As Joe reads on, he sees fictional depictions of their interactions at the figure drawing class, the awkward confessions, everything, until they’re in the exact state they are now, with Seth reading the paper.
So we’ll get to see that sometime in the mid-2030s! (Assuming the 66:1 passage of time ratio is still in the ballpark.)
Decidedly Orthogonal
Well, the _characters_ passage of time is 1/66th. But if Joyce is truly a projection of the Author, then she may also write with a sliding dilated time scale. So we may be looking at something like 1/66/66th, or 1/4356th time scale in Julia Grey’s timeline.
Smallmoon
however, we also have to weigh that against Joyce writing the comic to build to Julia Grey being an ace space fighter pilot who takes orders from Commander in Chief President Doris. That is, while the individual strips are at 1:66, there may be elisions or time skips that result in the comic covering all the way to President Doris’ election before Joyce graduates.
You can’t hurt me anymore. I remember everything I drew in High School.
TulipKitten
I remember my worst social interactions in high school and they play like a video in my head on repeat. So often.
Furie
Unless it compares to standing on a muddy field and shaking your foot to get a clump of mud off your foot, starting a slide that saw you shoot across the mud, somersault kick a girl in the face and land face down in said mud, I think I’ve got you licked.
Have you ever played Dragon Age 2 (great game, especially if your willing to overlook some obvious budget-cut-related flaws if a game has great story)? One character Isabella writes “friend-fiction.” It is deeply disturbing.
I have not played 2 yet, I have played the first game, and Inquistion, but I haven’t gotten to 2 yet. Probably should have played 2 before Inquisition, but oh well.
When I do play it, I shall be on the lookout for Isabella and her fiction. Until then, I’ll just have to imagine how disturbing it is.
Key point, you need to like the Dragon Age 2 story and that’s not guaranteed. It’s an extremely divisive game even relative to the other Dragon Age games.
Cholma
I’ve never understood the hatred some people have for DA2. I liked it just fine. I just assumed that since the gameplay was different from the DA1 that people just hated change.
Thag Simmons
DA2 is a massive downgrade in terms of scope, for one thing. Way less freedom in character creation, the map is smaller and there’s a lot less variety in the combat encounters.
But also it’s a very story driven game, and if the story ain’t clicking for you it’s not going to work, especially since you have considerably less power to change the outcome than the last game. And there’s definitely a lot of people that the story didn’t click for.
C.T. Phipps
Dragon Age: Origins is high fantasy. You are the big hero, everyone loves you, and you will save the world from the armies of the orcs.
Dragon Age 2 is Fantastic Noir. You are in a hopelessly corrupt city, you can’t make any systemic changes, and every attempt to do good is only going to be a minor victory at best.
It’s humourous in-context (and Isabela-Aveline routinely riff on each other) but yeah I can see why it’s also not something you spring on someone without knowing them really well enough.
Or to quote, “I will never, ever be clean again.”
True Survivor
It is very funny, just in a uniquely disturbing fashion.
I had an older friend in highschool who would threaten to do that to other people, but I’m like 90% sure she was joking. It was 2014, she was into yaoi and got me into Homestuck. It’s impossible to know for sure what she would and wouldn’t do.
Not to mention keeping to plot so close to your own life its practically a comic style diary might come back to bite you if there are people you don’t want up in your buisness.
It’s also likely to be a problem when you’ve plotted out an epic decades long story based on your current takes on your friends and their relationships.
My friends wanted me to insert them in my college comic. I refused for this reason. All my characters were based on aspects of my personality and life to be safe. So glad I never fell into the friend fiction trap!
I used to be a member of a fanfic group that heavily featured author avatar characters getting involved into the text. On several occasions I was involved in round robin fics that had said avatars interacting. I always felt a bit uncomfortable writing the avatars of the other characters and would obsessively analyse how they’d continued the story, trying to work out if they thought I’d got them wrong.
On the other hand, I thought most of them wrote Daibhid better than I did.
At least she doesn’t have to time Sunday strips into the story arc her dailies are telling. (Sunday strips used to have more lead time in ye olde newspapre days.)
Also, it’s the 21st century. If she’s that worried about the sequence her comic publishes in, she should post it online.
TerribleTransit
Yeah but the Internet is where losers like Walky post their comics, not upstanding individuals like her who earned their place in the venerated pages of the newspaper because of merit and definitely not because of any completely arbitrary decisions made by the staff.
I don’t know much about the history of the Willis-verse. Did it start as a college produced comic strip, and if so, is this a slight that Willis has been waiting 25 years to vent? If so kudos for playing a hell of long game.
