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Slightly Damned
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This comic is about a robot powered by bees, but it's also about the kind of people who think filling a robot with bees is a good idea, and why they're wrong.
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The legendary early-aughts webcomic that inspired a wave of webcomic creators.
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Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
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Yeah, I can’t tell if her catch phrase sounds vaguely erotic just because Joyce doesn’t realize its innuendo or because all the sexuality she suppresses is leaking out via her comics.
People can be surprisingly dense about innuendo sometimes. Sometimes they read it really literally, while other times they know that it is referencing something else but wouldn’t be able to say what if someone asked them. Considering I had a sister that literally did not know how sex actually worked until a friend sat her down in high school, even though she went through several sex Ed classes, a biology class, and read many fantasy books that had sex scenes in them (though most were written through innuendo or were vaguish on the process). I still don’t know how she managed to accomplish that other than purposeful blind ignorance or really impressive ability to be dense. As the younger sibling, they were worried about me when I came into high school 3 years behind her, as they thought that it was a parental issue and it wasn’t. That being said, there were some swear words or insults that people used in high school that were related to sex that I didn’t know what they actually meant. In my defense, I never actually heard them in a “proper” context, which doesn’t help parsing out what it actually means. It was hilarious watching people play hot potato when I asked for a definition, and people either didn’t know or didn’t want to tell me.
Confusion made worse by the fact that Monica Gallagher and Danielle Corsetto co-authored a comic book about college frosh learning about sexuality and the supernatural together. A few parallels there.
Oh, yeah. Assassin Roommate is badasse. So is Bonnie n Collide (eatyourlipstick.com) and Gallagher’s Cancer Comics. Talk about hardcore!
The collaboration comic is “Boo! It’s Sex!” and it’s available online at girlswithslingshots.com. Very informative! And sad, too: could be triggering, as one of the characters is learning the hard way about how to respect boundaries. (Girls With Slingshots could be triggering for similar reasons.)
Basically, I just love all my badasse cartoonistas. ;-D
Speaking of WebToons series, “Love, Joolz” has a few new comics up now by Jules Rivera (the new “Mark Trail” author), which always makes me happy.
I once tried a couple pages of Always Human but feared it would be too cheesy and pat even for my tastes (lol) but since you recommend it I will make sure to give it another try =)
My own comfort-food cheesy webtoon these days is High Class Homos, I loooove the art, its so unapologetically bubbly and fuzzy, its like candy. I’m also a huge fan of Marvin W’s “Humor Me” (but they update sooo slowly T_T) and their short story “Monster under my bed” (found in a collection called Heart Anthology) its so freaking charming, its just pure joy.
Also I can not decently speak of comics and leave out False Knees, its The Best Comic Ever (non-serialized category), its just birds and other animals being sassy and existential and tender and I’m in love with it. Gorgeous art, too.
Wow, well, thank YOU for all those new recs! I’ll have plenty to scope out, now! I’m searching for ’em right now.
Only check out “Always Human” if you just like the art. I kind of like it for its colorful watercolor style alone. But the writing really is a little juvenile. Reads kinda like fanfic. But sweet, and I like sweet.
Speaking of lovely coloring and Queer/Trans romance, I really loved Goodbye to Halos (goodbyetohalos.com) by Valerie Halla (the genius who colored Octopus Pie). But sadly, the cartoonist kind of drew herself into a cul-de-sac and is taking a hiatus now. Some stories just get too involved…
Sorry about that! Danielle Gallagher is a champion lacrosse player. Monica Gallagher is a cartoonista. Danielle Corsetto is also a cartoonista and collaborates with Monica Gallagher. I was try’n’a be all suave, using just last names, and dove headfirst into a wordpile.
You know, that’s one of those weird coincidences that happen in reality, that if you put into a work of fiction, people would complain about how unrealistic it is. XD
I think it’s funny how you seem to believe it can’t be both those things at the same time. Joyce’s psyche is a mess – she has all these unexamined assumptions, blind spots, and deeply ingrained habit patterns that are the product of her extremist and sheltered upbringing; while at the same time she’s exploring a helter-skelter mishmash of popular culture she couldn’t before, trying to develop a coherent worldview and moral framework that works for her as a member of mainstream American society (while still dealing with all the social, emotional, and psychological fallout of rejecting the ones she was raised in) when there are large parts of that culture she knows little or nothing about beyond the distorted caricatures she grew up being told, AND figuring out what she really likes to spend her time doing.
Having known people a little like this in life – whose current self is a sharp and radical departure from their upbringing – it is entirely possible that she would come up with such lines while consciously believing the phrases to be totally innocent, realize how they sound when it is pointed out, and belatedly admit (when there is sufficient emotional distance) that on some level she totally knew what she was writing but couldn’t admit it to herself yet.
Joyce is going to publish her stories online under one username, then create a second username and pretend to be someone else when she writes horny fanfiction of her own work.
But this doesn’t get her approval. Malaya first accused Sal of being “too cool” for Halloween, baiting Sal into dressing up and now that she is Malaya immediately said it seems fake. What’s the end goal here? Cause Malaya won’t be impressed regardless.
