break up.

        1. lekoppa

          I was sort’ve thinking of the Seinfeld epidode where George’s girlfriend refused to agree with the breakup.

          That’s kind of the entire reason I had “agree” in quotation marks. Obviously, that’s not how it works- but Ethan did say he didn’t think it was the right time to have that conversation. He’s, in the very least, postponing the breakup.

  2. Nono

    Becky wants to produce some milk alright.

    1. Mr k

      She has a lactation fetish? Boy, Joyce really didn’t know her.

      1. Yotomoe

        “Doesn’t everyone? Oh just me?”

        1. Doctor_Who

          “It does a body good.”

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      Full cream or butter?

    3. Dreadhawk177

      Who is your gravitar?

      1. -Sentinel-

        That’s Grace.

      2. Jason

        Grace.

      3. Barf Ninjason

        Apparently it’s someone named Grace, which, phew, reallllly narrows it down there.

        1. timemonkey

          Grace is Mandy’s girlfriend. We’ve seen them discuss the identity of Amazi-Girl and whether something’s up with Ruth and Billie.

    4. nothri

      Wait, as in “She wants to have fun with the Boobs” or as in “she wants to drink a milkshake”? What manner of awful innuendo are we doing today?

      1. Seerow

        Why not both?

        1. Disloyal Subject

          A compromise made by more than one horrible smutfic I’ve accidentally stumbled across, strangely enough.
          A lesbian with a lactation fetish, though? Huh.
          I’m more alarmed that I knew after reading the comic that I’d find this thread than that it exists, really. Never change, Internet.

        2. Smiling Cat

          Simultaneously, nine and a half weeks style.

        3. Deanatay

          My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, my milk shake, it’s better than yours! I’d teach you, but I’d have to charge, my Milk shake…

      2. tyersome

        I … … came up with another interpretation of that entirely …

      3. Gigafreak

        A milkshake that brings Becky to the yard?

  3. Knifleman

    Surprising lack of reaction from Dorothy here. Maybe she’s bluescreening off-panel.

    1. Airyu

      She’s frozen. Walky is currently trying to reboot her.

    2. Doctor_Who

      She’s just doing a routine test to see if she’s gained the ability to kill with her mind. Happens to me once or twice a week.

      Nothing yet, but I am convinced I once gave someone an ice cream headache when they weren’t eating ice cream.

    3. Yotomoe

      She’s sadly looking at herself like “Dang…maybe I SHOULD try to look a little less poindexter-y.” And for the rest of the comic she dresses like Walky.

      1. Mr k

        Or she decides to imitate Sal. Walky gets weirded out.

        1. Yotomoe

          It’s like kissing my sister, and unlike what hentai tells me this isn’t enjoyable in the least!

      2. grantimusmaximus

        She’s gonna need a lot more cereal-based t-shirts then.

        1. Opus the Poet

          I thought her shirt was for Kraft Mac and Cheese.

        2. Opus the Poet

          And who is that in my avatar where Mike should be? Daisy?

        3. Gigafreak

          Agatha.
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/tag/agatha/

        4. Opus the Poet

          Oh! But she doesn’t say much, does she?

        5. grantimusmaximus

          Ah, you are correct. I must have been influenced by the soggies…who may or may not rule.

    4. Gangler

      Probably happened between panels. A couple minutes or so seem to have passed since then. Conversation’s on a new topic. Dorothy and Walky have wandered off now that Joyce is taken care of.

    5. timemonkey

      Dorothy’s a low-drama type of person to begin with and Becky IS Joyce’s best friend who is currently in a very bad position. Dorothy’s got a lot of patience so it’ll take more than one surprisingly insulting comment to get her upset.

      1. Bagge

        Dorothy almost always eW4

        1. Bagge

          (kindly asks kid to stop kicking keyboard)

          Dorothy almost always take a moment before acting (sometimes she fills that moment with smartassery). That’s usually a good idea, but sometimes it makes her passive, such as when Joyce mum called.

          Also, she might think there are more important things going on right now than an insult. She might be right.

  4. Airyu

    Ethan looks so lost and confused.

    1. timemonkey

      Possibly wondering how she could be in this situation and not be angsting, after all he was in a less terrible situation and was nothing but a total downer for months.

      Or his brain is still stuck on his butt getting e-mailed around.

      1. grantimusmaximus

        Both. He’s got a lot of stuff to work through.

      2. alphabeast

        pretty sure its about his butt getting around.

    2. Jason

      It amuses me how Ethan always follows Joyce around silently, like a butler or a golem.

      1. timemonkey

        I suspect he used to do the same for Amber. I’m guessing you get used ot just being quiet support when you spend time with people who are afraid of being around people. Plus he doesn’t really have anything to add to the conversation.

        1. Rycan

          More like when you’re following behind a boiling pot of crazy emotions.

        2. neeks

          Don’t forget his dad was like that during freshman family weekend, this could be learned behavior from his parents.

        3. Kyrros

          Any chance he’s actually developing legitimate feelings for Joyce? I know he’s denied it in the past. Or is he just as co-dependent as she is in the opposite way? Is there some Willi-verse rule that says only Billie can be Bi?
          I would think being released from ‘beard servitude’ would have been a relief for him.

        4. Kyrros

          ^ ^ ^ Mary?! Really?!

          Guess I can’t comment seriously again for another couple of months… :-\

        5. neeks

          Well Willis has explicitly stated that Ethan is gay in DoA as well, so….would that be sufficient proof? I just meant that growing up, Ethan likely unconsciously absorbed the notion that “male partner silently follows female partner and lets her do all the talking and probably take the initiative on everything”.

          There are multiple types of love, and when Joyce called him on what kind his was for her, he deflected the question. Feelings for Joyce? Sure. Romantic feeling? Yeeeeah no.

        6. caramelundqueer

          Danny’s bi and so is Ruth. So no there’s no rule that only Billie gets to be bi.

        7. Rycan

          Hah, good point. The Siegel men know when not to get in the way of emotional volatility.

    3. saltchocolate

      To me, Ethan looks like he has his learning face on. Becky’s approach to coming out and being out has a lot of fun and satisfaction built into it, despite the troubles it has brought her way. He’s getting a glimmer of “it doesn’t have to be all angst all the time” . . .

  5. Plasma Mongoose

    At least Becky looks a bit less like Danny now…

    1. Yotomoe

      Always a good thing!

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Yes… yes it is. ^_^

        1. timemonkey

          But Danny is kinda cute! Just ask Ethan!

    2. Doctor_Who

      Yeah, I was gonna say, they had basically the same do at first.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        If only you had a way to go back a few minutes so you can beat me to the punch…. hmmmmm!

