Ally
Posted on December 6, 2016 by David M Willis
wttfz5previewYesterday was Monday, which means it was time for another Welcome To The Fuck Zone page! Week One: Walky/Dorothy Week Two: Sarah Week Three: Ethan Week Four: Marcie Week Five: Danny/Amazi-Girl Week Six: Grace/Mandy <---new These stand-alone NSFW artworks can be accessed by Slipshine subscribers and there'll be a new one every week! Next week: well um don't look now but this twitter poll kind of thinks it should be mary

413 thoughts on “Ally”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    so the women in this comic are basically Batman

    1. Wheelpath

      I mean, this isn’t a new revelation tbh

    2. Doctor_Who

      Must be confusing for Ethan.

      1. Pablo360

        Yeah, for the first time he CAN date Batman, but he doesn’t WANT to.

    3. Ana Chronistic

      Willis, why you even have a poll if you don’t like the answer

      1. Ana Chronistic

        WHOA WAIT UNKNOWN EVIL, WHAT ABOUT KNOWN ONES

        1. Reltzik

          I mean, we’re all pretty sure that the Unknown Evil is Sydney.

          … except that would make her a known evil.

          So we can be sure that the unknown evil ISN’T Sydney.

          … except then she CAN be the unknown evil.

          … so then…

          …. wait…

        2. Dean

          It’ll be Sydney in a mask. Masked RA will become Amazi-Girl’s archnemesis.

        3. Bagge

          AND THIS WILL BE YOUR UNDOING!

        4. TachyonCode

          This is how popular candidates lose elections. You get all interested in some new up-and-comer, whose history you were oblivious to, and then suddenly, BOOM.

          Turns out it’s Toedad.

    4. butts

      Mary is more like Robin.

      ‘Batman and Robin’ robin.

      1. Jay Eff

        Does that mean she has Bat-Nipples and a Bat-Credit Card?

        1. Disloyal Subject

          More importantly, does it mean she wants to smooch a sassy redhead?

        2. Clif

          Only in a perfect universe.

    5. Plasma Mongoose

      I bet a few of them wish they could be Batman, since Batman is rich, powerful and his parents are dead.

      1. Reltzik

        … wait, who do you mean?

        Dorothy: “I like my parents”
        Joyce: “I… like my parents…”
        Amber: “I like my mom.”
        Ruth: “I wish my parents were alive.”
        Dina: “I care little for money beyond my immediate needs, have no interest in power, and am satisfied with my familial relationships.”
        Sal: “Ah don’t want them DEAD, just… you know… less them. Also, screw being the Man.”
        Becky: “I wish Mom was alive. I’ll take the riches, though!”
        Carla: “I already got the riches and I love my parents!”
        Roz, Sierra, Marry, Rachaels, Grace, Mandy: ?
        Billie: ….

        …. okay, so you’re talking about Billie.

        1. Reltzik

          ….. actually, now that I think about it, Billie would be great at the job. She knows when to break the rules, is learning when to keep them, has leadership potential and experience, actually cares about helping people, doesn’t tolerate shit, and can put troublemakers in their place.

          Assuming she didn’t hate herself from taking it from Ruth.

        2. Dana

          She doesn’t just care about helping people. She finds helping people meaningful and fulfilling, at least to the extent that she’s been finding anything fulfilling since she’s been in college.

        3. John

          I’ve been saying for a while that Billie did a pretty good job last time she filled in for Ruth while Ruth was indisposed; she ought to just move into the RA’s room and start RAing. She’s already carried out Step 1…

        4. Andy

          She might, but we might need to see some of Sidney Yus’ dictatorship before Billie stages a coup to restore sanity.

        5. thejeff

          She’s also a depressed alcoholic.

          Admittedly that would be keeping up the tradition, but are we sure that’s a good path

        6. John

          I think it would help with her depression. One of her depression triggers is not feeling needed. Giving her a whole floor of girls to look out for would do her a world of good.

        7. Geneseepaws

          Relzik, that was a brilliant summation: sigma!

    6. TheAnonymousGuy

      Is anyone else a little surprised that Joyce knows about batman?

      1. merbrat

        While dating Ethan (and both not hanky-pankying) Joyce watched a lot of fun stuff she missed while fundy-ing.

        1. TheAnonymousGuy

          that makes since.

      2. Needfuldoer

        He’s her default guess for anything that sounds vaguely superhero or comic book related.

    7. Orion Fury

      This is probably as close as we’ll get to a Batman comic now, huh?

  2. Piethememe

    BATMAN FOR R.A.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Shouldn’t it be Batgirl since the RA will be running a girl’s dorm?

      1. Belegcam

        Batwoman. Gotta have that military discipline to restore order to the floor.

        Batgirl is the librarian, obviously.

      2. ozzi

        AmaziGirl for RA

      3. Reltzik

        But Batman’s trained hard to be the best at everything.

        …. also, this way he gets to tell a bunch of people his secret identity.

  3. AnvilPro

    Welp, I’m on Team Roz

    1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

      Me too. More votes for Roz! Come on people, she gives out free condoms! Best RA Ever!

      1. Tacos

        But… Unknown Evil, yo.

        1. Leorale

          I just want the unknown evil to be Sydney Yus, fooools!

        2. Disloyal Subject

          FOOOOOOOLS

        3. Kris

          People willingly voting for what has been blatantly stated as “unknown evil”! This is polotics……”Unknown evil” could be A T-rex that poops zombies and hates immigrants!….or Ryan!

        4. Kris

          Oops I misspelled politics….and you know I do like mysteries..unknown evil might not be so bad..hrmmmmm?

        5. Reltzik

          Nooooo! Don’t vote for Unknown Evil! Stick with the established candidates! Don’t waste your vote on the third party!

        6. Deanatay

          “Unknown Evil” is the dissatisfaction vote, for those who just want to disrupt the status quo, and create change.

          They usually wind up regretting their choice, but every generation or two, they forget, and do it again.

        7. Council

          That said I voted Unknown evil because this is a fictional comic.

        8. Dana

          Unknown evil is in the new RA’s tax returns.

        9. maxyai

          I voted for Trump! I mean Unknown Evil!

      2. Belegcam

        But…you don’t vote for a RA…ah, whatever. *takes free condom*

      3. ZDX

        What RA doesn’t? Seriously, does half this thread go to like Bob Jones University? (but yes, team Roz)

        1. Kamino Neko

          Yeah…’free condoms’ is, like, RA 101.

        2. Spencer

          That’s a Transformer right?

        3. Spencer

          GODDAMMIT WRONG REPLY

  4. Reltzik

    “I’m Batman.”

    “No, I’M Batman.”

    1. StClair

      “Siddown.”

    2. Aaron Tate

      I’m Spartacus!

      1. Ed Rhodes

        I’m Brian, and so is my wife!

      2. Kamino Neko

        I’m G Prime!

        If nobody gets this, I will be sad.

        1. foamy

          They’re not protecting me, they’re trying to take credit for my pranks!

    3. BrokenEye, True False Prophet

      ICH BIN FLEDERMAUSMANN!!!!!!

  5. Pogo

    Roz grows on me every comic

    1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

      Roz for RA! Vote to your right.

      1. Lailah

        This comic is also not a democracy, but I voted anyway to see the results. About what I expected!

    2. SUGauthor

      Why? She’s kind of being an ass in this comic.

      1. Pogo

        Dorothy’s the one saying that Roz’s intentions are fake and she’s tricking people. What is Roz supposed to say to that “Oh Dorothy, you’re so great for insulting me?” Dorothy’s whole attitude toward Roz being interested in the position is “Scoff, don’t tell me YOU want to be RA” as if Roz doesn’t have the ability. Roz does have the ability of being RA, AND she’s been involved in politics and political environment all her life. So yeah, if Dorothy is gonna say crap to her because Dorothy now has to face competition because everyone doesn’t love her lists the Roz is gonna respond with snark right back.

        1. Fart Captor

          Roz kinda seems like she’s admitting that her reluctance was an act though, since her response is to brag that she’s better at politics.

        2. Cerberus

          Well yeah, but Dorothy doesn’t really have a leg to stand on with that, because they both have a barely hidden desire to use their political talents to try and get a job they want for ulterior motives.

          Like, to bash Roz’s ambition to win is to bash herself for her own ambition, to bash her using her political skills is to bash herself for doing the same.

          Like, the part that Dorothy can object about is that Roz is also being a bit of a smug jerk about it, but beyond that, they’re too similar in intention to really say boo about it.

          Hell, one could even make the argument that Roz has a much better case for an ulterior motive, because “I need to escape the shitty abusive roommate who makes me feel like shit 24/7” is a much better shout than “I think this will slightly improve the optics of my transfer application”. And they both have confidence that they would do the job well, albeit in different styles and both are somewhat flawed in that reasoning by how they’ve initially approached applying for the position.

        3. thejeff

          Well, she’s got something of a leg to stand on. She’s been far more open about wanting it, while Roz is pretending she’s reluctant and only talked into it by the “groundswell of support”.
          At least that’s what I’m taking Roz’s “I’m a better politician” bit to be admitting.

        4. Cerberus

          That is true.

        5. Reltzik

          Wait, question.

          I know that Roz don’t like her roommate… and I would totally get wanting to get out in that case… and it’s pretty reasonable speculation… but do we actually know that Mary actually has anything to do with Roz’s motives here?

          I mean, I normally lose track of the little clues, but it’s been only three or four comics and my attention span isn’t THAT short. I think.

        6. BBCC

          No, she hasn’t stated her motives. It’s a pretty solid guess, imo, but not confirmed yet.

        7. Cerberus

          As BBCC said, it’s not been confirmed in comic, but I’d be gobsmacked if that wasn’t a major component of Roz’s “sudden call to service”.

        8. Falcon

          While not a particularly smart reaction to display, it’s perfectly natural reaction. Dorothy has put in the work every day to do everything right and care about everybody. Roz has brazenly gone out of her way to break social expectations and seek self-satisfaction at the expense of others. It seems ridiculous that they’d be considered remotely equally legitimate candidates.

          Dorothy’s situation kind of reminds me of Hillary Clinton minus the corruption.

        9. nothri

          I…really don’t like Roz. Her assurance of being right in her cause and views and her disdain for those who aren’t in her camp…reminds me of a liberal Mary way too often. She’s also pretty schemey and manipulative, but in a wild sort of way that means she can’t really predict what the end results of her “plots” will end up being.

        10. Lailah

          I really need people to fuck off with this ‘liberal mary’ schtick until Roz tries to get someone killed. That is the bar Mary has set by being unapologetic about the fact that someone is on suicide watch in large part due to her actions.

        11. Emily

          It’s the same “horseshoe theory” bs you see coming from smug right of center moderates who want an excuse to not have to actually do anything and just accept the status quo so they pretend both sides are equally bad even though that’s insane and obviously false.

        12. Killjoy

          “If you don’t join one of our mutually opposed tribal organizations, you’re terrible.”

          Right…

        13. Lailah

          Yes, that’s what she said. Well done.

        14. Pogo

          “Schemey and manipulative” Based on what? I’m sure Roz didn’t gear up for the RA position like Dorothy did at the beginning, but if it was suggested to her she’s like sure why not. Is there any evidence that she needled Agatha and Rachel into liking her more? That she used some sort of subliminal mind tricks to make them want to have Roz as an RA? No, that’s just her personality. No one believes that Roz is being an RA because of pure selflessness, if she didn’t want it she wouldn’t be attempting to go for the position. And honestly if I was in that dorm, I (as a queer person) would rather have Roz defending me against Mary than Dorothy.

          And then there’s Roz’s manipulation of her sisters career, as other people have said. Robin’s actions bar Roz’s at anytime she tries to do anything, like keeping her at a political rally, going to to her class and diminishing Roz’s agency and so on. So yeah, Roz is going to find a way to fight back to Robin it only makes sense.

        15. Indy

          I’d like Roz a lot better if she had any kind of consequence for talking over Leslie to sneer at Joyce, or even apologized. (to Joyce OR Leslie; I’m not picky)

          She’s such a perfect representation that “ally” who won’t let go of the spotlight or really listen to others that it makes my skin crawl. I have to deal with enough of those in real life.

