Hey, Amethyst is a great mom, especially in the later seasons. Just because she’s the fun mom doesn’t mean she’s not good at it.
Amethyst can cook, she’s learned not to dump her problems on Steven as the kid of the family and is pretty good at taking care of the others in a crisis (like when she was looking after Pearl when she and Garnet were fighting).
I mean, Greg and Vidalia would probably remind her of human nutritional requirements. We’ve seen her cook for humans before and she was pretty good at it. She managed to get ketchup INSIDE a french fry for crying out loud! XD Now, what she makes for HERSELF gives me a stomach ache just thinking about it, but eh.
Tony the Tiger drags the Trix rabbit over to an observation window overlooking a padded room. Inside the room, Sonny is having one of his Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs manic episodes.
“Son, this is the face of addiction. Is that what you want for yourself?”
I’ve been watching a few Youtube critiques of ’50s educational films for tweens and teens, and now I can’t help but imagine your scenario as one of them.
The older lesbians adopt the younger lesbians to protect them from predators until they reach maturity. More seriously it’s just that Leslie knows what it is like to have been in Becky’s position and wants to give her the support and care that she didn’t get from anyone herself. She isn’t necessarily responsible for it and she doesn’t have to, but she wants to. She wants to be the support that she personally didn’t have.
And in a way, once Leslie took her in, she did indeed become responsible for Becky. Sure, Becky might technically be an adult; but we know for a certainty she was never groomed to actually be self-sufficient; but instead become the god-fearing submissive wife who’d homeschool her husband’s children and keep the house immaculate.
And Leslie knows this. Even if Becky didn’t tell all the details, Leslie is an intelligent woman who knows what Becky is -not- telling her. And therefore she knows that Becky’s going to need help to acquire all of her goals.
Leslie… She was sleeping on your sofa while you were pretending you weren’t banging your inappropriate girlfriend. You offered her the sofa whilst single… She felt that she was imposing and giving you nothing back in return – it didn’t occur to her that you were mothering the homeless lost child you once were yourself/paying it forward. She felt like a moocher. A place to live and tuition in exchange for her doing a job? That feels like something she can fairly grab hold of (questionable ethics of said job aside). She feels like she has something to offer her girlfriend now…
You didn’t fail her. She’s a young adult who wants to be independent.
Also, she grew up under the roof of a tyrant; chances are she was told things along the lines of “while you live under my roof you follow my rules; if you can’t do that, you can get out” as an adolescent. A roof she’s earned the right to live under on her own merits as an adult feels a lot more reliable than one provided to her “because it’s the right thing to do” – how many things did Toedad pay lip service to as “the right thing to do”? Humility, respectfulness, obedience to the laws set by a higher power etc – when his understanding of them was that these things are for other people because he’s a “good man” and therefore “deserves his dues”?
Poor kiddo almost definitely has some trust issues when it comes to “real adults” and you’re a teacher so you count.
Yeah. That first paragraph lines up quite well with things I know from several people I’ve known who were at some point in life homeless or destitute. Most would rather have at least the illusion of doing work for pay than just being given stuff.
Would also add that with the style of conservative Becky was brought up by, no charity is ever without strings attached – Becky preferred dealing with Robin because Robin is transparent about the strings attached to her charity.
Leslie OTOH genuinely wanted to give actual charity – as in to help Becky just to help Becky. Becky couldn’t deal because she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Man, I love later drunk Dorothy too. “I guess that’s weird”, not committing to “don’t hit on Dina” as much as the others, and “Huzzah!” when Dina stands up for herself.
For what it’s worth, I think that Becky needs to be Robin’s mother. Dorothy should point out that to Leslie and add that this makes Robin deSanto her spiritual granddaughter.
Unlike Robin, you offered to help because it was the right thing to do.
I totally get that Becky doesn’t want (to trust in) charity and feels safer with her deal with Robin. I think it’s one of those things were your traumatized brain tells you bullshit about what’s safe and what isn’t.
Willis has stated that none of the Walkyverse ships will be the end state in Dumbing of Age. So, no Mike x Amber, no Walky x Joyce, no Sal x Jason and so on.
