Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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June 8, 2026

Smartypants

by David M Willis on November 20, 2022 at 12:01 am
  • 02 – Turning Saints Into the Sea
└ Tags: becky, jennifer, lucy

Discussion (128) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. The Wellerman
    The Wellerman
    November 20, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

    Oh yeah, sure Becky 😑

    Also where’d ya get that jacket Jennifer, such a nice color…

    • David M Willis
      David M Willis
      November 20, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

      it’s a towel, and probably target

      • Bryy
        Bryy
        November 20, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

        LORE DUMP.

        • The Wellerman
          The Wellerman
          November 20, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

          Welp it’s handy. How was I supposed to know at that resolution? 🤣

          • Decidedly Orthogonal
            Decidedly Orthogonal
            November 20, 2022 at 1:04 pm | #

            The shower caddy reveals all. (about something I’d not have even noticed otherwise. You may not perceive everything, but at least you’re looking. Unlike my brain. 😅)

        • Acher4
          Acher4
          November 20, 2022 at 3:51 am | #

          LOOOOOOOOORE

          • Ana Chronistic
            Ana Chronistic
            November 20, 2022 at 11:55 pm | #

            OLYMPUUUUUUUUUS

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          November 20, 2022 at 8:27 am | #

          Lore is an android, but he’d definitely invent a way to take a dump just to mess with people.

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        November 20, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        So Jennifer is a hoopy frood?

      • pdp15
        pdp15
        November 20, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

        Handy to have in case there are any Vogons in the neighborhood.

        • Slartibeast Button, BIA
          Slartibeast Button, BIA
          November 20, 2022 at 12:40 am | #

          I think you mean “Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts of Traal.”

          • Yet_One_More_Idiot
            Yet_One_More_Idiot
            November 20, 2022 at 5:11 am | #

            But which of them is the Triple-Breasted Whore of Eroticon 6? I hear her erogenous zones start three miles away from her body….

            • ValdVin
              ValdVin
              November 20, 2022 at 6:52 am | #

              Woebetide the ship which gets caught in that tractor beam….actually I take that back.

      • RowenMorland
        RowenMorland
        November 20, 2022 at 1:55 am | #

        Took a second to remember Target is a store and this wasn’t some sort of towel game Jennifer is into now.

    • Carla's #2 Fan
      Carla's #2 Fan
      November 20, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

      I think it’s a towel

      • Clif
        Clif
        November 20, 2022 at 1:20 am | #

        Jennifer knows where her towel is.

    • Cholma
      Cholma
      November 20, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

      Jennifer doesn’t have a jacket; pretty sure that’s a towel. She also has her shower caddy in the other hand.

      • Time Sage
        Time Sage
        November 20, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        She’s also wearing socks, who wears socks in a wet floor area?

        • Psychie
          Psychie
          November 20, 2022 at 12:26 am | #

          I’m not familiar with the shower rooms at Forrest, but if there’s a dressing area, or even a bench, sufficiently far from the the actual showers that there wouldn’t be much risk of puddles, putting on socks before walking back to the room isn’t all that unreasonable given it’s like January right now. If someone is particularly sensitive to the cold they might even be willing to sit down on the floor in the hallway to put them on.

        • zee
          zee
          November 20, 2022 at 3:22 pm | #

          Tbh I’m surprised anyone even gets dressed in the showers. When i lived on a dorm with shared showers (got a private bathroom now babeyyyy) i went to and from in my robe. Hell we were lucky if someone dried off before coming out wrapped in a towel and didn’t track water all down the hall

    • anon
      anon
      November 20, 2022 at 12:24 am | #

      https://dumbingofage.tumblr.com/post/699185312413433856/april-28-2023 she def owns a yellow shirt at least lol

      (tho you’d have to search like + hoodie or “clothing” too because of yellow jacket just on its own would bring up bees XD)

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        November 20, 2022 at 12:29 am | #

        Yup yup that’s exactly what I thought it was LOL 🤣

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        November 20, 2022 at 12:28 pm | #

        After gathering references for Billie/Jennifer while working on my thing I’ve come to realize that Yellow is like…her defining color. She’s got a lotta yellow shirts or splashes of yellow. Though I will say once she shifts to Jennifer her predominant color becomes Blue.

        Which I’m just realizing is on the opposite side of the color wheel from Yellow. (technically orange depending on what hue of blue.)