        1. Disloyal Subject

          DUNdundundundun Dadadadadun DadadadaOooo-Ooooo, OooIeeeOoooo…

        2. Bagge

          The doctor would never do anything as irresponsible and childish as go back in time to win a small point in a forum discussion. Look, it even says so on this piece of paper…. hmmm, only wavy lines…

    3. Dr.Zeus

      What did that look like again? Oh whatever she was in the first comic I’ll just go check it- GAH!

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Heh! ≧(´▽｀)≦

        1. nothri

          Why are you forming the emoticon of a fat pigeon Plasma?

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          It supposed to be excited but yeah I can see the pigeon now.

        3. Deanatay

          I think it’s supposed to be an excited-Joyce-triangle-mouth, not a beak. But, yeah, looks like a beak.

    4. T Campbell

      That’s weird. I always thought her pageboy was looking a bit too similar to Leslie’s. And Ethan’s, until he got the new look.

    5. newllend(henryvolt)

      I have now become more attracted to her only to be reminded that I lack the wrong body to satisfy her.

      1. Opus the Poet

        I know, it’s terrible to be attracted to a body type and haircut that is 90% of the time connected to lesbians when you are a straight male. I still haven’t figured out what to do about it except hops some might be bi. 😉

    6. nothri

      Or could it be that Danny looks a little more like not Becky?

  6. Doctor_Lantern

    Ok… now even I am getting a little annoyed by Becky’s attitude… It isn’t that I wasn’t annoyed before but come on… she is straight up using Joyce and it really doesn’t seem like Joyce knows any better….

    1. Smiling Cat

      I’m not seeing “using”. I’m seeing a joke about it, but not actual “using”.

    2. Luzahn

      Yeah, I’m a bit confused about what you mean. Joyce offered to help Becky out. Yesterday. While Becky was in an extremely vulnerable spot. I’ve not seen even a hint of “using.”

    3. Safgaftsa

      Not sure if this is the real Becky, or if her parents’ repression has just messed her up that badly. I should hope she will be more respectful of Dorothy and (I’m still going back and forth on this after the Roz incident) Joyce in the future.

      1. Doctor_Lantern

        I’m hoping so too, because as of right now she is just kind of being an ass.

      2. ninja_jesus

        From my experience, this kind of turnaround from someone who was repressed to the degree that she was actually isn’t uncommon. She’s exploring her new boundaries and trying to communicate herself differently to the environment around her, and these changes will vary from person to person. For Becky, a side effect of this seems to include being an ass to people, but that will eventually go away as she re-learns how to socialize with others. Right now, she’s just really caught up in her new-found freedom.

        1. Emily

          Yeah, that doesn’t excuse her treating people around her like crap. Just because you’ve gone through difficulties, it doesn’t mean you are allowed to be a huge jerk. It’s understandable, but not acceptable.

        2. Rycan

          No, she shouldn’t – if she got a free pass, that would be bad for all. Can’t learn without getting some feedback, including pushback when needed.

    4. Deanatay

      We all use each other, occasionally, DL – heck, that’s why we make friends. I think this is a very gentle usage, and I think Joyce is OK with it, right now – heck, Willis has spent the last few comics confirming that Joyce WANTS Becky to use her, right now.

  7. Solenoid

    “Oh, right. The buttphoto.”

    1. Airyu

      Ohhhhhh. That answers my comment.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Which one? Ctrl+F isn’t finding any questions under your username.

        1. Airyu

          I didn’t phrase it as a question, but it was “Ethan looks so lost and confused.” ]I posted that because I was trying to think of why he looks that way.

  8. Regalli

    Yeeeep, she’s having a total “what the fuck’s going on I’m scared I’m FREE FREEDOM what do I do” THING right now.

  9. Yotomoe

    She’s actually referring to literally milking Joyce. That’s how this whole thing works, right?

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      The last time I checked you needed to be pregnant to produce milk but then again I have heard of so-called male lactation.

      1. Yotomoe

        As someone who’s interests may or may not involve such an act I can say I have read that there are many ways that women (and even men) can lactate without a baby.

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          You milked yourself? ( ﾟoﾟ)

        2. sps48

          If it has nipples, you can milk it.

        3. Disloyal Subject

          No, I believe he simply is a voluntary consumer of the works of fiction I mentioned above. Some of which probably do enough research to have a loose basis in fact. Admittedly, there are probably non-terribad ones, but eh – not my cup of tea.

        4. tyersome

          Oh, Yotomoe you poor soul, you’ve really done it now … we’ll be milking this revelation for all time now … I apologize in advance for the fact we are going to cream you, though guess that won’t really make things any butter?

        5. Yotomoe

          And to think I used to be the big cheese. What an udder dissapointment.

        6. saltchocolate

          Dairy-a have it. No two wheys about it.

        7. tyersome

          Well Gouda on you Yotomoe, I’m glad to see that we haven’t got your goat yet … but I’m sure you’ll get Feta up soon, since we’re going to Bried a Cottage industry of cheesy word play …

        8. Turbanous

          I know a woman who was on some really strong birth control from a clinic that made her lactate and hallucinate a little. After the lactation she went to a different doctor and got the right stuff for her.

        9. Roborat

          Unless she hallucinated that.

  10. Sherlock9

    Dorothy? Hello?
    Are you waiting till tomorrow to talk or till Joyce is out of earshot?

    1. Doctor_Who

      She’s going to go home, study, eat dinner, shower, go to bed, wake up, go jogging, make out with Walky, go to class, and in the middle of a math lecture suddenly go “WAITAMINNIT! BONY POINDEXTER?!”

      1. timemonkey

        Jason: Yes?

        1. Doctor_Who

          You win.

        2. Catullus

          You win an Internet. Hell, take two.

        3. Airyu

          + infinity points

        4. StClair

          *slow admiring clap*

        5. Bagge

          Hear, hear

        6. neeks

          More like “Shockingly rude interjection aside, if there’s something you need it will have to wait till my office hours.”

        7. Bagge

          Sail: “Aint worth it, Lisa, stick to my dumb brother.”
          Jason: “ANYWAY, MOVING ON.”

        8. Kamino Neko

          Lisa?

        9. neeks

          Sal referred to Dorothy as “Lisa Simpson” when doing roll call for the beach trip.

      2. Nono

        Joke’s on you, Dorothy doesn’t even take Math.

  11. Jackson

    Becky! Be nice!

  12. Dr.Zeus

    It’s amusing to think of Joyce as shifting from Christian guilt to liberal guilt. Two subtly different forms of self flagellation.

    1. Yotomoe

      I prefer DIET guilt. It goes down smooth and doesn’t have any strong aftertaste.

