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Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

September 28, 2023

Sweatband

by David M Willis on November 21, 2017 at 12:01 am
  • 02 - This Is the Way that We Love


└ Tags: dorothy, joyce

Discussion (176) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    November 21, 2017 at 12:02 am | #

    headband up = ᕕ(ʘםʘ)ᕗ

    headband down = ღ(ƟɷƟღ)

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      November 21, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

      The headband was keeping the pressure on her brain, removing it restored her to normal 4:30 settings.

  2. Batman
    Batman
    November 21, 2017 at 12:02 am | #

    I was hoping the titles would continue to be bowie lyrics, but alas…

    • Batman
      Batman
      November 21, 2017 at 12:06 am | #

      Mika lyrics are still good

      • JessWitt
        JessWitt
        November 21, 2017 at 12:25 am | #

        I’m surprised it’s from a Mika song. If so, that’s some incredible music reach from Willis.

    • Marsh Maryrose
      Marsh Maryrose
      November 21, 2017 at 12:14 am | #

      And I was hoping that they would go back to Jonathan Coulton Lyrics.

      “Could it be that you need me”

      • DinaWho
        DinaWho
        November 21, 2017 at 8:56 am | #

        I love that song so freaking much.

  3. Afterword
    Afterword
    November 21, 2017 at 12:03 am | #

    There is no good reason to be awake between the hours of 4 and 5 in the morning. You can be up until 3 or wake up at 5. 4 is the no-man’s-land between the two.

    • Mr. Mendo
      Mr. Mendo
      November 21, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

      I would disagree, all the coolest stuff happens at 0400! ^_^

      • Pablo360
        Pablo360
        November 21, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

        Nothing has ever happened between 4 and 5. That hour does not exist.

        • Lapin
          Lapin
          November 21, 2017 at 1:12 am | #

          That’s when we at Starbucks are brewing coffee and setting up our machines. It’s the most peaceful time of our morning. Everything after 5am is Hell.

        • Sudden Clarity Clarence
          Sudden Clarity Clarence
          November 21, 2017 at 8:01 am | #

          You’re clearly not a programmer. There’s some code that compiles between 4AM and 5AM (i.e., near the end of a long coding session) that would totally fail to compile at any other time. In fact, if you read the code at any time except between 4 and 5 AM, you will become convinced that it can’t possibly work, except it does.

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        November 21, 2017 at 12:17 am | #

        In that it’s the coldest hour of the night, yes.

      • Plasma Mongoose
        Plasma Mongoose
        November 21, 2017 at 12:28 am | #

        Like new meme posts.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      November 21, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

      I usually stay up until about 5:30 am and wake up at either 12:30 pm or 10:30 am depending on if I have work or not.

    • Deathjavu
      Deathjavu
      November 21, 2017 at 12:09 am | #

      I firmly believe in outlawing all times before 8 am, except in case of all-nighters or emergencies.

      • Passchendaele
        Passchendaele
        November 21, 2017 at 12:21 am | #

        Fffft I have to get up at 6:30 am for school. I’m so used to it I haven’t been able to sleep until 8 in literal years.

    • JessWitt
      JessWitt
      November 21, 2017 at 12:18 am | #

      Well, then I’m no man!

      I have to wake up at 5 because morning commute is so traffic-plagued. Because of that, my bio clock adjusted itself to awaking half an hour or so earlier.

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      November 21, 2017 at 12:26 am | #

      I often wake up between 3am and 5am because my body refuses to give me more than 5 hours of sleep.

      • CoMa
        CoMa
        November 21, 2017 at 7:23 pm | #

        That’s sad (well, depending on whether you get to bed early or not). I hope you can return to sleep after waking up :/

        I usually don’t get more than around 4-5 consecutive hours of sleep because of my cats (they love to wake me up, just for the heck of it), so I can kinda relate, though I definitely can get sleep after dealing with them for a bit.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      November 21, 2017 at 12:33 am | #

      I was up until 4 this morning.

      You are correct though – I AM NO MAN.

      • SgtWadeyWilson
        SgtWadeyWilson
        November 21, 2017 at 12:56 am | #

        https://xkcd.com/1704/

    • brionl
      brionl
      November 21, 2017 at 12:33 am | #

      Well, if you’re using Pokemon Ultra Moon, you have to get up at 5:00AM to evolve your own temp Rockruff to the new dusk form.
      Unless you set your 3DS clock to the wrong time. But that way lies madness!

