Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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joyce won't use pepper but she WILL spice up her language
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BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

May 19, 2026

Persist

by David M Willis on June 11, 2024 at 12:01 am
  • 04 – For Me It Was Tuesday
└ Tags: dina, joyce, professor brock

Discussion (170) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    June 11, 2024 at 12:01 am | #

    Dina, you should be adding “Ah-ah-ah!” after each count.

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      June 11, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

      Nah, she was far more likely to be watching Barny the Dinosaur.

      She even knows that one song on the piano ^^

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        June 11, 2024 at 4:11 am | #

        She tried watching Eureeka’s Castle once, but changed the channel when she realized Magellan is a dragon.

  2. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    June 11, 2024 at 12:01 am | #

    *plays “99” by Mob Choir on hacked muzak*

    • Kazuma Taichi
      Kazuma Taichi
      June 11, 2024 at 6:05 pm | #

      hell yea

  3. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    June 11, 2024 at 12:02 am | #

    *sign with counter that reads “009 FUCKS SINCE LAST DAY”*

    • Ana Chronistic
      Ana Chronistic
      June 11, 2024 at 12:02 am | #

      alt:

      Joyce’s new superhero name: Can’t Stop Fucking

    • IntangibleMatter
      IntangibleMatter
      June 11, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

      Oh my god is this panel a reference to your avatar or did you somehow access the future

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        June 11, 2024 at 12:05 am | #

        Preview on Willis’s Tumblr, I believe.

        • staszu13
          staszu13
          June 11, 2024 at 12:17 am | #

          Don’t forget, Willis’ superpower is about 6 months worth of advance comics

          • David M Willis
            David M Willis
            June 11, 2024 at 12:55 am | #

            SEVEN, DAMMIT

            • Slartibeast Button, BIA
              Slartibeast Button, BIA
              June 11, 2024 at 12:57 am | #

              You leveled up?

              • Decidedly Orthogonal
                Decidedly Orthogonal
                June 11, 2024 at 1:11 am | #

                Yesterday or the day before, yeah. er… Fuck yeah.

              • Reltzik
                Reltzik
                June 11, 2024 at 2:48 am | #

                Not a level up so much as an ongoing effect that boosts his stats more. You know, a buff-er.

                • Chris Phoenix
                  Chris Phoenix
                  June 11, 2024 at 3:33 am | #

                  Nice! Thanks for the chuckle.

            • Lars
              Lars
              June 11, 2024 at 2:16 am | #

              So, until what? Next Friday in comic time.

            • Nymph
              Nymph
              June 11, 2024 at 4:29 am | #

              God DAMN that’s a lot of comics in the buffer.

            • staszu13
              staszu13
              June 11, 2024 at 9:01 am | #

              I stand corrected, Maestro

  4. IntangibleMatter
    IntangibleMatter
    June 11, 2024 at 12:02 am | #

    Dina is going to set up a microphone just to have a total tally of every time Joyce has said fuck.

    Well, I hope she is.

    • Da Boy
      Da Boy
      June 11, 2024 at 7:12 am | #

      I wonder if she’ll inform Joe about how much he owes Joyce for all the fucks XD

  5. foamy
    foamy
    June 11, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

    For you, the day Joyce said ‘fuck’ was the most important day of your life.

    But for her, it was Tuesday.

    • Jeff K!
      Jeff K!
      June 11, 2024 at 12:11 am | #

      Quick! Change the channel!

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      June 11, 2024 at 1:05 am | #

      For at least some of us, it’s also Tuesday in real life. That’s well-timed.

      • Woop de doop
        Woop de doop
        June 11, 2024 at 6:19 am | #

        Holy fuck you’re right

        • stePH
          stePH
          June 12, 2024 at 12:35 pm | #

          Holy Fuck is a good band.

      • Bleuryder
        Bleuryder
        June 11, 2024 at 12:43 pm | #

        Well, fuck. Look at that fucking coincidence

  6. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    June 11, 2024 at 12:04 am | #

    She’s passed Dorothy for f-bomb to appearance ratio.

  7. Schpoonman
    Schpoonman
    June 11, 2024 at 12:05 am | #

    But I thought there was no spoon.

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      June 11, 2024 at 12:11 am | #

      It is not the spoon that stirs, only yourself.

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        June 11, 2024 at 2:49 am | #

        Yeah, I know that. That’s why I want a spoon. This soup is burning my fingers.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      June 11, 2024 at 4:14 am | #

      There is a spoon, but it’s too big.

