My boxer is like that too. If you close a door and he wants inside to cuddle, he’ll cry until you open it. And once you open it, he will POUT because how dare you have a door shut.
Indeed.
I have, on more than one occasion, yelled at my cat that I don’t stick my head in HER box when she’s using the facilities, so why does she fell compelled to do so to me?
She has yet to give me a proper response.
I think it has to do with them being descended from pack animals. They’re keeping an eye on you while you’re in an awkward position so as to defend you if any predators try to attack.
If you’ve seen people doing magic tricks for cats, it seems that they have object permanence enough to be aware when their human suddenly disappear, but not enough to be aware there are rooms of their apartment that are out of sight. They may have no concept that there are things behind a closed door, which has to be confusing when they’re aware you are there
I grew up with two cats. One would wait for you to finish showering so she could sleep in the warm, humid bathroom. The other would meow and paw at the door until you opened it, so he could come in and drink from the faucet. He got bathroom faucet drinks at least once every day for seventeen years; it’s a good thing we never got a kind of faucet he could operate because we know for damn sure the smart little bugger would have figured it out.
You think we didn’t have several of those over the years? We had the ones that dribbled water over an upside-down bowl and the kind that made a little water arc. Those were okay, but he loved splashing in the faucet water and sticking his entire head under it so he could drink the runoff. None of the pet fountains we tried gave him enough room to do that to his satisfaction.
Besides, even if we got him the best fountain in the world, he was cat. Cats never do what you want them to.
are you sure he’s taken?
are she sure?
you know, god has misterious ways…
she could get lucky and get a manly man, and a bay and dodge the pregnacy altogheter…
she could dream…
🙂
Joyce’s “OMG BABY” expressions are adorable (and I commend Willis for drawing that, the plaid, AND the tiny human strapped to another human all in one strip)
Yes, the baby is adorable, Joyce, but seriously? My university has a daycare and people bring their kids all the time. Hell, I’ve had no fewer than three profs bring their kids to class and just tell them to stay quiet while mom/dad taught.
Probably not as much exposure as she would get at church and other community places, though. I definitely had stretches of time in college where I wasn’t encountering babies– I’d say especially in my first few months, when I was mostly sticking to the campus and most people in my classes were a year or two out of high school.
Weird. The university where I teach has a policy specifically saying not to bring kids to class. Teachers and paying students only (and I guess auditors).
Hm, weird! I definitely had professors and classmates who brought kids to class, just not so much my first semester, and they were usually older than baby age.
It was especially fun when they would say something in class.
Oh, my professors didn’t bring babies, but school aged children. It was mature students and relatives of students who brought babies, usually while shopping or meeting people.
When I went to Stanford ’87 to ’91 I don’t remember ever seeing a baby on campus. I don’t remember knowing any grad students with children (only a few were married). And yes, I hung out with grad students all four years (mainly in CS).
A lot of us damn millennials had to put off going to a proper university until we had established a real cash flow and our social lives because hey, 2009 recession! Graduating in our late 20’s to early 30’s is just a thing right now.
Oftentimes baby comes in somewhere along that line.
And then we get blamed for all the problems our Boomer parents caused (and the decisions they made like the “participation trophies” they hold up as an example), until finally they’re blaming us for everything current college students are doing.
I can honestly say I’ve never had a favorable reaction to a small human. Fortunately, I realized this while still in college and made the decision I wasn’t going to participate. I also discussed it with my future Darling Bride before we got married. I think we’re well past that possibility now.
I react okay to kids, like, ones old enough to have a personality, but a (large) part of that is self training, so that I’m not scowling at kids who aren’t doing anything wrong, or going out of my way to squeeze around them instead of saying excuse me, etc, because although I might not like kids or want them around, I really do want to acknowledge to them that they are people and they don’t deserve to be scolded/glared at just for existing or being underfoot. I had a shitty childhood and I don’t want to contribute to others having one.
(if a kid is acting up, if anything be mad at the parent, but that depends on if the parent is ignoring the kid, bullying the kid, or genuinely trying to do something to make it better)
(I generally don’t spare a glance at a baby, as I’m not worried about stepping on them or anything, since they’re usually being carried in some way.)
No, Harrison is a lawyer who works, or worked, for an organization probably something like the ACLU. She mentioned he was on the team that struck down an anti-transgender law.
IIRC he’s been established previously as a lawyer, one of whose most recent cases involved fighting for transgender civil rights. On mobile at the moment, will try to pull up the relevant link soon.