If anything, I’ve found it interesting how he’s had those ships referenced by having the principals not get on with each other in the slightest. The point he’s making, of course (as Walkyverse Joyce pointed out in the DoA teaser strip) without the very special circumstances of the Walkyverse, none of the relationships we saw in that saga could ever hope to work.
There does seem to be an exception for Billie/Ruth, but then
1. They weren’t endgame due to the whole Ruth’s death thing, and
2. As a pairing it wasn’t explored very deeply or for very long in the Walkyverse, only coming up in Roomies! Redux.
Leslie, you were a good team mom. The problem is that Becky feels she doesn’t want to be a burden to other people, and she sucks at communicating her feelings thanks to her abusive dad.
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I mean, I’d like to think being ten times the mom as a cereal wouldn’t be such a low bar to clear
think Beckers doesn’t want a(nother) mom tho
Not sure she wants a -mom- mom; but she sure as hell wants a Lesbian Mom who will teach her all the things she needs to know now.
And also be there to tie her tie.
But she felt guilty about freeloading off said Lesbian Mom.
There is a difference in life between what one wants and what one feels one deserves.
It’s like if Steven Universe took place in the real world and there was an episode where Steven left Pearl’s to go stay with Amethyst.
well thats unfair
its more like if pearl left steven to stay with buck dewey
More Like Marty.
Okay, Robin’s got problems, but she ain’t fucking Marty.
She’s more like Kevin: the worst, but not the dirt worst.
OK, your first line put some weird-ass Back to the Future visuals in my head!
It’s more like Amethyst left Pearl to stay with Amethyst.
**happy smile**
Pearl is my favorite.
Because her fighting style is directly based on Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Porl is best gem. Porl is stronk in real way.
Hey, Amethyst is a great mom, especially in the later seasons. Just because she’s the fun mom doesn’t mean she’s not good at it.
Amethyst can cook, she’s learned not to dump her problems on Steven as the kid of the family and is pretty good at taking care of the others in a crisis (like when she was looking after Pearl when she and Garnet were fighting).
Early Amethyst definitely wouldn’t prioritize fruits and vegetables, though.
I mean, Greg and Vidalia would probably remind her of human nutritional requirements. We’ve seen her cook for humans before and she was pretty good at it. She managed to get ketchup INSIDE a french fry for crying out loud! XD Now, what she makes for HERSELF gives me a stomach ache just thinking about it, but eh.
Ketchup inside fries already gives me stomach ache just thinking about it. Outside of fries it’s only slightly better.
She also late-series was keen to let Steven be a kid, something the others were sometimes having trouble remembering to do.
There’s a reason Steven said she might be the most mature crystal gem now.
She was also willing to continue wrestling when she saw how much it meant to Steven, even though she didn’t feel like she needed to anymore.
Wooo! Book 10!!
Dumbing of Age Book 10: That Face When the Cartoonist Steals Your Schtick
The alt-text was what I was gonna post.
Sonny the cuckoo bird actually got Cocoa Puffs, right?
For me, Robin is like the Trix rabbit if the none-too-stable rabbit ever got his hands on the cereal.
The tragedy of Sonny is that he’s forever trying to break his bad habit and being enabled away from his good efforts. He fails every time.
Are you sure you’re not confusing him with Cookie, the Codependent Cockatoo, spokesbird for Sucrose Stars cereal?
Tony the Tiger drags the Trix rabbit over to an observation window overlooking a padded room. Inside the room, Sonny is having one of his Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs manic episodes.
“Son, this is the face of addiction. Is that what you want for yourself?”
I’ve been watching a few Youtube critiques of ’50s educational films for tweens and teens, and now I can’t help but imagine your scenario as one of them.
That’s not the worst of it.
The worst part is that he finally gave in and joined the kids as just another pusher. 😢
Eddie Murphy had a bit Back In The Day about Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops being the cereals for LGBT, way back before the initials came to be in use.
“You’re NEVER too old for nuts and berries.”–Zonker’s dad in Doonesbury
CUCKOO!!
Someday cuckoo birds must fly from the nest!
I’m not 100% clear on why Leslie felt responsible for Becky. Reminded her of her past self maybe?
Yep. She another young lesbian who had been rejected by her family, who had no one to turn to for guidance/safety. She felt compelled to help.
