360

Resources
Posted on April 17, 2017 by David M Willis
The DUMBING OF AGE BOOK SIX KICKSTARTER has 8 days left! Today, there are two (2) new pledge tiers!  You can now pledge for a 2.5"x4" Joyce character magnet!  (Hint: She’d go along very well with the Becky magnet you’re already receiving free along with your physical book.)  There’s also a new pledge tier to get both of THE BROWN SISTERS, Joyce and Jocelyne! Those of you who’ve pledged for COMPLETE MAGNET POWER, Joyce of course is added to your pile. And if you’ve already pledged for a double magnet set, reminder that you can upgrade to the THREE MAGNETS pledge tier if you want to add Joyce.

360 thoughts on “Resources”

  1. Doctor_Who

    “Awesome, someone whose sexuality has caused them more trouble lately than mine! Better distraction than a smoke bomb!”

    1. Nick

      or some sort of a demonic duck

      1. Disloyal Subject

        I think even Becky might have trouble topping the duck’s feats of distraction.

        1. Pablo360

          But what if the duck is distracted by Becky? Now he will finally understand how Justin felt.

          I should write more fanfiction. Or less.

        2. Pablo360

          Wait, do demonic ducks even have gender? THESE ARE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

        3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          In the In Nomine RPG system,

        4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          no.

    2. Kat

      More like “You’re a tiny little baby lesbian from a repressive background… I have SO MUCH READING FOR YOU TO DO”

  2. Ana Chronistic

    “don’t mind the sandwich board“

    1. Ana Chronistic

      also ARGH Dotty giving Walky the same treatment he gave you

      (also ARGH me forgetting about clearing my cookies)

      1. JetstreamGW

        Well, not really the same treatment. Walky was trying to avoid his problems. Dorothy is more likely trying to solve them while shunning any support in her rage.

      2. sundriedrainbow

        “not now” (understood: class is starting and we’re in front of a lot of people I don’t want finding out about my failure) is not really the same thing as “everything’s fine, you’re imagining things, also you’re a weird little dog”.

  3. foamy

    GLEE

    1. Leorale

      YES, ALL THE YAYS

  4. Emperor Daniel

    “A few”

    1. Hellespont

      Yep, she is ready, what do you think the odds are they will just end up talking about Leslie and her “guest”

    2. Deanatay

      “Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Hold up!
      Joyce, when you said you knew a hot lesbian teacher who – ”
      “I NEVER said hot!”
      “Sure you did! Anyways, when you said she ‘had some resources to give me’, I assumed that was just a euphemism for lesbian sex! I didn’t think she’d have ACTUAL resources!”
      “Are you saying -”
      “NO! No, I totally need these, and am totally grateful! It’s just… I was TOTALLY ready for the lesbian sex part. And, you were right – she is amazingly hot!”
      I NEVER SAID -”
      “Trust me, you did. May not have been out loud, but I heard it.”

  5. Danni

    hermione: “some light reading” ron: “THIS is light?”

  6. Kris

    RESOURCES!

  7. Dana

    Becky sets the standard.

  8. Eric

    This is adorable.

  9. Stu

    Just a few.
    Also, I wonder how much information she might have gathered on organizations that help at-risk LGBTetc. youth.

    1. Cerberus

      If she’s anything like me… a lot.

      I think when one of my students looked like they were about to go homeless, I gave them resources on coping with traumatic events, how to pace oneself in a crisis, building a self-care regimen, suicide hotlines, suicidal ideation de-escalation, surviving abuse, and most importantly, I found several LGBT-specific homeless centers and resource centers I checked in with first to see if they were accepting new applicants/could help. And I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting a bunch.

      1. Rukduk

        All of this. I’m currently getting my own portfolio of local, state-wide, and national resources for LGBT students set up since I’m going to be teaching next year and I will be helpful to any LGBT student I get who has to deal with any shit goddamnit!

        1. Leorale

          Dang right! <3
          I'm amassing a variety of resources for my specific neighbourhoods in Brooklyn, too.
          You're gonna be rad.

        2. Rukduk

          Well, once I get that surgery in June (which shouldn’t affect my vocal cords) I will be.

        3. Leorale

          Good luck!

        4. Emanuele

          You guys are awesome people and you should be proud of yourself if you aren’t already.
          I don’t personally have those problems, but when I think of real people with in situations like Becky’s I just feel sad and mad to humanity and knowing there’s people out there that do what they can to help is just… happy.

        5. Cerberus

          I believe in you!

        6. Rukduk

          Thanks! Just so long as I don’t end up getting a raspy whisper voice from my surgery in June.

        7. begbert2

          If you do, you can always change your name to be Bruce Wayne and then make a habit of specifically denying that you’re Batman. That should probably make things work okay.

        8. DinaWho

          Do you think you’d be willing to share it? I’m entering a teaching program this summer, so nevermind, there’s no way to ask this without being a lazy entitled ass about it.

        9. Leorale

          Sharing resources isn’t lazy, it’s great.

          The first step of good research is asking “okay, who just totally spent months researching this way better than I can, and where’d they put it?” Find a well-updated database of resources.

          Caveat: funding comes and goes quickly, so you do have to call all the places individually and make sure they still exist and can help people.

        10. Halpful

          I feel like there should be a wiki for this.

          …but I was supposed to be doing my taxes, not reading comics…

        11. Cerberus

          Depends on what you’re looking for. Give me a set of say, 3-5 topics or a general region and I’ll round up a short list of resources for you.

        12. DinaWho

          That would be awesome, thank you! The region would be the Baltimore-DC metro area.

          (I feel like this sounds abrupt but I can’t think of what else to put so I’m just going to hit post before I lose my nerve)

        13. Cerberus

          Oh cool, Baltimore has a super convenient guide already done up:
          http://www.mdcsl.org/avjsc/LGBTQ_BaltCity.pdf

        14. Cerberus

          For DC, Wanda Alston House is the go-to center for queer homelessness:
          http://wandaalstonfoundation.org

        15. Cerberus

          And feel free to contact me at my safe email of cerberussadlyno AT gmail DOT com if you end up needing something more specialized or to respond to specific questions from students.

        16. DinaWho

          Thanks again for all your help!^^

        17. Terry

          Hey, just putting my two cents in. If you are gathering resources, call around to counseling agencies and ask about their ability to work with teens who are non-cis/non-hetero, and make sure they offer trauma-informed care. Of the ones who can, might be a good idea to check and see the availability of both male and female therapists as some people do better talking to one or the other. Also check into what services are offered: outpatient, home-based, residential, etc. My agency offers an adolescent LGBT group as well that has had a lot of success since we started it.

  10. Kernanator

    I have graphs!

    1. Doctor_Who

      Faz had better not have contributed any of that info, or it likely won’t so Becky much good.

  11. Minder

    This is Leslie at her best and I all I want is to just wrap this moment and those expressions in warm fuzzies and keep them close to a happy place in my heart for how beautiful it is.

    And then I remember that Leslie is tearing herself apart with guilt right now and it crumples because Leslie least in the world deserves to feel guilt right now, when she is being such a wonderful and caring and empathetic person, her best possible self and what Becky needs and deserves most in her life right now.

    (For transparency’s sake this is me reposting my commentary from Patreon the other day on the early update because this strip is so evocative it’s worth it.)

    1. Grethelwvier

      I know. This poor woman. This is good, though, actually. Becky being totally forgiving and accepting of Leslie’s “actions” (Becky doesn’t have the full story) might really help her rebuild her confidence, and mitigate the disproportional guilt she feels.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        At the very least, the opportunity to do a good deed is a welcome distraction, and she can lose herself in providing help, if only for a very short while.
        …huh. I never really thought of Leslie and Dorothy having anything specific in common before.