No, the character in the strip’s name is Danny, and Joyce doesn’t know why she picked it but it just felt like it fit the character she definitely didn’t base on that one guy who sometimes does and sometimes does not have a hat.
it is kinda weird that a newspaper would do that. i mean some stand alone comic strips like garfield doesn’t matter with an ‘order’, but you’d think joyce or someone would either ‘demand’ it being in the proper order or even just label teh number and only send it in chronologically one at a time
125 thoughts on “Printed”
Ana Chronistic
Moseth Rothenberg
Seth: “The context for my sexist attitude is so I have room to grow into the pseudo-Prince Charming that best befits the lovely main character”
Joe: uh what
Doctor_Who
As Joe reads on, he sees fictional depictions of their interactions at the figure drawing class, the awkward confessions, everything, until they’re in the exact state they are now, with Seth reading the paper.
Odd thing is, Joyce has a six month buffer…
Needfuldoer
So we’ll get to see that sometime in the mid-2030s! (Assuming the 66:1 passage of time ratio is still in the ballpark.)
Decidedly Orthogonal
Well, the _characters_ passage of time is 1/66th. But if Joyce is truly a projection of the Author, then she may also write with a sliding dilated time scale. So we may be looking at something like 1/66/66th, or 1/4356th time scale in Julia Grey’s timeline.
Smallmoon
however, we also have to weigh that against Joyce writing the comic to build to Julia Grey being an ace space fighter pilot who takes orders from Commander in Chief President Doris. That is, while the individual strips are at 1:66, there may be elisions or time skips that result in the comic covering all the way to President Doris’ election before Joyce graduates.
Dave Van Domelen
Death (by embarrassment) of the Author.
Jamie
If I ever published something, that’s how I would die.
Yotomoe
You can’t hurt me anymore. I remember everything I drew in High School.
TulipKitten
I remember my worst social interactions in high school and they play like a video in my head on repeat. So often.
Furie
Unless it compares to standing on a muddy field and shaking your foot to get a clump of mud off your foot, starting a slide that saw you shoot across the mud, somersault kick a girl in the face and land face down in said mud, I think I’ve got you licked.
Needfuldoer
That’s why I never publish anything.
Decidedly Orthogonal
That’s what I claim is why I never publish anything. But the truth is much darker. I just don’t produce.
NGPZ
My host bod is already a zombie at this point, so eh. XD
Kyrik Michalowski
Oh Joyce, this is the problem with basing characters on your friends. They’ll either be insulted, annoyed, or creeped out. Possibly all three.
True Survivor
Have you ever played Dragon Age 2 (great game, especially if your willing to overlook some obvious budget-cut-related flaws if a game has great story)? One character Isabella writes “friend-fiction.” It is deeply disturbing.
Kyrik Michalowski
I have not played 2 yet, I have played the first game, and Inquistion, but I haven’t gotten to 2 yet. Probably should have played 2 before Inquisition, but oh well.
When I do play it, I shall be on the lookout for Isabella and her fiction. Until then, I’ll just have to imagine how disturbing it is.
Thag Simmons
Key point, you need to like the Dragon Age 2 story and that’s not guaranteed. It’s an extremely divisive game even relative to the other Dragon Age games.
Cholma
I’ve never understood the hatred some people have for DA2. I liked it just fine. I just assumed that since the gameplay was different from the DA1 that people just hated change.
Thag Simmons
DA2 is a massive downgrade in terms of scope, for one thing. Way less freedom in character creation, the map is smaller and there’s a lot less variety in the combat encounters.
But also it’s a very story driven game, and if the story ain’t clicking for you it’s not going to work, especially since you have considerably less power to change the outcome than the last game. And there’s definitely a lot of people that the story didn’t click for.
C.T. Phipps
Dragon Age: Origins is high fantasy. You are the big hero, everyone loves you, and you will save the world from the armies of the orcs.
Dragon Age 2 is Fantastic Noir. You are in a hopelessly corrupt city, you can’t make any systemic changes, and every attempt to do good is only going to be a minor victory at best.
Nono
It’s humourous in-context (and Isabela-Aveline routinely riff on each other) but yeah I can see why it’s also not something you spring on someone without knowing them really well enough.
Or to quote, “I will never, ever be clean again.”
True Survivor
It is very funny, just in a uniquely disturbing fashion.
Formerly Glenn
Have you ever watched Bob’s Burgers?
Tina writes, specifically “erotic” friend fiction.
She’s a little innocent, so I put erotic in quotes, but it’s exactly as cringe inducing hilarious as it sounds.
And is also a little heartwarming somehow.
HueSatLight
“Is the Jimmy Jr. in your story based on me?”
zee
I had an older friend in highschool who would threaten to do that to other people, but I’m like 90% sure she was joking. It was 2014, she was into yaoi and got me into Homestuck. It’s impossible to know for sure what she would and wouldn’t do.
