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need some medicinal ice for that SICK BURN??
It’s not really an insult? More just like an accurate assessment of character?
The best burns always are
Sal does not fight fair.
She fights to win.
Was it a burn?
I think it was said in order to advice, not to sting.
I think she feels burned, and that’s what matters.
I certainly agree it wasn’t mean spirited.
Pretty sure the ice was just thrown onto her smouldering libido.
Interesting point made by Sal. Counter point: Walky’s ass. Nough said!
Also I still have yet to discover a reason why Dorothy hooking up with Walky again for any amount of time is a bad thing? Except maybe it would upset Lucy with is neutral at best.
Well the only one really complaining is Joyce, who thinks Dorothy is much too good for him.
I think it has to do with the fact that Dorothy got emotionally invested in Walky, screwed him up bad when she dumped him, and is planning on leaving again. Basically, she’s not abiding by the “just for funsies” rule and it’s cruel.
Bullseye.
REALLY funny that you have a Joe pic by your name for that comment
I feel like that’s putting on lot of the responsibility on Dorothy. Relationships go both ways and Walky got just as invested knowing it was a “Just for fun” casual relationship.
While that is true and justifies her previous behaviour, now that she knows his feelings for her are more than that, it would be unkind to rekindle that relationship with no intention to pursue it further. Both to Walky and to herself.
He didn’t until Dorothy added feelings and then got mad he didn’t feel the same and then dumped him once he did.
It WAS on Dorothy.
She Broke the funsies rule early on.
Then she told him she loved him.
She pushed him over and over to treat her as a serious Gf.
Walky was always fairly consistent. She dumped him when he became slightly inconvenient to her , even though ( unlike danny ) he always believed in her and her goals.
It’s really weird to me that we’re ignoring Walky’s agency in any of this. He’s not a child, but it really sounds like people believe Dorothy took advantage of him and discarded him when inconvenient or that somehow them hooking up would result in Walky falling for her again. They’re both adults(ish) and in different spots emotionally and mentally.
I’m with you. I thought that relationship was pretty healthy in general, while it lasted. It didn’t work out in the end, but neither were abusive to each other, and they remained friends. I don’t think them rekindling their fling would be the worst thing ever, as long as they are honest with each other and with themselves. I liked them as a couple. (Then again I really like Lucy too).
The thing is, Dorothy is more emotionally mature than Walky by a mile and a half, but she’s still in her teens. She doesn’t know what she wants. She knows what she wants to want (Yale), but what she actually wants is to maintain the relationships she’s made here. She’s happy here.
With Walky, she wants to want a “for funsies” relationship, but what she really wants is an emotionally commited relationship.
It’s not really that they are ignoring Walky’s agency, it is that they are recognizing that no amount of “well, Walky could just say no” is going to change the fact that it was Dorothy’s mismatch in what she thinks she wants vs. what she actually wants that led to the original relationship breaking down. And if she goes into the relationship with the same mismatch of goals, it will likely lead to the same outcome.
It is possible that it won’t, but if that is the case, it will be because of ‘Walky’s agency’, specifically the budding bit of maturity that he is slowly, slowly growing. But I find it much more likely that the emotional pressure that broke their first relationship would break a follow-up, and would lead to Walky backsliding.
I’m with you, Sirksome. They were pretty healthy, all things considered. Maybe Dorothy will just consider a long distance relationship when she heads to Yale.
Yes, this is what bothers me too
Prolly wouldn’t be good for Walky? He does love her.
Hooking up with an ex that you loved can rekindle old feelings and cause you to get hurt.
Walky will not follow her to Yale.
I did hear though the grapevine that his ass is considered a wonder. Who’s wondering, I cannot say.
HOW FINE REPEAT HOW FINE IS WALKY’S ASS THE WORLD WONDERS
More to the point, Walky’s hair.
And the cellular tower he’s got stuffed in his trousers.
Is that why he’s a telecom major? Gotta use that thing for somethin, I guess.
Damned 5G’s going to get everybody, isn’t it…
/s
Tap dat broadband coverage
And apparently he’s sculpted out of caramel when shirtless.
Didn’t realize how far back that strip was.