        • Joy
          Joy
          November 20, 2022 at 4:03 pm | #

          Her skin tone is kinda yellow so that tracks? It seems like she just generally wears colors that go with that, so lots of yellows dull blues and saturated reds… Her hair is black with a slight blue/grey sheen so that affects what looks good on her.

          • Joy
            Joy
            November 20, 2022 at 4:04 pm | #

            She also wears teal a lot tbh?

  2. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    November 20, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

    BJ’s really good at reading people who are transparent

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      November 20, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

      She’ll take any victory she can get (and then exaggerate it).

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      November 20, 2022 at 12:15 am | #

      That nickname carries some connotations with it. Though I’m not sure if they’re wholly unfitting ones.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        November 20, 2022 at 8:31 am | #

        But she’s not serving as a surgeon in the Korean War…

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          November 20, 2022 at 10:24 am | #

          Oh I was implying she’s very good at BlackJack.

  3. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    November 20, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

    …I”m not quite sure this is how it works.

    • Alex
      Alex
      November 20, 2022 at 10:06 pm | #

      Which part?

  4. BBCC
    BBCC
    November 20, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    She has your number, Becky!

  5. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    November 20, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    I lack the photoshop wizardry, but I’d like you all to imagine that scene in Thor Ragnarok where Hela is like “You can’t defeat me” and Thor’s all “No but he can”.

    Except Hela is Dorothy, Thor is Becky, and a giant Jennifer bursts out of a castle and starts laying waste to Asgard.

  6. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    November 20, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

    God, she’s only been on screen for four panels and I already seriously wanna draw Jennifer again….
    Then again I should funnel that energy into the Millions of Billies I need to line for that one thing I’m working on.

    • Psychie
      Psychie
      November 20, 2022 at 12:31 am | #

      I doubt this is what you were going for with this comment, but I read it to imply that Jennifer and Billie were different characters who happen to be sufficiently similar in appearance that drawing Billie satisfies the urge to draw Jennifer, and I am amused by that interpretation of her ongoing identity conflict.

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        November 20, 2022 at 12:33 am | #

        I thought they got split apart in a transporter accident…

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        November 20, 2022 at 12:43 am | #

        My implication was moreso that I refer to Jennifer as she is currently as Jennifer, but the comic I’m drawing takes place during a time where she went by and identified herself as Billie.

    • Xujhan
      Xujhan
      November 20, 2022 at 1:14 am | #

      Would millions of Billies not just be Billieons?

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        November 20, 2022 at 1:17 am | #

        Yes. And different hierarchies of them are called Jennerations.

  7. pickonecard
    pickonecard
    November 20, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

    It’s nice that Becky can now admit she’s possessive. First step to positive change.

    • anon
      anon
      November 20, 2022 at 12:25 am | #

      well shes’ willing to share with jen but at least she’s not actively trying to sabotage/distnace her and dorothy lol

    • Plaaaa
      Plaaaa
      November 20, 2022 at 2:41 pm | #

      When Becky admits something about herself, she goes out of her way to tell everyone about her revelation. She’ll soon have the words “possessive” tattooed on her forehead.

  8. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    November 20, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

    Jennifer is really the one Becks should be threatened by at this point. She’s the dark horse in the battle for Joyce’s soul.

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      November 20, 2022 at 12:28 am | #

      Wait until she finds out about Joe.

      • Sirksome
        Sirksome
        November 20, 2022 at 1:04 am | #

        Joe’s not a threat. No possible relationship potential he could have compares to the sway the best friend has over Joyce.

  9. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    November 20, 2022 at 12:29 am | #

    I know there are people who are really annoyed at people trying to get Joyce to do things, and I get that. There are also people who hate Becky, and… I mostly don’t get that.

    Still, I do kind of hope we’re reaching a turning point for that story and that Joyce takes better care of herself, with or without help, and part of me wonders if some of that ends up coming from Joe. I know that, so far, Joe and Dina have already been more helpful on the autism from than the others have, with Becky not knowing about it and Dorothy and Sarah showing that even intelligent, progressive people can have very flawed understandings of autism.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      November 20, 2022 at 8:36 am | #

      Joyce needs validation and support so she can face her problems on her own terms, not multiple mom friends fighting over who’s the most effective at forcing her into something “for her own good” “because she has to”.

