219

Malfunction
Posted on June 9, 2024 by David M Willis

219 thoughts on “Malfunction”

  1. NGPZ

    HER FIRST F-BOMB!!!!

    IT’S FINALLY HAPPENED!!!!

    THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME!!!

    ???

    *plays “Dreams Come True” from Sailor Moon Soundtrack CD on hacked muzak*

    1. Doctor_Who

      Joyce right now.

      1. Amós Batista

        hahaha

    2. Jo_cubstar

      Like 15 years in the making!

    3. Masumi

      … I didn’t even figure it out until I read your comment.

      1. Decidedly Orthogonal

        I saw it, but still read their reactions as being to the next panel. Then the gerbil got back on the wheel to let the penny finish dropping.

        1. Kazuma Taichi

          It took you pointing that out for me to make the connection that they’re surprised by her swear and not her faux-pas

          Granted it also took NGPZ for me to notice the abnormality of the swear in the first place because she used it as casually and without notice as I do

      2. Nathan

        Me neither!

      3. Proto

        Yeah I thought it was her saying “boyfriend” but the f-bomb makes way more sense

        1. Ryan

          The f bomb may provide cover for the damsel-in-distress appeal to Joe, especially in a conversation where he’s the only male. So many feet in her mouth.

        2. thejeff

          I actually thought it was the “that’s what you’re for” part.

        3. Lilith Rose

          Same. I was counting feet-in-mouth, so many feet-in-mouth, but the F-bomb, and it took the comments to make me realize I had glazed over it and ignored it being there as a course of habit (which I do with most media… I am similar to Joyce in that regard, didn’t say it the first time till I was… thinks… just out of college.)

          But yea, I think her friends are realizing just how far she currently is outside of her normal mindestate.

        4. Diane

          Oh thank goodness, I wasn’t the only one. I actually avoided the patreon comments cause I was afraid that was the reason for all the comments. Didn’t want that kinda discourse in my day.

      4. Jamie

        Same.

    4. Clif

      Not mentioning any names, but doesn’t someone owe her money?

      1. NGPZ

        Sauce?

        1. justin8448

          If Clif is referring to the comic I think they are referring to, the payment was for Joyce saying “.”

        2. justin8448

          Turns out I don’t know hot to use a link reference. Here it is in plain text:

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/damnation/

        3. hoop

          ELEVEN YEARS for the payoff

        4. Larathiel

          Thank you, I was at a loss trying to find this! <3

      2. Kazuma Taichi

        Eyyyy, not only did you remember, but Joe remembered too! good call

    5. Da Boy

      Becky has one First Time over Dorothy XD Joyce’s first F-Bomb.

    6. Yet_One_More_Idiot

      Wa-hoo! 😀

      How about “Book 14: I’m totally fucking it up today for whatever reason”?

    7. TheCozburger

      Oh shit…I actually didn’t notice!

    8. Azhrei Vep

      Ooooh. Huh. She did it so naturally it didn’t even register. I though everybody was reacting to her saying that fixing her problems is what boyfriends are for.

    9. Needfuldoer

      The floodgates have been opened.

  2. darkoneko

    what

    1. darkoneko

      it feels odd that Dina is acting that surprised over it

      1. Alongcameaspider

        I feel like Dina may have been underestimating the amount of change Joyce has gone through recently, I’m not entirely convinced that she’s fully processed that Joyce is an Athiest now

        Remember they don’t really interact that often if Becky’s not around

        1. Da Boy

          Next time they meet Joyce will want to discuss Evolution, Dina’s hat will fly off.

        2. Cybersnark

          Because the hat is based on a theropod, which means it will have evolved into an avian species.

        3. Da Boy

          +1

      2. NGPZ

        I mean,

        Joyce saying the F-bomb is a first for everyone! ?

        Hell they should all celebrate with that booze Dina just stole!

      3. MacareuxMoine

        With Dina there is always the possibility, that she is just simulating the reaction everyone expects (she knows that Joyce is assumed to be PG-rated).

