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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 11h
Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com ⋅ 12h
trash panzer @panzertron.bsky.social ⋅ 18h
Meredith Rose @mrose.ink ⋅ 1d
Alex Wayne @aawayne.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
David F Walker a.k.a. BadAzz MoFo @davidfwalker.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Arren @arrenm.bsky.social ⋅ 3m
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
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Walky would’ve helped with the math, but he’s having a little trouble with that right now.
let the guilt gnaw at your soul, like a dog on an old bone
I’m not worried at all…
let the guilt gnaw at your soul, like the guilt gnaws at a dog on an old bone.
Maybe Jason can ,,fix” that.
Sal as a bodyguard? Nah,won’t work.
And here I thought Joyce was good at math.
It doesn’t take rocket science to know that if you put in half your effort into your college classes your going to get your assistance handed to you.
Hah…
Hahah…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Poor Joyce…
Yeah
It’s a long way to Tipperary to the Swedish girl I know.
Goodbye to Noah Beery, Hello Harold Lloyd!
Mike, you wanna hand me my plans? Huh, look at that, breach hull, I’ll die. Even had it underlined.
I’m experiencing a sensation altogether new to me. And frankly, I LOVE IT.
I only recognized Joyce’s fragment because of Snoopy.
Well believe me, Mike, I calculated the odds of this succeeding versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid, and…I went ahead anyway.
That’s right Joyce can’t walk alone yet.
Yeah, that panel 4 with the thousand yard stare and the gripping of the trigger hand is just… oof. That’s some intense PTSD. Which maybe this may be the beginning of more direct help as I doubt Sal would be so heartless to leave someone in the midst of a complete flashback meltdown and she’s historically been the quickest to notice things like that and the one to treat the issue the most seriously (see her laying the smackdown on her brother for not taking no for an answer to teasing).
She’s really not in a remotely good place psychologically.
Of course, in that same panel, Walky’s suffering from some PTSD (Post-Test Stress Disorder) of his own.
(Or, perhaps, Post-Test Studying Disorder?)
Wouldn’t that be Pre-Test Studying Disorder?
There have been two tests so far, although they might be better considered quizzes.
Five tests, actually. First one is what prompted Joyce to recommend Sal to go to a tutor.
Second is when Sal pointed out Jason’s tutoring made her grades worse.
Third, Sal starts to get better grades.
Fourth is Sal’s 80+ grade.
Fifth is this week’s.
Makes it sound like they have a weekly revision quiz.
Actually make that six. There was another quiz after the Sal/Jason sex where her grades didn’t improve at all.
And after the sexual performance quiz, the quiz in class after that, where her grades didn’t improve at all.
What seems odd about that to me is the focus on quizzes instead of homework in a math class. It’s been a long time since I was in college, but math was all about the homework – do a whole bunch of problems, practice, practice, practice.
I don’t remember quizzes. Tests, of course, but maybe 3-4 per semester. And problems to do for every class.
Which worked for me. I never studied, as such. Just did the homework and probably another set of problems before tests. No poring over class notes and the book, other than figuring out how to do the assigned work. You learn math by doing lots of it, not by reading about it.
No, Marcie! Don’t go!
So, is Joyce just going to hide behind Sal like she’s a cartoon lamppost?
Sal has a Joyce in her hammerspace whether she likes it or not, it seems.
Awww, Joyce is still scared to walk alone. :/
It’s only been two or three weeks.
Walky is too freaked out over his grade trauma to be worried about Joyce’s personal safety issues.
I don’t think Walky even knows about Joyce’s issues, does he? Sal told him not to make jokes at her, but I don’t think she explained why.
Iirc he’s one of the few people who know about that party. (He wanted them to buy pj pants, which Dorothy redirected that they go for a fun distraction together.) Joyce doesn’t like him, but she hangs out with him because he’s safe. I don’t think he knows that she’s afraid to walk alone.
Does he even know that? I’m not sure how much attention to context he was paying at the time. He wanted pajama jeans and just waited until a woman was available to order them for him. He’s shown no consideration for her emotions since the party, no interest in if she’s recovering, constantly jokes about her sexuality and since nobody is talking about it it might have just gone completely over his head.