I know “count” is a standard term for a vampire and all but that line is making me picture Captain Gray’s foes as The Count. As in, the one from Sesame Street.
there was a strip where Amber asks Joyce for the chapters of her fanfiction where the characters have sex, and Joyce panics. Ambers surmises that Joyce has deleted those chapters as soon as they were writeen. (was that a bonus strip?)
I’m stunned I had to scroll down so far in the comments to find a comment about the most important character in this strip. What’s wrong with you people? On your knees before Lord Fuckface!!
In college me and a friend came up with the idea for the educational children’s cartoon SPACE MARX: DEFENDER OF THE GALAXY! In which Space Marx and his sidekick, Comrade Engels, travel through the Universe in a Red Star Ship helping planets advance to the next mode of production, fighting off attacks from the Moon Nazis that constantly seek to foil them.
When in danger, they’d put their rings together and shout “WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!”, which would trigger their transformation sequence into Battle Mode. Marx had a giant hammer and Engels had a pair of sickles.
ANYWAYS, that’s what this has been reminding me of.
but… Communism was always about collective (class) struggle. So… i feel like focusing entirely on the two singular individuals that were Marx and Engels is sort of missing their point???
to which you might reply, “chill, it’s just an intro to marxism for kids”
to which i would reply, “exactly”. maybe the historical specifics are less crucial than the overarching ideas and how they can model our worldview and subjectivity.
The western tradition of storytelling is deeply individualist (i guess because of humanism &/or liberalism), emphasizing individual smarts and bravery. whereas communism is all about class solidarity, “from each according to their abilities”. Applying a communist way of thinking to the nuts and bolts of storytelling itself should probably lead to challenging the individual(ist) focus we are so used to relying on for compelling narratives.
(and i know other cultures and eras had stories with heros and great men too, and maybe to an extent that’s unavoidable. but i am interested in what can be done and challenging the prevalent cultural norm. For a striking example of a communist (anarchist?) approach to storytelling that manages to be riveting despite the lack of an individual protagonist, see the Brazilian dark-scifi-western “Bacurau”. The locus of empathy and connexion is not any one character but an entire village. it’s brilliant.)
I don’t mean to slam your idea which is cool and fun regardless, it’s just i think about this sort of stuff a lot (despite not being a storyteller myself, nyeh. i’m just a critic, boooh)
I used to have an actual book of The Best Of Soviet Science Fiction and it was weird and more than 40 years ago that I read it, so don’t ask for details.
I choose to interpret Joyce’s face in panel 4 as her fully screwing with Sal. She knows. Also, I’d put money on Julia Gray having never once said that in any of Joyce’s previous stories, but Joyce somehow manages to work it into every single subsequent story.
Also also, I’ve never realized just how unsettling Joyce’s triangle smile can be until just now. It’s like the bottom half of her face is just locked in place, like she’s been hit with a weak dose of Joker gas.
She cares what people think but she’s guarded because she hasn’t been able to trust anyone for a long, long time? Also being tough doesn’t mean being completely invincible.
Well, she’s getting one anyway. As she would whatever she did. The fact she’s doing something because Malaya criticised her for not doing it is itself evidence she’s fakey and performative. So why engage at all?
If Sal’s thinking that far, she might reason that being deliberately fakey is the only way she can protest against Malaya’s demand that she has to be as earnest and vulnerable as possible at all times.
As noted above/elsewhere in these comments, people who are subject to constant abuse often do not respond in what some would consider the optimal manner.
or:
It can be hard to make and execute a plan while you’re being punched (down on).
Sal deeply, DESPERATELY cares what other people think of her. She just doesn’t want to SEEM like she cares. Malaya understands this, that’s how she so masterfully manipulates Sal like this.
I got the sensation that Malaya used to watch Rapunzel a lot and still remember all the songs and love the movie. Maybe she will be the one dress as Cassandra… Meanwhile, Sal and Joyce are so funny that even Fuckface is smiling ♡.
Nothing I like best than a ridiculously pointless linguistic challenge!!
So, let’s assume “dracula” is from the historical Vlad Drăculea (Romanian name) a.k.a. Vlad III, a.k.a. “Vlad The Impaler” (Vlad Țepeș in Romanian), (1428~31 – 1476~77), who killed a whole lot of people and died possibly killed by his own soldiers because he was dressed up as a Turk to confuse the enemy (oopsie).
Wikipedia: The name Dracula, which is now primarily known as the name of a vampire, was for centuries known as the sobriquet of Vlad III.[5][6] Diplomatic reports and popular stories referred to him as Dracula, Dracuglia, or Drakula already in the 15th century.[5] He himself signed his two letters as “Dragulya” or “Drakulya” in the late 1470s.[7] His name had its origin in the sobriquet of his father, Vlad Dracul (“Vlad the Dragon” in medieval Romanian), who received it after he became a member of the Order of the Dragon.[8][9] Dracula is the Slavonic genitive form of Dracul, meaning “[the son] of Dracul (or the Dragon)”.[9][10] In modern Romanian, dracul means “the devil”, which contributed to Vlad’s reputation.
