After a case of mistaken identity, will awkward Daisuke find help from excitable Mamo, or will his love life be thrown completely off track?
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
The Otherknown
Lorian Merriman
Chandra is a 12-year-old accidental time traveler with a reluctant new dad, who happens to be a member of a feared galactic crime syndicate.
Mac Hall
Matt Boyd
The legendary early-aughts webcomic that inspired a wave of webcomic creators.
Fantomestein
Beka Duke
Desperate for companionship, Frankenstein's Monster pretends to be the Opera Ghost. A grave mistake.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Slightly Damned
Chu
Rhea Snaketail returns from the dead, befriending a Demon who falls in love with an Angel. The afterlife ain't what it used to be!
Countdown to Countdown
Velinxi
Iris Black is a self-proclaimed inventor with the curious ability to bring his drawings to life, and yearns to find a space where he can use his powers freely.
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
Paint the Town Red
Windy, Winter Jay Kiakas
Winona runs a werewolf shelter with partner in crime, Odile in the Gothic city of Merlot. One day they take in an injured vampire, and soon unravels many of the dark secrets of Merlot.
Blindsprings
Kadi Fedoruk
Tamaura, wrested into a world 300 years in the future, must find a way to save the magic fading from her country.
Beeserker
TJ Cordes
This comic is about a robot powered by bees, but it's also about the kind of people who think filling a robot with bees is a good idea, and why they're wrong.
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This is the first time I’ve heard of a TikTok for it. I’m also amused at it’s obvious reference to “The Great Muppet Caper” – Rosenthal was Kermit the Frog’s undercover name when he kissed Miss Piggy.
Well, the TikTok is some audio snippet of someone saying,
“cuz I’m an inter-na-tional SUPERSPY”. The audio is from the Backyardigans, but the whole concept is derivative as either an homage or satire of James Bond and ilk, so there’s been a lot of it.
And that’s so cool about Kermit/Rosenthal. Thanks for that. Been way too long since I watched me some muppets. Given Willis’ penchant for easter eggs, it makes one wonder.
Probably a Disney film has been elevated into its place until Joyce has time to analyze her tier list again and figure out what jives with her new outlook.
I like to think that by now the Ruth/Jennifer stuff has died down, Leslie has arrived, the class has started, and everyone is tactfully ignoring the six-and-a-half foot Joe behind a chair having the world’s least clandestine conversation with Becky, and trying really hard to pay attention to Carla’s extremely in depth recitation of the plot of Short Circuit 2 (complete with Bonnie Tyler number).
Becky REALLY doesn’t like Joe does she. I mean I don’t really blame her but chances are he’s very much in the running to be marrying Joyce one day so she’s gonna have to learn to live with him.
Maybe? Joe is kind of the only guy in the race right now and while I don’t really like shipping people just because they’re people that talk to each other regularly even the comic has had romantic undertones and shown mutual attraction to their interactions multiple times. So unless Jacob gets over the whole “you lied to my brother and sabotaged my relationship” thing or Dorothy becomes 3x more gay I think it’s very likely.
Yeah, I mean, her interactions with him have usually not been around positive things, Joe is so hot and cold on being a good friend to Joyce and yet is still one of her closest confidants, plus Becky has a rather limited patience for dudes, of which Joe is like the dudeliest of dudes. It’s understandable.
Becky also has a possessive/jealous streak a mile long, so if she knows that Joe is one of Joyce’s confidants she might not be too on board with that either.
I don’t know. I feel like she acts perfectly normal around Walky but every time Joe is in frame she either goes out of her way to mention she’s not into him or dudes in general or is noticeably exasperated or annoyed by his presence or something he said. And I think it’s probably because this was their first ever interaction:
Rebecca gets along with Walky because they can both easily annoy Joyce, but she seems kinda (and I hate using this term, even though it feels closest to accurate for this unique instance) man-hatey around non-Walky males.
I think it is more that she’s rebelling against an upbringing that not only told her that her queerness was evil but also wrapped up her value solely in her femininity and commodification as a sexual object for men. It’s not that she hates men, but except for Walky (who can be observant when he wants to be and is willing to call her out on it) men represent that expectation.
So it’s not so much men as flesh-and-blood creatures but the idea of what men represented for so long.
That would be a possible explanation, if we knew that it was Walky that was the exception rather than Joe. My read is that she’s more anti-Joe than anti-men.
I think it’s mostly Joe. Not sure who else she’s been man-hatey around. She didn’t seem to have any problems with Jacob. Anyone else?
Mostly she doesn’t interact with the few male characters we have.
Jacob is a churchgoer for who some near-flirting with Joyce was bible talk, and Becky is a lesbian who is figuring out how her identity intersects with her still-strong faith, so I can see why she’d be okay around him.
Well she “fired’ him because he was supposed to be sexing Joyce the hell up, and when Becky found out they broke up she immediately started to panic because she thought it was her fault.
I do actually believe that Becky wants Joyce to hook up with a dude because if Joyce likes dudes and not girls that means it’s fine that she’s not with Becky, because it could never happen at all.
I think part of the equation is that, she treats him how HE seems to think he should be treated. Certainly around women it’s like, my sexuality is the only asset for you here. And he and Becky know it’s not an asset for Becky. What else does Joe have to offer?
lots of stuff, if he could get over himself and his daddy issues for a minute.
By no means is this the only factor in Becky’s regard for Joe, it just hadn’t been mentioned yet in this thread =p
I don’t know about that. Becky has some jealousy issues and if fem!Joe still had that same basic dynamic with Joyce, I don’t know how she’d handle that.
Maybe, but there seems to be some significance to “Her phone today, huh?”
I suspect either she knows what’s up or there’s some significance to the day that she also understands. Which doesn’t mean she’s not also bummed because Joyce didn’t turn to her about it.
Nah, her first reaction is the sad face. That smile after ‘kinda like the one you just made’ is her going back into goofball mode, which we know Becky uses to avoid seeming overly negative.
