Dumbing of Age Book Eleven

Dumbing of Age

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

September 18, 2023

Troubled

by David M Willis on September 21, 2022 at 12:01 am
  • 01 – Bring Me to Life Drawing

└ Tags: becky, dina, joe

Discussion (189) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    September 21, 2022 at 12:02 am | #

    could be a place-joe effect?

    • David M Willis
      David M Willis
      September 21, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

      NO

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        September 21, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

        yeah, it’d really be more of a play-see-joe effect

        • Ed Callahan
          Ed Callahan
          September 21, 2022 at 9:11 am | #

          Maybe more of a doe-se-doe effect…

        • Harmony
          Harmony
          September 21, 2022 at 12:21 pm | #

          Now, if Dina’s heightened by additional males left watching, they could grab some random guy off the street named Ben. Then maybe both will be squeaked out by watching with another guy, but they’d still do it.

          At this point, it would be a Ben/Joe’s-ew-eh-watch

          Then they could follow up by all watching DUNE together in the afterglow.

          • Harmony
            Harmony
            September 21, 2022 at 12:22 pm | #

            …Okay, maybe I worked too hard for that one, in retrospect.

            • Rowan
              Rowan
              September 22, 2022 at 9:03 pm | #

              What were you going for? I do not understand

      • shadowcell
        shadowcell
        September 21, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

        but yes

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        September 21, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

        Perfection.

      • Jess
        Jess
        September 21, 2022 at 1:42 am | #

        “word of god”, everyone! it could not, in fact, be a place-joe effect.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 21, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

      I have to be honest, it took me an extra 30 seconds to figure out what you were going for.

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        September 21, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

        I know what the Placebo effect is, and I still don’t get the joke. Autism! 😅

        • Tan
          Tan
          September 21, 2022 at 12:21 am | #

          It is being pronounced like placebo but with a J in place of the B, and that is pretty much the entirety of the joke.

          • Taellosse
            Taellosse
            September 21, 2022 at 12:44 am | #

            You say that like it WASN’T a brilliant pun.

            • Meagan
              Meagan
              September 21, 2022 at 1:07 am | #

              It was good, but would have benefited from a dash here imo to clarify pronunciation: pla-ce-joe…I don’t know, that’s still maybe not clear.

              • merbrat
                merbrat
                September 21, 2022 at 1:28 am | #

                Pla-SEE-Joe?

              • Hilen
                Hilen
                September 21, 2022 at 10:34 am | #

                That’s actually quite useful for me, since not being a native English speaker has somehow made me “deaf” for most puns. But explain like this,the “sound and writting” of the two words becomes more clear.

                • Meagan
                  Meagan
                  September 23, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

                  That is good to know, thank you for sharing that!

            • Tan
              Tan
              September 21, 2022 at 3:56 pm | #

              I do not mean to minimize the amazing/terrible pun, only emphasize that there is not some other hidden reference or meaning that one might be missing

    • butts
      butts
      September 21, 2022 at 12:28 am | #

      fuck, that’s really awful. well done

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 21, 2022 at 1:27 am | #

        So say we all.

        Or we should.

    • Owlmirror
      Owlmirror
      September 21, 2022 at 1:30 am | #

      pherjoemones.

      • Casi
        Casi
        September 22, 2022 at 7:37 pm | #

        pherojoes flows better i think

    • Andrews
      Andrews
      September 21, 2022 at 2:27 am | #

      Lovely piece of work

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      September 21, 2022 at 9:28 am | #

      Ana, I would like to congratulate you on a job well done.
      That pun… **chef kiss** Truly terrible.

    • Raja
      Raja
      September 21, 2022 at 4:35 pm | #

      boos while also slow clapping

    • Roborat
      Roborat
      September 21, 2022 at 4:39 pm | #

      A pun so bad Sir Willis himself felt the need to comment. You have my admiration.

  2. Sneakystorms
    Sneakystorms
    September 21, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

    😮

  3. The Wellerman
    The Wellerman
    September 21, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

    “Science shows no mercy.”

    — Land of the Lost

    • Steve C.
      Steve C.
      September 21, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

      Nice! Original Saturday morning series, or Will Ferrell comedy?

      • Wack'd
        Wack'd
        September 21, 2022 at 12:31 am | #

        there is no will ferrel comedy version of land of the lost

        comedies are funny

  4. thakoru
    thakoru
    September 21, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    This is what you sign up for when you date an autistic person. Brutal honesty.

    • UrsulaDavina
      UrsulaDavina
      September 21, 2022 at 1:20 am | #

      Not always

    • G127
      G127
      September 21, 2022 at 1:29 am | #

      That’s just a stereotype.