      More Jennifers and Joes, less Beckys and Dorothys.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        November 20, 2022 at 11:02 am | #

        Joe maybe, though Joe’s also shown a tendency to pull away from these problems and push them onto her other friends.

        I really don’t think it’s true for Jennifer. Her approach worked for the doctor’s visit, when Becky and Dorothy were hesitating to take that step, but her attitude was still “someone has to solve this”.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          November 20, 2022 at 11:23 am | #

          I don’t think “friend realizes Joyce needs help” is the problem, it’s the way that help is implemented that’s the problem.

          • Archieve
            Archieve
            November 20, 2022 at 1:01 pm | #

            This! Jennifer offered help and only acted after Joyce accepted. Dorothy and Becky first decided without Joyce’s input that the pill wasn’t an option and now that Joyce has proved them wrong they are back to deciding for Joyce how she needs to act right now for the prescription…again without any real input from Joyce…it’s the same problem being shown on opposite sides of the helping spectrum.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              November 20, 2022 at 4:28 pm | #

              Jennifer still walked into that situation going “Why haven’t you fixed this?” That Joyce was in bad enough shape to immediately agree to going to the doctor, doesn’t change that approach. She also left it for the others to follow up on – getting her to actually get the pills and take them. I think this take on how much better she is at it doesn’t really match what we’ve seen.

              • Archieve
                Archieve
                November 20, 2022 at 5:18 pm | #

                She gave Joyce a choice to say no. What needed to be done was let joyce know there was an option. We find out later that part of the reason joyce is so beat down is feeling worn down by Dorothy Becky and Sarahs micromanaging tendencies not because she’s in too rough shape to give a meaningful yes or no. As others have already pointed out the 3 mom friends were showing up at the crack of dawn before Joyce even had a chance to decide to try on her own so it comes off more as a completion to who is the helper rather then something the others “needed” to follow up on.
                .

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  November 20, 2022 at 10:09 pm | #

                  She sort of did – but we don’t know what would have happened if Joyce had said no, because she was in rough enough shape to just go along.

                  I’m not convinced, give what Jen said when she showed up, that she would have just backed off if Joyce hadn’t agreed. Different read on the scene maybe.

    • Alex
      Alex
      November 20, 2022 at 10:05 pm | #

      I don’t hate Becky but I find her tiresome sometimes. The whole “rivalry” thing seems really played out and unfunny to me. I wish she could grow up a little.

  10. Archieve
    Archieve
    November 20, 2022 at 12:32 am | #

    Becky initially didn’t even want to try to get Joyce on the pill and just accepted her pain as a fact of life before it became another way to compete with Dorothy. I really hope Jennifer points that this dynamic is not healthy and advises Becky to wait for Joyce to decide whether she want help or not.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      November 20, 2022 at 5:47 am | #

      Jennifer wouldn’t even know about that, would she? I took it less that she didn’t want it, and more that she just took it as a given that Joyce wasn’t going to do anything about it, since Becky correctly knew Joyce wouldn’t on her own volition. Once the ball was actually rolling, though, she did seem to genuinely be all for it, but also knows Joyce has hangups about taking pills.

      • Archieve
        Archieve
        November 20, 2022 at 1:04 pm | #

        What I’m getting at is Joyce having hangups isn’t justification to make all the decisions for her. She needs to be given the opportunity to learn her own limits.

  11. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    November 20, 2022 at 12:33 am | #

    Just admit it, Becky. Jennifer respects that sort of spite.

  12. Jess
    Jess
    November 20, 2022 at 12:33 am | #

    I love Becky’s smile in panel 3. Very cute.

  13. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    November 20, 2022 at 12:40 am | #

    Yes, telling someone you’re already christian to get rid of a discussion about religion, heaven and hell. It’s a cheap trick, Jennifer, but it works.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      November 20, 2022 at 5:48 am | #

      It’s consistent, at least, she’s said it before in the past, even if she seems to kind of have just sort of a vague relationship with religion.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        November 20, 2022 at 8:39 am | #

        Maybe she’s a wedding-and-funeralist.

        • ValdVin
          ValdVin
          November 20, 2022 at 9:16 am | #

          But that is less than a C+E Christian, right?

          I am agnostic (I can’t even commit to being an atheist, but I certainly don’t check the box for Christian), but will certainly go to church if invited for a wedding or funeral, as it’s about the people who send the invite, not me making it about me.