        16. BBCC

          Roz should have apologized to Leslie for talking over her, but she owed Joyce NOTHING. She was absolutely correct about how Joyce needed to take responsibility for the homophobia she spewed and she can’t just hypocritically fob it off on ‘the church’ like its some foreign far away entity she’s not connected to, rather than an institution she did the anti-LGBT+ dirty work for. That goes double since she was trying to de-gay Ethan at the time. Joyce even agreed the next day she deserved that kick in the ass, no matter how harsh Roz’s approach was.

        17. Pogo

          Joyce and Roz had already settled that discussion at Joyce’s party when Joyce said she appreciated Roz’s upfront attitude because sometimes Joyce needs that. Clearly Joyce is not still upset about the class discussion because she wouldn’t have invited Roz otherwise. What Roz said helped Joyce realize how Becky feels with her as a best friend especially since Joyce was looking up if being gay is ok in the bible, and how “she didn’t want so much to change so quickly.” Joyce needed to know it’s not about how she feels, it’s about how Becky feels, and she can’t remove herself from the experiences that caused Becky to be in this situation. Anyway as far as I’m concerned, Joyce and Roz don’t hold any resentment toward each other for the classroom outburst, and everyone seems to want to hold Roz as a villain for speaking her mind.

        18. Spencer

          For me, at least, it’s not really a matter of Roz being a villain. I think that, even if Roz was being a dick, that was something Joyce needed to hear, and to realize that she was responsible for her own actions against Ethan and Becky. “That was you” is incorrect, but Joyce was straight up being a vile sack of dogshit to Ethan.

          It’s that she, a straight woman, took her gender studies class and used it as a platform to attack someone in the name of the queer community, over the protests of a queer woman. It felt like a matter of Roz inflating her ego rather than doing anything moral, and was ultimately just a temper tantrum from an ally.

    3. iforgetwhatiputhere

      Because nothing says “hypocrisy” quite like copying your older sibling’s demagoguery even while you claim to hate them for what they have to represent in order to stay in office… I wonder when, if ever, the penny will drop for Roz that she just admitted she is the same as her sister…

      1. Mav

        I definitely wouldn’t say she’s the same as Robin, but I think it’d be ironic if she ended up becoming a lawyer or otherwise involved in politics. She’s very different from Robin in her views about gender and sexuality issues, for example. I also don’t think her methodology is evil, considering Dorothy is also trying to convince people that she would be better with insincere tactics. They’re both doing the same thing, just in different ways, and Dorothy could actually take a lesson from Roz for her future political career.

        1. Terry

          Who said Dorothy is being insincere? All she’s admitted to is that she wants to be RA to further her future prospects. That doesn’t mean that she doesn’t care about the people on the floor. People can have multiple reasons for doing things. People USUALLY have multiple reasons for doing things. I’m not saying that Dorothy isn’t trying to manipulate people, but she is trying to manipulate them by being honest and genuine. Dorothy’s main problem is that she goes a bit too far with the organizational bit and puts people off. Also, she has a bit of hubris in that she really believes that she is the best person for the job. Every job. I do agree that Dorothy could probably learn a thing or two about political strategy from Roz, though. Sometimes a bit of false modesty can go a long way toward connecting with people as opposed to total self-assurance.

        2. Mav

          Her *tactics* are insincere. She admitted a few strips ago that the main reason she has the list is because she wants to seem impressive to the people that might choose her. And Billie called her out on it, and it made her look bad, which it would have to most people. I just don’t see why it’s such an issue for Roz to talk about how she’d be great, and when Dorothy does it it’s fine, because neither are horrible people. Dorothy lost this round with Roz because she IS rusty at connecting with others emotionally, as in for her potential at being an RA. She just assumed she’d be the best at it, and evryone would see that and she’d have no competition, which makes sense because she’s an overachiever and is likely used to actually being or thinking that she is the smartest and most capable person in the room in situations like this. I agree with you on that point; I think it causes Dorothy to overestimate her abilities. She can’t just be chosen because she thinks she the best, she had to actually *show* people that and she did it badly here. Nothing wrong in that, she just has to go back to the drawing board and see what went wrong.

        3. Fart Captor

          Seeking a job because it will help her career is not something to be ashamed of. She didn’t make the list to look impressive. She made it because she’s socially awkward and was attempting to make up for it by approaching it in the same methodical, highly-structured way she approaches schoolwork.

          Her tactics ARE sincere in my opinion, just not at all effective.

        4. Splork

          Dorothy *can* connect to others emotionally, though. Think about her and Joyce, or her and Amber. She’s sensitive and emotionally intelligent with them. She just doesn’t have as much charisma as Roz, but that’s not the same thing. One-on-one understanding in an RA is way more important than charisma.

          She made the list so she could do the job thoroughly and well. That’s doesn’t make her insincere, in fact I think it’s if anything *too* sincere. She shouldn’t tell people about the list, because even if it can effectively help her solve people’s problems, it makes them *feel* like she doesn’t care about them as people.

          Also, I’ve so frikking done with the “organization, preparation, and thoroughness are signs of insincerity, whereas charisma is a sign of sincerity!” Not accusing anyone on this thread of this, but this (non-logic-based) reasoning is why we have an evil cheeto as our President-Elect.

      2. Fart Captor

        Roz doesn’t hate her sister. She wouldn’t have tried to get her to change if she did. And until she starts actively trying to suppress the rights of her LGBT floormates, she is hardly the same.

      3. Emily

        This isn’t demagogy.

  6. MatthewTheLucky

    Dotty’s the R.A. we need, but not the one we deserve.

  7. carl320

    I’m Batman.

    1. Jay Eff

      But, can you breathe in space?

      1. nothri

        Of course. Astronauts do it all the time.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      Hi, I’m Daisy!

    3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Hello, I’m Rags. Woof, woof, woof.

  8. Foxhack

    This actually made me dislike Roz quite a bit.

    I guess I loathe manipulators.

    1. -Sentinel-

      Yeah, does she have to be so smug about it all?

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        I understand the hate for smugness when you see it in other people but damn smug feels good when you experience it yourself.

        1. yo.

          In the moment, yeah, but mostly I feel like a huge ass about it later. I guess that’s called a conscience.

    2. Shiro

      Tbf, Dorothy is also attempting to manipulate people, she’s just doing it with much less subtlety (and therefore less effectively)

      1. butts

        She’s been forthright about her intentions. How is that manipulation?

        1. BBCC

          She tried to pass off her list as purely altruistic before Billie called her out on it.

        2. Sarah Lea

          I think Dorothy just said “It’s not insidious.” It was Joyce that jumped to characterizing it as “Altruistic, I guess.”

        3. Lailah

          An assessment Dorothy wouldn’t contest. We’re talking about /manipulating people/. Getting someone else to proclaim your virtue for you.

          Again, Roz is playing the same game Dotty is. She’s just next level at it, in comparison.

        4. thejeff

          Well, except that Dorothy’s trying to show she’d be good at the job by doing the job. At least the job as she sees it.
          It’s certainly debatable how well she’s doing that, but I see that as a very different approach than Roz’s. Assuming Roz is pulling the “reluctant leader” schtick, as she kind of admits to here.
          I’d say Roz’s approach is far more manipulative, but Dorothy’s approach might be showing she wouldn’t actually be good at the job.

          Maybe I will vote for “unknown evil”. 🙂

        5. Lailah

          …What difference do you think that makes? The end result is “I am ‘organically’ praised by my friend in public, thus signalling to the rest of the hall that I am a good, trustworthy person in a minor way.”

          Like, I’m not mad about this, but I don’t have a problem with Roz being ‘manipulative’ either, so.

        6. thejeff

          In terms of actually convincing people? Not a lot.

          In terms of the moral equivalence of their “manipulation”, quite a bit.

        7. Lailah

          Dorothy was going to allow Joyce to say she was an altruist, and totally leave off that she was angling for the position of RA. *BILLIE* stopped that, not Dorothy. Dorothy was not up front on the matter.

        8. Splork

          What, was Dorothy supposed to say “Thanks for telling me about your problems. You know, my motivation for asking you was to show everyone how good I am solving people’s problems so I can be the new RA?” I mean, that would be a super shitty thing to say, even if it’s technically true, because she does legitimately care about helping people.

        9. Lailah

          I mean, if you want an up front way to handle it, “I’m hoping to be the RA, but that’s a position that requires some trust from everyone. In light of that, I’d like to get to know you” seems a fine start.

          Like, *I* don’t care that dotty is manipulative, but you know, I don’t care Roz is either, and people really want to pretend only one of them is.

        10. Fart Captor

          That’s true. Dotty might care, but she’s not checking in with people because she cares so much. If she weren’t after the RA job, she’s probably still say hello, and likely would still have tried to talk to Billie (that attempt definitely felt the most natural to me), but she wouldn’t be putting nearly so much effort into it.

          They’re both using different political tactics, and the whole idea of campaigning boils down to “doing things to get people to like you”

        11. Willoughby Chase

          Dorothy shows she cares, Roz makes people feel she cares.

          The difference between Nixon and Bill Clinton, say.

        12. thejeff

          Are you saying Nixon showed he cared? Cause, just no.

        13. Willoughby Chase

          Bad choice of word.

          Nixon spoke about care in the words he used, he didn’t feel that care or communicate any scintilla of actual care. Much as Dorothy is doing with her list.

          “I care about the country” is pretty much how politics as campaigning works.

          Nixon’s first slogan was “For the Future”.

          In his resignation speech, “In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation.”

          He spoke a lot about care, but I don’t think he meant it. Just as Dorothy talked to Clare(?) about her script but didn’t pause long enough to get a reply.

          Roz, OTOH, may not care at all, and I suspect she doesn’t, but clearly she communicates some warmth, some emotion, towards the people who are on the receiving end of her action.

        14. Willoughby Chase

          He created the EPA which I suppose is Nixon’s way of showing care. He was a shyster otherwise.

      2. Travestyhat

        If she’s ‘manipulating’ people it’s only in that she’s taking inventory of their issues so that she can work on solutions. God forbid someone seeking a position of responsibility start by doing research about said responsibilities. Roz continues to be smug and to use her vaunted progressiveness like a club: give me substance over style any day of the week.

        1. Lailah

          …Man, I trust Roz’s intentions over Dotty’s rn. Roz seems to /actually want/ the job. Not to want the job /because she thinks it’ll help her get to Yale/.

        2. Foxhack

          The impression I got by her behavior in this strip is that she seems to want the job because it’ll give her a position of power.

          That doesn’t usually end well for the people that are supposed to be looked out for.

        3. Lailah

          The impression /I’m/ getting is that she thinks it’s funny dorothy knows how to be a politician better than her.Which it really is.

        4. Lailah

          Like over the last three days I have watched one of the only characters in the comic who has done /any/ variant of work on camera (or witha direct allusion) be called lazy, irresponsible, and totally selfish. And it was /volunteer work/. Why in the name of gods green earth are you assuming she wants power just because she’s smugging over Dotty?

          I mean, Dotty literally just declared herself the best candidate, entirely on the grounds that she wants the job, and there are no sophomores to headbump her. She genuinely assumed she would just, ipso facto, be the best RA.

          And I’m watching people act like *ROZ* is the smug one here. The villainess who only wants power. What in actual tarnation is up with this nonsense?

        5. Lailah

          Merde. “Any variant of work besides schoolwork”

        6. KKoro

          Lailah — I agree with your post. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills, Dorothy has all but said “I don’t care about you as people, only as stepping stones on my path to power”, and yet the entire community is talking about how Roz is uncaring and only seeking fame.

        7. Lailah

          Like, Dorothy wants power to do good things. She still likes these folks and wants the best results possible for them. You’re being a bit too harsh with her.

          But holy shit, Roz is just better at doing the same things.

        8. nothri

          Oh, Roz cares. We’ve seen first hand how much she cares. She passionate enough about her politics that the Marys and the Joyces of the world are all lumped into one category in her world. And she absolutely is manipulative. She made a sex tape to get her sister to put in an appearance on campus, she got Dorothy to jump through weird hoops to get an interview, and just recently she tried to play match maker with her teacher hoping to cause a “gay awakening” in her sister. And the thing is…we know what Dorothy gets out of this. What’s Roz gunning for all of a sudden? She’s never particularly seemed like the type to grab some extra power and responsibility. When she gets dedicated its usually been about a political cause or agenda. So…what’s this cause serving?

