Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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June 14, 2026

In trouble

by David M Willis on May 29, 2023 at 12:01 am
  • 04 – But Don't Give Yourself Away
└ Tags: becky, ruth

Discussion (84) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    May 29, 2023 at 12:01 am | #

    It’s like a reverse idle game, if you DON’T click the room, the mess keeps growing

    • Paradoxius
      Paradoxius
      May 29, 2023 at 12:06 am | #

      Horrifying concept. It has been added to my game design notebook.

    • thakoru
      thakoru
      May 29, 2023 at 12:25 am | #

      That’s kind of just the original Animal Crossing.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      May 29, 2023 at 8:52 am | #

      Some people took their Sims’ pool ladders away.

      I took away their trash cans.

      • Casi
        Casi
        May 29, 2023 at 1:47 pm | #

        You are a cruel deity.

  2. BBCC
    BBCC
    May 29, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    It spawns like an NPC.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      May 29, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

      Specifically the terrifying Watson NPC from that Sherlock Holmes game, where they didn’t give him a walking animation, so he just teleports into existence whenever you look somewhere.else.

      For the uninitiated. Warning: watching this video might cause him to spawn in your house.

      • Masumi
        Masumi
        May 29, 2023 at 12:13 am | #

        Omg weeping angel Watson. That’s terrifying.

        Don’t. Blink.

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          May 29, 2023 at 10:34 pm | #

          Quantum lock lifeform. Look at Watson but do NOT look at his eyes.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        May 29, 2023 at 2:30 am | #

        Thank youuuuu!

    • Dara
      Dara
      May 29, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

      Yes, to take it out you have to destroy the mess generator, but nobody is going to destroy Becky, so it remains forever.

      • Ana Chronistic
        Ana Chronistic
        May 29, 2023 at 11:53 pm | #

        haha mod for Gauntlet that spawns mess from Becky

  3. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    May 29, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    *plays Lindsay Buckingham’s “Trouble” on the hacked Muzak*

  4. Yumi
    Yumi
    May 29, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    “Dina and I actually can’t fool around in here because she keeps getting distracted by trying to study it.”

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      May 29, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

      O believe me I would love to study it too! 🥰

      And perhaps make a game of it.

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      May 29, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

      “She said she wanted to come over and study my wormhole, but when I took my clothes off she got angry and said I was contaminating her samples”

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      May 29, 2023 at 12:48 am | #

      It’s because the mess has strata.

    • StClair
      StClair
      May 29, 2023 at 2:42 pm | #

      Entropy, manifest.

  5. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    May 29, 2023 at 12:06 am | #

    Ruth looks snazzy in her white suit.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      May 29, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

      Is that a game premium skin?

    • shanunu
      shanunu
      May 29, 2023 at 2:18 am | #

      Pretty sure its denim overalls and a button up plaid shirt

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        May 29, 2023 at 6:34 am | #

        see also: Canadian Tuxedo

  6. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    May 29, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

    It’s like that one unused mushroom in Super Mario Galaxy (and 2). Nobody knows why, but if you remove it from the files the whole game crashes.

    • Proxiehunter
      Proxiehunter
      May 29, 2023 at 12:22 am | #

      Oh, like the tf2 coconut.

  7. Nono
    Nono
    May 29, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

    Wait, maybe when Joyce solves her period issues with birth control, the irritability flows into Dorothy instead!

    • Taellosse
      Taellosse
      May 29, 2023 at 6:16 am | #

      Ew. That sounds deeply unsanitary!

      • Mark
        Mark
        May 29, 2023 at 7:22 am | #

        Could be a quantum entanglement. Spooky, but not unsanitary.

  8. Dana
    Dana
    May 29, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

    Can’t clean that particular pile of laundry. It’s load bearing.

    • Dana
      Dana
      May 29, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

      I’m tired.

      • Dana
        Dana
        May 29, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

        At least I didn’t mistake any of the dialog for my own thoughts.

    • Angel
      Angel
      May 29, 2023 at 12:15 am | #

      lol these days i wonder if ppl just spray febreeze to prolong doing loads, but i guess the pile would be a chance for becky to do laundry and maybe awkwardly catch joyce

  9. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    May 29, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

    hungover from one shot at 19. I guess she also might not have eaten anything all day though. And stress.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      May 29, 2023 at 8:57 am | #

      She might have consumed more off-screen.

      Or she’s almost as much of a lightweight as the Walkerton twins.

  10. Karla Jean
    Karla Jean
    May 29, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

    Hangover. Bet she’s looking for some hair of the dog.