  3. Ana Chronistic

    ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: finally appearing on the counter

    1. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Almost seems like the normalized chart ought to be the inverse relation to maximize the relative impact, rather than showing el-rando-mook in a lead position for saying it once.

    2. Amós Batista

      I love the graphic. Dina is way ahead Roz.

    3. Fussypupy

      Hahaha I love that a counter exists for this purpose. Congrats, Joyce! Also, (& I know you didn’t make it) I wanted to comment that I do feel upset about the wording at the bottom of the page regarding Jennifer’s name: “Including “Jennifer”… because, seriously, I’ve known her as “Billie” for twenty years, it’s too late to change now.” I understand the difficulties of change, but, as someone who asked friends and family to call me a different name between 23-30yo, I found it very insensitive and thoughtless of the author 🙁 It is never too late to change. Hopefully he sees my comment and reconsiders. Names are very important!

      1. John Campbell

        The bit on the page is kind of a flippant comment, but what it really comes down to is that I don’t actually respect Jennifer’s name change, in large part because I don’t believe it’s actually hers. It seems to have come from Raidah (like Linda) insisting on calling people by their full given names, whether that’s the name they use or not. (e.g.) I’m still holding out hope that Jennifer will escape Raidah’s toxic influence and go back to being Billie. I liked Billie a lot better, even though she was terrible and a complete fuckup.

        It should not be taken as commentary on anyone else’s name changes for non-maintaining-toxic-networking reasons.

      2. Ana Chronistic

        I didn’t make it, I just stole the link to it FWIW

    4. Chronos

      I’m amused that this exists.

  4. DailyBrad

    Oh man, I almost missed it.

    1. Dara

      I absolutely missed it and was too busy being confused by the boyfriendness commentary because quoi?!

      1. Wraithy2773

        Heh, yeah, expected it to be about the boyfriend thing instead.

        Granted, most of that’s because I curse like a sailor sometimes, f-bombs are nothing new to me :).

        1. Azhrei Vep

          Same! She fucked so smoothly that it slipped right by me.

          The boyfriend thing though … really Joyce? Really?

        2. Pergola

          “She fucked so smoothly”
          Is that going to be how Joyce’s other First Time slips by us?

      2. Needfuldoer

        Same. I had to go back and re-read the strip a couple times to catch it.

        It’s like she’s been saying it for years. Jennifer would be proud! :’)

    2. butts

      i 100% missed it

  5. Reltzik

    At this point, Joyce, you should just mutter a muted “sorry, everybody” and then sit quietly, meditating on the old adage that a closed mouth gathers no feet.

    1. Reltzik

      ….

      …. this was written by thirty-seven-seconds-ago-me, who still thought the stunned expressions on everyone else’s faces were about Joyce’s line about Joe’s purpose being for fixing stuff like this. Rather than, I dunno, having worth in and of himself as a person? … it made sense to fifty-three-seconds-ago-me.

      1. Masumi

        I made the same assumption

        1. StClair

          Same.

        2. Samniel

          Same

        3. Vanessa

          I thought “ironing thing out” must be same kind of new slang for sex.

        4. Vanessa

          *some kind

        5. Azhrei Vep

          Chooo chooo! One more for the same train!

      2. Aslan

        Honestly, I think your original comment still applies

    2. FlamestAndLight

      i love that aphorism and I shall use it

  6. chuckroast

    WE DID IT, JOE.

    1. Micki

      Funniest comment, everyone go home

  7. IntangibleMatter

    Nobody’s ever heard her swear before oh my god

    Joyce has fucking surprised everyone

    1. DailyBrad

      They’ve heard “shit”, etc, to a degree, but not THE swear, which thankfully defused the situation potentially in its own right.

  8. Sirksome

    Joe, you sure this is the one?

  9. Opus the Poet

    She did it, now Jennifer has to give her that $20.

    1. Reltzik

      And Sarah.

      And Joe.

      … that’s how Joe’s going to tell her what she did, isn’t it?

    2. anon

      if only it had been recorded for posterity

      1. Opus the Poet

        I’m still searching for the comic!