        1. Minder

          Their hair! Their hair is the same! Tell the people!

        2. Emily

          Especially since it’s a good deed for someone from pretty much the precise demographic she may very well feel she “betrayed” by developing a giant crush on on the very person trying to make things as difficult as possible for them.

  12. lia47

    :’)
    blessed strip

    1. Nico

      Upvote!

  13. Tacos

    “A few” she says.

    1. TheAnonymousGuy

      some of that is her self insert/robin slash fiction.

      1. Reltzik

        ……

        …..

        … exactly how are you using the phrase “self insert”?

        1. Needfuldoer

          It’s a short comic about Robin and Lucy, who is not at all just Leslie with a hastily-colored-in pallet swap.

        2. sundriedrainbow

          Robin’s already all set up for the “Luuuuuucy I’m hoooooome” gag.

        3. BBCC

          What’d Lucy do to you?

        4. Reltzik

          …. oh, okay.

          It’s just that the phrase sounded a lot dirtier than that, and I wasn’t sure if that was intended or not.

  14. Romanticide

    I am glad at least this moment seems to been going well for Leslie, and hopefully for Becky too 😀 😀

  15. m-m

    Awww… Leslie is a good egg.

  16. Minder

    Also, DAVIDZONED

    1. Reltzik

      David’s normally zoned. This is David being attentive.

  17. Kris

    Also who the hell’s “David”?!

    1. Passchendaele

      I once convinced myself his actual name was walky walkerton because I forgot about that. XD

      1. Tacos

        I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries at some point to legally change his name to Walky Walkerton.

        1. BBCC

          Sal will still call him David. To his twin, he is David until the end of time, because she is not dignifying that with a response.

        2. Kris

          Technically you could call Sal, “Walky” too…if you were willing to tank the punch to the face that followed.

        3. BBCC

          That’s WHY Sal calls him David. Walkerton of both of their last name, she says it’d be weird to call him that.

        4. DonDueed

          Or possibly Boaty McBoatface.

        5. Pablo360

          Walky McWalkface.

        6. Inbar Fink

          Whenever I did DOA or Walkyverse Sims I usually named him Walky Walkerton as to not have the game call him “David” all the time

        7. Inbar Fink

          (Similarly, Billie’s gotta be Billie Bllingsworth)

        8. Pablo360

          So basically they were cape comic characters.

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Where is the ref to Reginald, Duke of Thingley? Do I have to do everything?

      1. Pablo360

        No. No, you don’t.

  18. Ansel

    Knew it knew it knew it

  19. Black

    Jesus fuck, that’s not a -few- resources!

  20. Stephen Bierce

    *plays the incidental music from the “welcome to the anime club” scene in Otaku No Video on the hacked Muzak*

  21. Foxhack

    “David.”

    That is never good.

  22. Audkitten

    Best strip ever!!!

  23. fillerusername

    Okay this is adorable.

  24. Fart Captor

    EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 😀

    1. butts

      ^

  25. Larkle

    Leslie is like, thank fuck here is something I can do my utmost to do right with.

  26. GaoShiki

    >David

    Sit down and shut up, Walkyyyyy

    1. Disloyal Subject

      He is sat down, and he’s being pretty sweet so far. I’m guessing even he’s perceptive enough to recognize that it is now time to shut up, especially with the instructor chattering giddily.

  27. Mandy

    Look at those two beautifully happy faces on our lovely lesbian ladies. It’s so nice to see the girls happy. :’)

  28. Shiro

    I’m so happy. This has to be so good for Leslie right now, being able to help a kid she probably personally identifies with a ton, take a bit of agency back for herself.

    That said: “David”? Ouch.

    1. Shiro

      Also Becky’s being her usual brash-as-a-defense-mechanism self, probably to cover how nervous she is, but it’s coming off fuckin’ adorbs right now.

      1. Leorale

        I agree on all counts.

      2. Grethelwvier

        Oh, fuck! Omg, yeah, that’s a thing she does. Aaaaaaaa…

      3. BBCC

        These two are adorable nerds and I love them both and HOW DARE YOU WILLIS? BOTH YOUR COMICS MADE ME *SO HAPPY* TONIGHT WHEN DOES THE OTHER SHOE DROP?

        1. Reltzik

          The other shoe was called “David”. That formal name gets dropped straight down into his sole. He’ll never heel from that. It just gets laced into hi- *vaudeville hook*

        2. trlkly

          Yep, I’m sure he shivered all the way down his body into his feet.

      4. Fart Captor

        Yeah, I especially love the “future scientist” part. She’s so proud!

      5. zoelogical

        she is pulling off her Little Orphan Annie shtick hard

  29. timemonkey

    Leslie really needed this right now. Not only is this something she can do that’ll help but it’s also a demonstration that Joyce trusts her.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      I hadn’t even considered that angle; Walky and Dorothy consumed my attention for anyone but Becky and Leslie. And Joe’s hair I guess, plus a bit of wondering about how the rest of the class would react to any perceived arrogance in Becky’s response, which in turn fed into wondering how angry Roz is at who for what reasons… okay I guess I just passed over Joyce this time.

      That is pretty great, especially considering how much it obviously pained her when Joyce was being evasive about Becky.

  30. Passchendaele

    “VIVIAN, I NEED THE RESOURCES”

    “okay, which-”

    “ALL OF THEM.”

  31. Derek

    Dorothy….is best to tell your significant other what is bothering you. Apply the same advice you give others to yourself

    1. Dana

      It’s perfectly reasonable for her to take a little time to process first. Not that she’ll necessarily stick to a reasonable amount of time. Let’s see if Dotty takes a turn at putting the “dumbing” in Dumbing of Age.

      1. Grethelwvier

        Also, they’re on class time, not personal time right now. This is not the place to have a talk.

      2. Disloyal Subject

        She already has in the past, like not understanding why her clinical approach to helping others was less popular than Roz’s charisma. I’d like to think that here she’s working on a fix – maybe typing up an email to a professor or researching stuff she got wrong – and not processing or post-processing wallowing, but that could well be wishful thinking on my part.

      3. Smiling Cat

        I’m predicting she ends her relationship to remove distractions and redouble her efforts.

    2. Reltzik

      I’m guessing that the “not now, David” is not “I’m hiding from this and refuse to talk about it,” or “I need time to process it”. I’m guessing it’s “I obviously need to do all the things even more than I have been doing so I’m going to cram an extra twenty hours of studying into the next five hours and you’re distracting me from the e-textbook I’m reading on my phone.”

      1. Nico

        Read it the same way, Reltzik. “Fail” at something? Time to double my efforts on absolutely every single other thing, what do you mean I’m walling off my emotions and overcompensating because I have unhealthily focused my self-esteem on externally-validated accomplishments, I’m just working really hard to ensure success in all my endeavors, what’s wrong with that.

    3. sundriedrainbow

      Yeah but not in front of a class full of people. It’ll be embarrassing enough for her to admit failure to Walky after she just tried to help him climb out of a failure hole of his own – in front of Joyce, Roz, Becky, Joe? That’d be mortifying.

  32. Meta

    YeSSS

  33. Cerberus

    Tag yourself, I’m the stack of resources.

    1. Shiro

      Tbh, this comic is basically how I imagine you interacting with your LGBT+ kids. You are the Leslie, she’s you.

      1. Cerberus

        I feel so subtweeted by this comic.

