189

Fidgety
Posted on July 2, 2018 by David M Willis
Thanks to your votes, June's first bonus strip stars Barb (the bartender)!  All patrons can come check it out at the Dumbing of Age Patreon!

189 thoughts on “Fidgety”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    my hubby likes to feel sugar packets

    the REAL sugar, none of that Splenda shit

    1. Stu

      “Who put 31 sugar packets on the floor?”

      1. Doctor_Who

        Did not expect to ever see an After Hours reference here, well done.

        Man, Cracked went down the tubes fast when they let all the talent go. No more After Hours. 🙁

        1. cbwroses

          I loved After Hours. That was my favorite Cracked segment. Bastards. I hadn’t read an article in years, but I watched every After Hours they put out.

        2. weirderthanweird

          I’m really hoping they manage to do them independently at some point. They were talking about doing it but I don’t know how serious about it they were.

        3. Felix

          hear, hear!

  2. AnvilPro

    Salt is way too spicy for Joyce

    1. Doctor_Who

      Joyce’s spirit animal.

      1. Schpoonman

        Sweet merciful Neptune.

      2. Needfuldoer

        Jeez, do they pump caffeine into the ventilation system when they make that show, or something? They jump between a string of nonstop visual gags and the characters right on the edge of interrupting each other. Every clip I’ve seen runs at wide open throttle from beginning to end, like they’re afraid their target audience will stop paying attention if they let up for more than half a second.

        Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go tell the local youths to vacate my lawn.

    2. Tacos

      I don’t think salt is supposed to be spicy…

      1. drs

        Cecil Adams of the Straight Dope said that Spam is short for “spiced ham”… Minnesota spices, salt and sugar.

        1. Aeron

          Minnesota is too spicy for Joyce.

      2. jeffepp

        My mother finds it so. She finds flavor too… rich. She and the Brit would possibly agree on the shepherd’s pie.

      3. cbwroses

        Assuming Detective Conan hasn’t lied to me, there are people who think of salt in terms of spiciness.
        In that particular case, in both meanings of the word, it was people from the Kansai region of Japan. A dish that was very salty, they described it as too spicy.

        1. wwwhhattt

          In Japanese spicy and salty are the same word when spoken, but it’s not a distinction I’ve seen people have trouble with here (I teach English in Japan).(also I don’t know if it’s written differently or not)

        2. CJ

          From some Detective Conan story I gathered that salty=spicy is the usage of Osaka (Kansai-Ben?) and Tokyo uses two different words

        3. CJ

          Case 227, starting with episode 651 in the German count of episodes, to be precise.
          (The culprit is revealed by using the word for spicy for a very salty dish and lots of explanations on Kansas Ben follow).
          Where in Japan do you teach?

        4. wwwhhattt

          In Kanagawa (next to Tokyo) so the words I know are in standard(?) Japanese, but I could easily be mistaken. Also, given how different Kansai-ben can be I wouldn’t be surprised to find huge differences there.

        5. wwwhhattt

          I finally checked! It turns out that it can be the same in Tokyo, but only really for old people.

    3. Yumi

      I have a friend who I joke I could make a version of that butterfly/pigeon meme about. “Is this spicy?” the guy would be saying, whilst gesturing towards the word “flavor.”

      (For my friend, it’s because of an allergy, though.)

  3. BBCC

    First the eating habits and now the fidgeting? Joyce, stop being me!

  4. Sporky

    friendly reminder joyce is autistic the end

    1. Regalli

      Every time we get a food scene, I see it more and more.

    2. AutobotDen

      …I did not realize this. But it explains so much.

    3. Dark

      Don’t see it. This just seems more like typical anxiety in someone who’s been deprived of most social interaction for a majority of their life.

      1. Regalli

        If she isn’t, she most certainly has adult restrictive food intake disorder or something very much like it. I go back and forth on autistic, but deeefinitely she has a Food Issue.

    4. showler

      Much of Joyce’s behaviour seems to be modeled on the artist, so I’d be careful with any armchair diagnoses.

      1. Sporky

        god forbid anyone identify with a fictional character fuckin ever amirite

      2. vivid grim

        https://twitter.com/damnyouwillis/status/1013943255539515394

  5. Doctor_Who

    She’s playing an Amy Grant song on the condiment maracas as she says this.