      1. Dr.Zeus

        Yet still keeps that crisp self loathing taste we all love.

      2. Kamino Neko

        That’s Guilt Lite. Diet has a hell of an aftertaste. All chemically-like.

  13. dude27

    wow, look at that. Becky being a total ass-hat and not getting called out on it. Again.

    1. Yotomoe

      Is she really? I think you’re just bein’ sensitive.

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      Just as long as she doesn’t become a Karma-Houdini…

    3. Catullus

      Your gravatar’s expression fits that comment perfectly.

    4. Gigafreak

      Is it the “it ain’t always about you” thing? Because that’s not an insult.

      1. Regina Phalange

        I think dude27 is referring to Becky not getting called out on insulting Dorothy, when a number of us were expecting/hoping for it

    5. Airyu

      I mean, she *is* Willis’s fave character…

    6. Emily

      Agreed.

  14. Spack

    As long as you’re asking Joyce… let’s talk about your sweater vests….

    1. JessWitt

      She’s moved onto hoodie vests – that’s a step up, right?

    2. Yotomoe

      “Is there some way we can slowly move you to some sort of V-neck? a U-neck even. Halter tops? Tube tops? Half-shirts!?”
      “Becky you’re making a drool puddle”

      1. meghantheworldeater

        Perhaps she could even try one of those fancy new strap-ons everyone keeps talking about.

        1. tyersome

          Well, Becky is always trying to get a rise out of her …

    3. newllend(henryvolt)

      I thought we were Done with this sweater vest Shit ! Have you been relapsing?

  15. Doctor_Lantern

    I’m also wondering if Joyce actually heard the comment she made about Dorothy or id she was still rebooting when Becky said it.

    1. grantimusmaximus

      Joyce had to hard reset. That always takes a while.

  16. Emperor Kiva

    Becky, please just shut up.

    1. Doctor_Lantern

      My thoughts exactly by this point…

      1. Emperor Kiva

        Thank you, Doctor_Lanturn. That’s a very creative name and avatar.

    2. Luzahn

      I mean, what else could Becky have said here? I don’t think she’s trying to be hurtful, she’s just being honest, and letting Joyce know she’s ok.

      1. Emperor Kiva

        She could have said “I’m fine, Joyce. Don’t worry about me so much.” But she didn’t.

        1. widdle

          why? that might just make joyce worry more. i dont see whats wrong with becky actually explaining whats going on with her, that she needs more space, rather than just hush joyce with bland words. if anything, brushing her off like that would be just as rude. and then when joyce says that she still feels bad, becky makes a joke but also acknowledges joyce’s need for healing. so like, why are you mad?

        2. Emperor Kiva

          Becky is a moron

        3. widdle

          wow.

        4. widdle

          i mean, wow.

        5. Emily

          I agree. She really is a moron.

        6. Gangler

          She’s not fine though, and Joyce is right to worry. Just maybe keep in mind that if Becky when Becky gets upset there might be more at play than the immediate conversation they’re having right now.

      2. Airyu

        I think it’s really the last line, “I should be milkin’ this!” Plus the mean stuff she said yesterday…

  17. Keroshino

    Guess Becky faces no repercussions for her previous rudeness! ~sigh~

    1. meghantheworldeater

      I wouldn’t count on that, if I know one thing about this comic it’s that any stupid thing any character does will come back to bite them in the ass. It may not be the next strip but it will.

      1. timemonkey

        Walky is secretly enraged and will never forgive Becky for insulting Dorothy. When she least expects it Walky will make her pay.

        1. Pebblerocker

          Walky is secretly engaged

          Wait, what? And to whom?

        2. Gigafreak

          Enraged, not engaged.

        3. Keroshino

          umm…im pretty sure it says “enraged” not engaged

          dammit Billie, errors like this is why you will never be a ace news reporter!

        4. Airyu

          Perfect gravatars are perfect.
          Mine… not so much now. ;-;

        5. Keroshino

          come on now…it could be worse!
          at least your gavitar isn’t Mary or Malaya.

        6. Airyu

          It was actually Mary before the reshuffle!
          And I haven’t read any of the Walkyverse continuity, so I never understood why people find Malaya so insufferable. It seems like people are mean to her for no reason. I like Malaya~

        7. Rycan

          Malaya only showed up ouside of DoA in Shortpacked!, and her whole schtick there was being an ornery asshole.

        8. Cynthia

          *Walky is secretly engorged*

        9. Gigafreak

          I don’t think he ever keeps that secret

        10. Keroshino

          worst kept secret…ever!

        11. Bagge

          To Gary, they are getting man-married.

    2. Rycan

      I was surprised. If Joyce will stand up to her parents for being an ass to Dorothy for no good reason…

    3. Emily

      Seriously, if everyone just keeps giving her a blank check because “poor baby just came out,” I’m going to kick something. She doesn’t have the right to be a jerk to others. Someone needs to call her out on her crap.

      1. laila

        Seriously. I’m honestly getting tired of seeing people bending over backward to excuse every single dick move and dumbassed comment Becky has ever made because she just came out and her dad disowned her. Yeah, that’s seriously awful – I’m not denying that for a second. That still doesn’t give her a free pass to insult total strangers who’ve been nothing but polite to her to their faces, and it shouldn’t make her utterly incapable of following basic social cues of the ‘I do not want to talk to you right now’ variety. Becky is in an awful situation; Becky is frequently obnoxious and abrasive. These things aren’t mutually exclusive.

  18. Someone

    If this comic had its own game, would it be called Dumbing of Rage?

    1. Keroshino

      Rage, Show me your Rage!!!

      1. Gigafreak

        You ever play the “replace one word in this character’s vocabulary with Balls” game?

        Replace “Rage” for good times!

      2. fogel

        “Rage. Sing, Godess, the rage of Peleus’ son, Achilles.”

        Best opening line.

    2. Airyu

      Maybe Dumbing Games or Dumbing Royale.

    3. neeks

      Rummy of age, a collectible card game where you try to get all the characters into every possible permutation of relationships.

  19. Cheryl

    10/10 would milk

    1. Doctor_Lantern

      Everytime you comment I hear it in Cheryl Tunt’s voice… and this time I could totally see a Pam gravatar saying “Sploosh.”

      1. grantimusmaximus

        ^^this.

      2. Airyu

        SAAAME

  20. grantimusmaximus

    Meanwhile Ethan’s all: O__O

  21. Reaver

    Eugh, I know she’s been through a lot, but ugh she just.. is so rude, and mean, and no matter what she’s going through there’s no excuse for that.