    • Angel
      Angel
      May 29, 2023 at 12:16 am | #

      how many days have passed? or did ruth drop her off in the middle of the night and then she woke up and left, since becky didn’t know that ruth brought her back

  11. Slartibeast Button, BIA
    Slartibeast Button, BIA
    May 29, 2023 at 12:12 am | #

    Now I am interpreting Becky’s dialogue with the old school patriarchal definition of “in trouble.”

    • Angel
      Angel
      May 29, 2023 at 12:21 am | #

      well, if she drinks again i’d say trouble is gonna be in her ;P

  12. Masumi
    Masumi
    May 29, 2023 at 12:15 am | #

    Yeah I have a mess like that too. I swear I spent most of yesterday cleaning! See, you can even see the floor!… Why’s the floor gone.

    • Angel
      Angel
      May 29, 2023 at 12:21 am | #

      as long as cockroaches/geckos aren’t living underneath it, it should be fine lol. sometimes piles of laundry can be comforting lol

      • Masumi
        Masumi
        May 29, 2023 at 7:51 am | #

        What do you have against geckos? Those are cute! And catch mosquitoes. And live behind did, not under messes, as far as I can tell.

        • Masumi
          Masumi
          May 29, 2023 at 7:52 am | #

          *stuff dammit swipy thing

        • Angel
          Angel
          May 29, 2023 at 9:56 pm | #

          i dont have anything against geckos/lizards but they shouldn’t rly be inside lol

          I think i saw a random/wild one go into mycloset and never come out. otherwise they usually stick to the walls or outside lol

          But even with stuff like spiders being in the corner i think some ppl try to get rid/sweep those up as well even if they eat bugs lol

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      May 29, 2023 at 8:58 am | #

      I can get one part of my place looking nice and clean, but it comes at the expense of all the other parts of my place.

      The mean clutter level must be maintained!

  13. thakoru
    thakoru
    May 29, 2023 at 12:24 am | #

    Alright, Willis, when are you going to start tagging the Pile of Lesbos?

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      May 29, 2023 at 12:26 am | #

      “The Pile of Lesbos” – wasn’t that one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      May 29, 2023 at 12:36 am | #

      Ha, I dig it.

    • Amelie Wikström
      Amelie Wikström
      May 29, 2023 at 2:57 am | #

      Pile as in natural uranium reactor?

  14. Proxiehunter
    Proxiehunter
    May 29, 2023 at 12:25 am | #

    Yeah, that happens when you’re ADHD. If you ever manage to get everything clean all of a sudden it isn’t anymore with no explanation of how. Medication can help a little

  15. Pocky
    Pocky
    May 29, 2023 at 12:32 am | #

    I swear; I hate when I clean and mess just pops into existence like that, so annoying!

  16. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    May 29, 2023 at 12:41 am | #

    She needs a hamper.

  17. JRivest
    JRivest
    May 29, 2023 at 12:41 am | #

    Now if DOROTHY’s parents were to come visit, that might actually be helpful.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      May 29, 2023 at 8:51 am | #

      You know they’d be a little disappointed, but unwaveringly supportive.

      She won’t find it helpful, and maybe even interpret it as pressure to continue on her old path, somehow.

      • Time Sage
        Time Sage
        May 29, 2023 at 9:01 am | #

        Yes but that would be in spite of good intentions not due to a lack of them, which would be a refreshing change of pace in parents.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      May 29, 2023 at 11:58 am | #

      We’re focusing on Becky and Ruth now. Seems unlikely either of Becky’s parents will show up, due to circumstances. Clint could show up to mess with Ruth, which would be awful.

      Since Carol’s already here though, it’d be fun for her to run into Becky.

  18. BOOSTER SHOT
    BOOSTER SHOT
    May 29, 2023 at 12:48 am | #

    Do Becky’s messes count as Oversized Comedy Props?

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      May 29, 2023 at 8:51 am | #

      Maybe it did before Becky cleaned up.

  19. Hazel
    Hazel
    May 29, 2023 at 12:53 am | #

    Is she hungover? How much did she drink?

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      May 29, 2023 at 8:07 pm | #

      Sample bottles ain’t that much, but she probably a light weight :3

  20. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    May 29, 2023 at 1:12 am | #

    I know that feel

  21. Sajuuk-Khar
    Sajuuk-Khar
    May 29, 2023 at 1:20 am | #

    Dumbing of Age: A Magical Realism Story

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      May 29, 2023 at 1:44 am | #

      wait that ain’t magic. that smells more like game logic :p

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      May 29, 2023 at 10:03 am | #

      It’s the same clothes in the same order.
      Scoop up clothes into bag/basket. Realize you need something out of a pocket from something you just wore. Since it’s now at the bottom of the basket, it’s easiest to just dump it all out, restoring the original pile.