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      September 21, 2022 at 1:56 am | #

      Yeah our autisms all look different. We’re very diverse, not only from neurotypicals but from each other, hence, neuro-diversity. 🙃

      • Miri
        Miri
        September 21, 2022 at 4:45 am | #

        [Sarcasm] The whole point of labels like “autism” is so people can put everybody who fits in one little box with complete homogeneity! [/Sarcasm]

        One might suppose that there could be section dividers in that box so outsiders can recognise that e.g. women with autism and men with autism, who typically present differently, get diagnosed at different points in life, etc, do in fact not all display the exact same traits but that apparently defeats the point of putting people in boxes for most… The only group that the majority of people are willing to ascribe heterogeneity to is apparently the one they belong to 😒

        People are kinda rubbish like that.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      September 21, 2022 at 7:49 am | #

      Are you kidding? I sugarcoat shit constantly. It’s called tact.

      • deliverything
        deliverything
        September 21, 2022 at 8:54 am | #

        So do I. It’s called “not knowing how people will react and overcompensating” (in my case, at least).
        Really, I’d prefer to be as honest as Dina is being here (because an ideal relationship (romantic or otherwise) wouldn’t require falsehood), but there’s no one I’m close enough to to take that risk.

        • Daibhid C
          Daibhid C
          September 21, 2022 at 2:38 pm | #

          Yep. There was a thing on Twitter a while ago that I really identified with but can’t locate now, which was something like:

          Autistic Person on TV: I care not for the meaningless conventions of so-called polite conversation.

          Autistic Person in Reality: Oh God, I said “Have a nice day” and they said “Same to you” instead of “Thanks, you too”. Is there a difference? HAVE I BEEN GETTING THE DIFFERENCE WRONG??

          • Daibhid C
            Daibhid C
            September 21, 2022 at 2:39 pm | #

            (I should add that I’m 90% sure the original had a much better example of conversational uncertainty, but I can’t remember what it was.)

          • Uly
            Uly
            September 21, 2022 at 11:41 pm | #

            I gotta say, I actually *don’t* care for the meaningless conventions of polite conversation, except insasmuch as I find them interesting on a sociolinguistic level, but I still play along.

            It’s really no different from headbutting my cat. It keeps her happy, which makes me happy, even if objectively it’s just not doing much for me.

      • FlamestAndLight
        FlamestAndLight
        September 21, 2022 at 10:03 am | #

        I have a chronic problem of understating things, which ends up both understating things affecting me and also things affecting society. I wouldn’t say i have tact though

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 21, 2022 at 7:08 pm | #

      Depends on the autistic person. Some of us have long ago realized that most neurotypical folks rarely actually want to hear brutal honesty.

    • Sam
      Sam
      September 21, 2022 at 7:32 pm | #

      Honesty and not inherently understanding all social cues is common, brutal honesty is not, as autistic people do not typically say things intending to be brutal or often word things to be brutal.

      Dina is also not being brutal here. She just didn’t instantly pick up the social cue that Becky wanted comfort rather than analysis.

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        September 21, 2022 at 11:39 pm | #

        Don’t I be saying it?

    • Kazuma Taichi
      Kazuma Taichi
      September 22, 2022 at 12:33 pm | #

      I see most people are clashing with your assertment, so let me be one who supports it!

      While I don’t always use the 100% open honesty with everyone, the closer one is to me intimately, the less I mask. Thus my close friends will be on the receiving end of my honesty near constantly

      Should I be dating someone, I would anticipate that I am close enough to them that they would be getting none of my mask, and therefore the only things they aren’t getting is birthday/christmas gift spoilers

  5. Steve C.
    Steve C.
    September 21, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    Becky, Dina is a scientist. She follows the data where ever it leads.

    • UrsulaDavina
      UrsulaDavina
      September 21, 2022 at 1:22 am | #

      Following the data may find correlations but doesn’t mean there is a causal link she needs to employ the scientific method to see if there is a causal link.

      • Opus the Poet
        Opus the Poet
        September 21, 2022 at 4:31 pm | #

        The correlation so far is every time Dina had “pants euphoria” it was after a conversation with Joe. The hypothesis is talking with Joe is needed for Dina to experience said “pants euphoria”. The actual conversation doesn’t seem to matter, except they were talking science when Dina got her “Pants Euphoria”. The experiment to confirm they hypothesis requires talking about science with a random male, a random female, and Joe, then seeing if talking science is the catalyst, or if talking science with a male is the catalyst, or if the combination of Joe and talking science is the catalyst. I call it a catalyst because the person talking doesn’t actually take part in the “Pants Euphoria”, but is required for the reaction that creates “Pants Euphoria” which is a textbook definition of a catalyst.

  6. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    September 21, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

    Becky looks defeated, I can’t imagine what she’ll do about it. Although Dina probably could have kept the Joe thing to herself.

    Would you prefer a significant other tell you about something like that? Or not?

