128

Unknowable
Posted on April 26, 2022 by David M Willis
DAY ONE updates for the DUMBING OF AGE BOOK 11 KICKSTARTER 1) We funded! 2) We unlocked the BOOSTER character magnet and their corresponding pledge tier! 3) We unlocked continuing weekend updates for strips! So that's good!  Those'd lapse in, like, May otherwise. 4) We added a $100K stretch goal where I promise to stop tweeting about 9 Chickweed Lane. Next up is unlocking free JOYCE magnets for everybody at $35K! Cross your fingers for that happening today!

128 thoughts on “Unknowable”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “no lesbian diet, no lesbian powers”

    1. ThunderNight

      lesbian food pyramid

    2. butts

      after all, you are what you eat

    3. Doctor_Who

      Alt universe where Todd and Roxie are the same character.

      1. cbwroses

        Is that a Scott Pilgrim reference? I want to say it is, but it’s been awhile since I watched the movie.

        1. Rose by Any Other Name

          Yes. Yes it is.

      2. Reaver

        ..Joey doesn’t share food..?

  2. The Wellerman

    YESSS!!!! That ENERGY!!!! YEAAAAH!!!!!

    ??? ??? ???

    Brace yourselves humans!!! The fun is just beginning!!!!!!

    ??? ???

    *plays “Awaken Pillar Men EPIC Version” on hacked muzak*

    1. The Wellerman

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr5rYHyTbg

  3. thakoru

    Dina is a wonderful awful little sex gremlin and I love her.

    1. The Wellerman

      You said it bruh!!! ? ✌️?

      *plays “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails on Becky’s phone*

    2. Dara

      Yes. Yes. That’s the mood I was looking for. Thank you. 😀

    3. Opus the Poet

      That’s another reason why this comments section needs an upvote system.

  4. RassilonTDavros

    Dumbing of Age Book 12: NNNNNYEEEOOSS??

    1. butts

      i was thinking DOA Book 12: The Skill Levels of Our Muff Divings Are Incalculable and Unknowable

      1. RassilonTDavros

        Yeah, you’re probably right.

      2. Rose by Any Other Name

        Oh, I do hope so.

      3. Regalli

        Agreed. But Dina and Becky got the cover for Book 10, so I’d guess someone else. (Has Sal had a good line this book? She hasn’t actually made a cover appearance yet.)

        1. Andy

          I vote for using Dina’s muff diving phrase and putting Joyce and maybe add Dorothy as well to the cover.

      4. Keulen

        Those are both good, but Dina’s line is the better of the two.

    2. Devious Smile

      Dumbing of Age 12: We have unlocked our full Lesbian Power!

      ..for this comic i think this is the most fitting title in general.

  5. butts

    Dina may not have mastered the triangle grin, but she’s got a pretty good :> going

  6. Yotomoe

    https://imgur.com/a/WPY1hky
    Page 7 sketch.
    I have to do my hair but I wanted to sketch this one because this strip is actually the first idea I had when I decided to make this comic.

    1. Darkoneko

      butts butts butts

      1. butts

        iiiiiiiiiiiiit’s showtime

        1. cbwroses

          Now I’m thinking of an Ace Ventura Mask Hybrid where Jim Carrey talks with his ass, but the ass is painted like the Mask.

        2. cbwroses

          Though, now that I think about it, that’s a Beetlejuice line and not a Mask line.

    2. butts

      you rang

    3. newlland(Henryvolt)

      That last panel is definitely something I’d expect them to say.

      1. Dara

        I know, right? That’s very much a “did David write this line?” line xD

    4. Sirksome

      I mean how often does one actually say the word “butt” during sex? I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but I feel like you’d have to intentionally want to work that word in more than once or twice.

      1. Yotomoe

        I wouldn’t know. I haven’t had sex. I just assume the butt is involved and is referred to as such. Unless you’re the kinda guy who says ass.

