179

Relentless
Posted on August 20, 2015 by David M Willis

179 thoughts on “Relentless”

  1. Nightsbridge

    I-it’s not like I like you or anything!

    1. MM

      Baka!

      1. Tayo

        BAKA BAKA

        1. Darkoneko

          Baka bakka.

        2. Stephen R. Bierce

          *plays some Jerry Lee Lewis on the Muzak*
          Hurry over baby/We got chicken in the corn/In the corn/Whose corn?–MY corn!

        3. sps48

          Shinji Shinji

        4. Darkoneko

          Nadesico, actually.

        5. Tacos

          Oh no, this is a path that’ll lead to someone piloting an Evangelion and initiating Third Impact…

        6. Pierre-Eric

          Baka Baka
          Do-do-be-do-do
          Baka Baka
          Do-do-be-do

        7. Lord Circe

          Baka baka, need more dakka!

        8. Chris

          And as we all know, there’s no such thing as too much Baka

        9. Jeff K!

          BAKA SONG!
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS4mRlNCV8g

        10. thebombzen

          EMIYA-KUN!!!!

        11. Jordan

          SHIROU!!!! WHEN’S DINNER GOING TO BE READY!?!?

    2. gkheyf

      big sis, your dere is showing!

    3. David Herbert

      Sempai, stop noticing me.

      1. JetstreamGW

        Kouhai. Joyce is kouhai 😛

    4. Someone

      At the end of the Becky saga Joyce will face down Toe Dad in a sword fight . They will rush at each other and there will be a brief flash of light as they pass by each other. Toe Dad will take a brief moment to acknowledge Joyce’s true abilities before dying. Joyce will then dramatically sheath her sword.

      1. Cephalo the Pod

        Nonononono WAIT.
        She sheathes the sword.
        Then he dies.

        1. Tacos

          She also needs to turn around and point at him while saying, “Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru.” before he dies.

        2. Darkoneko

          Ken fights bare-handed.

        3. Someone

          Or alternatively, scream

          EXCALIBUR!!

        4. Cybersnark

          Aaaand now I’m visualizing Galasso wielding the Soul Eater version of Excaliber.

          They get into an endless loop calling each other FOOLS!!

        5. you can't see me

          FOOL!

        6. Disloyal Subject

          I’d probably enjoy watching that.

        7. beige

          excalibur finds the one person he can’t tolerate being wielded by

        8. Disloyal Subject

          Or they conquer the world. Even odds, but my money’s on global domination for a minimum of fifteen seconds.

      2. Mada

        I like to think at the very least if/when she confronts him, her rage will be great enough that she will actually call him an asshole.

        Not “butthole”.

        She will call him an asshole, and it will have glorious meaning.

        1. Bicycle Bill

          This raises an interesting point and calls for some audience participation.  It is a given that at some point in her college career, Joyce is eventually going to swear — or at least use a thoroughly vulgar word/phrase.  It may not happen this semester, which means we will never see it in DoA, but here’s the question:
          1) what word/phrase will result in Joyce losing her swearing cherry, and
          2) who or what will provoke it?

        2. Someone

          That seems like something that would be part of the grand finale.

        3. BenRG

          I’m thinking of ‘damn’; it’s a word that’s probably in her standard daily lexicon anyway but it would be different for her to use it as a cuss.

        4. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Either “damn” or “hell”, for pretty much the same reason. They’re both words Joyce already knows, but either could be repurposed as a swear.

          Or perhaps, “Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—!” or “Ffffffuuuu—-!” 😛

        5. El Chupacabre

          See, I think Damn and Hell are the least likely for that reason—for Joyce, they have so much more meaning. Think about the difference between the average person saying “Damn you” Or “to hell with you” — expressions of anger, defeat, frustration. Whereas to Joyce, that’s literally wishing for her God to sentence that person to an eternity of suffering. Shit and crap, being terms that reference poop and are really only taboo because they -are- expressions of anger, seem most likely to me.