I don’t think there’s much any counselor can expect to do with ‘one of us bailed out a man who kidnapped our daughter with a murderous mobster and still maintains this was a good decision, and the other did not and does not,’ so I’d assume if they tried it was a VERY perfunctory attempt. (I likewise don’t think Hank gives a shit about what the congregation thinks anymore unless they were IMMEDIATELY groveling. Given Carol’s reaction, I don’t think so. So he wouldn’t do it for appearances’ sake for them.) If it was a parents thing, I think this was either the divorce finalizing, or Carol’s dragging her feet so now the lawyers are arguing things out. (Possibly discussion about what to do with the house, or their dog.)
I could also see, with the way Becky reacts in that penultimate panel, if it’s something significant like the anniversary of Bonnie’s death. (Note that Becky represses and masks like hell, but we also have reason to believe that was the same year as their first semester – meaning it’d be the first anniversary.) Or a birthday for one of the parents. Could be a lot of things until we hear for sure, but I’d lean towards it being a Becky And Joyce’s Shared Past thing until otherwise noted. (Also, since Becky knows the significance of it being TODAY, it probably wasn’t Dorothy telling Joyce she got accepted to Yale. Maybe if Becky had no clue, this could be how the drama bomb drops, but I don’t think we’ll miss either of them reacting to that live.)
Maybe it is the opposite. Joyce was hoping (at least silently) for the divorce, since at this point realizes her mom is a lost cause/religious bigot, but her dad can actually be rational. And maybe the news is that her parents are actually reconciling (which means she can’t easily spend time with her dad. Without seeing her mom).
Again, I really don’t think there’s any salvaging a marriage where one of you is still defending how they trusted a mobster to help bail out a guy who pointed a gun at your daughter, and then almost as soon as he was released he kidnapped her to get at her best friend. Especially since Joyce has already referred to them divorcing as a change she was struggling with. And also especially since Hank very clearly realized, after the kidnapping, that Joyce didn’t want to talk to either of them and he had to choose between Carol and the congregation or Joyce. He chose Joyce. (Which gives me hope for when Jocelyne comes out – Hank clearly doesn’t want to be estranged from another child after what happened with Jordan, so hopefully he’ll accept that he has another daughter.)
I think it’s possible both to realize intellectually that the divorce is a good thing, but emotionally feel terrible that it is happening. She may realize her mom is a monster, but remember it is still her mom. She’s in the same place as, of all people, Faz is in that way.
Maybe it’s some significant date that used to be a happy occasion but has been overshadowed by drama and sadness, like Carol and Hank’s wedding anniversary.
Part of me thinks that today is the day that the Brown divorce is finalized, but I’m not sure if Becky would be all that sad about it. The anniversary of Bonnie’s death would definitely make sense for a reason for Becky to be particularly sad today, though– especially since I’m pretty sure she only died in the year that the comic started, which would make this the first anniversary. I suppose it could be both, though– the universe is cruel, especially when your universe is controlled by someone whose middle name is “Damn You.”
Although I’ve just had another guess that I “like” more than either of these two.
I think Becky isn’t sad about whatever thing has Joyce sad. Joe just told her Hoyce has been sad facing today, and she didn’t know. Didn’t notice. Some guy she kind of hates who isn’t even Joyce’s friend had to tell her that her best friend/adopted sister is sad. That in itself, plus we know that Becky heaps a lot of expectation on herself about noticing things in time to help people, could very well equal sad face.
Divorce is very, very rarely that quick. Even in cases where the marriage was exceptionally short. The wheels of law turn slowly, and grind all to dust between them.
I really think the anniversary of Bonnie’s death would be a Becky-centric storyline, and this storyline isn’t. I think it’s either something to do with the divorce, which also affects Becky, or Becky’s just sad because her friend is sad.
The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning ‘childhood home on the market,’ and she’s looking at the listing. (Either Joyce’s or maybe Becky’s, since we saw her do all the letting go back after the first kidnapping and know it was dragging her down financially.)
Oops. Missed this thread when I posted below. +1 fingers crossed. Or maybe Jordan’s birthday or something. Although /Jocelyn/ describing them as “too … Jordan” sounds less hopeful for any positive outcomes.
Something about the way Becky says “today” here makes me wonder if today is the day that the Browns’ divorce is finalized. I’m… fortunate(?) enough not to know how long that takes, anyone think it’s plausible?
I feel Unlikely, My parents have been progressing a divorce for. like. 2? years? maybe? 3? idk. years.
but we aren’t American. I feel like a lot of admin is different in America…..
It’s possible – a divorce in Indiana needs to be filed, and then finalizes 60 days after filing, and it’s a no-fault state. Even with a high likelihood of Messiness over terms, the timeskip was in mid-late October and we’re now in mid-January, so they COULD have sorted through it and today it’s final.
But like I said, I think there’s a pretty high chance of Carol dragging her feet and arguing over terms, so I wouldn’t be shocked if that lasts a bit longer. It could still be divorce-related, though – a hearing in court, or the day Joyce’s childhood home goes on the market, which naturally is caught up in how everything has changed for them forever and they’ve lost most of the community they grew up in. Hell, depending on how long it took Becky to sort through things, it could be the day the MacIntyre house sale finalized or something similar.
Excellent. I took a quick look and saw the Indiana legal resources site stating it was like that was notable and went ‘shit, is there some straggler that DOESN’T allow for it somehow?’ but was too tired to actually look in detail. The perils of posting when the comic goes up.
By any reasonable standard, yes, but I could see Carol trying to challenge anything that implies she’s at fault and the differences are irreconcilable. (I’ve been assuming she is offscreen, honestly.) So maybe Hank would go ‘listen I’ll give you these things and say it’s not your fault if you agree to go with it so we don’t have to draw this all out.’
Possible. All of their children are legally adults, so there wouldn’t be any questions about custody, although a settlement might include something regarding support for Joyce, since she’s still a student. Unless the Browns are a lot richer than I think, property settlements shouldn’t have dragged out too long. So unless Carol was really fighting it, it probably could have been settled by now. (Please note, IANAL. It’s entirely possible I could be wrong.)
“I’m just going so far out of my way because her being bummed out will make lab annoying. That’s totally it. Her smile absolutely does not light up a room, and the way she jumps around when excited is definitely not the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Look, it’s just a bummer that her beautiful blue eyes aren’t shining like they always do. For other people. It’s a bummer for them and not me, because those other people might miss out on seeing them sparkle when she’s happy.”
