129

Spill
Posted on April 24, 2024 by David M Willis
The Dumbing of Age Book 13 Kickstarter is still going, somehow.  When will it end???? (in 14 days) anyway go pledge for a book and some magnets we unlock HALLOWEEN BECKY at $45k (that's in $1200)

129 thoughts on “Spill”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    *Panel 3 Dorothy loads up obvious track on Apple Music*

    1. Kyoulkoa

      Show me the way to go home

    2. Thag Simmons

      That first name better not be pronounced how I’m fearing it is.

      1. Thag Simmons

        Mercifully it is not

        1. KM

          Explain please

        2. jflb96

          The ð looks like a d, so people often pronounce it as one when it’s more of a ‘th’ sound (like the Welsh ‘dd’, which may or may not be a coincidence) which in this case would make the band ‘Daddy Freyr’

        3. eskimolos

          I’ve been pronouncing it Dah-dee since Eurovision 2021! Apparently just terrible at hearing soft consonants; I did notice he was introducing himself as Dahthee and misheard it again as Dahnee. Anyway he’s amazing everyone should listen to more of his music.

        4. Mark

          There’s variation across languages, but generally this one (“eth”) is “th with voice” (like modern English “this”). There’s another letter “thorn” for “th without voice” (like modern English “with”). Wikipedia will tell you far more than you wanted to know….

    3. Carla's #2 Fan

      I accidentally clicked report instead of the link. While that may have seemed like a funny joke, given what the link was, promise I didn’t mean to!

    4. M!a

      God dammit I gave them NOT to wake me out of cryo until that had stopped being a thing. For at least ten years.

      I want my money back.

      1. showler

        Such a span of time does not exist. Rick Roll is eternal.

      2. Ana Chronistic

        should prolly mention, I don’t get the hate, it’s unironically a great song =D

    5. Kazuma Taichi

      okay so I was running off all 4 bubbles and was expecting something akin to Wheezer’s Creep, kicking myself for missing the obvious follow from the final bubble of the panel

  2. Doctor_Who

    It’s true, a juiced, jolly Joyce is the Joyciest Joyce of all! Joyously jocular and just jovial!

    1. True Survivor

      All alliteration!

    2. Needfuldoer

      Jocularity! Jocularity!

      1. Makkabee

        “I understood that reference.”

    3. M!a

      Except earlier, when we judged her ready to jar the jaw of that jabroni with the jagged edge of a jigger’s worth of Jack.

  3. Schpoonman

    Joyce, it’s not three sh–you know what, you’re drunk, go off.

    1. Miri

      I was going to comment “sheets, sheeeets. Long double ee sound, sweetheart” but (a) you got there first, and (b) what if somebody else (Becky?) in their fundie community got smacked with a wooden spoon (or possibly worse – would their community have been generally OK with theoretically hitting “bad kids who need a lot of guidance” with other things like belts too?) for using that phrase, either because the kid had misheard it, the adult was unfamiliar with it, or the adult was cross with them for “back-talk” (or possibly trying to highlight an alcohol dependency that the adults were refusing to acknowledge), and Joyce encoded the situation as “that phrase includes the sweary reference to poop that sounds like sheet. It is a very bad word” and maybe THIS is why she has I think sworn once to date?

      1. Miri

        Other “Dark theories at least tangentially involving the Browns” (and if this is Browns backstory I hope to all goodness that it isn’t based on Willis family history) include “y’know that fundie church they left, not *just* because the pastor was against dancing (Mr Brown doesn’t know how he can sleep at night)? What if he did something odious to the brother who “rebelled” and cut off ties with them? Either Mrs Brown could have managed to convince Mr Brown that starting a criminal investigation would be damaging for the church as a wider institution and that wasn’t fair just because of one bad apple; or the wider community could have closed ranks and covered it up. Either way, missing brother could have resented their parents for not doing more sooner, not taking him further from that sort of environment, not protecting his friends… Or if it was one of his friends being targeted rather than him, getting out and leaving them there (“I believe you, that’s horrific. I’m taking away your current support and solace, rather than doing anything to help” – even though in reality if the kid’s parents refused to see it, and the police were part of a cover-up/the kid was young enough to be easily railroaded into silence, there was very little they COULD do to help them…)

      2. Taffy

        Joyce cusses a decent amount, tbh. It’s just not every other sentence like all these other potty mouthed little miscreants.