“dangit, foiled by my own crippling addiction to success”
I mean, it’s not like hooking up with Walky was a wise decision the FIRST time, and he’s hotter now.
So the question is whether how much Dorothy learned from her learning experience outweighs how much hotter Walky’s gotten?
Is he hotter, or does he just have Faz Mouth Syndrome
https://imgur.com/a/X2cXYIk
More Walky shipping. Featuring Joyce being just a little bit Roomies! amorous.
Methinks the Joyce doth protest too much
I’m just gonna say this now. I am all ABOUT characters being covered in lipstick marks in the aftermath. It’s such a good visual shorthand but it’s honestly pretty hot.
Agreed on it being good visual shorthand but one thing that’s always bugged me is how perfect the lipstick marks are. Where’s the smearing from a slide, a lick, a nibble, a drag, a… umm, you get the idea… I’m gonna go now.
Oh I’ve definitely done the lipstick smudging and smearing before in drawings. The only issue is in smaller drawings the effect kinda gets lost and it looks messy. Basically you gotta do it in a large decently sized image to get it to look good. But yeah don’t get me wrong. Smudges and smears are LEGIT!
… I actually really like that style? Like, Joyce looks super cute in it?
Haha Thanks for the compliment?
Your art continues to make my day better.
“… baka.”
Really really love your art!
That’s adorable
Awwww man you’re amazing
Nicely done.
Hot. Yet in the realm of possibility of character.
way more realistic than yesterday’s where he willingly offered some of his nugs.
I think we should have Walky turn her down. Is it weird that I like Dorothy best when she’s utterly fumbling around? Those are some of the most relatable parts of the comic–when, the type A girl just doesn’t know what to do.
Honestly I’m the same way, the less she acts like a mature adult the more she feels like someone I, a ‘mature adult’, would hang around for fun
A distinct possibility. Walky may have held Dorothy on a pedestal, but it’s very possible he won’t feel up to ride that emotional roller-coaster a second time, and decide they are better as friends. I liked them as a couple, but this is a development that would show some emotional growth on Walky’s part.
It’s also possible he’s just not interested in dating anyone right now. He’s had two girlfriends last semester, he got kidnapped and his roommate died.
Damn you S-wait a minute, Sal? That can’t be right. Ah well.
Damn you Sal!
Sal spent a long time learning to watch the people around her. Watch and understand, but not trust.
Aww, it’s so sweet that Dorothy doesn’t get off on doing things Joyce doesn’t want her to do! #relationshipgoals
But does Dorothy get off on doing things Joyce does want her to do?
( sits down to draw venn diagram )
Getting Syllogistic up in here.
Is Smug Joyce auditioning for the role of refrigerator magnet?
BTW, I found a diecast of the BMW motorcycle I think matches Asher’s this evening at WallyWorld. Bought it. Will mix paint for it tomorrow…and pictures of it may show up at Tumblr and Twitter.
Can I just mention that, Joyce doesn’t get to tell Dorothy not to do shit? Despite what many in the comment section want, Joyce ain’t Dorothy’s GF. She can tell her she thinks it is a bad idea, or that she thinks she shouldn’t do it…
I mean…anyone can tell you not to do shit, girlfriend or otherwise. Whether or not you feel inclined to listen is a whole other matter. She may be phrasing it like a command but it’s more of a suggestion, just like dotty telling joyce to get glasses.
Eh, but the implication that it’s a bad idea is pretty heavy here. So far, Joyce hasn’t actually demanded.
It’s more like when there’s an opening for a crude joke and you know you’re friend might say it, so you’re like “Don’t. Noooo. Don’t say it.” Not an actual order at all. Just a strongly worded imploring.
To be fair, are we sure she ISN’T Dorothy’s girlfriend?
Sometimes it’s hard to tell with Joyce if she just has genuine issues with respecting personal space, or if maybe she has some deeply-buried bisexuality she’s dealing with.
Even if Joyce is bisexual, that still doesn’t make her automatically Dorothy’s girlfriend. Pretty sure relationships are supposed to be a mutual thing.
True, but I do feel if either one of them were a boy they’d be dating and/or banging right now. Their sexuality repressed or not is the main factor keeping them as friends.