The older lesbians adopt the younger lesbians to protect them from predators until they reach maturity. More seriously it’s just that Leslie knows what it is like to have been in Becky’s position and wants to give her the support and care that she didn’t get from anyone herself. She isn’t necessarily responsible for it and she doesn’t have to, but she wants to. She wants to be the support that she personally didn’t have.
I read your first sentence in Sir David Attenborough’s voice.
Let’s first give the word to our resident teacher, Cerberus: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/03-the-thing-i-was-before/resources-3/#comment-1218145
And in a way, once Leslie took her in, she did indeed become responsible for Becky. Sure, Becky might technically be an adult; but we know for a certainty she was never groomed to actually be self-sufficient; but instead become the god-fearing submissive wife who’d homeschool her husband’s children and keep the house immaculate.
And Leslie knows this. Even if Becky didn’t tell all the details, Leslie is an intelligent woman who knows what Becky is -not- telling her. And therefore she knows that Becky’s going to need help to acquire all of her goals.
Shortpacked: Leslie and Robin’s wedding, Dumbing of Age: Leslie and Robin’s custody battle
If we could upvote comments here, I’d upvote this!
I hate seeing Leslie and Ropbbing be at odds,…i love Dumbing of Age
I meant Shortstoked
Are you having a stroke? Please be well.
I think they were battling the great beast known as autocorrect? Idk.
Shortpacked!
I think your legal department might have issues with that title.
“In retrospect, making the toddlers my legal and HR departments was not the wisest decision I could have made.” – David “Damn You” Willis, A Memoir
Robin has the thing that makes the greatest American parent: money.
And yes, I feel the need to clarify this is sarcasm.
Leslie… She was sleeping on your sofa while you were pretending you weren’t banging your inappropriate girlfriend. You offered her the sofa whilst single… She felt that she was imposing and giving you nothing back in return – it didn’t occur to her that you were mothering the homeless lost child you once were yourself/paying it forward. She felt like a moocher. A place to live and tuition in exchange for her doing a job? That feels like something she can fairly grab hold of (questionable ethics of said job aside). She feels like she has something to offer her girlfriend now…
You didn’t fail her. She’s a young adult who wants to be independent.
Also, she grew up under the roof of a tyrant; chances are she was told things along the lines of “while you live under my roof you follow my rules; if you can’t do that, you can get out” as an adolescent. A roof she’s earned the right to live under on her own merits as an adult feels a lot more reliable than one provided to her “because it’s the right thing to do” – how many things did Toedad pay lip service to as “the right thing to do”? Humility, respectfulness, obedience to the laws set by a higher power etc – when his understanding of them was that these things are for other people because he’s a “good man” and therefore “deserves his dues”?
Poor kiddo almost definitely has some trust issues when it comes to “real adults” and you’re a teacher so you count.
Yeah. That first paragraph lines up quite well with things I know from several people I’ve known who were at some point in life homeless or destitute. Most would rather have at least the illusion of doing work for pay than just being given stuff.
Agreed with all this.
Would also add that with the style of conservative Becky was brought up by, no charity is ever without strings attached – Becky preferred dealing with Robin because Robin is transparent about the strings attached to her charity.
Leslie OTOH genuinely wanted to give actual charity – as in to help Becky just to help Becky. Becky couldn’t deal because she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
OTOH, Robin.
The other shoe will drop.
And it’s gonna be a hobnailed, steel-toed boot.
Leslie IS a great Beckymom.
…but I must say, Dotty momming on Leslie makes her the mommier mom.
Dorothy is the alpha mom.
Make that two alpha moms.
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/confidentially/
Heh! Great callback!
Let’s face it, at this exact point in the timeline Dott-o and Leslie are the best two parental figures on campus.
…make that “in Bloomington”.
True…. but I do have a soft spot for Hank.
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/deserves/
Of course, Hank, and from what we know, Dorothy’s parents too.
(I’d love an edit function. I meant substitute parent types, not real parents.)
Man, I love later drunk Dorothy too. “I guess that’s weird”, not committing to “don’t hit on Dina” as much as the others, and “Huzzah!” when Dina stands up for herself.
