387

Screening
Posted on December 14, 2014 by David M Willis

387 thoughts on “Screening”

  1. Camachri

    Hurt me?

    HURT ME?

    NO MORE. WHAT IS LOVE???

    1. Tunaro

      BABY DON’T HURT ME

      DON’T HURT ME NO MORE

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        When I hear that song now, it reminds me of how difficult it is to fly a spacecraft through those tight spaces.

        1. Kelly

          I don’t know about that but it does make me thing of ST:TNG characters in a car listening to music.

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          Time to shake your head!

        3. Kelly

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9RGZxjORF0

        4. TCS

          This is the one I think of.

        5. Mantinone

          I think of Knytt Stories!

        6. Thomas Wrobel

          Don’t Eat The Mushroom! Best game EVER!

        7. Keulan

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGvZa3tiYwY

        8. TheLurkerAbove

          It wasn’t that hard. I only died once!

        9. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          I hate that sequence every time I replay the game. Arg – is that ship made out of glass?

        10. Dean

          And how that final cutscene always crashes my game, unless I turn the graphics settings down.

        11. ed rhodes

          I’m a little lost. What game are we talking about?

        12. 4th Dimension

          I think it’s Saints Row 4, but I don’t get how they could have been having problems with that ship flying/escape scene?!?

        13. Plasma Mongoose

          You are correct, it was Saints Row 4 but it took me several tries before I could finally get past that damn stage, my poor vision didn’t make it any easier that’s for certain.

        14. Corey

          Zinyak “ruining” Biz Markie is the highlight of that beautiful game. Can’t wait for “Gat Out of Hell”.

        15. StClair

          “Why throw away your life so recklessly, Saint?”

        16. Plasma Mongoose

          @Corey: I wish they had a full length version of Zinyak singing to Biz Markie, it would have been awesome.

        17. President

          Saints Row 4?

    2. a4lbi

      NONOONONONNONOOO

      *gives Camachri an award… and smacks it out of their hand*

      1. Maveric1984

        I THREW IT ON THE GROUND!

        1. Ahighfunctioningsociopath

          “Man. I ain’t part of your system.”
          And since I ain’t part of your system,
          “Life’s too short to even care at all.”

      2. Camachri

        Your collective suffering is all the reward I need. But thank you anyway!

        1. Thomas64

          I don’t know anything about Saints Row 4, but boy I do love Eurodance, and that is a great song. Also, those videos are hilarious, especially the one with Riker/Picard/Data. 🙂
          Where did the footage of the three guys in the car come from?

        2. gwalla

          The “A Night At The Roxbury” sketches from SNL.

        3. Thomas64

          Thanks!

    3. AgentKeen

      http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2013-04-01

      Just for a couple of the panels.

      1. The Olympic Sprite

        😀 I’ve reread that comic series sooooooo many times!

  2. OsoPescado

    WAIT IS SHE ABOUT TO PUNCH SARAH???

    1. CommunistCanada

      Yes. Please I hope so yes.

      1. Yotomoe

        What did Sarah ever do to you?

        1. CommunistCanada

          I just want to see Joyce snap. She was one of the few characters in It’s Walky! who never snapped.

        2. Yotomoe

          My memory may be a little fuzzy but I FEEL like she did.

        3. -Sentinel-

          She broke a glass on Ryan’s face.

        4. Yotomoe

          We’re talking about the Walkyverse, Sentinel.

        5. Jen

          Oh, she snapped in Walkyverse. She snapped like a twig made of a thousand and one Succubi.

        6. Deanatay

          I think in Roomies, she came pre-snapped…

        7. Luzahn

          This is the girl who repeatedly mind-wiped herself to repress trauma, yes?

        8. madock345

          Really? Joyce never snapped? Even if you’re only reading along with the Roomies Redux, she’s already snapped like three or four times.

        9. Durandal_1707

          I’d think that freaking out so hard that you agree to a mind-wipe that turns you into an amnesia patient just to forget what you’ve seen has to qualify as snapping.

        10. newllend

          What comic was I reading ?

        11. CommunistCanada

          In response to all above, I mean snapping like when Walky got mindwiped by Penny. Just going insane and beating the closest people around. She came close with sal once But I don’t recall her actually laying a beatdown on someone.

        12. Riku

          She killed somebody (arguably).

        13. 4th Dimension

          How about that time when alliens captured them all and she went besek and broke from her restraints because everybody kept calling her useless?

        14. legatostaccato

          having not read the other comics…. what.

        15. Aris Katsaris

          In case you didn’t know: This continuity is strictly realistic (no SF or Fantasy elements), but the *other* comic continuity had aliens in it and Joyce (and Walky and Sal and several other people) was among the abductees that had been given superpowers by them and eventually ended up fighting against them.

          Those aliens are the origin of all mentions of the “Head Alien” Dexter and Monkey Master that you hear about as being merely Walky’s favourite cartoon show in this continuity.

        16. JetstreamGW

          What about that time she beat her doppelganger to death?

        17. AgentKeen

          And the pictures were gruesome enough to get censored on the news, I believe.

        18. Bryanp

          Ummm. Didn’t she murder her own clone?

        19. skyeribbon

          Yeah there was a whole period of time when she was considered super dangerous and unstable and people were tiptoeing around her so she didn’t go all she hulk on them

        20. Starscreamer

          She snapped in Walkyverse. Oh yeah she did 🙂

        21. CommunistCanada

          In response to all above again, I didn’t really count the Nega-Joyce storline, since she a) it was a one shot kill, b) it was her ‘evil’ clone, and c) I’d forgotten about it.

          As for the time she ‘attacked’ Sal for calling her Useless, she never did any damage to her at all. Left no marks. I’m talking about the kind of snapping that happened when Walky beat sal up with a Segway.

        22. Mr. Morningstar

          to be honest Sarah is kind of a jerk so she kind of deserves to get chewed out.

          but not punched tho, only assholes like blaine deserve THAT kind of treatment.

    2. OsoPescado

      THIS IS GETTING SO STRESSFUL AAAAAA

    3. Kelly

      No. A lot of people seem to think this, and I have no idea why. Aside from the fact that she wouldn’t, it isn’t remotely the right movement/pose for that.

      1. Hollister Dixon

        That is absolutely the right pose for someone who has only ever seen people punch other people in movies.

        1. Raijin K

          90s comics, maybe. Her butt is pointed at Sarah. That’s some Escher Girls combat style.

      2. timemonkey

        Last panel, she’s turning, angry and her fists are clenched.

        1. Barf Ninjason

          Also a good pose for yelling at people if I’m not mistaken.

        2. Kelly

          She’s far more worried/upset than angry in the last panel. There is some anger, but it isn’t the main thing.

        3. JustCheetoDust

          Only her upper body is turning, and no one’s going to throw punches postured like that. Granted it’s not like she can’t turn completely around in the next comic, but panel 5 isn’t a guarantee of violence.

        4. Perish Song

          My hunch is that she realizes that SHE (Joyce) has hurt Becky more than Becky has hurt her. To me, it looked like she’s rushing to chase after Becky.

          ‘Course, now that I’ve said this, the next page will be her decking Sarah in the face.

        5. StClair

          Or trying to. Ineffectually. Like an angry kitten.

