The Dumbing of Age Book 12 Kickstarter is live!
currently barreling towards unlocking Ruth magnets at $50k
The Dumbing of Age Book 12 Kickstarter is live!
currently barreling towards unlocking Ruth magnets at $50k
Jocelyne!!!
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might need to change this to read “BEST COUPLE” instead of “besties”
The best couples are both. Also great drawing.
oh my god they were besties
feels “historically” accurate to leave it as is
A Dina strip!!! With Becky too!! YES!!! 🤩🥰🦖♾🌈🧠🌌
*plays “Yoshi Star Galaxy” from Super Mario Galaxy 2 OST*
I would have used Mike + The Mechanics’ “Nobody’s Perfect”.
Obligatory Mike reference.
Obligatory reference to nickels.
If I had a nickel for every time you commented between my comment and Stephen Bierce’s in this thread, on this page, I would have 2 nickels, which isn’t a lot and it’s weird that I brought it up.
Obligatory reference to woodpeckers.
Nope, sorry universe, Becky and Dina still win due to one being a dinosaur.
Yeah, but he’s trying to grow out of it.
o, that’s a thinker 😀
*applauds*
You win.
oooh, subtle
Huh?
Whoosh. Over my head.
The implication is that Joe is a dinosaur because of his previous attitude toward women.
Ah. Ta!
Bazinga.
…I’m confused, are we saying somecreature being a dinosaur is /pos or /neg?
hell, i am lost too 😅
Oooh, this should totally be the new poll. Once the scene is underway, at least.
Is Raidah and Kevin an option?
Who the hell is Kevin?
See the Poll.
The poll went up about here: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-13/03-joementum/jettison-2/
(i was trying to be part of the joke)
(Your kidding.)
((Sorry))
Well…the Book 13 title is set, I guess 🙂
The Very Walls Quake At the Onslaught of Our Unparalleled Cute-atude
They not wrong though. Who else has a better track record? No one! Not a single other couple could go the distance Terrible Lizbeans has.
It’s probably not the first time, but I just noticed Dina wearing Becky’s old college hoodie.
It’s a funny joke because it depicts an institution that believes she will spend an eternity in torment.
Wow great memory – it took you only four minutes to find a strip I forgot existed.
The tags make searching for specific older comics really easy, it’s a really useful feature for the archives and they’re well maintained
Becky’s old Anderson hoodie was too long in the arms for Dina, but this one seems to fit perfectly. Did she buy one in a smaller size?
There is a possibility that it shrank again in the wash.
Or they specifically ordered one in Dina’s size just to continue the gag.
“I have altered the hoodie. Pray I alter it further.”
*bashing fists against table* CROPPED HOODIE, CROPPED HOODIE, CROPPED HOODIE
She’ll get the idea from Joyce’s shrug-hoodie thing.
Oh goodess remember that late 80’s early 90’s oversized tummy-exposing shirt the jocks tended to wear in the movies?
I certainly hope not. If you strongly disagree with people, why give them money? (Granted, the probably small revenue from the sale of one hoodie isn’t exactly going to make or break Anderson. It’s just the principle of the thing.) That’s why I’m currently laughing at Ted Nugent for shooting up cases of Bud Light. Sorry, Nuge, but InBev makes just as much money whether you drink the beer, shoot it, or squirt it up your ass.
I think usually it only shrinks on the first wash, but it works if Becky had never washed the hoodie. Which is plausible because college.
You know how if you put on something too small and wear it long enough it streatches out?
No one knows how but Dina does it backwards.
Maybe they altered it to fit better? I don’t know if either of them know how to tailor and mend clothes though
Their relationship is parsimonious, explains a wide breadth of phenomenon, it is testable, has predictive power, is fruitful and is falsafiable.
*carefully considers each point and finally nods approvingly*
They know the kings of England, and they quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical
they are pretty good couples
“We’ve thrown down the gauntlet, Universe!” – Book 13 title
Book 13 – Why Are We Standing Waiting Outside?
Check panel 3, Becky looks good in eyelids
Random question that has nothing to do with this particular strip, of the Dumbing of Age cast, which characters do you think would be most likely to have Conquerer’s Haki (like from One Piece). Carla seems a likely answer.
Carla WANTS Conquerer’s Haki.
though, to be honest the person I feel like would most likely have it is Conquest.
Walky and Dina.
Walky does not have conquerors haki. I’m sorry, but none of his personality reads as a natural leader or particularly strong will. Sal might be candidate though.
I mean Luffy doesn’t seem like that on the surface either :p
But yeah good point Sal seems like a prime candidate as well
This is actually a very interesting question, because having conqueror’s haki requires more than just being angry or having a strong will. You need the drive to pursue being the best, above all others. This means someone like Dorothy until very recently could be a conqueror’s haki user and surpringly Raidah might qualify too. They are both very driven characters. Carla might also be a natural conqueror’s haki user based off pure narcissism.