      • SgtWadeyWilson
        SgtWadeyWilson
        November 21, 2017 at 12:57 am | #

        I set my 3DS clock to the wrong time a long time ago…

    • Dana
      Dana
      November 21, 2017 at 12:36 am | #

      If I stay up until four I can say good morning to my dad when he wakes up.

      • Viktoria
        Viktoria
        November 21, 2017 at 9:30 pm | #

        I used to do that. Fun to share a meal, even when one of you has cereal and the other has Chinese takeout.

    • Bruceski
      Bruceski
      November 21, 2017 at 1:54 am | #

      I’ve found that there’s something incredible about sunrises when viewed from the proper side. Not so much when staying up late, though.

    • Questionor
      Questionor
      November 21, 2017 at 2:21 am | #

      what do you mean there’s no good reason? if I take just one more turn I can conquer Gandhi before he nukes me.

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        November 21, 2017 at 2:28 am | #

        First time I ever played Civilization, I had close to no idea what I was doing, but I was already aware of the “nuclear Ghandi” meme. I chose to play as a random civilization…and I got Ghandi. And when I reached the Atomic Era, it turned out that some of the mines I had built in the past were built over uranium resources, precluding the need for me to make a builder unit and send them out to build a uranium mine.

        …you can probably guess what happened next.

    • Crusading Barista
      Crusading Barista
      November 21, 2017 at 3:35 am | #

      You do not understand the pain of the barista

    • Kryss LaBryn
      Kryss LaBryn
      November 21, 2017 at 6:39 am | #

      That’s why it’s traditionally the ideal hour to attack. 😀

    • Beige
      Beige
      November 21, 2017 at 10:07 am | #

      yeah, thats the time I often get up for work 😛

      lotsa service industry folks start at that time after all

    • CoMa
      CoMa
      November 21, 2017 at 7:19 pm | #

      I get up between 4 am and 4:30am for my morning shift. But I’m also the kind of person that needs two hours to wake up in the morning and get every preparation for the work-day done (including lunch). I’ve been called crazy by co-workers, but it works for me, for the time being.

  4. Mr. Mendo
    Mr. Mendo
    November 21, 2017 at 12:03 am | #

    Huh. Joyce just keeps revealing layers, doesn’t she? LOL

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 21, 2017 at 2:22 am | #

      That sounds like a really elaborate after-ski striptease

      • Mr. Mendo
        Mr. Mendo
        November 21, 2017 at 3:55 am | #

        Well, winter *is* coming! 😉

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          November 21, 2017 at 4:40 am | #

          Once winter hits Willis will have to draw the cast in winter gear for years and years and years of eternal winter without ever getting to Christmas (why does that sound familiar?).

          But I must say, I look forward to the endless halloween.

  5. Renshear Blade
    Renshear Blade
    November 21, 2017 at 12:03 am | #

    that murder face….

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      November 21, 2017 at 2:10 am | #

      Sarah is going to find herself wondering what Joyce started copying her morning expression!

  6. CandidCanid
    CandidCanid
    November 21, 2017 at 12:03 am | #

    Joyce is going to be konking out at 3 PM, people. Mark my words.

    Also, how is she supposed to wipe sweat off her brow with the sweatband on her wrist if the sweatband on her head is in the way? Joyce you klutz.

    • Kryss LaBryn
      Kryss LaBryn
      November 21, 2017 at 6:44 am | #

      Oh, is that what the wrist sweatbands are for! I’ve been wondering since, like, 1984.

      • Bast
        Bast
        November 21, 2017 at 9:29 am | #

        I learned something today xD

  7. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    November 21, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

    Yay for fitness watches who tell you fitness things !

  8. Rosicrucian
    Rosicrucian
    November 21, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

    Such impressive flirting, Joyce.

    • SgtWadeyWilson
      SgtWadeyWilson
      November 21, 2017 at 12:58 am | #

      Right? She even bought a new outfit to impress her girlfriend.

  9. Keulen
    Keulen
    November 21, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

    Once again Joyce makes the best faces ever.

  10. Magdalana
    Magdalana
    November 21, 2017 at 12:05 am | #

    Taking all bets, I’m going for morning sickness. Also possible: up all night cramming, family member death, and currently nekked in bed with Walky

    • Nono
      Nono
      November 21, 2017 at 12:06 am | #

      Or just sick.

    • Pablo360
      Pablo360
      November 21, 2017 at 12:07 am | #

      Technically we have no definitive proof that she woke up at all yesterday.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        November 21, 2017 at 6:58 am | #

        Well, She’s not in Joyce’s room anymore…

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        November 21, 2017 at 7:43 am | #

        Oh, she woke up yesterday. There was a garden hose. 🙂

        But yes, we haven’t actually seen her since then/

    • Black
      Black
      November 21, 2017 at 12:18 am | #

      God I hope it’s not morning sickness; Walky is one of those people who shouldn’t be allowed to breed.