  6. MasakiSayz

    I mistook the window logo for a flour-related kitchen incident -_-
    I feel pretty dumb right now.

    1. Doctor_Who

      The pickles usurped Galasso after all, and that is his vengeful spirit haunting the kitchen.

      1. Needfuldoer

        FooooooOOOOOoooollllsss!!!

  7. DeepThought42

    I can sympathize generally I like to tie the straw casing inte knots while I wait for food.

    1. Yumi

      I also do that. If I’m with someone and they don’t seem to be judging me, I’m liable to play with anything on the table in front of me while I wait– straw wrappers, salt and pepper shakers, sugar packets, silverware, maybe a soy sauce container, whatever. I make a game of it.

    2. Regalli

      I mostly rip the edging off and then roll or fold it up. Used to roll up the margins on my class papers, too. (My worksheets did not look pretty.) Then once I started using a laptop for class work I’d tear off the corners of the now-mostly-useless papers and clean under my keyboard.

      I usually have a phone in restaurants now. I can keep still enough in active conversation, at least. For a while, anyway.

      1. Yumi

        Cleaning keyboards is so satisfying.

        1. Regalli

          It so is.

  8. Stephen Bierce

    At least she wasn’t handed the cracked red pepper and grated cheese shakers.
    *plays some Monkees on the Muzak so Joyce can pretend she’s Davy*

    1. Stephen Bierce

      *or maybe Amy Grant. I’m easy some of the time*

    2. Needfuldoer

      How many pizza places still offer shakers of cheese and pepper flakes? I’ve only ever seen them at Papa Gino’s…

      1. Daibhid C

        They’re a thing on this side of the pond, but mostly at the sort of “Look how very authentically Italian we are” pizzerias that don’t have regular pepperpots on the table, instead having a guy come round with a giant grinder of vaguely disturbing shape…

    3. Deanatay

      Don’t worry, Joyce…

      Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s here…

  9. laladoria

    I don’t remember this being a thing in the past.

    1. Norah

      It must be because of Jacob.

      1. Regalli

        Especially now that she’s semi-consciously flirting with him. The food thing’s been building, but the fidgeting’s probably nerves.

      2. Yumi

        Yeah, I default to not knowing what to do with my hands as it is, but around someone I like? Ooooohhh, boy. Oh, boy.

      3. laladoria

        I guess? It just seems kind of out of nowhere seeing as she’s seen him since she realized what was going on and this didn’t seem to be an issue.

        Either way this entire exchange is very awkward. I’m waiting for Jacob to realize that Joyce is acting different.

        1. Daibhid C

          I don’t see how he can possibly have not noticed Joyce is acting different. He just doesn’t know what to do about it, and possibly hasn’t realised it’s about him.

  10. Raen

    Well, this scene is clearly pre-2017.

  11. Nomothehomo

    Do the characters hair grow as the comic progress
    – ygs 101

  12. Schpoonman

    Joyce is so cute, goddammit.

    1. Needfuldoer

      That outfit and tying her hair up cranked it to 11, too.

  13. timemonkey

    I don’t think I’ve ever used pepper either.

    1. Doctor_Who

      I don’t think I’ve ever not used pepper. You could serve me a big pile of whole peppercorns, and I’d sprinkle pepper on it.

      Damned if I ever touch the salt shaker, though. As far as I’m concerned, it’s there to keep the pepper from getting lonely.

      1. No Name

        Now, see, I’m the exact opposite. I can’t eat anything without salt, even salt, but pepper? No thanks.

      2. Agemegos

        whenever anyone asked my father what his favourite food was he would answer “black pepper”. I think he enjoyed the arguments.

    2. Dean

      I use it on tomatoes, but that’s it.

    3. Opus the Poet

      When I was a kid I thought pepper was the anti-salt you put on food if you got too much salt on it. One bad experience with a plate of mashed potatoes disabused me of that notion.

    4. Shade

      I didn’t either until recently. I order my groceries and a little shaker of pepper got mixed into my order one time. The policy is just keep it when it happens so I’ve been adding it to my cooking a bit.