  10. Dante

    For a moment, I was like “That’s what you’re for?? No wonder they’re appalled!!”

    … And then it hit me. OMG.

    1. Sev

      I had the same reaction. Had to come to the comments to figure out what was up.

    2. Lux

      Yeah that was more or less my read too, I had to read the comments to figure out what was going on

    3. Lokitsu

      I’m glad that I’m not the only reader to nearly miss the stealth F-bomb.

    4. egon

      i’m glad i saw this, i was getting mad thinking we were heading into another “everyone is mad at joyce” arc

    5. StClair

      *puts hand up too*

    6. Dara

      Completely missed it. Until comments.

    7. Yak

      Having been in Joe’s situation here before, almost the exact same situation, I don’t find it offensive at all. Maybe something to bring up later but not something to be mad about.

    8. Miri

      I also thought it was a “you think a boyfriend is there to resolve your social gaffes?” response… Followed by a mental image of her picking up stiffened-with-shock!Last-Panel-Joe and using him to literally squish her other friends. And thought that Dina and Becky would probably not approve (Becky because Joe is like the opposite of everything she’s into, and Dina because that is hardly a scientifically proven method of ANYTHING including responding to gravity…)

      1. Mark

        I noticed her salty language, but I’ve been numbed to it by hanging out here so I let it slide by. Her lack of hesitation did seem like a surprising development.

        What I was thinking, mostly, was “no, Joyce, creating awkward moments is what boys are for.” Having been a teenage boy myself….

  11. Coatl

    Even Dina is perplexed

  12. Matty

    I’ll always remember where I was at this moment

  13. Acebender

    Oh that’s her first F-bomb? I could swear she said it before

    1. anon

      i think she might’ve said shit or something similar

    2. John Campbell

      Nope. I have documented them all. She’s said “shit” a couple of times, but this is her first “fuck”. (Her first fuck still pending…)

  14. Chaucer59

    The real shock is that Joyce didn’t realize she’d said it.

    1. anon

      Incredible what one drunken night out together can do

      At least becky didn’t miss out on /this/ even if she was salty about being left out

      1. Mark

        The alcohol killed just one brain cell, but it was a critical one.

        1. anon

          I’d hope some brain cells can be recovered, idk how true the ‘alcohol kills brain cells’ are compared to fearmongering (tho very believable given how dumb drunk decisions are), but sucky for long term effects, like if someone ends up being a recovering alcoholic and can fully quit, good on them, but be sucky if they become disadvantaged later on in life b/c their loss of cells made things worse for them to be able to do some work/thinking process that wouldn’t get them taken advantage of (if not ppl killing some brain cells on purpose through drugs to cope with life)

    2. Illjwamh

      Neither did I. I consider f-bombs to be just part of ordinary conversation so it didn’t even register with me. I was trying to figure out what was so bad about what she said in panel 3. Though judging by the comments, I’m in good company

  15. Animedingo

    Oh fart

  16. RassilonTDavros

    Honestly, I’m kinda glad that Joyce’s big first-f-bomb-moment moment was more subdued— I think the casual usage is a better show of character progression than if it had been part of some big, triumphant speech as she’s staring down Carol or something, which would’ve seemed like too much like the “obvious” thing to do IMO.

    Gotta love how even Dina is visibly shocked.

    1. Prince Mech

      Becky already had this moment with Ross so yeah this tracks, and I feel like Joyc’es arc is going to be a little more “realistic” in that there *probably* won’t be some big epic (verbal) showdown with Carol and more of a just… Slow removal of her from Joyce’s life.

      1. Prince Mech

        *Joyce’s. I cannot type at 5am.

    2. Reltzik

      I like how subdued this was too, but I thought the big-moment approach worked well with her first “damn it”.

  17. Steamweed

    Oh, fudge! Ensue 3 people losing their minds from panel 2 onward! (for some reason?) 😀

  18. Sirksome

    What factors do we think contributed to this? Genuinely being flustered? Residual alcohol in her system? Being so super horny that fuck just freudian slipped out? My personal favorite is she empathically absorbed some of Sal’s habits through her super cool black shirt.