And god forbid her stupid fragile heart be broken by this cruel unfeeling world and then I, as a consequence, must be subject to the soul crushing reality around us snuffing out the one light of hope I have in this cruel world. Metaphorically of course.
You know, that actually makes a ton of sense. Here I assumed it was a joke that he’d magically appear when a “catfight” was possibly imminent, but there’s more to it than that.
Plot twist twist: He actually did magically appear because the catfight was imminent, but was still immediately distracted by realizing Becky could help with Joyce.
She probably sees him (like Ethan and Dorothy) as competition for Joyce’s virginity affection. Plus, she’s kinda overtly rude to most guys, likely because she’s desperately overcompensating for a lifetime of not being able to be an open lesbian.
Yeah, that was her introduction to him and I don’t think she’s interacted with him that much since. Specifically, I think she’s missed most of the positive Joe/Joyce interactions and thus most of Joe’s growth
Probably because he puts on (put on? Semi still puts on?) The persona of a pushy playboy who hit on her when they first met, and idk if we’ve seen Joe do it but those kinds of guys can be really gross to lesbians. I adore joe but i can’t remember blame her at all
If he had Ace’s talisman he could “thumb a ride” and teleport out.
(Yeah, I watched some of KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park over the weekend. Didn’t realize how much I hated it the first time. The Euro versions with the altered soundtrack were a tick of improvement. BTW, KISS-as-superhero-vigilantes is canon in the Hanna-Barbera continuity, so they could show up in Jellystone.)
I missed a lot of That 70’s Show, but it seems, given that they did this, a real opportunity was missed to do a live cross-over when the movie came out. Of course they could still sneak in an animated cross-over since cartoon features are still periodically produced.
I can’t imagine any of Mystery Incorporated popping up in Jellystone but if a minor character from Josie and the Pussycats can appear in the opening credits, KISS can definitely show up.
Dumbing of Age is the first work of fiction I can recall that turns me into full-on “15 year old with a blog dedicated to their favourite ship” mode. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was, like, absolutely trying to will two drawings into kissing.
When you care about people and people care about you, it’s a huge responsibility. Then you have to CARE when they think less of you. It’s inconvenient.
Okay, people place your bets, is it the anniversary of Bonnie’s death or did the divorce come through, something to do with Mike or an undisclosed piece of bad news?
I was initially betting on the divorce in my above comments, but now I’m wondering if it has something to do with a certain someone who deserved every stab he got going on trial.
I mostly just wanted a masterpost with all my art of all these years. Willis once called me prolific and looking at this I can most certainly say he was correct. ESPECIALLY since I know that there’s still some pictures missing
Thanks a bunch. I’m pretty sure this was a commission. But I’m missing a whole bunch of pics from that time my computer died and I lost a lot of my art.
i suspect it’s not the divorce, since she has talked with him about that pretty openly before i think (or divorce in general since i think it was beflre the kidnapping). i would guess it’s something related to him, hence her bitter reaction. so either the jacob issue or ryan or something like that.
Big Man Guys Being Soft is one of my favouritest character things. Sexism and emotional stuntedness not a bonus, but not a deal breaker, given an active growth arc.
From the title of the next chapter on the Archive page, I’m guessing that Jocelyn is coming out and, like a lot of things recently, Joyce is struggling to categorise her feelings and decide how to react. Especially if religion and faith have come into this.
Yeah, if you try to discuss a serious issue with someone and they pointedly tell you that they have no interest in doing so, you don’t give up! You keep going until you’ve either forced them to talk to you or they snap completely! That’s just what friends do!
I think Joe is sort a coward for not being willing to admit he wants that level of emotional clearance.
But Joyce did shut the conversation down and its often not a good idea to try to push past that beyond saying hes there if she wants to talk about it.
I’m not sure if getting Becky involved is the right move or an overstep but I’m guessing in this situation it will mostly work out.
Joe’s actually pretty good about respecting other people’s boundaries (i.e., his interactions with Dina earlier “today”). And I suspect that getting Rebecca involved is a right-er move than trying to force his way into this situation himself.
Yes, because you always summon the best friend of your passing acquaintance when you think said passing acquaintance may be having problems!
Given that Becky has started snarking Joe in exactly the same way she does Dorothy indicates that she, at least, considers him another rival. However, Joyce and her possible problems comefirst.
Joe still stepping up and trying make sure Joyce is alright, maybe not the exact best way to go but his instincts are good and hes willing to battle what he thinks he knows (emotions = bad) to help his Joyce
Peharps Joyce saw something cringe about her mon in Facebook. Something really stupid, like “I’m antivax and shit”.
Maybe she is considering block her own mother.
The thing I don’t get is the idea that Joe somehow doesn’t have “emotional clearance” with Joyce. Like. Joyce confides in him without hesitation about MOST things that bother her. She texted him insecurities about her parents all the way back in last semester, she freely talking with him about her doubts about her faith without hesitation also last semester, she told him about how she was assaulted by Ryan, she told him about her crush on Jacob, he is also one of the like TWO people she has told about having lost her faith, and has literally been comfortable enough with him to allow him to be there as she actively and emotionally worked through disentangling her faith-based hangups.
Joyce clearly just didn’t want to talk about whatever particular thing is bothering her right then, and acted like it was because Joe wouldn’t ‘want’ that, even though she’s clearly confided in him about extremely sensitive things that very same day.
He’s hesitant because he asked her what’s wrong and she came at him going “oh are you that kind of friend now?” because Joe for a very long time refused to be that friend, he helped her over the phone but when she came back he couldn’t acknowledge he had actually done something significant that betrayed his identity as Fun No Feelings Sex Bro.
So now that he’s reaching out to Joyce when she’s at a low point she doesn’t know how to process him being the person he actually is, because he wouldn’t let himself be that person until now.
I really appreciate Joe. He cares about Joyce’s wellbeing, but doesn’t feel he should be in that space and says he does not want to be, so he goes and makes sure the right person knows. (Not sure if genuinely not wanting to be that close to Joyce, or Joe thinking he shouldn’t be that close to Joyce for self punishment reasons. I’m hoping for the first because that’s just good boundary keeping but worried it is the second.)