    5. ego

      cut broccoli into hunks big enough to go onto a kebab, put enough olive oil to make the pepper stick, give it a pretty aggressive dose of finely ground black pepper, and grill it hot til you have a decent char going. cabbage brains, i mean brussels sprouts, aren’t bad this way either.

  14. Puckish Rogue

    See this is the problem with Joyce and Jacob. Jacob, of course, would be very good for Joyce but she wouldn’t be good for Jacob as they’re both on different levels on maturity.

    We can infer that, at the moment, what Jacob wants is stability and low pressure so he can concentrate on his studies which Raidah not only accepts but actively encourages.

    If Jacob was to take on Joyce he’d almost be placed in a mentoring position with Joyce while she works through her various issues. He’d also be drawn into the drama vortex that is Joyces life and thats all without the prospect of dealing with the prospects of Joyce wanting Jacob to rub his thing on her belly

    At the moment Joyce has a lot to work through so maybe later Joyce and Jacob but at the moment it’d be a bad idea

    But would make for some good drama

    1. Nono

      Also, Jacob would probably still want to be friends with Raidah. That would be an incredible source of friction.

      1. Puckish Rogue

        Indeed, also if Jacob ever discovered the machinations of Joyce and Sarah in regards to making this happen then I don’t think he’d be at all happy with it

    2. Regalli

      1. We don’t actually know what Jacob wants in a relationship except to be wanted for more than just his physical looks. In fact, he suggested fooling around to Raidah and she told him to study, so clearly he’s at least open to something. (Joyce is likely on a radically different level of comfort with physical intimacy, but that is something that can be worked out.)

      2. Joyce has some genuine psychological issues and trauma, which Jacob’s not equipped to help with. None of them are on display here except maybe discomfort at the thought she’s not ‘normal’. Even that mainly appears around Jacob, though, so I’m inclined to think she’s self-conscious around the guy she likes.

      3. As mentioned above, some of Joyce’s behaviors are veeeery similar to someone on the autism spectrum, and people on it are prone to infantilization by others (including our supposed allies and family members,) so I for one get kind of twitchy when someone says Joyce isn’t mature enough for a relationship and cites strips like these as reasons why. The complicated mess of her sexuality, sure, she probably needs some help with the PTSD there and it will probably impact any relationships she has for a while. But that doesn’t mean Jacob would be relegated to a mentor role any more than her being a picky eater does.

      1. Regalli

        I don’t even ship Joyce and Jacob (the manipulation there is Not Good, Joyce,) there are just few things in the world that get me irritated like saying these particular behaviors make her unsuitable for a relationship. (See also, the party before Dina and Becky got together and Dina’s annoyance at people not thinking of her as mature enough for romantic connections.)

      2. chris73

        We do know that Jacob is willing to reject sexy times if he feels hes not being respected and we know hes open to sexy times with Raidah but what we don’t know is how much time Jacob is willing to help Joyce work through her issues around sexy times (and everything else) given that he also appears to be highly willing to want to succeed in being a lawyer

        Joyce acts like someone approximately early to late teens, Jacob acts mid to late 20s so yeah theres a disparity in their maturity level, much like theres a disparity between Dorothy and Walkys maturity

        Jacob and Dorothy or Joyce and Joe or even…(dare I say it) Joyce and Walky would all be a better pairing than Jacob and Joyce as all of them are much closer to each others maturity levels

      3. BBCC

        We don’t know what he wants in a relationship, but we know his attitude towards sex: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/sniffing/

        So if Jacob was suggesting sex (and not something else that could be considered fooling around, like making out), that suggests he’s more serious about Raidah than Joyce might want.

  15. Owlmirror

    Someone get Joyce a rosary.

    Or a Transformer. Whatever.

    1. Screwball

      You know, a toy Cybertronian WOULD be pretty good for fidgeting Joyce, and she could just claim Amber asked her to help loosen some joints…

      1. Reltzik

        Someone get her a fidget spinner so that, three weeks from now, Mike can link her a video to a preacher claiming they’re Satanic.

    2. Nico

      I think Joyce would rather die than touch a rosary.