      • Joy
        Joy
        November 21, 2017 at 1:01 am | #

        D: why would you say that

      • Bast
        Bast
        November 21, 2017 at 9:32 am | #

        I agree but mostly because the comment section is going to be filled with pro-lifers and pro-choice people going at it for days…

      • Sunny
        Sunny
        November 21, 2017 at 8:27 pm | #

        Walky did at some point say that if Dorothy were any more thorough regarding contraception, they’d each have to turn a key at the same time.

        So probably not an unplanned pregnancy. Even odds on a cold or a nervous breakdown.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      November 21, 2017 at 12:19 am | #

      I’m guessing not morning sickness. If it was morning sickness she’d be sleeping next to the toilet. Also, she’d be freaking out until she figured out what was going on.

      The other options are possible, but I’d add depression / self-esteem-self-destruct from her struggles in school.

      • Kryss LaBryn
        Kryss LaBryn
        November 21, 2017 at 6:56 am | #

        Walky did say at one point that if her birth control methods were any more secure, they’d have to simultaneously turn keys. So I think she’s probably doing more than just condoms combined with birth control. Probably spermicidal foam in there too.

        But even just birth control and condoms (which is probably the least anyone medically able to use both ought to be doing in her situation) would reduce the rate to near-impossible.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          November 21, 2017 at 11:53 pm | #

          Might have doubled up on condoms too. Vaginal condoms are a thing.

    • Seldritch
      Seldritch
      November 21, 2017 at 1:46 am | #

      I’d guess that it’s period cramps, myself. Those can really lay a gal low.

    • GoblinScribe
      GoblinScribe
      November 21, 2017 at 2:38 am | #

      Am I the only one that remembers that Dorothy is still dealing with the trauma from seeing a guy get eviscerated in front of her?

      • Northamptonian
        Northamptonian
        November 21, 2017 at 3:17 am | #

        Yeah, it’s probably a combination of that trauma with the depression and self-esteem issues Reitzik mentioned. It’s particularly sad that missing out on her running routine is exactly the wrong thing for her to do. Exercise isn’t a magic cure-all of course, but it is one of the best things for maintaining a level of both physical and mental health. Running is also an important part of Dorothy’s identity so not doing it will hurt her self-esteem that much more.

        Of course it’s completely realistic that someone stressed almost to the point of breaking would see not running as an easy, almost cost-free sacrifice to make. This is a great indication that despite being so brilliant in other areas, Dorothy still has a lot to figure out just like everyone else.

        • Joy
          Joy
          November 21, 2017 at 10:45 pm | #

          I exercise every day for my mental and physical health, but when I’m feeling like crap (tired, dizzy, trouble processing stuff) it does the opposite of help. Take some time to rest, and try it again later or tomorrow.

    • Maveric1984
      Maveric1984
      November 21, 2017 at 3:16 pm | #

      Willis has said outright that he’s not going to make anyone pregnant, including Dorothy.

    • Carms
      Carms
      November 21, 2017 at 10:49 pm | #

      Debilitating period pain was actually my first thought

  11. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    November 21, 2017 at 12:06 am | #

    Oh my goshness, Joyce looks adorable like that.

    Poor thing’s day went from Olivia Newton John to Oblivion Newton John

    • SgtWadeyWilson
      SgtWadeyWilson
      November 21, 2017 at 1:01 am | #

      *Round of applause.*

  12. Passchendaele
    Passchendaele
    November 21, 2017 at 12:06 am | #

    How many times did Joyce walk between their rooms to figure that out?

    • Pablo360
      Pablo360
      November 21, 2017 at 12:07 am | #

      Just once if she was precise.

      • Passchendaele
        Passchendaele
        November 21, 2017 at 12:13 am | #

        Ffft that was my guess. She probably also remembers how far her room is from everyone else’s in the dorm, especially after her stint as the whiteboard dingdong bandit.

        • Pablo360
          Pablo360
          November 21, 2017 at 1:39 am | #

          It has been |1̲̅1̲̅| days since I thought about the phrase “whiteboard dingdong bandit”.

          *reaches up, changes sign*

          It has been |0̲̅| days since I thought about the phrase “whiteboard dingdong bandit”.

          • Reltzik
            Reltzik
            November 21, 2017 at 2:57 am | #

            Wait, how does it ever advance past 0 if she has to change it manually? Does it like update the day automatically and she only has to reset it to 0? Wouldn’t even having the sign THERE prevent it from advancing beyond 0?