Honestly wish more people were like Joe in this regard. Seeing someone needing help and making sure you fetch the right kind of help is huge. It takes more time and effort though, so I can understand why its not the “default”
I am actually interested in Joe Dad’s development and would be curious to find out if he’s every bit as bad as Joe thinks he is. Habitual cheaters are not exactly the most sympathetic characters but it could well be there’s elements Joe isn’t aware of. Like, say, they just flat out were not a relationship that worked out and were better off apart.
Even if that were true and they were better off apart, that would not justify him being a serial cheater, especially the kind who hits on girls half his age when he’s not welcome.
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“look I just need to hand off these STRANGELY SIGNIFICANT FEELS to somebody who might know what to do with them”
I’m very glad that several people all had the same idea.
No one said any such thing. You didn’t see anything.
Joe Rosenthal, emotional superspy.
I _heard_ the TikTok, uploaded on youtube, then embedded in a reddit post
This is the first time I’ve heard of a TikTok for it. I’m also amused at it’s obvious reference to “The Great Muppet Caper” – Rosenthal was Kermit the Frog’s undercover name when he kissed Miss Piggy.
Well, the TikTok is some audio snippet of someone saying,
“cuz I’m an inter-na-tional SUPERSPY”. The audio is from the Backyardigans, but the whole concept is derivative as either an homage or satire of James Bond and ilk, so there’s been a lot of it.
And that’s so cool about Kermit/Rosenthal. Thanks for that. Been way too long since I watched me some muppets. Given Willis’ penchant for easter eggs, it makes one wonder.
The Emotional Superspy should team up with the Lesbian Love Sleuth.
And the romance detective needs to show up.
https://www.girlswithslingshots.com/comic/gws-1843
the sad face runs in the friendship
along with the feels that neither of them are having, nope nope nope.
“By the way, Becky, what’s her favourite movie? Type of flower? Any gift ideas? I totally don’t care or anything I’m just asking.”
More like “you’re her best friend, you should get her something. she her fav flowers are…”
Favorite movie? I can now solidly guess it’s not The Parent Trap of any version.
Probably a Disney film has been elevated into its place until Joyce has time to analyze her tier list again and figure out what jives with her new outlook.
I like to think that by now the Ruth/Jennifer stuff has died down, Leslie has arrived, the class has started, and everyone is tactfully ignoring the six-and-a-half foot Joe behind a chair having the world’s least clandestine conversation with Becky, and trying really hard to pay attention to Carla’s extremely in depth recitation of the plot of Short Circuit 2 (complete with Bonnie Tyler number).
It’s a few sentences later. Doubtful It’s over.
Well duh it’s like 115 minutes long
+1
Becky REALLY doesn’t like Joe does she. I mean I don’t really blame her but chances are he’s very much in the running to be marrying Joyce one day so she’s gonna have to learn to live with him.
Is Joyce really going to marry her freshman nemesis (actual villains excluded)?
Joe and Joyce are the person the other never wanted anything to do with at the start of the comic.
Which is to say that they are both doomed.
Maybe? Joe is kind of the only guy in the race right now and while I don’t really like shipping people just because they’re people that talk to each other regularly even the comic has had romantic undertones and shown mutual attraction to their interactions multiple times. So unless Jacob gets over the whole “you lied to my brother and sabotaged my relationship” thing or Dorothy becomes 3x more gay I think it’s very likely.
They may not get married, but they might have a second date that works out much differently than the first.
Yeah, I mean, her interactions with him have usually not been around positive things, Joe is so hot and cold on being a good friend to Joyce and yet is still one of her closest confidants, plus Becky has a rather limited patience for dudes, of which Joe is like the dudeliest of dudes. It’s understandable.
Becky also has a possessive/jealous streak a mile long, so if she knows that Joe is one of Joyce’s confidants she might not be too on board with that either.
Joe, much like Joyce, is trying to be a better person than he was last semester. It’s a hard thing to change, but he is making the effort.
Much like Joyce is.
I don’t think Becky has an issue with Joe so much as she doesn’t like him being so aggressively straight.
If Joe was a girl talking constantly about how hot girls are Becky would be all over it.
I don’t know. I feel like she acts perfectly normal around Walky but every time Joe is in frame she either goes out of her way to mention she’s not into him or dudes in general or is noticeably exasperated or annoyed by his presence or something he said. And I think it’s probably because this was their first ever interaction:
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/snarrghl/
Rebecca gets along with Walky because they can both easily annoy Joyce, but she seems kinda (and I hate using this term, even though it feels closest to accurate for this unique instance) man-hatey around non-Walky males.
Becky and Walky are on pretty similar wavelengths at the end of the day, so they get along well enough.
I think it is more that she’s rebelling against an upbringing that not only told her that her queerness was evil but also wrapped up her value solely in her femininity and commodification as a sexual object for men. It’s not that she hates men, but except for Walky (who can be observant when he wants to be and is willing to call her out on it) men represent that expectation.
So it’s not so much men as flesh-and-blood creatures but the idea of what men represented for so long.
But what evidence of that is there besides Joe? Why is it we think Walky is the exception not Joe?
Because Walky usually presents as a boy-child, not an adult man.
That would be a possible explanation, if we knew that it was Walky that was the exception rather than Joe. My read is that she’s more anti-Joe than anti-men.
I think it’s mostly Joe. Not sure who else she’s been man-hatey around. She didn’t seem to have any problems with Jacob. Anyone else?
Mostly she doesn’t interact with the few male characters we have.
Jacob is a churchgoer for who some near-flirting with Joyce was bible talk, and Becky is a lesbian who is figuring out how her identity intersects with her still-strong faith, so I can see why she’d be okay around him.
She “fired” Ethan as soon as she met him, and told Danny point-blank that she wasn’t going to bother learning his name because he wasn’t a “hot lady”.
Well she “fired’ him because he was supposed to be sexing Joyce the hell up, and when Becky found out they broke up she immediately started to panic because she thought it was her fault.
I do actually believe that Becky wants Joyce to hook up with a dude because if Joyce likes dudes and not girls that means it’s fine that she’s not with Becky, because it could never happen at all.
Huh. Becky was durned close in her count too. That is, presuming she was counting by trillions.