          • Yotomoe
            Yotomoe
            November 20, 2022 at 10:23 am | #

            Fellow Agnostic here and that’s basically my relationship. I’ll even join in a group prayer with my family on thanksgiving, though tbh I usually just spend the entire prayer pondering the existence of a god and hoping if there is one he’s cool with me being skeptical. Followed by me getting super defensive in my own head like “well I mean, you didn’t give me a lotta great evidence and blind faith has lead to a lot of bad stuff. If anything it’s RESPONSIBLE for me to be agnostic” and by the time I’m done thinking that the prayer is over.

            • Needfuldoer
              Needfuldoer
              November 20, 2022 at 10:46 am | #

              My family doesn’t even do that. Both parents were raised Catholic and had to do the whole CCE thing (as far as I know), so they were completely burned out on the formalities long before I came along. The only masses I’ve attended have been at weddings and funerals.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              November 20, 2022 at 11:04 am | #

              The Agnostic’s Prayer.

  14. Marvelman
    Marvelman
    November 20, 2022 at 12:46 am | #

    Billy can be very perceptive when she’s not drunk.

  15. thakoru
    thakoru
    November 20, 2022 at 12:51 am | #

    I feel like Lucy is missing a very important distinction between “yes” and “sure”.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      November 20, 2022 at 5:55 am | #

      Yeah, Becky’s not wrong in that Jennifer really isn’t committal on this, though Lucy’s right in that Jennifer does consistently refer to herself as a Christian is it comes up. Just, without any real passion for it, seemingly treating it as just this thing that’s always been there. I can’t speak for what it’s like in Indiana, but I know growing up in Texas that church is social as much as anything else, especially so for people in sports/extracurricular groups, so as a cheerleader, she probably went to church with others in her social group, like Alice. Doesn’t necessarily mean she’s ever given it much thought beyond that, though, like Becky suspects.

      • Mark
        Mark
        November 20, 2022 at 8:50 am | #

        I can’t speak for congregations I’ve not been part of, but “social as much as anything else” is also a thing in Indiana and, I think, the way it should be. Check descriptions of the early church. What it should not be is only a social club.

        When you grow up unable to recall a time when religion wasn’t a part of your life, it can indeed be just a thing that’s always been there. You see passion from converts. “There’s no saint like a reformed sinner.”

        That said, I think Becky is saying that Jennifer’s exposure to Christianity has left her no different than if she had never heard of it.

  16. jeffepp
    jeffepp
    November 20, 2022 at 1:07 am | #

    Becky doesn’t know that we’ve secretly switched Joyce’s obvious attraction from Dottie to Joe. OK, she’s still wants to spend “special alone together” time with Dorothy. But, Joe. Butt Joe. Joe butt.

    • Spriteless Aunty
      Spriteless Aunty
      November 20, 2022 at 1:32 pm | #

      I see what you did there

  17. Joe Moose
    Joe Moose
    November 20, 2022 at 1:08 am | #

    I actually laughed at the last panel. Well needed considering recent social media news. Thanks Mr. W.

  18. anonymsly
    anonymsly
    November 20, 2022 at 1:51 am | #

    Becky would much, much rather use Jennifer to feel like she’s getting one over on Dorothy than be even slightly actually supportive to Joyce. Seems legit.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      November 20, 2022 at 5:52 am | #

      What would supportive be here? Having the pills just sit in the bottle without her taking them because of her hangups about pills?

      As Roz pointed out in a brief conversation, there are major reasons to be consistent about taking pills, and Joyce’s hesitation isn’t really doing her any favors.

      Of course, I suspect Joyce is probably going to be less wary now that she’s kind of accepting certain changes in her life more, like Joe and Dina being supportive on the autism possibility in a way that isn’t making her feel like she’s being handled with kid gloves even more than usual.

      • anonymsly
        anonymsly
        November 20, 2022 at 8:36 am | #

        Offering help to Joyce rather than treating her like a stubborn toddler, actually talking with her without insulting or belittling her, giving her a bit of space to workshit out for herself….

        Pretty much anything she never does, honestly.