    1. StClair

      I think it’s mostly #1, that she’s too upset about her mistake(s) and focused on trying to fix them to think about filtering her language.

      1. Archieve

        I agree, also I think the flustered level could have been manageable if she was more honest with herself instead of using Dina as an excuse. The fact that she doesn’t say she should have brought Dina reads to me like she was trying to misdirect from the real reason by saying another fact that she thought was true but now that it’s been disproven she wants Joe to do the talking because she can’t tell a direct lie without giving herself away.

        1. Vanessa

          Could be! It would be kind of rude to just say, “Becky, it was important for me to spend some quality time with my new friend because she’s having a hard time right now, and frankly I didn’t think about you for one second last night. Besides, you hate Dorothy and would have ruined our night out.”

        2. Archieve

          A more polite way could be telling Becky that her goal was to get Dorothy’s guard down to tell her what was wrong and Becky’s rivaley/ribbing would have had the opposite effect. Though I think Becky’s going to be upset either way and like with Joyce’s atheism she needs to hear that Joyce is standing firm before she starts to lay off.

        3. thejeff

          But that also goes into talking about something being wrong with Dorothy, which she might not feel like she wants to reveal.

        4. Mark

          The second quoted sentence is a bit raw, but the first isn’t rude at all, is it? It’s truthful, non-judgmental, and explains the situation well.

        5. DashWallkick

          This is kind of what I assumed was happening the whole time as well. She intuitively understands Dorothy was having a hard time, wanted to get her alone, and try to get her to talk about her problems, because Dorothy is a master of self-control and restraint. Becky would just wreck the whole thing (I don’t think Joyce knows she knows already she’s not going to Yale) because that’s how she interacts with Dorothy. Joyce knows on some level she can’t say that but in the process annoyed Dina.

          The fallout from this led to her flustered and she’s been so unmoored from her christian household it slipped out.

    2. HueSatLight

      if she’s a running-monologue-thinker, then she’s probably been thinking it for a little while.

    3. Aslan

      I also like to think it’s Sal’s shirt. She’s a hot adult who drinks now. Hot adults who drink say fuck.

  19. Blume

    I had no idea what the problem was till I read the comments LOL. Way to be natural, Joyce!!

    1. NGPZ

      And soon to be au naturale. No need to excuse her “French” XD

      *plays “Cartoon” by Lord Kossity & Lucien Papalu on hacked muzak*

      1. eh, whatever

        au naturel ?

        1. Agemegos

          It means “uncooked”.

        2. Agemegos

          And sometimes “unseasoned, without sauce or dressing”. And sometimes “naked, unclothed”.

          It has a special meaning in French heraldic blazon, where it means the same thing as “proper” in English heraldry, i.e. “the colour of the actual thing”.

        3. NGPZ

          Delicious!

    2. anon

      yeah if she hadn’t dropped the f bomb i would’ve expected they were reacting (tho weird for dina to look that surprised) to her saying “that’s what you’re for” as in an “that’s ALL you’re good for” kinda thing as another misstep/putting her foot in her mouth with that

  20. anonymsly

    It’ll be interesting to see the reactions when people’s brains kick back into gear.

    I half-expect an ‘I don’t even know you anymore!’ style of purity-based guilt trip from Becky. Doing things without her, with reasons that are insufficient in Becky’s. (and Dina’s) opinion, talking about potential sex with her boyfriend and not being scandalizeda out it, and now SWEARING.

    1. Nathan

      No spoilers!

    2. Nymph

      If this is a patreon comic spoiler, please do not give those. People who want to know early pay to do so.

      1. Taffy

        Becky is grinning her ass off in the blurry preview, which doesn’t require money to look at.

        1. Mark

          Isn’t that just Becky’s neutral expression?

      2. Adept

        Yeah, not cool FFS

  21. JessWitt

    That f-bomb was so casual I thought everyone there was shook by something else, like Joyce calling Joe her boyfriend or suggested misuse of him in panel 3.