        6. Disloyal Subject

          If you go for the face, it’s bound to hurt anyway. And as the sole girl out of… four? siblings, she’s no weakling anyway.

        7. The_Specter

          I’m the 4th of 9 children… she’s got nothing on me lol

        8. Deanatay

          faaaaace?

      3. JustCheetoDust

        I suppose the motion lines in the last panel are another factor to take into consideration with how people are expecting this to play out.

      4. Jerden

        Since when is there I pose for punching? OK, since martial arts, I guess. But you can spontaneously punch from any position.
        But I don’t think this will end in punching. Probably tears and a need for comfort, thus making Sarah really uncomfortable.

    4. Cephalo the Pod

      Well she was perpendicular/slightly turned towards Sarah, so it’s not like she’s twisting her body to face her.

      1. Kelly

        I can’t quite visualize the room, but I feel like maybe Sarah walked past her, and now Joyce is turning to face Sarah.

        1. Raijin K

          No, you can tell by the billboard that Sarah doesn’t move after she enters. Joyce is turning away from Sarah while shouting over her shoulder.

      2. Raijin K

        And she’s not twisting her body to punch either. Her lower body is completely facing away from Sarah in the last panel.

        1. Kris

          A punch is a funny thought but really it will probably be one of two things.

          She’ll stress dump on Sarah or she’ll run after Becky. Probably both.

    5. OrtyBortorty

      no that’s impossible

    6. Taigan

      I dismissed some people’s suggestion that Joyce would punch Becky for kissing her because it seemed out of character. Joyce can turn violent, but she needs a ramp up.

      Reading this strip, I see it may be a short ramp.

    7. Baf

      No. She is about to *try* to punch Sarah.

      1. StClair

        This.

    8. Heavensrun

      I’m pretty sure she’s starting to run off after Becky.

    9. Trolldrool

      It’s actually incredibly usual in comics to draw characters with clenched fists to point out that they’re frustrated. As I see it, that’s all that’s going on here. She’s not turning around to punch Sarah. No, she’s turning around because it’s common human behaviour to look people in the face when you’re about to yell at them or vent your frustrations at them verbally.

  3. Tunaro

    And the shit continues to hit the fan.

    1. Triniking1234

      Really? How’d we obtain all this shit?

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        From assholes naturally, where else?

        1. JustCheetoDust

          http://tinyurl.com/oecyu2j

        2. 4th Dimension

          At least it’s not syntethic poo but natural free range one.

    2. Drunken Nordmann

      And now imagine missing at least three pages and being confused about fecal matter all over the place- I’ve basically gone from Joyce and Becky talking to each other to this page.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        I’d think you’d expect such whiplash from this comic by now.

  4. CommunistCanada

    Sarah, you stupid…

    Also, what’s screening Calls?

    1. Jess

      It has 2 meanings, at least that’s what past experiences have taught me.
      Either A, making sure no one else can can you or B, checking call history.
      I’ve heard it more used in the context of preventing calls/ not answering calls, though.

    2. Regalli

      If someone’s calling, seeing who it is before letting it through. Not sure how she’d do that with a cell phone preemptively, though. I usually require caller ID.

      1. anonymsly

        Most smartphones (I think most cellphones now?) have a call reject feature on the phone itself. You can turn it on and add specific phone numbers, and those callers only will be forwarded to voicemail as though the phone was turned off. The phone won’t even ring.

        I got SO many calls in tech support on that very issue, because on some models (Samsungs mostly) it was insanely easy to accidentally set someone on the reject list so calls and messages wouldn’t come through.

        Becky might have been adding her parents, Joyce’s parents, any other mutual friends, their old pastor, whatever numbers she knows onto Joyce’s reject list.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          I believe Becky was stated to not have a cell phone.

        2. anonymsly

          Right, I meant she’s putting numbers on Joyce’s phone’s reject list to screen them out so even if those people try to call Joyce to ask ‘have you seen Becky? Is she with you?’ or what-have-you, the calls won’t ring through at all. Thus pre-emptive screening.

        3. The Weirdo

          But how would she know how to do that? It’s true that a reject list is fairly common knowledge… if you have a cell phone or have an interest in them.

          I think it’s mostly Sarah being needlessly paranoid about this. Becky was playing games. Sarah, suspicious curmudgeon that she is, immediately assumed she was a KGB spy and called the special forces to neutra-
          Wait. Wrong comic.

    3. Wendy

      I think in is case it means she was checking to see who Joyce was calling and who was calling Joyce.

      1. Bix902

        I dunno. I think Becky didn’t tell anyone she was leaving and she was screening Joyce’s phone to make sure he parents or anyone else wasn’t calling to find her. Not that she was snooping through Joyce’s history

        1. John

          Maybe she should’ve been snooping through Joyce’s history. Browsing backwards through those pictures of dingdongs might’ve given her enough of a clue to abort the “kiss the girl” plan.

        2. Leorale

          True, but mitigated by the google history for “strap on”.

        3. Swoop

          That actually makes a lot of sense.

    4. AgentKeen

      Actually, that was one of the theories going around when Becky showed up. Sarah was pretty suspicious of Becky’s story (cause it seemed inconsistent), and so thought the families back home sent her to check on Joyce and make sure she wasn’t going native, which could include things like checking to make sure she’s not making booty calls or whatever.

      Sarah wasn’t around for the rest to know that it’s basically the opposite.

  5. Jess

    FUCK GOTTA WAIT 24 HOURS NOW

    1. lejwocky

      My thoughts exactly

      1. Jess

        Ok about 12 and a half hours down.

        1. Static Air

          10 hours and counting.

        2. Ali

          4 hours! Oh my god!

        3. Chris

          I have an interview in the morning… I have to sleep… FUUUUUUUUU

        4. Chris

          Time zones for the win.

  6. carl320

    Becky don’t hurt me!

  7. maxlines

    Uh oh.

  8. Tom Speelman

    OH. OH NO.

  9. EvergreenFir

    I’m confused…

    1. Swoop

      About what?

  10. Snufflesworth

    Joycesplosion.

  11. starkruzr

    Sarah has pushed Joyce one step closer to the edge, and she’s about to break.

    1. jeffepp

      She will find the answers aren’t so clear.

      1. Clif

        I thought that Becky kissing Joyce would break Joyce. It didn’t. It broke Becky. Sarah is not about to break Joyce. Instead, Sarah usefully moved Joyce from a state of shock to a state of determined action.

        Or maybe we just read different comics.

      2. jeffepp

        Actually, we were singing a song.

      3. Dutch

        She wishes she could find a way to disappear…

  12. A Nickel

    I was a Patreon member until recently. Moments like this, I would immediately look ahead. But Willis keeps leaving things haning, so I had to look ahead everyday. It made almost no difference in the end, I only had one comic a day. I would try to ween myself off by not reading for a day or two, but then something like this would happen and I would be right back in Patreon looking at tomorrow’s strip everyday for a week. In the end I decided it wasn’t worth it, especially if I bought the book later. I would still be getting only one strip a day unless I strung myself out. Damn you Willis, you Crack comic dealing Cracker.

    1. Barf Ninjason

      Back to the old Vitamin Heroin fer me, thanks

    2. Aolbain

      Ynis is the reason I won’t go over 1$ on Patreon, beyond being a poor student.