        • Seralyna
          Seralyna
          November 20, 2022 at 10:06 am | #

          It does kinda feel like regardless of what becky does people find a reason to complain. When she was trying to help she was coddling, but this seems almost like a direct response to that, with her saying ‘hey i’ll keep my distance but also make sure someone checks up on her’

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            November 20, 2022 at 10:31 am | #

            I think some of us would prefer it if Becky kept her nose entirely out of Joyce’s medical business, so any amount of involvement goes against that preference, which is why no matter how she tries to handle the situation it’s not gonna get an optimal response.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              November 20, 2022 at 11:06 am | #

              Some perhaps, but others were also complaining when she and Dorothy were hesitating to do anything, before Jennifer swept in and helped Joyce properly.

              • Taffy
                Taffy
                November 20, 2022 at 1:20 pm | #

                And other people were cheering her on. So what we’ve learned is that different people have different opinions. Nobody cares when the opinions are all for whatever a character is doing, but any and all disagreement is treated as catastrophising. If we don’t like what a character is doing to any degree, suddenly we “think” that character is a villain who deserves hell and punishment, but if we like it (barring bigotry), not a peep is heard.

          • Archieve
            Archieve
            November 20, 2022 at 12:55 pm | #

            Not really, Joyce told Becky she wanted to try on her own and Becky laughed that off and is now going against Joyce’s wishes saying Joyce definitely needs her. That’s going beyond a friendly check up and into Becky deciding for herself that Joyce needs her unwanted help.

          • darkgloomie
            darkgloomie
            November 20, 2022 at 2:51 pm | #

            I guess people take offense at how Becky frames her actions, which is grating tbh. Sure, she’s giving Joyce space /now/ and having someone else check on her, but she still has a flippant attitude re: doing it to one-up Dorothy, and she also readily dismissed Lucy wanting to help because OMG Jennifer!

            • Archieve
              Archieve
              November 20, 2022 at 3:00 pm | #

              It doesn’t seem like a checkup at all really, just Becky going through other people as Jennifer points out last panel. Definatly grating how she frames her actions as she knows what’s best for Joyce be because it’s a form of control for her.

    • Joy
      Joy
      November 20, 2022 at 11:46 pm | #

      @_@

  19. Heather
    Heather
    November 20, 2022 at 2:09 am | #

    I’m guessing there will be all this build up and they’ll walk in on Joyce taking her pills by herself.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      November 20, 2022 at 8:46 am | #

      Maybe, but people were saying the same thing about her going to get the pills and it didn’t happen then.

      I think the actual conflict happening here with Joyce chafing over her friends trying to manage her crises, but still actually needing them to, is more interesting than a version where she can handle it and they’re just busybodies.

      • Cerusee
        Cerusee
        November 20, 2022 at 10:08 am | #

        I think the conflict here is between what Joyce needs (support) and what she’s getting (management). The inability to distinguish between the two is kinda the problem.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          November 20, 2022 at 10:59 am | #

          That’s fair, but that seems more like her friends not knowing how to help properly, rather than them being the villains who just need to leave her alone.

          • Cerusee
            Cerusee
            November 20, 2022 at 12:05 pm | #

            Entirely unnecessary escalation of something I did not even remotely say, but thanks, I guess.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            November 20, 2022 at 4:32 pm | #

            Sorry, didn’t mean you necessarily, but it’s definitely being framed that way around here.

            • The Oracle
              The Oracle
              November 20, 2022 at 6:04 pm | #

              It’s not.

      • Joy
        Joy
        November 20, 2022 at 3:51 pm | #

        I agree that it’s more interesting! It’s also very relatable for disabled people in the audience.

  20. Suet
    Suet
    November 20, 2022 at 2:14 am | #

    It’s a subtext of yours, she can prove it.

    Jenny has a lot of superpowers, it’s astounding. She’s still not “outside help“

  21. LovelyMonsters
    LovelyMonsters
    November 20, 2022 at 2:28 am | #

    I know Jennifer doesn’t recognize yet how toxic her new friendgroup is because they have some good qualities and she’s been surrounded by bongoy, backstabbing behavior her whole life and thinks it’s normal, and I know she’s headed either for settling in to being a shitty person or for some VERY painful grappling with self-revelation down the line, but gahdDAYUM that new haircut looks amazing on her.

    With the two of them in the same room it becomes so obvious that Lucy and Jennifer each have the thing the other needs: Lucy needs to develop the social awareness and selfishness to defend herself from all the predators and parasites waiting to take advantange of her kindness and generous nature. Jennifer needs to learn to prioritize truth over status.

    And then Lucy needs a glow-up as fantastic as Jennifer’s.