      • morleuca
        morleuca
        June 11, 2024 at 5:15 am | #

        Well if someone’s anus is bleeding, they better get to the campus health center.

      • RoyanRannedos
        RoyanRannedos
        June 11, 2024 at 5:38 pm | #

        _Captain America I Understood That Reference dot GIF_

        • stePH
          stePH
          June 12, 2024 at 12:19 am | #

          Is it a reference to Michonne and The Governor in The Walking Dead comics? If not, then I don’t get it.

  8. Slartibeast Button, BIA
    Slartibeast Button, BIA
    June 11, 2024 at 12:05 am | #

    “I don’t know you any more, Joyce!”

  9. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    June 11, 2024 at 12:05 am | #

    Joyce is allowed to change, and yet, remain.

  10. AbacusWizard
    AbacusWizard
    June 11, 2024 at 12:05 am | #

    holy crow, she’s goin’ for the high score!

    • Bicycle Bill
      Bicycle Bill
      June 11, 2024 at 12:28 am | #

      Definitely looks like she’s trying to make up for lost time.

  11. Dara
    Dara
    June 11, 2024 at 12:05 am | #

    dang speedrunning her way up to the top 10 xD

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      June 11, 2024 at 12:08 am | #

      More likely than you think,

      given the Alt-text, this is literally gonna be like that one episode of Spongebob where he learns a “sentence enhancer”

      XD

      • NGPZ
        NGPZ
        June 11, 2024 at 12:24 am | #

        “Hey, Sal, how the fuck are ya?”

        “Pretty fucking good, Joyce.”

        “Dorothy I’m making some fucking Mac and Cheese served in a creamy fucking sauce, my special, orange fucking perfection. And don’t forget to ask me to fuck the cheese. It will be my fucking pleasure!”

        • Anon A Mouse
          Anon A Mouse
          June 11, 2024 at 2:15 pm | #

          Sounds like that one episode of Abenobashi Magical Shopping Street where they end up in “America”.

      • StClair
        StClair
        June 11, 2024 at 12:29 am | #

        “Are you sure it isn’t time for a colorful metaphor?”

  12. Suet
    Suet
    June 11, 2024 at 12:06 am | #

    Somewhere, something just exploded. Wonder who still hasn’t cussed that isn’t a supporting character…

    Book 14: My Individuality Remains a Bulwark Against the Crushing Tide of the ████ Cosmos

    • John Campbell
      John Campbell
      June 11, 2024 at 12:18 am | #

      Amazi-Girl, if she counts as not a supporting character.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      June 11, 2024 at 1:52 am | #

      Jacob’s the only character on the cast page not on John’s f-bomb count page.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      June 11, 2024 at 3:10 am | #

      Does Galasso count as a supporting character? Because he doesn’t seem like a supportive kind of person.

      • eh, whatever
        eh, whatever
        June 11, 2024 at 4:38 am | #

        FOOL! Everything else supports GALASSO!!!

  13. shadowcell
    shadowcell
    June 11, 2024 at 12:06 am | #

    hmmmmm that’s two really good book titles

    • Miri
      Miri
      June 11, 2024 at 5:07 am | #

      Yes! I couldn’t decide which I liked more!

  14. John Campbell
    John Campbell
    June 11, 2024 at 12:07 am | #

    I feel called out here.

  15. Riley
    Riley
    June 11, 2024 at 12:07 am | #

    oh no, she’s M Bisoning

    • Schpoonman
      Schpoonman
      June 11, 2024 at 12:09 am | #

      Yes! Yyyessss!!!!”

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        June 11, 2024 at 12:11 am | #

        Usually I forget the closing quotations, that’s a new one for me.

        • Dara
          Dara
          June 11, 2024 at 12:58 am | #

          catching up, one end quotation mark at a time”

    • Jeff K!
      Jeff K!
      June 11, 2024 at 12:14 am | #

      “Yes, yes, I killed your parents. What is with you, anyway? I killed my parents, too, but you don’t hear me whining about it!”

  16. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    June 11, 2024 at 12:08 am | #

    Somebody really needs to get Professor Brock some therapy and a hug. This has rapidly gone from appearing to be simply a nihilistic philosophy occasionally rearing its head during class to clearly being a full on cry for help no student seems to be picking up on.