        1. Mark

          Good for her. People waste the power of strong language on weak issues.

          Some day I’ll actually curse out loud and heads will be swivelling around to see how the world is ending.

    2. CrazyJ

      To be fair I doubt that Joyce even knows what a sheet is or that is the nautical terms for the ropes that control a sail’s boom and “three sheets to the wind” is basically when your lines have gone flying into a strong wind instead of being under control, thus an analogy for being drunk. I’m even willing to be that someone reading this comment didn’t know where it came from either and now they do.

      1. morleuca

        When I first met my future father-in-law we spent several hours trying to remember the name of the lines running from the topmast to the hull. He was in the coast guard and coastguard auxiliary, and I had spent my childhood sailing. Granted we had been drinking dark and stormy’s all night. My girlfriend eventually came out to see why I hadn’t come to bed yet, looked at us, said the word shroud, and promptly went back to bed.

      2. Nicoleandmaggie

        TIL

    3. Kelibath

      Three poop-decks to the wind!

  4. IntangibleMatter

    Dorothy… oof. As a fellow Burned Out Gifted Kid™ this hits entirely too hard.

    1. RassilonTDavros

      Yep. Yeeep.

      Thankfully I already hit rock bottom about five years ago, so at this point the people around me are at least somewhat used to my listlessness. Still in the process of working through the burnout, though, and I’ve had several false starts.

      1. Jamie

        I just bounce along down here. There is no one in my life who knew what I was like before depression. To paraphrase Hulk, “That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always like this.”

        You can make it work.

      2. Raznaak

        Fuck man, why are you narrating my life :’)

      3. ElNappifico

        The false starts are the worst. I probably tanked a decades long friendship by false starting and I’m back at square one feeling worse. Can’t give up though. There has to be better than this.

    2. True Survivor

      I am normally glad when art speaks to people, but here I am just sad that it has a chance too. I hope you feel better.

  5. quark

    joyce just juggled like three different turns of phrase there

  6. Jeremiah

    Awwww, this really was something Dorothy needed after all.

    1. Coatl

      I dare say that the previous interactions also contributed a little.

      I explain, Dorothy was this close to a boiling point, Amber, Ruth, Jennifer (halfway) and surprisingly Walky managed to get Dorothy to lose some weight to be able to reach At this point and to be honest, there is still a lot to progress, but this is already a significant starting point.

      1. Jeremiah

        Yeah. She needs to learn to be more vulnerable with people that care about her.

        1. Coatl

          Recently, it has been seen that with Walky there is still confidence to express his insecurities, however, it is with Joyce where a greater challenge was presented, now they are already chatting about it.

          However, that Dorothy needs to feel perfect with Joyce and that Joyce gives her epithets that are too high, is something that they must observe and reconsider, and I am not saying that they make enemies, but that they learn to see more than what they see.

        2. Coatl

          *express her insecurities.

    2. Nicoleandmaggie

      I was just gonna type that. Agreed!

  7. DailyBrad

    I do really want Dorothy to take a chance.

    1. Needfuldoer

      Make a mistake? Get messy?

    2. jpnr

      she just threw herself to walky and got rejected

  8. Dave Van Domelen

    Yeah, I can see how she got from “three sheets to the wind” to three poops, damn it.

    1. justin8448

      Blerb. I finally get it now.

