Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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June 14, 2026

One toast

by David M Willis on September 11, 2021 at 12:01 am
  • 01 – Sister, Christian
└ Tags: joyce, liz, sarah

Discussion (170) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Meagan
    Meagan
    September 11, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    This is a fun arc!

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      September 11, 2021 at 12:44 am | #

      You beat Ana! A toast of toast for your first post!

      • Rose by Any Other Name
        Rose by Any Other Name
        September 11, 2021 at 1:28 am | #

        **looks at third word**
        **slowly smiles**

        I am so fuckin mature right now.

        • milu
          milu
          September 11, 2021 at 5:26 am | #

          how classy of you! let us save this moment in the annals.
          hey notice how as you get older how you get more into annals?
          or is it just me.

      • Someguy
        Someguy
        September 11, 2021 at 12:11 pm | #

        I could only hear choose goose as I read this.

        • Rose by Any Other Name
          Rose by Any Other Name
          September 12, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

          … and now, I can only hear milu’s comment as Choose Goose.

          Adventure Time!

      • Meagan
        Meagan
        September 12, 2021 at 1:15 am | #

        Thank you! I was quite surprised myself!

  2. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    September 11, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    That’s a confirmed sighting of the other eyebrow.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      September 11, 2021 at 12:29 am | #

      As I recall, Willis was tweeting the other day about how sometimes their art style just leaves out an eyebrow on occasion (specifically pointing out that Liz isn’t even the first DoA character they’ve done this for) and that it’s not supposed to be anything special…and how then suddenly this time, certain readers snagged on to this seemingly-insignificant detail and immediately deduced that it must have a Deep and Hidden Meaning behind it. 😛

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        September 11, 2021 at 12:48 am | #

        I’m pretty sure I kicked that off. The only reason I noticed was because she’d been missing the eyebrow in all her panels up until this strip.

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          September 11, 2021 at 1:43 am | #

          It had been fairly consistent on one particular eyebrow, and as he pointed out t he’s recently been drawing eyebrows thicker in general, making them more noticeable (especially with a new character model as opposed to, say, Walky or Dina.) So the absence was likewise noticeable.

          • Clif
            Clif
            September 11, 2021 at 1:56 am | #

            You people thinking you’ve seen the other eyebrow when clearly it’s the same eyebrow leaping from side to side.

            • Geneseepaws
              Geneseepaws
              September 11, 2021 at 4:13 am | #

              Holy crap! I’ve seen Schroedinger’s Eyebrow! Procter & Bergman were right. “How can you be in two places at once, When you’re not anywhere at all?”

              • Ryek Hvek
                Ryek Hvek
                September 11, 2021 at 4:42 am | #

                the Good Doctor says…
                “Roll up your arm and bend over.”

  3. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    September 11, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    JOYCE SHIT

    …

    I mean she said it

    (again)

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      September 11, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

      …I genuinely didn’t even process that that was Joyce’s line until I read your comment. Wow.

      My money’s still on her first f-bomb being directed at Carol.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      September 11, 2021 at 12:29 am | #

      That’s her fourth shit now, right?

      For those who keep count, that is.

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      September 11, 2021 at 1:11 am | #

      Tut tut. You’re off your game Ana. Is everything ok? 😉

      Also, why am I reading this like Sarah is actually saying, “groan” instead of making the groaning noise?

      • Tawnee
        Tawnee
        September 11, 2021 at 3:26 am | #

        I feel like I know the line “you see, I said “yawn” because when I actually yawned you kept talking” but I cannot recall where from.
        Possibly Donna to Josh in The West Wing, but a few other possible character combinations from popular culture do spring to mind.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          September 11, 2021 at 3:36 am | #

          That definitely sounds like a Sorkin line

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          September 11, 2021 at 8:08 am | #

          That (or something close to that) was said by Jordan in Scrubs.

      • Deanatay
        Deanatay
        September 11, 2021 at 11:20 am | #

        If it were inside a word bubble, maybe. As it’s not, it’s meant to be a non-verbal utterance.

    • Some Ed
      Some Ed
      September 11, 2021 at 1:33 pm | #

      Once you say shit for the first time, it’s easier to say shit a second time. But, shit, not as easy as the third time you say shit. I mean the fourth shit, wait, shit, no, this shit’s getting the shit shit shit. Oh, shitty shit!

  4. Bogeywoman
    Bogeywoman
    September 11, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    Oh no by which I mean oh yes!

  5. Suet
    Suet
    September 11, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    TWO evidences I am gonna need from Joyce now

    OH SNAP

  6. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    September 11, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    “I’d be excited if I had a sister!”

    …Damn you, Willis! whyyyyyy…

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      September 11, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      Indeed.

      I have to assume she’ll show up sooner or later. They can’t keep her out of the Patreon voting forever!