I think part of the equation is that, she treats him how HE seems to think he should be treated. Certainly around women it’s like, my sexuality is the only asset for you here. And he and Becky know it’s not an asset for Becky. What else does Joe have to offer?
lots of stuff, if he could get over himself and his daddy issues for a minute.
By no means is this the only factor in Becky’s regard for Joe, it just hadn’t been mentioned yet in this thread =p
It’s a preemptive counterattack against Joe’s former public persona.
I don’t know about that. Becky has some jealousy issues and if fem!Joe still had that same basic dynamic with Joyce, I don’t know how she’d handle that.
If he really does dissappear like that, I sure hope Mr. Crocker isn’t around….
Why not? The only person Crocker’s a threat to is Crocker himself.
Who knows, he might just wanna be deliberately captured by that crackpot.
So what’s the sad thing in question here, because this sounds like something today specifically is sad for these two.
Is this like the anniversary of Bonnie’s death, or is it something more recent
My guess is the divorce. Maybe it just went through, or one of the parents is moving out, or some attempt at marriage counseling failed.
Joyce either got bad news, or is expecting it.
If that were true, why would Becky find it desirable?
She doesn’t. Panel four is her reacting to what Joe just told her. Then she tries to hide it by putting on her usual grin in panel 5.
She knows why Joyce is bummed, and is bummed to hear it, but doesn’t want to share that info with Joe.
I don’t think she’s bummed about the same thing, she’s bummed because she didn’t notice or realize, and Joyce said nothing to her.
Maybe, but there seems to be some significance to “Her phone today, huh?”
I suspect either she knows what’s up or there’s some significance to the day that she also understands. Which doesn’t mean she’s not also bummed because Joyce didn’t turn to her about it.
OMG, you didn’t just stick that idea in my head!
OMG, such thoughts I am thinking, oh the things it might be.
Becky clearly also finds it sad though. That smile is the last panel isn’t like, a happy smile.
Ooohh…. I really need some sleep…
…lest I turn into some giant oafish ape and none of make jokes that don’t land on ANYONE.
Oh no… it’s already happening…
Just fling poo. That always lands on SOMETHING. And it remains in character for us all.
Nah, her first reaction is the sad face. That smile after ‘kinda like the one you just made’ is her going back into goofball mode, which we know Becky uses to avoid seeming overly negative.
I don’t think there’s much any counselor can expect to do with ‘one of us bailed out a man who kidnapped our daughter with a murderous mobster and still maintains this was a good decision, and the other did not and does not,’ so I’d assume if they tried it was a VERY perfunctory attempt. (I likewise don’t think Hank gives a shit about what the congregation thinks anymore unless they were IMMEDIATELY groveling. Given Carol’s reaction, I don’t think so. So he wouldn’t do it for appearances’ sake for them.) If it was a parents thing, I think this was either the divorce finalizing, or Carol’s dragging her feet so now the lawyers are arguing things out. (Possibly discussion about what to do with the house, or their dog.)
I could also see, with the way Becky reacts in that penultimate panel, if it’s something significant like the anniversary of Bonnie’s death. (Note that Becky represses and masks like hell, but we also have reason to believe that was the same year as their first semester – meaning it’d be the first anniversary.) Or a birthday for one of the parents. Could be a lot of things until we hear for sure, but I’d lean towards it being a Becky And Joyce’s Shared Past thing until otherwise noted. (Also, since Becky knows the significance of it being TODAY, it probably wasn’t Dorothy telling Joyce she got accepted to Yale. Maybe if Becky had no clue, this could be how the drama bomb drops, but I don’t think we’ll miss either of them reacting to that live.)
Maybe it is the opposite. Joyce was hoping (at least silently) for the divorce, since at this point realizes her mom is a lost cause/religious bigot, but her dad can actually be rational. And maybe the news is that her parents are actually reconciling (which means she can’t easily spend time with her dad. Without seeing her mom).
Again, I really don’t think there’s any salvaging a marriage where one of you is still defending how they trusted a mobster to help bail out a guy who pointed a gun at your daughter, and then almost as soon as he was released he kidnapped her to get at her best friend. Especially since Joyce has already referred to them divorcing as a change she was struggling with. And also especially since Hank very clearly realized, after the kidnapping, that Joyce didn’t want to talk to either of them and he had to choose between Carol and the congregation or Joyce. He chose Joyce. (Which gives me hope for when Jocelyne comes out – Hank clearly doesn’t want to be estranged from another child after what happened with Jordan, so hopefully he’ll accept that he has another daughter.)
I think it’s possible both to realize intellectually that the divorce is a good thing, but emotionally feel terrible that it is happening. She may realize her mom is a monster, but remember it is still her mom. She’s in the same place as, of all people, Faz is in that way.
“The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded.”
Grandad RockTroll
Her daddy’s updated status on Facebook: “He is single.”
Maybe it’s some significant date that used to be a happy occasion but has been overshadowed by drama and sadness, like Carol and Hank’s wedding anniversary.
Part of me thinks that today is the day that the Brown divorce is finalized, but I’m not sure if Becky would be all that sad about it. The anniversary of Bonnie’s death would definitely make sense for a reason for Becky to be particularly sad today, though– especially since I’m pretty sure she only died in the year that the comic started, which would make this the first anniversary. I suppose it could be both, though– the universe is cruel, especially when your universe is controlled by someone whose middle name is “Damn You.”
Although I’ve just had another guess that I “like” more than either of these two.
I think Becky isn’t sad about whatever thing has Joyce sad. Joe just told her Hoyce has been sad facing today, and she didn’t know. Didn’t notice. Some guy she kind of hates who isn’t even Joyce’s friend had to tell her that her best friend/adopted sister is sad. That in itself, plus we know that Becky heaps a lot of expectation on herself about noticing things in time to help people, could very well equal sad face.
Divorce is very, very rarely that quick. Even in cases where the marriage was exceptionally short. The wheels of law turn slowly, and grind all to dust between them.
It’s the anniversary of Ross’s death. How time flies.
I feel like this isn’t something Joyce would be checking on her phone. It feels like, whatever’s happening, she’s expecting or getting updates on it.
Unless we’re talking a second or third month anniversary, it’s a bit soon for it to be about Ross.