        6. SeanR

          Probably the F bomb. Vulgarities are easier to justify than profanities.

          Even though, the FCC allows profanities through, these days, but bleeps vulgarities.

        7. Bagge

          There will be thunder, lighting, people swooning, Sal silently handing Joyce the keys to her motorcycle, that kind of thing.

        8. Mada

          I’m picturing this. Sal silently handing the keys over…and as she takes them, Joyce’s hair suddenly flashes and triples in length.

        9. Bagge

          Dorothy: “…I’m kinda sliding down the Kinsey scale here.”
          Becky: “Been there, tried that.”

        10. Deanatay

          Don’t you mean sliding UP the scale?

          Mada: also, mittens and fuzzy boots appear on her hands and feet.

        11. xKiv

          Gravity points down, by definition.
          And that’s why it’s a slide.

        12. Bagge

          …honestly I didn’t bother to look up the polarity of the scale.

          There is only one thing to do.

          REVERSE THE POLARITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        13. Someone

          Becky is kidnapped by toe dad. They need the motorcycle to save her but Sal is hurt. Joyce says: “give me the fucking keys”

          Looking at her with approval, Sal hands Joyce the keys and an epic motorcycle car chase begins.

        14. WolfLann

          And that is when Ruth gets hit by a truck pushing Danny out of the way.

        15. Disloyal Subject

          After two days in ICU, the truck dies.

        16. merbrat

          RIP keyboard.
          (needed a beverage alert, there Bucko.)

      3. Max

        Will Ninja Rick be there?

        1. Time Sage

          …Where IS Ninja rick in this universe?

        2. beige

          Ninja rick is the professor of ninja-ology, providing the most popular and sensible course of the campus

        3. Darkoneko

          Too bad apparently only Dina knows about it.

  2. Ana Chronistic

    DO IT

    JUST DO IT

    1. Inkblot

      It may not be possible, but it is necessary. (Interstellar)

      1. Ana Chronistic

        She’ll come atcha like a spider monkey!

  3. Darkoneko

    Your annoyances have use, sometimes.

    1. BarGamer

      Annoyuses.

  4. otusasio451

    Awwwww, big sister moment. Needed that.

  5. Plasma Mongoose

    Joyce is the Terminator!

    1. MM

      Dang, too slow. 🙁

    2. gkheyf

      and, as with the original, her motivation is sarah

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        BONUS! ^_^

      2. Darkoneko

        …well played.

      3. Bagge

        BEST COMMENT TODAY!!!

    3. m2iCodeJockey

      “Caum wid me if you want to watch Dexter and Monkey Mastah…”

      1. sps48

        It’s not a tooma!

      2. Orbit Junkie

        “Get to the SAUCAH!”

    4. Deanatay

      Listen. Understand. That Joyce is out there. She can’t be bargained with, can’t be reasoned with. She doesn’t feel pity or remorse or fear (well, maybe sometimes) and she absolutely will not stop, EVER, until her friends are happy!

      You still don’t get it, do you?? She’ll help people! That’s WHAT she does! That’s ALL SHE DOES!! You can’t stop her!!

      1. m2iCodeJockey

        !!!

      2. Darkoneko

        you can’t stop her, but you can change the way she helps, at least.

        Like, the way she was trying to “help” Ethan vs now.

  6. Tayo

    Sarah: The motivational speaker

  7. Mada

    Best. Big Sister. Ever.

  8. MM

    “Basically, you’re a defanged variant of the Terminator, and I’d rather have the one that can shoot lasers.”

    1. Yet_One_More_Idiot

      Sarah: Congratulations Joyce, your biggest superpower is that you just don’t know when to quit. FYI, sarcasm.

  9. madock345

    Sarah, I already love you best, you can stop now.

  10. David Herbert

    And then in comes the unrequested hug.