    1. JR

      Yup, that was my read too.

  22. Sarah

    How to tell you use the f-bomb too frequently: reread the strip multiple times, cannot figure out why everyone is so upset that she said Joe’s purpose as her boyfriend is to help her in social situations… only to realize from the comments that she finally said fuck.

    1. anon

      tbf she did say it more casually as in a ‘i don’t need to invite you to drink with me, fuck off’ to becky or so lol

  23. Kitschensyngk

    YOU GO WASH YOUR MOUTH OUT WITH SOAP YOUNG LADY

  24. Radiance

    Alternate final panel.

    1. Clif

      Subtle.

      1. StClair

        As with the inciting incident, took me a moment.

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      ? Love it

    3. Reltzik

      It took me longer than I wish to admit to spot the difference.

      1. a/snow/mous/e

        there’s sort of two differences, and at first i only spotted the smaller one 😛

  25. morhek

    The next panel is going to feel EXTREMELY familiar, since I was the one who tried to filter my language and left friends shocked when they finally heard me. Based on my own experience, Joyce might feel a mixture of annoyance that she’s being treated differently for doing something everyone does as a matter of course, and embarrassment that she slipped up and dropped the carefully maintained facade she didn’t even know was still there.

    1. Prior Semblance

      I don’t curse and people legitimately don’t even realize it unless it somehow comes up in conversation. They’ll even misquote me as cursing when I actually said “heck” or “crap” or whatever which I always think is funny.

      1. Mark

        As a lifelong Peanuts fan, my favorite expletive is “rats!”

  26. Taffy

    Joyce should just leave the campus permanently and remove all evidence she was ever there. That’s what I’ve always had to do when I make a social misstep.

    1. Reltzik

      How will she erase all evidence? Her comic is permanently part of the school paper’s online archive. And we all know that archived comics NEVER vanish from the internet.

  27. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    Boyfriendship is Magic!

  28. William

    O, Joyce. She reminds me of some conversations I had during my high school and college days. Every so often, something dumb and thoughtless popped out and a few people around, including the girl I was hoping to date, looked at me like I grew a dick for a nose. I empathize, Joyce!

  29. BBCC

    Haaaaa, that’s a great way to have her drop her first f-bomb.

    I relate here though – it’s tough when you know you put your foot in your mouth and you just want to fix it but your explanations keep making it worse.

  30. John Campbell

    And Joyce is on the scoreboard!

    You owe her twenty bucks, Joe.

  31. Jeremiah

    There is always a new wonderfully awful thing to find in Joyce still restructuring fundie brain. (Also how much we betting she takes this from watching her parents for years? Her mother making things worse and her father in his “Hubandness” stepping in to iron things out)

    1. Mark

      A point I had not considered, and a good one.

    2. Twitcher

      I wonder if she’s actually parroting her mom, here. Carol probably bulldozed her way through life (Undiagnosed Autism and Attendant Borderline Personality Disorder? and expected her husband to pick up the mess she would

  32. EpochFlame

    damn, sarah might owe her a twenty

  33. Alongcameaspider

    Meanwhile everyone on campus feels some kind of disturbance but doesn’t know what it is

    Man Sarah’s gonna be pissed she missed this

  34. Suet

    And on 6/9, no less. Plus you can make 420 out of 2024.

    That bottle of hooch is getting me, looking like a commemorative item behind the case.

    1. a/snow/mous/e

      “4/20/2024” is a palindrome :O

  35. Archieve

    Sounds like Joyce kinda knows that Dina wasn’t the real issue otherwise she’d just be ‘okay now we know for next time.’ Guessing she doesnt want to venture into her real hesitance for why she wont just say she will invite Becku next time. Would be nice if she could just tell Becky to stop being so possessive.

  36. 3oranges

    The great thing with Dina being surprised is her eyebrows become her hat’s eyebrows instead.