Looks like a relative of Jacob’s, same jawline, same nose also wears glasses, but old enough to have a child, father maybe? Does Jacob have an infant brother?
I’m ashamed of myself. I spent yesterday trying to figure out who this baby might be related to (besides on he’s strapped to), and I just realizes this is probably Sarah’s brother for her birthday. I feel like a fool.
i mean we also get villainized for not being like this, or for liking certain kinds of coffees or wearing certain clothes or wanting bodily autonomy, but sure go ahead and whine about how free women are
Eh, not a super big fan of B U I L T dudes, anyways.
But I mean, take what I consider attractive with a grain of salt, being aro/ace and all… it’s more like appreciating fine art.
Completely unrelated to this exact comic, but I was about to sleep and my brain asked “If Galasso doesn’t understand gender… could they be non-binary?”
calling it now: joyce will make a fantastic impression on harrison, and raidah will end up annoying him through her over-zealous desire to impress him.
this will ripple out to jacob reevaluating his relationship with raidah, and eventually lead to him getting with joyce.
I’m referring to the grasp reflex. Touch the tip of your finger to the palm of a baby’s hand — even a newborn will clench its little hand around it and hold on for dear life.
New character needs a voice actor! Because why not.
My vote goes to Khary Payton, with a tone similar to the one he uses as Cyborg in DC cartoons. I hear Jacob with Earl Alexander’s “Louis from Left 4 Dead” voice, and to me it seems plausible that they could be related.
Her reaction to the baby doesn’t surprise me at all, considering the cult/”religion” she came from encourages girls from a very young age to push one out every year of their fertile lives.
Loading ...
it’s like when you try to eat around a cat or dog, but it’s Joyce
I don’t know why my cat is so offended that I choose to poop in solitude.
cat: “Are you gonna lick that”
Mine seems to think that any closed door means that we don’t love him any more.
My dad’s newest beagle is like that. On an wholy unrelated note, his house now only has doors on the bathrooms and the outside.
I choose to believe the beagle has a doghouse with doors.
Pretty sure the beagles believe that too.
My boxer is like that too. If you close a door and he wants inside to cuddle, he’ll cry until you open it. And once you open it, he will POUT because how dare you have a door shut.
Indeed.
I have, on more than one occasion, yelled at my cat that I don’t stick my head in HER box when she’s using the facilities, so why does she fell compelled to do so to me?
She has yet to give me a proper response.
I think it has to do with them being descended from pack animals. They’re keeping an eye on you while you’re in an awkward position so as to defend you if any predators try to attack.
Aw. How sweet.
Aww my baby love me!!
If you’ve seen people doing magic tricks for cats, it seems that they have object permanence enough to be aware when their human suddenly disappear, but not enough to be aware there are rooms of their apartment that are out of sight. They may have no concept that there are things behind a closed door, which has to be confusing when they’re aware you are there
I grew up with two cats. One would wait for you to finish showering so she could sleep in the warm, humid bathroom. The other would meow and paw at the door until you opened it, so he could come in and drink from the faucet. He got bathroom faucet drinks at least once every day for seventeen years; it’s a good thing we never got a kind of faucet he could operate because we know for damn sure the smart little bugger would have figured it out.
Which would be fine, except they never figure out how to turn them off.
Similar to learning their name, they’d figure it out; they just wouldn’t care. Not like they have to worry about the water bill.
Do you know how many options there are for pet water fountains?
You think we didn’t have several of those over the years? We had the ones that dribbled water over an upside-down bowl and the kind that made a little water arc. Those were okay, but he loved splashing in the faucet water and sticking his entire head under it so he could drink the runoff. None of the pet fountains we tried gave him enough room to do that to his satisfaction.
Besides, even if we got him the best fountain in the world, he was cat. Cats never do what you want them to.
“Faucet water is best water”, say a large percentage of cats. I also know this firsthand.
One of our cat’s favorite water is to lick it off the side of the bathtub after you finish showering. The other one will lick it off your leg.
also this dream daddy makes me think of if you combined Craig + Mat
If those are Jaime’s first words, then Joyce is already a better influence than Hazel over at GWS.
Better keep him away from Amber, too.
Gawd, I forgot that!
He’s taken too, Joyce.