  11. Darkoneko

    So, Sarah is totally drawing similarities with the way she handed her own best friend last year.

    1. Leorale

      That’s what I saw, too.

      1. AgentKeen

        I really want to see what’s going on with Dana now. I know, knowing could potentially resolve both internal and external conflict that Sarah’s dealing with, but I’m really curious.

    2. Cass

      Though Dana wasn’t her best friend. She appreciated that she was reaching out to her, but all she said was that she got to feel more comfortable with her and her group for while but still never spent much time with them.

      1. Leorale

        I get the impression that Dana didn’t have a whole lot of competition for ‘best friend’.

        1. Darkoneko

          yeeup

  12. syd

    Joyce, your drill is the drill that will pierce toedad

    1. Mada

      Well she DOES know what a strapon is now, so….

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Joyce would need a size 12 to use on Toedad.

        ENJOY THAT IMAGERY! 😛

        1. Mada

          I’m picturing her posing dramatically with a Gurren Lagann-esque expression of fury on her face while Toedad has the horrified expression of that face on the “In the Court of the Crimson King” album cover.

          It’s late enough right now that I find it hilarious, but at any other time I would probably be traumatized.

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          I have seen more than enough of the dark side of the internets not to be too bothered by imagery like that anymore.

        3. Deanatay

          This sounds a bit too much like, “I’ve seen enough hentai to know where this is going”…

        4. Opus the Poet

          http://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/490

          So has Sydney.

        5. m2iCodeJockey

          “I don’t watch hentai. Where is this going…?”

        6. Plasma Mongoose

          I must get around to archive-binging Grrl Power one of these days.

        7. Disloyal Subject

          Do it! It’s not that long yet.
          The comments are even more intimidatingly numerous than Paranatural’s, though.

        8. David Alexander McDonald

          21st CVentury Schizoid Spam, did you say? http://40.media.tumblr.com/ab76f445411ba57839c8faa72fa71c5b/tumblr_nbgxucekp71riygnso1_500.jpg

        9. MrZombieScordo

          I picture that same pose, but with her yelling, “WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?”

        10. Someone

          Its Joyce…WHO THE HECK DO YOU THINK I AM!

        11. Mada

          I hope a number of fanartists are reading these comments about now.

        12. Disloyal Subject

          That’s sacrilege! No one messes with Team Guren’s slogan!

        13. Disloyal Subject

          Intended for Someone.

        14. Darkoneko

          Meh, there are already big variant between the way the various chars says it.

        15. Disloyal Subject

          Exactly – between “Who in the hell do you think I am!?” “Just who the hell do you think I am!?” and good ol’ bare-bones “Who the hell do you think I am!?” ‘hell’ is a constant.
          I admit, my knee-jerk reaction to change made me actually mean my intentionally silly outburst. Now that I think about it, I’m fine with ‘heck’ so long as Joyce wears an appropriately absurd outfit.

        16. Darkoneko

          Well, for instant, Nia says it very politely.

          I’m not sure it was conveyed in the dub properly tho (why would I watchenglish dub, I’m french)

    2. AgentKeen

      Believe in the me that… thinks you’re actually quite annoying.

  13. bodmans

    Joyce’s face is very grav-genic

  14. m2iCodeJockey

    The alt text was on the nose…

    1. JessWitt

      But on the money nonetheless!

      1. Volkai

        On the nose of the money!

        1. Opus the Poet

          Or on the money of the nose.

  15. Bagge

    Awesome Joyce-face: Achieved.

  16. read all over

    Is that what Sarah did when it came to Dana?

    1. Leorale

      Yep.

  17. Leorale

    Ouch, right in the feels.
    Forgive me for derailing. I’m on leave from training to be a social worker, and I’m deeply worried that I might not be nearly relentless enough to make the difference that is needed. It’s hard, you guys. I agree with Sarah, that Joyce will never quit. I wish I was like Joyce in this one way.