    • Masumi
      Masumi
      September 21, 2022 at 12:56 am | #

      I find that level of honesty deeply refreshing. While troublesome in this moment, it also makes positive assertions 100% trustworthy.
      And I envy Dina for being able to express these thoughts. I’m also rather autistic, but learned at some point that I shouldn’t say certain things out loud – but not WHICH things are off limits. So often I end up saying nothing and people make (completely off) assumptions about me instead and it sucks.

      • Laura
        Laura
        September 21, 2022 at 1:35 am | #

        Wow, that does suck. I’m so sorry that happens to you.

        • The Wellerman
          The Wellerman
          September 21, 2022 at 1:37 am | #

          Yeah this shit happens to a lot of autistics out there, and I’m no exception 😪

          • Mr D
            Mr D
            September 21, 2022 at 2:51 am | #

            Wellerman, I gotta say, this is a much healthier outlook than the last few times I saw you talking about Autism, proud of ya for it.

      • Kyrik Michalowski
        Kyrik Michalowski
        September 21, 2022 at 3:44 am | #

        I’m sorry to hear that. I deal with some hallucinations on a daily basis which make it much harder to understand what people are saying. It also makes me hard to understand in general because I talk way too fast when I’m dealing with a hallucination and so logic goes out the window.

      • anon
        anon
        September 21, 2022 at 10:27 pm | #

        maybe in a group of friends/casual acquaintainces, you could wear a tshirt htat’s like “i have no filter” though i suppose unless it’s like a hostile insult, i’d think most things being said could probably be forgiven if they understood versus you like violating someone’s personal boundaries physically

    • GholaHalleck
      GholaHalleck
      September 21, 2022 at 1:40 pm | #

      This is Pants Science to Dina. A puzzle to be solved, not to be hindered by emotion.

    • michaelinasmeal
      michaelinasmeal
      September 21, 2022 at 10:14 pm | #

      becky gonna accept the NTR situation and the comment section is gonna cry at a “bad ending”

  7. Nono
    Nono
    September 21, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

    I feel like Joe would both be happy that he was indirectly responsible for lesbian sex, and also unhappy that he caused a rift between lesbians.

    • Mike
      Mike
      September 21, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

      I don’t think Dina is a lesbian, though you’re point stands if you’re in Joe’s POV.

      • Wack'd
        Wack'd
        September 21, 2022 at 12:34 am | #

        Lesbian as in “woman who’s romantically or sexually attracted to women”, presumably, rather than “lesbian who’s exclusively romantically or sexually attracted to women.”

        • eh, whatever
          eh, whatever
          September 21, 2022 at 3:39 am | #

          “Bi” rather than “lesbian”, then.

          • eh, whatever
            eh, whatever
            September 21, 2022 at 3:40 am | #

            or “pan” obvs

            • Wack'd
              Wack'd
              September 21, 2022 at 5:52 am | #

              It’s not an either/or. Plenty of wlw who’re also into other genders call themselves lesbians. Language isn’t proscriptive–queer people pick the word that works for them.

              • GholaHalleck
                GholaHalleck
                September 21, 2022 at 1:45 pm | #

                Yeah, not to throw a wrench into that, but I have seen/experienced the circus that happens when an ill-informed bisexual pops out the bisexual when they were perceived as homosexual. It is not pretty.

                Nor fair really, but humans gonna human.

                • Wack'd
                  Wack'd
                  September 21, 2022 at 2:21 pm | #

                  I would not argue that bi lesbians are not ill-informed. They just don’t give gatekeepers that power over them.

      • Rose by Any Other Name
        Rose by Any Other Name
        September 21, 2022 at 7:58 am | #

        One way to differentiate I’ve heard is to use the term Sapphic.

        As noted, Lesbian often implies that a woman is exclusively into women and is a label that must be chosen by an individual for themselves.

        Sapphic, meanwhile, is a term that includes all women into women, regardless of whom else they might be into.

        As such, based on evidence in the comic, Becky is a lesbian (because she self-identified as such) while Dina qualifies as Sapphic (because she’s into Becky and potentially an unknown quantity of other individuals) until she chooses to use a more specific term to identify herself.

        • Wack'd
          Wack'd
          September 21, 2022 at 2:22 pm | #

          Sapphic is a good word. That said, if wlw want to call themselves lesbians while also being into other people, I don’t think that’s a problem that needs fixing.

  8. The Wellerman
    The Wellerman
    September 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    Hey now Becky, this could very well be what you humans call a blessing in disguise.

    Perhaps it is not Joe himself, but something about Joe, or happening to him, that elicits Dina’s arousal.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      September 21, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

      And that’s how Becky ends up wearing loud Hawaiian shirts from now on.

      • Meagan
        Meagan
        September 21, 2022 at 1:08 am | #

        She would in a heartbeat, too.

    • Chrysalis
      Chrysalis
      September 21, 2022 at 10:06 am | #

      Becky is always attractive, but when COMPARED to Joe, she’s irresistible.

  9. Slartibeast Button, BIA
    Slartibeast Button, BIA
    September 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    Have we seen Zombie-Becky before?