    3. Felgraf

      I think handing Joyce a fidget toy, then letting her know it was a rosary, would likely endorse catatonia. Given what we’ve seen of her church, she was likely raised being told the Pope was a servant of the anti-christ, if not the anti-christ himself.

  16. Regalli

    Oh, Joyce. The feeling abnormal because of overly restrictive eating habits. Been there so many times.

    1. Bagge

      It can’t help that it seems to be the standard joke of her entire family (as seen for example when Becky used it as an ice breaker with Hank)

      1. Regalli

        I’m hoping that she’s usually comfortable with it among people who care about her, and it’s just being self-conscious around Jacob or Walky that makes her feel awkward, but we know John at least will use it against her.

        And regardless, it makes eating at new restaurants nerve-wracking. (Thank goodness for the era of online pdf menus, they ease my anxiety so much.)

  17. Reltzik

    Joyce, no.

  18. Lilyliv

    In which I am Joyce. (Okay, college me was already a peculiar mix of her and Amber but still.)

  19. pjeseb

    Dorothy to the rescue.

    1. Koms

      I wish I had a friend like panel 5 Dorothy

    2. Bagge

      Find a BFF who treats you like panel five Dorothy treats Joyce

      1. Koms

        I wish

  20. Ronnie

    Joyce is my favorite autistic character in any non-BioWare setting.
    I just. I have never related so strongly to a character before.
    Joyce it’ll be ok just go on Facebook you will find our groups and we will talk about samefooding and stimming and it’ll all be good.

    1. Regalli

      Oh what I wouldn’t give to introduce Joyce to a friendly actuallyautistic get-together. Dina too.

    2. cbwroses

      Is needing to do something with your hands an autistic thing or is there some other behavior of hers that represents autism?
      I only ask because I always need to do something with my hands, but I’m not autistic (and never thought of Joyce as autistic). I don’t claim to be able to recognize autism, though.

      1. Regalli

        It’s a behavior that isn’t exclusive to neurodivergent communities but is very common among them, especially in ADHD and autistic folks. I think OCD has it too? But I’m not sure there and there’s a lot of overlap among those groups, so it’s hard to say. Those who do it because of a neurodivergence thing call it stimming, and any items they use for that purpose stim toys or the like, but as the fidget spinner boom illustrates neurotypical people have always done it under the name fidgeting. (Technically stimming usually implies a repetitive or sensory-seeking nature to the behavior, but like: slime and slime videos are a form of stimming. Chewing on something can be, too. So’s flapping your hands, or spinning a ring, or listening to the same song twelve times in a row. Behaviors vary from person to person.)

        1. cbwroses

          Huh. Learned something new. Thanks.
          I’m not prone to self diagnosis, but considering the need to do something with my hands — and some other behavioral patterns of mine — I wouldn’t be surprised if I had some small degree of ocd. Assuming one can have a touch of ocd, to paraphrase a line from Be More Chill. But I digress.

          I do know that for me, repetition with whatever I’m doing or a specific sensation is not a requirement. It can be as simple as cracking my knuckles, tapping my fingers, or holding/turning the page of a book I’m reading, so long as I’m doing something. I just cannot sit still without a struggle.

        2. Regalli

          Glad to help! ~The More You Know star~

        3. Masumi

          Me before reading your post: I’m kinda autistic, but I don’t think I fidget much.

          Me after reading: *looks at rubber band I knotted around a pen earlier while youtube song on repeat starts over* … nevermind. :3

          It’s interesting though, I wasn’t aware that was an autism thing too.

      2. Opus the Poet

        It could also be her PTSD. I know a lot of people with that and the urge to fidget can be overwhelming for some. These were people that had no fidget need prior to their trauma. I’ve always been a little ADHD (I was even prescribed schnapps when I was in 2nd grade back in the 60s).

        1. Regalli

          Also an option. We know Joyce touches her punching/glassing arm when triggered, after all.

      3. CJ

        I’d say sitting still is a acquired behavior that is hard to keep up for people, full stop.
        Our bodies are not constructed to keep still for extended periods of time. Even in sleep, we move constantly.
        Applying diagnoses to people just because they do not sit still seems really strange to me.
        Joyce has some anxiety issues and PTSD. Her fidgeting might be related to strong emotions (did she just order a pizza where her food touches other food? Jacob is there too, and she just realized she has emotions concerning him), though it’s somehow implied this happens often.