Pretty sure she isnt interested in him. Just the baby. The most I see happening with big brother is offering herself as a babysitter.
are you sure he’s taken?
are she sure?
you know, god has misterious ways…
she could get lucky and get a manly man, and a bay and dodge the pregnacy altogheter…
she could dream…
🙂
Joyce’s “OMG BABY” expressions are adorable (and I commend Willis for drawing that, the plaid, AND the tiny human strapped to another human all in one strip)
Will Joyce start singing the Bieber song?
oh no
Depends on how it’s sung.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbNwvQXkYrY
Let’s pray that doesn’t happen. The baby doesn’t meed a bad influence.
Ohhhhhhh baby baby baby ohhhhhhh
Joyce would definitely sing this version of That Song.
(Please work)
Didn’t I say the Harrison visit would be a nexus of chaos?
*Gets popcorn* It begins.
True, but as a prediction it would be more impressive if the semester hadn’t already been a nexus of chaos.
Lead on, McDuff…
Just as long as MacDuff can lay on as well… 😛
Don’t do that in front of the baby.
it’s “lay on”, not “lead on”. you know, the hacking and killing and stuff.
Li’l guy’s a fast learner!
Yes, the baby is adorable, Joyce, but seriously? My university has a daycare and people bring their kids all the time. Hell, I’ve had no fewer than three profs bring their kids to class and just tell them to stay quiet while mom/dad taught.
Probably not as much exposure as she would get at church and other community places, though. I definitely had stretches of time in college where I wasn’t encountering babies– I’d say especially in my first few months, when I was mostly sticking to the campus and most people in my classes were a year or two out of high school.
Maybe it’s just ’cause my campus is huge and crawling with mature students with kids. I see babies all the time.
Weird. The university where I teach has a policy specifically saying not to bring kids to class. Teachers and paying students only (and I guess auditors).
Like I said, my campus is huge and classes that size don’t take attendance. What’s anyone gonna do, call a cop? 😛
Hm, weird! I definitely had professors and classmates who brought kids to class, just not so much my first semester, and they were usually older than baby age.
It was especially fun when they would say something in class.
Oh, my professors didn’t bring babies, but school aged children. It was mature students and relatives of students who brought babies, usually while shopping or meeting people.
When I went to Stanford ’87 to ’91 I don’t remember ever seeing a baby on campus. I don’t remember knowing any grad students with children (only a few were married). And yes, I hung out with grad students all four years (mainly in CS).
Maybe we just have lots of older folks coming in or lots of people with older siblings with kids/baby siblings?
Fuckin’ babies. Walking around in public.Who do they think they are?
I know. They’ll grow up thinking they’re people. 😛
Wage slavery will cure that soon enough.
I laughed and then I cried.
It’s funny because it’s true.
And then it’s depressing because it’s true…
A lot of us damn millennials had to put off going to a proper university until we had established a real cash flow and our social lives because hey, 2009 recession! Graduating in our late 20’s to early 30’s is just a thing right now.
Oftentimes baby comes in somewhere along that line.
Makes sense, I guess. Most of the people I know seem to be coming back to further career requirements or to get a second grad degree.
And then we get blamed for all the problems our Boomer parents caused (and the decisions they made like the “participation trophies” they hold up as an example), until finally they’re blaming us for everything current college students are doing.
I know that’s the Indiana Daily Student, but at first I thought it was SP! and wondered how Shortpacked! got published here.
I had that thought when I saw this on Patreon, and posted about it, and Willis himself posted this (note logo in upper left corner).
Bonus: the article is a front-page obituary for Herman B. Wells, he for whom the Herman B. Wells Library of Nightguy fame is named.
There is a Herman B. Wells statue somewhere on campus. I’m trying to figure out how to goad Willis into putting it into a DoA strip.
I also thought it said SP! Could have been a fun reference, but SP! ‘s a store, so we may still see it in another form…?
Is shortpacked the school newspaper? … Who is writing it?
Willard Davis.
I thought he wrote That is Walkerton. (Also, curse my midnight brain. Is shortpacked IN* the school newspaper. Gosh.)
So is this the perfect brother of Joyce’s love interest?
Probably not. My guess would be someone visiting Sarah on her birthday. Probably one of the B’s. Brother? Boyfriend? Baby daddy?
Sorry, Jacob has mentioned in past strips that his brother’s name is Harrison, and that he has a kid.
His smiles (especially panel 2) and something about how he talks are very Jacoby
He is and he brought a tiny human with him!
He looks nothing like Dorothy.