      But still, the waiting hurts. No Jocelyne also means no Jocelyne’s cat.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        September 11, 2021 at 1:17 am | #

        Is that a slipshine, or does Jocelyn have a felinus domesticus house pet?

        • Tan
          Tan
          September 11, 2021 at 2:36 am | #

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/tag/miss-sakaki/

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          September 11, 2021 at 3:23 am | #

          The accepted binomial name is Felis catus

          • Decidedly Orthogonal
            Decidedly Orthogonal
            September 11, 2021 at 6:34 pm | #

            Is that like a catinus housus?

            • King Daniel
              King Daniel
              September 11, 2021 at 8:07 pm | #

              No, more like a Catus hattensis

      • Jenn
        Jenn
        September 11, 2021 at 3:20 am | #

        I feel like “I’d be excited if I had a sister and she showed up” just has to be dramatic irony. Foreshadowing. Please, Willis, I’m dying to see Jocelyne have a happy coming out experience with Joyce, and Joyce being happy about having a sister!

    • Pylgrim
      Pylgrim
      September 11, 2021 at 5:49 am | #

      There’s foreshadowing and then there’s a getting hit on the face with a giant clown mallet spelling out the next development in big letters.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 11, 2021 at 6:26 am | #

      Joyce has a sister already, she’s just not aware yet that one of her siblings is her sister, not her brother.

      • Some Ed
        Some Ed
        September 11, 2021 at 1:35 pm | #

        But if I recall correctly, she has always been excited when her sister comes to visit, so it still tracks.

        • Some Ed
          Some Ed
          September 11, 2021 at 1:37 pm | #

          Btw, that was all I really came to say. Any other shit I just happened to say while I was here was just shit. I mean, sometimes shit just happens.

    • butts
      butts
      September 11, 2021 at 1:06 pm | #

      good news, everyone!

  7. Hartar Janabay
    Hartar Janabay
    September 11, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    That swearword dropped quickly, Joyce

    • AbacusWizard
      AbacusWizard
      September 11, 2021 at 12:26 am | #

      gotta fit in with new friend!

  8. Nono
    Nono
    September 11, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    Wait, stepmoms? I guess both of Sarah’s parents remarried women after the divorce?

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      September 11, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

      By this train of logic that would imply both parents married women. Sarah’s mom gay confirmed?

      • RassilonTDavros
        RassilonTDavros
        September 11, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

        Not necessarily gay, but definitely WLW at any rate.

        (note: not an expert on terminology, please feel free to correct me if I screw up)

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        September 11, 2021 at 12:54 am | #

        Potentially the same parent remarried twice? Or it’s a typo.

      • drs
        drs
        September 11, 2021 at 2:43 pm | #

        This would imply a WLW stepmom who is pleased to see Campus Crusade for Christ Jesus memes.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          September 12, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

          Not necessarily. Could be the stepmom married to their dad.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            September 12, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

            Wait, no never mind. Realized as soon as I hit send.

    • Ob
      Ob
      September 11, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

      Or her father divorced and remarried multiple times?

      I guess she’d have little reason to call someone a stepmom if they were an ex-stepmom.

      • Zach
        Zach
        September 11, 2021 at 1:11 am | #

        They ease you for 10 years and you go right back to first name basis after divorce? If the ex-stepmom is involved enough to still be on her case, good on her!

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          September 11, 2021 at 1:23 am | #

          Yeah, it depends A LOT on the relationship, the length of the marriage, and how involved they were with Liz’s life specifically. If it was only a year and their parent only had weekends and vacations, that’s very different from joint or primary custody and a marriage lasting five years or more. (And then there’s awkwardness like ‘my parent remarried as an adult and I have minimal contact with them, do I call her my stepmother when we barely even see each other?’ Blended families can be complicated, especially when multiple remarriages are in play.)

          • drs
            drs
            September 11, 2021 at 2:38 pm | #

            Clueless: “We divorce wives, not children”

            Then you do the math and find that Cher’s dad must have been Josh’s legal stepdad for like nanoseconds when Josh was very young. So, good job, Mr. Horowitz.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      September 11, 2021 at 3:14 am | #

      Or maybe it’s a polygamous marriage.

      Yes, that is too Biblical. (If it’s remarriage after becoming a widower rather than after a divorce.)

    • Eclipsa
      Eclipsa
      September 11, 2021 at 3:55 am | #

      I could be wrong but I THINK some people say “moms” when referring to a singular mom, it’s a slang thing? That could be it. BUT I’m not really sure about that, I haven’t bothered to look it up, just something I’ve seen on TV and pieced together with context.

  9. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    September 11, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    Wait stepmoms? Plural?

    • JA
      JA
      September 11, 2021 at 1:52 am | #

      Think an Ebonics thing is being used here, where a parent is being used in plural to mean one person (e.g. “My moms wants me home by five”). Was confused for a few minutes when I first encountered it years ago and thought it referred to two moms.