        1. CJ

          In the 1980ties, there was a trend to people knitting in class because it relaxed them and made it easier to concentrate on the teacher talking. Out of a class of 28, sometimes a third was knitting.

        2. Regalli

          It varies. Certainly there’s a human tendency to not be still, but a lot of ADHD people go above and beyond that because it’s also an inability to focus ever. Like to sleep when you’re tired, or eat because eating’s boring, or executive dysfunction that doesn’t just mean ‘can’t do boring thing’ but also ‘can’t do fun thing, just be agitated doing nothing for hours.’

          Most people I think peg Joyce as autistic because of a bunch of behaviors taken together, not just this one. Which tends to be how these types of diagnoses would work, anyway. (When dealing with a shitty psychiatrist once I started listing the disorders I’d have that are like ‘when not associated with autism’ in the diagnostic criteria, and it was… a lot. You’d think a reputable diagnosis would shut people up, but. Sigh.)

        3. Felgraf

          And then there’s also the “can’t *UN*-Focus” issue that sometimes comes with ADHD, too!
          (I sort of describe it as “I do not have the ability to filter out external stimuli. If I pick out a conversation on a bus that I really, really, really don’t want to be hearing? SUCKS TO BE ME.”)

        4. ischemgeek

          Also autism has that thing too like autistic inertia.

          Like, “Hm I know I need to go to work in 15 minutes which means I need to get up and start getting ready now and yet rather than doing that how bout I instead sit here staring at the clock thinking I need to get up for 30 minutes and be late to work.”

    3. Bagge

      Oh? What’s your favorite BioWare autistic characters?

      1. Ronnie

        My top 2 are Merrill and Dagna.
        Peebee is pretty awesome too. I love that her dad’s Elcor.

        1. Bagge

          Sounds really cool. I’m WAY behind my digital RPGS. Is it Dragon Age?

        2. Ronnie

          Merrill and Dagna are Dragon Age, Peebee is Mass Effect 🙂

  21. Jess

    Poor Dorothy. That is the face of a desperate woman. “Something, anything for her to fidget with!”

  22. Dara

    ily panel 3 joyce ♥

  23. drs

    Sleep-deprived emotional break-down Dorothy is still more on top of things than Joyce…

    1. Bagge

      I think that for Dorothy it is a welcome rest to have someone ELSE’S problem to deal with for a little while.

  24. Kaunisenkeli

    Yeah, I can definitely relate to Joyce on this point.

  25. Bagge

    It’s not easy, being wingman for Joyce, but Dorothy does a decent job of it, just as Becky did in church.

    I just love to see Joyce with her two ladies!

    1. ShinyNeen

      Same!

      Also I’m uncertain if Dorothy even realizes Joyce’s kinda-sorta-probably intentions with Jacob. Extra layer of fun!

      1. Bagge

        I really think she has picked up on the subtle clues by now… but of course she doesn’t know the almost Danny-like levels of complications Joyce has already racked up. Fun times ahead!

  26. cbwroses

    Never used pepper? But what does she put on her scrambled eggs?

    1. Regalli

      Maybe some salt, not much else? Eggs are delicious on their own.

      1. cbwroses

        Minimum scrambled eggs is eggs, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.

        If I want something more bold, the ingredients will grow to include some dried and chopped onion, crushed red pepper flakes, a dash of hot sauce, and a splash of milk.
        This is in the egg mixture during the scrambling process, mind you, not on top of the eggs after cooking. But even plain eggs scrambled should at least have both salt AND pepper sprinkled on top.

        At least for me.

        1. thejeff

          That sounds like you have food touching other food. Gross.
          🙂

        2. cbwroses

          That’s not food touching other food. That’s the entire mixture before it’s cooked. The entire thing is “one food”.

          Unless you’re saying even combining ingredients is food touching other food. In which case, it must be hard for you to enjoy any kind of pastry, or even regular meals for that matter. Most things involve being cooked with more than one ingredient.