            … so… many… questions…

          • Kryss LaBryn
            Kryss LaBryn
            November 21, 2017 at 7:33 am | #

            When the wheat pool I worked at many years ago was bought by Americans, they put one of those big “[X] days since our last accident!!” boards up outside the first aid room, which was not only right outside the main offices in the pool itself, but also right beside where the coffee truck came.

            They figured it would be a great motivator for people to be extra safe. They may have promised us some treat or other if we made it to [90].

            As I recall, they then dropped the promised reward to [30], and after several months just ditched the stupid thing altogether. I never saw it get past [04] myself, and eventually people just left it on the [01] since there was no point in changing it.

            Ended up being more demotivating than inspirational, heh. Someone probably should have told them that, you know, “not being injured” was a greater motivation to us than “not wrecking the run”.

            They also probably ought to have checked the first aid log book before deciding that this was a realistic idea, heh, especially since every first aid visit counted, even if it was to get dust rinsed out of the eyes.

            Do you have any idea how dusty wheat pools are? 😛

            • hof1991
              hof1991
              November 21, 2017 at 8:28 am | #

              Most places use lost work days, which has a precise OSHA meaning. Paper cuts don’t count. Eye dust would only count if you had to miss a day od work because of it. Though it is easy to need surgery after something as simple as climbing a ladder.

            • ValdVin
              ValdVin
              November 21, 2017 at 8:40 am | #

              Wheat pool? Safety concerns?

              Have I got a movie for you! From 1909, D. W. Griffith’s
              A Corner in Wheat.

  13. Kernanator
    Kernanator
    November 21, 2017 at 12:07 am | #

    I’m tired just looking at Joyce. Of course, I flew across the country overnight without really getting any sleep on the plane, so that may be unrelated to Joyce.

  14. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    November 21, 2017 at 12:07 am | #

    *mentally pictures that video of the blokes in pink “jogging” to A-ha’s “Take On Me”*

  15. StClair
    StClair
    November 21, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

    “Ugh, fine, scoot over.”
    “wait, what?”

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 21, 2017 at 2:18 am | #

      *content sigh as Joyce snuggles close to Dorothy*
      *Beat panel with Joyce eyes drifting downwards*
      *Joyce jumps out of bed*: WALKY!!!

  16. joe archer
    joe archer
    November 21, 2017 at 12:09 am | #

    A sunrise is a nice way to end a day…

  17. Architex
    Architex
    November 21, 2017 at 12:11 am | #

    >This is the way that we love

    Opening with Joyce and Dorothy? I like it!

  18. AgentKeen
    AgentKeen
    November 21, 2017 at 12:12 am | #

    Yeah, I’m definitely just getting up when I’m awake at that time…. Ha… haha…

  19. Bagge
    Bagge
    November 21, 2017 at 12:12 am | #

    She went up for YOUUUUU, Dorothy. FOR YOUUUUUU!!!!

  20. Mr. Random
    Mr. Random
    November 21, 2017 at 12:12 am | #

    Morning starts at 6:00 am. Maaaybe 5:30.

  21. Rukdug
    Rukdug
    November 21, 2017 at 12:14 am | #

    Ah, so dawn must be happening for Joyce’s morning person powers to activate.

    • Cephalo the Pod
      Cephalo the Pod
      November 21, 2017 at 12:15 am | #

      What, is Joyce some kind of reverse-vampire?

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        November 21, 2017 at 12:23 am | #

        She runs towards crosses.

        • BrokenEye, the True False Prophet
          BrokenEye, the True False Prophet
          November 21, 2017 at 12:47 am | #

          Only if they’re sans serif

        • SgtWadeyWilson
          SgtWadeyWilson
          November 21, 2017 at 1:06 am | #

          …but what about garlic? Running water? Silver?

          • Reltzik
            Reltzik
            November 21, 2017 at 2:50 am | #

            Garlic….. so long as it’s FLAVORING the food rather than BEING food, sure. Lots of garlic flavor in a sauce is okay, but little itty bitty bits of minced garlic? NO.

            Running water? Perfectly fine, so long as she doesn’t have to stand on a mass of para-sentient hair slime to get under it.

            Silver… hasn’t come up yet?

            • Pablo360
              Pablo360
              November 21, 2017 at 3:51 pm | #

              I don’t really see Joyce enjoying garlic mixed with other food. I’d be surprised if she enjoyed garlic at all.