      2. Leorale

        The other day I was strongly hoping Leslie would “go full Cerberus” — it means this (plus advocating to administrators as needed) and it’s my favourite.

      3. BBCC

        IKR? Leslie is basically Cerberus as a mentor (although, I have a feeling Cerb’s better at classroom management).

        1. butts

          I also sorta doubt Cerb has a crush on a prominent conservative politician in their region of residence.

        2. Emily

          Cerberus is Leslie minus the horribly ill-advised choices about her personal life.

        3. BBCC

          Yeah, that.

    2. Minder

      That is one beautiful pile of papers.

    3. Grethelwvier

      Joe’s eyebrows

    4. Rukduk

      I think I might be the desk. You know, not much to look at but I can hold a lot of hard copy files (and thus information). Either that or the red bag with the lesson plans in it.

      1. Bagge

        “Why is Rukduk like a writing desk?”
        “Because Poe wrote on both?”
        “What?”
        “What?”

        1. Pablo360

          Because there’s a B in both and an N in Neuschwanstein.

    5. zoelogical

      i’m either leslie’s puffy orange vest or the third dot in becky’s smile in the fifth panel

    6. caesaria82

      I’m Dorothy’s bright pink phone.

      1. Leorale

        Sometimes I’m Panel 3 Leslie, sometimes Panel 5 Leslie. I guess that makes me her eye-sparkles.

    7. Bagge

      Giving a student in need a shit-ton of support and resources DOES seem like a very Cerberus thing to do.

      Tag yourself: I am Walky freaking out about Dorothy.

      1. Pablo360

        I’m Dorothy freaking out about my math class.

        wait what no i’m not hahahaha everything is AWESOME

        also: shut up

      2. Brotato

        I’m Becky’s plaid shirt.

    8. trlkly

      I guess I’m Dorothy freaking out about my grades for the first time.

    9. DonDueed

      I’m Walky’s thumbs.

      1. Roborat

        I’m the guy in the back that nobody notices and Willis doesn’t bother to draw.

  34. crys

    this is actually the best thing that could happen

  35. wynne

    Protect Leslie protecting Becky at all cost.

  36. PJDonnell

    Is it just me, or is Leslie dressed like Marty McFly?

    1. Leorale

      It’s not just you. The day she showed up in that vest, the comments hada critical mass of Back to the Future references. 🙂

      1. Reltzik

        1.21 jiga-watts of them!

    2. Cerberus

      I wonder if it’s partially a self-care thing. Like we know 80s sci-fi is a comfort thing for Leslie, so maybe dressing like a hero from that dealing with a messed up situation outside of his control helps her cope a little bit more with the nightmare unfolding around her*.

      *I do a similar thing with superhero necklaces, using them to try and gain a little bit of strength when I’m doing something super scary or stressful.

      1. Leorale

        When Marty wore it, everyone around him thought was a life preserver, but it was 80s fashion.
        When Leslie wears it, everyone thinks it’s 80s fashion, but it’s a life preserver. 🙂

        1. Reltzik

          Hey, whatever keeps her afloat.

        2. Cerberus

          *slow clap*

        3. Pablo360

          There’s that slow clap again! Is something wrong with time in the future?

      2. Kris

        What? A person can’t just wear a cool vest, skateboard, and bust into a spontaneous guitar solo without being compared to Marty McFly?

        1. Rukduk

          Actually, they can. Just so long as they don’t say “Doc”.

      3. MatsuoTanuki

        Which superhero/ine necklaces do you have if you don’t mind me asking? Marvel, DC, or a mix of both?

        1. Cerberus

          Mostly DC (Cassandra Cain, Oracle, Raven + Starfire, Wonder Woman)

        2. MatsuoTanuki

          Nice. 🙂

        3. Pablo360

          You can use a rectifier (which is kind of like a generator) to convert between DC and Marvel comic characters.

        4. BBCC

          You have good taste!

    3. zoelogical

      she’s just getting ready in case an old dude who hasn’t had a haircut in ages shows up in a DeLorean and wants to fix her lovelife so that her kids can have good lives

  37. Raibean

    Grownups? Being useful? What the actual fuck????

  38. Pigeon Pollyx

    You know, Willis is known for doing all sorts of shenanigans, tomfoolery and cruel miscief to his audience.

    But when he gives, he knows how to give.

    Thank you, David Willis, for this to happen in my life right now

  39. Smiling Cat

    So this is how Dorky ends.

    (that’s what we call it, right?)

    1. Grethelwvier

      It is now!

    2. Reltzik

      +10

  40. fillerusername

    Leslie this stack of resources is great I love everything about i but while you’re pointing her towards valuable programs for lgbt youth please also let her move in with you?

    1. Fart Captor

      As much as I want Leslie to be Becky’s new mom, I’m torn because I also really want to see the dorky shenanigans that result from Becky staying in Dina’s room

      1. Gesc

        Is it feasible though? I would love if it were. Like with all the formalities taken care of.

        Otherwise Leslie might be a good alternative. Becky can and will keep. Seeing Dina and Co anyway.

    2. Leorale

      Leslie’s house is currently full of a stalker and terrible media. But I bet there are resources in there to help her get housing!

      1. showler

        I might pay to see Becky vs. Robin.

    3. Reltzik

      I dunno, Leslie’s had bad roommate experiences in the recent past and present.

      1. Pearl

        “bad roommate experiences” are probably the kind of problem that becky wishes she had right now

        1. thejeff

          Not Robin level bad roommate experiences.

        2. Pearl

          Especially Robin level bad roommate experiences.

  41. Bluewind

    Oh Leslie. I adore you so right now. ^_^

  42. John

    I didn’t know Dorothy even knew Walky’s given name.

    1. Dana

      This is even more serious than last time she used it!

  43. Keulan

    “A few” resources? Holy shit Leslie you’re awesome.

    1. Keulan

      Also Dorothy really should tell Walky what’s bugging her.

  44. Vinny

    So, is Dorothy this bent over getting 76/100 on a test, or is something else bugging her?

    1. Fart Captor

      I think she’s finally burnt out. Too much effort spent in too many places, so that this sapped the last of her emotional reserves 🙁

      1. Schpoonman

        Agreed. Give Dorothy a day or two to be shitty while she sorts and processes, she’ll (hopefully) bounce back in better shape to go forward.

    2. Blue

      To a certain kind of anxious perfectionist (speaking from experience) a failure to achieve your expectations of yourself is extremely easy to view as a much larger problem. It’s not a 76 on a test- it’s the beginning of a downward spiral that ends in total academic failure. It’s not just one ‘C’, it’s your total lack of ability suddenly surfacing, showing off your true nature. All those successes were flukes, only this, the one failure, is indicative of your abilities.

      It’s a totally unhealthy reaction and comes from a place of greater mental issues, and I’m not sure that this really is Dorothy, but that is one thing which can cause this seemingly disproportionate emotional response- sort of an inability to contextualize the scope of a failure. A certain type of perfectionism registers anything less than the best as equally bad- an ‘F’ is just as bad as a ‘B’ because they both aren’t an ‘A’, and it can go hand in hand with the type that views only your failures as true measures of your ability.

      1. Grethelwvier

        Fuck, man. That hits home.

      2. Sorrischian

        That’s it exactly. The first time I ever got a D on an exam was on an exam in differential equations, and I genuinely spent several days sick with a mixture of shame, anger at myself, and the fear that this was the moment where everyone who had ever said I was good at math would turn out to be wrong and all of my dreams of being a scientist would collapse all at once.

        As it turned out, I got a B in that class, life moved on, and I’m still on track for graduate school, but sometimes this comic hits much too close to home.