        1. Sirksome

          To me Walky definitely chooses to say “butt” over “ass”. He could say “ass” but he knows what he likes.

        2. cbwroses

          I mean it’s a well established fact that Walky is the Typhoid Mary of Butts disease, so he’d definitely say it a lot and on purpose.

        3. newlland(Henryvolt)

          I admire your ability to boldly confessthese things to the world. Especially since I’m in the same boat.

        4. Sirksome

          Is there even still a stigma attached to being a virgin? I feel like that attitude kind of went out with the early 2000’s. It’s the 2020’s the world’s on fire, and there’s way more important things than sexual status. Sex is kind of overrated anyway…in my very limited experience.

        5. newlland(Henryvolt)

          It’s partly being a Virgin but more so I also don’t want to be THAT open with personal details like that regardless if I had sex or not. I could have sex with like 30 people and still wouldn’t want to go into detail about it with just anyone.

        6. newlland(Henryvolt)

          I’ll gladly talk about what gets me into the mood and what I think about a certain type of different fetish but that’s all I’m willing to open up about.

        7. Sirksome

          Understandable. It’s your business. In context of the comic it’s actually really weird to me that Becky and Dina choose to announce their sexual activity so boldly. But maybe that just makes me a prude.

        8. eh, whatever

          No, it makes Becky the most extreme extrovert I’ve ever seen.

        9. deliverything

          To add on to eh, whatever’s comment: check two strips back. Dina wasn’t directly involved in that choice, she’s just following Becky’s lead, as she requested. Not that she seems to have any particular reservations against doing so, just that she would otherwise likely only mention it in passing if the subject came up (because there seems to be no logical basis for the stigma against mentioning it but, likewise, no logical reason to expect uninvolved people to care).

        10. newlland(Henryvolt)

          Eh & devilery I sort of see your points but I’m a bit confused since I was more so referring to myself and not tonight strip.

        11. Myth

          This is to deliverything (curious that there was no reply button on their comment, perhaps the nesting replies reached a limit?).

          I am not arguing your overall point, but I did read back and thought it was worth clarifying, Becky did not ask Dina to follow her lead. Becky actually requested Dina keep mum about the sex! Dina replied with “I’ll follow your lead,” and Becky immediately contradicted herself, heh. I just think it’s relevant because in this case because Becky never said anything implying Dina needed to be as open as she is being, and indeed I doubt Becky would have expected it. It was entirely Dina’s decision, which is very fitting for both their characterizations; I think Dina is happy to talk about herself if it seems desired and has no (or little) shyness or shame, she simply cares very much about the feelings of others and understands that oversharing can make people uncomfortable. She will not necessarily offer personal details unprompted but neither is she especially private, is my read on her. I love all the tiny details in how that characterization is demonstrated by her exact actions vis-a-vis how she takes cues from others!

        12. Yotomoe

          Being a virgin is absolutely still stimitized and will absolutely be used as leverage against you in an argument to demoralize you. Your inability to attract a partner or form human connections can be thrown in your face at a moment’s notice. Especially if you’re like me and you’re a straight cis dude cuz everyone loves taking us down a peg. 😛 It’s only bad if you’re punching downwards.

        13. Yotomoe

          Sorry a bit of my salt got loose there.

        14. Sirksome

          It just seems like such a juvenile tactic at this point, not to mention dismissive of asexuality among other things. Sexual intercourse doesn’t actually indicate one’s ability to attract people or form social connections. Someone trying to demean or criticize virgins just tells me they don’t actually have an argument or any valid point to contribute. It feels like being back in middle school and bragging to your homies about how you fucked so many times when you definitely didn’t.