              • thejeff
                thejeff
                November 21, 2017 at 10:38 pm | #

                We know she can enjoy flavored foods. Couldn’t say whether she likes the flavor of garlic or not, but as long as it’s not identifiable as “garlic mixed in with other food”, but just “garlic flavored food”, I don’t think it would trigger her specific food issues.

  22. Tacos
    Tacos
    November 21, 2017 at 12:15 am | #

    4:30AM? That’s about the time I go to sleep.

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      November 21, 2017 at 1:44 am | #

      Yep, me too. And get up around 1200.

    • Liliaeth
      Liliaeth
      November 21, 2017 at 3:19 am | #

      I wish, it’s generally the time I’m just out of bed and behind my computer, so I can be awake enough to be at work by six.

  23. Cass
    Cass
    November 21, 2017 at 12:16 am | #

    Look on the bright side, Joyce! You now have the perfect excuse to collapse in a sleepy pile with Dotty! 33 steps is too faaaar to walk at 4:30 when there’s no reason to, it’s her fault so she needs to scooch over.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 21, 2017 at 2:17 am | #

      MORNING CUDDLES

    • StClair
      StClair
      November 21, 2017 at 3:48 am | #

      Exactly! 33(plus) steps, back to a bed that is no longer cozy and warm?

  24. Romanticide
    Romanticide
    November 21, 2017 at 12:17 am | #

    I seriously don’t get people who wake up early just because and people who run… and the combination of the two is completely alien people to me.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 21, 2017 at 2:16 am | #

      I try in vain to convince my spouse that before-7-AM is just as valid a position of the clock as any other time of the day and NOT some kind of surreal Neil-Gaiman-esque ghost-filled otherland.

      She generally regards me being awake early as some sort of eldritch superpower which, while it might come in handy sometimes, just isn’t human.

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        November 21, 2017 at 2:51 am | #

        ….. wait, you want her to be excited about pre-7-AM, and you’re NOT presenting it as some kind of surreal Neil-Gaiman-esque ghost-filled otherland?

        MISSED OPPORTUNITY.

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          November 21, 2017 at 3:23 am | #

          …I have been doing this all wrong.

          • Bagge
            Bagge
            November 21, 2017 at 3:24 am | #

            “You might get eaten by ghost.”
            “AWESOME, set the clock.”

            We geeks have the worst survival instinct, don’t we?

    • CoMa
      CoMa
      November 21, 2017 at 7:35 pm | #

      But running can be fun! (Well, to me at least. I mostly run alone while listening to music, enjoying nature) And this comes from a person who didn’t enjoy any kind of sport about 5 years ago.

      In the MORNING though – definitely a no-no for me – I can maaaybe do some sporty thing as early as 10am, but I prefer to do them in the late afternoon to evening.

  25. JessWitt
    JessWitt
    November 21, 2017 at 12:19 am | #

    It’s 80s Joyce!

    • Tacos
      Tacos
      November 21, 2017 at 12:46 am | #

      At least she ain’t 90s Joyce. Otherwise she’d have many unnecessary pockets and leg straps.

      • BrokenEye, the True False Prophet
        BrokenEye, the True False Prophet
        November 21, 2017 at 12:52 am | #

        I really can’t see Joyce as being much of a BloodGunn fan

      • SgtWadeyWilson
        SgtWadeyWilson
        November 21, 2017 at 1:06 am | #

        They’re called pouches.

      • David M Willis
        David M Willis
        November 21, 2017 at 3:46 am | #

        if she were nineties joyce i’m pretty sure she’d be wearing an orange sweater

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          November 21, 2017 at 10:41 am | #

          Are you sure it wouldn’t mostly be a black-and-white line art sweater?

        • Tacos
          Tacos
          November 21, 2017 at 7:59 pm | #

          At least she wouldn’t be drawn to Liefieldian proportions.

  26. Lingo
    Lingo
    November 21, 2017 at 12:29 am | #

    Do these people not lock their doors at night or what.

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      November 21, 2017 at 2:06 am | #

      It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Joyce has expert-level skills in lockpicking. Naturally, she literally cannot understand why her friends would want her to stay out if they’d locked their door. I mean… why should they?

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        November 21, 2017 at 1:25 pm | #

        Yeah, Joyce had a boundary problem. I wouldn’t be shocked.

    • SarahSaur
      SarahSaur
      November 21, 2017 at 9:13 pm | #

      When I lived in dorms, people routinely left their doors unlocked (Both during the day and night, whether or not they were in their rooms). Might have been specific to the culture at my campus, I’m not sure.