        1. Grethelwvier

          Bruh. I don’t remember that far back, but apparently, when I was five or something, I was given this IQ or aptitude test, something to gauge how behind or ahead your grade level you are so they have pre-K through high school level problems, and I broke down crying when I got to the stuff I didn’t know and couldn’t reasonably guess at. My mother remembers this distinctly because the school system didn’t tell her until years later, when I couldn’t even do any of my schoolwork because the mere idea that could fail would send me into a panic attack, and they’re like “oh that behavior is a little similar to this thing that happened a while back”, and she was thoroughly pissed the hell off.

    3. Vinny

      OK. Dated a girl like that in college. I was a less than committed student & she was, well… like Dorothy.

      I outscored here once (just once) on a structural engineering exam- in fact, I got one of the few perfect papers. Instead of congratulations, she was so pissed at me that I finally told her to go take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut. Needless to say, no date that weekend.

      1. Blue

        Yikes, that’s a shitty thing to do to you, neurosis or not. : /

    4. Heavensrun

      I’ll bet you a dollar she’s fighting douches online over scarface.

    5. Reltzik

      As I mentioned elsewhere, my theory is that Dorothy’s shifted into uber-study mode and is researching / reading / studying / doing practice problems on her phone.

  45. Fire_daws

    In among the glee that most commenters are displaying I get very bad vibes from the first two panels.

    That might turn into a 10 vehicle motorway car crash.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      It definitely could! But their days were, by mutual agreement, numbered from the start, and we’ve been waiting a long, long time for this meeting.
      Plus Walky was being pretty great, and hopefully will be able to give Dorothy space and/or someone to lean on as necessary so she can ratchet her grades back up.

      1. Dana

        He’s shown himself to sometimes be very smart about reading people. Scores gay pizza smart. Let’s hope he can manage it when the stakes are higher.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          I was thinking of the roof cookies as the counterpoint to imperceptiveness as I typed that up, but he’s also been deaf to social context at times, which is more what I was concerned about. From his relaxed and respectful posture here I’m hoping his ability to read people wins out over his impulsiveness, since that’s been more of an issue before than a genuine failure to understand.

        2. Dana

          He can cover the whole spectrum of social skill. He is better at doofus mode than getting it right, so there’s plenty of room to worry.

      2. Fire_daws

        Walky’s quote of “you can’t be you for everyone” is beginning to bite here. I think that he would have hoped to extend the relationship up until she put her transfer in, the chance that he might be ditched because Dotty has too much to deal with would be a pretty shitty deal for him right now.

        HOWEVER as I think that Dotty’s got a good soul it might all blow over long term (as she doesn’t have to worry about RA now) or if it does have to end she’ll break it gently and not with harsh words.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Yup. From her determination as she ignored that statement I hoped it would all go well, but it appears the foreshadowing was not a fake-out.

        2. No Name

          The good news is, I think Walky’s smart enough to take the hint.

          The bad news is, given the current situation, I don’t think he’ll take it quietly.

        3. Reltzik

          The problem is, that while he’s smart enough, he’s also still got the “she’s going to dump me for being a failure” narrative bouncing around in his subconscious and…. well, the signs are playing to that. I don’t think that’s what’s going on here, but I think some part of Walky will think it.

        4. thejeff

          I think it would also be horrible for Dorothy to ditch him because she has too much to do. She needs the down time too.
          You don’t fix overwork problems by cutting back on your few fun times.

    2. Fart Captor

      That’s why Leslie was in such a hurry. She wanted to get Becky those resources before Willis had time to derail everything with drama. (She knows the drill)

  46. Disloyal Subject

    AAAAA YESs LESLIE IS THE BEST

  47. Carms

    I love ths.
    O’m sad about Dotty.
    But overall I love this

    1. Disloyal Subject

      The Willis giveth and The Willis taketh away.

  48. A5PECT

    IT’S HAPPENING

  49. Cattleprod

    Yay, closure for the dangling cliffhanger of Leslie’s battle with the photocopier.

  50. Ross

    Am I missing something about Dorothy’s grades? A C on a single quiz should be almost nothing, right? At very worst, it means she is struggling with, what a week’s worth of content? Even if she had missed that week entirely, that’s far from impossible to catch up on, if she’s been doing fine until now.

    1. Rukduk

      Yes, but Dorothy is, like Walky, someone who in there own mind doesn’t get bad grades at all. It’s a major part of her that she gets good grades because she works hard at school. So she’s upset with herself at the moment, because she can’t really wrap her head around how she could get a C.

      1. BBCC

        Which is why she needs to hang out with Sal now, because if anybody can yank her into a sense of perspective regarding a C…

        1. DinaWho

          If she’s anything like me, that’s not going to change her sense of perspective, just drive her into more self-loathing as she attempts to minimise her own emotions.

    2. Argon

      She’s presumably been a straight-A student all her life. Going off of that and her plans for her future, she probably expects nothing less that total perfection from herself in all things.

    3. BBCC

      When you push yourself like Dorothy does, a C on a single quiz is like a bowling ball to the gut.

    4. Blue

      To a certain kind of anxious perfectionist (speaking from experience) a failure to achieve your expectations of yourself is extremely easy to view as a much larger problem. It’s not a 76 on a test- it’s the beginning of a downward spiral that ends in total academic failure. It’s not just one ‘C’, it’s your total lack of ability suddenly surfacing, showing off your true nature. All those successes were flukes, only this, the one failure, is indicative of your abilities.

      It’s a totally unhealthy reaction and comes from a place of greater mental issues, and I’m not sure that this really is Dorothy, but that is one thing which can cause this seemingly disproportionate emotional response- sort of an inability to contextualize the scope of a failure. A certain type of perfectionism registers anything less than the best as equally bad- an ‘F’ is just as bad as a ‘B’ because they both aren’t an ‘A’, and it can go hand in hand with the type that views only your failures as true measures of your ability.

    5. Tarmaniel

      “I now pronounce you President of these United-”
      “Stop the inauguration! I just discovered our President-elect got a C in her first semester of college!”
      “Well, in that case, I sentence you to a lifetime of horror on Monster Island!”

      1. kater

        it’s actually a pennisula

        1. Leorale

          Her plan to become President hinges on impressing Yale and transferring there. Yale is not impressed by Cs. She’s afraid her life’s dream and heart’s desire is slipping away.

        2. Leorale

          Oops I put this reply in slightly the wrong spot, didn’t mean to rain on the joy that is Monster Peninsula.

        3. Dana

          Tarmaniel had the name right. The peninsula known as Monster island. It’s an island at high tide and named as such.

    6. Reltzik

      On it’s own? It’s nothing. You can recover from it.

      But it’s also a red flag! The first warning sign! A predictor of future woe! Pump the brakes! Pump the gas! Correct, correct, drastically correct before you befall your doom! YOU MUST CATCH UP IMMEDIATELY! ONLY PANIC WILL SAVE YOU NOW!

    7. itsaboo

      She wants to transfer out to a better school as soon as possible (or at least, that was her original aim). A “C” not only shows her that she isn’t as good as she thought she was, it might mean she has to give up on that dream of hers.

  51. Rukduk

    Three things.
    1. “David.” Oh shit Walky tread carefully. Right now she’s in the anger stage of grief. She’s currently upset at herself but will strike out at people trying to be helpful while she’s in this state. Wait for her to tell you what is bothering her, which will probably happen in a few hours to a couple days.
    2. Becky just saved this day for Leslie. Nothing’s been going well today and now finally, after about two weeks, she gets to meet Joyce’s gay friend who she can help.
    3. And it also puts her immediately into action mode, completely skipping over the Robin created awkwardness. Well, at least until someone (my money’s on Joe) brings it up. Or Robin shows up because she’s still in creepy stalker mode and may be using Leslie’s presence to not completely shut down. I’m really hoping the second case doesn’t happen.