        15. Myth

          I respect and sympathize with your salt. I’m a virgin too, but as a woman it’s not as big a deal. There is still some stigma, especially based on age—the older you get, the worse it is to be a virgin (supposedly). But slut-shaming is the name of the game if you’re a woman. If you are LGBT, you get a little bit of a pass regardless of gender, since there’s tons of valid reasons an LGBT person has more trouble finding a sexual/romantic partner (safety, etc). So being a cis straight man is really the worst as far as virgin shaming. Funny, right, being a cis-het dude is supposed to be privilege and more privilege as far as the eye can see! But I respect people who acknowledge their privilege, so I am doing it too. Toxic masculinity is another case where cis-het men arguably deal with it the most severely.

          Sirksome really made some great points about the ridiculousness of virgin shaming too.

        16. BarerMender

          I’ve had sex thousands of times with thousands of people. I don’t recall ever saying “butt.”

        17. Rose by Any Other Name

          I am the one who gets boned
          Passion is my body and lube is my blood
          I have had sex with over a thousand partners
          Unknown to Erectile Disfunction,
          Nor known to Chafing.
          Have withstood pain to create many orgasms
          Yet, those hands will never hold anything
          So as I pray, Unlimited Fuck Works.

        18. The Wellerman

          LOVE IT Rose!!! You’re one of my most favorite humans here!!!

          Thank you for sharing stuff like this! ?

        19. BarerMender

          I hear you.

        20. Myth

          Damn, bongo (gender-neutral)! Get it!

          …Yes, I know you were most likely joking, but I choose to believe you sling incredible amounts of booty. Deadlift impossible quantities of kitty. Slay absolute dick. Yass, queen (gender-neutral).

        21. BarerMender

          No joke. I’m a hard-core sexual compulsive and a real pretty boy (or was, in my younger days). Damn near everyone was available to me.

        22. Roborat

          And don’t forget what ass is involved here; Billy’s is magnificent, so some utterances of “butt” are unavoidable.

      2. The Wellerman

        I haven’t had it either. But it all depends really.

        Maybe they’re aroused by a very specific sequence of stimuli that they teach their partner, like Dina did for Becky in the Slipshine! ?

      3. Needfuldoer

        It’s Walky, he’s gonna say “butt” all the dang time. It is his nature.

        Him saying variations of “butt” over and over and over and over is what conjured Billie in the first place.

    5. Rose by Any Other Name

      That is some grade A characterization going on there.

      Love it.

  7. Darkoneko

    Dina you evil temptress

    1. RassilonTDavros

      I mean I’m not sure where you’re getting the “evil” part from

      1. Thag Simmons

        It’s hotter that way.

        1. Darkoneko

          damn right

      2. Sunny

        She’s aiming to make the score 2:0 against god.

    2. Proxiehunter

      It is the nature of a temptress to be evil. But Dina’s evil in a good way.

      1. The Wellerman

        ☝️ This right here! ✌️?

        Becky better watch out! ? ?

        *plays “Avarice” by David Fenn on Hacked Muzak*

      2. The Wellerman

        Seriously Dina is like my FAVORITE evil genius! ?

        ???? ?

        *plays “Count Bleck’s Plan” on hacked muzak*

  8. Sirksome

    Maybe they could have like a point system for sex or like a sex club card. Maybe schedule their sex on a calendar just in case like a midterm is coming up.

    1. michaelinasmeal

      I knew a massage parlour that had a punch card… 10th visit you got a free 30 minutes. So its not unheard of…

  9. Charlie

    Nyyeeooss is also how I answer when my boyfriend initiates but the body hasn’t decided if that’s happening yet… Pretty good buffer

  10. Yumi

    That last panel Dina face, my god.

    1. StClair

      :>

  11. newlland(Henryvolt)

    Becky truly has the confidence of someone who just got plowed for the first time in their life.

    1. Myth

      I have not read the Slipshine abut I am intrigued and delighted by your turn of phrase and the implication that Dina “plowed” Becky in some manner.

  12. DailyBrad

    Love that they’re riding this high.

  13. The Wellerman

    Overly-clinical language like that might backfire for most social situations, but surely I find it more than inviting to hear it from Dina!!! ???