For what it’s worth, I think that Becky needs to be Robin’s mother. Dorothy should point out that to Leslie and add that this makes Robin deSanto her spiritual granddaughter.
*Leslie head explode*
Hmm, Dorothy -> Leslie -> Becky -> Robin
Motherioshka?
Nah, they are sisters 🙂
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/03-the-thing-i-was-before/startreks/
Oh, Leslie. You absolutely were, because unlike Robin you’re not totally contemptuous.
Unlike Robin, you offered to help because it was the right thing to do.
I totally get that Becky doesn’t want (to trust in) charity and feels safer with her deal with Robin. I think it’s one of those things were your traumatized brain tells you bullshit about what’s safe and what isn’t.
To be fair and practical, the deal with Robin also gets her tuition, which Leslie wasn’t in a position to offer.
Yep I know Leslie is still dating someone else but I can’t imagine she and Robin will ever be together in this universe.
The same can be said of Joyce and Willis.
Walky, what in the fuck is wrong with me?
Do the mature thing.
Blame it on spell check.
Or blame Bagge.
Because Bagge -would- ship Joyce and Willis.
Nah, I have no shame about gushing about fictional people, but I try to leave real people out of it.
Wait, Willis is real?
Willis has stated that none of the Walkyverse ships will be the end state in Dumbing of Age. So, no Mike x Amber, no Walky x Joyce, no Sal x Jason and so on.
If anything, I’ve found it interesting how he’s had those ships referenced by having the principals not get on with each other in the slightest. The point he’s making, of course (as Walkyverse Joyce pointed out in the DoA teaser strip) without the very special circumstances of the Walkyverse, none of the relationships we saw in that saga could ever hope to work.
“Willis has stated that none of the Walkyverse ships will be the end state in Dumbing of Age.”
Thanx, I did not know. This is a useful bit of information so I can stop shipping Walkyverse pairs here.
There does seem to be an exception for Billie/Ruth, but then
1. They weren’t endgame due to the whole Ruth’s death thing, and
2. As a pairing it wasn’t explored very deeply or for very long in the Walkyverse, only coming up in Roomies! Redux.
There was a big caveat of “Unless I can do something new and interesting with them.”
I think it was more of a “Don’t expect the same pairs” than a flat ban on them.
a lot of my Big Rules had caveats, btw
Don’t say that! My heart can’t take it! T-T
Robin and Leslie are too beautiful together </3
For a minute I got my cereal mascots confused and I thought she was talking about Toucan Sam.
And I thought that was a REALLY unfair comparison, because Toucan Sam was a decent father figure to his three nephews.
Thinking about it, is Sam the cereal mascot equivalent of Donald Duck and his nephews?
All of a sudden, I’m picturing Ebenezer MacSam.
And it. Is. BEAUTIFUL.
Narrator: Becky did not eat enough fruit and vegetables.
I didn’t know the cuckoo bird actually had a name until now.
I thought this was just calling Robin a mix of sonic the hedgehog and a hyperactive bird. Apparently I was wrong and that’s a real mascots name.
This is going to be an ugly divorce and child custody battle, isn’t it? :-p
wait the Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs bird is named Sonny? Not Cuckoo?
I didn’t grow up with the cereal so I just assumed that Cuckoo was supposed to be the name of the bird and the synonym for “crazy”
Since we’re really talking about Ŕobin and not a cereal mascot, it doesn’t actually matter. Robin is a “synonym” for crazy on her own.
How old is Leslie, I wonder? 30s?
260, but due to the cryo, she’s not aged for a while.
She is Highlander Immortal, under the mistaken impression that a state university counts as Holy Ground.
she’s a pretty good mom
Leslie should meet Robin and discuss with her how to raise Becky.
Go the whole ‘custody agreement’ route, decide who gets her what days? Becky has enough rules in her life!
Any minute now, expect that Cease & Desist letter to arrive from General Mills.
leslie give yourself more credit, ten times zero is still zero, you gotta try adding in this situation
Leslie, you were a good team mom. The problem is that Becky feels she doesn’t want to be a burden to other people, and she sucks at communicating her feelings thanks to her abusive dad.
I missed Leslie Bean!