    1. dailybrad

      You’re going to be a social worker. That already speaks to dedication, and well, people can often rise to the occasion when things do get hard. I wish you the best.

    2. A Scientist

      I’m good friends with a social worker. I know it’s a small sample, but from her, it seems to me, that whatever it is that gets you into being a social worker is also whatever gets you through being a social worker. I don’t know what that thing she has is, but it strikes me as a prerequisite to even considering the field seriously.

  18. Katerly

    Don’t knock it! Some of the best pep talks of my life have been that backhanded.

  19. redraine

    This is probably the most inspiring thing I’ve read in my entire life.

    1. JessWitt

      I concur, it’s beautiful stuff.

  20. dailybrad

    Joyce’s faith is powerful. When she puts it in people, she can do great things.

  21. Spidergirl

    You’ll do it for her, that is to say, to save her from him.

    1. Tacos

      I get that reference.

    2. MM

      Becky’s more of an Amethyst, though.

    3. Nightsbridge

      Ma’am, I like you.

    4. Cephalo the Pod

      “Why won’t you let me do this for you, Ethan?!“

    5. Siyajkak

      But Sarah! If Toedad crushes Joyce, she can’t regenerate!

      1. Cerberus

        Sarah can’t! Sarah doesn’t want to think about herself!

    6. dailybrad

      Deep down, you know, that you’re not dishonest
      But that doesn’t mean you’re not prepared to try
      What he won’t know, is what will help protect her
      When you live for someone, you’re prepared to lie

  22. Romanticide

    Sarah going all tsundere is cute 😛

    1. Aeron

      I was going to comment that that final panel is the cutest picture of Sarah I’ve ever seen.

  23. Idon'tcarenomore

    Probably the nicest confidence speech I’ve ever heard….very Sarah.

  24. caesaria82

    This is actually so lovely and adorable, I can barely deal. I’m not crying, you’re crying!!

  25. Historyman68

    Tonight Annoying Joyce Saved My Life

  26. A Scientist

    For five panels, Sarah’s guard is down. In the sixth, she realizes what she’s done and makes sure to compensate accordingly.

    This is how I offer support, except Sarah was so much more eloquent and convincing than I am. I now have a role model or something.

  27. Cerberus

    I’m pretty sure Sarah is talking about herself just as much as she is about Joyce. And yes, she does find it annoying how easily she gets wrapped up wanting to solve other people’s problems and keep trying, even when she doesn’t know what to do, even when it impacts her ability to take care of her own needs, even when she gets it wrong or says something or does something astute or decisive that makes everyone hate her. She wants to push everyone away and be safe from the rejection, but she can’t help trying and helping. Just like Joyce.

    So the last bit is half-encouraging half-hope. She wants to believe that this trying pays off in the long run and those she helps are actually in better places even if they want nothing to do with her. And she wants to believe that will be the case for Joyce because then there might be hope for her to.

    1. Bagge

      Also I think she envies Joyce just a tiny bit, because Joyce doesn’t try to back down and not get involved like she does – Joyce live by and for her ethics and pathos. Of course, Sarah snarks about it a lot, but when the chips are down she does the right thing too.

      1. Cerberus

        This. Sarah is broken by the cost of her empathy and so envies the freshness of someone who hasn’t gone through that yet and who seems to have an infinite ability to bounce back from terrible things.

        I think despite the protests to the contrary, Sarah wishes she could be a little more like Joyce.

        1. Bagge

          This is not lost on Dina.

  28. les-be-friends dinosaurs

    Fuckin tsunderes

    1. m2iCodeJockey

      That avatar…

  29. Ryan

    I think you mean “It’s actually quite annoying”, Sarah. Also, speaking of things that are actually quite annoying: complaining about other people’s pronoun disuse.

    1. Random832

      She already basically admitted she was just attempting to divert attention from Dina’s original question; what more do you want?