      1. Aolbain

        And of course I meant ‘this’. I have no idea who Ynis is, but I doubt s/he is influencing my action that much.

        1. Steven

          Ynis has a few google hits; An Intervention service for youth, a song, and the main character for a book series.

        2. Allen Tor

          Based on the name, I’m guessing that Ynis is some kind of Eldritch Abomination and he/she/it/they is/are totally influencing your action and that, that typo was your subconscious trying to warn either you or us.

        3. Clif

          Shhh. Don’t see the fnords.

        4. The Weirdo

          ILLUMINATUS! *dramatic finger point*

        5. A Nickel

          No. The Wiliis.

        6. gwalla

          Don’t see the what? Your message got cut off.

    3. 4th Dimension

      Maybe a better way would have been to offer one off purchases of tomorow’s comics?

  13. Triniking1234

    Late for makeouts as usual, Sarah.

  14. Plasma Mongoose

    You can never trust those redheads right, Sarah?

  15. liahansen

    I just remembered the name of the chapter

  16. Regalli

    Awww, Joyce. Even if she doesn’t return Becky’s feelings, even if Becky addressed them in the wrong way, she still cares and d’aaaaw.

    1. Regalli

      Oooh, and look at that last-panel expression, too. That is a Joyce who hates herself.

      After all, one of her best friends just gave her the most wonderful gift of all – the greatest thing one could possibly be given – and she just threw it back in her face.

      This is not a good day for Joyce, clearly.

      1. liahansen

        That’s how I’m interpreting it too. She’s angry, but not particularly at Sarah. Doubt she’s going in for a punch.

        1. anonymsly

          I agree, it looks like she’s turning away from Sarah, yelling over her shoulder, and those look like shoulders/fists primed to move to me. (Sarah’s been in front of her all the other panels with the posters/tagboard to the left, then Sarah’s behind her and the posters/tagboard have switched sides.)

          Sarah’s very Sarah-like protectiveness of Joyce via assumption of ill-intent on the part of someone else has snapped Joyce out of her shock and allowed her to start thinking and acting. Or so it seems to me. Go Sarah? I guess?

      2. Anders

        aw snap, and this is right after Dorothy told Walky she loved him and Joyce was all sad that they had that and she didn’t…..

        1. artemi

          Exactly. On top of that, Joyce completely fumbled the response, just like she yelled at Walky about. Sure, she might not loveLOVE Becky, but she’s her best friend and she seems to understand she hurt her pretty badly.

      3. Rutee

        There’s no hatred so personal as self-hatred.

  17. dailybrad

    I knew that had to have Joyce feeling super guilty.

  18. timemonkey

    For a minute there I thought maybe Sarah had been in the room the whole time.

  19. Hollister Dixon

    Oh, so THAT’S where Joyce’s breaking point is. I was wondering!

    1. Mr k

      Maybe she’ll finally start swearing!

      1. Hollister Dixon

        I honestly thought this strip was going to be three panels of Joyce trying to wrap her mind around everything, and a fourth-panel of her just staring down at her bed, with a single speech bubble: “Fuck.”

        1. Carriethedragon

          Aside from the specific cause, that’s pretty much how I started swearing. And nobody else knew I swore for, like, two years.

        2. NikkyD

          Lol basically the same here.

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      Bakusai Tenketsu!

      1. Zuche

        Well played, Plasma Mongoose. I’d never have seen that coming. It’s almost as unexpected as Ryoga Hibiki winding up on the Pie family rock farm.

        …and darn you for getting that idea into my head.

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          It’s a pity that Bakusai Tenketsu only works on things like rocks and concrete not human bodies.

  20. BassBone

    Oh shit…

  21. Rosicrucian

    Contents under pressure, Sarah. Contents under pressure.

  22. Kelly

    Poor Joyce. Now that you have snapped out of the shock, go find her!

  23. JessWitt

    Yes Joyce! Run after her – Becky’s probably at that fountain she loves so much!

  24. A Nickel

    Oh no Joyce is mad because she couldn’t do anything to help her friend when she was sort of the cause and regrets it so hard and wants to be there for her right away, but does she know how?

  25. IAmDeltaS

    Oh no.

  26. Barf Ninjason

    No, Joyce! Don’t make out with Sarah instead! That’ll just hurt Becky’s feelings even MORE!!

  27. the last guy

    This is kind of nice, this shows a bit about Joyce, that while she was raised with strong christian beliefs and that one of the biggest parts of her life (childhood friend) has severly changed. She is more worried about the pain she inflicted on Becky then the fact she was involved in a lesbian kiss.
    I’m proud of you Joyce….now i’m going back to my sinking ship to cry….

  28. ThisIsSoLemons

    I’m gonna go out on a limb and predict that this experience will drastically change Joyce’s opinions on homosexuality

    1. newllend

      That or make her even more homophobic.

      1. Yotomoe

        Gay, not even once.

        1. Swoop

          When I first gayed, I was hooked. I stayed up all night for days just… Gaying. I lost weight, my only concern was getting my next fix. The worst part is that it was my gateway orientation. I hope Joyce will be ok.

  29. Just Here

    Finally, here’s where Joyce strips some gears. Pass the popcorrn and crank up Time to define your good Joyce, not anybody else’s.

  30. Emperor Kiva

    Joyce don’t feel bad. You were honest with her but when the truth shattered her fantasy she couldn’t handle it.

  31. Hoboturtle

    “Hurt me? She made me feel wonderful and that’s the problem!”

    Please allow this to be the end of the sentence.

    1. Barf Ninjason

      O my sweet summer child

    2. Aolbain

      I’m giving that as big a chance of being true that I can possibly allow myself to (about 5%).

  32. newllend

    Joyce that’s a bit much and Sarah you don’t trust ANYBODY.

    1. Yotomoe

      Maybe I’d think that was a bad thing if she wasn’t always RIGHT.

      1. newllend

        OK so she has a good reason too, moral of the story is “never let you guard down” bet Joyce wished she knew that.

  33. timemonkey

    Tomorrow Joyce goes on a huge rant that Sarah shuts down by pointing out her hypocrisy by dating Ethan.

    1. Ben

      I don’t see Joyce sticking around for the shut down…. I see her storming out after ranting. That said, the shut down would likely still happen later.

    2. Zach

      Your avatar would have loved this show.

  34. Gram91

    For some reason, this is making me think Walky will say something inappropriate related to this later on that’ll piss Joyce off.

    1. Yotomoe

      “Man, offhand I sure hate redheaded lesbos.”
      (You know. So he can piss off Billie AND Joyce)

      1. MM

        And Carla.

      2. Gram91

        I was thinking more like how he’s always commenting on how attached Joyce is to Dorothy, insinuating that she’s a lesbian. I would hope this would lead to her finally swearing, or at least punch him for when he really deserves it. I dunno, I just don’t like the Walky of this universe very much.

        1. Yotomoe

          I dunno. He’s my favorite Walky. I’m basically just a blacker, dreadlockier, artier dumber Walky.

        2. newllend

          There’s walky like that deep down within us all, Embrace the inner Walky people !

        3. Luzahn

          I currently own only one pair of shoes, does that count?