I can’t think of any guys off the top of my head or any more characters in general. It’s an interesting topic though. Maybe Becky? Maybe?
Mike would have been a shoe in.
Joyce, Jennifer, Maybe Walky, Amber definitely, Mike Certainly.
Agreed, but with a twist: Amazi-Girl has the Conqueror’s Haki, but Amber doesn’t.
Oh, and Robin too. She’s definitely got that potential.
Well conqueror’s haki has so far only shown in people with indomitable wills and lofty ambitions so weirdly enough I feel like Dorothy would be a strong candidate. Sal is a maybe because while she has a strong will she also hasn’t really displayed much ambition towards anything. She’d definitely have stellar armament haki. Blaine probably would have had it as well, as would Amber.
By your definition, it has to be Robin.
Sarah and Ruth. Maybe even Danny.
There is only one character whose ambition has the power to reach out and bend people to their will.
Fuckface.
I see all the people who are trying to say that conqueror’s haki is about will or ambition or some philosophical thing, and I gotta say: y’all be overthinking it. The real question is, who among the cast would fit best as a Shonen Action Protagonist? Once you understand that, it all becomes easy, especially because we’ve already seen what most of the characters look like in an action-adventure setting (though granted, not an anime one) in “It’s Walky!” and “Shortpacked”!
Sorry, correction: Shonen Action Protagonist OR Shonen Action Big Bad. Either one of those types of general vibes works.
That is going to be a double date for the ages.
Sal/Danny and Walky/Lucy on a double date run into Joyce/Joe and Becky/Dina on their double date.
There is an extremely dark Gilligan Cut when someone goes “You know, it feels like the gang’s all here, but who’s missing?” and Dorothy’s still standing on the gravel pile.
Something about Danny and Sal…
I see what you did there.
Don’t dare the universe while shouting that up at the sun – it’s busy making the couples everyone needs: paring up Hydrogen-1 into Hydrogen-2. AND THEN making H-2 and H-1 into He-3 – ohh baby that’s a hot threesome (get it?).
Come on you have to admit that in terms of combined RAD-ness those pairs have them beat.
Sorry universe, I may ship Joe/Joyce harder but Becky/Dina automatically wins over het ships in my book.
These dorks
I mean… I’m pro Joe and Joyce but there’s no universe where they hold a candle on Becky and Dina as a duo.
While I do like Becky and Dina, there are issues in their relationship… Dina’s lack of pants-euphoria, Becky’s unrequited love for Joyce… They seem to be handling things now, but they could be potential road blocks in the future.
On the other hand, Joe seems to have a handle on his more… base… instincts and Joyce seems to be handling things well enough. Their relationship isn’t as developed as Becky and Dina, but I don’t see the same sort of potential pitfalls either.
(Granted, this is assuming the author doesn’t throw in some potential plot twists)
I am way more confident that Becky and Dina are going to go the distance than I am about Joe and Joyce
Agreed, Becky and Dina have a lot of chemistry and are just really into each other. Dina’s still exploring her sexuality, and that’s fine. Becky’s here for it, and actually pretty curious herself. They definitely appear to be endgame.
Agreed, there is also a world where the origin of the BeckaSaur comes into play similar to Marten and Dora from QC.
(QC Spoilers ahead, even if they are decades old)
In that comic, Marten confessed his true feelings for his roommate Faye. She did not feel the same way towards him.
While Marten was focused on Faye, he failed to realize other women that were interested in him, specifically Dora. Dora was Faye’s friend/boss hung out with Faye and Marten a bunch.
Two days later Marten ran into Dora leaving his apartment as she was just hanging out with Faye. He was hungry and invited Dora to come hang out and catch some food with him. The two had dinner, shared a moment, and then Dora finally acted on her feelings for Marten and kissed him.
The two begun dating for a while. When they did fight, a lot of it could be tied to their origin, with Dora worried that Marten wasn’t truly happy with her and was only dating her because Faye turned him down. Eventually they had a fight that was bad enough for them to end things.
BeckaSaur share a similar origin. Joyce turned down Becky, and Dina was the first person to show an interest in Becky shortly after this breakup. And once their “honeymoon” phase fades and they aren’t dealing with hostage situations. Well, it’s possible that some friction pops up in their relationship. Dina mentioned once that “she knew she was Becky’s rebound” https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/02-that-perfect-girl/riddles/
Granted the two have been together for incomic months since that strip. But I can really see that coming back up at some point.