        9. Lailah

          Dorothy told Roz to her face that she was judging her negatively for releasing a sex tape. Why do people think she should have been allowed to have an interview? Of everything people pillory Roz for, this is the straight up /weirdest/. Why should we care? Dorothy was being a bastard in that moment. Throw all the weird hurdles you want, idgaf. It’s an interview, not a fucking meal.

          And getting on her ass for saying Joyce was part of the problem, when Joyce was literally abdicating responsibility for being part of the problem, is just. Stop.

          What’s Roz get out of it? I don’t know, I wouldn’t speculate. And I really don’t care, just as I really don’t care that Dotty’s doing it because she thinks it’ll help her be president (By getting her to Yale, yadda yadda yadda)

        10. Cerberus

          And what’s also annoying is that people are acting like Roz wants power simply for power, when no, it’s Dorothy who wants the position for its status. Roz just wants a means of escaping Mary and this is her best means of doing so.

          Like, have we not learned from the Leslie seduction arc that Roz will go to extreme lengths and sometimes ill-advised lengths to try to escape a bad situation she feels trapped by? That she will undergo any convoluted process to try and gain freedom and has craved that freedom to not be surrounded by people whose politics are chiefly aimed at people like her and people she considers herself allies to?

          Like, she wants that single room and it’s hard to say she doesn’t deserve at the least a change in roommate considering that the only other one on the hall having as bad a time as her with her roommate is Agatha.

          But yeah, Roz feels trapped and wants freedom and she’s seeing this as her best chance for it after her last attempt to get free of a bad situation exploded so badly. Doesn’t make all her actions in service to that right, but it’s not like she’s a cackling villain who’s just trying to stymie Dorothy for no reason.

        11. buckybone

          So…we’re all in agreement here that Dorothy’s pretty much a Hillary Clinton analogue?

        12. Lailah

          No.

        13. Needfuldoer

          Pretty much. She’s the best candidate on paper, but she’s struggling to build support due to a lack of enthusiasm.

          That doesn’t mean Roz is automatically a Trump analogue, though. She actually seems to care about people other than herself.

        14. anonymsly

          Not really, no. Dorothy is Dorothy.

          In order for her to be HRC in this situation, she’d have to be 1) in an actual election, 2) running against someone who can believably be described as ‘a shriveled tangerine, covered in golden retriever hair, filled with bile’, and 3) the better candidate on paper.

          If we’re being totally honest without the blinders of liking one character more than another… Roz actually kind of IS the better candidate on paper. She’s not overloaded with classwork and already overextended the way Dorothy is, so she’d actually have time to RA properly. By the testimony of other girls on the floor, Roz is better at connecting with them and more connected to the floor at large. She hasn’t made creepy and invasive lists that reduce her fellow students to tickyboxes, or at the very least she hasn’t cheerfully told them that she’s doing the exact thing that Mike does (for a different reason) but they should love it because it’s her. Roz does volunteer work for organizations including Planned Parenthood, meaning she comes equipped with a wealth of resources and maybe contacts to assist other students with real issues. (This doesn’t matter for the actual job, but in this situation, Roz isn’t the one saying that there’s no valid option but her.)

          Dorothy can tickybox with the best of them. Dorothy means well. Dorothy is genuinely kind and cool.

          And finally: Dorothy is going for the RA job because she wants something good on her resume. This is a valid reason to want the job. Roz is going for the RA job because other girls on the floor came to her and said ‘you’d be good at it!’ and quite possibly also to get away from Mary. Both of these are valid reasons.

          I love Dorothy. I do. But she is not making herself the better candidate for the job in any way here.

        15. Cerberus

          anonymsly-

          Yeah, she’s actually shown her worst foot forward as far as qualifications for the job of RA is concerned. Like, the skills she has chosen to highlight are not the skills we know make her a good candidate for what is chiefly a mentor and problem-solving position, not a political candidacy.

          And Roz… kinda has done the same, focusing on these political skills to be liked (which is actually a negative for a position that is also a disciplinarian) rather than as you note, her own considerable skillset that would be a boon to the position (like her contacts to support groups is actually highly important for the position, especially in a hall as rife with tragic and traumatic events as this one).

          They’d both be really good at the job if they got it, but seem to be fundamentally misunderstanding how to apply for it and get it and reacting to it like it’s a political position of class president (which… heck, I’m willing to bet money both were class presidents at their respective schools, so it’s not an unsurprising thing for them both to default to) instead of a mentoring and disciplinarian job.

        16. KKoro

          “The impression I got by her behavior in this strip is that she seems to want the job because it’ll give her a position of power.”

          That is literally exactly what Dorothy admitted was her reason for seeking the job.

        17. Fart Captor

          No, what she admitted is that she thought it would look good on her Yale application.

          She didn’t even say it was her only motive or even her primary motive, only that she wasn’t ashamed of trying to advance her career.

        18. Mav

          Well your first sentence is her primary motivation. If this job wouldn’t have looked good on her app, she likely wouldn’t have bothered, so it is her primary motivation.

        19. Fart Captor

          Not necessarily. Helping her Yale application may simply get “being RA” onto Dotty’s list of acceptable ways to spend her her time and energy.

          The girl can barely justify taking time to have fun unless she’s doing work at the same time.

        20. Lailah

          In talking to her best friend on earth, in what was a private moment (apparently?), she candidly admitted that she was doing this because it looked good. Like, that goes miles towards establishing a primary motivation.

          I don’t really think that’s a /problem/ as such, because RA-hood is not that big a deal. If anyone in the hall is maybe passionate about actually DOING this, it’s Roz. And that’s a big Maaaaaybe – I just don’t care to speculate what her motive is.. Most people need the resources it gives. She’s doing this for a different goal. That’s fine.

          But no, that doesn’t change her motivation. She probably does have helping people as a secondary motivation.

        21. Terry

          Dorothy never said she wanted the job just to get into Yale. Yes, it is a factor, but she is a complicated person. She can want the job to help her get into the college of her choice AND because it will provide good experience in a leadership role, AND because she enjoys helping people from a position of authority.

          I work because I want money. I work in my current field of employment because I enjoy the job and I’m good at it.

      3. Viktoria

        Yes, but she’s manipulating people in a good way. “I’m going to learn about your problems and work to reduce friction between people” is what the RA is supposed to do anyway. Roz is playing off emotions instead of doing anything concrete.

        1. BBCC

          Aside from actually connecting with her dorm mates in a way Dorothy has not and likely being ROLLING in useful resources for everybody should they come to her with (or if she suspects) a crisis. Dorothy’s list isn’t immoral, but it’s not endearing either to be turned into an itemized list right in front of you and I can think of at least two dorm members who’d be actively hostile to that sort of RA-ing (Sal and Carla).

        2. Splork

          Dorothy has connected to her dormmates, though. Joyce and Amber.

    3. Lailah

      It’s literally the same thing Dotty’s doing. She just had the sense to wait for the crowd to disperse first.

      1. Mav

        Yes. When in competition with someone else, there’s always a level of manipulation involved. You must paint every part of yourself in the best light so you will get that promotion, job, etc. In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to, but that’s not how it is. Just because a person is “nicer” than someone else doesn’t mean they are necessarily compassionate or kind. Just that they are polite. And anybody can be polite when it suits their needs.

        1. Emily

          People always confuse good and nice. Joyce has always been nice but there was a large period of this strip where she was a terrible, hateful person she just packaged that hate in candy floss and licorice. And then there’s Carla who is kind of a total ass but she’s still a good person with a good heart who will do the right thing while complaining the entire time.

        2. thejeff

          Now that I disagree with. Joyce has always been good as well as nice.
          She started out wrapped up in all kinds of nasty prejudices, but nearly every time those conflicted with actual people, the people easily won out. That’s the good. The amount she’s changed in less than two months, as soon as she was exposed to any other ideas, makes it pretty clear.
          She certainly said some hurtful things, but actual hate is pretty alien to her – except for cases like Toedad, where it’s well deserved.
          It would be easy for people in world to have seen her that way and I wouldn’t blame them, but we should know better.

        3. Mav

          I agree that Joyce has changed, but it’m important to remember that even though Joyce is nice most of the time, hateful rhetoric like the one that she was mimicking and participating in is the kind of thing that nearly got Becky murdered. It’s totally fine to call out people like that because honestly, while their personal growth is important to them, the safety of their targets is even more important. There’s too much at stake, and a lot of people can’t afford to wait to see if someone is a Joyce or someone is a Toedad. Most save themselves the trouble and associate with a Dina or a Becky.

        4. thejeff

          No, I agree completely. Though I’d suspect that Becky would have at least started also mimicking the same hateful rhetoric as habitual protective cover, if nothing else. We don’t really see her until after her cover’s blown. She grew up with the same toxic mess as Joyce after all.

          It’s fine to call people like that out for their behavior. I just disagree that Joyce herself was actually “a terrible, hateful person …t packaged that hate in candy floss and licorice.”

        5. Lailah

          PRetending to hate people to not die is duress.

          Actually hating people – even if you do it with a cheerful smile while promising this is for the best of them – is not. Joyce actually hated the gays. This is critical and you are fucking dodging it.

      2. Cerberus

        Pretty much. What’s fascinating about this arc is that both are ambitious and confident young women who both believe they’d be the best at the job and are 100% seeking the job for ulterior motives at the same time. Like, I have no doubt both view themselves as qualified and will want to help people in the position (Roz did go out of her way to offer Joyce resources at a time when her interactions with Joyce mostly involved being slut-shamed by her, simply because she cottoned on to the fact that something bad happened).

        And both are not beyond a little manipulation to get there (Dorothy with her list, Roz with her reluctant leader shtick). And so it’s interesting to see, but I also kind of want to see and expect to see them both lose to learn a lesson not about the badness of ambition, but rather why bringing political skills to a job interview sometimes badly misses the point.

  9. BBCC

    Oh my.

  10. theDarkLady

    I’m just glad Joyce knows Batman.

  11. Hopeful Sarcastic

    Roz isn’t just Magneto, she’s an amalgamation of all villains that ever happened.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Naw, Magneto generally had good intentions on some level, but regularly took it way too far into ‘pay evil unto evil’ with targeting innocents. Can you honestly see Roz as the Joker? Red Skull? Randal Savage? Thanos?

      1. Proto

        Randal Savage is my favorite wrestler.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Er. Vandal Savage. I can picture Roz as Randy.

      2. Hopeful Sarcastic

        http://imgur.com/a/EkyPR < She called herself Magneto, then she quoted Bane. Then a hyperbole happened and I learned some of my humour doesn't translate too well into text.

  12. Mr. Random

    So who is the most Batman here?

    1. podian

      Sal.

      1. Mr. Random

        *not including Sal.
        I felt it was to go without saying, but I apologize for the need to clarify.

  13. Viktoria

    Roz has no chance. I mean, okay, the leadership of this school apparently thought RUTH was a good RA, but Roz already had a sex scandal this year. They want her supervised, they don’t want her to BE the supervisor.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      As true as that is, Chloe doesn’t necessarily have to run it by her superiors, does she?

      1. BBCC

        Most likely, yes. She can’t even decide whether Ruth is fired by herself, no way she can exclusively hire folks. If that was all up to her, Ruth would be back as soon as she was able, but Chloe seems to really like Ruth and want her back.

        1. BBCC

          *because Chloe seems to really like Ruth and want her back.

    2. deathjavu

      This. Can you imagine the fit some of the parents might throw if Roz was given a position of power over other students?

      The interesting part of this story isn’t the contest, because there isn’t one. It’s much more interesting to see Dorothy’s reaction to all this.

    3. Lailah

      You know, I don’t feel like that’s as strong as most folks here do. If it were such an auto-no, Chloe would have just told her to fuck off (politely). It might tip scales, but if it’s such an “lol it’s impossible”, Chloe would have told Roz not to waste either of their collective time.

      1. missilentmurmur

        Do we know that she’d already spoken to Chloe about her application?

        1. Lailah

          She set this up well before Dorothy started talking. Not a lot of other reasons to.

        2. Greenygal

          If I were Roz, I might want to make sure of the support of the rest of the hall before talking to Chloe, precisely to have something to counter the sex tape objection with.