This, right here? Completely perplexing to me. Aaaand that’s why I’m never having kids!
I can honestly say I’ve never had a favorable reaction to a small human. Fortunately, I realized this while still in college and made the decision I wasn’t going to participate. I also discussed it with my future Darling Bride before we got married. I think we’re well past that possibility now.
Babies are cute, but they are also more work and responsibility than I think I will ever want to take on.
I react okay to kids, like, ones old enough to have a personality, but a (large) part of that is self training, so that I’m not scowling at kids who aren’t doing anything wrong, or going out of my way to squeeze around them instead of saying excuse me, etc, because although I might not like kids or want them around, I really do want to acknowledge to them that they are people and they don’t deserve to be scolded/glared at just for existing or being underfoot. I had a shitty childhood and I don’t want to contribute to others having one.
(if a kid is acting up, if anything be mad at the parent, but that depends on if the parent is ignoring the kid, bullying the kid, or genuinely trying to do something to make it better)
(I generally don’t spare a glance at a baby, as I’m not worried about stepping on them or anything, since they’re usually being carried in some way.)
I like other people’s kids.
Huh. . . Jacob’s bro looks to be a nice friendly dude. . . .How is he going to be an asshole I wonder?
. . .That’s a genuine question honestly. I think Raidah mentioned something about Harrison being a Doctor or a Political right?
Also *Baby*. . . Also called *Babeh*
I thought that was Sarah’s bro, visiting her for her birthday.
. . . Is it? I honestly thought that it was Jacob’s brother.
I was wrong and you were right. Harrison was established as Jacob’s brother over a year ago.
No, Harrison is a lawyer who works, or worked, for an organization probably something like the ACLU. She mentioned he was on the team that struck down an anti-transgender law.
How do y’all remember this stuff?
By forgetting everything that’s remotely useful. It leaves so much room in the memory banks for pointless nonsense!
Rereading the story multiple times is helpful. Time consuming, but helpful.
So is arguing about it for hours in the comments. 🙂
IIRC he’s been established previously as a lawyer, one of whose most recent cases involved fighting for transgender civil rights. On mobile at the moment, will try to pull up the relevant link soon.
Here you go. It was a pain to find, so might as well use it twice.
A link to Harrison being mentioned at coming to visit, to accompany Yumi’s link: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/numerous/
The stairs are in this darkened closet filled with ether!
Do Ethan and Jacob have a room next to the stairway?
Looks like a relative of Jacob’s, same jawline, same nose also wears glasses, but old enough to have a child, father maybe? Does Jacob have an infant brother?
Jacob has an older brother with a kid who was recently christened. I assume this is that brother, as he was mentioned to be visiting soon.
Right, I keep forgetting these guys are only a couple years away from being able to have kids themselves.
If they’re not careful, they’re more than old enough.
Most of them are young enough it would still be considered higher risk than average. Usually that stops around 19.
Baby?
B-A-B-Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZu6FMAksrs
No, no. Jamie is clearly an Adam Cole fan, lol!
https://youtu.be/zJU2bEMHnZM
Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
I’m ashamed of myself. I spent yesterday trying to figure out who this baby might be related to (besides on he’s strapped to), and I just realizes this is probably Sarah’s brother for her birthday. I feel like a fool.
There’s a good chance that’s Jacob’s brother, though.
The name Harrison is given here in the tags, and here is Jacob referring to his brother, Harrison, by name.
Then I must say, I’m impressed that a baby is already a lawyer.
Yes, it’s quite remarkable.
I like the fact that Joyce’s germophobia and messophobia doesn’t register with babies.
It’s a nice bit of realism and surprise that it has exceptions.
On this episode of “Things only a woman can say comfortably in public” . . .
i mean we also get villainized for not being like this, or for liking certain kinds of coffees or wearing certain clothes or wanting bodily autonomy, but sure go ahead and whine about how free women are
Different genders have different problems, it’s not a competition. And I calling a legit concern ‘whining’ is just insensitive.
When it comes to babies, I’m definitely the Joyce in my social circle.
The child-averse guy who is afraid that the infant will fall apart into two pieces while holding it? Yeah I’m that guy.
I know there’s a number of those, but I think this comic features only borderline cases…
Or am I missing one?
Not at all true here in nz
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2019/aug/22/new-zealand-speaker-feeds-mps-baby-during-parliament-debate-video
Baaaaby.