      • DailyBrad
        DailyBrad
        September 11, 2021 at 2:14 am | #

        Yeah, could be that or two stepmoms, but I am thinking of it as being plural in the same sense as someone calling a singular man “my mans!”. It happens.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        September 11, 2021 at 3:30 am | #

        That seems needlessly confusing

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          September 11, 2021 at 3:52 am | #

          Most slang is. <——— what I wanted to say.

          Wait, is Ebonics slang, or more of a dialect? <——- thought that stopped me from saying that.

          Wait, aren't dialects ALSO needless confusing compared to just a single language? <———— Next thought in sequence

          But dialects arise because natural language is a kluge, evolving parallel to each other and not beholden to any standard or central management other than whether it works for communicating with those around you. By keeping language both natural and freely-evolving, we avoid various costs and lost opportunities associated with centralized control of the language, which probably can't be made to work too well anyway. If having confusing dialects is a preferable tradeoff compared to some restrictive dialect-preventing system, then that isn't needless. <———- Thought #3

          Yes it is. <——- Thought # 2n + 4

          No it isn't. <——- Thought # 2n+5

          [Loop through all natural numbers n.]

          What the hell? How is it past midnight and why do I have twelve wikipedia tabs on linguistics, opportunity costs, and various types of necessity open? <—- thought # whoknows

          ADHD sucks. <——- thought # whoknows+1

          • milu
            milu
            September 11, 2021 at 6:04 am | #

            i have several thoughts about your thoughts, but i’ll just say that one reason we shouldn’t try and curtail dialectal diversity is because that’s an inherently authoritarian thing to do. your language is more than a tool for transmitting information. it’s a major part of who you are.

            • khn0
              khn0
              September 12, 2021 at 1:53 pm | #

              I’m going to put a no here, bc defining a culture by a common language is also a no-go that resulted in many shits like sudete germans conflicts (today still).

          • Jason
            Jason
            September 11, 2021 at 7:59 pm | #

            Did not need to get to the end there to recognise the ADHD!

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      September 11, 2021 at 11:22 am | #

      Perhaps Sarah’s dad has remarried more than once? So she has more than one stepmom?

  10. Audkitten
    Audkitten
    September 11, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    I’m confused about the “stepmoms.” I’m assuming Sarah’s parents are divorced. Does that mean both parents are married to women? Is one of her parents poly and have two wives? Someone who knows the lore please clear it up for me. Thanks! (Not being sarcastic or smart; genuinely asking)

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      September 11, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

      Sarah’s parents were confirmed to be divorced shortly before the time skip. It was by all accounts not amicable. That’s about all we knew about Sarah’s family apart from ‘Cool Nana’ and one Walkyverse appearance of Liz back in Roomies until this arc.

      Stepmoms plural is new info.

      • Audkitten
        Audkitten
        September 11, 2021 at 12:20 am | #

        Thanks!

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        September 11, 2021 at 12:20 am | #

        That said, watch as ten minutes from now the comic’s reuploaded because there was supposed to be an apostrophe.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          September 11, 2021 at 12:52 am | #

          That wouldn’t be grammatically correct.

          • Diane
            Diane
            September 11, 2021 at 10:39 am | #

            Naw, it would be. Stepmom’s case=The case of Stepmom, this is the possession of Stepmom. Stepmom case would not be grammatically correct.

            • Thag Simmons
              Thag Simmons
              September 11, 2021 at 1:50 pm | #

              I am not an expert, but I am fairly certain that “Keep my stepmom’s off my case” would be incorrect grammar

              • Regalli
                Regalli
                September 11, 2021 at 4:06 pm | #

                Yeah, I just wasn’t reading very well last night.

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          September 11, 2021 at 1:20 am | #

          Or an s removed.

    • Rotunda
      Rotunda
      September 11, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

      The answer is currently unknown, but the simplest of many possibilities is that both of Liz’s parents married women after the divorce. The fact that Joyce is not shown to be surprised suggests that Liz has filled her in on the situation.

      • Audkitten
        Audkitten
        September 11, 2021 at 12:20 am | #

        Thanks!

      • RassilonTDavros
        RassilonTDavros
        September 11, 2021 at 12:35 am | #

        We know that both of Sarah’s parents came to visit her after the kidnapping, so it’s possible that Joyce has met them already.

        • Amos Batista
          Amos Batista
          September 11, 2021 at 4:45 am | #

          It makes sense. I’m sure it will be funny when everybody discover Joyce know more of Sarah’s family than Sara itself.

      • Kamino Neko
        Kamino Neko
        September 11, 2021 at 2:27 am | #

        I think the simplest explanation is that she’s using the common AAVE thing of calling your mom ‘moms’, as mentioned above.

    • Sam
      Sam
      September 11, 2021 at 12:19 am | #

      Sarah has said her parents are divorced. Stepmoms imply both her parents went on to partner with women or one is poly with two or more female partners. We know little more than this at this time.