  30. Kraken

    Sarah used Inspiring Word! That’s a minor action too, so she can totally move to close range and use do a hug roll. She could move away too, but she better watch out for hugs of opportunity.

    The only problem I have with this is it kinda makes the whole ordeal seem like a T-800 vs T-1000 situation. I believe Becky will be fine in the end, but it’ll be a rough journey…

  31. Kitschensyngk

    As far as Sarah’s concerned, that IS a compliment.

    1. Bagge

      As far as Joyce is concerned too. Just the compliment she needed, in fact. Sarah has done good.

  32. Lapin

    Big sister, and little sister.

    1. Bagge

      It’s very, very beautiful.

  33. Poli

    Man, Sarah is F***ing awesome.

  34. Asper Storm

    Did Sarah just do something incredibly sweet and nice just to make Joyce feel better!?!?!

  35. inqntrol

    Don’t deny it Sarah,you know you like to help others.

  36. BenRG

    Yes… Sarah never met anyone quite as strong-willed as Joyce before. It annoys her because she doesn’t really like being in the situation where she’s not necessarily the dominant one in the dorm room.

  37. nothri

    Sarah, I’m pretty sure everything you just said about Joyce’s relationship with Becky also applies to your relationship with Joyce. Just saying.

    1. BenRG

      I do think that this is something that Sarah, on a certain, unconscious level, is afraid of about Joyce. That, much against either of them’s intentions, just knowing Joyce will inspire Sarah to become a better person rather than the cynical, antisocial shell that is her current comfort zone.

  38. Freezer

    Behold the power of FRIENDSH… er… PRAGMATISM!

  39. Zan Thrax

    Sarah’s speech is both wonderful and revealing and all that jazz, but I’m kinda stuck on panel one.

    Holy balls Joyce. That’s simultaneously incredibly egotistical that you think that someone else’s entire life revolves around what you do or don’t do, incredibly self-sacrificing to try to take responsibility for making everything in someone else’s life work out the way they want, and at least a little bit emasculating to assume that Becky can’t take care of herself at all.

    You’re her best friend, not her parent; it’s not your job to protect her from the world or to sacrifice yourself for her either.

    1. Agemegos

      Is this the martyr complex?

      1. BenRG

        It’s what Hermione Granger refers to as the ‘saving people thing’.

        Someone like that ends up as a hero or a villain; they can’t help it because it is in their nature to be involved.

    2. BenRG

      Super-powers or not, alien DNA splicing or no, Joyce Brown has the heart and soul of a Knight Errant. Sometimes, that leads to this frequently self-damaging egoism that she and she alone can save people.

      This is not simply about Becky either; look how she’s having to restrain herself with trying to manage and ‘fix’ Ethan’s life!

      I have long wondered if, by some weird narrative arc, Sal would end up as Amazi-Girl’s sidekick. It suddenly occurs to me that, with the right stimulus and the necessary level of discipline, it could quite easily be Joyce. Hmm… (Visualises Joyce in spandex; maybe something like the classic Huntress costume from the 1990s)

      1. Amazi-Stool

        Her superhero name is Bible Belt – girl of ministry!

      2. Disloyal Subject

        Sal would be more of a rival than sidekick anyway. She plays second fiddle to no one, least of all someone enforcing laws that the establishment can’t be arsed to uphold themselves.
        I was going to call her the Bane to Amber’s Batman, considering that they both tend to be reasonable and willing to cooperate without being any less ruthless, but I think Bane has substantially more respect for Bats than Sal does for Amazi-girl.

    3. timemonkey

      Except she’s right. Becky is completely dependant on Joyce. Becky can’t feed, clothe, protect, or give herself a home. She has zero resources to work with right now and is in great immediate danger.

    4. Cerberus

      I’m pretty sure it’s a direct reference to this:
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/04-walking-with-dina/buttholedad/

      Joyce understands that the easiest and most likely to be enduring solution to the pressing problem of Toedad is to convincingly lie to someone she has been trained all her life that you are never supposed to lie to and is worried about her ability to pull that off.