          (Dammit, I need to remember to get more shoes.)

        4. Gram91

          You eventually get shoes for different occasions.

        5. Disloyal Subject

          Hiking, running, metal shop, formal dress, workout, aquatic.
          Six is a good number.

        6. Luzahn

          I blame student-ing myself.

        7. Kelly

          I have 3 or 4 pairs of formal shoes (different balances of formal and comfort, also black vs brown), steel toed boots, ski boots, snowboard boots, hiking shoes, everyday shoes (and my old pair), two pairs of Five-Fingers (those toe shoes)… I think that’s about it.

        8. Kathleen

          Maybe something like, “If I could be a lesbian, don’t you think I would?!”

      3. 4th Dimension

        And he learns what his spleen looks like.

  35. Yotomoe

    “Yeah, hurt you. Did she do that?”

    1. newllend

      Only mentally, onnnnllllyy mentally.

      1. Kelly

        She’s not hurt, physically, or mentally. Or rather if she is hurting now, she is inflicting it on herself, for hurting Becky.

        1. newllend

          Ya its all her fault, of course she can’t help being straight but its still her fault for being such a tease with her stupid ass sexy hoodies and sweater vest and the lame hair cut that went out of style when the Brady Bunch went off the air.

          I mean Becky gave her the best thing in the world and she just threw it back in her Face! I can’t even, do you even know how much I – you know what I’m getting some soft serve.

        2. Kelly

          I didn’t say it was Joyce’s fault, or that she could have done anything differently. All I said she is upset because she hurt Becky.

    2. Rutee

      I feel like Sarah’s not THAT people-dumb. I may be overestimating her.

    3. Deanatay

      “Hurt ME? My best friend in the whole wide EVERYTHING just pulled her heart out of her chest and OFFERED it to me, and I threw it on the floor and STOMPED on it, and you’re asking if SHE hurt MEEE???”

      1. Vanessa

        Oh my god, this. This made me tear up. You too, newllend.

      2. Dorje Sylas

        More like fumbled it in surprise. And it being fragile, it kinda shattered on impact with reality.

  36. Varian Fry

    To be fair to Joyce, it’s not her fault if Becky got hurt, Beck came on too strong, made some assumptions based on poor reasoning; most likely due to strong emotions, & worst of all; put Joyce in an incredibly awkward position without thinking of the consequences of her actions.

    1. -Sentinel-

      Agreed, but now Joyce needs to talk to her.

      1. Varian Fry

        All she really can do if she wants to save a friend…

  37. Geminia999

    Joyce’s eyes. I didn’t know they could go that small. It’s quite amazing really.

  38. Doc Harleen

    Sarah you are being such an ass.

    1. Yotomoe

      That’s an opinion you can only have as someone who has all the information.

      1. Rutee

        Well, there’s her unrelenting assumption that Joyce is delicate and needs protecting. Of course, that’s not exactly that poor of an assumption either.

      2. Doc Harleen

        Good to know, thanks.

      3. JWLM

        Yeah, but she ran away from Jacob, so he can’t possibly have all the information.

  39. Ben

    YES!!! This strip. All this strip. While it disturbs me how similar Joyce and I am in some ways, THAT is exactly how a person like me/her would respond to a wrongful accusation of one of our friends do something harmful to us. And I love her to death for it. Tomorrow she’ll have a rant at Sarah and storm out and by this time next week there will (hopefully) have been reconciliation and understanding between the two and the perpetual drama hurricane can move onto another part of the Dumbiverse.

  40. JohnnyO

    Wait, in the last panel is Joyce turning around to run after Becky or reeling back to punch Sarah?

    1. Zababcd

      My read of the body language is yelling over her shoulder as she marches, or even runs, determinedly away.

  41. Hoboturtle

    Also if I remember correctly there were a couple of peeps who believed that Becky was spying for Joyce’s folks. I love that that was what Sarah believed. While not fooled of the everseeing shipping eyes of the commenters, it’s still a very good red herring.

    1. JohnnyO

      I get the impression that while the Brown parents aren’t the nicest, that’s too dastardly for them. Like that’s Blaine levels of cunning.

  42. Yotomoe

    “Well if you insist. I’ll go grab my bat”

  43. Maycroft

    Sarah, duck! punch incoming!!!!

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Given their respective heights, a sidestep or parry might be more effective.

  44. hamishd6800

    I feel like Joyce is going to be torn between her upbringing, and her need to protect Becky from other people’s judging. After all, Becky has been her loyal friend (even if friendzoned) for many years before college.

  45. Ship is sinking

    Woah, this is a little unexpected. I’m getting a “I hurt her and I hate myself for it” vibe way more than anything. Not sure about the arms, but maybe she’s going to run after her? Fingers AND toes crossed. They may never be lovers, but it would be a shame if they stopped being friends.

    1. newllend

      She’s probably thinking ,” Coming to this place has done nothing But hurt me! “

      1. John

        Unlikely, I think. Her repeated emphasis on “me” leads me to believe that she’s thinking, ‘No, I hurt her!”

  46. Varian Fry

    Also, Sarah is just too damn distrustful, the fact that she assumed a good friend of Joyce’s was up to no good so quickly illustrates her social issues quite well.

    1. not yet

      Sarah is quite possibly right about Becky screening calls. It would explain why no one has contacted Joyce to find out where Becky is. I should have realized it myself.

      1. Varian Fry

        Still, Sarah jumped to a conclusion & assumed malicious intent, which says something about her opinion of people.

        1. not yet

          True. She’s probably the only character who’d have jumped so enthusiastically to the worst conclusions.

          It’s just that if she did find that Becky was screening calls (and she may have had good reason to be), it would have looked really, really bad from Sarah’s perspective. I could see coming to the same conclusion in that situation.

        2. la6uɐ mous

          I

        3. la6uɐ mous

          I’m guessing that she had some better evidence than she explained here. She might have overheard her listen to the messages or something.

        4. John

          Mary would’ve come up with even worse conclusions and jumped to them way more enthusiastically.

        5. democraticMayonaise

          I think that Mary isn’t really somebody to compare to anyone, she’s the Great Butt. Ultra Butt. Master Butt.

        6. Luzahn

          Hey, it’s a useful thing to have. Certainly help out with the party. And her old roommate. The cast as a whole is optimistic enough that her cynicism is good.

    2. Geminia999

      A good friend that showed up unannounced from far away on a random day (it isn’t like it was family weekend).

      1. la6uɐ mous

        I’m guessing that she had some better evidence than she explained here. She might have overheard her listen to the messages or something.

        1. la6uɐ mous

          *reply fail

  47. Creature SH

    Oh shit, it looks like she’s about to deck her.

    1. jeffepp

      Not a “Punch” pose, but an “Action” pose. Her legs and hips are turning away from Sarah, and she is speaking over her shoulder. And, no that is not a “back breaker” pose, but well withing human normal.

  48. Thomas64

    My take: Joyce has already gotten past the point where homosexuality blows her mind. She still seems to have this idea that gayness is “fixable” (in regards to Ethan, specifically), although even there that seems like a thin layer of denial rather than a firm belief.
    Right now, though, she understands that Becky is in pain and needs some empathy. She can’t engineer a happy ending to this situation, but she can and should be there for Becky now and help her go into a dangerous emotional tailspin.
    Tough, tough, tough situation, and Sarah is misreading it completely.