  22. Idon'tcarenomore

    Yes Becky please just shut up already.
    Joyce hang in, you are progressing nicely.
    Ethan looks like he’s still in shock 🙂

    So when Becky gets done ‘milking’…time to move to next step Joyce. As in,
    “ah, say Becky, how’s the job hunt going? What Grants have you applied for? Been to the office yet to pick up a catalogue?”

  23. JessWitt

    Two steps forward, one haircut back.

  24. brumagem

    Hmm, I know I was wailing on Becky’s hair two days ago, but now it’s kind of grown on me.

    You win this round Willis.

    1. Yotomoe

      Becky’s hair is growing on you? You should see a doctor about that!

    2. wwwhhattt

      I like her hair in the comic, but her new gravitar is terrifying.

  25. timemonkey

    Becky, this is Dumbing of Age. so it IS always about Joyce, she’s the main character.

    1. The Wizard

      I thought walky was 🙁

      1. KahadiNitram

        Actually, according to the “about” page, it’s just about the girls. Mainly about Joyce and Dorothy specifically (“[…] stars a Christian homeschooled girl and her atheist best friend”), but describing all of the girls in the Patreon page link image (as shown: Amber, Sarah, Dorothy, Joyce, Billie, and Sal). So not just Joyce, but not Walky

        1. The Wizard

          I wasn’t being serious.

    2. Doctor_Lantern

      Well… kinda… I wouldn’t call her the main character as much as one of a CAST of characters.

    3. Yotomoe

      I dunno. Even as far as main characters go, she kind of has even billing with the other students. So I’d disagree that it’s always about Joyce.

    4. MiffedMab

      I don’t know if I’d call her the main character but she’s the one who changed and grown the most whilst still having a lot to learn and I think that makes her plot line stand out a lot.

    5. newllend(henryvolt)

      THE HELL SHE IS !

    6. John

      As of today, Joyce has been in 563 of the 1339 published strips. That’s well under half of them, but it’s still by far the most of anyone – Dorothy is her closest competition, at 383, then Walky at 372 and Billie at 361. There’s a significant gap between Billie and the next-highest, which is either Amber or Danny, depending on how you count Amazi-Girl.

      Joyce may not be the main character – Billie and Amber, in particular, have a lot of stuff going on that involves Joyce only tangentially, if at all – but she’s definitely at least first among equals in the ensemble.

      1. timemonkey

        She may only be in half the strips but all plotlines tie back to her in some way.

        1. Nono

          I don’t really think so, the Ruth/Billie plot is pretty much completely removed from her. Danny’s arc also only very tangentially reaches Joyce, and only because of Amazi-Girl.

          I’d say just based on number of arcs they’re important in, Joyce, Billie and Amber have almost equal star billing. Sal would come in at a distant fourth.

        2. timemonkey

          As time goes on the characters become more and more connected to Joyce. Billie and Ruth are only unconnected because they’re actively hiding from everyone. remember, Joyce IS Billie’s best college friend after all.

  26. The Wizard

    I don’t know what a hate more; the loss of my Sal gravitar or Becky’s new hairstyle.

    1. Keroshino

      Well, it’s definitely NOT the Dina gravitar
      …that thing is a gift from the gods (Willis) and should be cherished!

      (Yes I am jealous that you have it and don’t appreciate it…also Becky’s lair is still lame!)

      1. Keroshino

        Hair…I meant Hair, not lair stupid iPhone!!!

      2. The Wizard

        Um, no… Dina isn’t even in my top 10 and sal is my number 1! Sal, Robin, Les, Mike, Jacob, Sarah, Joyce, Carla, Walky, Joe, Dorothy, Amber, or Penny. These are Gravitars I’d rather have over this one

        1. No Name

          Don’t let Crazy Dina hear you say that. She’ll be on you like that Dilophosaurus on Nedry.

        2. All Hail Dina

          Yeah, I may just go All Hail on you!!!!!! You seriously need to contact All.Hail.Dina@gmail.com for your Dinitiation.

        3. The Wizard

          You can hail her all you want, but in the church of sal, you have no authority!

        4. All Hail Dina

          <s> because that makes sense. </s>

        5. Airyu

          Dina and Sal would both be the last characters you’d find in a church…

        6. The Wizard

          As expected from a non believer.

        7. All Hail Dina

          @Wizard … You have no idea.

      3. All Hail Dina

        Would you like me to modify one for you? If you pick an image of her, I’ll clean it up and maybe give her a relevant background. Look left for a sample of my work.

    2. Keroshino

      Well, it’s definitely NOT the Dina gravitar
      …that thing is a gift from the gods (Willis) and should be cherished!

      (Yes I am jealous that you have it and don’t appreciate it…also Becky’s hair is still lame!)

      1. All Hail Dina

        All shall hail.

    3. Airyu

      Ouch… my hair is usually cut like that…

      1. The Wizard

        Nothing personal, its just, revenge.

      2. Rycan

        Funny how a haircut invites so much judgment.

        1. The Wizard

          All I said is I don’t like the cut, I am entitled to my own taste. I also don’t remember making any judgement about anyone based on a hairstyle.

  27. Dusk Tornado

    Not even a “Hey Becky don’t act like a meanie with them” SMH

    1. Keroshino

      I Know, Right?

  28. M-M

    I’m thrilled Becky’s being a bit of a jerk – gives her some layers. I’m fairly certain this isn’t gonna be the new default – but a few hours (in universe) of Becky w an edge? I’ll take that and a bag of chips!

    1. M-M

      Who is this lovely redhead in my gravatar?

      1. JessWitt

        Her name is Mandy and she’s dating her roommate, Grace.

        1. M-M

          Excellent! Thank you most kindly!

        2. JessWitt

          Right back at ya!

  29. Jonathan

    Pretty sure Becky and I have the same haircut. I’ll be down with that when she stops negging Dorothy.

  30. DuckDuckMoose

    All right. That went a little better than could reasonably be expected, I think.

    Since the “bony Poindexter” moment seems to have been dispensed with, I’m just gonna maintain a headcanon that my preferred scenario happened: Walky gave Becky a little sassafras for making a dumb crack about his girl, Dorothy shrugged it off, Becky maybe even finally shook her hand, and then Dorothy and Walky excused themselves as quickly as possible because sex. Unless I’m proven wrong tomorrow, that’s what happened.

    1. DuckDuckMoose

      Coming up in the next storyline: “Joyce, I’ve been meaning to ask you… what happened to your hand?”

  31. widdle

    people are getting mad at becky for …what? being honest? telling joyce not to worry about her? making light of a difficult situation?? being gay and (gasp!) talking about it???

    i don’t understand becky hate at all

    1. Rabid Rabbit

      Well, today it’s because no-one told her off for being rude to Dorothy yesterday, and the constant smart-aleck remarks are getting a mite wearying.