  9. True Survivor

    And that is why I refuse to be honest with my mother or friends. I mean logically I understand that she clearly already knows I’m not perfect and would still love me no matter what, the mere thought of showing imperfection before her is viscerally terrifying and shameful.

  10. HueSatLight

    Panel 4 :/
    Dorothy’s ordinary, and needs to know it’s ok to be ordinary and for other people accept her as ordinary.

    Three sheets to the wind isn’t a mispronunciation of shits, Joyce.

    1. HueSatLight

      Need her to unnecessarily mince “balls to the wall” next.

      1. Gigafreak

        Testicles to the masonry!

      2. Needfuldoer

        She does write stories about a fighter pilot…

    2. Coatl

      We could justify that Joyce is drunk and the way she is encouraging her is somewhat counterproductive, but this is already a starting point for Dorothy to also observe that simple things are not bad.

    3. Imogen

      The way I read this, Joyce isn’t telling Dorothy she’s special. She’s telling Dorothy that she’s special to *Joyce*. Joyce is reassuring Dorothy that her love for Dorothy is fully, 100% unconditional, that her love and respect won’t be eroded no matter what. Joyce is simply saying, “You’re better than perfect! You’re you!”

      1. Imogen

        Oh, right. New computer.

        1. Imogen

          Okay, we’re getting femmer. One step further, please?

        2. Imogen

          ACK, WRONG TURN, WE’RE MASCING UP

        3. Imogen

          yessss no notes a+ best girl

        4. David DeLaney

          tfw you transition from Asher to Carla
          and you absolutely CANNOT explain to your friend
          who doesn’t read the strip
          without putting together a 3-hour Powerpoint presentation
          delving into the relevant lore

      2. HueSatLight

        What she’s meaning is fine. the words she’s saying sound a lot like Walky’s.

      3. Tan

        This is definitely what she’s trying to say. You’re you, you will always be you, and that is so much more important to me than any suppposed perfection. Between a “perfect person” and you, I will pick you every time. Whether Dorothy takes it that way or focuses on the “better than perfect” wording remains to be seen.

    4. Lee

      Ok good that is the phrase! I thought I was going crazy. XD

  11. Nono

    She said it! She said she loves Dorothy!

    (Somewhere, Becky is screaming into the void)

    1. Dara

      I’m screaming, but not into the void, more at my desk. xD

  12. C.T. Phipps

    Dorothy: I’m afraid if I became President I might…might…have to kill people.

    Joyce: But you’d be great at it!

    1. Nono

      If you’re a President who’s bad at killing people, does that make you a good one or a bad one?

      1. Reltzik

        A president who kills people is a bad president.

        When you’re at the top of the table of organization, the most important skill is knowing how to delegate.

        1. C.T. Phipps

          As Nelson says, every President gets five free murders.

        2. Jamie

          Especially if they do it on Fifth Avenue?

        3. Miri

          For every free murder, you get five free murders on Fifth Avenue.

    2. RassilonTDavros

      “I think we’re gonna have to kill this guy, Dorothy”

  13. shadowcell

    it’s, like, the rain or somethin’

    1. clif

      Yeah, I thought Joyce hit it out of the park as well.

  14. Suet

    That’s somehow the most drunk phrase I’ve ever heard of from Joyce, and yet she’s done drinking.

    If you can’t knock something off the pedestal, then knock the pedestal off… wait is it an eros or philia kind of love?

    1. Mark

      Thank you for asking the important question.

      1. David DeLaney

        whoops reported untimely

        won’t someone think of the agape chillldrunnn

  15. Jamie

    It’s kind of a mood when it’s Amazi-Girl giving sound mental health advice.

    1. Jeremiah

      “When the pot calls the kettle black, the kettle is still fucking black!”
      -Jennifer Billingsworth.