    1. NGPZ

      So much for Willis’s “very concerted effort to not Wade The Duck her dinosaur hat” XD

      Honestly it works, I love it <3

  37. Hazel

    I was desperately grasping at how that penultimate panel had to be some kind of obvious double entendre, but no, just a delayed reaction to casual swearing.

  38. NinjaNick

    Ohhhhhhhhhhh, fuhhhhhhhhhhdge.

    1. Schpoonman

      “Except I didn’t say ‘fudge’.”

  39. JA

    Joyce must really love the taste of her own foot. Grats on saying “fucking” without flinching though.

    1. anon

      Joyce Brown 2.0: “I can say fuck now1”

  40. anon

    I mean, better than calling him a walking libido (or whatever walky said to him?) but i wonder if this will make becky more or less upset that she ‘loosened up’ after a night out drinking enough to drop an f bomb (tho i feel like she did it once before or something close)

  41. HueSatLight

    Oh phooey, she burned the darn’ muffins.

  42. PedanticJerkass

    I saw that second panel and was like wow, is that the first time? That feels like it should be a much bigger deal than that.

    And then I made it to the last panel.

  43. Nevermaker

    Oh my God, I was SO SURE her first F-bomb was going to be at a suitably dramatic moment, like cathartically yelling at her mom or something.

    This is SO MUCH BETTER

  44. CianM1301

    Well Joyce, if you’re looking for your distraction for inserting your whole damn leg in your mouth, that was it.

  45. shrub

    While its quite well done with the whole swearing thing I find it really sad what Joyce is doing to herself just to mollify Becky

    I’m really hoping someone, anyone calls out Becky for her behavior

    Mind you I’ve been hoping that for years and it still hasn’t happened

    1. Aelfwine

      Yeah, I think I’ve been much more tolerant of Becky’s behaviour than many people have been, but at this point Joyce should have just told Becky to go fuck herself, this was about Dorothy and Joyce, and Becky has absolutely zero right for her and Dina to become a third and fourth wheel.

      1. shrub

        Well I’d leave Dina out of if but yeah it was for Dorothy’s benefit but all Becky can think about is herself

        1. Daibhid C

          I mean, yes, but also Becky doesn’t know that. Now, the reason she doesn’t know that is because it’s none of her flipping business, and I absolutely think she’s being unreasonable here either way (while also thinking Joyce’s attempt to deflect “it was because of Dina” isn’t great), but still, she doesn’t know that.

        2. shrub

          The reason Becky doesn’t know is because Becky chooses not to know so she can feel like she’s justified in her behaviour towards Dorothy

          Joyce should be asking Becky (her roommate) how could she not tell that Dorothy was spiralling downwards

        3. thejeff

          Even if Becky’s aware that Dorothy’s having problems, she still wouldn’t know that’s why they went drinking.
          I also feel like Joyce’s seen more of the spiraling, since a lot of it’s been aimed at her.

        4. shrub

          Maybe but if Becky didn’t antagonise Dorothy so much then she probably would have been invited

        5. Daibhid C

          Would she? Sarah’s never antagonised Dorothy, and she wasn’t invited. This was always presented as a just Joyce and Dorothy thing.

          And I’m sticking with the idea that it’s not Joyce’s place to tell Becky Dorothy’s problems, although, again, I also don’t condone her lying about it (or at least not the lie she actually used).

    2. Bash

      I was really hoping this was going to be the moment, but we’ve sidetracked onto Dina looking young.

      1. shrub

        Yeah a little disappointing but the storylines not over yet I guess

  46. Freezer

    I actually missed the f-bomb and had to go back and see what everyone was reacting to.

    Then I had to check the alt-text to make sure that “yeah, it was the f-bomb.”

    Maybe I’m the one that needs Jesus?

    1. Holly

      Nah, I think you should be fine. I’m actually surprised that the alt-text is pointing out the reaction is to her swearing – surely that’s a joke? Joyce being all “Joe, take responsibility for my actions, your value as a partner is that I can use you for this” is way more of a social faux-pas.

      1. Adept

        Yes, that was bad

        1. Mark

          Badly stated, but in a highly charged moment it’s difficult to just pause and find the right words for “we’re a team now, help me here!”