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      September 21, 2022 at 4:38 pm | #

      Right after Joyce shot her down, I think she looked like that. I could be wrong, in fact there is a non-zero chance that I’m wrong.

  10. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    September 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    o3o
    Due to recent events in television I am strangely in a mood for weirdly complicated threesome scenarios involving FFM trios.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 21, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

      Are we getting some Dina/Becky/Joe fanart anytime soon? 😛

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        September 21, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        Sometimes I think you guys take for granted how lazy I actually am. I’d love to draw ALL the threesomes but there’s only so many hours in the day.

        • Clif
          Clif
          September 21, 2022 at 1:31 am | #

          Come, now. You don’t really need to eat and sleep do you?

          • Yotomoe
            Yotomoe
            September 21, 2022 at 3:17 am | #

            But I like sleeping. More than I like being awake.

            • Opus the Poet
              Opus the Poet
              September 21, 2022 at 5:05 pm | #

              And eating is required to maintain consciousness during the process. Or maybe an IV drip of dextrose and caffeine, I’ve never tried that. I have done the oral version of sweetened caffeinated beverages with high levels of caffeine and lots of sugar, but never as an IV drip. That sounds like an interesting experiment for someone else to perform, I’ve already done the oral experiment. The results were not pretty, after between 47 and 49 hours awake hallucinations started to set in. This was done during the Jolt cola era, when Mountain Dew had much more caffeine than it does today, and caffeine pills were readily available.

              • The Wellerman
                The Wellerman
                September 21, 2022 at 7:22 pm | #

                Woah! Just what were you doing with that over-clocked brain for that long? 🤩

          • anon
            anon
            September 21, 2022 at 10:28 pm | #

            Yoto’s art is great too but c’mon guys, you could actually commission others if you wanted something specific, esp smut lol

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      September 21, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

      It was Rick and Morty, wasn’t it? 😛

      You must be cackling like a mad scientist as we speak.

      I know I am. 😈

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        September 21, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        *plays “Re-Animator Theme” on hacked muzak*

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        September 21, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        All I’m saying is Jerry fans like me got a fat W.

    • Wack'd
      Wack'd
      September 21, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

      I too enjoyed the second episode of A League of Their Own.

    • Francoinblanco
      Francoinblanco
      September 21, 2022 at 1:37 am | #

      Damm it, now I want some h*nd h*lding action too

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        September 21, 2022 at 2:04 am | #

        Three way hand holding? That’s pretty intense!

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      September 21, 2022 at 8:02 am | #

      I’m pretty much always into complicated FFM relationships. So much so that I wrote a whole novel on that subject.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        September 21, 2022 at 10:09 am | #

        I’m intrigued.

  11. Laura
    Laura
    September 21, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

    What was the unexpectedly sexual verbal encounter Becky had with Joe and Liz in the lobby, mentioned in panel 2? I couldn’t find it with tags.

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      September 21, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

      Dinah leapt on Joe’s head and Liz was all “is this another one of your maidens?”.

      • Diane
        Diane
        September 21, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

        This comic, I believe.

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-12/02-ill-leave-you-a-phantom/tedium/

        • jeffepp
          jeffepp
          September 21, 2022 at 1:03 am | #

          It’s been established through dialogue that Dina… teeny tiny Dina, is a top. Which has suited Becky juuust fine. See Slipshine. So, her meticulously describing how she would use Joe mercilessly for her own purposes (For Science!), then discard, in public, to a perfect stranger, while she had him “subdued” MAY have had an effect. But, probably not because it was Joe.

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            September 21, 2022 at 2:24 am | #

            Maybe that’s it. She has to want to do science to Becky, not with Becky.

          • GholaHalleck
            GholaHalleck
            September 21, 2022 at 1:48 pm | #

            Becky needs to dress as a prey animal and scamper about in the park to trigger Dina’s hunter instincts. It’s obvious.

            • jeffepp
              jeffepp
              September 22, 2022 at 12:01 am | #

              She may enjoy that.

      • Theozilla
        Theozilla
        September 21, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

        And then Dina said that while she wasn’t Joe’s sexual partner, if she ever so desired she would likely either ruin sex for Joe or rock his world due to how scientifically meticulous she would be in figuring out what arouses Joe.

    • Nono
      Nono
      September 21, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

      Liz basically asked if Joe and Dina were having a thing and Dina said that she would need to examine this by rigorously having sex with Joe to the point of his sexual exhaustion.

    • Laura
      Laura
      September 21, 2022 at 1:42 am | #

      Ah, got it. Thank you all for enlightening me! 😀

  12. not someone else
    not someone else
    September 21, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

    Oh god, I know that face. *hugs Becky forever*

    • jeffepp
      jeffepp
      September 21, 2022 at 1:04 am | #

      Emo mode acquired. Mascara automatically applied.