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      June 11, 2024 at 12:12 am | #

      he’s the Galasso of the biology lab,

      and great fan game material

    • Puppeteer Nessus
      Puppeteer Nessus
      June 11, 2024 at 12:14 am | #

      I do feel Professor Brock needs attention, but only positive. He is correct about everything, all the time

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        June 11, 2024 at 12:19 am | #

        Do … Do you need that hug?

        PS. Fan game material?! Do you have something new in the work, NGPZ?

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          June 11, 2024 at 12:28 am | #

          I sure hope I will soon?

          Also, I could sure use that hug, given I’m gonna be crying in bed for the next week or so.

          note to self: when shadow-Trumper grandparents invite you over, never go no matter how guilty they try to make you feel. never worth it T_T

          • True Survivor
            True Survivor
            June 11, 2024 at 6:47 pm | #

            I am sorry about your grandparents – family sure can suck sometimes. I do hope you feel better soon.

            • NGPZ
              NGPZ
              June 11, 2024 at 8:18 pm | #

              Awe thanks 😭 🫂

    • Bash
      Bash
      June 11, 2024 at 2:11 am | #

      I understand that anyone can struggle with mental health, and I’m not trying to stigmatize it. But I don’t know if its the students’ job to pick up on cries for help. Perhaps if he had a breakdown in class, or rapidly changed his personality. But he’s always been like this. Are the students supposed to report him to someone? Surely its not appropriate for them to offer emotional support to someone in a position of authority over them. I really think that is the place of friends, family, or maybe colleagues on even footing.

      • Nymph
        Nymph
        June 11, 2024 at 4:31 am | #

        Yeah I agree, that falls solidly outside the student’s area of responsibility.

      • Mark
        Mark
        June 11, 2024 at 6:58 am | #

        More like “if you see something, say something.” Friends, family or colleagues may need to know about things they haven’t seen, to discover that they are needed.

        Or, they might say, “oh, he’s all right, been like that since middle school” and his students can go back to just putting up with it.

    • eh, whatever
      eh, whatever
      June 11, 2024 at 4:40 am | #

      I think he just enjoys the power to shatter other people’s illusions.

  17. butts
    butts
    June 11, 2024 at 12:08 am | #

    it was only a matter of time

  18. Serendipity
    Serendipity
    June 11, 2024 at 12:13 am | #

    This was literally me, down to the $20.

  19. Slartibeast Button, BIA
    Slartibeast Button, BIA
    June 11, 2024 at 12:15 am | #

    Butts Disease has spread to Texas:

    “Conservative-dominated court restores books to school libraries in case spurred by titles containing ‘butt’ and ‘fart’”

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/09/texas-books-butt-fart-appeals-court

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      June 11, 2024 at 12:23 am | #

      I wonder if they added _How to Shit in the Woods_.

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        June 11, 2024 at 12:27 am | #

        That one is hung up with the whole “Men versus Bears” hoorah.

    • Bash
      Bash
      June 11, 2024 at 2:07 am | #

      ‘an appellate court has ruled that Texas cannot ban books from libraries simply because officials “dislike the idea contained in those books”.’

      A surprisingly profound quote from a url containing “butt-fart”.

  20. SvenTS
    SvenTS
    June 11, 2024 at 12:16 am | #

    Now I’m just waiting for the tenth fuck to trigger something horrible.

  21. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    June 11, 2024 at 12:17 am | #

    Huh, Dina doesn’t use one her thumb when she counts and only bends half her finger down to ignore that tally. That is interesting, I know different people and cultures use their hands differently when counting, but I’ve never seen somebody do it that way. Have any of you?

    • John Campbell
      John Campbell
      June 11, 2024 at 12:40 am | #

      She does use her thumb, as can be seen by comparing the first and third panels. And bending your pinkie all the way down without also bending your ring finger is really difficult.

      Speaking of different people using their hands differently when counting, this is about the point where I’d have switched to binary in anticipation of needing more range than I have fingers.

      • butting
        butting
        June 11, 2024 at 12:47 am | #

        Binary’s easy, been doing it since undergrad days. 31 on one hand, 1023 using both, and the sky’s the limit if you’re one of those freaks who can control their toes individually. (do they even exist?)

        Ternary, though. Yikes.

        • Masumi
          Masumi
          June 11, 2024 at 4:50 am | #

          Just don’t get misunderstood on the four.

          • Masumi
            Masumi
            June 11, 2024 at 4:51 am | #

            Or, considering my avatar – do. It doesn’t actually matter.

          • Just_IDD
            Just_IDD
            June 11, 2024 at 5:38 am | #

            Or 20.