      It is still entirely possible that both their parents decided they are poly and there is a whole web of stepmothers. There could be 8 stepmothers for all we know.

      • Audkitten
        Audkitten
        September 11, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

        This made me giggle 🙂

      • Wizard
        Wizard
        September 11, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

        That would be a whole new take on “octomom”.

      • Hazel
        Hazel
        September 11, 2021 at 9:42 am | #

        Or her parents were both women and both remarried women.

  11. Grimey
    Grimey
    September 11, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    I forget if this is the case of Joyce not knowing yet or simply not remembering?

    • Sam
      Sam
      September 11, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

      Doesn’t know yet as far as we know. Joyce still thinks she has only brothers to our knowledge.

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      September 11, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

      If you’re talking about Jocelyne, then she doesn’t know.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      September 11, 2021 at 12:19 am | #

      There has been no indication so far that Jocelyne is out to her family. She is currently being kept in reserve on Patreon bonus strip voting (that is, we can nominate and vote for her but if she wins, Willis just goes down to the next-most-voted character who ISN’T considered guarded information – Ethan and Jacob are likewise off-limits), and has been since the timeskip.

      My bet’s that after the kidnapping, Jocelyne has a really good excuse for getting things out of the family house, and also siding with Joyce automatically means distancing herself from Carol. Unfortunately, Carol’s also shown very unambiguously that she cannot ever be trusted with the information that Jocelyne is trans. And also, therefore, does not get to be trusted with things like ‘any cosigned paperwork that could remotely give Carol some form of financial control over her daughter’ or ‘Jocelyne’s address.’ In short, I suspect that whatever timeline she had for eventually coming out has moved up, but she’s also not taking any unambiguous steps until she’s confident Carol won’t be able to retaliate when she finds out.

      • Sirksome
        Sirksome
        September 11, 2021 at 12:23 am | #

        Wait? I’m not a patron. There are actually characters that are locked out of the patreon vote?

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          September 11, 2021 at 12:36 am | #

          Yeah you can’t vote for Ethan for example.

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          September 11, 2021 at 12:39 am | #

          Yeah, it’s become a problem every month since the time skip, though it started earlier with Mike post-fall (and also allowed Willis to put in a ‘don’t nominate Jordan, guys, you’re not making me reveal Jordan’s deal here!’) The line in nomination posts is now something to the effect of ‘you won’t get me to reveal guarded information early’. Immediately post-timeskip, this meant a lot of the core cast weren’t being featured ahead of their new looks being revealed, but that was only for a month or two. By now, I think the big names who’ll be passed over are just Jocelyne, Ethan, Jacob, and maybe Hank but I’m not certain he’s gotten enough votes to know. My assumption is that if they’ve played a major role in a storyline and they haven’t appeared post-skip, they’re probably guarded information.

          (Mike has also been in a weird spot where he’s been nominated – and won – after his confirmed death, so he got a Lawsome comic. I wouldn’t expect more than that. Also notable, pre-timeskip we DID get a comic featuring Becky’s ex-roommate at Anderson, showing what she’s doing at Anderson. As such, it can be assumed she’s still eligible now because her place in the story is done. It remains to be seen what would happen if Sarah’s ex-roommate Dana ever won a vote, since there’s been speculation among the commentariat about how she’s doing. Could be she’d be eligible, could be she’s not because she’s not intended to show up again and her status isn’t being saved for a big throwdown between Sarah and Raidah. Also, I’d assume we could vote for Howard or Riley – probably not Faz, though – even though they haven’t appeared post-timeskip, because we have no reason to believe they’ve undergone massive life changes since then and might be being held in reserve for a big reveal.)

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            September 11, 2021 at 12:42 am | #

            * Er, with Dana: If she gets a bonus strip, it should be assumed her status is NOT being held in reserve for a reveal. If she ever won a vote and was skipped over, we could conclude that she is in fact considered guarded information for some reason or another (even if that reason is ‘to keep the comments guessing and leave an opening if Willis ever DOES want to bring her up again.’)

            Bit characters like Asma or the like have generally always been fine. Unnamed ones like Joyce’s optometrist are fringe but have proven okay if it’s shortly after their appearance.

          • Sirksome
            Sirksome
            September 11, 2021 at 12:44 am | #

            Kind of surprised Jocelyne is on the classified list. Not that she isn’t important but it does imply she’ll be a major player in the story soon, since before now she hasn’t really been a huge factor just a side character that pops up from time to time.