  13. MisterJinKC
    MisterJinKC
    September 21, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

    I mean, Joe wouldn’t have an issue with it judging from his reaction to Dina describing how she’d break him sexually using the scientific method. I cant remember which strip, it was awhile back.

    • drs
      drs
      September 21, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-12/02-ill-leave-you-a-phantom/tedium/

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        September 21, 2022 at 12:19 am | #

        I don’t always find Dina hot. But that one. That one did it for me.

        • Meagan
          Meagan
          September 21, 2022 at 1:11 am | #

          It was definitely cute seeing Joe’s reaction anyway.

        • Nono
          Nono
          September 21, 2022 at 3:26 am | #

          Dina being a casual dom is always interesting to watch.

          Also part of me feels that from that strip, Joe is used to being in charge in the bedroom, so having someone dominate him instead would hit buttons he didn’t know he had.

          Then again, his partners have included Roz and Malaya…

          • NickG
            NickG
            September 21, 2022 at 10:02 am | #

            Roz had him blindfolded and handcuffed to the bed in ‘Tales of Sinterest’ on Slipshine and Penny had handcuffs for someone to wear for one of their trysts.

          • Meagan
            Meagan
            September 23, 2022 at 12:17 am | #

            Agreeing with Nick and also pointing out how much Malaya was running the show during their encounter.

    • Tan
      Tan
      September 21, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

      Joe would just be pleased as punch to finally be a good wingman

  14. newlland(Henryvolt)
    newlland(Henryvolt)
    September 21, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

    Well Dina doesn’t seem to be in the mood now so there for Becky is over thinking this.

    • Francoinblanco
      Francoinblanco
      September 21, 2022 at 1:36 am | #

      Well its a week? Few Days? Since they are together.
      the lack of butterflies during subsequent meetings can be worrying, no matter how much you know it works like that.
      besides, Becky took a risk and gave Dina her “flower” so probably now she will react nervously to any doubts

      • Wack'd
        Wack'd
        September 21, 2022 at 2:13 am | #

        They just had sex a few days ago, but they’ve been dating in universe for about four months now. During that time, Becky’s been pretty consistently anxious about the relationship due to her own self-worth issues, and the perceived lack of sexual compatibility, despite Dina’s constant reassurances. All of which is to say that it seems pretty clear that Becky’s anxieties have nothing to do with the fact that they recently did it, but rather are continuances of things that have been issues for them long proceeding that.

      • Wack'd
        Wack'd
        September 21, 2022 at 2:16 am | #

        They just had sex a few days ago, but they’ve been dating in universe for about four months now. During that time, Becky’s been pretty consistently anxious about the relationship due to her own self-worth issues, and the perceived lack of sexual compatibility, despite Dina’s constant reassurances. All of which is to say that it seems pretty clear that Becky’s anxieties have nothing to do with the fact that they recently did it, but rather are continuances of things that have been issues for them long proceeding that.

  15. Akane
    Akane
    September 21, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

    “Oh you thought I would actually reassure you and ease your worries about being my girlfriend, how naively cute of you. Nah I won’t do that, why did you think I would?”

    • Sporky
      Sporky
      September 21, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

      I know aggressively uncharitable character readings are common in this comment section but it’s been a while since someone busted out one for Dina.

      We’ve known that she doesn’t always understand social cues since literally her introduction. She’s telling the truth here because she has no reason to be dishonest. That she was able to even figure it out after the fact is a sign of significant progress.

      • Akane
        Akane
        September 21, 2022 at 12:24 am | #

        You’re right that we’ve known that about her, and I apologize for the vitriol in my reading, I just… idk why it hit me so hard that when she realizes that she’s making Becky even more sure that the doubts are correct, she doesn’t try to reassure her.

        • drs
          drs
          September 21, 2022 at 12:30 am | #

          Should Dina lie?

          • Akane
            Akane
            September 21, 2022 at 12:34 am | #

            My reaction wasn’t about her pointing out the conversation with Joe, but what she said afterwards. If she had mentioned the conversation with Joe and followed it up with “which is weird because I’m not attracted to him in any way” that would have been different.

            • Proxiehunter
              Proxiehunter
              September 21, 2022 at 12:49 am | #

              We’ve got four panels and a punchline to end on. Give her some time.

              • LiterallyJustSomeGuy
                LiterallyJustSomeGuy
                September 21, 2022 at 9:54 am | #

                ^ What Proxiehunter said. Akane, your interpretation is a valid one given the comic so far, but Dina realized Becky’s reaction during the last panel as part of the punchline. Maybe save the “I can’t believe she didn’t–” conclusions for another update or two.

                I see these “I can’t believe X character didn’t Y” responses a lot on webcomics that update one page at a time, sometimes when character X was not even on-panel, only for Y to happen on the next page. We essentially haven’t seen Dina’s reaction yet, here.