  22. Suet
    Suet
    May 29, 2023 at 2:09 am | #

    Years come and years go, and Becky still has a soft spot for Dorothy’s downfall. Well I can’t let Dorothy self-destruct, it’d be too easy now for Becky to see!!

    Hello plaid jacket on Becky’s mess, been a while.

  23. Lingo
    Lingo
    May 29, 2023 at 2:27 am | #

    Gasp! What if Dumbing of Age is actually Dorothy’s Villain Origin Story?
    (This has probably been said before but it’s the first time I’ve thought of it, so)

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      May 29, 2023 at 8:49 am | #

      She just wants some fast food breakfast but they won’t make her any because it’s 10:01.

  24. Autogatos
    Autogatos
    May 29, 2023 at 5:05 am | #

    I misread that last label as “That’s just spontaneous greatness” and didn’t really question it because it sounds like something Becky would say XD

    Sometimes Becky really reminds me of my kid, she too seems to spontaneously generate mess (and would describe it as “spontaneous greatness.”)

    • Autogatos
      Autogatos
      May 29, 2023 at 5:06 am | #

      Label?? I meant panel. Wow my brain really isn’t working today. How do I English

      • Clif
        Clif
        May 29, 2023 at 8:42 pm | #

        How do I English? Let me count the ways.

        Voluminously, sarcastically, trippingly upon the tongue. Above all ,goodly, and like a drunken sailor adrift on the seas of fate after ingesting a quart and half of LSD and a couple of mixed metaphors.

        • Opus the Poet
          Opus the Poet
          May 29, 2023 at 9:58 pm | #

          I recognized that reference dot gif. And GIGGLES…

  25. thumb
    thumb
    May 29, 2023 at 5:27 am | #

    haha, definitely not foreshadowing.
    haha, Dorothy will definitely not be in trouble by the end of the arc.
    haha, definitely not in really big trouble.

    • Masumi
      Masumi
      May 29, 2023 at 7:55 am | #

      Stop jinxing!

  26. Clif
    Clif
    May 29, 2023 at 6:41 am | #

    I have piles of stuff that spontaneously generate, but it usually involves paper rather than clothes.

  27. JoyceisGoingtoHeck
    JoyceisGoingtoHeck
    May 29, 2023 at 8:23 am | #

    “Is Becky in trouble?”

    “Not with me”

  28. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    May 29, 2023 at 8:31 am | #

    Becky’s committed to the sitcom roommate tropes, I’ll give her that.

  29. Keulen
    Keulen
    May 29, 2023 at 11:04 am | #

    In college I was the neat freak, and every roommate I had was messy like Becky. I hated it and refused to clean their mess piles, and just shifted it away from my stuff. After 2 years of messy roommates I got single dorm rooms for the rest of my college years.

  30. Yumi
    Yumi
    May 29, 2023 at 11:36 am | #

    1. Went back to the strips where they broke into Becky’s old house (to see if there were signs of Becky’s messiness there) and now I’m SAD.

    2.I know people were talking about, what if Joe saved Joyce from hee mom, but also, what if Becky? Could also be good. I imagine that if Becky glanced out her window and saw Carol out by Joyce, Becky would be down there in a *second.*

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      May 29, 2023 at 6:26 pm | #

      I’m sure she would, but she already knows Carol dislikes her. Joe would be new interaction, also he’s big so he can pack mule the boxes.

  31. danimagoo
    danimagoo
    May 29, 2023 at 11:38 am | #

    *looks around my office* Huh. I am Becky, but with paperwork instead of clothes.

    • nicoleandmaggie
      nicoleandmaggie
      May 29, 2023 at 2:01 pm | #

      me too!

  32. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    May 29, 2023 at 6:48 pm | #

    My freshman roommate kept a pile of clothes to land on, when he got out or the top bunk. I think they were clean. After I pulled two all-nighters in a row, it looked like they were breathing. The pile of clothes appeared to breath, I mean. my roommate always breathed.

    • Clif
      Clif
      May 29, 2023 at 8:29 pm | #

      As far as you know.

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        May 29, 2023 at 10:26 pm | #

        I should have checked with a mirror every night while he was sleeping. That’s a tip for any college bound kids. keep a log in a little notepad.

  33. Axel
    Axel
    May 29, 2023 at 9:09 pm | #

    I feel becky really hard on this. Different situations but the house seems to only get dirtier the more I clean it. Like, we clean up all the stuff in the way of something, then tomorrow not only is more stuff there, but it has spread out further.

  34. Alan Lafond
    Alan Lafond
    May 29, 2023 at 10:21 pm | #

    Top of the pile looking a little “sus” to me…. I think yellow needs to be ejected. 😀

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