            • Regalli
              Regalli
              September 11, 2021 at 12:58 am | #

              The thing is that Jocelyne has a specific extenuating circumstance post-timeskip (she was fine up to that point,) in that she’s Joyce’s sister, and she’s trans, and we have reason to believe Jocelyne was already thinking about coming out (and maybe taking more concrete steps to prepare herself for estrangement from her parents) BEFORE ‘Mom bailed out someone who wanted to degay his daughter by force if necessary, and then he kidnapped Joyce to try and kidnap Becky, and also he’d previously pointed a LOADED GUN at both of them, and now he’s dead because the rest of the bail was paid by a literal mobster trying to abuse his own daughter.’ All of that makes it possible Jocelyne’s going to show up again having radically changed (because she took major steps to transition offscreen, or because she’s in contact with Jordan, or whatever.) Either way, she’s wrapped up in Joyce’s family drama that is DEFINITELY being saved for the main storyline, which is why I wouldn’t expect anything from a big push for Hank or Carol, either. (I could maybe see an outside chance John is acceptable since we largely expect him to have chosen Carol, but I certainly wouldn’t bet on him or spend my vote there.)

            • Clif
              Clif
              September 11, 2021 at 2:04 am | #

              Also, soon is a relative term.

              • Jamie
                Jamie
                September 11, 2021 at 2:29 am | #

                Absolutely within two decades! Calling it now.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        September 11, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

        Bonus: If Jocelyne’s moving to make sure Carol has no idea where she lives and such, she can move to Bloomington! Pretty please, Willis?

        • RassilonTDavros
          RassilonTDavros
          September 11, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

          That would be great if she could somehow join the cast full-time! I hadn’t even considered that possibility. Which is odd, since it wouldn’t be the first time.

          Only problem I can think of is that Carol is probably likely to come around snooping as usual at some point, and Jocelyne definitely wouldn’t be safe if Carol found her. There is basically no doubt whatsoever in my mind that Carol would attempt to pull a Ross if she found out, and we’re down both a superhero and a motorcycle…

          • Nono
            Nono
            September 11, 2021 at 12:34 am | #

            See, joining the full cast means getting involved in drama. I’d like to think she’s living a normal life out there with her writing and her cat.

            • RassilonTDavros
              RassilonTDavros
              September 11, 2021 at 12:37 am | #

              …I don’t know if a life where you don’t feel it’s safe to even tell your immediate family your own name– and are probably genuinely correct in that assessment– can really be called a “normal life.”

              • Regalli
                Regalli
                September 11, 2021 at 12:51 am | #

                Is it pleasant? No. Does it happen to some people? Absolutely. And there’s definitely plenty of room between ‘lives in the immediate vicinity of Joyce’ and ‘is still living in easy distance of Carol, where she knows Jocelyne’s address and may well have a key because Jocelyne couldn’t come up with a suitable reason to deny her that kept cover.’

                If she moved in the intervening time I wouldn’t be shocked, but if I were planning to permanently cut ties with a toxic family member who can be expected to react badly, I’d probably save that one for one of the last steps before coming out, along with ‘complete and total block on all digital points of contact.’ The key is to minimize interactions and make them as drama-free as possible without Carol knowing something is wrong. Good news is that, even with the implications Jocelyne shares a temper with her sister, she’s had much more practice disengaging and keeping her head down. Still, I’d want to ensure I wasn’t alone in the house with Carol and John while picking up whatever may be left there.

                • Decidedly Orthogonal
                  Decidedly Orthogonal
                  September 11, 2021 at 9:32 am | #

                  Well as for a key there is always, “sure mom, i’ll send/give you one.”
                  …
                  “it doesn’t work? Weird, I’ll look into that.”
                  …
                  …
                  Also, changing locks.

          • Sirksome
            Sirksome
            September 11, 2021 at 12:51 am | #

            No offense but I do not think Carol’s that dangerous. Like she’ll probably disown Jocelyne but I highly doubt she’s capable of pulling off a Ross stunt. Ruth whipped her ass.

            • Regalli
              Regalli
              September 11, 2021 at 1:14 am | #

              The thing is, we don’t know. Ross surprised Becky by bringing the gun to campus – she expected trouble, she may even have expected the threat of violence, but she didn’t expect the gun even knowing Ross had it. The problem with abusive people is that they’re at their most dangerous when you leave, and you don’t know just how dangerous that’ll be until it happens.

              While Carol may or may not be a physical threat to Jocelyne (who has shown no proclivity towards violence, and as a freelance writer is likely not to be particularly strong because good protein is expensive and her job involves typing,) she can certainly do a lot of things that are seriously harmful. Breaking into Jocelyne’s apartment and stealing or breaking things, for example, or draining bank accounts she still has access to. Since Jocelyne has a cat, she could steal or harm said cat. Hell, even just entering and refusing to leave the apartment could be problematic, as the Robin/Leslie incident showed.

            • not someone else
              not someone else
              September 11, 2021 at 1:42 am | #

              She may not be Ross-level dangerous but she strikes me as one hundred percent the sort of parent who would do things like out her daughter to a boss, or to random strangers on the street, or organize some kind of church event to make a big fuss, or do other things which could put Jocelyne in direct danger.