          No fried chicken. No mashed potatoes,melt alone he gravy. No cake or cookies. No ice cream.

        3. thejeff

          Maybe if it’s just onion flakes. Actual pieces of onion would, I suspect qualify as “food touching food”. But yeah, the stuff that gets mixed in and becomes indistinguishable is probably safe.

          Not that I actually grok this particular food thing.

      2. Marsh Maryrose

        You are absolutely right on this.

        Other possibilities that I have verified by experiment:

        Tapatio sauce
        Chopped fresh herbs
        Salsa fresca
        El Yucateco Chipotle sauce
        HP brown sauce

        I have a black pepper grinder in my kitchen but I can’t remember the last time I used it.

        1. cbwroses

          Thanks. I may have to try some of those.

        2. Dr_D

          Spinach, onions, and spicy madras curry. At least one or two times a week.

    2. Agemegos

      Chives, naturally.

  27. ShinyNeen

    Ooh, that last panel. I constantly get that feeling, that as long as you can fix your problems you get to pretend you never had them in the first place.
    At least, I think that’s what Joyce is getting at in the last panel. Maybe I’m projecting because I’m tired?

  28. Keulen

    I’m pretty sure normal people wouldn’t talk about doing normal things. Also fuck wanting to be normal, normality sucks.

    1. drs

      “GREETINGS, HUMAN TEENAGER. I TOO AM A HUMAN TEENAGER! LET US DO NORMAL HUMAN TEENAGER THINGS.”

      1. cbwroses

        Why am I suddenly thinking of Scooby-Doo the movie?

      2. Keulen

        https://www.reddit.com/r/totallynotrobots/

  29. LeslieBean4Shizzle

    The line “and also retroactively normal in the past” is officially when I lost my shit. It has been a while since this comic made me laugh that hard – bravo!

    1. Bagge

      Agreed, for all the drama it is good to remember sometimes just how fun watching these kids can be.

  30. Bagge

    When you play a roleplaying game, you basically sit around a table for five hours while racking up a gauntlet of emotions. It really pays as a game master to keep a bowl of fidgety things on hand, least your players start to mutilate writing equipment, character sheets and – if you or they are unlucky – dices.

    Seasoned players usually bring their own fidgety things. You know it’s a good game when glance around the table provides you with one person painting miniatures, one inking a drawing of the group, one soldering something-or-other and one hand-sewing larp clothing.

    1. No Name

      I’m sorry Bagge, your comment is otherwise good, but I have to nitpick:

      “Dice”, like “data”, is already plural. The singular is “die”.

      Thus ends the nitpick.

      1. Bagge

        Ah, thanks

    2. Zaxares

      The dice ARE your fidgety thing. 😉 You just pick one or two up (my favourite is a pair of d20’s) and just roll them around in the palm of your hand. Don’t roll them on the table though, because that tends to annoy the other players/DM.

      1. Bagge

        ….and right there you have the reason why I try to encourage my players to use OTHER fidgety things. Preferably silent ones.

  31. JessWitt

    Trying to recall when Joyce used a fidget spinner.

  32. Adam Black

    Would some other readers help me On a Doa reading Issue.

    I dont think my Brain translates Wilis’s Expressionistic drawing style of Jacob correctly to a Real Person.

    Would some readers link to IRL images of Men that are IRL correspondents to jacob.

    Its amazing what Impressions Willis can imply imply with a few tiny lines, but Ive thought My brain couldnt make the right leap with jacob for a while. There must be College athletes or actors or Models which Willis intends as an Analogue.

    Thx Fello Dumbers.

    1. Adam Black

      and why doenst this Fandom ( FanDumb ? ) have a Nickname?

      WilliWankers? Children of the Cheese? Friends of Joel

    2. miz

      Something like this?

    3. Kamino Neko

      This dude is pretty close to how he reads to me. Not quite broad enough across the jaw, but it gets the essential ‘feel’ of Jacobness.