            • Reaver
              Reaver
              September 21, 2022 at 12:59 am | #

              That doesn’t sound like a sentence that would come from Dina’s mouth, but seriously, thats a lot of hostility for someone that didn’t handle a social situation perfectly.. dang

            • Yotomoe
              Yotomoe
              September 21, 2022 at 12:59 am | #

              It could be that she cannot confidently say whether or not that’s true. It’s a hypothesis. A lot of this has been framed as Dina exploring her own sexuality as much as it is them figuring out their relationship.

              • Meagan
                Meagan
                September 23, 2022 at 12:19 am | #

                Totally! She is 19. She shouldn’t have to sugarcoat figuring out her own sexuality for the sake of someone else’s insecurities.

            • Wack'd
              Wack'd
              September 21, 2022 at 5:57 am | #

              When Dina speaks deliberately and with authority on her own experiences, it’s taken as her being confused or naive because of her autism. But when she actively acknowledges that she’s in a situation she’s not sure how to navigate, people complain that she should know exactly how to handle it.

              If this isn’t definitive proof Dina’s autistic, I dunno what is.

              • The Wellerman
                The Wellerman
                September 21, 2022 at 6:30 am | #

                It. Never. Gets. Any. Easier.

              • dalniente
                dalniente
                September 21, 2022 at 1:27 pm | #

                *bleak laughter* This. Good lord.

              • Mturtle7
                Mturtle7
                September 21, 2022 at 1:38 pm | #

                …Dude. i am in AWE.

              • Keulen
                Keulen
                September 21, 2022 at 7:05 pm | #

                Yep.

            • dalniente
              dalniente
              September 21, 2022 at 1:44 pm | #

              Realizing your partner needs reassurance, thinking of how best to reassure them, and proceeding to reassure them are three separate steps, each requiring conscious thought and consideration. Dina has JUST realized the problem in the last panel. So yeah, with respect, I’m not really sure why you would expect anything additional in this single strip from this particular character.

              Also, Dina isn’t attracted to Becky, either, most of the time. So to her, I think “Joe was present” is… idk, less “obvious anomaly” and more “additional data point that may or may not turn out to be relevant after further analysis.”

              • The Wellerman
                The Wellerman
                September 21, 2022 at 5:07 pm | #

                👏👏👏

    • Alex
      Alex
      September 21, 2022 at 2:21 pm | #

      I think that would depend largely on what happens after the final panel, in which Dina has only just realized that Becky wants reassurance.

  16. Leorale
    Leorale
    September 21, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

    Haha, awww, poor Becky.
    And good job on Dina for picking up on those cues. I hope she can help her out.

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      September 21, 2022 at 6:48 am | #

      It’s just so charming to me that Becky’s mean anxious brain thinks that her worst fear is happening — nobody can be into Becky, she’s doomed to unrequited love forever, everyone will leave her — and her instant honest reaction is not to cling but to set Dina free.
      That poor sweet baby.

  17. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    September 21, 2022 at 12:21 am | #

    Must be his shirts

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      September 21, 2022 at 12:43 am | #

      Compare the shirts he wore when Dina was aroused to those he wore when she wasn’t aroused.

  18. Theozilla
    Theozilla
    September 21, 2022 at 12:23 am | #

    I must say though, if Joe’s presence is basically like an enzyme/catalyst for causing the reaction for Dina’s “pant’s euphoria” towards Becky, that’s hilarious. Basically Joe is like an aphrodisiac candle, or like the gay (male) porno the lesbian moms in the movie “The Kids Are Alright” watch to get in the mood.

    • CJ
      CJ
      September 21, 2022 at 4:54 am | #

      Their relationship was down in the dumbs though.

      • Theozilla
        Theozilla
        September 21, 2022 at 3:10 pm | #

        The moms in the movie “The Kids Are Alright” would watch gay (male) porno in the past to get in the mood well before they had their relationship issues in the dumps. Sometimes things that sexually arouse people aren’t the same things people want to have sex with.

    • Alex
      Alex
      September 21, 2022 at 2:20 pm | #

      I think the fact that Joe is often talking about sex or making suggestive jokes may be part of it.

  19. C.T. Phipps
    C.T. Phipps
    September 21, 2022 at 12:23 am | #

    Dina: You want to have a threesome?

    Becky: NO! THE OPPOSITE OF YES!

    Dina: I know what no means.

  20. Suet
    Suet
    September 21, 2022 at 12:24 am | #

    Joyce gets freak-out faces

    Dina has 🔘 _ 🔘

    But why does Joe have to be the firestarter

    • StClair
      StClair
      September 21, 2022 at 12:29 am | #

      and there’s the wip3out flashback.
      (hey hey hey)

  21. Owlmirror
    Owlmirror
    September 21, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

    Methodically determine if it is a single sensory stimulus.

    Auditory: Joe, may me record your voice? It is for science.
    Visual: Joe, may we make a life-size poster or cardboard stand of you? It is for science.
    Olfactory: Joe, may we borrow an unwashed shirt of yours? It is for science.