      1. Nanon

        I hear you about her interaction with Dorothy, but… Becky just came out to herself and the world, her parents don’t accept her and she’s on the verge of being homeless… and DoA audience’s priority is that she speak ever so gently to her best friend? Cut her some slack.

        Also, where was all this indignation when Walky was being emotionally avoidant? Heteronormative double standard anyone? (Unless there was some indignation that I missed, that’s possible.)

        1. anonymsly

          I personally don’t require that she speak ever-so-gently, but it might be awesome if she refrained from intentionally psychologically tormenting the best friend currently clothing/housing/feeding her so severely that said best friend has been either on the verge of tears or too freaked out to think on multiple occasions.

        2. anonymsly

          That said, I don’t see any jerkitude from Becky in this strip specifically. I’m holding a grudge from previous strips because 1) she doesn’t see that she’s been a jerk and 2) no one in-strip has called her on being a jerk.

      2. widdle

        “not liking smart alec characters” would be a fine position take if “smart alec” didnt describe every single character in this webcomic. jus’ saying. why is it becky in particular that rubs you the wrong way?

        1. timemonkey

          Because Becky’s stuck in megaphone mode where she’s blasting it at everyone around her in every scene. Everyone else has moments, yes, but they’re moments not constantly. Becky’ll probably settle down eventually but until then she’s kind of annoying.

    2. Airyu

      She was really mean to Dorothy yesterday, and she’s kind of being inconsiderate to Joyce and Sarah by staying there tbh.

      1. KahadiNitram

        Yes, she was kinda mean to Dorothy, but worse has been said and either been passed off as a joke or ignored, especially with less reason (and by ignored, I mean either the characters didn’t acknowledge the statement, or they weren’t apparently hurt by it). However, she’s not really being inconsiderate to Joyce and Sarah considering she A) never asked to stay the entire time, but was instead merely allowed to B) hasn’t been there that long yet, and C) has nowhere else to go. Unless, of course, you think she should either live on the streets or go home to hateful parents…

      2. widdle

        inconsiderate??? its been like two days! neither joyce nor sarah has expressed any discomfort or annoyance at becky’s presence!

        to be honest, it feels rather like you’re just scrabbling at reasons to be annoyed with her.

        (yesterdays comment was a little… weird, but like its becky??? she makes odd comments. im sure either that one or another one will bite her in the future, and then she will Learn and Grow ™ so i still dont get how people hate her???)

        1. Reaver

          Joyce has mentioned several times Becky’s been making her uncomfortable…when Becky goes out of the way to make her uncomfortable (every single time she shows up)

        2. Airyu

          Wait, what? I LIKE Becky. I think she’s one of the most popular characters in DoA, so it’s a little weird that you talk about “Becky-hate” when there is virtually none?? I was just saying I can see how people would get upset at her.

          If Becky was a real person, and I was Joyce, Sarah, or Dorothy, this is why I might be irked at her:

          1. Becky’s plan has been “I will stay with Joyce, the end.” No consideration that Joyce’s roommate may not be okay with it, never spoke to Sarah by herself to ensure that she was okay with it, or that both Joyce and Sarah could get in huge trouble with the university for this and may not be allowed to stay i the dorms anymore. Yes, that does strike me as inconsiderate.

          – Also, as the audience, we know that Sarah has to study a lot to keep her scholarship and Becky staying there may at the least distract her a lot, and at the worst cause them to get kicked out of the dorms. I would honestly be on Sarah’s side if she said, “I’m sorry, Becky cannot stay here, you need to figure out some other place,” but I think everyone in the comments section would explode at Sarah if that happened.

          2. Becky has admitted to using every opportunity since this morning’s “Hey Everyone I’m a Lesbian” to make Joyce uncomfortable. She also made Joyce uncomfortable last night with the whole burping/farty sounds with Walky bit. How is that the mark of a “good friend”? If my best friend was like “yeah I’ve been specifically trying to make you uncomfortable,” I’d be pretty pissed.

          3. Calling Dorothy a “bony poindexter” wasn’t weird, it was straight up rude. If a person I didn’t know called me that, I’d slap them in the face.

        3. Airyu

          To add to what I wrote, Becky saying “it ain’t always about you” bothers me a little bit because Joyce looks clearly in anxiety mode to me. You could argue that Becky doesn’t know Joyce is in emotional distress though (although, what kind of “best friend” is that bad at reading their bff??). But I’ll tread lightly, as you are clearly infatuated with Becky and would defend her even if she stabbed someone.

        4. Rycan

          I see that last point in a different light. Joyce thought Becky was unhappy with her when she didn’t follow her to Gender Studies. Becky was pointing out that she just wanted to do her own thing, and doesn’t need to orbit Joyce.

          Not exactly the nicest way of putting that (people tend not to like accusations of narcissism), but there is a valid point there.

    3. Rycan

      Today, I don’t understand it either. Yesterday, Becky was way out of line, if you ask me. But today, the worst she does is joke that she should be giving Joyce a hard time.

      1. StClair

        which, based on previous remarks, is apparently something she does often. Because it amuses her.

  32. lawrence fucking welk

    when my buddy was a freshman down at IU, he asked, “is everyone saying they’re bi to be cool?” it was his first exposure to non-heteronormative relationships.

  33. Cinnybunsarefun

    Gosh I hope I finally shook Jason. I hate that guy!

    1. Cinnybunsarefun

      Carla??! Aw yisssssssss!

      1. Airyu

        Waaaah take him baaaaack…

        1. Deanatay

          I miss my Roz, but Ruth works for me.

      2. Architex

        Her expression makes her look clever and up to no good at the same time. Or like she’s got Malaya on her mind. Or both.

  34. HEYOUGUYZ!

    Ethan’s hand…

    1. Airyu

      gah! it does look weird…

    2. Safgaftsa

      Becky’s mouth in the last panel looks like a lopsided double-oreo.

  35. Kenjia

    Ethan looks like he either wants to ask more about the butt photo or he already respects and looks up to Becky. Or both.

  36. Sam

    I’m late on commenting on it, but I’m guessing Becky got her hair cut the way she did because tattooing “I am a huge lesbian” on your head is a bit frowned upon. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with the hairstyle, it’s just that every person I’ve met with the same one was also a huge lover of the ladies. She’s out and happy and wants to pick up chicks, might as well advertise the fact, right? Also, yes, it is a fairly rad style.

    1. Airyu

      …I’m bi/pan and I usually have that hair style. So… it’s half right for me?

    2. Rycan

      Yet the problem there is that there are straight women who opt for that hairstyle, too. Have a friend who fits into that category ( although ot’s not quite a pixie cut), and it pisses her off how many people ask her if she’s a lesbian.