        3. Lailah

          Seeing as it’s not a democracy, that would seem futile to me. But it is dumbing of age, so that’s possible.

        4. Greenygal

          It’s not up to them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their feelings are irrelevant to whoever is making the decision.

  14. Ash_Ketchup

    Dorothy is giving me some serious Hillary Clinton vibes.

    1. Woobie

      That isn’t a good thing.

      1. Pablo360

        I mean, it is, unless she runs against Donald Trump (read “Faz”).

        I just made you hate Donald Trump even more.

      2. buckybone

        Most qualified for the job, wants power for what it’ll do for her (the fact that she’d actually be better for her constituents than the other candidate, although likely true, is a secondary concern), puts tons of effort into the tiniest details that literally nobody else gives a damn about…Dotty being Clinton isn’t necessarily a bad thing either, would probably work on most floors, but then Roz had to come along and be a better version of Bernie Sanders. (Pretty sure that Mike is the Trump in this scenario, winning just enough support from the people whose votes carry more weight for him to get the job in the end.)

        1. Lailah

          ‘most qualified’? Like, it’s a job about interpersonal skills, which she lacks. That’s why this fails as a Trump analogy. She’s ‘most qualified’ because people want her to be Clinton running for the presidency, but she’s not. She’s not even running for /class/ presidency. She’s trying ot present herself as a skilled candidate /for a job about working with people as individuals.

          Those are /not/ the skills she has honed. Understandably. But they’re the skills the job actually needs. Mind, an RA position isn’t about like, being a therapist. The bar isn’t /high/ here. Dorothy can totally /do/ the job. But Roz is better /suited/ for it. And part of that is that yes, she is better qualified.

        2. BBCC

          Mike CAN’T have the job. He’s a boy. This is a girl’s wing. Mary would be the Trump equivalent, if anyone, and nobody on this floor is voting for Mary.

  15. Stephen R. Bierce

    *continues to play more Weird Al on the hacked Muzak*

  16. Leorale

    Our elections would only be improved with more Batman quotes.

  17. butts

    don’t git angry, git gud

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Also git gud gramma.

      1. Pablo360

        Get good Grandma?

  18. Professor Fate

    “I’m the goddamn Batman.”

    “Bisexuals!”

  19. Bluewind

    So was it from Batman or not?

    1. Proto

      Roz is paraphrasing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. And if Dorothy’s quote is from Batman, it’s so obscure I can’t name it or Google it.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        How can anyone quote Bane unless the quote is: “MPPHFFFTHH”

      2. CJ

        There was a “don’t get angry, get better” contest on YouTube, but I haven’t found the source for the initial idea.
        Some images attribute in to Toni DiCicco, who has coached the US women soccer team and wrote a book about it.

  20. Rodimiss

    Someone needs to tell Ethan about this later so that he can be proud of the good works that he has done.

    1. Leorale

      Thank you — I just imagined this and it made me happy.

  21. Surah

    I always forget Mary is the anime fan. Or does she only like drawing in the style?

    1. Disloyal Subject

      She’s probably one of the people who shopped MAGA hats onto all the girls from Evangelion.

      1. podian

        So, 4chan?

  22. Fart Captor

    Okay, now Roz is being a snooty turd.

    1. Fart Captor

      You lost me at “Heh”, Roz! Just so you know!

      *angry fist shaking*

  23. Badgermole

    I’m with her! No, wait-

  24. Tacos

    And now I won’t be able to stop hearing Roz as Bane >.>

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Dark Knight Rises Bane, specifically? Because I’m okay with that.

      1. Tacos

        Indeed that version of Bane.

  25. Bluewind

    I’m pretty sure nobody noticed me missing from the comment section, but just in case anyone did, I have a very good reason. Three words: Emergency root canal

    1. Leorale

      Yikes! May all your teeth feel way better.

      1. Bluewind

        Here’s hoping! Nothing like going in for a filling and finding out something is seriously wrong and no it can’t wait and the dentist will cut a big chunk of her fee to do it and you will leave after hours.

    2. BBCC

      I was actually wondering where you’d been last night, and I hoped everything was okay. Apparently it was not, for which you have my simpathy. Ouch! I hope you feel better.

      1. Bluewind

        I’ve been in here checking DoA (and no others since I got worked on Friday) while recovering. I just wasn’t early and didn’t feel like commenting or reading comments. The inside of my tooth was badly infected and took about 3 hours to clean out and cover in a temporary cap until me real one comes in. Now I’m on antibiotics and a medicated swish for a while.

        1. CJ

          Take care, badly infected teeth really are heavy work for your body to deal with.

        2. BBCC

          That sounds awful, I’m sorry girl. I hope you feel better soon!

    3. Bagge

      Ouch. Glad you are back.

      1. Bluewind

        Me too

    4. Emperor Norton II

      BLUEWIND!

      WHERE WERE YOU?!?!

      Oh wait, you just said… Maybe I should pay attention or something.

      1. Bluewind

        Since when have you ever? I bet you are even still using lava in your pit!

        1. Emperor Norton II

          I’ve actually replaced it with liquid plasma.

          Which may or may not by physically impossible one way or another.

        2. Bluewind

          Liquid plasma? Sounds like you got swindled by good salesman. Either that or you filled it with blood plasma which I don’t think can be heated enough to suit a laser shark.

    5. Fart Captor

      Oofta.

      1. Bluewind

        My reaction upon hearing the cost even if it was heavily discounted.

    6. Rose

      Okay this is gonna sound kinda creepy but literally just today one of my coworkers was like “so I’ve been out all weekend because Emergency Root Canal out of routine dentist appointment and my mouth is Literally Pain Forever” so either a huge hit of bad tooth luck went out over the weekend or you work at Target with me.

      1. Bluewind

        Lmao! Nope. But cool coincidence. Having an insane pain tolerance can sometimes be a good thing. It’s bad when you can let a tooth get so bad without noticing it even hurts or get a severe sinus and double ear infection (last month) and not know it until your doc sticks a tool in your ear during a visit for something else (I just felt stuffy, my ears were itchy, and the inside felt a hair sore but I just thought it was allergies). It’s good when recovering from surgery or dental work or getting a tattoo. I took a prescription ibuprofen that the dentist gave me before I left her office and nothing for pain since. Headaches and migraines can hit me pretty hard though.

    7. Cerberus

      Oh no, hope you feel better soon!

      1. Bluewind

        Thanks Cerberus! How are you doing? Please tell me things have calmed down for you and your kids.

  26. Dana

    Na na na na na na na na na

  27. Disloyal Subject

    On the one hand, Roz, that was the low-hanging fruit of Batman references. On the other, it was reasonably appropriate to the context of the situation.

  28. Pigeon Pollyx

    Ah, dip, the slipshine preview looks kinda cute. Shame I’m broke.

    Anyhoo I’ve an inkling this feud is going to be catastrophic, and the sheer fact that Dorothy (and maybe Roz? i don’t really know whether or not she’s a freshman) isn’t even eligible for the position anyway It’s probably not going to end well for her.

    1. Pigeon Pollyx

      Also: Unknown Evil 2017! My money’s on it being Nyarlathotep, but I will accept Yog-Sothoth or Dagon should it come down to it

      1. Tacos

        Why not Shub-Niggurath?

        1. Disloyal Subject

          I’m holding out for the Ebon Dragon. Or maybe Malal.

        2. Pigeon Pollyx

          eh, Shub-Niggurath’s a bit too religion-focused for my taste, hardly a source to be unbiased. Though in retrospect Nyarlathotep’s hardly an improvement to the whole system, given how much of a perpetual asshole he is.

          Right, I’m changing my votes. Yog-Sothoth, Yibb-Tstll or Nodens would be acceptable replacements instead.

    2. BBCC

      Dorothy already addressed that – Chloe said she would field applications from competent freshmen under the circumstances. Those circumstances being a hospitalized alcoholic RA, a wait list that was either short or non-existent, nobody who was eligible wanting it, and the other sophomores and upperclassmen either passing on it or running in the other direction screaming (or hissing/laughing as Sarah/Carla’s case might be).

  29. Ivy

    So when are they voting on RA?

    1. BBCC

      They don’t. It’s not an elected position. It’s an appointed one.

      1. Emily

        That’s the crux of the comedy of this situation and I really hope the punchline is “Anyone but these two gets the job” because it would be hilarious.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      They aren’t. It’s not a democracy.
      Chloe, the resident manager, will choose one from the applicants.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        She will decide with a battle royale.

    3. Fart Captor

      Shortly before Chloe shows up with the new RA she hired

  30. Bagge

    I’m really, really worried about Billie 🙁

    1. Emperor Norton II

      Right now, she mostly appear perplexed.

      “Wait a minute… I think I’m supposed to be angry right now, but what the fuck is this weird shit?”

      1. Bagge

        I read it more like “Cute. Really cute you squabbling over Ruth’s job as she is on fucking SUICIDE WATCH. Excuse me while I figure out if I should vomit or punch something” 🙁

        1. Emperor Norton II

          Mmm… I was thinking more like “Man, this pisses me off… But right now, Roz is also pissing of Douchess Dorothy, which I like.”

          Wait a minute. Since when did I have the more optimistic interpretation of us two?

        2. Emperor Norton II

          Ok, that was a horribly written post! I just hope you understand what I meant to say.

        3. Bagge

          Don’t worry, people say that to me sometimes 🙂 And I usually AM the optimist in the room so it’s reasonable.

          Either way, Billie is NOT in a good place now. At all.

        4. Cerberus

          Yeah, that’s my reading as well. Also, I can’t help but notice that she’s had her fists tightly clenched literally this entire time, without pause. I’m getting strong “I’m using my anger, the only emotion I can still reliably access, to push myself through and not crack” vibes from her and watching a bunch of politician-wannabes scrabble over the not-yet-cold position of her girlfriend who last she heard was terrified over losing her job because of the position it would put her in with her abusive grandfather.

        5. Mav

          Yeah. If Ruth loses her job then she loses it, but they’re both being really callous about the whole situation here.

        6. Cerberus

          And the way they’re treating it is more fired or dead than sick which has got to grate something fierce against Billie’s nerves.

  31. Just Me

    I’m supporting Dorothy. There is something to be said for ‘Trying too hard’, it makes one appreciate the achievement more.

    1. Liliaeth

      I honestly never understood why ‘trying too hard’ is a bad thing.

  32. Lou

    oooooookay, my pop culture fu is failing me. Where is Dorothy quoting from?

  33. tanyagrzez

    I don’t recognize the “getting angry” line and my googling is not coming up with anything other than people ranting about Batman v Superman.
    Does anyone know which Batman it’s from?

  34. Charles Phipps

    I’m kind of sad Dorothy will never be elected President. She can’t relate to morons. Maybe she’ll get it after the Cylons destroy Earth and the Carla-designed starships seek out Kobol. That’s the only way we’re getting someone competent in the immediate future.

    1. Lailah

      Laura Roslin was one of the most monstrous heroes of sci fi, if Dotty becomes her analogue I am required to destroy her somehow. There’s a /reason/ she’s in the leadership of the resistance. Gaius Baltar was the leader humanity both needed and deserved.

      1. Lailah

        Okay, that’s a /little/ ambitious.

        “One of the most monstrous heroes of sci fi /if we discount everything from Baen publishing/”

        There.

    2. KKoro

      “She can’t relate to morons.”

      The bit where Dorothy treats everyone who acts as an obstacle to her path to power as a “moron” is…kind of the reason Roz is doing better here. And why she’s better for the job.

      Roz has done actual activist work hooking up students with needed resources. Dorothy is treating them like boxes to be checked.

      1. Fart Captor

        When has Dorothy done this? Like, which obstacles are you referring to because I’m confused.

        1. thejeff

          Agreed. I can see how people wouldn’t take her approach here well, but the sudden casting of Dorothy as ruthless power seeker is coming out of nowhere as far as I can tell.

        2. KKoro

          Agatha, for example. When Agatha put her support behind Roz, Dorothy as visibly bewildered, and is acting like the other girls’ choices are irrational.

          The fact that Dorothy is treating support for Roz *as if* if it was support for mini-Trump (as is the forum, mostly) is the single biggest reason I don’t trust her here. Roz is being smarmy and pleasantly competitive, Dorothy is pretty much saying “wtf idiots, y u no vote 4 me”.