            Brings new meaning to the nursery rhyme…

            4 & 20 black birds baked in a pie (of fucks).

          • John Campbell
            John Campbell
            June 11, 2024 at 10:34 am | #

            132!

            Or 4228, if you’re Ultra-Car.

  22. Emperor Norton II
    Emperor Norton II
    June 11, 2024 at 12:17 am | #

    Next up, Joyce will have sex eight nine times, and it will still only be a Tuesday, instead of the world ending.

    Hopefully Dina will not be there to count.

    • Agemegos
      Agemegos
      June 11, 2024 at 12:23 am | #

      On the other hand, Walky might be.

    • Ed Callahan
      Ed Callahan
      June 11, 2024 at 8:55 am | #

      But Bloomington will be in ruins.

  23. staszu13
    staszu13
    June 11, 2024 at 12:21 am | #

    Doc’s next line: and to whoever left the jug of alcohol here, thanks. It’s been that sort of week. But don’t expect a change in grade.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      June 11, 2024 at 12:32 am | #

      Won’t this get him in trouble like Jason?

      • anonymsly
        anonymsly
        June 11, 2024 at 12:37 am | #

        Probably not. Doc seems like The Tenured Professor Who Was Out Of Shits To Give Long Before You Were Even Born. (Tenure allows the rest of the title.)

      • Nymph
        Nymph
        June 11, 2024 at 4:35 am | #

        Not sure “hey thanks for the booze, you will not be getting preferential treatment” is anywhere near the same level as having sex with a student you are privately tutoring and have a power dynamic with.

        Like, they’re college students, not children. They can hear about a professor having a drink and a bad week.

      • staszu13
        staszu13
        June 11, 2024 at 9:00 am | #

        Nobody can get in trouble like Jason

        • Azhrei Vep
          Azhrei Vep
          June 11, 2024 at 10:37 am | #

          Hey now. Don’t go underestimating Robin.

  24. Vanessa
    Vanessa
    June 11, 2024 at 12:22 am | #

    Very good Joyce! Let’s get some quotes of that British tv show with eyebrow doctor and his foul mouth.

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      June 11, 2024 at 12:27 am | #

      Here we go!
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjD7DT5TxIs&rco=1

      • Vanessa
        Vanessa
        June 11, 2024 at 12:29 am | #

        The Thick of It with Dr Who actor Peter Capaldi.

      • eh, whatever
        eh, whatever
        June 11, 2024 at 4:44 am | #

        Fucking age-restricted!!!

      • Cybersnark
        Cybersnark
        June 11, 2024 at 11:36 am | #

        Alternately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Blf073f2Lc

  25. pope suburban
    pope suburban
    June 11, 2024 at 12:26 am | #

    I feel like this professor is exactly the right person to have around for this phase of self discovery. He won’t be cruel, he’ll situate everything in the proper perspective.

  26. Pocky
    Pocky
    June 11, 2024 at 12:36 am | #

    Dina doing good research here; keeping count of every f-bomb is important for the history books.

  27. Shakes
    Shakes
    June 11, 2024 at 12:44 am | #

    “I AM THE ONE WHO FUCKS!”

  28. Far
    Far
    June 11, 2024 at 12:46 am | #

    Ah yes, a prelude to no longer being the girl who never fucks.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      June 11, 2024 at 1:02 am | #

      The Fuckingjay, even.

      • Nymph
        Nymph
        June 11, 2024 at 4:37 am | #

        Amazing.

  29. Illjwamh
    Illjwamh
    June 11, 2024 at 1:07 am | #

    Quoting Eric Cartman?

    • hastur
      hastur
      June 11, 2024 at 2:40 pm | #

      “Barbra Streisand!”

  30. anon
    anon
    June 11, 2024 at 1:18 am | #

    I feel like ‘consciousness is an illusion’ is more of a philosophy class thing than science but lol

    Tho imagine the cosmic timing if there had been like, some earthquake or some bs like that in the middle of her swearing

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      June 11, 2024 at 2:45 am | #

      Just for those with short memories/mammaries:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boobquake
      Only it would be Fuckquake in this universe.

      • Just_IDD
        Just_IDD
        June 11, 2024 at 5:53 am | #

        It did shake the foundations of perversely moral organizations.

        Never forget the Rochester 7.

        https://rocwiki.org/Rochester_Topfree_Seven

  31. Kitschensyngk
    Kitschensyngk
    June 11, 2024 at 1:24 am | #

    Joyce has always been a caring person.