      Though part of that would be that each dorm had a bathroom instead of each room (or set of rooms) having a half bath. So you had to leave your dorm room to use a toilet, etc, and people just don’t bother to lock the door when they leave for 45 seconds. But then that means they might not have their keys on them. So then, if they have a roommate, what if the roommate leaves while the other one is in the toilet? Do they lock the door, risking locking their roommate out, or just leave with it unlocked? Etc.

      That said, while I think it is going to be *relatively* rare that someone sneaks into a persons dorm room in the middle of the night and attack them, this is just a few days after not-Ryan was going to try to attack her and Joyce… So… I don’t know.

      Though could be her (or Sierra’s) way of trying to not be ruled by fear? I have significant anxiety issues that can be paired with a level of paranoia – I spent from as young as I can remember up till my mid twenties hating crossing streets as a pedestrian, because, as statistically unusual as it would be, I knew that any given driver could pretend to stop, and then pruposfully run me over! I knew this wasn’t rational, but it still sucked. And every time I was in any sort of public space, was afraid that there was going to be a mass shooting, I had to have an escape route planned for any venue/room/space I was in.

      For awhile, I used not paying attention too much as to whether or not a door was locked as a way of reminding myself that my fears would go out of hand. Obviously I would not recommend this if your fears are statistically valid – which is why I don’t do this anymore, as it no longer makes sense. But when I was in an area where I was very safe from the physical world but the fear that ruled my mind was destroying me? It was an incredibly important part of regaining control.

      • SarahSaur
        SarahSaur
        November 21, 2017 at 9:18 pm | #

        Also, in regards to being afraid of cars purposfully running into me? This past year where terrorists / other shitty people have discovered that cars are actually pretty effective weapons… Has just been like “This is what I worried about for 2 fucking decades, everyone thought I was ridiculous. Apparently not.” … But again, statistically unlikely that i would be in a place an attack was happening, even now that they are happening a bit more often.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        November 21, 2017 at 10:41 pm | #

        As I recall, leaving the door unlocked (or just open) when hanging out in the dorm was commonplace, even if you weren’t in the room all the time. Leaving it unlocked when you left for class or whatever, or while sleeping was less so. Not that I went around trying doors or anything, but it’s what I noticed.

  27. Derek
    Derek
    November 21, 2017 at 12:32 am | #

    where did Joyce get $300 for sporting stuff
    (ok I’m exaggerating, but mildly, it really feels like highway robbery to pay $40 for a pair of shorts)

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      November 21, 2017 at 2:53 am | #

      Thrift store? Freecycle? Hand-me-downs from Jocelyne?

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        November 21, 2017 at 7:22 am | #

        Maybe not that last one; she’s not out to her family yet.

        My guess is Amazon. Off-brand stuff is surprisingly cheap.

  28. Griffin Raynor
    Griffin Raynor
    November 21, 2017 at 12:33 am | #

    4:30am.

    Is she human?

    • Marsh Maryrose
      Marsh Maryrose
      November 21, 2017 at 12:41 am | #

      Or is she dancer?

      • McBogue
        McBogue
        November 21, 2017 at 2:29 am | #

        Her sign is vital.
        Her hands are cold.

        • Transgressingwaffle
          Transgressingwaffle
          November 21, 2017 at 3:18 am | #

          She is on her knees waiting for the answer

          • Varangian
            Varangian
            November 21, 2017 at 3:21 am | #

            Will Joyce’s system be alright if she dreams of Jacob tonight? 😜

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 21, 2017 at 2:11 am | #

      SHE’S A WITCH

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        November 21, 2017 at 2:44 pm | #

        Did she turn you into a newt?

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          November 21, 2017 at 3:05 pm | #

          Yes…. but I got better.

          • Remmington Steele
            Remmington Steele
            November 21, 2017 at 3:52 pm | #

            A frog is a better newt … you’re a frog?

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      November 21, 2017 at 2:54 am | #

      Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

      • Kryss LaBryn
        Kryss LaBryn
        November 21, 2017 at 7:45 am | #

        Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Which is that it’s 4:30 am.

  29. brasca1
    brasca1
    November 21, 2017 at 12:35 am | #

    Wow it really is a new chapter. That last one seemed short.

  30. Badgermole
    Badgermole
    November 21, 2017 at 12:43 am | #

    I’ve always related to Dorothy and it’s uncanny that this is happening to her now as well.

  31. Tealjoy
    Tealjoy
    November 21, 2017 at 12:53 am | #

    Went from 100 to 0 real quick……..