    1. Thomas64

      *help her not go into a tailspin

    2. Kelly

      I think you are right on.

      1. Clif

        The first time.

  49. Kris

    Clenched fist, gritted teeth, rearing back…..JOYCE HAYMAKER?!

    1. JustCheetoDust

      She’d have to turn around completely before throwing it, otherwise it would be super ineffective.

      1. Kris

        I’d be surprised if she actually punches Sarah but she’ll most likely be the victim of misplaced emotions.

        1. JustCheetoDust

          I think I mentioned in a post above that Joyce turning her whole body around and then going for it isn’t out of the question; but body mechanics aside, I’m not expecting it either.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          Nor am I, but if she does she could use the pivot for a substantial amount of extra force if she drives from the hips.

  50. Em

    Wow wtf Sarah. Instead of just saying the first thing that jumps to mind, why don’t you just say “Oh did she? Did something happen?” and leave it at that. Or just wait for Joyce to tell you! I hate to say it…but no wonder she’s got no friends.

    1. tyersome

      I think Sarah is in big sister mode, she (strange as it my seem) sees Joyce as being completely naïve to the point of defenselessness and has a little bit of a tendency to overprotectiveness …

      anyone who wouldn’t have loved to have (if not been willing to kill to have) such a friend at some point in their life has led a pretty sheltered life. Sarah has few friends (that we know of) because: 1) she’s an introvert, 2) she tried to do the right thing for her former roommate and has been judged and shunned (if not outright hounded) for it. Strangely, some people become defensive and withdrawn when they are punished for trying to help … and yet she’s still trying (and succeeding)

    2. Disloyal Subject

      Protectiveness can lead one to be pretty blunt about threat assessment.

  51. Boomwolf

    Something tells me this situation is going to get a lot worse before it gets even a little bit better. Also, now that I think about it, here’s hoping Becky doesn’t run into someone who will make things worse. I already have someone in mind, here’s a hint her name rhymes with Mary.

    1. cesium133

      Yeah, you totally can’t trust Gary.

      1. Kelly

        Oak?

        1. cesium133

          Of course. Imagine when he releases that Arcanine in the dorm. Billie will have to pull the fire alarm for real this time.

        2. Boomwolf

          Yeah, then Professor Oak’s gonna have to stop his lecture, and then the entire class will be behind on their schedule. On the bright side, Billie won’t have to revive a semi comatose Ruth.

      2. Regalli

        What? No, Gary doesn’t live on this floor.

        It’s SHERRY we all need to worry about.

        (But dear sweet historical Jesus playing with action figures would Mary showing up right now be terrible.)

      3. la6uɐ mous

        From Ib?

        1. la6uɐ mous

          Nah, that’s two R’s; what am I thinking?

  52. Harry

    “I’ll be sad when this world breaks you,” she said, not realizing that she’d be the one to do it.

    1. SDGlyph

      Ouch.

  53. Fol

    Fishy eh? I guess that confirms the whole “enough agency to bus across the country” bit.

  54. Perish Song

    Guys I know this is super serious and everything, but I can’t help but read Joyce’s last comment in a Lemongrab voice.

  55. newllend

    I’m sorry but I can’t help but laugh at the irony of this, She has a Gay Boyfriend who doesn’t love her and a Gay female best friend Who does love her. it a uh…a bit of an interesting love triangle her.

    1. Harry

      The next chapter is titled “Three’s a Crowd”.

    2. David

      Time to tackle her problems and buy a strapon. Electrical engineers tend to sport gender changers in their toolbox to make things fit when required, so why not do the same in sociology?

  56. random webcomics junkie

    I love Joyce right now.

    She is such a loving person. Becky just came out with something that Joyce has been taught is an inherently evil way to be, and Joyce is upset because her own reaction hurt Becky so deeply. I was a little worried that she’d feel unsafe again and stop trusting women as well as men.

    This reaction is better. And it means that there may be hope for their friendship.

    1. Al Schroeder

      Exactly. She’s stunned, but her first concern is for BECKY. She can’t tell her she’s feeling what she’s NOT–but she knows how much she’s hurt her best friend. The revelation that Becky is gay (and even more, in LOVE with her) hasn’t turned her against Becky or made her cut off Becky–her first reaction, past the shock, is how much she’s HURT Becky. Like the defense of Dorothy against her judgemental, fundamentalist parents, this shows how much Joyce is essentially a good person.

      1. Dani Kelley

        THIIIS. This this this.

        Perhaps I’m just hopeful since I started out life as Joyce: a somewhat clueless fundamentalist Christian who really did love people (even complete with sexual assault and a gay boyfriend! -_-) and turned into Dorothy (an atheist who is still friends with fundamentalist Christians and basically wants to help everyone)…I just see so much in Joyce that I love and care about, because I see so much of my former self in her.

  57. Idon'tcarenomore

    Comment on the hovertext: Yes Sarah has a tendency to think the worse of people, but she has good reason to, based a little on trying to help a former roommate and getting nothing but a hard time for it. And fear of loosing her scholarship due to others screwups. And maybe knowing about Blaine. And Joyce’s near rape. Etc.

    However, in all fairness, If I walked into a room and too a look at that face, the first thought in my head is ‘what happened, are you alright”.

    And, isn’t Sarah right? Becky sure had a whopper of a secret to hide.

    Ah oh shit! Is Joyce gonna add this to her pile of guilt trips…because she didn’t do anything damn thing wrong here. She hurt Becky, but this time it was no way her fault.

    Becky made a Hellva mistake, and her hurt is on her own back. Sorry for her, but she didn’t think what she did through at all. May have helped to talk about it first? I thought that actually Joyce handled it pretty well: she didn’t judge or swear or push her away or condemn her at all. She just said no.

    1. Lanval

      One of Sarah’s bigger redeeming gestures for all her misanthropy in the strip so far is that she’s sort of taken on a big sister role to Joyce. She legitimately care and protects her naive, annoying roommate.

      Some of that manifests in being over protective because, well, she’s also misanthropic and doesn’t trust people.

      Everything said and done, Sarah seems entirely reasonable here if perhaps unfortunately timed and wierdly specific with her accusation (then I’m vague on screening someone’s calls would work if you only had the phone for a couple hours).

      1. la6uɐ mous

        I think Becky was checking to make sure Joyce didn’t get called by her parents to tell her Becky had run away, and Sarah saw her on the messages and figured she was doing something sneaky.

    2. Just Me

      I agree that Joyce didn’t do anything wrong, even if she ends up blaming herself for it. Maybe she blames herself for her thoughts, for not chasing after Becky, but what she did was normal under those conditions.

      And Sarah shouldn’t be blamed either. She was just looking out for her “little sister”.

  58. Idon'tcarenomore

    Ad to my post above. I am not a Joyce fan by a long shot.

    1. Paul

      Your Gravatar is adorable; where does it come from? I don’t recall seeing Ruth and Bille actually happy together like that.

      1. Thomas64

        It wasn’t that long ago! 🙂
        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/terrible-2/

  59. Keroshino

    Sarah!
    No!
    Stap!!!!