’cause baby
you gonna be the one that saves me
Oh wow I had no idea Joyce loved babies so much. This is adorable I didn’t. Know she had a soft spot for the wee ones
Joyce will accept her baby, even if it looks like a bean, or they are trans or gay. Walky on the other hand hates vegans.
She has spent her whole life being trained to be a baby-making and child-rearing machine. Of course she likes babies.
I thought she was just trained to be a fanatical bigot. I mean, wanting to be a mom doesn’t exclude being open minded.
Her religion includes the idea of the woman’s job being to keep house and look after the kids while the husband goes to work.
Trained to be both. That’s a proper woman’s role after all. The biggest problem with homosexuals is that don’t fulfill the proper gender roles.
Joyce is probably going to start writing fics about her favorite characters being parents.
I have no doubt that ‘settling down and having an army of kids’ is her space hero OC’s ‘happily ever after’ too.
Part of that fantasy was returning home after a long day of fighter jetting to make mac ‘n’ cheese for her kids.
Harrison seems like a pretty chill dude. I also think he’s more attractive than Jacob, personally (it’s the hair).
But he doesn’t have the build.
Eh, not a super big fan of B U I L T dudes, anyways.
But I mean, take what I consider attractive with a grain of salt, being aro/ace and all… it’s more like appreciating fine art.
Great. If “baby” is his first words he’ll be saying it again and again like a damn pokemon.
Baby uses cuteness. It’s super effective! …on Joyce that is.
Joyce’s defense greatly fell.
Harrison knows the score. He asked for direction, he got a Joyce.
I for one think it proves restraint that Willis wait this long after bekoming a father to include a baby in the cast
*becoming
ah, thanks
*beckyoming
No, it just took real time that long to catch up to his buffer (grin)
Well, we had like four added to Shortpacked near the end so that probably tided him over. Plus there was the whole baby storyline in Joyce and Walky.
awww, I forgot how adorale that was!
Completely unrelated to this exact comic, but I was about to sleep and my brain asked “If Galasso doesn’t understand gender… could they be non-binary?”
Nice introduction to the in-laws. 😛
Raidah is right; Jacob’s brother is kind of cool, isn’t he?
Polly won’t be taking them out to dinner at an “adult” restaurant with that Baby around, though. Non-spicy chicken fingers for everyone!
Same Joyce, Big same.
Joyce starring in Wonder Woman 2 when?
baby 😀
I miss Donna and Bobby from the Walkyverse.
So the school paper is Indiana Daily Student? Because I read that as “sp!” And thought, “oh, Shortpacked! reference! Neat!”
This looks like the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Thanks to the baby.
calling it now: joyce will make a fantastic impression on harrison, and raidah will end up annoying him through her over-zealous desire to impress him.
this will ripple out to jacob reevaluating his relationship with raidah, and eventually lead to him getting with joyce.
Only at the last panel it hit me THAT’S JACOB’S BROTHER! Yeah, he seems really nice. A lawyer /and/ a kid. So no pressure for Jacob AT ALL, hah.
I’m just here for Jaime making baby noises, everything else is secondary.
Just wait until Jaime reaches out and grabs Joyce’s hair or her finger. Then it will be JOYCE making the baby noises.
“Hey kid, pull my finger” seems more like Walky’s thing than Joyce’s.
I’m referring to the grasp reflex. Touch the tip of your finger to the palm of a baby’s hand — even a newborn will clench its little hand around it and hold on for dear life.
Are you sure she won’t be making “squeeee”-noises at a frequency too high for ordinary humans to hear?
That’s certainly a distinct possibility. As she melts into a puddle of maternal hormones.
Yes you are! You’re a baby!
I wonder if anyone’s view of Joyce will be radically changed by watching her interact with Jamie?
New character needs a voice actor! Because why not.
My vote goes to Khary Payton, with a tone similar to the one he uses as Cyborg in DC cartoons. I hear Jacob with Earl Alexander’s “Louis from Left 4 Dead” voice, and to me it seems plausible that they could be related.
I dunno that voice seems a little deep for the baby. 😉
“Several months”? It’s been like 6 weeks Joyce.
Her reaction to the baby doesn’t surprise me at all, considering the cult/”religion” she came from encourages girls from a very young age to push one out every year of their fertile lives.
…Joyce isn’t one of those Quiverfull people…
As evidenced by the fact that she’s only got 3 older siblings and no younger.
bay bay bay bay byyy
Joyce is really sweet. Also I have the same reaction to babies.