    2. Mturtle7

      Excited to see Amazi-Girl reluctantly embrace her new role as a cautionary mental health tale

  16. AGV

    I see that Joyce has learned from Venom’s philosophy

  17. Jamie

    Also, I’m a little impressed that Dorothy is this level of self-aware. Like, she’s smart and stuff, but I hadn’t thought she’d figured out yet how much of her self-image was reflected through Joyce. Good on her.

  18. HueSatLight

    Are the containers jugs?

    1. clif

      They could be.

  19. Dday

    You’re better than normal! You’re *abnormal*!

  20. Sirksome

    AG talking about opening up and confiding in people?! She has grown as a character.

  21. GholaHalleck

    Amber’s banging against the eye window inside AG’s head, shredded paper everywhere, clothing disheveled. “JUST FUCK ALREADY!” She screams, and AG’s eye twinges from the vibrations.

    1. Mturtle7

      Canon

  22. AbacusWizard

    Dumbing of Age, Book 19: We Are More Than The… Containers?? We’ve Constructed For Ourselves? Ha Ha Ha Sorry I’m Drunk

    1. Rowan

      Yes, one of the best Joyce quotes so far!

  23. Coatl

    It’s good to see that they are already opening up.

    But regarding panels 3 and 4.

    That Dorothy still has that vision of being perfect is something that we hope she reconsiders later, in addition, none of her friends have thought that she is a disappointment, but it is also important that they are aware that if she is in trouble, they not only have that carefree thought that it would be fixed immediately.

    Although Joyce is implying that Dorothy is great, maybe she shouldn’t have said that she is on a “pedestal”, this should also be a starting point where Joyce really sees Dorothy as that person that she fully appreciates, that is , her defects and virtues, to see her as a human being.

    1. Mark

      What do you mean, “we”? I think it’s important to have a vision of perfection — as important as realizing that perfection is something that we reach for but never attain.

      Go right ahead and be the best Dorothy you can be, Dorothy. Just don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

      1. Coatl

        When I say “we,” I mean that we, the readers, have seen that Dorothy has become obsessed with doing things without any errors and not wanting to disappoint anyone (not just Joyce).

        Interesting, never consider that perfection is two sides of a coin, that is, it is something evidently unattainable and clinging to it is a dead end.

        But at the same time, be the engine of inspiration for intelligence, for the ability to think, create and improve.

        The truth is that your comment is very good, but I feel that saying “I am perfect” sounds very complicated.

        Yes, Dorothy has a heart of gold and noble feelings and we hope that in her future experiences she will be wiser, but she must also stop clinging and relax a little more.

        And why not? ..that even in simple things there are also good things.

  24. John Campbell

    What kind of ship has three poop decks?

    (The Joyce/Dorothy ship, apparently.)

  25. Ben

    It’s amazing that Joyce thinks it’s “three shits to the wind”

  26. Hazel

    I’m so relieved. Partly because the conversation is going well, and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for Dorothy. But also partly because I just woke up from a dream where I was moving apartments and had to deal with signing a contract, calling movers, packing etc. Yikes.

    1. clif

      Yikes!

  27. Bash

    AG saves the day after all.

  28. Random832

    ….does she think the proper phrase is “three shits”?

    1. clif

      If it wasn’t before, it is now.

    2. thejeff

      Shitting into the wind is a pretty bad idea.

  29. Wereg

    Well well well, if it ain’t Joyce being the best.

  30. M!a

    NOPE! Sorry Dotty; go back to the bar and KEEP DRINKING until you can say it.

    [Liver failure in 3… 2… ]

  31. Bogeywoman

    Don’t worry, dotty. You’ll learn to be okay with not being okay. It’s kind of freeing.

    Today I went to uni, had a panic attack, shit my pants (period cramps do that sometimes), cried in class, had a second panic attack and cried the whole way home. Walked in the front door to find my sister, mum, Nanna, uncle and cousins all in the living room. Threw up a double peace sign, said “I’m out” and stayed in my room until they left.

    When I was 20 I would have tortured myself over today for months. Now that I’m 30 I call it Wednesday.