      1. Emily

        Well, if the hair style is usually used by lesbians, and the association is there, you can’t fault people for making the conclusion. Because, you know, until you ask you only can make conclusions based on your experience and what you know. And as it’s considered rude to generally ask about sexuality, yeah, people who associate that hair style with lesbians are going to assume anyone who has it is one. Makes perfect sense. If it bothers her that much, she should (1) get over herself, or (2) Get a new hair cut.

        1. Airyu

          But you just said it was rude to ask about sexuality? So suddenly it becomes okay to ask Rycan’s friend about her sexuality just because of a haircut?

        2. Rycan

          Can’t fault her for getting annoyed by incessant comments and rude questions, either. And to be fair, I think the main culprits have been her family members.

  37. zmm

    I enjoy becky’s personality. I just hope she doesn’t over do it as so many people have the habit to do in college. Boy howdy do they ever

    1. zmm

      Interesting my face changed. I’m never sure what governs the pictures when one doesn’t actively choose it.

      1. Keroshino

        Willis updating the gravitar selection…thats what!

      2. Sterling

        It’s randomly generated, but I believe you get a new one every time a new default Gravatar is added to the list. Most recently, everyone’s changed when Haircut!Becky was added to the pool. Now you’re a happy Ethan!

        1. Sterling

          Oh my god, and I’m Jocelyn??? THAT IS THE MOST ACCURATE POSSIBLE THING FOR ME OH MY GOD

        2. Bagge

          I don’t know anything about you but you have an awesome gravatar and therefor I’m going to assume that you are awesome.

        3. xain

          But think of all the unfortunate soul stuck with mary or roz

        4. xain

          and apparently I’m Drama Hurricane the STD

        5. No Name

          No, Billie’s the Drama Hurricane. You’re Alice, the one who realized that and ran away.

        6. Rycan

          Naw, you just contracted it from Billie:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/dramahurricane/

        7. la6ue mous snow angel

          I was stuck with Mary, now I’ve got a cute babe 😉

        8. la6ue mous snow angel

          augh she’s adorbs

        9. Sterling

          Excuse me. Are you shit-talking Roz?

          I give you a sidelong glance.

  38. Koms

    Ethan, the great conversationalist.

  39. Koms

    Everything is rebooting. Joyce just finished rebooting. Dorothy is rebooting. Ethan has started rebooting. My gravatar rebooted. I’m now Marcie and not Sal. I’ll miss you Sal. :'(

  40. Alex

    Man, Becky should watch her step after throwing that rock, there’s shards of glass house all OVER the place.

  41. newllend(henryvolt)

    If it ain’t always about her how come she’s been a center focus of the last 3 fucking arcs !?

    1. Deanatay

      Yes, it IS always about Joyce, but, SHE’s not supposed to know that!

  42. Zaidyer

    Are we still talking about what Becky said yesterday?
    Y’know, I’ve been reading these comments for a while now and the amount of complaining about single moments of dialogue is volumes beyond their narrative significance.
    Not everything a character says or does is going to be an earth-shattering bombshell with dire and immediate consequences. You know what you get if you try to write a comic that way? You get Mary Worth.
    This comic as a whole has walked the very fine line of narrative pace excellently for the past five years, yet it seems at some point, some of you have lost track of that.
    A roller coaster isn’t all loops and drops. Sometimes it turns and goes uphill. Relax and enjoy the ride.

    1. widdle

      well said! i’ve noticed that here and on shortpacked! characters come under intense fire for offhand comments and punchlines. *funnily* enough this seems to disproportionately affect female characters, queer characters and characters of colour (malaya is an obvious one, also sal, billie, lucy, amber and even ken. compare to how people feel about mike oh lord)

      1. Reaver

        You caught us, we are all actually racists and sexists

        (seriously what? They get intense fire for making terrible comments/ being rude/ nasty, not because of what color their skin is or what gender they are)

      2. anonymsly

        For what little it’s worth, almost everyone in the comic period is female or a person of color or LGBTQ of some stripe, sometimes two or more of those categories. (Billie, for example, is all three.) Of course criticism is going to impact mostly everyone in those categories because there are very few characters who aren’t in one of those categories.

        It seems to me to be a little disingenuous to say that a disproportionate amount of criticism is leveled against these characters in DoA when the fact is that almost every single character fits your criteria. Should we then never criticize anyone ever? How boring.

        1. anonymsly

          I think it’s only Jason and Mike who represent straight white males? Oh, and probably the Dean and Tony, neither of whom are important to the story at present.

        2. Nono

          Joe sort of counts? I mean he pretty much defines ‘straight male’.

        3. anonymsly

          Joe’s Jewish, so he counts as minority/person of color.

          Also, Joe is one of the most heavily criticized/hated people in the strip, so even if he counts as white I don’t think he really counts as getting off light in the eyes of the forumdwellers.

        4. DuckDuckMoose

          Well, Mike hasn’t actually shown any, um, self-identifying behavior in this universe yet, has he? Maybe he secretly has a huge hate-crush on Walky.

        5. anonymsly

          That’s true! You are right, it’s not fair of me to list Mike as straight, since we don’t know.

          So unless the Dean and/or Tony becomes important and/or takes themselves off the straight list, Jason is our sole straight white male. Maybe Joe, if you count Jewish as white (which I don’t, given that anti-Semitism is a thing). But Joe and Jason are among the most widely criticized/hated in comments whether or not they’ve actually done anything in the strip being commented upon, so I think it works out.

          Heck, Joe was getting guff from commenters for yesterday’s strip, which he wasn’t even in!

        6. tim gueguen

          I wonder if Mike isn’t asexual. Has he shown any romantic interest in anyone? Then again it may be that he’s still looking to find the female version of himself.

        7. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          He gets off on violence, if his interaction with Amazigirl was more than just an attempt to make Amber uncomfortable.

      3. Spencer

        Dude, the only straight white guy in DoA is Jason. Of course the criticism is disproportionate towards them when, like in the real world, the cast consists of people who aren’t just straight white dudes.

      4. Alex

        Are you sure you’re not the one who happens to only NOTICE the comments made towards queer, non-white, and female characters, because you take our disparaging towards the straight white males (who consist of the British teaching assistant who absorbs a lot of blame for being slept with, Mike who nobody takes seriously beyond being an asshole for a rude punchline, that roommate who nobody takes seriously beyond being an asshole for a sex punchline, and the rapist) for granted?