    Then work on combinations.

    • sultryglebe
      sultryglebe
      September 21, 2022 at 12:59 am | #

      Based on how these other encounters have gone, I think the process of deciding on the different trials would produce the pants euphoria, even without carrying the trials out (though meticulousness would demand it).

      • CJ
        CJ
        September 21, 2022 at 4:52 am | #

        That’s a false positive if I ever saw one.

        • CJ
          CJ
          September 21, 2022 at 4:53 am | #

          They should try the same with someone else, maybe not Carla, she would be to big-headed as a result.

  22. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    September 21, 2022 at 12:46 am | #

    I’d say “poor Becky” but, nah. She can afford to take this hit. Dina’s been nothing but reaffirming to her till now. She’s making herself upset here.

  23. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 21, 2022 at 12:54 am | #

    Oh shit, insecurity o’clock. Godspeed.

    • StClair
      StClair
      September 21, 2022 at 1:10 am | #

      It’s always insecurity o’clock for Becky, but she’s usually better at masking. usually.

  24. Meagan
    Meagan
    September 21, 2022 at 1:14 am | #

    I’m kinda proud of Becky that she said something right away rather than stewing in this insecurity alone for a while. I guess it does help the plot move along faster too, which is part of why I’m happy about it. It just could have gone another way and been dragged out more and I would not have enjoyed that.

  25. anon
    anon
    September 21, 2022 at 1:29 am | #

    Becky’s soul has astral projected

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 21, 2022 at 11:51 am | #

      As long as Mike’s spirit doesn’t take over the empty body, she’ll be fine.

  26. Icalasari
    Icalasari
    September 21, 2022 at 2:07 am | #

    This Becky Face is Joyce Face tier

  27. PB
    PB
    September 21, 2022 at 2:21 am | #

    First lesson of science and statistics, Becky:

    Correlation does not imply causation.

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      September 21, 2022 at 3:24 am | #

      This is the same Becky that doesn’t listen to Dina over her own cult-born POV of relationships.

      • Wack'd
        Wack'd
        September 21, 2022 at 5:53 am | #

        Becky listens to Dina plenty! She’s just also got some gut reactions that’re held over from her cult, and which she’s actively working on ignoring and discarding.

  28. bagge
    bagge
    September 21, 2022 at 2:24 am | #

    Becky’s ideas of how to be a lesbian never included Joe

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      September 21, 2022 at 5:18 pm | #

      I don’t think any lesbians have ever included Joe. Although I knew this one girl in college who claimed to be a lesbian, and would seduce freshman with the pitch of how to make girls reach orgasm every time. I think she was just into teaching sex as a kink.

  29. AGV
    AGV
    September 21, 2022 at 3:22 am | #

    Correlation is not causation, Becky

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      September 21, 2022 at 6:49 am | #

      THIS.

      Further data is required. Limited to stimuli that are on Joe’s person, my guess is that it has something to do with either his frustration, his smell, or his sound.

      • Alex
        Alex
        September 21, 2022 at 2:26 pm | #

        I think it’s that Joe is often talking or joking about sex, which Becky usually isn’t comfortable enough to do.

  30. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    September 21, 2022 at 3:41 am | #

    Wow… Becky looks like dead inside. It’s really devastating for her.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      September 21, 2022 at 6:19 am | #

      Can you blame her? After growing up under the watchful eye of Toedead, she’s hypersensitive to any hints (perceived or real) that something might get taken away from her. (Her agency, her best friend, her girlfriend, her freedom…) She’s just good at masking it most of the time.

      “Joyce is friends with Dorothy? But I’m her best friend! Better drum up a one-sided performative rivalry so she knows her place!”

      “Known philanderer Joe has a friendly rapport with my girlfriend? Shields up! Red alert!”

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        September 21, 2022 at 6:28 am | #

        Yeah this. Her masking, besides making me sick to my stomach, just says volumes about what she’s been through. 😔

  31. Arianod
    Arianod
    September 21, 2022 at 3:49 am | #

    Someone needing Joe to be happy is such a weird concept…

  32. CJ
    CJ
    September 21, 2022 at 4:51 am | #

    Relax Becky, use scientific thinking. What’s the best experiment to disproved Joe is a facilitating factor in Dina’s pants euphoria?

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 21, 2022 at 7:28 am | #

      Well, Joe’s right here and it’s not happening now.

  33. thumb
    thumb
    September 21, 2022 at 6:43 am | #

    Time for Becky to change her entire wardrobe and style. Colourful patterned shirts, dye her hair black and short. Need more smirk. And whatever undoubtedly aggressively “male” cologne Joe wears.

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      September 21, 2022 at 7:36 am | #

      I was gonna say something about Joe never giving off those comic “smell” lines for aggressive cologne use, but then remembered he wore cologne on the one hilariously awful date with Joyce, and she said it smelled nice.