    1. trlkly

      Since she heard about it on the news, I kinda wonder if Becky is doing this on purpose. Maybe she knew that this teacher would need a pick-me-up. She’s done the same thing for Joyce.

  52. Schpoonman

    Favorite Characters:
    1) Dina
    2) Becky
    3) Dorothy

    Welp, gonna have to revise this list.

    1. Schpoonman

      New Favorite Characters:
      1) Leslie
      2) Dina
      3) Becky

      Dorothy, you will be missed (I hope you get your time to be angry and let that fire burn, and I hope no one you love will be too hurt).

  53. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions:

    Panels 1 and 2: Ooh, first name when that isn’t usually used. That’s never a good sign, which is unfortunate.

    And it makes me worry about her, because it’s her not taking her own advice and reaching out when stuff is bothering her about her grades and that’s sad because it would probably save her a ton of stress to just go “hey, I had a really bad grade and I need to spend a little more time on schoolwork” instead of pushing folks away and curling up into herself.

    Especially since it seems like she’s a bit angry (and angry at no one more than herself for “failing”) and lashing out a bit at others because of it (given that she’s snapped at Walky and has been super cold and brusque to Roz and Joyce).

    I dunno, I’m a bit worried about her at the moment. Especially since I’m worried she’s partially interpreting things as “I always have to take care of Joyce and Walky and now doing so has fucked me over”*.

    *Garbage brain stuff is very good at concocting crap like that when a person is stressed out and frustrated and feeling trapped.

    Panel 3: :c :c :c

    This panel breaks my damn heart. That face, that body posture. She’s a complete wreck and expecting to get a massive rain of shit from her students in the same way she did from her peers. And it reminds me too much of having to come in and try to teach when my life felt like it was collapsing around me and I had so few spoons to spare.

    Hell, Leslie’s face is basically what my face looked like when I went in on Monday after a weekend worrying about my fiancee’s 5150. Like, I still don’t know how I made it through that day and I was definitely nowhere near my best.

    Panel 4: Okay, I just love how much her face brightens though when she sees someone she feels in a position to help. Cause, yeah, that’s also been the thing keeping me going at times. Like, I’ve talked a bunch about the hellscape of my boss and the workplace and how hard that’s been on me, especially as I’ve been having way more rape flashbacks whenever I go in because of how awfully everything was handled.

    But what’s kept me going and really energized me for many of these months has been the chance to do good by students who desperately needed it and it’s what’s beaten me down of late, now being put on notice by my boss because of that aid and heavily discouraged from doing that anymore because he’s a petty bastard who knows that’s a good way to hurt me.

    And so yeah, I feel Leslie in that moment and her feeling there that despite all the shit she’s dealing with, she can truly do something that truly matters.

    Panel 5: This may be one of my favorite Becky panels and there are so many good ones, but I just love her little smile towards someone we know she is inclined to hero-worship and her attempt to turn her recent traumas into a badge of honor and pride.

    And just those last three words, “future scientist lesbian” showing all her ambition and tenacity. It’s fucking beautiful.

    Panels 6&7: …

    …

    Yeah… I’m so Leslie in these panels it hurts. Like I feel this is literally something I have said/done multiple times and…

    A) Way to subtweet me, Willis!

    But also B) I’d kindly request you remove your secret spy cameras at once. Not cool, man. Not cool.

    1. BBCC

      How is your fiancee by the way? Any better?

      Also – fuck your boss.

      And yeah, this seems about how I picture you as a teacher.

      1. Cerberus

        They’re in and out. They have days and moments that make me think they are recovering and days that feel like red flags of another potential collapse. So I’m just trying to show as much love and support as I can and hope for the best.

        And ooh, I have good news. My boss is not going to be my boss next year. I got a job teaching at a different school starting in the fall. I’m almost out!

        1. Rukduk

          Hopefully things work better at the new school. Old one doesn’t know what it’s losing/has driven away. Because you’re that teacher. That one teacher that practically 100% of their students recall with fondness as the “good teacher” who helped inspire them or put them on the path to success despite everything else that the students had to deal with. The “saving grace” teacher if you will.

        2. Rukduk

          Also, if it doesn’t freak your fiance out, here’s some Internet *hugs* for them, since that’s the only thing I can offer as help do to not really knowing you two in real-life.

        3. Fart Captor

          I’m happy he won’t be your boss, but also mad that it isn’t because his horrible ass is fired (preferably out of a cannon (into the side of a mountain)). I’m going to choose to go with happy, out of spite if nothing else.

          Also, all my hopes for your fiance’s recovery

        4. Cerberus

          Well, I mean, there’s still time to cut his brake lines on the way out the door…

        5. Dana

          Please, no cutting break lines. You can’t teach kids or comment on comics from prison. 🙂

        6. Cerberus

          Ugh, responsibility and ethical morality keeping me from doing the temporarily satisfying thing. So unfair.

        7. StClair

          You and Sarah both.

        8. butting

          Leaving a boss-sized unused area on a wall and a stack of duct tape rolls where students can see them would lead to a useful learning experience with no repercussions against you, surely?

          (which is to say: yay for the job, and both of you do well, yeah?)

        9. Pablo360

          It’s not amoral if they don’t catch you.

        10. Reltzik

          Or, you know, send out a mass-email to all the parents and all the journalists about how their children aren’t safe under his care.

          ….

          BECAUSE SCREW CONSEQUENCES, THAT’S WHY! 😛

          (Yes, I know all of the reasons it’s a bad idea. … well, some of them. Probably not all of them.)

        11. Cerberus

          He got fired today! Fucking finally. He’ll have one more month for “transition” and then he’s getting thrown on his ass. I’ve never swung so hard from dreading going to work to being happy at work as today.

        12. Fart Captor

          WOOOOOO HELL YES! That’s awesome news!

        13. thejeff

          Your boss? That’s great.
          Sounds like there’s rarely been someone more deserving.

        14. BBCC

          FUCK YEAH! That’s awesome! It’s been a long time coming, but holy was it well deserved! He sounds like an asshole.

          Will he go to the end of the year, or does your school wrap up in June?

        15. Cerberus

          New Head of School starts transitioning in at the beginning of the month and he’s officially out on his ass by mid may. So I’ll likely have a full month of not seeing his face before I head out. *happy little dance*

        16. Gwen

          That’s awesome! Now it will be easier for you to leave this school in a better state than you found it, secure in the knowledge that this fuckwad won’t be hurting the kids anymore. Let’s hope he doesn’t get hired at another school.

        17. Jhon

          I think he deserves this: (cranks the hacked muzak)

        18. Fart Captor

          A good start, but to continue that theme…

        19. Fart Captor

          Although this might also be appropriate

          Okay, I do not know how I do not already have a “spite” playlist, but that will soon be corrected

        20. Reltzik

          I was thinking this.

        21. Jake

          !!!!!! You have no idea how happy this news makes me. Very happy you were getting out of there regardless, but this is — it’s not just the icing on the cake, it’s an entirely new tier of cake on top of the other cake, with its own delicious flavor.

          And I’m keeping you and your fiancee in my thoughts. That’s a really difficult position to be in, and pretty emotionally traumatizing and draining all on its own. /understatement (I am currently doing long distance with my partner who is severely depressed and it is quite difficult. Please make sure you’re taking care of your own needs, too. That’s the part I always fail at.)