So this is confusing. Romanian is a latin language, but the suffix -a in “Dracula” is a Slavonic genitive (“of the dragon”).
Anyway, then following the link to Vlad’s dad’s bio, i find the following: Vlad’s descendants were known as Drăculești, because they adopted Vlad’s sobriquet as their patronymic (Dracula).
So i submit the proper plural of “Dracula” is written Drăculești. Being pronounced [drəkuˈleʃtʲ] in the original Romanian, i suggest as its english loanword: “Draculesht” which i like because 1) it’s completely baffling and 2) it’s probably not even correct according to Romanian grammar (if anyone around here knows Romanian, of course, please enlighten us me)
It’s like when an NPC in a video game has a canned response to a certain item the player is holding, except if the NPC gave you the item and then scolded you for having it and you couldn’t skip the 9 completely-filled dialogue boxes.
The proximity is also roughly the size of whatever room the NPC happens to be in at the time and overrides the Confirm button no matter what you’ve mapped it to.
some non-binary people will indicate two or more pronouns to use when referring to them. so if a person asks for to be referred to by “she/they” pronouns it means they’re comfortable with either being used.
Malaya tacks on “whatever” to their list of pronouns out of flippancy and smartassery, but it’s safe to assume they go by either she or they pronouns.
You know, I hadn’t really assumed the “whatever” was “out of flippancy and smartassery.” More just that they’d really be fine with whatever pronouns someone used, even if they gravitate toward “she/they.”
Yeah, that makes sense.
Then again, what if they turn out to be fakey?! Then all bets are off =P
Anyway, given a choice I tend to go with whatever pronoun is likely not the person’s birth pronoun, on the odd chance that will feel, idk, queerer? Emboldening? Maybe the person truly doesn’t care, but I know some NB peeps offer their birth pronoun as an alternative because they’re not (yet) confident enough to insist on their preferred pronoun(s).
That’s understandable in some cases– I definitely went through “she/they” and “they/she” phases before feeling comfortable asking for only “they/them.” I will also say, though, that I know a number of people who take multiple pronouns, none of which are generally connected to their assigned gender at birth. Like, several of my friends will take “he/they” and were AFAB.
I’ve also known people who were bothered by the idea that people thought they were less nonbinary if they used binary pronouns, despite said people otherwise knowing that they’re nonbinary. So, ymmv, pronouns aren’t gender, all of that.
All good points and agreed. Ultimately no rule is universal, everyone will have their own relationship to their pronouns and when in doubt it’s always best to ask ^^
I was going to say Malaya is going to feel really silly once Joyce’s webcomic is published and they see that Julia Gray is a real fictional character, but let’s be honest: they’ll think “Huh. So Sal got Joyce to write a comic strip that justifies her fakey Halloween costume. Typical Sal.”
I feel like the one thing that would work on (and if not work, at least decrease frustration with) Malaya would be for Sal to kind of grey rock her. Just reply to anything that isn’t actually important (ie the roommate agreement or something) with “okay Malaya,” or “yes Malaya, I don’t dress up because I think I’m too cool for it, and my life revolves around being cool,” in a bored tone, no eyerolls or exaggerated sarcasm
I think that is a constructive thing I’d advise Sal to do, if she was asking for advice, but a completely unhelpful piece of advice for someone else to suggest unasked for.
Me if I ever see Tony Hawk: Hey you’re Tony Hawk the famous skateboarder. That’s right I recognise you. Won’t be able to get any content out of this will you, you piece of shit
How to read all 28 issues of my Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane run on Marvel Unlimited:
1: The first four issues were published as the miniseries "Mary Jane."
www.marvel.com/comics/serie...
today in #9chickweedlane i learned we have to be shown children learning and relearning what sex is, for Reasons, even though they already clearly know and have prepared nuanced questions about it!
also that Gran must hate, if she's still alive, how Old Juliette is the same but with gray hair
one of my favorite things is when a commenter explodes WHEN DO THESE CHARACTERS GET THERAPY but directed towards a character who canonically has a regular therapist
Hot Toys Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 1/6 Scale Darth Vader Deluxe ($495) & Standard ($315) is up for preorder at Sideshow - shrsl.com/4wcx6 #ad
If you preorder make sure to hit the Exclusive versions since they include a commemorative plaque and cost the same.
btw if you're one of those rando bluesky weirdos who doesn't know me but sees me in the wild being sarcastic and don't know i'm being sarcastic because you haven't taken like 30 seconds to, like, maybe look at my user profile or something, keep walking, you're not going to score internet points here
Here's an entertaining cite at the bottom of the first page
Josh Gerstein@joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
JUST IN: Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan moves to dismiss federal criminal case against her for allegedly helping immigrant hide from ICE. Her lawyers say she's protected by official acts & judicial immunity and 10th Amendment. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Where did Hollywood go so wrong? I thought movies were supposed to be an escape from reality, a chance to put your worries aside and not have to think about any underlying ideas or concepts. Well, not anymore.
theonion.com/you-can...