  32. Lapin
    Lapin
    November 21, 2017 at 1:07 am | #

    As someone who works for Starbucks and regularly gets up at 3:30am so I can be at work at 4:30am and be perky and sweet at 5am, and from then until 1:30pm…

    STFU Joyce, and go back to bed.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 21, 2017 at 2:05 am | #

      My take home from that is that someone should give Joyce a job as barista so she can develop her natural talents of perky&sweet in a professional setting.

      I mean, there is plenty of comedy gold right there. She can have a whole cast of coworkers and regulars like a sassy ex-goth boss with control issues and a neurotic space-heiress and a southern bongo with issues who runs a robot repair shop, a nerdy wanna-be librarian with a goofy sense of humor and they can live in a town full of hipsters and there can be little robots everywhere and… why does this sound familiar?

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        November 21, 2017 at 2:20 am | #

        Well, didn’t Joyce already appear a time or two in QC? And “Coffeeright Theft” in Shortpacked!?

        …uh, I mean, this definitely sounds familiar and I would be intrigued to discover more.

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        November 21, 2017 at 2:49 pm | #

        I think you might be on to something here. Someone should take this premise and create a webcomic based on it, would be a huge hit.

        • StClair
          StClair
          November 21, 2017 at 4:10 pm | #

          ehhh. I find that conclusion… questionable.

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            November 21, 2017 at 4:32 pm | #

            Content, I am not with that declaration.

  33. Blackbird
    Blackbird
    November 21, 2017 at 1:13 am | #

    You know who I feel worst for in this exchange? Sierra.

    • Pablo360
      Pablo360
      November 21, 2017 at 1:40 am | #

      Oh right she exists.

      Hopefully she’s currently in one of her girlfriends’ rooms.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        November 21, 2017 at 1:59 am | #

        She had to leave.

        • JBento
          JBento
          November 21, 2017 at 1:07 pm | #

          Pretty sure Pablo’s implication is she had to come.

          • Bagge
            Bagge
            November 21, 2017 at 1:09 pm | #

            Bravo. Have an internet. Use it wisely (or post videos of cats or whatever)

            • JBento
              JBento
              November 21, 2017 at 5:16 pm | #

              Yay, my own Internet. I promise to take good care of it and never allow Net Neutrality to be under attack on it!

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              November 21, 2017 at 10:46 pm | #

              Aren’t “using it wisely” and “post videos of cats” pretty much the same thing?

              That’s what our benevolent AI overlord wants anyways.

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      November 21, 2017 at 2:04 am | #

      Actually, Sierra I could see bounding out of her bed to hug Joyce because… well… because she’s Sierra!

      • FacelessDeviant
        FacelessDeviant
        November 21, 2017 at 2:07 am | #

        That early, Sierra might be something completely different.

  34. BenRG
    BenRG
    November 21, 2017 at 2:03 am | #

    Is this the day when all of the energy that Joyce spends on her positive outlook, vim, vigour and pep runs out and she crashes? A day of tired-cranky!Joyce might actually be quite funny, especially if it reveals aspects to her that you normally don’t see!

    If I’m right, I’m expecting Sal to tell her at some point: “This is the first time that I’ve ever really got you!”

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 21, 2017 at 2:11 am | #

      That would actually be really funny. Not scared or traumatized or enraged or anything, just tired. The other’s reaction will be priceless.

      Becky will give her one glance and be all “Yep, seen it before. Nope, you are on your own. See you tomorrow, Joyce.”

  35. King Daniel
    King Daniel
    November 21, 2017 at 2:17 am | #

    Somewhat off-topic, but I just found out about ʻOumuamua and it may be because it’s past 2 AM, but I am amazed right now.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      November 21, 2017 at 7:52 am | #

      It is pretty awesome. I’d heard about it last week, but just saw what they’d deduced about size and shape this morning.
      And it’s leaving us so quickly. No chance to get a better look at it. 🙁

      • Inahc
        Inahc
        November 21, 2017 at 7:22 pm | #

        according to wikipedia, it’s not completely unreachable 🙂 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%BBOumuamua#Potential_space_mission

        but from a quick skim of the paper, it sounds like it would take at least a decade or two.

  36. Nobody
    Nobody
    November 21, 2017 at 2:30 am | #

    The headband was the only thing holding the exhaustion at bay

  37. BenRG
    BenRG
    November 21, 2017 at 2:33 am | #

    Given the relative simplicity of Willis’s character art (even his strongest partisan can’t claim that it’s even close to ‘photo-realistic’), I never cease to be surprised how pretty he can make his characters. Joyce in the first few panels today is a great example.