Archieve
Not to mention keeping to plot so close to your own life its practically a comic style diary might come back to bite you if there are people you don’t want up in your buisness.
thejeff
It’s also likely to be a problem when you’ve plotted out an epic decades long story based on your current takes on your friends and their relationships.
Marisa Mockery
My friends wanted me to insert them in my college comic. I refused for this reason. All my characters were based on aspects of my personality and life to be safe. So glad I never fell into the friend fiction trap!
Ana Chronistic
They just wanted cameos! Like a certain scared raccoon-like kitty in the Lackadaisy pilot! ??
Ana Chronistic
(you can actually READ my gravestone in the HD version)
Daibhid C
I used to be a member of a fanfic group that heavily featured author avatar characters getting involved into the text. On several occasions I was involved in round robin fics that had said avatars interacting. I always felt a bit uncomfortable writing the avatars of the other characters and would obsessively analyse how they’d continued the story, trying to work out if they thought I’d got them wrong.
On the other hand, I thought most of them wrote Daibhid better than I did.
Daibhid C
Should be “the avatars of the other writers“, obviously.
BBCC
This is why Daisy said not to set your heart on that, Joyce!
Thag Simmons
She was warned! Perils of trying to tell serial fiction in a newspaper.
Rose by Any Other Name
… did anyone else read that as “Penis of trying to tell serial fiction”?
Kyrik Michalowski
I didn’t see it until you said that, now I can’t unsee it.
NGPZ
Yeah me too, thanks Professor Rose! I needed that. ?
Chaucer59
Nope. Just you. And NGPZ.
Needfuldoer
At least she doesn’t have to time Sunday strips into the story arc her dailies are telling. (Sunday strips used to have more lead time in ye olde newspapre days.)
Also, it’s the 21st century. If she’s that worried about the sequence her comic publishes in, she should post it online.
TerribleTransit
Yeah but the Internet is where losers like Walky post their comics, not upstanding individuals like her who earned their place in the venerated pages of the newspaper because of merit and definitely not because of any completely arbitrary decisions made by the staff.
Kyrik Michalowski
I see you are rocking the Jason Gravatar tonight. A fine choice.
Clif
Indeed.
Clif
It
Clif
Is.
Clif
Jackpot!!!
NGPZ
Sal FTW ?
Chaucer59
The alternate title of this week’s strip: Busted.
Sirksome
They totally skip over Seth’s slut phase. It’s the character progression that really sells it! Daisy has no concept of what a slow burn romance is!
TulipKitten
She’s shipping Julia and Doris, so I don’t think Daisy is interested in straight romance.
Daibhid C
Yeah, she’s probably jumped straight to the one where Julia has to give Doris mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
(Note to non-Patrons: This is an entirely canon Roommates!!! strip that Joyce has really drawn.)
Stephen Bierce
There Will Be Donuts. I swear.
NGPZ
Obligatory reminder that National Donut Day is June 2nd! ??
RassilonTDavros
Hoping for another 69 Mouse-Ear Blvd strip.
Needfuldoer
c u r s e d
General Tekno
I wonder how word for word this strip is for Willis’ own life experiences.
saltchocolate
Uh oh
Jo_cubstar
Omg that’s the cutest Sal face ?
True Survivor
I don’t know much about the history of the Willis-verse. Did it start as a college produced comic strip, and if so, is this a slight that Willis has been waiting 25 years to vent? If so kudos for playing a hell of long game.
StClair
Yes, and probably yes.
Thag Simmons
Compare and Contrast
True Survivor
Thank you so much. That is so cool.
Yotomoe
Also he’s best friends with a guy named Randy who plays the Banjo and wears a hat.
Cass
No, the character in the strip’s name is Danny, and Joyce doesn’t know why she picked it but it just felt like it fit the character she definitely didn’t base on that one guy who sometimes does and sometimes does not have a hat.
Daibhid C
The Danny character has appeared at least once in the Paetron strips.
The joke is that Joyce hasn’t bothered naming him at all.
cbwroses
They’re so cute together.
I’m going to hop aboard this ship.
emeraldbeacon
PLEASE tell me this is one of the freebie bookmarks that you hand out at conventions.
Suet
Well that explains the Seth name. Mess around and find out, eh, Joyce?
Ah, the problem of storyline comic strips – chronology.
Angel
it is kinda weird that a newspaper would do that. i mean some stand alone comic strips like garfield doesn’t matter with an ‘order’, but you’d think joyce or someone would either ‘demand’ it being in the proper order or even just label teh number and only send it in chronologically one at a time
David M Willis