I really think the anniversary of Bonnie’s death would be a Becky-centric storyline, and this storyline isn’t. I think it’s either something to do with the divorce, which also affects Becky, or Becky’s just sad because her friend is sad.
The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning ‘childhood home on the market,’ and she’s looking at the listing. (Either Joyce’s or maybe Becky’s, since we saw her do all the letting go back after the first kidnapping and know it was dragging her down financially.)
Maybe it’s the anniversary of when Joyce last saw Jordan?
Ooh that’d be a good one.
Oops. Missed this thread when I posted below. +1 fingers crossed. Or maybe Jordan’s birthday or something. Although /Jocelyn/ describing them as “too … Jordan” sounds less hopeful for any positive outcomes.
Is it Joyce’s birthday?
Man, Joe is a *terrible* liar. Hope you learn that it’s okay to have feelings eventually, buddy.
I mean, feelings hurt. Look at rocks. They don’t hurt. Except when they’re chucked at my head.
Aww. Joe is being a “good bean” here.
Something about the way Becky says “today” here makes me wonder if today is the day that the Browns’ divorce is finalized. I’m… fortunate(?) enough not to know how long that takes, anyone think it’s plausible?
I feel Unlikely, My parents have been progressing a divorce for. like. 2? years? maybe? 3? idk. years.
but we aren’t American. I feel like a lot of admin is different in America…..
It’s possible – a divorce in Indiana needs to be filed, and then finalizes 60 days after filing, and it’s a no-fault state. Even with a high likelihood of Messiness over terms, the timeskip was in mid-late October and we’re now in mid-January, so they COULD have sorted through it and today it’s final.
But like I said, I think there’s a pretty high chance of Carol dragging her feet and arguing over terms, so I wouldn’t be shocked if that lasts a bit longer. It could still be divorce-related, though – a hearing in court, or the day Joyce’s childhood home goes on the market, which naturally is caught up in how everything has changed for them forever and they’ve lost most of the community they grew up in. Hell, depending on how long it took Becky to sort through things, it could be the day the MacIntyre house sale finalized or something similar.
You scared me but according to wikipedia all states are no-fault states since 2010.
Excellent. I took a quick look and saw the Indiana legal resources site stating it was like that was notable and went ‘shit, is there some straggler that DOESN’T allow for it somehow?’ but was too tired to actually look in detail. The perils of posting when the comic goes up.
That said, I think “bailed the guy who kidnapped our daughter out of prison” would count as “fault”.
By any reasonable standard, yes, but I could see Carol trying to challenge anything that implies she’s at fault and the differences are irreconcilable. (I’ve been assuming she is offscreen, honestly.) So maybe Hank would go ‘listen I’ll give you these things and say it’s not your fault if you agree to go with it so we don’t have to draw this all out.’
Possible. All of their children are legally adults, so there wouldn’t be any questions about custody, although a settlement might include something regarding support for Joyce, since she’s still a student. Unless the Browns are a lot richer than I think, property settlements shouldn’t have dragged out too long. So unless Carol was really fighting it, it probably could have been settled by now. (Please note, IANAL. It’s entirely possible I could be wrong.)
Wait, does he usually wear a Hawaiian shirt?
Ja
Zapp Brannigan, eat your heart out.
I was thinking more Quagmire. Giggity.
Quagmire?
Do you really think Joe would go THAT far? I don’t see it.
Joe would have gone to Sarah first, but she would probably take a bat to his nethers.
I imagine he’s going to respect not speaking to her until Joyce forces the issue.
Joe already stopped respecting that when Sarah sent Joyce to run interference between Jacob and Raidah.
Ooh, right.
I’d say he was right to stop respecting that rule then, what with Sarah trying to sabotage Jacob’s relationship just so Raidah couldn’t have him.
Some people are into that.
…someone may have even drawn art about that very subject awhile back, hmmm?
Not to the nethers I don’t think!
but I’m not against it <3“I’m just going so far out of my way because her being bummed out will make lab annoying. That’s totally it. Her smile absolutely does not light up a room, and the way she jumps around when excited is definitely not the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Look, it’s just a bummer that her beautiful blue eyes aren’t shining like they always do. For other people. It’s a bummer for them and not me, because those other people might miss out on seeing them sparkle when she’s happy.”
Exactly. Totally unconcerned himself.
And god forbid her stupid fragile heart be broken by this cruel unfeeling world and then I, as a consequence, must be subject to the soul crushing reality around us snuffing out the one light of hope I have in this cruel world. Metaphorically of course.
He’s definitely not trying to get Joyce help because he likes her or anything.
Of course not. If he liked her, she might like him back and then he’d hurt her.
Baka
You know, that actually makes a ton of sense. Here I assumed it was a joke that he’d magically appear when a “catfight” was possibly imminent, but there’s more to it than that.
Plot twist: he was so distracted with getting intel on Joyce (because he doesn’t care at all) that he completely missed Jennifer and Ruth bickering.
I bet they’re still at it, but like Joe the comic has tuned them out for clarity.
Plot twist twist: He actually did magically appear because the catfight was imminent, but was still immediately distracted by realizing Becky could help with Joyce.
Joe just embrace your feelings, you know them to be true.
Feelings? Feelings are bad. It’s better to not feel. Joe understands this.
Joe was never there.
It’s his ninja way, dattebayo!
He probably has mastered the Sexy Jutsu!
Yeah, and if he’s mastered the Sexy Jutsu, then “Jennifer” must have mastered Drunken Fist Jutsu!
Seriously though, I think it would be really fun if we tried to think of which characters would have what Jutsus!
How would 100% bang himself
Is there a particular reason why Becky doesn’t seem to like Joe? Like it’s not a hatred but there’s a feeling of. . .gnaaah there you know?
Is it because of that initial date he went on with Joyce?
Also Joe is so deep in denial that he’s swimming in Egypt at this point. Come on man! Face your feelings!
If joyce likes anyone more than she likes Becky, then Becky automatically hates them-
Becky’s fine with Sarah at least.
I don’t think Becky perceives Sarah as competition. They don’t occupy the same territory, they can co-exist fine.
Becky doesn’t like people that Joyce is in love with.
See also Dorothy.
Why thank you, I’d love to also see Dorothy! How very kind of you to offer!