              Frankly I don’t want her to move to Bloomington because I don’t think being in the same state is far enough away. Certainly not if she has family members in the same city who wouldn’t go no-contact- that would just lead to Carol leaning on Joyce to try to bring Jocelyne “back into the fold”, and when Joyce inevitably told her to go fuck herself, things might escalate.

              • Regalli
                Regalli
                September 11, 2021 at 1:48 am | #

                I suspect Joyce may already be no-contact, honestly – we saw already that she didn’t want to talk to her parents in the aftermath of the kidnapping, and Carol did nothing to earn trust back while also bailing out the man who proceeded to kidnap Joyce. We know she spent the holidays at Becky’s place.

                Bloomington is probably too close to be safe, especially if Joyce is already there so Carol could go after two kids at once, but I can dream and suspend disbelief for cute sibling interactions. I wanna see Joyce and Jocelyne and Becky go clothes-shopping together as sisters!

  12. bcb
    bcb
    September 11, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    Damn you Willis, you continue to taunt me with the possibility of Jocelyn coming out to Joyce and then not doing it. The title of this chapter had me sure we’d finally see Jocelyn, but now I’m wondering if it only refers to Liz.

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      September 11, 2021 at 9:40 am | #

      Hey bcb/bgb. I hit your link/tumble and had some q’s about your top story. Chiefly i was hoping for source/methodology of danger determination. But:

      Are you sure alcohol danger shouldn’t be higher? Is there a source? How was their danger determined? And what if John Wick is holding the carrot like a pencil?

    • zee
      zee
      September 11, 2021 at 11:39 am | #

      I have a feeling Liz is misdirection/foreshadowing. Looking at Joyce’s “if i had a sister…”

  13. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    September 11, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

    Oh no…or oh yes? I don’t know how to feel about this.

  14. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    September 11, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

    *pictures other readers throwing slices of bread at their screens like they did at showings of Rocky Horror*

  15. BlackScarabFilmZ
    BlackScarabFilmZ
    September 11, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

    *If* Joyce had a sister?

    I’d almost forgotten that Joyce doesn’t know what we know regarding her sister

    • MK15
      MK15
      September 11, 2021 at 9:45 am | #

      Yup!

      Thankfully I’m reading this as foreshadowing and I think we get some Jocelyn before long!

  16. Kravis
    Kravis
    September 11, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

    Oh, they’ll “get each other” alright…

  17. Dara
    Dara
    September 11, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

    i don’t want to call liz “better joyce” because i actually do like joyce but

    i am really liking liz right now xD

  18. Bicycle Bill
    Bicycle Bill
    September 11, 2021 at 12:24 am | #

    Don’t kid yourself, Liz. Parents have always had ways of knowing what’s going on, even in the days before social media and smartphones, no matter how diligently you tried to keep it from them.  The reason they’re not all up in your face constantly is that THEY make the decisions as to which battles are or are not worth fighting.

    • milu
      milu
      September 11, 2021 at 2:40 pm | #

      that’s not a universal truth. the Browns don’t know one of her children is trans.

      • milu
        milu
        September 11, 2021 at 2:40 pm | #

        *their

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        September 11, 2021 at 4:04 pm | #

        They did apparently have some suspicions Lil Jocelyne was ‘not properly gender-conforming’, per Joyce’s recollections about their youth pastor stressing the importance of appropriately gendered toys or the like, but that’s just it: a suspicion, and one that was treated as a problem to be solved rather than something about their child to embrace. Which proceeded to teach Jocelyne that some things were to be actively hidden from her parents (and siblings) at all costs, because they couldn’t be trusted with it. Kids who have to learn how to hide things from their parents get very, very good at it, because they have to to stay safe.

  19. BarerMender
    BarerMender
    September 11, 2021 at 12:38 am | #

    I’d say Liz is being a good influence.

  20. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 11, 2021 at 12:38 am | #

    Ahhhh, new Sarah info makes me smile!

  21. Opus the Poet
    Opus the Poet
    September 11, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

    Yeah, my wife was into CCC when we first met, but she decided that she would rather live in the real world by Spring quarter. The kicker was she was on a trip when their van got a flat and she and another person changed the flat while everyone else stood around and prayed for it to be fixed.

    • AGV
      AGV
      September 11, 2021 at 1:20 am | #

      I bet that they got a bunch of “You’re a blessing, thank GOD!” at the moment and still were expected to feel prised

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 11, 2021 at 6:31 am | #

      I wonder how long it would have taken for the van to be fixed if they all had stood around praying.

  22. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    September 11, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

    hum, wow, this is going in an interesting direciton suddenly XD

  23. AGV
    AGV
    September 11, 2021 at 1:11 am | #

    Either she has something terrible or she’s just an adventurous Joyce

  24. StClair
    StClair
    September 11, 2021 at 1:14 am | #

    Really liking Liz’s design and expressions here.