I don’t think they would. Even if they were sexually compatible, Dorothy right now is trying to avoid anything but ‘for fun’. Joyce wants a spouse and a house.
Just because two people can be best friends doesn’t mean them dating is a good idea.
I don’t think that actually disqualifies it. Having different relationship goals only means there would be conflict. I don’t even think Dorothy is only looking for fun as much as she’s just trying not to repeat what happened with Danny. As in dating someone willing to give up their own life goals to stay with her. (And Danny’s main flaw was less that he was too attached and more that he didn’t believe in her or himself.)
Dorothy’s still planning to leave for Yale, as far as we know. She’s trying to avoid a serious relationship because she knows it would have to end. (And she failed pretty badly at keeping her Walky relationship not serious.)
Joyce is looking for a romcom version of true love and she’s been raised to not have any life goals of her own but to find it and then raise a bunch of kids. She’s shedding that, but she’s perfectly primed to drop everything for a romance.
Plus Joyce would likely be more demanding than Walky in terms of time and that’s the other reason Dorothy broke up with him in the first place.
There are nuanced differences between Joyce and Walky that would make the relationship with Dorothy completely different. One example is that Walky agreed to the breakup in part because he felt like a burden to Dorothy’s time. Specifically because of her wanting to help him with his failing math grade. That’s one specific thing that just wouldn’t be a stressor if Joyce and Dorothy got together.
There are other examples too, for instance I think Joyce could probably handle a “pause” better than Walky and not completely default back to bachelor mode and ignoring her responsibilities.
On the other hand, Joyce is far less respectful of boundaries (even now, though she’s gotten better). Remember her “reclaiming her time” when they broke up?
I think Walky handled the pause incredibly well, despite the performative comments about bachelor mode.
And while Joyce wouldn’t need help with classes, educating Joyce is something of a full-time project. Which, to be fair, Dorothy is already doing her share of.
There’s also always the possibility that she’ll decide to be okay with a long distance relationship.
It’s established by now that Joyce is bi, whether she’s out to herself or not.
It is? why/how?
You look at those glasses and tell me that girl is straight.
Yeah, it’s a (admittedly popular) fanon that Joyce is bi, but we neither have word of Willis on the subject nor do we have an in-comic statement of fact that she is.
(As of this strip, at least. If I’m mistaken and we do have either of those, I’ll accept my wrongness.)
IIRC the closest things we have to proof either way are that 1) Joyce had no attraction/reaction to Becky when kissed and 2) Joyce herself said she could only imagine being with Sal if no parts below the neck were involved.
To my ace self, that means Joyce is, by current evidence, straight. Until she herself says or does otherwise.
I’d add that I personally don’t think it’s entirely implausible that she might be heterosexual but biromantic (though as has been noted a few times in-comic, it’s also plausible that some of her behavior and mannerisms just miiiight have been colored by growing up with, well, Becky – and that that affects certain interactions), but yeah.
Joyce told Becky she skewed what her idea of what platonic friendship with other women looks like.
Reread this conversation Lucy had with Joyce; just based off that it’s not a stretch to see why she described her as “kind of a bisexual version of” herself.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/02-but-the-sun-still-shines/offbase/
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/04-vote-for-robin/proselytize/
I’m a Joyce/Dorothy shipper, but the simple fact is that no, they definitely aren’t actually dating right now, unless Willis is keeping it a secret or something.
I just act like they are for funsies sometimes.
“She can tell her she thinks it is a bad idea, or that she thinks she shouldn’t do it…”
Which she just did, I advice you not to get twisted into knots over semantics. She is advising Dorothy not to do it. Context and tone determine the difference between advice and control.
It’s called being a friend.
I’m WAAAAY more concerned about your apparent belief that SOs somehow have the rightful authority to order people not to do things.
I’m certain that unless pre-agreed on an open relationship, my GF would have the authority to tell me not to jump my ex’s bones, yes.
I don’t think Joyce expects she has any authority over who Dorothy gets to fuck. At most she’s trying to apply a bit of peer pressure, but it’s not like she would punish Dorothy if she actually went and did it.
It’s almost like Joyce has issues with personal boundaries or something.
A lot of people are reacting very strongly to the idea that a friend might advise another friend not to call their ex.