          If she was willing to recognize that she *may not* be the single greatest choice for whichever positions she pursues, and *be okay with that*, I’d be fine. But I’m highly sensitive to narcissists and this feels like narcissism.

        3. Fart Captor

          I agree that she was surprised that Agatha thought Roz would be a better RA. She didn’t even expect to have competition, and her ego definitely took a big hit there.

          But I think its a huge stretch to go from that to thinking they’re all idiots for that. You don’t need to think you’re all-powerful to be surprised when people think someone else is better at something than you are.

          Was she overconfident? Absolutely. It’s hardly narcissism though.

  35. Proto

    You wanna get nuts?

    *breaks computer*

    LET’S GET NUTS

    1. Woobie

      Cashews or pecans?

      1. cesium133

        “You want a peanut?”
        “No, don’t have to.”

  36. Lipke the Articulate

    I think that’s from Batman

  37. SUGauthor

    Every time Roz talks I like her a little less, and it doesn’t look that trend will be going away anytime soon.

    1. Brute

      i had questions, and then the alt-text answered them for me.

      1. Brute

        …i don’t know why that was a reply. i’m sorry and will go to bed now, since i apparently need to.

    2. OldGranddad114

      you get me

  38. JessWitt

    There can only be one Batman. Solution: Bat-usi dance-off.

    1. John

      Somehow Amazi-Girl becomes RA.

      1. JessWitt

        Not somehow. Expected.

        1. Lipke the Articulate

          +1

  39. ridtom

    Well, I mean, since it’s really the school officials decision… wouldn’t all Dorothy have to do is show her qualifications and achievements compared Roz’s… uh, attempt at “political activism” that got her a lecture by the Dean?

    Well, Dorothy also knows Roz and Leslie tried to do some shady stuff regarding Roz’s sister, but that’d be rude to bring Leslie into it.

    And weird to segue in. “DON’T TRUST HER! SHE AND MY WOMEN’S STUDIES PROFESSOR TRIED TO SEDUCE A SENATOR FOR… WEIRD IF NOT WELL-INTENTIONED REASONS!”

    1. BBCC

      Roz also has volunteer work for Planned Parenthood, and I’d be surprised if she didn’t volunteer elsewhere as well, though we’ve no evidence of it.

      This gives her healthcare resources outside what campus health can provide, access to emergency sexual health help, potentially access to hormones for Carla should something happen with her regular doctor/provider (assuming it isn’t Planned Parenthood already) as well as resources for surviving rape from when she tried to put Joyce in contact with help, and I would be genuinely shocked if she didn’t at least know where to find resources for LGBT+ folks, legal help, political information or resources, or resources for other issues they might need help with (such as domestic violence counselling, help with abusive family, therapist numbers, etc.). She’s also better at networking and day to day social skills, which is something that RAs need, because it’s a good way to build good casual relationships with your floor to the point they might trust you if they needed help.

      Don’t get me wrong, Dorothy is a good candidate, but Roz has some legitimate points in her corner.

      1. Mav

        It’s really weird to me that people are just reducing Roz to her sex tape. I could definitely see the administrations bias, but to say that all she is personally is her video isnt cool.

        1. BBCC

          I’m more weirded out people keep insisting she’s ‘less qualified’. Like, what qualifications do people think Dorothy has that make her so much more preferable?

          Dorothy’s list of qualifications, from her own words:

          – She wants the job (so does Roz)
          – She has excellent grades (we know nothing about Roz’s grades – for all we know, so does she)
          – She has the correct temperament (…yeah, okay, I’ll give her this one.)

          I think Dorothy is selling herself short here, but her own offered list of qualifications is hardly iron clad or super impressive.

          I’m kinda tempted to run through the girls on the floor and list some of the pros and cons I can see for them as RAs.

  40. BBCC

    I have now decided Roz likes superhero stories. Why? Cuz I can and she’s been referencing them lately.

  41. Kris

    You know what’s from Batman?
    “I’m Batman”
    That’s totally from Batman. I fact checked it and everything.

    1. SUGauthor

      You sure? Because that sounds more like a line from My Little Pony.

      1. Emperor Norton II

        I’m Batpony.

        1. Emperor Norton II

          No wait, there’s a much more obvious one:

          I’m Batmane.

        2. Bagge

          Nailed it!

    2. missilentmurmur

      I think that is from Shortpacked!

  42. OldGranddad114

    Man, Roz annoys the hell out of me. Her politics strike me as performative; she’ll play up to the expectations people hold for her as The Accepting Chick when it’s easy or when it pisses off her sister, but any time the world gets a little gray she freaks. I mean, just look at like, any interaction she has with Joyce. Team Dorothy 4 Lyfe, is the point.

    1. BBCC

      Other than when she offered Joyce the therapists card.

      1. OldGranddad114

        Was that before or after she explicitly went to Joyce’s hang out only to meet a cute dude and left as soon as he did?

        1. OldGranddad114

          You know what, that was needlessly snide on my part. My bad, yo

        2. BBCC

          Before. And frankly, Joyce had been a bastard to her almost the entire year (not saying Roz was never cruel either) so why on earth would she want to go to her party to see Joyce? It’s not like she showed up acting excited to see Joyce – she admitted up front she wanted to see Jacob and ask Joyce why she was invited before she was going to split and go to another party. Roz does not need to play nice with the girl who has spent almost the entirety of their interactions before that party slut shaming her and being an asshole, no matter how far she went taking her to task over her hypocrisy in gender studies.

    2. Fart Captor

      She’s 18. Being a bit full of yourself is standard operating procedure.

      I’m on Team They’re-Both-Basically-Nice-People-Who-Care-But-Bring-Different-Skills-And-Flaws-To-The-Table

      1. Lailah

        Oh, if either of these two wins it’ll be Dotty. Her victory will bring her great suffering, and suffering makes the comic go round.

      2. Cerberus

        Indeed, though I’m putting a little asterix next to Roz for her gross little “I’m going to out my sister by encouraging my teacher to seduce her” stunt. And honestly, both are putting their wrong foot forward for what is a job not a political office.

        1. thejeff

          I still don’t think the plan was to out her sister – other than possibly to herself.
          And Leslie, I suppose.
          Not publicly out, at any rate.

        2. BBCC

          Leslie said their plan was to get them together and make Robin realize she was being a shithead. I don’t think the plan was to out her.

        3. thejeff

          It’s also possible that Leslie and Roz weren’t completely on the same page here. Leslie wanted to get laid meet her feminist idol. Roz was never entirely clear why she was willing.

        4. BBCC

          That’s true, but she was also right there when Leslie said their plan was to convince Robin, not out her, and she didn’t object. That was also the reason she gave Leslie (though that might be because Leslie blatantly caught her trying to hook them up).

        5. Spencer

          Roz also outed Robin to Dorothy after her plan fell through.

        6. BBCC

          That is true! I forgot about that. While she seems not to have planned to publicly out her, she definitely did do that and that is not okay. The fuck Roz?

        7. Lailah

          “Stupid kids behave thoughtlessly” is the meat of the webcomic.

    3. Emily

      All politics are performative to a degree. Non-performative politicians don’t get elected.

      1. Mav

        Indeed. Debates, discussions, rallies, it’s all performative to an extent because how else do you communicate to millions of people, most of whom the complexities of the power struggles, structures, and details of running the country/county/etc fly right over their heads? And frankly it shouldn’t be this way, but people tend to only care about topics specific to them anyway. So much of it is based on emotion. So politicians must perform if they want to get elected.

  43. Jabberwocky

    I’m not sure Roz understands how much of a black mark that sex tape’s gonna be on her application.

    1. SUGauthor

      Well if you can brag about sexually assaulting people on tape and still be elected president…

      1. Fart Captor

        …then everyone else needs to step up and hold each other to a higher standard.

        Which is not to say Roz’s sex tape should be held against her. I just felt SUGauthor’s comment just needed an addendum to make it less depressing

        1. OldGranddad114

          Yeah, a sex tape and actual sexual assault should never even be close to the same level (not that that’s what @SUGauthour meant, they were pretty clearly using it to show the worst possible thing that could be elected)

        2. Fart Captor

          I know, I was just clarifying that I didn’t mean that, though I may have been over-thinking

      2. Liliaeth

        ah, but that only counts for white men…
        apparently if you’re a white man, you can also be convicted for handing over secret material to your lover, and people will have no problem with you getting promoted to secretary of state. But God forbid if you used the same kind of personal mail server that your predecessor used, when you’re a woman…

    2. BenRG

      It probably won’t be an issue until her older sister is running for President and it suddenly turns up on a hard disc along with tons of classified emails.

  44. Rukduk

    Ok now I understand. This is like that one comic book storyline where everyone thought Bruce was dead, and then Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and I think Damien all ended up trying to fill his shoes and fought over who really was worthy of becoming the new Batman and proving that they were the best Batman. And that’s how we now have four female characters who are all “Batman” to some degree: Dorothy and Roz (unless Roz wants to be Bane, comics Bane is awesome), and then Amber/AmaziGirl and Sal.

    1. Belegcam

      Battle for the Key (to the RA’s awesome single room)

  45. Keulan

    All of them are Batman. The question is, which one is the Adam West Batman?

    1. Keulan

      Fucked up the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSaDPc1Cs5U

  46. NinjaNick

    I can’t resist siding with Roz and her Batman references.

  47. taekwondogirl

    Am I the only one who’s equally impressed but not impressed with both? I feel like everyone’s repping their choice too hard and dissing the other too much; there’s no semblance of balance in preference right now. Which amusingly is the kind of thing Roz is counting on.

    1. Lizzie

      Yeah, I feel this. I like Dorothy’s commitment to conflict prevention, but that doesn’t mean Roz wouldn’t be up to the task of mediating. Both seem fine with laying down the law. Neither is actively a bad choice. It seems silly that Roz kinda saying she doesn’t actively want the job is what makes me lean towards Dorothy, but for me personally that’s not an attitude you want going into an RA position.

    2. Cerberus

      Yup, definitely agree!

  48. Faun

    I’m kinda exasperated with both of them, more so with Roz because she’s being a dick vs Dorothy being cluelessly rude. Y’know I really don’t mind Dorothy having flaws like being socially inept as hell but, dang, you’d think she would have some sense to not have flaunted that spreadsheet.

  49. nothri

    Thank you, hidden text. I was very confused by Joyce’s ability to understand popculture.

  50. Annika

    Maybe it’s because I’m autistic, but I really like Dorothy’s straightforward approach to things. I would really appreciate it if any of my authority figures took note of my problems so that they could be remembered and addressed properly.

    There have been a few times where I’ve really liked Roz, and she’s definitely better RA material than Ruth, but she generally comes across as really bigoted to me (being intolerant of views and opinions other than her own)

    1. Emily

      I swear I’m gonna physically fight the next person who claims being “too” opposed to bigoted opinions is bigotry in and of itself. It’s technically accurate but it’s also fucking inane.

      1. JBento

        Cerebrus already returned my flamethrower, so here, you have it – I’ve just refuelled it. Orange Tuesday has brought all the “you’re not tolerant of my bigotry, you hypocrite” folks to the fore, and I already had no patience for them when a lot less of them were talking.

    2. Lena

      You know what? There’s nothing wrong with being intolerant of harmful opinions. Period. If you think so you enable abuse and oppression. Period.

      1. Mav

        Agreed. Roz wanted Robin to come to terms with the fact that she was oppressing queer people (and other marginalized people) with her politics. Joyce was being a huge asshole to her (and Joe) over the sex tape, among other things that have hurt people. Most of us like Joyce, but that doesn’t make what she did right nor should we tolerate it to spare her feelings and the feelings of people like her.

  51. BenRG

    I’m thinking that Dorothy will very shortly tire of being reminded that quotes are from Batman. Meanwhile, I can’t help but wonder by what strange confluence of events Joyce, of all people ended up seeing a Batman movie!

    1. Mav

      She could start off with Batman the Animated Series. It’s great quality and lots of lessons about grey morality and the pursuit of justice and forgiveness.

    2. Liliaeth

      Considering that Batman is about a billionaire fighting crime using extra legal methods, I could see her conservative parents approving of it;

      1. Leorale

        Nah, it’s because she briefly dated Ethan.

  52. Eldritch Gentleman

    Joyce watched Batman O_o We are learning more and more bizarre things about her.