    She’s certainly got a lot of ████s to give today.

  32. Bobcat
    Bobcat
    June 11, 2024 at 1:33 am | #

    She’s the one who says “bulwark” now though.

    Had to look for the word in the dictionary.

  33. Francoinblanco
    Francoinblanco
    June 11, 2024 at 1:37 am | #

    “Hypocrite that you are, for you trust the chemicals in your brain to tell you they are chemicals. All knowledge is ultimately based on that which we cannot prove. Will you fight? Or will you perish like a dog?”

    • Da Boy
      Da Boy
      June 11, 2024 at 5:28 am | #

      But read In Mickey Mouse

    • Lilith Rose
      Lilith Rose
      June 11, 2024 at 10:19 am | #

      And yet, a further problem of his concern, is that just because something is derived from another thing, does not exist. For his reasoning, chemicals would not exist, only atoms, but atoms would not exist, only fermions and bosons, and so on until only planck-sized units exist, at which point all of current science is but a vague notion, which would include the idea of planck-sizes, and therefore, nothing exists. But all of this is dependent on assumptions we have made and rejection of assumptions we have made using… something. And so, we must assume that something makes these assumptions and dismisses them. And although we may not know the medium on which it exists, we know that this thing… this thinking consciousness… exists in order to make these assumptions and dismissals. Therefore, the consciousness, even if nothing else does, must exist.

      • clif
        clif
        June 11, 2024 at 11:55 am | #

        Physically, only 17 quantum fields exist within a state of superposition inside a relativistic spacetime whose geometric curvature is determined by the evolving state of those same quantum fields. All else is an illusion. Consciousness, specifically, is an illusion based on perceiving a flawed and constructed, mostly inaccurate, internal model of oneself as being oneself.

        Lest one seize on the word “oneself,” selfness, and even objecthood, is a merely a somewhat arbitrary division of the universe based on an imperfect statistical independence between internal and external evolution of the quantum fields. Such independence is usually of limited duration.

        What do they teach kids nowdays?

  34. eskimolos
    eskimolos
    June 11, 2024 at 1:53 am | #

    I mean I guess most of the machinery in the body are proteins, it’s just weird to hear them… Firing? I get that Willis isn’t a molecular biologist but I’ve never heard receptor-agonist signalling referred to as firing, usually the “firing” discussed here is neurons, and is more about action potential converting electrical signalling to chemical signalling than the end chemical signals binding to certain receptors (which could certainly be called proteins for sure.) also would not be accurate to say they misfire either since at least 90% of them are doing the job they’re meant to do, misfiring is a disease pathology. *Pushes glasses up nose*

    • Mark
      Mark
      June 11, 2024 at 7:10 am | #

      See, if you’d paid more attention in Philosophy you’d understand that the world is trash and everything in it is just wrong, so, firing is misfiring.

  35. BBCC
    BBCC
    June 11, 2024 at 2:01 am | #

    Well her misfiring proteins are firing the fuck word!

  36. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    June 11, 2024 at 2:08 am | #

    … so does Joe now owe her another 160$?

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      June 11, 2024 at 2:47 am | #

      Nope the $20 was only for the first time.

  37. Freezer
    Freezer
    June 11, 2024 at 2:19 am | #

    Fires up “You Want A Single” by Korn.

  38. Acher4
    Acher4
    June 11, 2024 at 2:39 am | #

    http://www.ci-n.com/~jcampbel/doafbombcount.php

    I love how quickly Joyce rose the ranks in just 2 days (seconds in comic time).

    (I don’t know who made this counter, but it’s awesome! You are awesome!)

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      June 11, 2024 at 2:49 am | #

      It says who did it right in the URL, forum commenter John Campbell. And I have to ask if that was the same John Campbell I worked with in Pennan Inc.?

      • John Campbell
        John Campbell
        June 11, 2024 at 3:37 am | #

        I’m not. It’s a pretty common name. I’ve personally known three others. That doesn’t include Golden Age SF editor John W. Campbell.

        One of them I went to junior high with. I had one class with him and me and another John C. and a John M. We had a substitute one day. We almost all got sent to the office because she thought we were messing with her.

        I’m also not T. Campbell.

        • Just_IDD
          Just_IDD
          June 11, 2024 at 6:02 am | #

          Would you considder making the second chart a percentage? I think that would better indicate a normalization. It would also make it easier to comprehend.