    1. Aeron

      Sarah… Sarah what are you doing… Sarah… STAHP! Do you have any idea how much sodium is in that cola?

  60. Sock

    Fire punch!

    1. Hoboturtle

      Falcon Punch!

      1. Disloyal Subject

        SHINING FINGER!

        1. Hoboturtle

          Take this! My love, my anger and all of my sorrow!

        2. Dorje Sylas

          Rising Dragon Fist!

  61. Victor Riley

    This might be the start of Joyce becoming a Social Justice Super-Hero (to be trained by and join Amazi-Girl). Just a theory…

    1. Aeron

      Anti-Joyce Begins

      “Why birds, mistress Joyce?”

      “Birds anger me. It’s time my enemies share my high score on Facebook.”

  62. Varius

    I think Joyce will run after Becky. She’ll run into Ethan and plead for his help finding her. Ethan will find Becky before Joyce and they will each come to terms about their sexuality/emotions together.

    Ethan and Becky will become great friends.

    Joyce will be jealous of both of them.

  63. Aeron

    Hovertext: Something tells me she did not assume what Joyce is about to do.

  64. chris73

    No no no no no no! Hell no Joyce! You do not, I repeat do not ever give that kind of shit to someone who is willing to take a baseball bat to a party to look after your naive ass AND then take a baseball bat to someone thats drugged you and about to rape you.

    Someone thats got your back like that is worth any amount of misunderstandings and deserves the benefit of the doubt.

    Disclaimer: I’m a little bit drunk at the moment and this is the best mass-produced beer I’ve ever had (and I’ve drunk a few beers in my time)

    http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/222/695/

    1. Hoboturtle

      Go home chris73, you’re drunk

      http://imgur.com/gallery/T1C9g

      1. chris73

        Thats cool

    2. Aolbain

      Ohhh, I drank that beer when I was in Belgium! It was alright.

    3. Thomas64

      Oh man I know that beer. Great taste, but it will sneak up on you and fuck you up if you’re not careful. Some of the worst hangovers I’ve had in my reckless youth were Duvel hangovers.

      1. chris73

        The billie avatars make this so much better

  65. la6uɐ mous

    OK, please don’t try to beat up Sarah. She didn’t see what happened and she feels protective of you since the Ryan incident.

  66. jeffepp

    Joyce is conflicted. She realizes that SHE is the one that hurt Becky (not quite true, but that’s how she is feeling). And, she is hearing what Sarah said as hurtful as well. She is, verbally, at least, lashing out to protect Becky, channeling her anger at Sarah.

    Yes, she will seek out, and find Becky. We know this, for it has been foretold that pizza will come to pass, with the gang, and lo, Joyce and Becky will be practically wearing each others cloths.

  67. bubblegumsenpai

    I wonder if this is where we’re about to see Joyce cuss for the first time in her life?

    1. la6uɐ mous

      Her first curse word will be the c word and then she’ll never curse again.

  68. Opus the Poet

    I think Joyce grew up a bit, and is now going to find Becky and tell her that she, Joyce does love her, just not in that particular way.

    1. chris73

      Sure just like Ethan told Joyce he loves her and that worked out really well for everyone involved

      1. Kelly

        It’s not remotely the same situation.

  69. RandomRedMage

    So tomorrows strip will be involving someone other than becky and joyce, because this is getting good and whenever it gets to this particular level of feels, balancing must take place and the focus switches for a strip.

  70. Neonix

    Am I supposed to feel sorry for Becky? ‘Cause I don’t. She was acting like an idiot.

    1. legatostaccato

      well, like a desperately co-dependent teen.

    2. Emperor Kiva

      I’m with you, Neonix. Was I the only one to notice the crazy look on Becky’s face when she did the whole “You have to feel the same way” bit?

  71. Bagge

    Becky was Joyce best friend. Becky would do anything for Joyce. So would Joyce, she thought. But when Becky needed her, really, REALLY needed her, Joyce was not there for her. She couldn’t be what Becky needed. Joyce was a bad friend.

    In other words: Guilt-guilt-GUILT

    1. la6uɐ mous

      Maybe that’s what Joyce thinks… But Joyce really couldn’t have done much more than she did.

      1. Bagge

        Indeed, it was Joyce’s inner voice I was going for – much more interesting than who is “objectively” right.

        If I am on the right track of what Joyce is thinking there are a some really ugly parts, such as Joyce berating herself for having the “wrong” sexual orientation.

    2. Neonix

      Who wasn’t answering her phone when the other called and texted them after a major crisis?

      1. Bagge

        Becky didn’t answer Joyce calls. Becky didn’t let Joyce know what was going on in her life. Becky played silly games with Joyce instead of letting her know her true feelings. Becky invaded Joyce’s personal space without warning. Becky ran away when Joyce didn’t react as she hoped instead of allowing Joyce time to absorb her feelings. Becky is a lesbian which is a sin in the eyes of God, and she tried to tempt Joyce to follow the same path.

        …and yet and don’t believe that Joyce cares about any of that right now.

  72. grantimusmaximus

    Okay, just chill you guys. Those aren’t fists for punching. Those are angsting fists. Fists of angst. Joyce’s angst and confusion and love and loyalty all manifest in those tiny, adorable, yet powerfully potent fists.

    1. Robin

      > Fists of angst

      Now there’s a band name.

  73. Sushi

    OMG… Sarah! Duck! >.<
    *braces self for the fist-to-face impact*

  74. Jacob Newburn

    http://youtu.be/omLve_vezbA?t=4s

  75. Bagge

    Sarah is channeling the commentator thread a bit too close for comfort.

  76. A5PECT

    Regarding Joyce’s pose in the last panel and whether or not it constitutes appropriate punching technique: I don’t think it’s as important as a lot of you are making it out to be. The bottom line is that her posture indicates aggression, and whether that aggression manifests itself as physical or verbal is secondary to the fact that this is the first time Joyce has ever leveled her anger directly and openly at Sarah. Which is big.

    I’m most curious to see where Joyce’s dialogue is heading. From what I gather, she’s outraged that Sarah’s assumption is that she was the victim, when in this case she is the one who has hurt someone else.

    It’d make sense in terms of her character arc: previously she’s taken steps in being exposed to the world outside of her upbringing, learning that the things she’s been taught can be wrong (objectionable people not being so objectionable), and now she’s realizing that the things she’s been taught are hurting the people she loves and have been for her entire life. That final theme is also a particularly poignant sentiment Willis has expressed a number of times in the past.

    But I’ll admit I’m a little fuzzy on it at the moment and may be way off base. So I definitely want to see how this conversation plays out in the coming strips.

    P.S. Effin’ pronouns, how do they work?

  77. Jerry

    If there’s another constant in the universe, it’s Joyce always doing the right thing (eventually).

  78. Flipz

    Why am I suddenly having visions of redheaded lesbians and oncoming trucks? 🙁

    1. shadowcell

      oh shit i didn’t even think of that

      BECKY REMEMBER TO LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER OKAY

    2. Trolldrool

      Nah, if Willis want to be really cruel, he’ll have Becky run over when things have calmed down and it looks like she’ll have a bright future ahead of her.

      1. random

        You know he reads these, right?