Sal came RIGHT for Dorothy’s whole schtick huh?
Sal knows how to hit where it hurts.
Dammit Sal.
Last panel has Marge Simpson “mmmmm” energy
I was just thinking this. Exactly that energy.
So is Sal hoping to keep them apart? Or did she just blurt out that observation as some people are wont to do?
The expectation of herself she place in others…uh
Damn sal, that was a very concise analysis
How very Booster of you, Sal.
So you’re saying Sal has gained the Power of Booster? Well this could become a stick-y situation.
If everything but Danny turns yellow, we’ll know for sure.
Not really, Booster did this on the day they met everyone, and their only apparent motivation was to make people mad.
Sal has known Dorothy for a full semester, and does means it as a genuine advice (though she has to know it will hurt).
Bro, don’t do heroin
And don’t sleep with Amazi-girl. Don’t do Heroine .
Can’t tell if Joyce is asking Sal for a high-five, asking for money, or gesturing towards her as if to say “yeah, what she said”
Maybe she is fishing for the first or second options, but if she is called out for it, there’s the easy out of saying it’s the latter.
Siblings always gotta cock block
That’s a reasonable turn of phrase, but according to the Slipshines containing him, Walky has no cock but rather a fully operational Bobcat S650 skid steer loader in his pants. It’s canon.
After having to endure Dotty’s smug victory face, Joyce gets to pay her in kind – with a little Boost from Sal.
Right in front of Lucy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS3r_kYqAlc
She’s got to see Dorothy could jump in at any time while shes friendzoning herself out of fear. Billies right. Walky is easy, she could had him for 3 months
“You will go out there.”
“I won’t, and nothing you say can make me.”
“The show must go on.”
“… Damn you. Damn you!“
You know what that verbal sucker punch should fuel, Dorothy?
Spite.
Spiiiiiiiiite.
Prove to them you can do more than be a one-way ticket to burnout, disillusion, and heartbreak. If you’re putting off Yale, you at least deserve the good dick.
She can get that at certain stores, or off the internet, delivered right to her building.
Other Walky is no replacement for the Real Walky! Cold silicone cannot love!
…although as was pointed out upthread, love entering the equation is actually where it’s probably actually bad. DAMMIT.
Silicone? I was thinking glass or something else clear, with cool stuff inside like candy or marbles.
…Marbles I’ve seen encased in a glass dong, but candy? Is that real? That can’t be real.
Google is your friend.
I don’t think that’s what some people are talking about when they say “fuck Google”.
Jhonny, brother, aside from what a snide cut-in that was, my “friend” Google has never heard of Candy in a glass dildo either, I fucking checked, okay? This isn’t amateur hour. Google has heard plenty about “candy cane patterned glass cock”, sure, but perfectly good Baby Ruths and the like enshrined in bespoke sex glass? Google doesn’t know shit about that.
I am astonished. Sounds like a business opportunity too good to pass up.
Nonono. RUTH and BILLIE get off on spite. Maybe Sal and Jason. Possibly Sarah. And Malaya seems plausible too. Definitely Mike was.
But not Dorothy, is my point.
Everyone gets off on spite, dammit! Schadenfreude is universal!
…I should really have a Sarah gravatar instead of this Sal one but WHATEVER
“Schaudenfreude” and “spite” are not the same thing, and I’m not sure either of them are universal.
Schadenfreude is famously untranslatable. Therefore, per the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, only German speakers experience it.
=P
Aaaaaarrrggghhh!!! Noooo! Not the strong interpretation of Sapir-Whorf!!! Get it away, get it away, it burns ussssss!!!
muahahaha
honestly the strong Sapir Whorf hypothesis has nothing on the Super Whacky Insane Troll Logic (((Artistic Licence))) reading of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis championed by the movie Arrival.
Loved that movie.
bonkers AF linguistics premise, though
DOROTHY: “Curses! My secret is known to too many!”
I was thinking that’s more of a “damn you for being right!” face, previously only made by Billie. Billie is good at setting people up to cuta her down to size
I like Dorothy’s satisfied grin.
Especially contrasted with that frown. You got GOT girl!
I love every single smug smile in this strip
Ah will use your own self image against you because Ah love my brother and want to protect him from gettin a swelled head and makin my life a livin hell.