          • John Campbell
            John Campbell
            June 11, 2024 at 10:25 am | #

            I’m not getting rid of the non-reduced fraction; it provides useful information. There’s a big difference between, say, 1/10 and 82/847. One of those is an incident; the other is a habit. I’ve added a percentage, but I’m not sure about it. It clutters up the chart, and it’s not really showing anything that the bar graph itself doesn’t show better.

            There are several characters in the upper ranks there who I dislike, but have been kind of hoping they’d show up more, because I suspect they’d fall out of the top ranks rapidly with a few more appearances. Like, I’m assuming Naomi doesn’t talk about fucking Joyce all the time. That could be a bad assumption.

            I’ve been thinking about getting rid of the “everyone but Billie” line, too. That was actually the original reason I made the initial count, to see whether I was actually correct when I said (without counting) that Billie said “fuck” more than everyone else in the comic combined. At the time, she didn’t, quite, but it was a much closer competition, and it had actually been Naomi’s cluster F-bomb just a couple weeks earlier that had put “everyone else” in the lead. But there are a lot more characters on the scoreboard now, and Sal’s F-MIRV, and Malaya showed up, so at this point Jennifer’s got no chance against the rest of the field combined, and all the “everyone else” bar is really doing is breaking the margins.

            • TerribleTransit
              TerribleTransit
              June 11, 2024 at 12:00 pm | #

              Maybe instead of a bar just have an additional “Percentage of all fucks” statistic for Jennifer. It may have the same clutter problem as the percentages on the per-appearance chart, but it’s probably less severe than the giant extra bar.

              • TerribleTransit
                TerribleTransit
                June 11, 2024 at 12:04 pm | #

                Truncating to two significant figures would probably help the clutter a lot too

    • Yeet
      Yeet
      June 11, 2024 at 1:03 pm | #

      doesn’t seem to include sal’s 77 from that one mario kart strip
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/temper/

      • John Campbell
        John Campbell
        June 11, 2024 at 2:36 pm | #

        It does, but she only got credit for 29 in that panel. Most of them are partially or entirely concealed behind Joyce and Billie, so don’t meet my critera for counting them, which require that all four letters are present and at least legible.

        If you hover over the bars in the upper graph (or touch them, on Android, though last I checked it doesn’t work on iOS), it’ll pop up a box that shows the date and utterance responsible for that section of the bar. Most of the left half of Sal’s bar is that one panel.

        There have been other “fuck”s in the comic that I haven’t counted. Ruth and Amber have both had them in internal monologue, but I didn’t count those as they weren’t said. Carla wore a shirt that said “FUCK HUMANS” at one point, too, which I didn’t count. I have counted text messages, which seem more like speech, though, and Marcie signing.

  39. ADLegend21
    ADLegend21
    June 11, 2024 at 3:18 am | #

    Dumbing of Age 14: I persist! My individuality remains a Bulwark the crushing tides of the fucking Cosmos!

  40. Chris Phoenix
    Chris Phoenix
    June 11, 2024 at 3:40 am | #

    I was raised fundamentalist Christian, and so I went to college saying fudge, shoot, and darn. One day in the middle of Freshman year, one of my friends said to me, “Say ‘fuck’.”
    I thought for a few seconds, decided it was just a word, and said “fuck.”
    “Say ‘fudge’.”
    “Fudge.”
    “Now don’t say it anymore.”
    And I didn’t.

    • eh, whatever
      eh, whatever
      June 11, 2024 at 4:48 am | #

      “Fucking go, and fucking sin no more.”

    • Da Boy
      Da Boy
      June 11, 2024 at 5:27 am | #

      I wonder if I confuse native speakers when I use darn and fuck in the same sentence…

      • clif
        clif
        June 11, 2024 at 12:37 pm | #

        As in “Darn these confounded fucks!?,” he asked in a spirit of scientific inquiry.

        • Da Boy
          Da Boy
          June 11, 2024 at 12:39 pm | #

          Something like that yeah. I just mix and match the real swear words and kindergarten swear words according to my mood and fancy XD

      • Opus the Poet
        Opus the Poet
        June 11, 2024 at 7:37 pm | #

        Reminds me of a comedy bit where an actress playing an old woman was saying “Darn you! Darn you all!” and another person asked what she was doing and the actress replied, “I’m darning my socks.”

  41. Arianod
    Arianod
    June 11, 2024 at 3:40 am | #

    Oh no, it’s broken containment D:

  42. Just_IDD
    Just_IDD
    June 11, 2024 at 6:06 am | #

    Joyce, if nothing came to an end, you were not doing fucking right.