      1. Adam Black

        hm

      2. Adam Black

        When I Of think of a square jawed , basically Objectively handsome Black college student , my brain always goes to Sam Jones from smallville.

        http://www.media2.hw-static.com/wp-content/uploads/sam-jones-iii-smallville_59902839-638×425.jpeg

        But I could never parse what Willis is intending with Jacobs nose and Lips. I cant quite get Sam Jones to match. My Brain rejects it

        ( wait, wait, my mental picture isnt Sam Jones. Its My college freshman Bio lab partner. I wish I had a physical picture to share. he was a football star an seemed a bit sweet on me. ~very Sam Jones like. Slightly deeper chocolate skin tone, very smooth complexion, possibly Carribean ancestry, slightly more pronounced cheek bones, bigger jaw/ smile . Wish I remember his name. Our eyes would linger just a little too long and I would wonder. It would be another year before i learned to move that ball down the field. He was a good guy )

        The way every character swoons over him,i would think his features would be symmetrical. Sometimes i think jacob has a Button nose, and other times he seems to have this Cyrrano sloop going on.

        Then I wonder, Maybe im just not that into him?
        or Im looking at the drawing wrong.

        Maybe Im insane and willis doesnt even intend specific Features. or My brain loops because african americans have one of the world’s highest Facial diversity and I just need higher resolution picture to make a real disambiguation.

    4. Needfuldoer

      No matter what he looks like, he’s voiced by Earl Alexander as far as I’m concerned.

      1. Kamino Neko

        He’s Khary Payton as Cyborg in my head, but we’re thinking along the same lines.

      2. Zee

        I personally hear him with Chidi Anagonye from the good place’s voice

  33. Arianod

    Tag yourself, I’m Jacob.

  34. Beef

    Now that she’s trying to win Jacob over she’s panicking. I like this

    1. BenRG

      She’s had precisely zero serious romantic attractions to date. Being nervous is to be expected.

  35. BenRG

    Oh wow! Joyce really desperately needs a hug right now, doesn’t she? Of course, this isn’t ‘abnormal’. This is ‘first date nerves’, which is, of course, something that is quite new to her.

    So, what does everyone else think: How long before Joyce crashes and burns?

    1. Bagge

      I’m not sure about crash and burn, but I think we might se something like this before long
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-8/02-this-is-the-way-that-we-love/glisteny/

  36. OnyxIdol

    Oh Joyce, this would be adorable if it didn’t distress you so.

    1. Bagge

      That sums up a large part of Joyce’s behaviour.

      Another large part is “This would be adorable if wouldn’t also be kinda horrifyingly bigoted/ignorant”

      (not to forget “This kinda IS adorable but it’s also incredibly annoying”, mainly popping up in the morning.)

      1. Bagge

        Joyce can reliably be described as “Adorable, but…” is what i’m saying.

        1. JBento

          Also “adorable butt”

        2. JBento

          As Yotomoe has repeatedly shown.

        3. Bagge

          I was debating using that joke myself.

          It was much more rewarding leaving the ball in the air and watching the comment section slam dunk. Thanks, JBento.

        4. JBento

          I slam dunked?

          For once, I’m good at sports!

        5. Bagge

          Savor the moment 🙂

        6. Pablo360

          *Kuroko no Basket voice* You’ve entered the zone

          I’ve never actually seen Kuroko no Basket but I assume that’s something someone says at one point

  37. Bagge

    Also, Dorothy has the constitutional right NOT to answer the question in the first panel. It was, like, in the Magna Charta

  38. stoodmuffin

    God there are times when Joyce is my gender.

    Like, at this moment, I am she is She is me is I am she and we are all together and it’s 3 am I need to go slep

  39. Jesse

    Joyce needs a fidget cube.

  40. darkoneko

    Jacob is torn between “it’s more polite to not mention it”, “I wonder how far this interesting thing will go” and “holy shit Joyce stop already”.

    1. BenRG

      Jacob is currently largely ignorant that Joyce is attracted to him and wants to have a relationship with him. Because of that, I can see him taking her aside and having what is, from an outside perspective, a very intimate discussion about her neuroses and how he thinks she can confront them. To him, it is just looking out for his friend/kid sister. Unfortunately, to Joyce, it’s encouragement to continue her pursuit.