        2. Holly

          Oh, for sure, not a cardinal sin, but the whole conversation here is gonna need some deconstruction and analysis/reflection, including this part. She is ppretty much asking for help here though so fingers crossed.

  47. foducool

    oh damn XD

  48. Bogeywoman

    Dumbing of Age 13: Everyone is mad at me for the choices I made and also my explanations for those choices!

  49. Aelfwine

    Holy fuck all these people are so frigging controlling.
    You’re not allowed to drink Joyce, unless you invite us.
    And ooo, let’s make a big deal about how you used a word that we didn’t expect you to use. Because we own your soul, how dare you be independent.

    1. Taffy

      Oh yeah, so fuckin’ controlling of them moving their faces and not saying anything because they’re surprised. How do you buy groceries if this is too much for you to handle?

    2. rjmmbc

      I’ve gotten that exact reaction from people before when I said cuss words unexpectedly. It’s jarring to hear someone who never cusses, or who adamantly avoids certain curse words in particular, say a cuss word.
      I don’t know that I’d call that reaction controlling per se (though I do think Becky is putting too much on Joyce about the drinking thing), but it is definitely a realistic thing for them to do.

      1. Daibhid C

        If I dropped an F-bomb and nobody reacted, I’d probably be “Wait, does anyone in this room actually know me?”

    3. Daibhid C

      Don’t forget “And you’re not allowed to tell Dina she’s not allowed to be mad!” How controlling is that?

    4. CianM1301

      To be fair, Joyce herself said she doesn’t swear because when she does, she wants it to have meaning. That was a while, should, though. Maybe her standards for swearing have since changed?

      1. CianM1301

        Oops, typo.

    5. Bash

      Becky’s jealousy IS a problem, and I feel like the narrative enforces that. As for cursing, they’re surprised because it was unexpected. No one has so far scolded her or said she’s not allowed to say it.

      1. shrub

        Agreed about this being Beckys problem and on one wants to bring it up

  50. ADLegend21

    it took me a second to realize JOYCE was the one who said Fuck. I also have a face similar to the last panel. Holy shit.

  51. Schpoonman

    It’s been discussed in the past that Joyce briefly dipped into the ex-Fundie (or ex-anything, really) pool of “Now that I can cuss, I’m going to really cuss,” until she seemed to get bored of it.

    Will this be a redux of that or is her lexicon beginning to settle a little more?

    1. Schpoonman

      Isn’t one of the main purposes of a partner to be with someone who complements you and can make up your weaknesses? The gathered people know that Joyce means well 99.9% of the time. Joe’s ability to decipher Joyce’s Joyceness is one of the reasons they’re together. Yeah, she’s wielding him a little bit like a blunt instrument, her oldest friend is upset with her, I can cut her some slack on her exact vocabulary choices right now given that’s one of the very first things to go when panic starts to set in.

    2. Daibhid C

      It looks like she genuinely hasn’t noticed she said it. And before, she wasn’t dropping f-bombs; she’d decided she was comfortable (or wanted to present herself as comfortable) with s–t, and really overused it.

      1. Schpoonman

        Yes, why I said “cuss” and not “fuck”. She was going in on “damn” as well a lot.

  52. Yeet

    oh now everyone is gonna get that joyce is REALLY trying to be good
    given that she’s fucked up on filtering

  53. Taffy

    I’m like 95% sure Joyce is going to murder Becky, just to escape this awkward situation. There’s no other way out, she has to do it. She’ll feel remorse later, but when Becky is on her deathbed and Joyce nervously visits, Becky will understand and remind her of her promise to do sex stuff with Dina.

    1. Da Boy

      Well she already has Joe by the shirt, one good pull and twist and she can smash him into Becky.

  54. Amós Batista

    I read it twice, I thought it was a mistake.

  55. Amós Batista

    Also, changing the subject, I love the way Willis makes Joyce looking away, like in first panel.
    I can’t explain well, maybe it’s her exasperating face…

  56. Michael Steamweed

    She wasn’t even aware she said it. What is the meaning and power?