It's not a new argument, of course, but Chesterton dismissed it effectively in 1908.
"You will hear everlastingly... this argument that the rich man cannot be bribed. The fact is, of course, that the rich man is bribed; he has been bribed already. That is why he is a rich man."
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com ⋅ 3d
Hawley dismisses Trump lining his pockets with his memecoin: "Listen, I think nobody believes that Donald Trump can be bought. I mean, what does Donald Trump need more money for?"
preternia @preternia.com ⋅ 2d
Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com ⋅ 3d
Pavel
@spavel.bsky.social ⋅ 12d
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what’s the opposite of bowdlerise
Smutify.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AmericanKirbyIsHardcore
Yeah idk if that second catchphrase is hardcore tho
Maybe softcore at this point lolololol
Scroopify.
“To humiliation and beyond!”
“There’s toilet paper on my boot!”
What’s the opposite of Disneyfication?
When you take Disney properties and turn them into erotica.
Hyperrealism?
I’ve also fallen victim to accidentally clicking report when trying to reply. Willis please disregard!
He mentioned the other day that it takes a LOT of flags for a comment to go to moderation. So don’t worry!
Gritty reboot.
Responsible urban planning.
LoL *cries in small sprawling city with no affordable housing*
So true, Plain Marie! I hope you have a place to live that you can afford. It’s so awful to be without secure housing — yuck.
In the words of the (mock) Philadelphia Industrial Redevelopment Authority, “Save the Disney Hole!” (http://www.disneyhole.org/thehole.html)
Or, as Dada sang, “I just ran away from home. Now I’m going to Dizz Knee Land.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daa9pZDxfIY)
Brothers Grimming.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HotterAndSexier
This had me in stitches at that last panel!!!
worth the wait
This is only a few letters away from erotic fanfiction Joyce.
Yeah, I can’t tell if her catch phrase sounds vaguely erotic just because Joyce doesn’t realize its innuendo or because all the sexuality she suppresses is leaking out via her comics.
I absolutely think it’s the latter.
Joyce actively reads erotica, or at least (Amber’s) erotic fanfics… So it would be hard to believe that she’s entirely unaware of the innuendo.
People can be surprisingly dense about innuendo sometimes. Sometimes they read it really literally, while other times they know that it is referencing something else but wouldn’t be able to say what if someone asked them. Considering I had a sister that literally did not know how sex actually worked until a friend sat her down in high school, even though she went through several sex Ed classes, a biology class, and read many fantasy books that had sex scenes in them (though most were written through innuendo or were vaguish on the process). I still don’t know how she managed to accomplish that other than purposeful blind ignorance or really impressive ability to be dense. As the younger sibling, they were worried about me when I came into high school 3 years behind her, as they thought that it was a parental issue and it wasn’t. That being said, there were some swear words or insults that people used in high school that were related to sex that I didn’t know what they actually meant. In my defense, I never actually heard them in a “proper” context, which doesn’t help parsing out what it actually means. It was hilarious watching people play hot potato when I asked for a definition, and people either didn’t know or didn’t want to tell me.
Gallagher was apparently also unaware of this innuendo until after publishing it:
https://www.girlswithslingshots.com/comic/gws-chaser-1915
Sorry: Corsetto.
Do NOT mix up Danielle Corsetto with Danielle Gallagher. Two very different professions.
Confusion made worse by the fact that Monica Gallagher and Danielle Corsetto co-authored a comic book about college frosh learning about sexuality and the supernatural together. A few parallels there.
havent yet gotten into the Corsetto/Gallagher comic but i’m currently reading Gallagher’s Assassin Roommate, and it’s a pretty fun ride =)
Oh, yeah. Assassin Roommate is badasse. So is Bonnie n Collide (eatyourlipstick.com) and Gallagher’s Cancer Comics. Talk about hardcore!
The collaboration comic is “Boo! It’s Sex!” and it’s available online at girlswithslingshots.com. Very informative! And sad, too: could be triggering, as one of the characters is learning the hard way about how to respect boundaries. (Girls With Slingshots could be triggering for similar reasons.)
Basically, I just love all my badasse cartoonistas. ;-D
Speaking of WebToons series, “Love, Joolz” has a few new comics up now by Jules Rivera (the new “Mark Trail” author), which always makes me happy.
Another WebToons series I like (a little sappy, a little cheesy, but lovely art and a cute/sweet take on navigating disability in queer romance) is Always Human: https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/always-human/list?title_no=557
Comics are good. They make me happy.
Wow ty for all the recommendations =)
I once tried a couple pages of Always Human but feared it would be too cheesy and pat even for my tastes (lol) but since you recommend it I will make sure to give it another try =)
My own comfort-food cheesy webtoon these days is High Class Homos, I loooove the art, its so unapologetically bubbly and fuzzy, its like candy. I’m also a huge fan of Marvin W’s “Humor Me” (but they update sooo slowly T_T) and their short story “Monster under my bed” (found in a collection called Heart Anthology) its so freaking charming, its just pure joy.