  22. Queezle
    Queezle
    November 20, 2022 at 3:30 am | #

    Or maybe they just could leave Joyce some breathing room to process everything for a day or two?
    Just an idea.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      November 20, 2022 at 10:26 am | #

      But but but but but then she might not do the optimal thing as decided by people who aren’t her, and that’s bad for some reason.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        November 20, 2022 at 11:07 am | #

        Do you think that without interference she would have gone to the doctor at all?
        Or would she just be waiting for this cycle to end and then go through it all again next time around?

        • Archieve
          Archieve
          November 20, 2022 at 12:49 pm | #

          We don’t know and neither does Joyce. Your argument seems to be that Joyce shouldn’t be allowed to fail and therefore it’s justified for her friends to take charge before she does. The problem is failure is how people learn. Let Joyce try to figure out for herself what she is capable or or isn’t. If she really does need them to take command from her fine but she hasn’t been given the chance to find out for herself yet.

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            November 20, 2022 at 2:43 pm | #

            Yeah, so what if she “fails”? She makes a choice, that choice has a negative repercussion, and the stakes are that she deals with said repercussion for a minute. Oh no.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            November 20, 2022 at 4:37 pm | #

            She’s been dealing with these bad periods for years. It’s not a new problem.

            I don’t know. Maybe we’re talking about different things?

            I’m certainly not saying her friends are handling this well, but it’s not clear to me that just leaving her alone is a better plan. That they’re not good at helping her is a character flaw. Casting it as trying to control her, as some her are doing, goes too far for me.

            • Archieve
              Archieve
              November 20, 2022 at 5:06 pm | #

              For most of her life Joyce wasn’t given any option but to deal with the pain. Things are changing for her now as her opinions have radically shifted so it’s not fair to say she didn’t seek help before so she will never get to it on her own. Nobody is saying Joyce should be left all on her own, just that she needs to have a say in her own life decisions. Becky and Dorothy have already made it very clear to Joyce that they want to offer help so she knows she’s not alone and help is there when she needs. She has also expressed frustration with both of them for being overbearing and needing some space. Becky and Dorothy mean well but whether they mean it or not making decisions about Joyce without giving her a say is a form of control. Jennifer is calling attention to it in this very comic strip pointing out that Becky is very possessive of Joyce( a type of controlling behavior) and that the reason she’s seeking outside help is she doesn’t want to share Joyce with dorothy. They are playing metaphorical tug of war with each other and poor Joyce their rope. Their not bad people per say but the way their help manifests is indeed controlling. To say they are being controlling Is not condemning Dorothy or Becky as villians or assigning malicious intent to their actions, it is simply pointing out thats it is a problem that they both need to acknowledge and work to change.

              • Cerusee
                Cerusee
                November 20, 2022 at 7:30 pm | #

                This!

                It is possible to point out unhelpful or unhealthy behavior in someone without that being “turning them into a villain”. Some of the relationship dynamics in play here are unhelpful, some of them are unhealthy, and crucially, Joyce is asserting that she does not like them. (Maybe she didn’t mind them before, but what matters is that she does *now* and she is communicating that! It may be messy and emotional instead of polished and rational, but that doesn’t make her feelings invalid.)

                Who knows how long it would have taken Joyce to even consider getting medical help for her periods, now that she’s left the church that taught her birth control was for hellbound sluts, without some prompting? Not me! But what we do know is that Jennifer helped Joyce get past the first hurdle—even considering it all, and then actually going to an appointment—by the low-stakes approach of pointing out that the option existed if Joyce wanted to take it, and then offering little more than the emotional support of her presence while she did. No mocking, no hectoring, no lecturing, no excess reassurance that just reinforces the feeling that the sense of fear must have something to it after all, because why else would someone keep telling me it’s okay and there’s nothing to worry about, over and over again?

                People can be well-meaning and also wrong. Love can be real, and also warped by fear into something controlling and possessive. You can make mistakes, misjudgments in your actions and relationships, and not be a terrible person. You can hurt other people, unintentionally, and not be a villain.

  23. Kaos
    Kaos
    November 20, 2022 at 6:01 am | #

    “are you christian?” “Sure” it was just a “whatever makes you sleep better at night”-reply. she just tired of this.

  24. KSClaw
    KSClaw
    November 20, 2022 at 6:16 am | #

    Please Becky, you couldn’t be more obvious than if you carried a neon sign.