    “Joe, if…if…I ever say a dirty word, I want it to have meaning.”
    and
    “It will have power.”

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/word/

    1. Needfuldoer

      One could interpret the deeper meaning that she’s not letting herself be controlled by words (like scripture and the F-bomb) anymore.

      But sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

    2. Bash

      She cursed for the first time when she failed to keep Becky safe from her evil dad. It absolutely had power then.

      And even though there is nothing significant about this particular moment, it’s coming after some major life changes like losing her religion, breaking laws, and being sexual with her boyfriend. The power is that it proves she’s not even remotely the same person as she was back then.

      1. StClair

        It also got her out of her current conversational/social jam, by stunning everyone else present into speechlessness.

        1. StClair

          I’d say that has some power.
          (hit return too soon)

    3. Nymph

      People can say they want things and then not attain those things. I’ve heard it happens sometimes.

  57. ValdVin

    I just woke up, which is the only excuse I have for thinking the blanched reactions in the last panel are for Joyce saying boyfriend.

    The changes are coming so fast I can’t keep up with them. It’s glorious!

    1. Schpoonman

      I had just woken up when I read the strip as well. “Wait, did Joyce just say ‘fuck’? I think I need to wake up more.” Then I finished the comic, reread and confirmed that it was Joyce.

  58. someone

    “No, for my part, I believe you need to stop trying to say things. It tires you out, for a start, and for the other people, I don’t think you realize how hard it is… I can tell, when you do that, it causes me such angst I could kill you. Out of sorrow, mind! I swear, it’s not right. You must not speak with people anymore.” –King Arthur, Kaamelott

  59. Arianod

    “I’ve been talking for too long”

  60. staszu13

    Joyce, I think you might want to politely ask Dina for a slug from that stone jug to help calm those ruffled nerves now

  61. staszu13

    Joe: Joyce, you do realize you just said the F word

  62. Vulcanodon

    Setting aside her first, unexpected use of a certain word, getting jammed up in conversation and not really knowing why hits so hard. Happens to me all the time. I have lost friends because of it.

  63. raultsi

    praise Jah I lived long enough to witness Joyce’s first F-bomb

  64. Matrix

    Fuck.

  65. Alan in DC

    My God, what’s next? Joyce crosses dimensions and gets high with the gang over at Questionablecontent?

  66. Stephen Nedland

    Joyce, you need to stop now. The line was already miles behind you, with Dina, and now you have exponentially increased the distance.

  67. Asky

    IT’S HAPPENED! GRACE HAS SAID THE FUCK WORD! REMAIN CALM!

  68. Luminous Lead

    I skimmed over the f-bomb that everyone else is mentioning, but Joyce using partners as scapegoats/disposables for difficult conversations makes me wonder if she learned it from her mom.

    1. DailyBrad

      Oh certainly, and I took it more as diplomat than scapegoat. Not great, but not quite as bad.

  69. The Jighole Man

    you know you borked up when even Dina is showing that much emotion.

  70. Heartlesshealer

    I can’t believe Sarah missed this moment!

    Oh, also maybe Joyce learned the wrong thing from her dad being the reasonable parent.

  71. Jonah (firelight_waltz)

    This is the perfect reaction!! I have a friend who, in the seven YEARS I’ve known her, has only cussed in front of me once, and it was a “damn” during a very emotional talk

    When someone who NEVER says it, and especially without any kind of warning like an emotional buildup, it catches everyone off guard!!

  72. Hoboturtle

    The unfiltered eroticism of hearing your cinnamon bun friend say “fuck” for the first time

  73. NGPZ

    What the hell? Now that’s a LOT less comments than I expected for Joyce’s first F-bomb. 😮

  74. Throwatron

    1) i didn’t even catch the fuck on the first read through

    2) goddamn joyce really was just dating becky without realizing it, wasn’t she

  75. poyo

    okay i WASNT crazy, she just casually swore. I was so sure maybe i missed something lol

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