He knows what happened. http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-2/01-pajama-jeans/nightmare/ (I mean he could have forgotten, that’s a possibility too)
He just doesn’t realize how much of an effect it has had on Joyce. (Partly because he’s insensitive to Joyce’s feelings. Though another part of it is that Joyce is good at keeping some of those feelings bottled up)
Joyce is hella good at repressing things. Responded to the wrong comment earlier…
Walky was around for the morning after and knows that Joyce was attacked at a party. Only Ethan and Amazi Girl know about Joyce’s panic attacks though.
Yes, that. I meant to say this but Stoneheart said it more coherently. Goodnight!
After a night’s sleep I just realized that the only person who knows about what happened to Joyce, and Joyce’s response to the trauma is Amazi Girl.
She’s hella good at repressing things.
That’s been my impression, too. He may know about what happened at the party, but that doesn’t mean he understand at all that it still affects her. And Joyce seems to be mostly burying what happened.
It’s interesting to note Joyce is exactly the sort of person Sal would probably have a lot of fun with. Sal’s biggest problem is people who look down on her, are hypocrites, and force her into various boxes–while Joyce looks up to her and is completely transparent in her motivations. Plus, Sal is a relatively sweet girl on the inside like Joyce.
Dunno. I think Sal could respect Joyce if she got to know her, but would get bored to death if she hung out with her for any length of time.
It’s a long way, to Tipperary, to the sweetest girl I know…!”
Joyce! Maybe you should ask a famous WWI flying ace to walk with you!
People look at you funny if you try talking to dogs in any meaningful way, though.
And yet saying gibberish like “Whosa good boy, den?” in a silly voice is considered acceptable.
Because people know animals are mostly responding to your tone and won’t understand 99% of what you say. Happy gibberish is acceptable, thoughtful conversation gets your judgement questioned.
Dogs are actually sentient beings from the planet Canis, and understand everything you say perfectly. They have found humans mostly benign and harmless goofballs, and are currently no threat to their planet’s existence.
Still, their advance scouts and science interns are continuously sent to Earth to keep watch on us. Also, because: bacon.
I love the Far Side one where ‘what dogs really hear is “blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Ginger blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Ginger”.’
+1
Ginger
Ahhhhh Far Side comics! I miss those, that was one of my favorites!
Funny, what I hear is “blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Dana blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Dana”
I don’t know, there was at least one reported case of a dog being thought to be deaf simply because its owners were not speaking in Polish and the dog would only respond to commands in Polish.
Yes, they are trained to respond to specific commands, that’s the 1%.
Frankly, if you’re talking to a dog that seems to have opposable thumbs and walks on 2 feet, the fact that you’re talking to it like a person will hardly be the most notable oddity.
A police dept in Montana got a bomb sniffing dog who was trained in Israel and only new hebrew. They found a local rabbi to teach the handler how to pronounce the dogs commands so he would recognize them.
Palamdrone, do I sense Dr Johnson in your comment?
‘A famous WWI flying ace’ could also be read as Flashheart.
Who, funnily enough, says ‘WOOF!’ far more often than Snoopy.
One/Is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do…
Ah, so YOU’VE done the math.
Didn’t we grow up on Schoolhouse Rock?
Hey, man, two can be as bad as one. It’s the loneliest number since the number one!
And, of course, no is the saddest experience you’ll ever know.
I literally am only familiar with that song because in the 90’s Winnie the Pooh cartoon, Gopher referenced it once.
I know it because of Shrek 2 I think.
Y’all are making me feel ancient. It was one of the songs we learned in, like, Grade Three (along with “Yellow Submarine” and “Little Deuce Coupe”).
Well, I do know “Yellow Submarine”.
Silly Sal. Nobody does the math. Mathin is fer yellow bellies. Like reading.
(What are the odds that anyone will remember what that’s from? Has it been that long that that reference has become meaningless?)
I recall a TV show called “Yellow Belly” on SCTV. I don’t recall if there was anything about mathin in it.
Silly Sal!
Trix are for kids!
(I know this sin’t your reference; I simply had to say it, though.
)
Odds are about as good as Sal actually
reading the computer manualgiving Joyce a chance.Not everyone just more than just the one because let’s be honest Sal your smothering Marcie.
Aw, Joyce.
It’s a pretty serious trauma though if she panics whenever she’s alone outside. At some point, she’s going to have to call that number Roz gave her, she’s not in a good place, right now.