  34. Adept
    Adept
    September 21, 2022 at 8:40 am | #

    Becky is just a touch insecure here…

  35. Rogue 7
    Rogue 7
    September 21, 2022 at 8:46 am | #

    I’m going to have to issue a mea culpa here, folks. A while back, I dismissed the notion that Dina could have been identified as an English language learner due to some aspects of her neurodivergence. I said that wasn’t how ESL identification worked.

    Well, I definitely see how it’s possible now- at my school I’m currently dealing with an overlap of potential ESL status and students on the autism spectrum. Fortunately I’ve been given flexibility with how to address these students’ specific needs and not forced to do anything that’s to their detriment, but I can see how someone who looks at students as raw data or stereotypes as opposed to individuals could create a situation that results in Dina being placed in an ESL class.

    • Alex
      Alex
      September 21, 2022 at 2:17 pm | #

      I thought it was a doctor using ESL as a reason she wasn’t on the autism spectrum.

      • Rogue 7
        Rogue 7
        September 21, 2022 at 2:32 pm | #

        It was, and my comment was something like “ESL is something schools do, it should have been easy for her parents to say “no, she’s not ESL, here’s proof from her school.”

        But I now see the possibility that Dina’s school *did* put her in ESL classes is more realistic than I thought.

  36. Daniel M Ball
    Daniel M Ball
    September 21, 2022 at 10:11 am | #

    BECKY!!

    Rein in your Insecurity, and remember you’re the one she picked, not Joe. (of course, she probably won’t-you can’t get hilarious misunderstandings by using empathy and common sense.)

    • Alex
      Alex
      September 21, 2022 at 3:45 pm | #

      If I was 18 and my partner needed the presence of a third party to get turned on I would absolutely take that personally. It’s hard to be rational about sex in your first ever relationship.

      • Daniel M Ball
        Daniel M Ball
        September 21, 2022 at 5:09 pm | #

        True.

  37. wakeangel2001
    wakeangel2001
    September 21, 2022 at 11:42 am | #

    bisexual girl needs some hetero eye candy to get her motor running? That was terrible I feel terrible but I will still post it to own my cringe

  38. Eldritchy
    Eldritchy
    September 21, 2022 at 12:01 pm | #

    Joe is a Paladin with an Aura of Horny.

  39. Bryan Hansen
    Bryan Hansen
    September 21, 2022 at 3:29 pm | #

    Becky and Dina are such a cute/good couple. Dina is recognizing/learning how to read Becky. Plus they have enough trust built up where they can talk about each other’s desires.

    I am getting a warm fuzzy feeling, for realz. 🙂

  40. Imp
    Imp
    September 21, 2022 at 4:42 pm | #

    It’s spite. The answer is spite. Dina gets off on spite.

  41. The Jighole Man
    The Jighole Man
    September 21, 2022 at 5:11 pm | #

    joe commented on how good they were together, next strip they are holding hands and dina looks at becky with a smile on her face, then the pants euphoria occurred.

    it has something to do with that smile on dina’s face and her thoughts on becky. Becky IS the one she’s attracted to

    the encounter with joe was actually rather awkward, what with him running off after mumbling something to them (how good they are together), so i don’t think it was joe himself that was the cause.

    • The Jighole Man
      The Jighole Man
      September 21, 2022 at 5:16 pm | #

      wait, darnit, i think i just found it.
      it happened right after a specific set of lines.
      “Lab partners?”, “Lab partners”.
      they both know that they weren’t really talking about being lab partners, the meaning behind it must’ve been what set her off.
      that sort of “I do” moment.

      im not sure of the best words to describe it, but its like the reality of the relationship really hit her at that moment.

      it happens to me sometimes with my boyfriend.
      we live together, eat together, sleep together, etc together.
      and one day it hit me that he was basically my husband in every way but the ring. i wanted him even more after that moment.

  42. ButWhyASpoon
    ButWhyASpoon
    September 21, 2022 at 5:22 pm | #

    Ok, so here is the ideal Scenario. Joe is tied up, spread eagle to the wall, rack style, next to the dinosaur. Dina is doing the Tease & Denial thing she mentioned earlier, and his Sexual Torment is fuel for the Sexy Times between Dina and Becky. He will not cum, but they will.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      September 21, 2022 at 5:37 pm | #

      savage

      • ButWhyASpoon
        ButWhyASpoon
        September 21, 2022 at 5:43 pm | #

        IMHO, this event was forshadowed.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      September 21, 2022 at 7:14 pm | #

      *wipes brow*
      That’s uh…That’s quite the mental image, yes.

  43. michaelinasmeal
    michaelinasmeal
    September 21, 2022 at 10:02 pm | #

    Becky gonna get NTRed! Everythings coming up Milhouse!!!

  44. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    September 21, 2022 at 11:18 pm | #

    Small hint, Dina.

    BECKY DOES NOT UNDERSTAND

Who's that guy over there?

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