Also I can not decently speak of comics and leave out False Knees, its The Best Comic Ever (non-serialized category), its just birds and other animals being sassy and existential and tender and I’m in love with it. Gorgeous art, too.
Wow, well, thank YOU for all those new recs! I’ll have plenty to scope out, now! I’m searching for ’em right now.
Only check out “Always Human” if you just like the art. I kind of like it for its colorful watercolor style alone. But the writing really is a little juvenile. Reads kinda like fanfic. But sweet, and I like sweet.
Speaking of lovely coloring and Queer/Trans romance, I really loved Goodbye to Halos (goodbyetohalos.com) by Valerie Halla (the genius who colored Octopus Pie). But sadly, the cartoonist kind of drew herself into a cul-de-sac and is taking a hiatus now. Some stories just get too involved…
…Anyway, fun talkin’ “shop” with ya! Thanks!
first I thought you meant the comedian.
and THEN I thought you meant Fred “Piro” Gallagher.
then I finally scrolled down.
that was quite a ride, I tell ya.
Sorry about that! Danielle Gallagher is a champion lacrosse player. Monica Gallagher is a cartoonista. Danielle Corsetto is also a cartoonista and collaborates with Monica Gallagher. I was try’n’a be all suave, using just last names, and dove headfirst into a wordpile.
You know, that’s one of those weird coincidences that happen in reality, that if you put into a work of fiction, people would complain about how unrealistic it is. XD
I think it’s funny how you seem to believe it can’t be both those things at the same time. Joyce’s psyche is a mess – she has all these unexamined assumptions, blind spots, and deeply ingrained habit patterns that are the product of her extremist and sheltered upbringing; while at the same time she’s exploring a helter-skelter mishmash of popular culture she couldn’t before, trying to develop a coherent worldview and moral framework that works for her as a member of mainstream American society (while still dealing with all the social, emotional, and psychological fallout of rejecting the ones she was raised in) when there are large parts of that culture she knows little or nothing about beyond the distorted caricatures she grew up being told, AND figuring out what she really likes to spend her time doing.
Having known people a little like this in life – whose current self is a sharp and radical departure from their upbringing – it is entirely possible that she would come up with such lines while consciously believing the phrases to be totally innocent, realize how they sound when it is pointed out, and belatedly admit (when there is sufficient emotional distance) that on some level she totally knew what she was writing but couldn’t admit it to herself yet.
I’m thinking the latter. Lotta bisexuality in that catchphrase.
…heh. Didn’t realize what “counts” was one letter off from until just now.
Joyce is going to publish her stories online under one username, then create a second username and pretend to be someone else when she writes horny fanfiction of her own work.
Isn’t that basically BARBAROUS?
Sounds like Lesbians in Space. Oh, wait—it’s “counts.” Misread that. My bad.
by my count it’s only 1 letter off…
Joyce is officially the She who said That.
Is this the equivalent of Joyce being into that big laser gun from the Walkyverse?
That, or else it’s the equivalent of Willis not realizing the innuendo of dream Danny asking Joyce to help bury his large bone.
This is trying way too hard for Malaya.
Yeah this is not a winning strategy
“A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.”
Malaya’s approval is the only one Sal needs!
But this doesn’t get her approval. Malaya first accused Sal of being “too cool” for Halloween, baiting Sal into dressing up and now that she is Malaya immediately said it seems fake. What’s the end goal here? Cause Malaya won’t be impressed regardless.
IMO, to have Malaya be satisfied and stop accusing her of being fake.
(Also IMO, this will never happen.)
I’m old enough to think Malaya is full Jersey Shore.
“FAKE! YOU’RE ALL FAKES!”
Sal would be better off to just tell Malaya to go away rather than to keep trying to appease her like this.
Beautiful. I laughed so loud I had to explain it to a housemate.
I made my husband read the last couple strips to properly appreciate this punchline with me.
Alas, poor Master Wilis. His attempts to correct the server clock have once again come to naught.
Silly Willis! Doesn’t he know the server is permanently set to “Ana Chronistic Time”? The new comic appears precisely when she wants it to.
Or rather, when she’s ready to make her post on the comic.
proof that Ana is the server admin
Post your comment
As fast as you dare
You’ll find Ana
Is already there
Burma-Shave
+1
Can’t go wrong with a Burma Shave ref!
*plays the theme to the end of the Seventies version of BUCK ROGERS on the hacked Muzak*
Good choice. After all, they fought space vampires (on a disco station IIRC) and the main action lady in the series was played by Erin GRAY.
I thought I was the only one who remembered that.
THE RETURN OF SPIFFY!
Sal can never escape the Spiffy.
Holy crap Sal looks SO CUTE with those alien antennae and that hoodie!
nobody tell her
this is why mike was killed offI know “count” is a standard term for a vampire and all but that line is making me picture Captain Gray’s foes as The Count. As in, the one from Sesame Street.