How long has it been in comic-time?
A few weeks. Not very long at all, really. Definitely well before a bunch of dumb kids will realize ‘she isn’t going to get any better’.
I wonder if she even remembers about it. Seems like it’d be a good time for her to go through her pockets and stumble upon it…
I knew of a guy who was able to breeze through academic practices of learning despite seeming pretty damn ignorant of the amount of effort it takes some people. Walky seems to fall into this category, but has recently felt the crunch of a change up in the substance of work expected of him. Hope he gets his stuff together.
I think the pose of sheer affront Sal is taking because of Joyce is downright adorable, which is saying something, seeing as she doesn’t really go for those visual cues. She’s getting to the point of not being allowed to do her own thing, & it looks like she’s about to throw a very vehement tantrum/put-down! If she stamps her feet while her arms are by her side like that, down the line of this chapter, I’ll quite honestly guffaw.
Marcie skates weird. Dont you wanna push with the foot that will be in the back?
Also, she’s a goofy foot.
Aw, c’mon Sal figure it out
FWIW, I think that Sal is annoyed with Marcie being unavailable. People are less thoughtful than they should be when they’re annoyed and Sal isn’t an exception to that rule, I suppose.
Joyce needs an inspirational theme song, might I gently recommend Gerry and the Pacemakers.
dang it walky
NOOOOOOOOOO, don’t leave Joyce alone
And did Marcie hear Joyce’s farewell?
She’s mute, not deaf.
So, when is Joyce going to face this particular demon?
I imagine something like this takes a looooong time to work through. Probably made worse by how repressed Joyce is.
Walky! Go and @$#%ing study!
So, does Sal ever smoke cigarettes, or does she just keep one unlit in her mouth all the time?
You can see her lighting it in yesterday’s comic. With a match, in case you were looking for a lighter.
Also you can see smoke in the third panel today.
So, not like Barbara in Wilde Life, then?
(Happy birthday WL!)
Thanks, I have just now read most of WL, now. I need to get to bed!
(I have even hooked another friend, after sending her to the
comments, to see Paz!’s Stup’d Thor comics…she is now tackling the
WL, too!)
At some point, someone is going to have to get Joyce to confront this fear. Given what she went through, it isn’t totally irrational but it is clearly becoming disabling. I would understand if she didn’t want to accept professional assistance (that would inevitably involve notifying her parents and I’m sure that is what she’s trying to avoid). However, she needs to have help in confronting those demons.
I agree but the problem is nobody knows she has this fear.
Seeking professional help will not involve notifying her parents. Patient/Doctor confidentiality laws would mean that Joyce could tell her parents only if and when she felt like it was okay and safe to do so. No professional help for this issue will require parental notification.
Important to point that out in case others are in Joyce’s situation.
The doctor would presumably expect to be paid, though. And Joyce doesn’t have a job or anything, so where would she get the cash from?
Unless there’s a free psychologist on campus, and in my experience they tend not to be able to see the same person for more than a few weeks. After that, they want to shift you off onto someone that costs money.
Ah, right, she’s in the States. >< I was all like, "But she'd just have to go in and show them her card…"
Why the hell don't you guys have universal health care down there yet? You're the only first world country that doesn't, you know.
Not trying to start anything; it just sucks unreasonably for you guys, that's all.
It’s mind-boggling, isn’t it. But at the same time, considering how things work over there, it isn’t that surprising; given the unlimited power of money in politics in thee US, it’s probably pretty easy for health insurance companies to pay politicians to make sure the system stays as it is; as profitable for them as possible. : /
Eh, you try doing anything progressive with Texas in your country.
(Sorry, Texans, I get grumpy every once in a while. I know it’s not just your legislators.)
Someone once asked me “Why does anyone live anywhere that isn’t the US? What do other countries have that we don’t?” I responded with “free healthcare.”
The End
Not necessarily true if it’s a campus therapist. Most cities also have rape crisis centers with sliding scale/sometimes free therapy. There are options where her family would not be involved. But almost nobody I know was ready for therapy 3 weeks after sexual assault. It took me 13 years.
Maybe it depends on the campus, but here at U. of Miami they will only refer you if you have like major issues that the counseling centre can’t handle on their own (like schizophrenia or other very serious issues that can’t be helped with just talk therapy). And the counseling centre is indeed free.