      Which I think is part of what Sarah is trying to impart. That, yes, maybe Joyce will fail in that, but it’s admirable that she’s willing to take that moral evolution step to try and that willingness to try is what is helping the most.

  40. Les

    And the smile is back…

  41. RavenRyy

    I think I want to hug Sarah. Then again, I think the way to show that would be to pass her a coke and a packet of nibbles.

    Either way, she’s awesome.

    1. m2iCodeJockey

      1. RavenRyy

        Your silence. . . intrigues me.

        1. m2iCodeJockey

          It was supposed to say:

          Raven tries to hug Sarah…

          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/guard/

        2. RavenRyy

          Ha! I was thinking of that when I wrote my first comment! You a mind reader!

  42. Deimir

    Today’s strip is even funnier if you read “do it” in Shia Labeouf’s voice.

  43. hof1991

    So in the end will it come down to Joyce

    A. Lying convincingly, as has been foreshadowed
    B. Unloading a truck full of truth and righteousness on toedad.
    C. Swordfight to the death for Becky’s future.

    Since b and c would be very satisfying , I am betting on A

    1. BenRG

      I seem to remember that Walkyverse Joyce is a psychic. Just how much commonality between the two universes is there again?

      *Sub-bass rumble in the background* “You have no reason to believe Becky is here.”

      “… I have no reason to believe Becky is here.”

      “She only ran away because you overreacted.”

      “… She only ran away because I overreacted.”

      “You are going home to reassess how you treat her.”

      “… I’m going home to reassess how I treat her.”

      “You’ll say hi to my folks for me. Goodbye.”

      “… I’ll say hi to your folks for you… Goodbye… Uh… wh…? Yeah, goodbye, Joyce! Thanks for your help!”

      Yeah, totally implausible but fun to visualise! 😀

      1. timemonkey

        Joyce is not psychic, she had super strength and toughness and had super math powers that let her use the jetpack effectively.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          She does have the perfect combination of altruism and dedication to a formalized code of conduct to be an excellent Jedi Knight, though.

  44. Deanatay

    Ultimately, they all fail. Toedad finds Becky, gets her kicked out of the dorms, and forces her into gay rehab.

    All hope seems lost, as the rehab-rapists come for her in the night..

    Until they are viciously mauled by an unexpected raptor attack!

    In the confusion, Joyce and her friends spirit Becky away all Ocean’s Eleven-style!

    Because Joyce is RELENTLESS!

  45. Tomas

    Notice she said, “You will do it.”, and not, “You’ll do it.” Sarah caught the Dina Virus.

    1. SeanR

      Nah. It’s just more powerful, in that instance, to keep the words separate.
      It’s a rousing speech, after all.

      I started to make a comment on the value of capitalizing Will for emphasis, but noticed [b]Do[/b] was bolded.
      Since the speech bubbles are all caps, all the time, you can’t bold select words for emphasis.

  46. DSL

    Sarah tries to save face in the last panel. Joyce ain’t buyin’ it.

    1. Bagge

      Translated from Sarah-speak this means roughly “You are all kinds of awesome. Here, have all the gold stars and a free unicorn, that’s how awesome you are.”

  47. Cirne

    As of this strip, Sarah is forever voiced by Garnet in my headcanon. I can so very see her saying this.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Well, that’s all the reason I need to finally give Steven Universe a try.

  48. GMB13carat

    Panel three sounds like the beginning of that nightmare Joyce had.

  49. man in black

    So she’s like the Terminator?

  50. The Paulosopher

    Anyone else notice that Sarah is using WAY fewer contractions now?

    1. Kate

      I was just going to ask that.

      I think Dina is the real Bad Influence here.

  51. 0kami

    Anyone else notice how this strip seems to not be name-tagged at all?

  52. BrokenEye, True False Prophet

    They have a weird relationship

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