      1. darkoneko

        I think of the two, Joyce is more ignorant of the pursuing done, tho XD

    2. Bagge

      Also known as “like, 80% of Sarah’s interaction with Joyce.” (The remaining fraction is divided equal between “NO ONE HURTS MY LITTLE SISTER!” and “…those blue eyes sees straight into my soul. Help!”)

  41. Crumplepunch

    I thought there was a ghostly Galasso looming in the background before I realised it was the shopfront.

    1. Bagge

      Never presume a man does not keep ghostly forms of himself looming in the window, FOOL!

      1. JBento

        And that shall be Crumplepunch’s undoing!

        1. Bagge

          Indeed it shall

    2. The Gorram Batguy

      Is your full name Benedinked Crumplepunch?

      1. Crumplepunch

        My first name is actually Brentalfloss.

  42. KSClaw

    Somebody get this girl a cube or spinner!

  43. Nenja

    *waking up, reaches for the phone, checks new strip* that’s funny, but I feel like I’ve seen this before? maybe this is the second time I check today? so sleepy needs more sleep *falls asleep, wakes up later and more awake* oh yeah, the kickstarter preview.

  44. BenRG

    Joyce, here’s a tip: Don’t ever tell anyone that you’re ‘normal’. It makes them start thinking of ways in which you aren’t.

    FWIW: To me, Joyce’s quirks make her interesting and occasionally adorable but she really needs friends who are firm enough with her to tell her when to stop and not just walk away if she doesn’t listen.

  45. The Gorram Batguy

    I’m pretty sure I’ve never used a pepper shaker at a meal in my life either.
    But when I cook the food, I use lots of pepper. It’s delicious.

  46. Sam

    The background makes it looks like a ghost of Galasso just passed them by.

    1. Bagge

      That was a REALLY weird Christmas

  47. abysswatcher1993

    Joyce, that isn’t how retcons work! You need to trick people into believing a story you just corrected by means of time travelling, or by using Torchwood’s retcon drug.

  48. AgentKeen

    Ghost Galasso judges you from the background.

  49. newllend(henryvolt)

    …This is cute.

  50. Kilgaen

    . . . nailed it!

  51. wakeangel2001

    I gesticulate with my hands a lot when I talk too

  52. Mr. Anderson

    Joyce, it’s an Italian restaurant… kind of. Just talk with your hands and you’ll fit right in!

  53. toby

    I kept finding bible-verse spinner rings when I was looking for one for myself – those might be up Joyce’s alley!

    (I ended up eventually finding a rainbow d20 spinner ring that I like a lot, and that is more relevant to my Gay D&D Player interests)

  54. Schol-R-LEA

    For some reason, when I saw how she was holding them shakers, my brain immediately compared it to some of the publicity pictures if Tom Cruise getting an E-meter audit, goofy grin and all.

    Though I think Joyce would hold bottles of Sriracha sauce with greater enthusiasm and desire to use them than she would the Happylologists infamous cans.

  55. Solenoid

    If you’re normal and you know it,
    pass the salt!
    *clap, clap*
    If you’re normal and you know it,
    pass the salt!
    *clap, clap*
    If you’re normal and you know it,
    and you really want to show it,
    If you’re normal and you know it,
    pass the salt!

    …

    Dorothy
    Please, Dorothy.
    Pass the salt.
    I need something
    anything
    in my hands right now.
    Please.
    Pass the salt, Dorothy. The pepper, too.
    …
    Thank.

    *clack, clack*

  56. Inahc

    eee! I finally checked my mail, and there was my Dina magnet! 🙂

    and it came with a bookmark, with *both* of the comics on it being about sleep deprivation, which would’ve been spookily relevant if I’d checked the mail a bit sooner. 🙂

    sadly, that bookmark is just laminated paper, so if I use it as a bookmark it’s doomed to eventually become an accidental chew toy.

    1. JBento

      Gratz on the magnet! \o/

  57. vivid grim

    big autistic. biiig autistic

  58. MediaDuke

    One hundred percent with Joyce on needing a fidgety thing. No tickets are safe in my hand. They shall rue the day they ever attempted to retain their shape!!

  59. Clif

    Jacob suddenly realizes that he is in love with Dorothy.

  60. Romanticide

    somebody needs to teach Dorothy how to juggle

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