  53. Pl0x

    I would rather have Dorothy as RA over Roz, if she would do away with the lists, because I feel like that’s creepy and intrusive. I know it’s part of the job to deal with people’s problems, but I don’t like being treated like a case project, and I already find it difficult to open up to people as it is. Even if it’s my therapist. I like and trust my therapist, but it took maybe a year or more to get to where we are now. And therapists are actually professionally trained to listen to and deal with people.

    Dorothy’s kind and hardworking and would make a good RA, but she needs to dial it down a bit.

    Roz on the other hand…would also make a good RA probably. I agree with others who’ve said that she would be better with lgbtq and other resources. (Not that Carla, for example, would need it, because I think she just does her own thing. Her parents are supportive and wealthy.) And also with throwing out unauthorized people. She’s kind of flippant and callous though, which makes me not trust or like her much.

    1. Daibhid C

      I would rather have Dorothy as RA over Roz, if she would do away with the lists, because I feel like that’s creepy and intrusive.

      First thought: But that’s what I’d do! It’s the only way I’d be able to keep track of such things, because it’s not instinctive with me.

      Second thought: And there’s no doubt in my mind that I’d be a terrible RA, so there’s that.

      1. pl0x

        I’ve thought more about this. Dorothy should ask for consent of each resident before taking notes about them.

        Also, I suppose I wouldn’t talk to either Roz or Dorothy much anyway. Because I don’t open up to people. So it doesn’t really matter for me and I should shut up now! But it never actually mattered because I’m not a fictional character in DoA!

  54. DarkoNeko

    Oh, Roz’s going that with the long term goal of pissing off her sister from the other side of the political board.

  55. Pumpkin_Cake

    I think that more people are siding with Dorothy on the poll because she’s a main character. Even in this one encounter, Dorothy was the perspective character and established her goal first. Roz showing up with the same goal wasn’t a character establishing her own goal, but an antagonist, since Dorothy’s was established “first”.

    1. Sam

      Or it could be they don’t like Roz. I don’t like Roz.

  56. Zaxares

    WHY ARE PEOPLE VOTING FOR UNKNOWN EVIL?! Do we want MIKE to become the RA? :O

    1. Tacos

      But he’s already known. Can’t exactly be Unknown Evil if you’re already known.

      1. Nono

        That depends, does Unknown Evil refer to an evil character we haven’t seen at all, or a character that we’ve seen but don’t know that they’re evil?

    2. BenRG

      I wish that I could vote for Head Alien. He might use all the students as ‘experimental resources’ but at least he’d keep them on their toes!

    3. Jhon

      Whatever you vote for, it will be 3 months before it happens. Because -buffer-, remember?

  57. Bagge

    [Ethan says something weird]
    Joyce: “What?”
    Ethan: “Sorry, Batman reference.”
    Joyce: “Oh, OK…” *looses herself dreamingly staring at Ethan’s butt.*
    [Ethan says something weird]
    Joyce: “What?”
    Ethan: “Sorry, Batman reference.”
    …

    Joyce’s and Ethan’s dating history!

    1. Reltzik

      Now, that is WAY too oversimplified.

      Ethan also made Transformers references, and Joyce also was enamored with his abs and chest.

      1. Bagge

        His glorious, glorious man-chest.

  58. GuyWithBoneitis

    Had I only known that the unknown evil was Mary…I would rather it be Carla.

  59. Daibhid C

    My problem with Roz is that she strikes me as someone who’ll do really well helping others as long as it’s something she already feels strongly about. If not, her advice will range from “who cares?” to inadvertently harmful. (I can just see her, like her Shortpacked doppelgänger, trying to explain to Jacob that there’s no such thing as sex addiction and he just needs to get laid.)

    (I can’t actually remember if it’s been established whether DoA Jacob has a sex addiction or not, but for the sake of the hypothesis, I’m assuming he does.)

    1. JBento

      If I recall correctly, Willis has either twittered or tumblred that the sex addiction did not make the trip from Shortpacked!

      1. Eldritch Gentleman

        She did ask him… I guess I forgot that bit. I withdraw that argument.

  60. Eldritch Gentleman

    Personally I wouldn’t trust Roz with this position.
    The main point people bring up is that personality and emotionally wise she is more fitting for the position because she has the inter-personal skills that Dotty lacks.
    This might be true but my problem with Roz is that unlike Dotty she would try to abuse her power. I mean imagine what she’d do Mary and probably Joyce if she could? Even unprovoked. Roz has proven multiple times that she is willing to use and even hurt other people to get what she wants. With the sex tape, what if it was anyone other than Joe? How would that affect them. And she was willing to use Leslie to cause a sex scandal with her sister, possibly destroy her career. Roz wants power to use it for herself.
    Dotty might not be perfect. She might see it as a stepping stone and people might see her lists as creepy but… is it bad? She volunteered for the position she thinks she is qualified for. And she will OBVIOUSLY work hard to make it work. She might see it as a stepping stone but she will definitely work to get results because good results will strengthen her reputation. Is it bad to give a job to a person who can and WILL do it properly regardless of their further motivations?
    Dotty is basically someone I trust to work hard and NOT abuse her power. She pretty much never abused the fact that she knows who Amazi-girl is. She could have Easily outed her and get a lot of reputation for such an achievement. But she did not. Would you trust Roz to do the same if outing Amazi-girl would benefit her somehow?

    1. JBento

      If Joe had issues with the sex tape being posted on the internet, he should have said something when Roz, y’know, asked him if he had any issues with it. If Leslie had issues with trying to seduce Robin, maybe she should have said no when asked… either time.

      You know who I don’t trust with information? Dorothy, who keeps disregarding Joyce’s wishes on how to handle her attempted rape.

      1. Eldritch Gentleman

        She did ask him… I guess I forgot that bit. I withdraw that argument.

        1. JBento

          Fair is fair – it wasn’t too long ago that I was under the (wrong) impression that she had asked for permission to record, but not to post. I think it waaaaassss… Fart Captor? who correct me.

          I really should get the books for ease of consultation, but the shipping alone makes my wallet cry in pain and despair.

      2. thejeff

        “Who keeps disregarding Joyce’s wishes on how to handle her attempted rape”?

        How so? Joyce has repeatedly said she doesn’t want to talk about it, doesn’t want to deal with it. Seems to me Dorothy is listening to Joyce.

        Which is probably a bad thing. She should let Joyce know what’s going on, though nothing’s really changed, despite the drama and the fight.

        1. JBento

          Okay, looked back all the way to find the exact quote:

          “I don’t even want to think about any of this anymore. Forget the police. I just want to pretend things are the way they were before.”

          Let us suppose that, by the miracle of utter incompetence, cluelessness and lack of fear of lawsuits on the part of the people organising the rally, Dorothy does get Ryan’s name. Then she… what? “Warns people” (via, say, a message board, whether physical or on the internet) seems like the only option. And then Ryan contests it (because duh), and then what?

          1) Dorothy retracts the accusation, and Ryan comes off as the poor victim of harassment by those evil feminists;

          2) Dorothy persists on the accusation, but puts someone else (perhaps herself) up as the victim of the rape attempt. Best case scenario, it goes nowhere, and Ryan comes out as the victim;

          3) Joyce is forced to come forward, which she specifically doesn’t want to do (and it might end up poorly anyway).

          There’s one option that isn’t catastrophic, and it’s the one that disregards Joyce’s wishes (for the record, I think if the situation comes up, 3) is exactly what will happen, if for no other reason than Joyce wouldn’t let Dorothy get burnt like that).

        2. BBCC

          4) Amazi-Girl beats the shit out of him.

        3. JBento

          Part 2?

        4. BBCC

          Very true, but it will make me happy as a reader.

          That said, if I were Amazi-Girl, I’d be tailing him so I could catch him with date rape drugs and call the police. LBR, a possession sentence would probably be longer than a date rape one would be.

        5. JBento

          It’s also far more likely to result in a conviction. Of course, Ryan IS “that nice boy who’s the son of a pastor,” so it’s pretty much a weighted coin toss either way.

          Did we ever find out which drug Ryan used?

        6. thejeff

          Well, a(n attempted) date rape using the drugs would hopefully be a longer sentence than just possession, since he’d both be in possession and raping, but that’s a long shot.
          And at the moment, AG doesn’t even know where to find him.

          AFAIK, we don’t know what he used.

        7. BBCC

          Well, if he’s busted with illegal drugs, he’s busted with illegal drugs. The police (especially, from what I’ve gathered, in places like Indiana) tend to take a very dim view of that. It’s far easier to prove than rape.

          No, but Billie (and subsequently the rest of the girls) have assumed it’s Rohypnol. All we know is it’s a pill, not alcohol.

          @ the jeff – maybe, but drug sentences in general tend to go longer than rape charges.

        8. Eldritch Gentleman

          So you are basically saying that they should let Ryan get away and have chances with other potential victims? If nothing else they could have Roz spread the news. She is a party girl with a lot of connections so she can let everyone know through unofficial channels. And really would it be that hard to get some rough dudes to mess Ryan up? Amazi Girl could do it too.

        9. JBento

          I’m basically saying that the window of opportunity to act on that particular front has passed. And assaulting Ryan is a good way to get the authorities involved ON HIS SIDE.

          I suppose there’s another option if they identify him that just came to me: they could maintain vigilance on him and catch him in the act next time. That… sounds feasible, if for no other reason that I have no idea what Amber/AG’s sleep cycle is.

        10. Eldritch Gentleman

          A real shame this isn’t happening in Eastern Europe. A couple of boyfriends would get together, beat the absolute shit out of him and no one would have seen anything…

        11. Lailah

          Yeah, when the US resorts to mob violence for this, it tends to end in a bunch of black people dead who in all probability didn’t do it.

        12. BBCC

          Yeeeaaaaaaah, in North America the history of ‘anti rape’ mobs usually also coincided with lynch mobs with people who most likely did not do it. Let’s NOT do that.

        13. BBCC

          I put in quotes because lbr, lynch mobs most likely did not give a fuck about being anti-rape, they were looking for an excuse to enact racist violence.

        14. JBento

          Nonsense, you elected a black president, racism is gone, gooone.

          /disgusted sarcasm

        15. BBCC

          Don’t look at me – Canadian. We have yet to do anything of the sort (hurry up, Canada, dammit).

        16. thejeff

          No, you’re right. They can’t really move forward on it without Joyce. OTOH, they can’t really move forward on it with Joyce, since there’s no evidence left and the chances of getting a trial, much less a conviction at this point are pretty slim.

          If they do actually identify Ryan, then she’d need to talk to Joyce – barring AG catching him in the act with someone else, in which case, they’d still want to let Joyce know.

          Currently, they’ve got nothing to go on and no real plan, so there’s little point in breaking Joyce’s wish to not think about it. Worth pursuing the possible lead, even though it’s a long shot.

          But I think I misunderstood: You don’t want Dorothy to talk to Joyce about AG having sort of found Ryan, you’re saying she’s disregarding Joyce’s wishes by following up that lead at all. Is that right?

          As for what to do: Warn people, through social media and spreading the word through the party scene (Roz?). Don’t give details that identify Joyce and don’t respond to any denials or contests he puts up. Just spread the word that old Scarface likes drugging and raping girls.

        17. JBento

          I’m not sure I understand your possible misunderstanding: are you saying that you initially thought I meant Dorothy telling Joyce about Ryan’s reappearance and are now considering that I meant the pursuit itself, or the other way around?

          Regardless: I think the pursuit itself is a disrespect, because I can’t really see anything good coming of it that doesn’t involve Joyce or mob ‘justice.’ I’m torn on the telling.

          On the one hand, there’s nothing to be gained in bringing Ryan back to the forefront of Joyce’s mind, especially if it’s to tell her that he still close at hand. On the other hand, Dorothy told her she’d tell her WHY she was asking Robin about the intern, so she cop to it, I guess?

          *pulls out a plastic hand* On the other OTHER hand, finding out what Joyce’s reaction to Dorothy pursuing it is is pretty much the only part of Ryan-hunt arc I’m looking forward to, so, er… (unless the unlikelihood of Ryan being caught, expelled, prosecuted and found guilty actually comes to pass, in which case popcorn’s on me, everyone)

          Also, Scarface is a good movie and I will not have it denigrated by association so!