“Four words: ah ah ah ah!”
Am I supposed to imagine Space Pilot Captain Julia Grey with a British accent or something?
“Spiffy space-tronauts”….
When Joyce gets to a place where she’s ready to write erotica of her own characters, she’ll appreciate her past self setting her up so nicely.
Yeah. Not to mention all that practice drawing ding-dongs won’t be for nothing!!!
there was a strip where Amber asks Joyce for the chapters of her fanfiction where the characters have sex, and Joyce panics. Ambers surmises that Joyce has deleted those chapters as soon as they were writeen.
(was that a bonus strip?)
It was a bonus strip, yes.
I’m pretty sure she already is (https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/02-but-the-sun-still-shines/juliagray/). At the very least, she’s not far off. Amber alludes to having proofread some smut by Joyce while talking to Joe post-timeskip (https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-12/02-ill-leave-you-a-phantom/distressingly/).
I take those more as “she’s almost there.”
The last panel of https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-10/01-birthday-pursuit/kneecapped/ is also relevant.
Again, spite vs contrarian. It’s the best.
I note Malaya still hasn’t said what they plan to go as.
YAY FUCKFACE
Joyce is effectively invisible now. She has a lizard on her head.
Calling it now: All the Halloween trauma, including the breakups, comes from the hijinks trying to hide Fuckface from Ruth.
Oo. What happened to Fuckface at Halloween? Have we even seem since?
We haven’t. There may be more to my theory than I thought.
FINALLY
FUCKFACE IS BACK
I’m stunned I had to scroll down so far in the comments to find a comment about the most important character in this strip. What’s wrong with you people? On your knees before Lord Fuckface!!
I can’t imagine why her editor thought she was coded queer…
Okay but her editor is Daisy
And Daisy is calling it!
Joyce is bi!
Kinda interesting that Malaya trusts Joyce enough to let her borrow Fuckface and take him to a Halloween party
maybe they’re used to her pet just being on others heads/joyce has had him briefly before i think
Maybe Malaya is a huge Rapunzel fans and wants Joyce to be the more accurate possible to the character.
Maybe Malaya has the hots for Joyce. Or just anyone 18 or over who dresses as a Disney princess.
Malaya doesn’t trust Joyce.
Malaya respects Joyce.
Which is why Joyce can steal Fuckface. Malaya respects her for doing what she wants without asking for permission.
And trick those counts in a boner of their own making.
In college me and a friend came up with the idea for the educational children’s cartoon SPACE MARX: DEFENDER OF THE GALAXY! In which Space Marx and his sidekick, Comrade Engels, travel through the Universe in a Red Star Ship helping planets advance to the next mode of production, fighting off attacks from the Moon Nazis that constantly seek to foil them.
When in danger, they’d put their rings together and shout “WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!”, which would trigger their transformation sequence into Battle Mode. Marx had a giant hammer and Engels had a pair of sickles.
ANYWAYS, that’s what this has been reminding me of.
Oh my god….. that sounds like the most wicked thing ever!!!! I love it!!! 🤩
Would it be OK if I made this into a fan-game one day?
I would be honored!
very cool idea =)
but… Communism was always about collective (class) struggle. So… i feel like focusing entirely on the two singular individuals that were Marx and Engels is sort of missing their point???
to which you might reply, “chill, it’s just an intro to marxism for kids”
to which i would reply, “exactly”. maybe the historical specifics are less crucial than the overarching ideas and how they can model our worldview and subjectivity.
The western tradition of storytelling is deeply individualist (i guess because of humanism &/or liberalism), emphasizing individual smarts and bravery. whereas communism is all about class solidarity, “from each according to their abilities”. Applying a communist way of thinking to the nuts and bolts of storytelling itself should probably lead to challenging the individual(ist) focus we are so used to relying on for compelling narratives.
(and i know other cultures and eras had stories with heros and great men too, and maybe to an extent that’s unavoidable. but i am interested in what can be done and challenging the prevalent cultural norm. For a striking example of a communist (anarchist?) approach to storytelling that manages to be riveting despite the lack of an individual protagonist, see the Brazilian dark-scifi-western “Bacurau”. The locus of empathy and connexion is not any one character but an entire village. it’s brilliant.)
I don’t mean to slam your idea which is cool and fun regardless, it’s just i think about this sort of stuff a lot (despite not being a storyteller myself, nyeh. i’m just a critic, boooh)
I used to have an actual book of The Best Of Soviet Science Fiction and it was weird and more than 40 years ago that I read it, so don’t ask for details.
When I said “downfall in coolness”, I didn’t mean Sal’s gonna go down with Joyce too!
Still lightyears better than the President’s opening phrase.
Speaking as a guy who writes a space opera series professionally….
I am jealous of Joyce.
She is clearly my superior in imagination.
Any good titles you want to recommend?