Also fun fact about doctor/patient confidentiality: There is a caveat for breaking it: if the doctor deems you to be a threat to yourself or others dr/patient confidentiality goes out the window. But Joyce doesn’t seem to be headed down that kind of path so in-comic-wise her parents wouldn’t need to be notified.
Does Joyce know any of that though? Considering where she came from, “Getting professional help” probably means talking to a pastor or youth group leader who is expected to report everything.
Also feeling shitty because it’s been a decade since this, but I briefly had a friend who, like Joyce, was afraid to walk to class by herself. I knew she’d been assaulted in high school but I never put two-and-two together. The rest of the time she was pretty bossy and self-centered, so it never occurred to me that she had a genuine fear she was dealing with. I still wouldn’t have stayed her friend, but I probably wouldn’t have ditched her as much.
I wonder if she could talk to Jocelyn?
Probably? But she doesn’t know that she knows Jocelyn, yet.
–Huh. “Joyce” is a short form of “Jocelyn,” isn’t it? I wonder if there’s some kind of subtext there or something? Unable to fully articulate the nebulous question I have.
Short form of Jocelyne is “Joss.” Though see this month’s Patreon bonus strip for elaboration on the subject.
Huh. Walky is safe but Sal isn’t.
I’m mean she’s safer than being alone
But Joyce is relaxed with Walky, and she’s clearly not relaxed now
i think its more that walky is a safe bet she can normally count on, whereas Sal doesnt usually stick around long. I dont think she feels unsafe around Sal. But without a guarantee Sal will stay with her, or at least escort her back to the dorm, joyce is left feeling pretty vulnerable.
Maybe she’s not relaxed because she can’t be sure what Sal will do in this situation, as she isn’t one of the people who make sure Joyce never has to walk alone outside.
If Sal knew, I think she would help. Likely she may even help Joyce stand up to the fear.
On the other hand, I don’t think Sal will take over as a full fledged nurse-maid either. She just may join the brigade keeping an eye on Joyce though.
For those people commenting something to the effect of suggestions for how Joyce can and should get over this…please understand that it doesn’t work like that for everyone. I’m not even convinced that it works like that for most people.
Sexual assault (even attempted) is not something you “get over” in a couple of weeks. My own experience happened 16 years ago and I still get a week or two here and there where I can’t deal with being alone in the house or going outside alone.
Therapy helps a LOT, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t still take a while to feel safe again. It’s sad, and it’s embarrassing, but it just takes however long it takes.
“Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi1dCBWQROw
“Could you please oblige us with a Brenn gun?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnFO5l63BGI
Wrong war. “Tipperary” and “Pack Up Your Troubles” are both from WWI; “Bren Gun” is about WWII.
The little i know about this sort of thing says that Joyce’s anxiety would be triggered by party’s, situations that remind her of the one in which was attacked, perhaps a guy she doesn’t know flirting with her, someone handing her a glass of soda. Does it happen irl as here that she reacts to guys she sees walking nearby when she’s alone outdoors? I’m curious because I don’t know. I do know a CBT who claims to have a lot of success helping people escape from ptsd flashbacks and other anxiety attacks by learning to NOT react to triggers.
It’s more of a case that she feels unsafe in environments that she can’t keep relatively controlled like her dorm room and other enclosed bits of the campus. Her infamous nightmare sequence proved that she’s afraid of her attacker coming back to finish the job.
The way my assault happened is NOTHING like the things that trigger freak-outs. Sometimes showers weird me out like I’m worried that someone might break in while I’m not looking, but that is not what happened in my case. Sometimes I find it hard to sleep with my back to the doorway for the same reason.
You get fear triggers from weird things unfortunately, I wish it was just a case of the same situations. Certainly so close to the attack it’s easy to feel terrified of almost everything.
Long story short, it’s not unusual for Joyce to be freaking out anytime she feels unprotected even if the situation varies from the one in which she was endangered.
Not that I’m a therapist or anything, but maybe some self-defense classes might help you feel more secure outside? Just knowing that you could defend yourself if needed. I don’t know. I feel unhelpful. *hugs*? *vague hug-motion from a distance in case you don’t like physical contact*?
For the record: Amber had self-defense classes after what happened with Sal, and look what happened to her.
She gained confidence and became a stronger person? It had a positive effect, it just isn’t enough on it’s own.