  25. DinaJoyce
    DinaJoyce
    September 11, 2021 at 1:52 am | #

    Evangelical world technicality: it hasn’t been called Campus Crusade for Christ in a long time. It’s Cru. They decided to distance themselves from the worst Crusade, for obvious reasons.

    • DinaJoyce
      DinaJoyce
      September 11, 2021 at 1:54 am | #

      The name change officially began in 2011.

      https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/julyweb-only/campus-crusade-name-change.html

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        September 11, 2021 at 9:43 am | #

        That the name started all with hard ‘C’s was enough for me to only see them as the KKK every time I’ve met them. 3 different campuses in 2 provinces and they’ve all been aryans every time.

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          September 11, 2021 at 9:44 am | #

          n.b. I’m near-aryan in appearance myself, which maybe why they’ve approached me.

        • Robin Lionheart
          Robin Lionheart
          September 21, 2021 at 4:37 am | #

          Cam Cru Chri doesn’t sound like an improvement.

    • DinaJoyce
      DinaJoyce
      September 11, 2021 at 1:56 am | #

      *from the word crusade. Ads covering my screen and autocorrect aren’t a good combo.

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 11, 2021 at 2:12 am | #

        Just change ‘crusade’ to ‘inquisition.’ Fixes everything.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          September 11, 2021 at 7:40 am | #

          Nobody will expect it!

    • Lexi
      Lexi
      September 11, 2021 at 2:53 am | #

      That’s cool to know! It was definitely still “Campus Crusade for Christ” when I went to University. Which leads to the question of “Who thought the CCC was a good acronym for an organization of evangelists trying to recruit?”

      I’m still a little annoyed about them, overall. Just something about getting to a new environment and having “HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS” immediately shoved into your face is particularly grating, and unwelcoming to the hundreds of kids who have just finally found themselves somewhere they thought they could be themselves.

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        September 11, 2021 at 8:18 am | #

        Of course now I am nerding out about the old parody sci-fi story “Space Rats of the CCC” by Harry Harrison. Which had nothing to do with Cru or religion, but never gave a clear answer about what CCC stood for.

        (Real world there was also the Civilian Conservation Corp, a jobs program during the Great Depression.)

    • bejouled
      bejouled
      September 11, 2021 at 2:59 am | #

      Yeah but if he had just said Cru I’m guessing a significant portion of readership (at least myself, I’m guessing a good number of others) would have no idea wtf he was talking about. I’ve never heard of either name before but at least the long one is self-explanatory.

    • Eldritchy
      Eldritchy
      September 11, 2021 at 4:28 am | #

      Which Crusade was the Worst? The Children’s Crusade?

      • Eldritchy
        Eldritchy
        September 11, 2021 at 4:59 am | #

        Oh! You meant they didn’t want to use the word Crusade.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          September 11, 2021 at 1:56 pm | #

          Well it’s not like any of them were good

          • Eldritchy
            Eldritchy
            September 11, 2021 at 2:23 pm | #

            Yeah wars are never pretty.

  26. Varangian
    Varangian
    September 11, 2021 at 2:47 am | #

    DOA Book 15: Joyce And Liz Do Not Have Patience For All That Shit

    • Tan
      Tan
      September 11, 2021 at 4:31 am | #

      It’s book 12, and it needs to take the form of one sentence of dialogue, so it would be:

      Dumbing of Age Book 12: Yeah, I Don’t Have Patience for All That Shit

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 11, 2021 at 12:39 pm | #

        DOA 12: I’d be Excited if I Had a Sister and She Showed Up

        Or failing that, DOA 12: GROAN

        • milu
          milu
          September 11, 2021 at 2:44 pm | #

          depending how important Jocelyn’s arc becomes in this book that first title might be PERFECT ^_^

        • Tan
          Tan
          September 11, 2021 at 4:33 pm | #

          Both strong.

  27. Beau Kirin Maysey
    Beau Kirin Maysey
    September 11, 2021 at 2:56 am | #

    we will make a rebel of you yet, Joyce

    • Eldritchy
      Eldritchy
      September 11, 2021 at 4:16 am | #

      Rebel Leader Crush with Sal ended, now Liz is Joyce’s Rebel Leader

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 11, 2021 at 6:34 am | #

      She’s already swearing and skipping class. Who knows what rebellious things Joyce might do next?

      • OBBWG
        OBBWG
        September 11, 2021 at 1:03 pm | #

        Maybe <a href="https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/christi/&quot; not eat from the children's menu?

      • OBBWG
        OBBWG
        September 11, 2021 at 1:06 pm | #

        Screwed up the link.

  28. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    September 11, 2021 at 3:09 am | #

    Dunno if Liz is s bad or a good influence for Joyce. But she sure is an influence i like for her♡.