  43. Alan in DC
    Alan in DC
    June 11, 2024 at 6:08 am | #

    Woulda been hilarious if Joyce’s barrage of fucks in the third frame was set to “shave and a haircut”.

  44. Tomn
    Tomn
    June 11, 2024 at 6:40 am | #

    I get the feeling this is one of those “Joyce is based on Willis’s own life” moments.

  45. Steamweed
    Steamweed
    June 11, 2024 at 7:22 am | #

    Dang near every line from today is good for book titles! 🙂

  46. Keith
    Keith
    June 11, 2024 at 7:51 am | #

    (dunks cookie in whisky) well it appears you two have come to the right person. (bites whisky soaked cookie) Y’see (sips coffee so dark the abyss is afraid to look at it) Neither of you is wrong and you are both utterly so wrong it’s funny. You can’t know the actual state while you experience it. also I won’t see replies, becasue I don’t get notices.

  47. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    June 11, 2024 at 8:10 am | #

    What’s bane of this teacher? Mike?

    I found he’s like the Ctaeh, from Kingkiller Chronicle.

  48. Nothri
    Nothri
    June 11, 2024 at 8:37 am | #

    And there you have it. She has realized she has no issue with saying fuck and will enjoy saying it repeatedly from now on.

    Which bodes well for Joe when she decides to stop saying and start doing it.

  49. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    June 11, 2024 at 8:43 am | #

    ok which of you commenters took over Dina

  50. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    June 11, 2024 at 8:44 am | #

    Maybe it’s an autistic thing but I simply cannot grasp why “The F Word” is so fucking terrible. Like, it will bring group conversations to a halt, and people say “They were dropping F bombs all over the place” and I’m like What?

    I understand that it does affect people, but intuitively not why it does. I’ve learned not to use it around certain people and frankly I respect them less for it.

    • Zaxares
      Zaxares
      June 11, 2024 at 9:06 am | #

      I’m somewhat similar, but I know I’m somewhat unusual among people that tend to perceive words as a combination of their definition, their aural feel and their intent, divorced largely from historical context. For example, I’m Asian, and I know that, over in the US, the word “oriental” is considered rude, even an insult, owing to its historical legacy. But nothing in the word’s definition is offensive to me, and the word itself actually feels SILKY to my ears. It is a very pleasing word to my brain, so despite everything, I actually like the word and have no issues with people using it, unless I observe that they are using the word in a derogatory or demeaning manner (either towards myself or others). That’s the only time I object to it; aside from that, it is merely a word. It is the fact that someone would try to use it hurtfully that I dislike, not the word itself.

    • Da Boy
      Da Boy
      June 11, 2024 at 9:16 am | #

      It’s a socio-cultural norm, it’s a Bad word used to express negative emotions and I guess the society doesn’t want to see things like that in the open. On a separate note using swear words liberally is seen as a mark of low intelligence and education. Your vocabulary being so limited that you need to resort to using those words. Like in my country when someone uses ‘kurwa” as a comma they are seen as low class.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        June 11, 2024 at 1:50 pm | #

        Lol, “need to resort to”, like saying “fuck” is this desperate act of a lesser mind, scrambling to come up with a noise to fill the space.

        • Da Boy
          Da Boy
          June 11, 2024 at 3:27 pm | #

          To be fair it is about people who use swear words as a comma. Like dropping two or three in a single sentence XD

      • Vulcanodon
        Vulcanodon
        June 11, 2024 at 5:42 pm | #

        I get that, intellectually, but just can’t feel it. And the idea that Fuck is a word you resort to because you lack vocabulary doesn’t wash, either. It is based on Fuck having this huge emotional impact and for me it just doesn’t. Guess I have to accept there are some things I will never really understand.

        • Da Boy
          Da Boy
          June 11, 2024 at 8:07 pm | #

          Well yeah, the reaction is primarily emotional from being conditioned to react like that since young age.

    • Da Boy
      Da Boy
      June 11, 2024 at 9:20 am | #

      You have to understand that the reaction is more emotional and subconscious than something you arrive at with logic. We are trained from young age to have a negative reaction to someone using swear words and react that way because we were taught to and we do it without thinking.

    • Azhrei Vep
      Azhrei Vep
      June 11, 2024 at 10:48 am | #

      Just depends on the groups you’re around, I guess. Nobody in my life would bat an eye at someone over about fourteen saying it. Before that, they’ll give a kid some shit for cussing, because that’s a privilege they apparently feel you have to earn by not dying for fourteen or fifteen years straight.