        22. Reltzik

          Justice DOES exist!

          …. er, wait, did he get fired for being a shithead, or was it some unrelated stuff that wasn’t really bad?

        23. Falcon

          Good. Glad you got a new school and are happy with it. Because after reading your first post about your boss putting you on notice I was about to start talking about Title VII claims.

        24. Leorale

          New job: sweet! You’re almost there, you’re gonna make it, comments section cheers for you in the new digs!

        25. StClair

          Congratulations!

        26. Reltzik

          Good to hear about your fiance.

          … dare I ask what you’re going to do about maintaining contact with your old students who are still at the school? Because I can see that being bad either way and maybe being a stressful thing you don’t want to discuss or decide or think about just yet.

        27. Cerberus

          Current plan is leaving a “in case you need to reach out” email address especially for the ones most in crisis. Luckily most of the kids I connected with the most are already leaving in a huff over the handling of the assault, so stuff was already in the works.

        28. Minder

          CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW JOB / NEW BOSS

        29. Shiro

          Late but congrats!! Hopefully this means the start of good things. Good luck to you and your fiancee both!

        30. BBCC

          I hope they feel better soon. 🙁

          But oooh, yay for getting rid of your tool boss! Don’t forget to put him in the toolbox when you leave. Tools are dangerous and should be stored safely.

    2. Rukduk

      Ok first, *hugs*, second, I hope you’re fiance is ok, third this comic really does seem to be something you would do from what you’ve shared, and finally screw your petty little man of a boss.

    3. Chris Phoenix

      Googles 5150… oh damn. All the sympathies.

    4. Minder

      All the best for you guys and your situation, my heart goes out to you and hoping things improve as much as they possibly can. For your workplace and your fiance both and everything else. Yes yes on everything said regarding Becky and Leslie and I’m glad their so-needed bright moments here are bringing to mind your own.

      As for Dorothy (&Walky David), I’ve practically written a dissertation below but fucking spot-on and it resounds hard for me too. Garbage brain is the bacteria that stews at high capacity in these situations. I feel it.

  54. UltraKyrie

    <3

  55. JessWitt

    A meeting long in the making – and I’m so over the moon for the two.

  56. Sporky

    This strip was quite the emotional rollercoaster.

  57. Pl0x

    I am very excited!! Eeeeeeeeeee!!

  58. Griffin

    I laughed at this but I mean like, same. Hard same.

  59. Victor Riley

    And now is the time for Dorothy, who insists on helping everyone else, now closes herself off, and refuses to receive help herself.

  60. JessWitt

    She’s the Leslie Knope of the QUILTBAG community.

  61. HMRC4EVR

    Excuse her while she whips that out.

    1. DonDueed

      “Back off or the lesbian gets it!”

  62. Gesc

    Holy mother of research.

  63. missilentmurmur

    It’s nice to see Leslie glow

  64. kater

    now I kind of wonder if dorothy will blame walky for her grade. Like, she was so worried about distractions and boys holding her back when she broke up with Danny (at least my interpretation). i can see the relationship being the first casualty of Dorothy buckling down again.

  65. Heather

    I wonder if Leslie is slightly relieved Becky is here, not -only- because she can help her finally but it’s something to focus on/something she can help solve unlike her own rather overwhelming problems right now. It’s nice to have something vaguely achievable/something you can accomplish right?

  66. caesaria82

    I love you, Leslie Bean.

  67. zoelogical

    this. this is the supreme Leslie Teaching Moment. this is what she got into teaching for.

  68. Heavensrun

    A lot of people seem to be assuming that Dotty is losing it over her grade slipping, but given her fixation on her phone, I expect she’s actually trying to manage the messaging against Ryan and finding that the douchesphere online is pushing back against their posted claims.

    1. trlkly

      Interesting idea. And it would be made worse by the grade, too, in that she’s upset about both.

      Though I think a lot of people think she’s trying to contact people to deal with this situation, and so she’s waiting on a reply. I’ve been known to stare at my phone for that.

    2. zoelogical

      that or there’s just a lot of awful internet trolls saying they made it up and being jerks

    3. Doopyboop

      I feel like the phone thing could also either be her emailing her Professor about the grade or using the calculator/looking at her syllabus online/notes about the class to calculate what work she needs to put in to offset this ‘bad grade’. As someone who was an A/B student in high school and college, then really FUCKED UP ONCE, I’m very familiar with the number crunching to figure out the best way to keep the grade up. …And also keep up my GPA so I don’t lose my scholarship, in my case.

  69. Storel

    Okay, now I want to be a superhero-car-chase future-scientist lesbian when I grow up.

    I can do that even though I’m male, right? After all, a bisexual woman I know declared me an honorary lesbian…

    1. Reltzik

      I think the answer is “no, unless you discover you’re trans or some flavor of gender fluid / non-binary”. But I’m not sure if that’s all the exceptions.

      1. Cerberus

        There was a brief time before I came out where I was considered a lesbro by my lesbian friends and they teased that I was a male lesbian thanks to that terrible L Word episode about the “male lesbian” character that I only realized later was a transphobic depiction of a trans woman.

        Ah, fun with egg modes.

    2. Jhon

      I would treasure that honor.

      1. Storel

        I do.

  70. Reltzik

    ……

    …..

    …

    .. that is a VERY high-capacity bag.

    1. Cerberus

      It’s a QUILTBAG.

      1. MatsuoTanuki

        It’s a Time Lord bag…

      2. Pablo360

        Considering its contents, you’re not wrong.

        Also I love that acronym because it’s the only one I’m aware of that’s inclusive, pronounceable, AND not derived from a word that’s still considered a slur in some circles.

        1. Pablo360

          (By the way, spontaneous semantics lesson: LGBTQUIA+ and all partials of that aren’t technically acronyms, they’re initialisms; it’s not an acronym unless it’s pronounced.)

        2. MatsuoTanuki

          Fancy that, I learned something today. Thank you Cerb and Pablo. 🙂

    2. AgentKeen

      I need Leslie to tell me where she got it and find out if they have messenger bags.

      1. Deanatay

        Amazon?

    3. Emily

      I assume the “stay right there” part means that between the last two panels she left the room to retrieve her Giant Pile of LGBT Resources.

      1. Reltzik

        Like most explanations, yours is both more sensible and less awesome than my own.

        1. showler

          Wouldn’t it make more sense that she simply took it out of the desk?

        2. Reltzik

          Given that she’s a college teacher who shares that desks with others? No.

        3. Reltzik

          ((Seriously, just having reliable dry-erase markers is too much to ask.))

  71. ChibiSquirt

    LESLIE LOOKS SO HAPPY!!! Hurray for happy Leslie, there should be happy Leslie 110% of the time. ^_^

  72. Barduwulf

    Leslie Bean: Best Teacher

  73. pjeseb

    I think maybe Leslie might be just as excited to meet Becky as Becky was to meet her.

    Also, Leslie is too awesome for words and nobody better give her any shit about Robin OR ELSE!

    … Please?