        18. David M Willis

          remember, if someone tries to rape you, don’t warn anyone else about that guy

          that’s mob justice, which is way worse than that guy raping other people

        19. thejeff

          I am very queasy about the idea. Mob justice is bad. We have a legal system and don’t let people just handle offences against them for themselves for bery good reasons.
          OTOH, our legal system fails pretty hard, especially when it comes to rape, so what else can you do? And warning people isn’t actually attacking him, though smear campaigns can get pretty nasty.

          Dammit. I want the system to work.

        20. JBento

          By “mob justice,” I was referring to Eldritch Gentleman’s comment, not Dorothy/AG’s efforts.

          *I* think the whole thing should have been reported right off the bat. But Joyce didn’t want to. As far as we know, she STILL doesn’t want to, and while I do think that she should (odds are it won’t do much good so long after the fact, considering how poorly things generally go even with quick reporting, but still), I don’t think that’s anyone’s call to make but Joyce’s.

        21. JBento

          @thejeff: I think we ALL want the system to work (actually, I think we all want a better system to start with, because there’s some stuff that’s legal that shouldn’t be).

          The issue with mob justice is that it’s mostly uncontrollable, especially in a country such as the US with such a prevalence of firearms. Sure, today mob justice is a bunch of dudes who look carved, not grown, beating up a rapist because the system didn’t reach him, and we can all go “he got what he deserved.” What about not-that-long-ago, when mob justice was getting the first POC you could find and hanging them from the nearest tree? When it was throwing “witches” into a lake to drown? Once you start the fuse on that powder keg, how do you stop the chain reaction?

        22. Eldritch Gentleman

          To be fair an important bit of investigating Ryan is knowing who he is and MAYBE putting him behind bars because that would have helped Joyce. A big part of her trauma is that she is afraid that Ryan is hiding Somewhere Out There. If they’d identify and locate him and maybe even put him on trial it would be a step forward for Joyce because she’d know that he can’t hurt her anymore.

      3. Tan

        I think you’re forgetting that Joyce’s most recent stated wishes are that Ryan be stopped

        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/somewhere/

        1. thejeff

          Though Dorothy wasn’t there and wouldn’t know that.
          Amazi-Girl was of course and is acting on it.

  61. brasca1

    This is the life Dorothy wanted. Reaching out to ingrates, glad handing, pandering. If this actually turns into an election then I can see a potentially ugly situation if Mary is the swing vote.

    1. JBento

      If Mary is the swing vote, then everything is up for grabs: one one hand, Dorothy is more liable to pander to her than Roz (who is not at all). On the other hand, if Roz gets elected she gets her own room, which would mean Mary gets their room all to herself… and more freedom to have, ahem, personal time with a drawing of Reagan.

  62. trlkly

    Hah to anyone who kept saying they asked Roz to do it.

    More than that, I am staying away, lest I get so angry again. That was not fun.

    1. JBento

      You still don’t know if she wasn’t asked to do it. You DO know that, if she was asked for it, she went with “oh, I really don’t want to, but if you insist.”

    2. JBento

      Regardless, you know who ALSO wasn’t asked to do it? Dorothy.

    3. BBCC

      All this means is her reluctant leader schtick is an act, which was always a possibility. Nowhere does this confirm she wasn’t asked and rather manipulated people – especially since Agatha AGREED she came to Roz to support her. There’s nothing impossible that someone gave her the idea she should be RA/asked if she’d pursue it and she went ‘Huh. That’s actually a good idea, I mean, of course, *I* wouldn’t do it, but if YOU insist.’

  63. altalemur

    grrr. i still hate this kinda attitude, the “trying too hard” thing. it’s not that Roz isn’t trying, it’s that her effort looks effortless. but for Dorothy it’s obviously a learned skill that she puts effort into, so people think she’s worse at it? it’s shitty and ableist and every day of my work and social life.

    1. Liliet

      This. This is why I’m firmly on Dorothy’s side here, despite all the arguments for Roz. It’s personal now.

    2. Larkle

      Same. -.-

    3. Makkabee

      Dorothy’s pretty clearly standing in for Hillary Clinton here.

      Yes, plenty of people opposed Clinton over genuine policy disagreements, but a fair chunk of the complaints about her were along the lines of “she’s overrehearsed,” “she’s cold,” she’s trying too hard.”

      1. Marvelman

        Well, it was a little more than just being “over-rehearsed.” Hillary Clinton is a symbol of a corrupt political culture. She has over the course of her career accepted hundreds of millions of dollars in legalized bribes. It’s small wonder that the American electorate failed to get excited about her.

        1. CJ

          Just like Starhawk pointed out in her Blog: in the final election, it was not like she was running against Mahatma Ghandi. She was running against a guy with no political experience, the worst morals and and who surely has no problem at all with taking bribes.
          BTW: Has any bribe-taking been proven where Clinton is concerned? If yes, please provide sources, it not, please provide source that make it at least plausible, if you don’t have sources, please do not slander.

        2. thejeff

          “legalized bribes”.
          Like every other successful politician or for that anyone who runs a charity.

          It is however especially bad when a Clinton does it. Or a woman. Especially a woman Clinton.

        3. Marvelman

          CJ, I did say “legalized bribes.” Do you really think that all of the big banks and corporations that donated to Hillary’s campaign and pacs are just giving her money just because they like her, or because they think she’s going to be a good president? It doesn’t take a genius to realize that they are going to want something in return. Is Hillary Clinton the only politician who engages in this kind of behavior? No. Is she the worst of the lot? Probably not. But she and her husband are extremely successful at using this system and therefore symbols of a corrupt political culture that many Americans are fed up with. And I would be saying this whether Hillary was a man or a woman

      2. octopod

        Yes, and I hate it just as much when they say the same shit about Hillary Clinton.

        Working hard should not be a black mark on your record! Not only that, but given that people are more reluctant to identify genius in women (look it up), a requirement for “natural talent” is not only ableist but misogynist! Ugh.

  64. a person

    Now every time I read roz’s lines, she will always have Bane’s voice from here on out. God. Dammit….

    1. JBento

      You mean “hmmmf hmmf hmmmf hfff?” That’s the only english-speaking media that I’ve needed subtitles to understand.

      1. JBento

        …since I was 15, damn the lack of an edit feature.

  65. kater

    Both Dorothy and Roz might be putting a little too much thought into this, like bringing a PHD to water gun fight. I don’t think I spoke to my RA, or saw her out side of the semeseterly floor meetings which were dull in the extreme.
    Of course my college wasn’t written by Damn You Willis so…

  66. Larkle

    This is just depressing me now.

  67. Marvelman

    If I was Dorothy, I would go to the school paper and have them run the headline: “University To Appoint Porn-Star as Residence Advisor.”

    1. Spencer

      That would basically be Dorothy calling Roz a slut to keep her out of the job, wouldn’t it?

    2. JBento

      Well, that’s considerate of you. Most awful people who post here try to pass themselves off as reasonable to string us along a while, but you just come out and admit that you’re a slutshaming asshole. I appreciate it.

    3. BBCC

      Ah yes, Daisy would definitely print an article insulting one of her staff. Brilliant.

      http://itswalky.tumblr.com/post/74032400711/i-finally-found-the-roomies-strip-we-cut-out-from

    4. DSL

      I’d be interested in your thoughts on how Dorothy would “have” the paper do that.

      1. BBCC

        Especially since she isn’t the editor and double especially since, as Willis notes in the link above, ROZ WORKS THERE TOO. I doubt Daisy wants to open herself and the paper up to a workplace harassment lawsuit.

    5. Marvelman

      I apologize for my comments especially since such behavior would be out of character for Dorothy.

  68. BBCC

    Is the unknown evil Meredith? If not, CAN it be Meredith? PLEEEEEEEEEEAAAASE.

    *is excited for Meredith and can’t quite explain why*

    1. JBento

      Who’s Meredith (besides a preview on dumblr)? I tried searching her name as a tag and got no strips.

      1. BBCC

        She’s in Shortpacked! Wasn’t a very big character, but she’s been my head canon as Agatha’s crabby roommate for months, so I’m hoping for confirmation. 😛

  69. BBCC

    Okay, so pros and cons list time! Chloe seems to have expressed to Dorothy she’d prefer someone from the wing (which, imo, makes sense despite pre-existing relationships because they won’t have to go through the hassle and paperwork of moving far, will have a decent idea of general events and dynamic on the floor, it would be more convenient and expedient a month into the semester, and they can start immediately after training rather than needing time to move and figure things out first wrt any other arrangements they may have).

    The girls we know of on the floor are Joyce, Dorothy, Amber, Billie, Sarah, Sal, Dina, Ruth, Roz, Carla, Mary, Sierra, Mandy, Grace, Rachel, Other Rachel, Agatha, and (presumably) Meredith who will be in here either next storyline or the one after.

    List time! Feel free to point out anything I may have missed:

    Joyce
    Pros:
    – She’s good with and genuinely cares about people for people’s sake, and doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings towards anyone in the dorm.
    – She’s learning to be an educator
    – She will fight for her residents and has recently become more aware of the existence of bigotry and abuse and she will kill it where it stands.
    – Plenty of free time to do so.
    – Optimistic, empathetic and eager to help
    – Generally fairly accepting of others views, if stubborn about her own.
    – Can feasibly put her foot down and resolve conflicts herself in a reasonable manner.
    Cons
    – She’s very childish and immature (in the sense of getting in little petty squabbles, ex. with Walky). She’s improving rapidly, but this can still be a problem.
    – Naivety and unshed bigotry blindspots – again, rapid improvement, but these can still cause problems, like not knowing how or where to acquire resources.
    – She’s prone to panicking and freezing in an emergency (understandably!).
    – Has been prone to unjustifiable violence in the past (such as her date with Joe) and has recently had a bad anger episode (again, completely justifiable, but might be something to look into if it happens again)
    – Would probably benefit from some counselling for her recent traumas before taking a position of authority.
    – Doesn’t seem particularly interested.
    – Prone to blowing things out of proportion – may not mind her own business and report things that don’t need to be reported.
    – May show a few biases, prone to pressuring or trying to pressure folks into things they don’t want to do by asking over and over (not out of malice, but this could definitely be cause of a few complaints).

    Dorothy
    Pros:
    – Excellent grades
    – Correct temperament, no outstanding trauma to work through
    – Wants the job
    – Hard working, tenacious, and prone to taking initiative
    – Very organized
    – Empathetic and very good at giving advice
    – Good at forethought and planning ahead, would definitely think everything through.
    – A good listener
    – Stern enough to crack down on conflict and bigotry while also hearing things out that deserve to be heard out. A good mediator and strong conflict resolution skills.
    – No outstanding bad relationships in the dorm
    – Good with positive stress (challenges, deadlines, etc.) and responsibility.
    Cons
    – Not good with sensitive information and her methods of gathering such may cause complaints if its found dehumanizing or alienating.
    – Overbooked – she has a million things to do.
    – She’s very neurotic at times and can be prone to worrying – that may not be good in an emergency.
    – She needs a slight lesson on boundaries. When people tell you ‘no, go away’, that’s your queue to stop, not to try to trick them into talking.
    – Slightly judgemental and can be very fussy about the way things are handled, which may not endear her to residents who need help.
    – No experience with resources that we know of, though she has strong research skills and may know how to find them.

    Amber
    Pros
    – Definitely will not put up with any bullshit.
    – Considering her major and proficiency at it, likely getting good grades.
    – Shown mentoring skills before with Dina
    – Not many known strong relationships with those in the dorm either way – might make a good neutral party.
    – Good RA for kicking out abusive or unwanted visitors.
    – Good at taking care of others (ex. helping Billie to bed)
    Cons
    – Terrible social skills
    – Prone to escalation
    – Plagued with serious mental illness and trauma that would affect her job performance -she should seek counselling for before she is ready to work as an RA.
    – Lacks interest
    – Explosive temper
    – Is generally unavailable at night for reasons unknown to the administration.