    • StClair
      StClair
      November 21, 2017 at 3:51 am | #

      and then the last panel is when she turns into a gorgon.

    • Vulcanodon
      Vulcanodon
      November 21, 2017 at 2:56 pm | #

      Photo-realism has its own problems. Read Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics for surprising (to me at least, not an artist) thoughts on graphic abstraction and universality.

  38. Danni
    Danni
    November 21, 2017 at 4:12 am | #

    wonder whats going on

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      November 21, 2017 at 5:36 am | #

      I think that Joyce is suffering from IPB (Irrepressibly Perky Burn-out. Basically, she has used up all her energy in trying to be nice, keen and friendly over the past several months, in universe. Now, she’s just tired and grumpy.

      I can’t wait for her to snap at a few people (other than Walky, who she always snaps at). I can imagine Carla remarking that Joyce “finally seems to be normal”!

      • CoMa
        CoMa
        November 21, 2017 at 7:40 pm | #

        I believe they meant Dorothy, though I like your deduction

  39. Nymphie
    Nymphie
    November 21, 2017 at 7:39 am | #

    Looks like Dorothy is removing running from her time-budget to crank up the studying… It might bite her severely in the butt, stopping exercising

  40. Arianod
    Arianod
    November 21, 2017 at 8:55 am | #

    “I already knew”…?

    • JBento
      JBento
      November 21, 2017 at 1:06 pm | #

      Stalker? Who’s a stalker? No stalkers here, no sirree!

      • Arianod
        Arianod
        November 21, 2017 at 4:38 pm | #

        Nobody here but us chickens!

      • SarahSaur
        SarahSaur
        November 21, 2017 at 8:37 pm | #

        This does’nt seem to stalkery to me? Like, she would walk between her and Dorothy’s rooms multiple times a day most likely. That is normal. Counting steps can be a way to occupy the mind when the mind needs to be occupied (And given the trauma Joyce has had in the month or two since she started at university, she probably sometimes needs to occupy her mind!)

        Furthermore, Dorothy is the one who essentially kept a spreadsheet on peoples feelings (With good intent! But also understandable that some people found it weird/creepy, I probably would both be the sort to make that list AND the sort who would find it creepy if I was on someone elses!)

        Like, I don’t think Joyce knowing the number of steps between their rooms all that weird, let alone stalkerish/creepy. Not when A) Dorothy is her best friend; B) Dorothy would expect Joyce to be walking between their rooms on a regular basis; C) Number of steps not even really being personal info!

        Joyce does do stalkerish stuff often enough. I just really don’t think that this is an example of that.

  41. Eldritch Gentleman
    Eldritch Gentleman
    November 21, 2017 at 11:47 am | #

    That’s some magical headband. The moment she takes it off her sleep-deprived self appears with a vengeance.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 21, 2017 at 1:10 pm | #

      There’s a really dumb Dorian gray adaption for a jogging magazine in there somewhere.

  42. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    November 21, 2017 at 12:54 pm | #

    Well, Dorothy’s a drug addict and crashing due to her criminal ways. There’s no other way to explain her not wanting to go jogging at five am.

    • Puckish Rogue
      Puckish Rogue
      November 21, 2017 at 6:41 pm | #

      Walky was particularly…energetic the night before?

      • some guy
        some guy
        November 21, 2017 at 8:58 pm | #

        Wink wink, nudge, nudge, you picked up, whats being put down?

  43. Cerberus
    Cerberus
    November 21, 2017 at 9:58 pm | #

    So um… not really a good way to say this and I’m really really sorry for those of you with anxiety* so…

    I’m going into the ER tonight. Pretty sure it’s nothing too serious or life-threatening, but wanted to make sure I give a giant *appropriate gesture of support* to everyone nonetheless and give you a reminder of how much y’all mean to me.

    I fully intend to be able to post a follow-up soon, so yeah.

    *Seriously, I think I’m going to be okay.

    • David M Willis
      David M Willis
      November 21, 2017 at 10:31 pm | #

      See you soon!

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      November 21, 2017 at 10:34 pm | #

      You probably won’t see this til after, but I hope it’s nothing serious. Thank for being here and most importantly, take care of yourself.

      • Bathymetheus
        Bathymetheus
        November 21, 2017 at 11:32 pm | #

        Seconded.

    • Inahc
      Inahc
      November 21, 2017 at 11:32 pm | #

      *hugs* good luck? 🙂 you are awesome and stuff.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      November 22, 2017 at 12:01 am | #

      You rock! Talk to you soon. We just now there will be some awesome Dorothy strips down the line.

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