I WISH PTSD were that linear. Then I could just avoid kids’ climbing structures and knitting groups (2 different incidences). Sometimes, people get triggered and don’t even understand why.
Food, smells, movies, clothes…these are all things that have the possibility of triggering me. The slightly obvious one is being alone with a strange man, (i knew my attacker, so it’s kind of odd that that’s a trigger) but if you offer me a brownie, there’s a possibility I might be triggered. If I’m in the store and see Lucky Charms, I might be triggered.
You do have to learn how to recognize the trigger, and let it pass, but it takes a long time to be able to make that happen. It’s been more than a year and I still am working on mine. It’s only been a few weeks for her. I think her response makes a lot of sense, especially since it’s been shown that she sees him everywhere when she’s alone. Everyone is a potential threat in her eyes.
Is it weird that I don’t have PTSD?
WOO! I did the Italics right!
It’s a Christmas miracle!
Wait, WALKY skip lunch??? Is that even possible? Does he mean skip his meal plan meal or skip lunch entirely. If he means skip eating entirely he must be WAY more upset by his grades than is even apparent on the surface. I thought constant eating was as much a part of his persona as cruising through classes.
He ate a lot of paper
I also think that a close-encounter with reality has stolen his appetite!
Probably just wants to be alone. He’ll probably get some fast food and sob into his fries. That’s what I would do.
But fries are salty!
That sounds painful!
I’m kinda surprised by the emphasis is Sal’s first panel – I would have expected it to be “MY best and only friend”…
No, she’s specifically trying to throw a bucket of cold water over Joyce’s presumption that they might be friends. “She is my ONLY friend!”
Yep. She’s not saying “don’t try being Marcie’s friend”, she’s saying “don’t try being MY friend”.
Joyce’s chances of riding Sal’s motorcycle without dropping the f-bomb seem to be rising.
OK, the math here is simple.
You start with Willis’ DISAPPOINT formula, and plug in your values:
Sal + Joyce = DISAPPOINT
You then solve for Sal:
Sal + Joyce – Joyce = DISAPPOINT – Joyce
Sal = DISAPPOINT – Joyce
Now, we interpret the results. Sal is clearly disappointed, and wants Joyce gone.
There! Math, done!
huh.
Thanks for the math lesson!
Oh no! Joyce.
Is it my imagination or is Joyce standing so close to Sal that she is inside her hair?
I think that very thing has become Joyce’s vision of heaven
“who’s the girl in the biker jacket?”
“Oh, her? that’s Sal. She’s Joyce’s rape shield.”
Said no one ever.
Dude no
Maybe Walky is going to to the math.
Joyce, if you can, say “I don’t feel safe on my own, will you please walk with me?” Sal knows what happened, I’m…uh. I’m sort of sure she’d say okay. I don’t think she’s that heartless. I guess we’ll see?
(I’ve had to do that with friends. I’ve had to say “hey I don’t feel safe with strange men, will you stay with me?” and they ALWAYS say yes. Sal may not consider Joyce a friend…but I think she’d help)
Pretty sure she would. The question is whether Joyce will have the sense to explain
Maybe it’s about time that Sal did the Math.
Hints were dropped previously that this in-comic days would be taking a dark turn, and we’ve seen a bunch of emotional Joyce preview panels. It seems that we’re on the verge of aforementioned dark turn now. Will Joyce end up having a severe panic attack that lands her in the ER? We know that someone will be ending up in the hospital. It could be her.
Thank goodness, all the sweetness and light has been nice but you need a bit of darkness and shadow to appreciate the light even more
I think that’s just you. I can appreciate two girls in love talking about dinosaurs without any darkness whatsoever.
Its true, I loves me some good drama
I am both disappointed and amused when the hovertext just says what I was already thinking. Disappused?
I went back through some of the “Joyce & Walky” comics to find the «GLOMP!» onomatopoeia (20060225) and saw the comic in which Ruth talks about having sex with Ryan.
I hadn’t made the connection… “Oh, _THAT_ fucking shit-bag Ryan!!”
!
That doesn’t violate the conservation of sexuality across Willisverses?
I’m sure Sal will figure it out pretty fast, actually care as she is capable of that, then… Something
SO NO ONE IS GONNA COMMENT ON HER SKATING MONGO??? GOODBYE FOREVER