Didn’t have any issues with Jacob, far as I could tell.
Joe can be kind of a sleazebag.
I just had a
preminitionprediction — Dina is gonna seek information from Joe in a manner important to the next arc.In what time period?
Recent evidence suggests that this will begin happening with significant intensity within the next two arcs.
She probably sees him (like Ethan and Dorothy) as competition for Joyce’s
virginityaffection. Plus, she’s kinda overtly rude to most guys, likely because she’s desperately overcompensating for a lifetime of not being able to be an open lesbian.He’s got roughly 37.2 trillion too many y-chromosomes, and doesn’t annoy Joyce in that same safe friendzone kind of way that Walky does.
Holy crap, was that Becky’s introduction to Joe? No wonder she doesn’t like him. He’s lifting his shirt.
Yeah, that was her introduction to him and I don’t think she’s interacted with him that much since. Specifically, I think she’s missed most of the positive Joe/Joyce interactions and thus most of Joe’s growth
Probably because he puts on (put on? Semi still puts on?) The persona of a pushy playboy who hit on her when they first met, and idk if we’ve seen Joe do it but those kinds of guys can be really gross to lesbians. I adore joe but i can’t remember blame her at all
It’s the Masculinity Joe exudes. It’s like kryptonite to Becky. Or it’s that Joyce only interacts via text with Joe…
If he had Ace’s talisman he could “thumb a ride” and teleport out.
(Yeah, I watched some of KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park over the weekend. Didn’t realize how much I hated it the first time. The Euro versions with the altered soundtrack were a tick of improvement. BTW, KISS-as-superhero-vigilantes is canon in the Hanna-Barbera continuity, so they could show up in Jellystone.)
God, their crossover with Scooby and the gang was a hell of a ride.
Who didn’t cross over with Scooby and the gang back in the 70s/80s?
I missed a lot of That 70’s Show, but it seems, given that they did this, a real opportunity was missed to do a live cross-over when the movie came out. Of course they could still sneak in an animated cross-over since cartoon features are still periodically produced.
That was one of the fun things about the old show.
I was thinking closer to 2015, but your point stands.
Orson Whales and the gang.
I can’t imagine any of Mystery Incorporated popping up in Jellystone but if a minor character from Josie and the Pussycats can appear in the opening credits, KISS can definitely show up.
Progress, Joe. This is a bit silly in its execution, but definitely progress.
Dumbing of Age is the first work of fiction I can recall that turns me into full-on “15 year old with a blog dedicated to their favourite ship” mode. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was, like, absolutely trying to will two drawings into kissing.
It is a curious sensation.
Honestly, same. Not that I’ve put in the effort to make a blog, though.
haha as an artist I’ve gained the power to draw any two characters kissing. I use my powers only for Evil.
My hero.
And we thank you for it.
Is it like a euphoria? Is it in your pants?
…powers… …for evil… euphoria…. s̷e̵n̶s̸a̶t̸i̷o̵n̸.̵.̸.̸….
…for exact reasons yet known, I feel rather elated, in both my spine and my prefrontal cortex….
I can’t draw for shit, but I can mention that I’m shipping two characters and hope that somebody else who can draw decently also ships those two.
I guess unclapping hands would be smacking the back of your hands together.
Anyway, points to Joe for looking out for Joyce.
“nor do you want it.”
JOE ITS OKAY TO HAVE FRIENDS YOU DUMB EMOTIONALLY BROKEN BABY
When you care about people and people care about you, it’s a huge responsibility. Then you have to CARE when they think less of you. It’s inconvenient.
Okay, people place your bets, is it the anniversary of Bonnie’s death or did the divorce come through, something to do with Mike or an undisclosed piece of bad news?
I was initially betting on the divorce in my above comments, but now I’m wondering if it has something to do with a certain someone who deserved every stab he got going on trial.
… Oh, shit, that is a possibility.
I feel like if it was the trial, Joe would know.
Who? Because Blane and Toedad are dead.
Ohhhh you mean the guy Amber ganked. Yeah Joe would know about that one since it’s his stepsisters issue.
I’m thinking it’s the anniversary of Bonnie’s death, because it seems like Becky also knows what’s up.
I’m putting money on something brown fam/divorce related
I’ve updated my DOA fanart dump. I found a huge hoard of new drawings and there’s still more to find!
I also added artist commentary and a couple apologies.
https://imgur.com/a/8Q50mBQ
Also if anyone has the original picture of that Jotaro Joyce I drew that one time, I would appreciate it.
Some of those are pretty
cutecool. I like Cyborg-Malaya, though I’ll have to go through the rest later.In awe.
You seem to have honed your craft so well… all your work here is magnificent!
All of it is SO MARVELOUS! I think two are even worthy of very special theoretical awards:
#1. Sexiest Sandwich in Manga-esque Style 2021
#2. Sexiest Math Puzzle in 2021
*note that the first of those goes to the SANDWICH, not Mary.
Haha glad you enjoyed them. I tried my best to put a lotta love into them.
I can tell!
You and your art have reached out and touched all of us in the most magnificent ways!
Thank you so much for sharing such wonderful things with us all the time!
I mostly just wanted a masterpost with all my art of all these years. Willis once called me prolific and looking at this I can most certainly say he was correct. ESPECIALLY since I know that there’s still some pictures missing
Willis called you prolific? That’s such an honor!
Hope you find your missing pictures!
I don’t know what landed worse, my puns or my meme:
https://imgur.com/a/amyO3ie
Found it!
https://i.imgur.com/xWcNCJM.png
Took me a damn hour of googling search terms before I checked my gravatar account and thankfully the original images used for gravs get saved there.
“What are all these lewd pictures of me!?!?! This MUST be the work of an enemy stand!!!!!”
Thanks a bunch. I’m pretty sure this was a commission. But I’m missing a whole bunch of pics from that time my computer died and I lost a lot of my art.
It was.
I commissioned it.
I am using it as an avatar.
Haha yeah I probably shoulda put 2 and 2 together :P. Be kind to me, I’m a bit of a moron.
Yotomoe-sempai forgot me.
I don’t get the references (if any) in the picture. What (may I ask) was the original description for the commission?
It’s a commission of Joyce Brown as Jotaro Kujo from Jojo’s bizzarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders.