I actually did a list of good indie space opera for a website I review on:
https://beforewegoblog.com/indie-military-science-fiction-and-space-opera-books-part-1/
*takes notes*
Yeah, my Space Academy Dropouts books are doing well but it doesn’t have the Stargate SG-1 with Buck Rogers feel that Willis/Joyce is going for.
I’m going to request Julia Gray as a bonus strip next time.
Schlock Mercenary is one of my favorites
Unintentionally cringe innuendos aside, it’d be pretty cool/a nice gesture for a friend to cosplay an OC haha
Joyce is either a cunning linguist or a master at baiting.
My money’s on #3, “repressed as all heck.”
Yay fuckface!
SoUnDs FaKeY fuck off idiot
I choose to interpret Joyce’s face in panel 4 as her fully screwing with Sal. She knows. Also, I’d put money on Julia Gray having never once said that in any of Joyce’s previous stories, but Joyce somehow manages to work it into every single subsequent story.
Also also, I’ve never realized just how unsettling Joyce’s triangle smile can be until just now. It’s like the bottom half of her face is just locked in place, like she’s been hit with a weak dose of Joker gas.
I choose to believe Joyce sees nothing weird or sexual in that sentence.
Same.
… someone reminds me why Sal isn’t too cool to care what Malaya thinks about Sal thinking she’s too cool for Halloween?
She cares what people think but she’s guarded because she hasn’t been able to trust anyone for a long, long time? Also being tough doesn’t mean being completely invincible.
True dat. Even gods have human weaknesses.
Maybe she just doesn’t want another Malayastic lecture about how everything she does is fakey and performative.
Well, she’s getting one anyway. As she would whatever she did. The fact she’s doing something because Malaya criticised her for not doing it is itself evidence she’s fakey and performative. So why engage at all?
If Sal’s thinking that far, she might reason that being deliberately fakey is the only way she can protest against Malaya’s demand that she has to be as earnest and vulnerable as possible at all times.
As noted above/elsewhere in these comments, people who are subject to constant abuse often do not respond in what some would consider the optimal manner.
or:
It can be hard to make and execute a plan while you’re being punched (down on).
Sal deeply, DESPERATELY cares what other people think of her. She just doesn’t want to SEEM like she cares. Malaya understands this, that’s how she so masterfully manipulates Sal like this.
I’m reminded of Sandy B’s very sincere delivery of the line “Wow, you really licked his ass” as Joyce provides a cool phrase lol
“Let’s burn some dust. Eat my rubber!”
– Clark Griswold
Also of note: “Alright, I’m with you! Let’s go blow this guy!”
Had to google in incognito mode for this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiHbANoIvTI
I got the sensation that Malaya used to watch Rapunzel a lot and still remember all the songs and love the movie. Maybe she will be the one dress as Cassandra… Meanwhile, Sal and Joyce are so funny that even Fuckface is smiling ♡.
Malaya would like a movie that’s about rebelling against authority.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-9-comic/01-flyin-to-the-red/careful/
Wait, Tangled came out more than a decade ago…? wtf, time?!
curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal, time!
This is the best yet
Draculae?
I know what I’m voting for next bonus strip!
Nothing I like best than a ridiculously pointless linguistic challenge!!
So, let’s assume “dracula” is from the historical Vlad Drăculea (Romanian name) a.k.a. Vlad III, a.k.a. “Vlad The Impaler” (Vlad Țepeș in Romanian), (1428~31 – 1476~77), who killed a whole lot of people and died possibly killed by his own soldiers because he was dressed up as a Turk to confuse the enemy (oopsie).
Wikipedia:
The name Dracula, which is now primarily known as the name of a vampire, was for centuries known as the sobriquet of Vlad III.[5][6] Diplomatic reports and popular stories referred to him as Dracula, Dracuglia, or Drakula already in the 15th century.[5] He himself signed his two letters as “Dragulya” or “Drakulya” in the late 1470s.[7] His name had its origin in the sobriquet of his father, Vlad Dracul (“Vlad the Dragon” in medieval Romanian), who received it after he became a member of the Order of the Dragon.[8][9] Dracula is the Slavonic genitive form of Dracul, meaning “[the son] of Dracul (or the Dragon)”.[9][10] In modern Romanian, dracul means “the devil”, which contributed to Vlad’s reputation.
So this is confusing. Romanian is a latin language, but the suffix -a in “Dracula” is a Slavonic genitive (“of the dragon”).
Anyway, then following the link to Vlad’s dad’s bio, i find the following:
Vlad’s descendants were known as Drăculești, because they adopted Vlad’s sobriquet as their patronymic (Dracula).
So i submit the proper plural of “Dracula” is written Drăculești. Being pronounced [drəkuˈleʃtʲ] in the original Romanian, i suggest as its english loanword: “Draculesht” which i like because 1) it’s completely baffling and 2) it’s probably not even correct according to Romanian grammar (if anyone around here knows Romanian, of course, please enlighten
usme)Nice one Milu
*bows in nerd*
I love how easily Sal can be goaded by her hatred of Malaya.