Thanks Sal.
See, Dorothy? You need higher standards.
Now go snatch up Jacob. He’s definitely much more First Gentleman material, and if you thought WALKY had awesome abs…
The… cheater who surprise-kissed a girl only to follow it with “you’re not good enough for me”? THAT Jacob?
That’s an interesting read on that scenario, and I don’t disagree with it. If I recall correctly, there was some speculation that day about whether or not Jacob has done this before, as well.
It’s an interesting and very one-sided read. It’s not wrong, exactly, but it it shifts all the blame onto Jacob, while ignoring everything about why it happened and what he meant.
It certainly wasn’t a good look for Jacob, but making it seem like it was out of the blue gives him far more of the blame than he deserves.
As for doing it before, I’d long speculated that he’d done the oblivious flirting thing he had going with Joyce before, but I don’t any reason to think it had come to a similar head before. Likely to girlfriends getting jealous and breakups happening over what he thought was nothing. If he’d recognized it as something in the past and actually acted on it, then he wouldn’t have seen it the same way.
Oh. Oh my God, no.
I’m not going to dive into whose fault the bad situation between Joyce and Jacob was because it’s on both of them, and Jacob’s a great guy, but I cannot see a Jacob/Dorothy ship going anywhere good, at all. Their two personalities would strangle each other.
And are you implying we DON’T come to this webcomic in part to see dumpster-fire ships?
I think they’d be a boring dumpster fire ship. They’d be bad for each other because they’d reinforce each other’s overly scheduled and dedicated to work habits. They wouldn’t challenge each other or lead to growth.
Also, I don’t think Jacob would interested now. Dorothy would have ticked all the boxes on his old checklist, but he’s moved past that now.
It’d be like reading Mary Worth except all Bum Boat all the time.
Until one of them snapped (Dorothy) and began the Reaving of Flesh.
…Touché.
Sal, is not funny to break others people fantasy using reality.
Great, now I’m shipping Walky with both Lucy and Dorothy at the same time.
In realtime, how long do you think this cluster has been going on? Like: crowd of people sees Walky, decides he’s hot today for some reason, we have vehement protest-too-much denials of the alleged hotness of The Wallkerton, groundrules being set about it, Mobkid Fonzie rides up and endorses this, now we’ve got subgroups broken off to discuss how best to handle what is apparently the same “enh” dude as yesterday with different hair.. its gotta be maybe ten minutes so far? It’s gonna be a musical number if it escalates further.
Nice subtle reference to this comic, maybe, beginning to jump the shark
I’m addicted to the feeling
Getting higher than the ceiling
And we’re never gonna want this fucking feeling to end
Just concede and give into your inner demons again
I’m addicted to the sorrow,
when the buzz ends by tomorrow.
There’s another dose of poison flowing into my veins,
and another rush of pleasure that subsides by the pain.
I’m addicted, I’m dependent,
looking awesome, feeling helpless.
And I know I’m raising Cain by every highway in Hell…
maybe things won’t be so terrible inside this hotel.
Cursed by your own hubris again, huh Dor?
That was a pretty accurate assessment from Sal. Do we know her major?
What’s Joyce showing Dorothy in the last panel?
It might be a Midwestern thing, but she’s holding her hand out towards Sal right after a point has been made with which Joyce agrees. Usually, there’s a spoken “Yeah, see?” or “What [X] said”, but in this situation it appears to be only implied.
That’s the problem with real friends. They know you and won’t put up with BS.
“don’t fuck my brother, he’s not your fetish anyway”
“For your information, he absolutely is my fetish! But he’s also a person with feelings who would be hurt if we started banging our animal lust out and then I peace’d out to Yale, so he’s an unhealthy fetish. :(”
No, I am relatively certain that it was Walky that was, “getting her off”, when they were dating, and not that character assessment.
and she really need to let off some steam now~
Well, now she’s doing it for sure. Whatever that was.
D’awww! They’re friends! This is friend patter!
*Joyce used: Wise Warning
*It’s not very effective…
*Dorothy used: Deflect and Distract
*Sal used: Hard Truth
*It’s super effective!
There’s burns, and then there’s Sal.