    1. Mturtle7

      That’s the most inspiring story I’ve heard all week, honestly. Thank you!

  32. Amelie Wikström

    That’s the solution, an even higher pedestal! Drunk Joyce has the best ideas. These are not lies.

  33. DashWallkick

    The irony is that Dorothy is having her own “change is easier to swallow than admitting this is who you always were” moment and can’t grasp that Joyce knows what it’s like and is glad she did it, even when she says it. Self imposed limits are brutal.

    1. Bogeywoman

      Oooh. Grade A take

  34. Yeet

    “you’re [you] that’s a pedestal you can’t ever be knocked off from” is a great thing to say to your friend if you really really mean it
    fortunately joyce is way chiller than some people I used to know

  35. Alan in DC

    You want to hear Joyce say “shit”? Just blow into her eye.

    Remember her glaucoma test?

  36. Taffy

    Perfect is boring. A thing happens and then another thing doesn’t happen during the first thing, that’s not a good story.

    1. Amós Batista

      just Love Dorothy’s new hat.

  37. thumb

    “say it back”

  38. Colin McKenzie

    Why is it that drunk Joyce makes more sense than most people sober?

  39. Nedlum

    Is this the first time that Joyce has explicitly said she loves Dorothy?

    For that matter, has Dorothy ever told Joyce? I know she told Walky she loved Joyce, but that wasn’t the same.

    1. Shakes

      If Dorothy tells Joyce then the comic ends. She was smart to dodge it.

      1. Nedlum

        Nonsense. The comic ends on Joyce saying “More like ‘dumbing of age'”, and the camera panning out as everyone laughs.

    2. HueSatLight

      I doubt this is the first time Joyce has said it, but I don’t have any notes of it. Because it does not seem particularly notable when Joyce tells her friends she loves them, that’s not something she keeps bottled up.

    3. Mj

      She did attach the famous quite from Book of Ruth to Dorothy’s lunchbox, it’ s the same basically as saying you love someone.

  40. Switchchris26

    Joyce is the best kind of Drunk, a Supportive and affectionate drunk.

  41. Amelie Wikström

    Dumbing of Age book 14: Hahaha sorry I’m drunk

  42. Pseudowolf

    “Luminous beings are we! Not this crude matter!”
    Is what I would be saying but I don’t know if Joyce was ever even allowed to see Star Wars.

  43. Derek

    Can someone explain the three poops to the wind thing to me?

    1. Lee

      I assume it’s Joyce misunderstanding the phrase “three sheets to the wind” as “three shits to the wind”, which is a euphemism for being drunk. The sheet controls the ship’s sails, and if it’s not secured, all three sails flop about and are out of control – like a drunk.

      1. Lee

        I did a little googling to make sure I had it right, because my copy of Brewer’s Dictionary is upstairs, and found this addition:

        Sailors at that time had a sliding scale of drunkenness; three sheets was the falling over stage; tipsy was just ‘one sheet in the wind’, or ‘a sheet in the wind’s eye’.

        1. butting

          I wish I could find where I came across it (Patrick O’Brian? Google isn’t helping) but I’ll never forget the claim that in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars the charge of “drunk on duty” meant “failed to stand and salute after three attempts”.

  44. TGS

    There is something that really makes me happy when I see these two together. I feel like they could actually be the best of what they each need.

    I would still like to request “Kiss Me, Im Shitfaced” by the Dropkick Murphies on the muzak.

  45. Mark

    She is most definitely still Joyce (he said affectionately).

    1. NGPZ

      Yee

  46. HueSatLight

    AG rolling her eyes at them being excited for staying the same person.

  47. Icalasari

    Thinking on it, yeah, that makes sense for Joyce. Booze lowers inhibitions, but she’s… Never… Really HAD much of a filter to begin with?

  48. anon

    joyce is a coherent drunk i would be knocked out by then or just speaking like a toddler lol

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