  74. Minder

    Also, Jesus, Dorothy’s reactions to her bad test grade are very ominous-looking for me right now. Cold fury is my modus operandi if someone raises my hackles and I can tell you that in a real-world context when your public image is of that of a person calm and peaceable and boring–someone nice and nonthreatening–having them suddenly ‘turn’ on you is a very frightening thing and I’ve sent superiors in the workplace and adults twice my age running with their tails between their legs. It can be very satisfying in the moment and very powerful if they’ve done said or done something seriously out of line, but when you turn misaimed (in Dorothy’s case, likely self-directed) cold fury on people that just happen to be in your presence because it’s just as hard to control as every other type of anger that exists? That shit hurts people. I’ve hurt my family and my brother in particular so much trying to ‘protect’ them from anxiety that wasn’t anyone’s fault, because I really just want to explode when I’m upset but the alternative is I go hard and silent and lock them away from me, figuratively and literally.

    Dorothy doesn’t need this guilt later and Walky doesn’t need this self-stricken terror for whatever he’s ‘done’ to make Dorothy turn on him right now. Aside the obvious that Dorothy’s rage at her bad grade is likely to funnel a lot of double-down behaviors that do exactly the opposite of placing her in a better position for eventually transferring / running for office, this shit is just plain painful to look at. It reminds me of the worst parts of myself in online conversation. It reminds me of the worst parts of myself in my face-to-face conduct. It reminds me of what happens when you spend too many years thinking this is the right way to handle your anxiety instead of “losing it” like a normal, less-controlled person and then realizing you are so depressed you don’t want the things you’ve been working for anymore.

  75. A Scientist

    And it was in this moment that Leslie was plunged suddenly back into her element.

  76. Dariu55

    I feel like 3/4 of those files were already available in the room and telling Leslie about Joyce’s friend reminded her that Leslie had more files at home.

  77. BenRG

    It looks like we’re going to be treated to both a Dorothy crisis and a Leslie crisis in the same class session!

    Walky, here’s a protip: When she uses your legal name when she normally uses a the common nickname which you prefer, that means things are bad. Now isn’t the time but after the class is done, don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

  78. Bagge

    “I’m a failure as a gender studies teacher. I have betrayed the cause and…. hello there, little queer person in trouble. Hang on a second, I have all this help and resources and experience I wanna give you and in general tell you that I’m an adult that can be trusted…

    …where were I. Something about me being a failure…”

    It didn’t take much for Leslie to show she is on the right side, did it?

  79. AgentKeen

    I misunderstood Becky’s response for a second there, with ‘car’ and ‘future’ and ‘scientist’ parsing into a reference to Leslie’s Marty McFly look and thought that Becky was saying she wanted to join Leslie on some adventures with Leslie as her mentor in things lesbian.

    I mean, Leslie did bring a huge stack of reference material, so it kinda did happen, except no adventures in 1985 and 2030.

    1. Jhon

      What? “adventures in 1985 and 2030” could still happen.

  80. Bagge

    DOROTHY!!!!! LEARN FROM WALKY’S MISTAKES!!!! TELL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSE TO YOU!!!! You will be rewarded with Joyce-hugs and sweet, sweet upside-down-Joyce-time and Walky-“hugs”, and you can still double down and study three times as hard or whatever you are doing on your phone.

    PACE YOURSELF, DOTTY!!!

    1. Minder

      The problem right now is that Dorothy is likely not going to be open to rewarding herself. Receiving guilt, attention, or assurances from her friends in this moment that she’s recalibrating after a glaring “failure,” as she sees it, are if anything going to be taken as irritations at best…and temptations to be shut down avoided at worse.

      1. Bagge

        Agreed – that’s why I’m freaking out about her. This runs the risk of getting MUCH worse before it gets better.

        1. Pinkie

          Maybe this makes me a terrible person, but I’d almost rather see Joyce get (a few) bad grades than Dorothy. A great opportunity to punch a few more holes in her rosy mental picture of her homeschooling experience…. Some homeschooling parents do it not for the sake of their kid’s educational well-being but for the sake of tightly limiting their experiences – without being a trained teacher, or having the adequate skills to teach all subjects K-12 (and even expertise in one area doesn’t guarantee expertise in all.)

        2. Fart Captor

          I’m not sure that’s a lesson she needs. Smugness about the quality of her homeschooling really hasn’t been a problem Joyce has had, at least not that I’ve noticed.

          I’d much rather see her take interest in a subject that her parents discouraged, the way Becky has with her interest in science. Maybe even seriously consider joining the air force to become a fighter pilot (or just a pilot), or otherwise breaking completely away from the limited aspirations that she and Becky were allowed. Even becoming a teacher instead of following that track only to better homeschool her brood of children would be awesome.

  81. AGV

    Now that the corresponding strip is finally here, Leslie’s face that Ana have been using as a gravatar lately, is it a Steven Universe reference or is it just me?
    http://i.imgur.com/o29uS9j.png

  82. TOD

    The pile of resources gathered by a woman who wishes someone had had resources to give her when she was going through similar shit at a young age.

    1. Cerberus

      That’s a large part of why I teach the way I teach and try and have the resources I try to have. Because I remember being scared and confused and hated for aspects of myself I wasn’t even consciously aware of and I don’t want any other kid to ever go through the same.

      I imagine Leslie is very much the same, which makes this moment all sorts of beautiful.

  83. Lulu

    Now that newspaper lesbian girl whose name I always forget too should join their class to have a happy lesson 😉

    1. DonDueed

      Daisy?

    2. Bagge

      Daisy’s lack of romantic success is one of the constants of the universe.

      1. Pinkie

        She should get together with Leslie.

  84. CoMa

    You gotta love Leslie for this. This may now be my favourite comic strip from the series.

  85. davidbreslin101

    Dorothy has actually answered Walky’s question.

  86. ValdVin

    Is Becky noticing Dorothy’s out-of-character behavior in panels 1 + 2 or is she just looking forward?

    I’m trying to figure out where those two stand, esp. how playful Becky’s feud* is (or isn’t). I was hoping Becky had come around from the “I don’t like you, you don’t like me” bit (http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/rivalry/).

    Becky using brashness as her main coping skill leaves me unknowing about recent interactions, like http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/02-everything-youve-ever-wanted/bridges-2/.

  87. L!ghtn!ng

    I’m so glad that Leslie’s (finally) on the case!

  88. Vulcanodon

    *Walky, important safety tip: you want to cool nitroglycerin down to about 5° C before you try to move it.
    *Lesley, Oh my…
    *Lesley, I meant; “Oh, my, with everything else going on in your life, you still made time to prepare JUST IN CASE you happened upon that person you heard about who needed help. You are wonderful.”
    *Becky, no wonder Joyce loves you. In a single panel you can brighten someone’s day in an alternate that flatters itself as the “real” one.

    1. Vulcanodon

      in an alternate universe that flatters

  89. Stairmasternem

    One of my favorite moments in this comic series was when Joyce and her dad talked in the atrium of their Church. This is looking to be one of my other favorite moments, if things go well.

  90. Delicious Taffy

    This school needs Bulk and Skull expies. Just a pair of dorks trying to act cool and show off to everyone, but they end up being the butt of the joke most of the time. Also, they occasionally do or say something that leads to a learning experience for everyone involved, even if they do have to go home covered in deli supplies.

  91. Bunk

    Just had a thought. What if, some point down the road, Leslie takes Becky in and THAT’S how we have Becky not hiding on campus anymore

    1. Vulcanodon

      She can’t. An authority figure taking in a homeless kid is fraught with legal and practical dangers.

      1. spoopyfox

        is becky a minor? Also Leslie may be a professor, but she’s not Becky’s professor so it might not be a conflict

        1. thejeff

          Not only is she not Becky’s professor, Becky isn’t even a student. There is no professional conflict at all.

          There would certainly be gossip, especially now that Leslie’s hit the news. That could be a problem. No legal issues I’m aware of though.