        One could make the argument that people do not notice when we criticize these characters because they feel like it is deserved without question, while we should be more careful around treating the female and queer characters the same way because… ??? I can not imagine an ending to that sentence that isn’t ultimately condescending to women, non-straight people, and people who aren’t white. But if you’re going to suggest we’re racist sexist queer bashers then I can’t help but wonder such a thing about you.

        1. Alex

          Like, maybe we’re criticizing Becky because she reminds us of ourselves.

          Maybe we’re looking at her and thinking, “Oh god. I did the same thing when I was in a situation similar to hers. I feel so embarrassed for the both of us and I wish she’d smarten up faster than I did.”

          Maybe we’re not bashing on her being a queero hero, maybe we actually emphasize a bit too much with it?

        2. Rycan

          It’s been mentioned that sexuality holds constant across both universes, which would mean that Mike is bisexual (or “whatever you don’t want me to be”). So, you just have Jason and Joe who belong to the straight white male category (Ryan is merely an antagonist rather than a cast member, and universally despised anyways).

      5. Rycan

        In Shortpacked!, Mike was certainly queer. Just ask Ethan.

    2. timemonkey

      Over analysing and jumping to conclusions with every page is half the fun.

      1. Rycan

        What else are going to do with our time? Aside from making strings of terrible puns, that is.

  43. takashid

    the more people hate on becky for ridiculous reasons, the more i like her

    1. widdle

      amen

    2. Clare

      Same here. Man they do seem to find EVERYTHING she does annoying even when other characters they still love have done the same things, huh?

      1. anonymsly

        Because… when you love something it’s incapable of annoying you, therefore none of us who find Becky annoying can possibly love her? That seems wrong.

        Becky is deeply distressing to me at present, given that a major way way she gets her kicks in life seems to be the intentional-verging-on-cruel psychological torment of someone she professes to love, but it wouldn’t distress or annoy me so much if I didn’t like her or at least want to like her.

        1. clare

          I’me talking more about the people who have been saying “I hate Becky now” not people who like her but find her rude behavior of late annoying. I love Becky but I am annoyed that she was rude to Dorothy. But there’s a large camp of people saying they hate Becky since she came out and started acting like a normal teen who’s freshly out of the closet and THAT is the type of person my comment is directed toward

    3. Spencer

      And anytime I see posts treating Becky as some radiant messiah, I kind of just shake my head.

      It is possible to be annoyed by some of her behaviour (like her borderline sexual harassment towards Joyce, or her trying to bi-erase Billie, or yesterday’s strip with her calling Dorothy a “bony pointdexter” ) while also finding her a fun, loveable character with loads of potential for future storylines. There isn’t a single character in the entire comic who hasn’t faced the same scrutiny from some portions of the fandom that Becky is experiencing right now.

  44. Orangey

    I can’t wait for Becky to get through her WOW IM A FREE LESBIAN NOW IM UNINTENTIONALLY GONNA BE A JERK phase

    mainly commenting today to see what my avatar is

    1. Orangey

      ha ha Roz, welp thats nearly the total opposite of me. Could be worse though!

  45. snogglethorpe

    Gahhhh…. Becky is the most annoying person in the universe …. No matter what the situation, she somehow figures out a way to be annoying in it. Even super-annoying Walky is endearing by comparison…. ><

    But it does speak well of Joyce that she puts up with her, regardless.

  46. StClair

    What Becky doesn’t seem to notice, or acknowledge, is that she already is taking advantage of Joyce. (Has been since before she got here, actually, with her expectations that Joyce would return her crush. And her apparently habitual trolling of her “best friend.”)

    And Joyce is the one apologizing for not being a good enough friend, for not being unfailingly supportive.

    1. chris73

      So I just wonder how long Becky will continue to take advantage of Joyces guilt (not that she has much to feel guilty about) before someone (Sarah perhaps) puts a stop to it

  47. Lulu

    Kidna shame that the comic is not named “Dumbing of Joyce” then all of it could be just about her ^^

  48. Demiurge

    It’s cool to see someone finally be able to embrace who they are fully. Becky is FREEDOM.

  49. overdosed

    and now becky is kind of a nice character again

  50. Greenygal

    Becky, I think the reason Joyce wanted to reassure you that she will always support you is that you asked her if she would, seemed dissatisfied with her response, and then left. I mean, “it’s not always about you” is a good thing for Joyce to hear and hopefully internalize, but in this case it’s not like she made it up out of thin air.

  51. Arianod

    Totally worth it. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

  52. Spencer

    The “it ain’t always about you” line just smacks me of being kind of douchey. Obviously Becky’s story doesn’t revolve around Joyce’s character development, but it wouldn’t kill her to be more considerate when her best friend is clearly emotionally distressed.

    That, and the two of them parted after an argument earlier today. Joyce’s concern about that seems like a perfectly valid concern.

    1. neeks

      maybe Becky knows that Joyce tends to agonize over details and is trying to get her to relax and let go of having to feel personally responsible for every little thing. My mom is like that sometimes, it’s a bit smothering, and I’ve had to explain a few times that my need for alone time is a need for space from EVERYONE, and I wasn’t specifically avoiding HER so she didn’t need to change any minutiae of her behavior.

      Or maybe they’re just super codependent and Becky is just like “nah this one is all me”.

    2. JWLM

      I disagree. Becky’s responding to Joyce’s statement about “always being there for you” and “thought you were angry with me.” Becky’s kind of emotionally shallow: flighty, risk-seeking, and emotionally labile, and, as a result, she just can’t see why Joyce would feel bad even several hours later. The only explanation Becky can come up with is that Joyce is being self-centered.

      Now, from the outside, seeing both of these characters, we can see why Joyce feels the way she does (and also why she could reasonably be considered well-socialized.) She’s the anti-Becky, risk-averse, and emotionally very deep. To her, it’s perfectly natural to expect her friend to still feel bad later, and to feel like she owes that friend a deeply heart-felt apology. (Not to mention that she’s just had a huge epiphany about LGBTQ youth and how that affects *her* friend.)

  53. Bagge

    Aww. Third panel Becky is adorable. They really are good friends.

  54. Just Me

    Where are they going?

    1. Bagge

      That’s… kinda a good question. They already were in Joyce’s room, they have had lunch, Becky seems to be leading the way… ARE THEY GOING TO NEXT CLASS OR THE COMMON ROOM OR EVEN OUTSIDE – THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING MEEEEE

      1. JWLM

        We know that Gender Studies has met, so I think that the class day is over for these folks.

    2. Smiling Cat

      Waffles.

    3. m-m

      excellent gravatar!!!!

      1. m-m

        i got marcie!! that is the cherry on top of the awesome that today has been!