    Billie
    Pros
    – Strong social skills
    – Knowledgeable about abuse and would not stand for it
    – Has basically been doing it in cases of Ruth’s absence
    – Capable of putting her foot down
    – Ample leadership experience (which is not at all like an ample ass!)
    – Adequate organizational skills and good conflict resolution skills.
    – Knows how to find resources in an emergency.
    – Seems to have first aid training
    Cons
    – Bad temper
    – Close to Ruthless
    – Known to be biased in her dealings with others.
    – Bad with private information (she basically outed Grace and Mandy to Joyce as day to day gossip) though has shown ability to keep secrets when she believes its an emergency
    – Distrusts authoritative institutions.
    – Prone to fights.
    – Would probably benefit from therapy before taking the job for her depression and addictive personality.

    Sarah
    Pros
    – Cares more than she acts like she does
    – Will DEFINITELY protect her residents
    – Can show a form of tact (such as knowing when ‘i told you so’ is not a good response to tragedy)
    – Capable of making tough decisions.
    – Doesn’t have many other commitments.
    – Would probably be good at cracking down.
    – Would definitely report any law breaking.
    Cons
    – Dislikes socializing and has poor social skills
    – No interest in the job and would prefer to study.
    – Not good at emotional support
    – No resource knowledge that we know of.
    – Prone to arguments and has lashed out in violence at least once, with multiple witnesses.
    – Negative opinions of most, if not all her dorm mates and cynical

    Sal
    Pros
    – Good crisis management skills
    – Seems to understand certain problems (injustice, marginalization, sexual assault) very well
    – Knows when its important to keep a secret (Joyce’s assault) and when it shouldn’t (letting Walky know what was wrong with Billie)
    – Good at thinking on her feet and in a crisis.
    – Has the physical chops to *ahem* escort unwanted folks from the property.
    – Wouldn’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
    – Will come down like the angry hand of god on people being asshole bigots.
    – Might know of resources outside the school that could be of service (though the legality of these may be questionable, see cons below).
    – No strong connections with the dorm mates – might make a good neutral party.
    – Can talk people through what they did wrong either nicely (see her talking to Joyce about her treatment of Ethan and what to do about Dorothy) or ….let’s call it firmly (see her talking to literally anyone being a bigot).
    – Hardworking, independent thinker, resourceful.
    – Tries to lean towards de-escalation
    Cons
    – Police record
    – History of fighting and violence
    – Questionable advice and questionable legality of advice
    – Bad temper and stubborn
    – Probably wouldn’t enforce rules she doesn’t see as a big deal.
    – Rarely available – she’s never in the dorm.
    – Distrusts authoritative structures and would hesitate (or even refuse) to go to the school or the cops for certain issues.
    – Would most likely reject the job outright, even if it was offered.
    – Had some struggles academically
    – Will not make it a secret if she does not like someone – potential for bias and conflicts.

    Dina
    Pros
    – Very clear headed and does her best to be unbiased.
    – No outstandingly bad relationships.
    – Capable of calling people out on mistreatment.
    – Practical and straightforward.
    – Rapidly improved her social skills
    – Thinks her way through things
    – Eager to learn and likes to help.
    – Keenly observant
    Cons
    – Still learning her social skills
    – Potential for conflict with religious students
    – Can be very stubborn
    – No evident conflict resolution skills.
    – Unlikely to be interested.
    – While she has her limits, she is not a very stern person normally and so may have trouble with the disciplinary aspect of the job.

    Ruth
    Pros
    – Pre trained
    – On medication and attending therapy to help with her depression and addictive personality
    – Knows campus resources
    – Good when people come to her with real problems
    – Practical, knowledgeable of some issues folks may have, capable of checking in without being nosy.
    – When she’s healthy, she was very attentive to her duties (Dorothy noted she was regularly up and down the halls and we’ve seen her offering advice to her residents)
    – Previously high job performance.
    – Good to remove unwanted visitors
    – Cracks down on bigotry.
    Cons
    – Would require monitoring to A) Ensure she isn’t having anymore issues, B) Watch for problems
    – Known to have struck at least one resident hard enough to have left a mark
    – Has what is called a ‘nuclear approach’ to discipline
    – Been caught drinking in the dorm
    – Known to have slept with her residents.

    Roz
    Pros
    – Empathetic to marginalization
    – Very strong social skills
    – No issues with telling people when they’ve misbehaved
    – No problem doing grunt work (her volunteering) or responsibility (her volunteering and her work at the IDS) without drowning herself in it
    – As such is likely rolling in resources
    – Aware of a variety of social issues and eager to help with them
    – Energetic
    – Offering of help even to those she stridently disagrees with.
    – Wants the job
    – Networking
    Cons
    – Caused the school bad publicity with her sex tape
    – Can be overly harsh in dressing down people
    – Problems with overstepping boundaries
    – Argumentative
    – Stubborn, smug, and obnoxious.
    – Bad relationship with Mary

    Carla
    Pros
    – Energetic
    – Keeps her own hours
    – Likely has a few resources that could help
    – Wouldn’t hesitate to tell people they’re being an idiot
    – She’s already got a single room – no need to move!
    – Likely lots of connections and contacts
    – Decently social
    – Can make hard decisions
    Cons
    – No interest in the job
    – Likes to annoy people and pull pranks
    – Spotty availability if she goes out at night.
    – Distrusts authoritative structures
    – Not good at emotional support or in a crisis – impulsive and rash.

    Mary
    Pros
    – Definitely capable of telling people they’re ‘not behaving’
    Cons
    – Bigoted
    – Bad relationships with almost the entire floor
    – Lashes out with emotional blows and bigotry
    – Makes mountains out of molehills
    – Doesn’t work with school structure
    – Escalates her conflicts
    – Stubborn and biased
    – Tends towards bullying and blackmail – potential liability.
    – Poor crisis skills
    – Unempathetic and intolerant of others existence

    Sierra
    Pros
    – Kind and good social skills
    – Doesn’t overreact to mishaps
    – Responsible
    – Studious
    – Accepting and facilitates learning, supportive
    – Eager to help
    – Good temperament
    Cons
    – Uncertain knowledge of/access to resources
    – Uncertain as a disciplinarian
    – Uncertain crisis management skills
    – Uninterested

    Mandy
    Pros
    – Inquisitive
    – No issue telling people they are out of line, even when it’s someone she’s close to
    – Responsible
    – Studious
    – Observant to a point.
    Cons
    – A little nosy, but can keep a secret
    – Unsure about her leadership skills
    – Conflict of interest – dating Grace
    – Untested for crisis skills.

    Grace
    Pros
    – Inquisitive
    – Does not put up with bullshit
    – Observant…to a point.
    – Can sniff bigotry and bullshit from a mile away.
    – Calm in a crisis
    Cons
    – A little nosy, but can keep secrets
    – Blunt
    – Seems uninterested for the most part with other folks.

    Rachel
    Pros
    – Capable of calling folks out
    – Can quickly smell bullshit
    – Seems to have decent social skills
    – Quick, clear thinking in a crisis
    – Willing to work with the school.
    – Does not seem easily intimidated
    – Shows initiative
    Cons
    – Doesn’t want it
    – A little immature wrt teasing
    – Cynical – might discourage people coming to her if they don’t believe it will get anything done.

    Other Rachel
    Pros
    – Friendly enough, decent social skills
    – Keeps up with campus news, knowledgeable about goings on
    Cons
    – Uninterested
    – Immature with regard to teasing
    – Untested for crisis skills or leadership.
    – Questionable as a disciplinarian.

    Agatha
    Pros
    – Friendly enough, day to day social skills
    – Helpful and quick thinking.
    – Willing to work with school system.
    – Does not make mountains out of molehills
    – Supportive
    Cons
    – Uninterested
    – Seems easily intimidated
    – Uncertain as a disciplinarian
    – Seems to prefer following to leading.

    Meredith (since she hasn’t shown yet, allow me to reference her Walkyverse self)
    Pros
    – Confident social skills
    – A bit prone to leading
    – Didn’t seem likely to be intimidated
    – Capable of nicely telling people what they did wrong and also being firm.
    Cons
    – Not the nicest
    – No knowledge on crisis or conflict resolution skills
    – Uninterested as far as we know
    – Unempathetic.

    1. JBento

      Holy crap. O_o

      You even gave Mary a pro there.

      Seeing as you seem willing to put in the work, I vote BBCC for RA. Show of hands.

      1. BBCC

        That would require me to move to the states, and more specifically to Indiana. Considering who they’ve elected governor and who the US just elected, I think you’ll all forgive me for saying ‘FUCK NO’.

        Y’all can pry my socialized health care and gay marriage out of my cold dead hands. XD

        1. BBCC

          Also, jesus god, picking out a pro for Mary was like pulling teeth. I originally gave her two – the other was going to be ‘willing to work with authoritative structure’ before I remembered how much she did NOT do that when it came to reporting Carla’s skating in the halls and how much she escalated that situation – so yeah, not only did she not get two pros, she got a couple more cons!

          Mary just really really would suck at RA-ing. I think most of the other girls would make decent, if flawed, RAs assuming they’re healthy.

    2. Fart Captor

      You forgot one!!
      Becky
      Pros
      – Is highly visible
      – Currently has plenty of free time
      – An early riser- Intelligent, studious
      – Rad haircut
      – Cares about and gets along with most people
      – Has lots of energy
      – Good at thinking on her feet
      – Appreciates the importance of privacy, locked doors
      – Freckles
      – As a lesbian, she has common ground with numerous LGBT residents
      – Is capable of being stern, standing up to toe-shaped bullies
      – Is a redhead like previous RA, providing a comforting sense of continuity
      Cons
      – Not currently enrolled
      – Possibly too rad. Other residents may get jealous

      1. BBCC

        Sadly, that first con kept her from being included. XD

        Aw, hell, let’s include the goofball for fun anyways!

        Pros

        – Enthusiastic and energetic
        – Hardworking and resourceful
        – Social skills
        – Respect for boundaries, for the most part
        – Most of the residents like her.
        – Doesn’t seem to have a bad temper
        – Quick thinking in a crisis
        – A willingness to take initiative
        Cons
        – Immature
        – Probably still has a few bigotries to boot out.
        – Has another job that she can’t do at home and so may have limited availability
        – Untested as far as real authority goes.

    3. Megz

      You should probably also keep in mind that none of the freshmen would be made R.A.

      No matter their skill set, they all too young to be in charge of the well being of others, including those they are younger then. They’re also going to be seen as inexperienced being that this is the first time most of them have lived away from home and are just getting the hang of taking care of themselves. The administration would realize that any of the older students would try and take advantage of this and not listen to a freshman R.A.

      If anyone but Ruth is being made R.A., it’s likely going to be a Junior or Senior. Maybe a Sophomore if they’re really capable. So yeah, I don’t see why Roz or Dorothy are even trying seeing as they’re both freshmen and under-qualified.

      1. JBento

        Dorothy apparently asked Chloe (who’s in charge of picking RAs), and word is that freshmen applications will be fielded.

        I can’t see Ruth continuing as RA, not with having had sex with one of her charges.

      2. BBCC

        Realistically, no they wouldn’t. The wait list for RAs at this school seems either short or non-existent (considering Ruth was considered their best and the other applicants were worse, I wouldn’t be shocked if the admins never made a wait list or, considering the other RAs were messes, if they’d used up their wait list by now).

        1. BBCC

          That said, Dorothy went to Chloe about it and she said, while it was a long shot, she would field applications from competent freshmen.

  70. Tenn

    Little known fact: Roz’s impression of Tom Hardy’s impression of Darrell Hammond’s impression of Sean Connery is spot-on.

  71. Thursday Violist

    I agree with Joyce. I think that’s from Batman, too.

  72. chris73

    Ok Dorothy, you’re the best candidate for this role now lets see you prove it.

  73. Ensiform

    Who the hell are Grace and Mandy?

    1. Spencer

      Total bit characters. They’re roommates and they’re dating and that’s all you really need to know.

    2. John

      Mandy and Grace. Grace is the tall blonde. Mandy has recently dyed her hair cyan. They’re roomies, they live on the floor, they’re in a relationship, and Billie helped them resolve a “lovers’ spat” one time.

    3. Pablo360

      They were our Greek chorus for two panels during the Toedad arc.

      1. BBCC

        No, that was Rachel and Other Rachel.

  74. Hinoron

    Easy there Dorothy, you’re getting a bit “useless”. ^_-

  75. Jhon

    James Buchanan for RA! He has an amazing resume — hey, he could even be President one day!

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