    3. Kelly

      Guys, again, David has said their are no deaths in this version

  79. Nitroglycerific

    Joyce, when we started out on this adventure together, I thought, “There is no way I’m going to like your character.”

    Keep on proving me wrong, you rapidly-growing wonder.

    1. Kelly

      Joyce is awesome. I say this a liberal and vocal atheist

      1. Disloyal Subject

        She embodies the best of fundie Christianity along with a number of its faults.

        1. David

          Aren’t girls supposed to embody tectonic faults?

      2. AgentKeen

        Your gravatar is pretty much perfect.

  80. XMinusOne

    Becky’s channeling Travis Bickle “You talkin’ to me? Are you talkin’ to me? She hurt me? What da fuck is that about? There ain’t no one else here. She hurt me? Like fuck she hurt me!”

  81. otusasio451

    I can hear Mortal Kombat music slowly building in the back of my mind.

    1. ninja_jesus

      [TEST YOUR MIGHT INTENSIFIES]

  82. Lord Geovanni

    Leave it to the girls grown up in the deeply christian households to swing the other way

    1. SDGlyph

      … it took me a moment, but I got there.
      *slow clap*

  83. zmm

    Phoey don’t hit Sarah! She’s just awkward and cares about you.. cause honestly your niave..

  84. Sam

    The only thought I can imagine Joyce having right now: ‘Hurt ME? I’M THE ONE THAT HURT HER!’

    Is that true? Debateable.

    You could say Becky hurt herself by destroying her own fantasy.

    You could also say Joyce hurt her by destroying her fantasy.

    You could also say Becky forced Joyce to hurt her by taking an action that forced Joyce to destroy her fantasy.

    But, regardless, to Joyce, she hurt her best friend by telling the truth that she didn’t feel the same way.

    1. Paul

      “You could also say Becky forced Joyce to hurt her by taking an action that forced Joyce to destroy her fantasy.”

      BINGO.

      That said, a webcomic can never have enough freckled red-haired lesbians.

      1. TheGreatLordBagel

        I swear I’m starting to develop a complex where I automatically assume all redheads are at least bisexual.

    2. la6ue mous snow angel

      Instead of slugging Sarah, Joyce repeatedly swings her fist into her own face. “HURT ME? I HURT HER! I’M THE ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN HURT!”

  85. David

    if there’s one constant, it’s sarah assuming the worst of people

    Aaaaand she’s right again, just guessing the wrong person. Well, at least regarding the “hurt” bit, not necessarily regarding the “worst” bit. It’s not like Joyce had much of an option to do better here.

  86. Orangey

    Ouch man this is a really cruel storyline. For Becky and for Joyce. It’s been said a dozen times already, but I associate a lot with Becky during this and sometimes it’s even been a little hard to read from how relatable it is. I never really relate much with things like this, mostly ’cause I’m pretty rubbish with relationships for loads of different reasons, but this storyline actually hit me a little and yeah blah blah, loads of waffle here, but I just mainly want to say thanks to Willis for doing something that, while its painful to read, is true for a lot of people. He could’ve easily gone for Joyce kissing her back, or being temporarily bi for Becky, but he stuck true to how her character would react and made her turn her down, because at the end of the day Becky has always been her best friend and if she couldn’t see her in any other way, even if it does hurt her because of it.

    Tl:dr: Thanks Willis for touching on this, even though ouch my heart kind of hurts now. Gonna go sob quietly somewhere with Becky/Joyce thoughts

    1. David

      Oh, I don’t see that Joyce has turned Becky down. Becky caught her empty-handed. And it does not appear that Joyce was particularly happy about that. It seemed more like a “gee, life would fit together so much better right now if if hadn’t handed me that stupid urge for boys” moment. Her coming-in moment, so to say: her being heterosexual in a complex world puts more of a distance between her and her parents than being homosexual in a simple world might.

  87. CianM1301

    It looks like Joyce is about to punch Sarah…

  88. Golli

    “Hurt me?… No, you clearly don’t know who you’re talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not hurt, Sarah. I am the danger. A guy opens his door & gets shot & you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks!”
    …or that’s what i am now expecting to happen with Joyce’s character after this strip ;P

  89. Robin

    People continue making an ass out of themselves and Joyce.

  90. avstron

    well, she IS a law student, it’s important to be suspicious in that field.

  91. Adam Black

    ive seen those fists before :
    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/bestpossiblething/

  92. Weebles

    Joyce! Run after her and hug her and let her know it’s going to be okay! ;_;

  93. lordoftheoneyedpurplepeopleeaters

    i saw them when they we’re beating the crap outta joes face

  94. random

    Oh boy. Shit’s about to hit the fan. Again.

  95. Mr. Morningstar

    Please rip sarah a new one
    please rip sarah a new one
    please rip sarah a new one

    she needs to get off her high horse in assuming shes better then everyone when her only interactions with jacob were mocking joyce.

    1. Just Here

      Motion seconded. Yes, Sarah made a bad call at one point, and all of her friends turned against her, but that doesn’t give her the right to judge everyone.

  96. Zephindabius

    ….so joyce is an autobiographical character?

    1. Emperor Kiva

      Yes

    2. la6ue mous snow angel

      But not all of her escapades are necessarily autobiographical. For example, Willis may not have been propositioned and kissed by a gay friend who then ran away in despair.
      But you can ship Beck and Willis anyway. 😉

  97. Tien1985

    Finally coming out of lurk-mode because the feels… I get the feeling that this is going to radiate outward like a character hurting bomb shooting shrapnel everywhere. 🙁

  98. Jim

    And if there’s a second constant, it’s Joyce being emotionally stunted and terrible to others while still staying self-righteous.

    1. Jess

      Well, how else would Joyce react to being kissed by someone she would never consider being with? While she has a boyfriend, none the less. (Granted a gay boyfriend, but still a boyfriend) She was in shock.
      At least she didn’t do what I did when in her position, and slap the chick that kissed me. Then battle the ensuing yelling match…

    2. Kelly

      not really? Her defining characteristic is that she can be that way, due to her upbringing, but once she sees the issue, she tends to change. Because she is an extremely nice and good person.

    3. SDGlyph

      I… I don’t think I’m reading the same comic you are.

      1. Jim

        Just looking at it from Sarah and Becky’s perspective.

  99. m-m

    This kills me — when i came out a bazillion years ago i completely cut off my best friend because I was afraid of loving her and letting her know that I’d felt that way since the 1st second i met her. I wish i’d the courage Becky had to declare that feeling — yeah, she went about it the wrong way, but for her, given her background, joyce’s, and just the overpowering hope and fear she must have been feeling it was the ONLY way it was going to play out.

    Damn you, willis. Nicely done.

  100. Ashley

    I feel like the entire week has been a cliffhanger. I’m emotionally exhausted.

    1. Thomas64

      Same here. The Billie/Ruth arc with its (for now) happy resolution made me elated, but the Joyce/Becky tragedy left me feeling depressed. This is what good writing can do…

  101. Jess

    I feel like I may be the only person that never liked Becky…
    Even on the first page, I had no love for her, just general distaste…
    Something felt off and like it would cause pain down the road.
    It’s good I didn’t get attached.