  55. Murdock

    Goodness the comments section here gets a little violent at times. Becky is tiresome sometimes but like everyone else in this comic she needs to be given time to grow and develop. It seems like people here want to jump on her or roz or Danny for instance pretty quickly for their faults. If they all started as 100% perfect people this wouldn’t make a very good comic y’all!

  56. Bagge

    We kinda sorta called Joyce attitude way back, here. She wants to be judged for her behaviour in order to affirm that her world view is correct (although exactly what worldview she want confirmed has changed since… yesterday).

  57. Xain

    I’m really not getting why some people are hating on becky. Yeah I can see people being a tad miffed and her last strip but, this one? What exactly am I missing here?

  58. Ollie

    I know some people are seeing Becky’s antagonizing of Joyce a lot as bad but… is it really? My best friend and I are like that to each other, it’s all good natured.

    1. No Name

      Joyce hasn’t hit back yet. I’m not going to call this a “good” thing until Joyce hits back.

    2. anonymsly

      I’m with No Name: when Joyce reacts with something other than sad/upset/near-tears or too freaked out to think, then I’ll see playful friend-ribbing.

    3. StClair

      what they said.

  59. Bilal Kalyal

    I feel like some time we’ll hear Becky get smacked over the head with the “SUBULWA” sound effect playing.
    An Ed Edd n Eddy attack would do her well to learn to check herself before she wrecks herself. -Insert Joyce walking around to it-

  60. JBento

    I find Becky as annoying as the next person (and probably more, depending on who the next person is). Yesterday, for instance, she was a total douchebag to Dorothy. Her tendency to continue to make Joyce uncomfortable… what, a week ago? is terribad. But today?

    Today I’m not getting the Becky hate. Her expression in the last panel seems to indicate her line is clearly a joke.

    1. JBento

      Also, I’m still Dina after the gravatar reshuffle, WOOOT!!!

      1. Bagge

        It was meant to be.

        1. JBento

          All things are meant to be Dina. Those that aren’t yet are merely not sufficiently evolved.

        2. All Hail Dina

          o.-

  61. DuckDuckMoose

    This arc seems to have come to a good pausing point, so I’m thinking tomorrow either the scene changes completely or these three run into another character who then becomes the focus of the next several strips. Taking bets as to who that will be.

    Much as it would be totally kerfawesome if they ran into Danny right now, I’m gonna predict… Billie and/or Ruth. We haven’t checked in on either of them in a while.

  62. chronautical

    Everything looks normal, here.

  63. halcyon1234

    It’s been just over 11 hours, and no one’s made a joke about spanking. Good job, comments. Keep that up.

    1. JBento

      Becky is going to task Joyce over something, alright… her knee.

      No spanking references combo broken. >_>

      C’mon, you’re RUTH – can’t let you go around having faith in humanity now, can I? ;p

  64. tim gueguen

    I suspect that if Becky’s name was changed to Blecky a lot of the commenters would approve.

  65. Ashley

    You know, a lot of people are hating on Becky for her treatment of Joyce in the last few strips but I can’t really find her at fault for getting a little high on the “freedom” of being away from home.

    1. Spencer

      That’s how I view it as well. Becky just has a bad brain-to-mouth filter.

      1. la6ue mous snow angel

        An inability to control her tongue does explain the spontaneous kissing.

  66. Kathleen

    Does nobody else think that Becky’s hair looks like a banana?

    1. la6ue mous snow angel

      It kinda does, honestly.

  67. Arianod

    The dissing of the Dorothy has not been adressed, and that’s something I’m definitely not OK with Ò_Ó

  68. feli

    I believe Becky’s a person who is kind of tactless sometimes, but she doesn’t mean harm. Joyce definitely knows that and thus doesn’t care about those comments. Also she might be a bit more tactless/loud/”obnoxious” because she is stressed. She has freedom, which is great, but she also does not know how the future will go.
    Her “insensitive” statement about “milking Joyce” is just a joke between friends. She wants to lighten up the mood. Becky also stated before that shocking or better teasing Joyce was something she does regularly. If Joyce would hate that, they wouldn’t have been best friends.
    Acting all casual and loud may be Beckys way to compensate stress.

    The Dorothy thing wasn’t very nice, yes. But it doesn’t make Becky the worst person in this comic either. Commentators on this are sometimes a bit edgy … ^^

    1. Bagge

      Wait, what? You suggest we take the characters own judgement into account when we decide how they should interact with each other. MADNESS.

      …to be less silly, I agree.

    2. JBento

      I’m sorry, but your reasonableness has no place in teh interwebz. Please disconnect your router now.

    3. Regina Phalange

      I agree with you on the Joyce issue; I don’t see that it matters how Becky talks to Joyce because Joyce seems absolutely fine with it, and usually sees it as A) normal behavior for Becky, which Joyce obviously is okay with, or B) the result of an upsetting time, with which Joyce clearly sympathizes.

      Becky’s comment to Dorothy did not make her the worst person in the comic, you’re right. But she isn’t supposed to be Ryan-bad or even Mike-bad, and it was one of the meanest statements I’ve seen a character whom we are supposed to like say.

      And, no, it wasn’t not nice or inconsiderate or rude (that describes Joe’s comments a bit better). She insulted another girl’s appearance *and* body type. It was mean, even if not deliberate.

      And I hope we see Walky address it privately to Dorothy next time, because I’m fairly disappointed in his lack of on-panel reaction.

      1. feli

        I still think people fuss to much over this comment. Girls insult each others appearance all the time. Dorothy is also a strong character, I don’t think she’s gonna cry over that. She probably had some even meaner moments during her schooltime. I know I had!

        Also, one comment about Becky maybe being jealous of Dorothy I read somewhere here might be onto something. Also, lots of hormones xD

  69. Tenn

    Sorry, Grace, I’m getting a new avatar. It’s not your fault; you just haven’t been given any opportunity for character development yet.

    1. Tenn

      Aw YISS, back to Marcie!

  70. Liz

    Ethan still looks so confused.

  71. Architex

    Where’d Dorothy go?

    1. David M Willis

      Perhaps to fetch supplies!

      1. neeks

        For hiding the body?

  72. Em

    I…I don’t understand how Becky is being mean here. People keep saying it, and I guess it’s not penetrating my thick skull.

    Is it the “it’s not all about you” remark? That didn’t seem mean, it seemed more like tough love. And I know it’s a line thinner than a baby’s hair that separates tough love and douche baggery, but I don’t think that she was being mean there.

    And the milking it for all it’s worth? That seemed like a joke to me! It seems like she’s playing around with Joyce, trying to liven things up, make things happy. Yeah, yesterday’s attempt at joking around kinda blew up in her face, but this joke is actually kinda funny!

  73. Cthulhu21

    Anybody but me shipping Becky and the newspaper girl?

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