“…and I am such a tender ass…”
— William Shakespeare
Oh what a wonderful mid-summer night it is up here in the northern hemisphere! It almost seems like something out of a dream…
i suspect it’s not the divorce, since she has talked with him about that pretty openly before i think (or divorce in general since i think it was beflre the kidnapping). i would guess it’s something related to him, hence her bitter reaction. so either the jacob issue or ryan or something like that.
“I don’t care, that’s why I’m trying to get someone to help Joyce with whatever’s going on.”
Joe, you’re a bad liar.
Big Man Guys Being Soft is one of my favouritest character things. Sexism and emotional stuntedness not a bonus, but not a deal breaker, given an active growth arc.
From the title of the next chapter on the Archive page, I’m guessing that Jocelyn is coming out and, like a lot of things recently, Joyce is struggling to categorise her feelings and decide how to react. Especially if religion and faith have come into this.
Ooohhhh. I like this!
More Jocelyn will be good. They’re one of my favorite characters.
Joe could read Becky’s expression through the back of her head?
Becky please the man’s on his knees here!
Joe the bigh chicken… He don’t want to face the big emotions of his friends and wants other to do it. I thought he was a better person.
Yeah, if you try to discuss a serious issue with someone and they pointedly tell you that they have no interest in doing so, you don’t give up! You keep going until you’ve either forced them to talk to you or they snap completely! That’s just what friends do!
EXACTLY!
I think Joe is sort a coward for not being willing to admit he wants that level of emotional clearance.
But Joyce did shut the conversation down and its often not a good idea to try to push past that beyond saying hes there if she wants to talk about it.
I’m not sure if getting Becky involved is the right move or an overstep but I’m guessing in this situation it will mostly work out.
Joe’s actually pretty good about respecting other people’s boundaries (i.e., his interactions with Dina earlier “today”). And I suspect that getting Rebecca involved is a right-er move than trying to force his way into this situation himself.
He is.
He obviously finds this very difficult so instead of doing nothing hes doing the best he can by going to Joyces best friend.
Sure, Joe. You “don’t care about these things”. I totally believe this claim.
Yes, because you always summon the best friend of your passing acquaintance when you think said passing acquaintance may be having problems!
Given that Becky has started snarking Joe in exactly the same way she does Dorothy indicates that she, at least, considers him another rival. However, Joyce and her possible problems comefirst.
Methinks the bro doth protest too much.
Joe still stepping up and trying make sure Joyce is alright, maybe not the exact best way to go but his instincts are good and hes willing to battle what he thinks he knows (emotions = bad) to help his Joyce
Not helping the shipping situation at all
Joe is the Secret Agent Man
He’d better be careful about cracking Joyce’s shell, or odds are he won’t live to see tomorrow.
Peharps Joyce saw something cringe about her mon in Facebook. Something really stupid, like “I’m antivax and shit”.
Maybe she is considering block her own mother.
I don’t know, the way Becky emphasized “today” suggests it’s an important date she would know about.
That’s nothing linked to Joyce’s discovers in this cap. (Like her ‘discovering’ she ‘s a monkey).
Just cuz I want there to be an option that isn’t pure tragedy, and might be more easily resolved…
Maybe it’s just Jordan’s birthday, or anniversary of their departure or something.
The flash of sad on Becky’s face isn’t great support for this, but maybe it was just her concern for Joyce.
The thing I don’t get is the idea that Joe somehow doesn’t have “emotional clearance” with Joyce. Like. Joyce confides in him without hesitation about MOST things that bother her. She texted him insecurities about her parents all the way back in last semester, she freely talking with him about her doubts about her faith without hesitation also last semester, she told him about how she was assaulted by Ryan, she told him about her crush on Jacob, he is also one of the like TWO people she has told about having lost her faith, and has literally been comfortable enough with him to allow him to be there as she actively and emotionally worked through disentangling her faith-based hangups.
Joyce clearly just didn’t want to talk about whatever particular thing is bothering her right then, and acted like it was because Joe wouldn’t ‘want’ that, even though she’s clearly confided in him about extremely sensitive things that very same day.
Also Joe cares so much about Joyce that he’s going out of his way to make sure SOMEBODY is looking out for her, and wow I just ship this so hard.
He’s hesitant because he asked her what’s wrong and she came at him going “oh are you that kind of friend now?” because Joe for a very long time refused to be that friend, he helped her over the phone but when she came back he couldn’t acknowledge he had actually done something significant that betrayed his identity as Fun No Feelings Sex Bro.
So now that he’s reaching out to Joyce when she’s at a low point she doesn’t know how to process him being the person he actually is, because he wouldn’t let himself be that person until now.
I really appreciate Joe. He cares about Joyce’s wellbeing, but doesn’t feel he should be in that space and says he does not want to be, so he goes and makes sure the right person knows. (Not sure if genuinely not wanting to be that close to Joyce, or Joe thinking he shouldn’t be that close to Joyce for self punishment reasons. I’m hoping for the first because that’s just good boundary keeping but worried it is the second.)
Honestly wish more people were like Joe in this regard. Seeing someone needing help and making sure you fetch the right kind of help is huge. It takes more time and effort though, so I can understand why its not the “default”
Most likely he’s afraid that getting close to Joyce will lead to romantic feelings and that will lead to him betraying/cheating on her and hurt her.
He’s doomed to be his dad, remember.
As far as romantic feelings go, it’s probably a little late for thaaaaaat.
*shushes you while looking frantically around to make sure no one else heard that* (because it’s not true. at all.)
I am actually interested in Joe Dad’s development and would be curious to find out if he’s every bit as bad as Joe thinks he is. Habitual cheaters are not exactly the most sympathetic characters but it could well be there’s elements Joe isn’t aware of. Like, say, they just flat out were not a relationship that worked out and were better off apart.
Or maybe he really is a scummy misogynist.
Even if that were true and they were better off apart, that would not justify him being a serial cheater, especially the kind who hits on girls half his age when he’s not welcome.
All I gots to say is Joe is like. Criminally cute lookin’ here. Capital Joe. Joe’d expertly. Would ruffle his hair.
Come on, Joe. You got this.
Joe is supportive.
Kinda.