  14. Joe Moose

    ♫ Give yourself over to absolute pleasure
    Swim the warm waters of sins of the fle~esh! ♫
    -RHPS

  15. Puppeteer Nessus

    Dina has assumed her true form

  16. Piotr W

    Smiling Dina. That’s new 🙂

  17. drs

    “Why did you fail freshman year?”

    “Too much sex.”

  18. Sirksome

    Just to clarify, Amber does actually want to know when Becky and Dina have smashed? Panel 3 the information is not the problem just the delivery method.

    1. PirateTawnee

      She has slash fiction to keep updated.

    2. alongcameaspider

      I took it more like “if you have to let me know do this instead of giving me a heart attack”

      1. Myth

        alongcameaspider’s interpretation is valid but I greatly prefer the theory put forth by PirateTawnee.

  19. Nathan

    Replace “murder” with “having sex” and I think this comic answers Becky’s conundrum. https://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=717#comic

    1. The Wellerman

      ? ?

  20. Kravis

    “Muff divings”.

    1. Dana

      Guess I don’t need to get a slipshine membership to know if it’s plural.

  21. The Wellerman

    Hey is it just me or does this strip seem unusually dark?

    1. Thag Simmons

      Pretty sure the lights are off.

    2. Needfuldoer

      The room is dark, the edge highlights are light coming in the door from the hallway.

  22. NinjaNick

    The only option is yes, Becky. 😛

  23. LiterallyJustSomeGuy

    These facial expressions are perfect.

  24. Switchchris24

    Dina continuing to be Good Ace Rep, just because we don’t feel the attraction doesnt mean we can’t/won’t have sex, we often still have a Libido and a lot of Asexual people are still willing to have sex with their non-ace partners.
    Its a pretty big Spectrum, there is probably a Ace person out there somewhere who is also a Nympho, they don’t feel attracted to anybody but at the same time they have Zero Standards and will have sex with anybody (they are just purely addicted to the pleasure lol)

    1. Myth

      Completely agree! I love Dina for a variety of reasons, she is great autism rep too if one interprets her as autistic. (She is quite perceptive and incredibly considerate and compassionate, she simply struggles to interpret social cues, etc. Autistics are often portrayed as emotionless jerks that don’t appreciate any jokes/humor and don’t recognize or care about the feelings of others.) But I love that she is such good ace rep and this is a fun example.

      I have a small question since you use “we” so I assume you are ace yourself. (I don’t know if I am. It is a pretty big spectrum, as you said.) My understanding of libido is that it’s sort of the same thing as sexual attraction. Libido is a desire for sex and attraction is more-or-less a desire for sex but with a specific person (or specific traits of people, like “I am attracted to butts and would like to touch them”). How can an ace person have one but not the other? I sort of can imagine it since it is a factor in why I think I could potentially be ace, but I would like to hear it explained from someone else’s perspective!

      1. zee

        Hi, also ace. The “with a specific person” is very important there. Libido is just how often you go “huh, I’m horny”. Blood flowing to your respective genitalia, a desire for physical pleasure. Even allosexuals feel horny for no reason sometimes. Meanwhile sexual attraction is looking at someone and going “this specific person and their body make me horny”. One is just a feeling, the other is a person causing a feeling. I’m acelflux so, I’ve felt both and the difference is astonishing. I also used to not quite understand attraction which is why I thought i was allo for the longest time.

      2. The Wellerman

        Yeah, neurodivergent here, love her rep for all us NDs! ?

        About those “autism” stereotypes you mentioned, it’s a big part of the reason why I really hate that sweeping label. What humans call “autism” is actually a very broad collection of neurodivergent stripes, conditions and even personalities that are all haphazardly lumped together into one overly generic category. What’s true of one “autistic” can never be assumed to be true of any other you meet.

  25. BBCC

    Becky’s brain goes to war with itself again XD

    1. The Wellerman

      Yeah, and Dina’s fighting for its freedom, with more Brain Battle Power than ever!!!?? ??? ??