    • Yeet
      Yeet
      June 11, 2024 at 11:40 am | #

      until I started hanging out with americans online I would swear continuously, but americans are such prudes man
      you can be as much of an asshole as you want, apparently, but god forbid you say asshole. or god in the wrong context, for a certain percentage of them.

      • Beans
        Beans
        June 11, 2024 at 2:14 pm | #

        it may also been due to a someones personal meaning of the swear. i was told growing up that “fuck” was a direct correlation to rape, so saying “fuck you” was a heinous thing to say — the implication under my mom’s /personal/ dialect was much more offensive than (what I’ve since gathered) is the popular take on the word (a vaguely sex related (but not always) rude filler or emphatic word). With Fuck, and some other swears, ive found the lack of a formal definition creates discrepancies in the understanding of how severe the swear is between dialect groups and individual people.

    • Pizzasgood
      Pizzasgood
      June 11, 2024 at 12:53 pm | #

      People who want to feel superior to others like to make up arbitrary rules and then scorn anybody who doesn’t follow those rules. That’s all it is. If you were to ask them they’d tell you some nonsense about vulgarity being unpleasant, uneducated, immoral, or what have you, but it’s all bullshit. They’re just rationalizing their superiority complex.

  51. C.T. Phipps
    C.T. Phipps
    June 11, 2024 at 9:53 am | #

    I really hope Dina gets her worldview challenged in some way. Maybe quantum physics and determinalism.

  52. Van Jealous
    Van Jealous
    June 11, 2024 at 10:14 am | #

    For Upending Comics Kingdom!

  53. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    June 11, 2024 at 10:25 am | #

    Let me kick your ass, we will check if you will be more conscious or not…

  54. Darkmelody42
    Darkmelody42
    June 11, 2024 at 10:49 am | #

    Let’s fucking go!

  55. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    June 11, 2024 at 11:02 am | #

    Also, Joyce? You take Joe’s 20$. Yeah, it might feel a little… I dunno, transactional or condescending or something, but take it.

    Then collect another two 20s from Billie and Sarah.

    And then have them FRAMED, so you remember this moment forever.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      June 11, 2024 at 11:25 am | #

      *Jennifer, dammit

  56. Florence
    Florence
    June 11, 2024 at 11:12 am | #

    I love Dina and Joyce’s dynamic

    Two autistic gals being themselves

  57. Smooti
    Smooti
    June 11, 2024 at 12:07 pm | #

    The professor is actually an alternate timeline Joyce who went atheist but without the friendly support system this Joyce got in college, causing her to descend into nihilism and go into science education rather than elementary school education. She then created a Time Machine to go back and make sure that a happier version of herself did still get a good biology education cuz that is still important.

    Unrelated to the nihilism, in that timeline Joyce also happened to be transmasc.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      June 11, 2024 at 12:30 pm | #

      …. so I take it the radically different noses are the result of some transition surgery to appear more masculine? … I don’t know how that works, but there’s a lot about transitioning that I don’t know about, so I can’t rule it out…

      • Yeet
        Yeet
        June 11, 2024 at 1:02 pm | #

        I can’t imagine professor brock has always had enough filter to avoid bringing this nihilistic stuff up inappropriately, he’s probably been punched in the face at a funeral or something

    • C.T. Phipps
      C.T. Phipps
      June 11, 2024 at 1:33 pm | #

      Bah! Atheists don’t get to be gloomy and broody! That’s our thing! Atheists don’t get vampirism, Catholic guilt, or sitting on a gargoyle contemplating life’s horror.

  58. Daikaiju
    Daikaiju
    June 11, 2024 at 3:07 pm | #

    NGL, I felt similar when I finally broke down that taboo in my mind. Did overcompensate for the next couple of years though…

  59. Amelie Wikström
    Amelie Wikström
    June 11, 2024 at 4:52 pm | #

    In honor of Joyce’s breakthrough, today I overturned many personal philosophies relating to adapting to shitty circumstances rather than committing to ongoing work/expenses required to push back against them, e.g. shaving my face.

    It’s been a while since I had a life changing epiphany, so the timing is pretty great.

  60. crow
    crow
    June 11, 2024 at 5:26 pm | #

    Someone get this girl a novelty mug or tea towel

  61. Formedras
    Formedras
    June 11, 2024 at 8:58 pm | #

    Well, now we know why Bison returned.

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