  25. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    November 20, 2022 at 6:58 am | #

    “Joyce is a college freshman dealing with a lot of changes, and too many people want to help. Tune in for My Three Moms Thursdays at nine, only on SCTV!”

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      November 20, 2022 at 7:01 am | #

      …and I thought I closed that tag. Its like 1998 all over again.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      November 20, 2022 at 11:46 am | #

      This week, Joyce must deal with peer pressure urging her to take pills because they will be “good for her.”

  26. Hazel
    Hazel
    November 20, 2022 at 7:22 am | #

    I like Jennifer’s new hair. I do not like Jennifer’s new friends.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      November 20, 2022 at 8:25 am | #

      What new friends?

      Oh, you mean the opportunistic social climbers?

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        November 20, 2022 at 11:44 am | #

        No, Yay Newfriend is crossing over from “Questionable Content.”

        • a/snow/mous/e
          a/snow/mous/e
          November 20, 2022 at 9:28 pm | #

          an invisible cameo 😛

      • Hazel
        Hazel
        November 21, 2022 at 8:10 am | #

        Raidah and her friends, Worse-Raidah and Worse-Raidah’s-Boyfriend(-I-Think).

        No, I shall not learn their names.

  27. Mark
    Mark
    November 20, 2022 at 8:58 am | #

    I’m a bit disappointed that Jennifer showed up now. I imagined Lucy taking this on, and winding up talking on and on about her issues while Joyce listens supportively. Helping someone else might be the best thing for Joyce at this point.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      November 20, 2022 at 10:28 am | #

      That would be pretty funny. We do enjoy a reversal every now and again.

  28. Cerusee
    Cerusee
    November 20, 2022 at 10:03 am | #

    She’s got your number, Becky!

    Also, this is an extremely cute outfit for Jennifer.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      November 20, 2022 at 10:19 am | #

      All outfits Jennifer wears are cute because they’re on Jennifer. She could show up later wearing a hotdog suit and I’d still say it looks good on her.

  29. Josh Spicer
    Josh Spicer
    November 20, 2022 at 10:36 am | #

    Still… *narrows eyes* …still doing that Dorothy rival thing huh?

  30. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    November 20, 2022 at 12:29 pm | #

    I’m sorry that Lucy has to hear this madness of jealousy schemes.

  31. Mr.Morningstar
    Mr.Morningstar
    November 20, 2022 at 3:28 pm | #

    so i get the distinct impression joyce did not ask becky to do this.

    • June Gloom
      June Gloom
      November 20, 2022 at 4:01 pm | #

      No, that would involve respecting Joyce’s choices and growth.

  32. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    November 20, 2022 at 4:11 pm | #

    Becky/Jennifer looks like a improbable (unholy?) alliance. At least, spending time with Becky is much better for Jennifer than doing it with Raidah.

  33. Grayfinity
    Grayfinity
    November 20, 2022 at 4:49 pm | #

    Can’t prove it, sure, but you’ve set a precedent of wanting to one-up Dorothy any chance you get, so…

    Probably talking out of my rear here so I’ll get sources later.

  34. Florence
    Florence
    November 20, 2022 at 7:33 pm | #

    Becky is a great example of how even nice well meaning people can still be ableist. In fact it’s quite common.

    At this point with how long this has gone on, I really need a person to call it out and for it to actually stick, cause it’s grating how every Becky scene is her running past Joyce’s boundaries after being told to stop

    • StClair
      StClair
      November 20, 2022 at 8:22 pm | #

      Neither of them were taught about boundaries growing up.
      Nice, well-meaning, God-fearing people don’t need them.

  35. Roe
    Roe
    November 20, 2022 at 7:38 pm | #

    if i was in joyce’s shoes, I’d be extremely annoyed

    • Huehuetotl
      Huehuetotl
      November 20, 2022 at 8:33 pm | #

      Learning/getting comfortable taking pills doesn’t seem like a group activity. Like you’d need maybe one person around who could Heimlich if it went poorly. If Joyce is wearing thin on Becky and Dorothy “climbing up her butt”, then Becky recruiting a team… yes, extremely annoyed.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        November 20, 2022 at 11:44 pm | #

        Yeah, there really isn’t any benefit in this bizarre “getting the band back together” shit. Nobody is helped and it’s just more people hanging up on Joyce over an ultimately petty issue.

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