      *plays “Just Awake” by Fear, and Loathing in Hacked Muzak*

  26. ANeM

    Limits are still important, like maybe limiting it to when your roommate is out of the room.

    At the very least not immediately kicking them out of the room when they just go back in and are in the middle of taking off their jacket.

    1. thejeff

      There is precedent.

      “I needed to leave.”

  27. Z

    i’m assigning these two major “changing my major” from fun home vibes and it’s adorable

  28. Derek

    Not super related to today’s strip, but related to the theme of finding meaning in religion (or religion in meaning), here’s an interesting quote by Peter Enns

    “No one just ‘follows’ the Bible. We interpret it as people with a past and present, and in community with others, within certain traditions, none of which is absolute. Many factors influence how we ‘follow’ the Bible. None of us rises above our place in the human drama and grasps God with pure clarity, without our own baggage coming along for the ride. We all bring our broken and limited selves into how we think of God”

    I find it interesting to think about how God is a reflection of Becky and her experiences and that’s why it’s a different God than the one Joyce saw and talked to, who was in turn a reflection of her.

    1. The Wellerman

      Very fascinating human phenomena indeed, ugly history aside.

      Philosopher Ludwig Fuerbach once reflected that humans create God or gods as amalgamations of their greatest virtues.

      A train of thought that you seem to have arrived at yourself, Derek!

  29. Arianod

    Adding “nyeos” to my vocabulary from now on

  30. Amelie Wikström

    Oh dear, Dina has clearly spent too much time around Faz

    1. Van Jealous

      She is a (to quote from the SP Faz) “Sex Master!.

      1. Van Jealous

        ……or was that “Mistress”…..?

  31. Opus the Poet

    OK Dina confirmed Demi-Ace, sex arousal not required to have a good time.

  32. Adam Black

    “the skill Levels of our Muff Divings… ”

    Needs to be a Book title. or atleast a slipshine

  33. Renshear Blade

    All of the Dina faces are yes to me, especially that last one.

  34. Bagge

    Pictured in the last panel: Dina enjoying Becky’s body and mind being her plaything within an arena in which she has no master

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/03-trial-and-sarah/concludes/

  35. Juanoku

    That’s a tempting offer

  36. cmd1095

    Dina’s face in the last panel though lmfao

  37. Clif

    I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why Willis is deincentivising $100K on the Kickstarter.

    1. Azhrei Vep

      So that he can add a $200k stretch goal to keep doing it after all.

  38. thumb

    the correct answer

  39. Keulen

    Maybe they should wait until Dorothy and Amber are no longer in the room with them before doing it again, at least.

    1. Taffy

      Well, hang on a moment. Let us consider that each of the women present has two hands.

  40. Wendy

    Sometimes ya gotta START the hanky panky to get the autistic engine going!

  41. Wakeangel2001

    Can we at least agree not to do it IN FRONT of the room mate? Or at least try to limit it to heavy petting when you have an audience…

  42. spookyfox

    oh i had completely forgotten that booster existed
    what bliss

  43. Brighter Side

    And in walks Booster to break the fourth wall and say “Fine, I’m intrigued. I’ll pay for the Slipshine.”

  44. Blue

    Dina continues to be cutest character.

  45. the jighole man

    dina: i could probably do another hour or 2 of that thing you like.
    becky: this girl is going to end up killing me…

  46. Diane

    Some day, Becky will learn defying the imaginary figure head in the sky is a turn on for Dina and stop bringing it up. Or she already has and is working it to her advantage. Either or.

  47. Shadow Dreamer

    I can’t believe I’m Dina.

    1. The Wellerman

      Lucky! Can you believe I’m making a game about her?

  48. Cass

    I hope if that goal is hit you just start tumbring about 9 Chickweed Lane instead. I don’t want to need to actually read the strip itself to boggle at it, I like the comfortable distance of it being filtered through your disdain!

  49. Beck

    why do i feel like dorothy and amber are never in the same room together? seeing them that close feels weird

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