  29. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    September 11, 2021 at 4:10 am | #

    Ooh, foreshadowing!

    Sounds like Liz is going to be a great “say the right things to keep the peace” mentor for Joyce, since they both can’t completely sever until after college.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      September 11, 2021 at 12:33 pm | #

      The good news is that with the specific circumstances of the divorce (that is, ‘if you’re still backing the man who KIDNAPPED MY DAUGHTER you’re dead to me,’) Hank’s almost certainly broken with the congregation already, and things with Carol are irreparably strained. (It’s also VERY likely that Hank was the one financially supporting the whole family, though we don’t know that for sure.) The question now is what he does when he finds out 1) Jocelyne’s trans and 2) Joyce is an atheist. It’s also up in the air whether he tries to seek out another fundamentalist congregation recognizing Becky’s a member of his family now or not. Both of those reveals are likely to shake him, and Jocelyne in particular is going to test just how much of a redemption arc Hank’s on, but I do think we have reason to hope Joyce won’t have to cut ties with him entirely – the estrangement with Jordan clearly REALLY hit Hank hard, and as we saw after the kidnapping, he’s terrified of another kid making the same choice. This means he might push for contact still with John to keep the peace, but it’s very possible he recognizes when Jocelyne shows up that this is another potential ‘screw up here and it’s over’ moment.

      I don’t think he’s going to push any of the kids to talk to Carol more than absolutely necessary. The beauty of her going so far beyond the pale is that they don’t have to justify estrangement beyond ‘she bailed out a man who kidnapped Joyce, and then kept siding with him’. Anyone who has a problem with that is immediately the unreasonable one here.

  30. Eldritchy
    Eldritchy
    September 11, 2021 at 4:15 am | #

    Wow, she is speedrunning Joyce into the fall!

    • Amos Batista
      Amos Batista
      September 11, 2021 at 4:58 am | #

      hell yeah, I’ll love this arc so much.

  31. Amos Batista
    Amos Batista
    September 11, 2021 at 4:53 am | #

    I tottaly understood Liz.
    I also share some christian memes and speak not so much to family, to anybody discover I’m pretty far for christianism. I’m little afraid I’m speaking it here, but nobody speaks english. So…

  32. Delicious Taffy
    Delicious Taffy
    September 11, 2021 at 5:18 am | #

    Gay Luigi?
    Found new friends in internet through ff14 to go online clubbingwoth very open about non biney now not that ask

    Joyce got no patience for that ßit lmao

  33. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 11, 2021 at 5:26 am | #

    Hah! This is pretty much all I hoped for with the Lucy/Joyce interaction.

    • Raen
      Raen
      September 11, 2021 at 7:35 am | #

      …Lucy?

  34. PiotrW
    PiotrW
    September 11, 2021 at 6:12 am | #

    Joyce! Language! I’m shocked!

  35. Arianod
    Arianod
    September 11, 2021 at 8:24 am | #

    One toast
    And down the hole we go
    It seems to take
    No time at all

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      September 11, 2021 at 8:34 am | #

      One toast over the line, Sweet Jesus, One toast over the line…

  36. Diane
    Diane
    September 11, 2021 at 10:42 am | #

    I’m just gonna consider this comic confirmation that poor Jocelyne still has not come out, but understandable with divorce incoming, don’t need to add more gas to a blazing fire. May she some day bask in the sun in her full glory one day.

  37. nothri
    nothri
    September 11, 2021 at 11:03 am | #

    If this keeps up Sarah is going to groan so loudly and often that she causing a zombie panic.

  38. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    September 11, 2021 at 11:25 am | #

    Sarah: Stop corrupting my little sister!!

    Joyce: I wasn’t-

    Sarah: WASN’T TALKING TO YOU

  39. Bunnygurl
    Bunnygurl
    September 11, 2021 at 1:56 pm | #

    Is Joyce EVER going to meet her sister?

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      September 11, 2021 at 3:57 pm | #

      I’m sure she will, in due time. Probably after the dust from the divorce settles and Joyce comes out to her as an Atheist.

      In the meantime, I hope we get more hints like this:

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/india/

      (Also, feel free to laugh at our giving John Brown the benefit of the doubt at this point. He hadn’t demonstrated his Carol side yet, okay!)

  40. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    September 11, 2021 at 6:39 pm | #

    One (1) stepmom(s)?

  41. crow
    crow
    September 11, 2021 at 8:47 pm | #

    “garaaage”

  42. lia
    lia
    September 11, 2021 at 11:11 pm | #

    aewghhfev thats so cute

  43. brionl
    brionl
    September 11, 2021 at 11:22 pm | #

    Does she want butter or jam on that toast?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea6OET3Zi20

  44. Johannna
    Johannna
    September 13, 2021 at 11:19 pm | #

    AAAAAAAAA FORESHADOWING I HOPE JOCELYNE WHAT

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