  102. Avery

    In Sarah’s defense, she is correct that Becky’s story wasn’t entirely truthful. And it wouldn’t surprise me if Becky actually had been looking at Joyce’s phone to see if there were any “OMG I <3 U so much!" messages, which would have been a pretty good tip-off that Joyce is unavailable. A reasonable impulse for someone in Becky's risky and low-information perspective, but still a trust violation. Sarah is jumping the gun in assuming malicious intent, but she knows Joyce is trusting and has been taken advantage of before. This is a rough time for Joyce, but when she's calmed down, it'd be good for her to offer Sarah an explanation and thank her for her concern.

  103. heavvymetalqueen

    ….and almost 15 years later, while reading this strip, I realize why my best friend got so protective of me after I surprise kissed him and he turned me down. Oh.

    Willis I’m serious this comic is making a lot of my late-teens-early-twenties bob up to the surface and I don’t know if it’s amazing or just painful but I’m addicted to it.

  104. ShawnL

    Hurt? Nope. Just busy processing universe changing events.

    Sarah’s error however, is likely to serve a good purpose: To jar Joyce out of processing, and into action.

  105. WikiDreamer

    Welp, shit’s gotten real on far too many levels for Joyce right about now so I can absolutely agree that the very last thing she needs right now is Sarah and her anti-social mindset of others.

    Also, ever notice that every time and I mean just about EVERY time Joyce has had some kind of world view shattering moment Sarah’s been there to be some kind of foil? With exception to Joyce being attacked (to which might I add, Joyce went on the offensive and would’ve stayed that way had the drugs not kicked in) Sarah’s been there to act as some kind of moral downer to Joyce’s naive outlook.

    Here’s my thing: I like Joyce because I’ve been Joyce. I wasn’t home schooled, but I’m an ex-Catholic school girl of 13 years (and damn proud to say that too) who’s parent (just one of them) made it their life’s mission to keep me under their thumb, “safe” and away from the world.

    I struggled to reach the outside world and at first, when I did, it hurt…a LOT but it made me a stronger person. I became less naive about things but I’ve kept a cautious opportunistic optimism about me so as to not let myself become bitter and overly paranoid, all the while still enjoying the benefits of my maturing. Joyce reminds me of my past and I can’t wait to see how she’ll grow from here on out.

    1. Avery

      Well, Sarah is her roommate. So that alone makes her likely to be around.

  106. DudeMyDadOwnsADealership

    Ugh…Raidah has got Sarah so well TRAINED.

  107. TGS

    I really have a hard time seeing Joyce’s reaction as anything other than self-empowerment taking over. I think Sarah’s words are making Joyce realize how sheltered her life has been. I think she hears Sarah playing the protective big sister role, and Joyce is sick of people feeling that way around her. Why do people feel the need to protect her? Because so many others, regardless of intent, treat her like this complete naive and innocent and (likely) wounded bird. I think it’s all hitting her right now, that some people see her as this wounded bird, and she’s sick of it. People have tried to take advantage of her or shelter her, but right now I suspect she feels like no one has ever seen her as an actual person. “Hurt me?!?” with fists clenched and angry face is Joyce determined to not be surprised or hurt by anyone again. This is likely the closest she has come to ACTUALLY swearing with meaning and force. The fact that Joyce was blindsided by Becky likely feels like justification for Sarah’s well intentioned but belittling rant. And she’s done with it.

    It’s gonna be a big explosion, and it’s probably gonna swing Joyce’s pendulum too far in the other direction at first, but this will ultimately be a good thing. I just hope that the initial explosion we are about to witness doesn’t cause too much collateral damage before the recovery can begin.

    1. DudeMyDadOwnsADealership

      Is there a way I can give a ‘Like’ to this reply?

  108. Bill

    In a way, you’ve gotta like the way Sarah (“Big sister”) is standing behind Joyce (“little sister”) here.  She notices that Becky is missing; picks up on the fact that Joyce is hurting/in turmoil; and without hesitation she steps up squarely in support of Joyce — “What did she do?  I didn’t trust her.  Did she hurt you?”

    And I see the last panel as a major turning point for Joyce.  Just as Scarlett O’Hara, reduced to digging for overlooked turnips on her knees in the garden of what had been her fabulous home, rose and swore “I’ll never be hungry again!”, Joyce is rising from her knees to swear “I’ll never let myself be hurt again!”.

  109. Vangeln

    Have I hurt you?
    I have hurt myself!

    1. DudeMyDadOwnsADealership

      Or “I hurt HER.” That possibility too.

  110. Sir Robin

    Is it just me, or is Joyce winding up to punch Sarah? I just can’t see that going well for her

    1. SDGlyph

      It’s not just you, but I’m pretty damn sure she’s not.

  111. Tenn

    Punch? Or…

    “No punch.”

  112. Don't Mind Me

    Awww. Protective Sarah is protective, and Joyce’s heart is breaking for her friend (whose heart she just broke). At least Sarah got Joyce to snap out of her BSOD.

  113. Random832

    A) I don’t even remember Becky doing anything with Joyce’s phone

    B) How exactly can someone surreptitiously screen calls, anyway? It rings, and you click “no”. Even assuming it’s on mute, who exactly does Sarah imagine was calling Joyce at precisely that moment and at no other time when Becky didn’t have her phone?

    1. Em

      She was playing angry birds on Joyce’s phone. But I really don’t think she was screening calls.

    2. Kelly

      She could either have been looking at Joyce’s phone call history, or setting up a black list that automatically rejects calls from certain numbers. Either could work with the use of the word “screening”. This is I believe a standard feature on Android and iOS.

      As for when:
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/hectic/

      And when Joyce wasn’t there:
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/inseparable/

      And mentioned here: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/sarcasm/

  114. Natalia

    I remember the first time I hurt someone I loved. It’s really brutal realizing that not everything is so black and white. Like seeing how much responsibility you have to others but also suddenly knocking yourself put of any pedestal you had.

    A gray world is what Willis is all about… I wonder where he will take this.

  115. Spliced

    Round Two

    FIGHT

  116. Kelly

    My next gravatar has been completed! We will see when the time comes for its use…

    1. otusasio451

      Is it Joyce rearing for a punch?
      Because I am highly tempted to make that one.

      1. Kelly

        Heh. No, it is actually a nice pic of Joyce and Becky hanging out (from the campus montage strip).

    2. otusasio451

      Is it Joyce rearing for a punch Because I am highly tempted to make that one.

  117. Sir Robin

    I can’t help but laugh a bit at the fact that, in my head, Joyce sounds like Pinkie Pie

    1. Zac

      Cannot unsee.

    2. otusasio451

      No. NO. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! DAMN IT, RARITY!!!

    3. Kim

      That is AWEsome!

  118. otusasio451

    Anyone else constantly checking in, even though you know that it’s another half-an-hour until an update?

    No? Just me?

    OKKKKKKKKKK.

    1. Kelly

      Nope, I am right here

      1. CommunistCanada

        Same. I’ll be onsite for another 20 minutes.

  119. Mercimary

    Yes. Yes I am

  120. Kim

    Damn. this storyline is good

  121. RandomRedMage

    oh wow, I was wrong, no scene change to the other peoples this time… felt like the right time for it too…

  122. Rheios

    I feel strong kinship with Sarah from this alt-text. I mean from her cynic pessimism too of course.

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