        2. Temperaryobsessor

          Assuming that Becky is not a minor would there really be a legal issue even if she was one of Leslies students? I mean offering that type of help as a teacher is a bad idea but how exactly is it illegal?

      2. Vulcanodon

        I’m sitting here preparing for a committee review of our “Protection of Minors policy” and it’s deep stuff. Many universities have dug multi-$m holes for themselves by sloppy approach to that.

        But professional conflict of interest is not the only consideration either. Even if Becky is not a minor, Leslie is walking across a minefield right now. She can’t afford a misstep.

        1. Temperaryobsessor

          Thanks I read what I think you were referring too. Basically if Becky were a minor student Leslie would need the right three peoples permission (one of those three being Toedad) and to be able to justify why housing her is within the scope of her class. I think there is also a good chance that her class is 18+ just because it of how often it talks about sexual stuff like the sex tape, lesbian porn in relation to the bechdel test and similar topics. If Becky were an adult student I’m not 100% sure what Leslie would need but it would still be a whole thing. If Becky is an adult non student which I’m guessing she is it might not get Leslie into legal trouble but considering how she met Becky could easily be a major black mark on her record and would justify fireing her. Given the way this school seems to handle things I would guess they would not want to fire Leslie for having an unconfirmed relationship with Senitor Desanto. Even a confirmed one would be officially about her being Rozz’s sister.

      3. Vulcanodon

        Also, important point, if Becky were under Leslie’s roof, she would be immediate splash damage to any media attention. Leslie would not be the only person protected by NOT going there.

        1. Skorpeyon

          I personally feel like this is the best point being made here. Becky being in a media spotlight wouldn’t be likely to help her right now. However, the original comment DID say “down the road”, so perhaps when the media issue blows over. The remaining items are essentially non-issues since, as long as Becky is legally an adult, she is definitively not a student. The school really couldn’t do anything about Leslie taking her in to help her get back on her feet.

  92. Killjoy

    Digging the moment of pure enthusiasm from Leslie here.

  93. altalemur

    THIS IS THE CONTENT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR! older queers mentoring/giving resources to younger queers.

  94. Sliver

    Aw, I was hoping for something like this. Leslie is such a good, precious bean.

  95. JayTheBookworm

    Well we’re in for it
    *rubs hands giddily*

  96. hof1991

    If Leslie is fired as an adjunct, she can always work as a librarian. Deluging people with resources is the joy of our profession.

    1. Anders

      I used to put together LGBT resource guides for my library and I am totally Leslie in this strip

      DON’T MOVE LET ME GIVE YOU BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS

  97. Marsh Maryrose

    Between “Quiet. Brain busy” and “Not now, David,” it’s clear that Dorothy is totally focused on whatever is happening on her phone. So far the possibilities are:

    1) she’s concentrating on studying (ebook or some such)

    2) something important is happening on the Scarface picture front

    3) Unknown Evil

    My money’s on (2), but what are the possibilities for (3)?

    1. Smooti

      Coming up with an over-the-top detailed game plan to extra credit her way through that 76 she made on that test?

      1. BBCC

        Maybe trying to contest it?

    2. Ansel

      4) desperately emailing back and forth with a professor about making up the grade?

    3. Fart Captor

      5) She’s gone full teen angst, and is applying at clown colleges because now she’ll never be president :[

  98. Guairdean Beatha

    Poor Walky, he doesn’t realize that Dorothy’s chiseled caramel diversion just became a liability and she’s dumping him via text message. It’s gonna take a lot of nachitos to get him past this.

  99. Renagirl9

    Becky should totally move in with Leslie!!!

  100. Boomer Gonzales

    Okay…seriously…how DO women fit so much in their purses?

    1. BBCC

      Lack of pockets. Have to improvise.

    2. Gwen

      I always wonder the reverse: without pockets, how do men have the things they need with them?

  101. Smooti

    You can tell Leslie’s been waiting since she found out about Becky for this exact moment. Where she can make sure what happened to her as a teen does not happen again.

  102. Samantha

    OMG Leslie is adorable she wants to do so much good so pure I root for her. I want her to succeed.

  103. Optimus Pride

    Hopefully there’s information in there on how lesbians grow a weenus.

    1. Bagge

      Don’t get your hopes up. American sex ed and all that.

  104. rectilinearpropagation

    I know it won’t last but seeing Leslie get so happy to see Becky there was just :)))))))))

    1. chris73

      Of course it won’t, something this happy and positive must be balanced out by something…else

      The cosmic forces demand it!

  105. Ruthmost

    This has tragedy all over it.

    My spidey senses are telling me the dean will come to class and see a redhair he didnt the last time (only weeks ago) and doesnt remember being schooled and lodged there..

    1. cesium133

      There’s no way the dean remembers every student who goes to the university (there are thousands of them), so he wouldn’t notice that Becky isn’t a student there.

      1. Knayt

        It’s a state university – there are probably tens of thousands of them.

      2. Rosenthal Ferdinand

        Heck even the red hair can be a hair-color change by a regular.

  106. Jake

    I 100% cried over this strip because it made me SO HAPPY. Leslie’s expression changing as soon as she sees Becky; Becky getting to see this person she was so excited to meet actually CARING about her and being excited to meet her in return.

  107. Aggrax

    Hopefully Dorothy is going through the realization she should have had a month ago and is about ready to dump Walky’s useless lazy butt.

    1. Fart Captor

      So, you hope that after overextending herself and burning out from the stress, she’ll ditch the sweet, fun boy who believes in her right when she really needs some moral support?

      What did Dorothy ever do to you? :C

      1. Aggrax

        He’s an albatross around her neck. The only thing that he has contributed to the relationship are a wang and a bunch of problems. And it’s not that hard to find a ding-dong not attached to a worthless screw-up. She wouldn’t be overextending herself if she wasn’t forced to play replacement mommy for a child.

    2. Minder

      in case you and dorothy have both forgotten, walky’s butt comes connected to an abusive shitbag of mom that happens to be very good friends with the IU Dean of Students.

      the same dean who votes either Democrat or independently instead of DeSanto and may just be happy to help the political career of a young woman with Dorothy’s politics

      or at least may be willing to write her the heftiest fucking recommendation letter to Yale from a person possible, if Linda twists Anthony’s shown interest in her kids’ well-being the right way for a future daughter-in-law

      in fact I’m afraid Dorothy’s take away from this may just be to end or attempt to end her relationship with Walky which is the stupidest possible fucking move she could make for her future career’s sake imo

      1. Aggrax

        Cause that’s exactly what Dorothy would want, to accomplish her goals solely because of connections she made through man-toy.

        1. Minder

          “Sarah, I’m sorry, but I won’t squander the opportunities I’ve been given. I’m not telling my grandkids the reason I wasn’t President is because I was scared of wading through one friggin’ college drunkfest.”

          What Dorothy says she wants is to accomplish her goals. I don’t know and don’t really care how much and how far she’s willing to go to stand by that statement. But if her ambition is career politician she cannot afford, as she has stated, to make mistakes. Not even having personal connections occur to her as a means of furthering her career is a mistake, whether she goes through with the shadier requisites of that or not.

  108. BrokenEye, True False Prophet

    Leslie, no

  109. Liliet

    “Don’t move. Stay right there.”
    Leslie sounds like she caught a stray kitten <3

  110. Roborat

    Oh sure, Dorothy gets annoyed when Walky won’t open up to her about his poor marks, but when he is perceptive enough to see that she is bothered by something, she shuts him out?

    1. Minder

      time and a place, man, let her finish reorganizing her to-do list before she tackles whichever item on it that conversation is

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