Every time Malaya calls someone ” fakey” it makes me wanna sock em in the mouth
It’s like when an NPC in a video game has a canned response to a certain item the player is holding, except if the NPC gave you the item and then scolded you for having it and you couldn’t skip the 9 completely-filled dialogue boxes.
And then instead of ending the convo you accidentally initiate the convo again
Worse – it auto-triggers on proximity.
The proximity is also roughly the size of whatever room the NPC happens to be in at the time and overrides the Confirm button no matter what you’ve mapped it to.
Okay it’s official this is some kind of fever dream by Joyce
B: “Lets Go and LICK some ASS”
M: “The Expression is: kick some ass.”
B: “Mine’s Better”
Bit by bit Sal is going Methid. I don’t even remember where she got Julia’s sunglasses.
Is Joyce trolling here, or does she just not understand how suggestive that sounds?
Joyce is very, very horny, and very, very in denial about being horny.
Spiffy!
Malaya being nice to Joyce: what’s happening today?
Maybe Malaya needs to focus her energies on being condescending to one person at a time, and that person is now Sal?
edit: their energies if Malaya’s going by “they” now (I don’t remember whether it was only they or both she/they)
“she/they/whatever”
OK, thanks!
I’m not familiar with the distinction. Would someone be able to enlighten me?
some non-binary people will indicate two or more pronouns to use when referring to them. so if a person asks for to be referred to by “she/they” pronouns it means they’re comfortable with either being used.
Malaya tacks on “whatever” to their list of pronouns out of flippancy and smartassery, but it’s safe to assume they go by either she or they pronouns.
You know, I hadn’t really assumed the “whatever” was “out of flippancy and smartassery.” More just that they’d really be fine with whatever pronouns someone used, even if they gravitate toward “she/they.”
Yeah, that makes sense.
Then again, what if they turn out to be fakey?! Then all bets are off =P
Anyway, given a choice I tend to go with whatever pronoun is likely not the person’s birth pronoun, on the odd chance that will feel, idk, queerer? Emboldening? Maybe the person truly doesn’t care, but I know some NB peeps offer their birth pronoun as an alternative because they’re not (yet) confident enough to insist on their preferred pronoun(s).
That’s understandable in some cases– I definitely went through “she/they” and “they/she” phases before feeling comfortable asking for only “they/them.” I will also say, though, that I know a number of people who take multiple pronouns, none of which are generally connected to their assigned gender at birth. Like, several of my friends will take “he/they” and were AFAB.
I’ve also known people who were bothered by the idea that people thought they were less nonbinary if they used binary pronouns, despite said people otherwise knowing that they’re nonbinary. So, ymmv, pronouns aren’t gender, all of that.
All good points and agreed. Ultimately no rule is universal, everyone will have their own relationship to their pronouns and when in doubt it’s always best to ask ^^
Isn’t Malaya neutral-to-nice to everyone who isn’t Sal?
Nah, she’s Neutral-Grumpy-Arse to everyone by default.
“Humanity’s savior is revealed!
It’s Sal!”
It was funny already, but I didn’t notice that “counts” could also sound like something else until I read the alt-text. Well played.
Sal and Malaya’s expressions are great!
So, which Disney princess is the princess of Kingdom Come?
Fingerella
I was going to say Malaya is going to feel really silly once Joyce’s webcomic is published and they see that Julia Gray is a real fictional character, but let’s be honest: they’ll think “Huh. So Sal got Joyce to write a comic strip that justifies her fakey Halloween costume. Typical Sal.”
Student newspaper comic, I mean.
“Lick those counts” is surprisingly vulger for Joyce, at least when her mouth is triangle shaped.
She would then look innocent at you and go, “Why? They’re vampires. So of course they’re counts.”
They’re called that because they love to count.
Which is an actual vampire mythological trait.
Especially sesame seeds.
Huh. Peer pressure.
I love Sal so much
Amber has highlighted “We’re gonna lick those counts and blow ’em to kingdom come!”
Numerous times, it appears.
Is it bad that with this storyline I decided to go back and reread the whole thing again? Because I’m doing it. I’ll catch back up eventually.
I feel like the one thing that would work on (and if not work, at least decrease frustration with) Malaya would be for Sal to kind of grey rock her. Just reply to anything that isn’t actually important (ie the roommate agreement or something) with “okay Malaya,” or “yes Malaya, I don’t dress up because I think I’m too cool for it, and my life revolves around being cool,” in a bored tone, no eyerolls or exaggerated sarcasm
* “okay Malaya,” in response to Malaya’s various statements about Sal. I’m not saying agree with whatever plans or anything she proposes
How about, “Eat a grey rock, Malaya” in a disinterested tone.
also good
I think that is a constructive thing I’d advise Sal to do, if she was asking for advice, but a completely unhelpful piece of advice for someone else to suggest unasked for.
No update yet?
*confsued noises*
F5 ! F5 ! F5 !
she tries so hard to justify herself to malaya of all people
this is the first time I’ve wondered what Joyce’s accent is like and how she pronounces “counts”.