Now looking at Joe-yce, neither have had a recent romantic encounter. Jacob and Joyce flamed out months ago. The closest Joe had was with the fling with Liz. Joe has showed he cared for Joyce by being her sounding board back during the visit with her parents. As well as the concern at Joyce looking at her phone. The rant with Jacob how she was improving also works. The only real issue is Joyce seems to like him, but is still having an issue putting that into words that aren’t linked to her physical attraction to him.
*shortly after this **incident**, not breakup, whoopsie!
I think Becky’s got a handle on her feelings towards Joyce. Add in the atheism bit causing friction, and it’s entirely possible her crush has been crushed on a romantic level.
As for the pants euphoria, we know Dina *IS* capable of experiencing it, and they’re both scientists. They’ll find a way.
Their biggest hurdle is going the be Becky’s faith and Dina’s steadfast disdain/dislike for the skyman.
Meet in the middle, then. Then miss class.
A new challenger appears!
Hand!! Holding!! Love these Joeyce moments SO MUCH
I kinda like both couples equally at this point.
Yeah!!! YIPEEE!!!!!
I’ll be honest, I don’t usually have strong feelings on Becky/Dina, but panel 3 does indeed throw the gauntlet down.
Dina and Becky are fine and dandy, but Joyce and Joe have had chemistry cooking from an entire universe (and multiple decades!) ago that’s only just now getting the chance to resolve. Joeyce wins by longevity alone IMO.
“Where are Becky & Dina?”
/sadtrombonesound
This is really fun. I do love both couples quite a bit, and I love how Becky definitely knows how to talk nerdy to Dina.
Also, I love that Dina is wearing Becky’s Anderson hoodie. Becky giving that to her girlfriend to wear is such a great rebuke of Anderson University.
I am all in on Joe/Joyce, but they’re silver medalists, even with the Walkyverse legacy. Yes, I said it. Becky/Dina gold medalists. All rise for the Dinotopian national anthem.
Is the anthem the Jurasic Park theme with added sex saxaphone music?
Sexy. That was supposed to say sexy saxaphone music.
I assume it’d be the national anthem of Dinotopia (the fictional dinosaur utopia from the book series of the same name.)
This reddit post here has a copy of the lyrics and note sheet from the books as well as a link to someone on youtube singing it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/filk/comments/m5wbn2/a_song_of_dinotopia_written_by_james_gurney_in/
(Note: don’t expect great production values if you follow the link chain, it’s just a teenager filming themselves sharing a bit of fun)
Hahaha Dina wearing Becky’s hoodie. CUTE.
I’m gonna just be a lightning rod but.
I’ve never found Dina and Becky all that cute. They’re probably the best couple in the comic, but that’s because everyone either broke up, or actively shouldn’t be together. I honest to god find both of their interactions with others more interesting than their interactions with each other.
My favorite ship is still Sal and Danny. I think they make the best couple, even over Joeyce and Bena(?), the other option I thought of would be Dicky, but that sends the wrong message, and neither of them has a dick so it would be false advertising.
“Decky”, maybe?
Beckna.
Dinasaurus Becks
Dina and Becky. The portmanteau thing for relationships started, to the best of my memory, when the tabloids spent a shit-ton of time invading the private lives of two actors, who ended up breaking off their engagement. Let people in relationships also be individuals.
I mean, Dina probably likes Independent Variables…
(Joke reference: there is a rapper who goes by Lil Dicky, who in one song introduced himself as the independent variable)
Earlier in the story Becky hid all of her pain and lies and unrequited love under a spunky attitude and a gigantic grin. She was a really compelling character! Now… she basically just exists to be happy, and somehow magically sidestepped being hurt or even particularly saddened by all the horrible things that happened around her. I found that direction for her arc kinda deflating and disappointing.
Her relationship with Dina is actually be pretty interesting though. The way they first got together at that little party was startlingly cute, and the challenge of bridging the gaps between them was at least an unusual problem to solve. The whole story of seeing how Dina processes and expresses romance and sexuality is pretty fun and refreshing imo
This person who used to hide all her pain and lies under a spunky attitude and a gigantic grin is now just happy without showing any sign of her pain through her spunky attitude and gigantic grin.
I’m sure this is just a less interesting version of the character and not at all significant.
I’d argue that the whole storyline with Becky and Joyce in conflict was a show that Becky does still have that pain, and actually expressed it. Her hurt feelings about Joyce not being Christian I would argue has way less to do with whether Joyce believes in Jesus, and more about how much Becky’s own faith means to her and has been a thing of strength along with the hope of seeing her mom in heaven one day.
I also remember that when this messier aspect of Becky’s pain happened and was indeed, a reoccurring little element in the story, some people in the comments were just annoyed or upset with her.
I like Dina and Joe as a crackship
Becky and Dina are cute individually and cute together, but I don’t know if the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Joyce with her hair up eclipses them both IMO.
You’re not wrong
I totally agree on this. Good take. I just don’t think Dina and Becky have a very interesting dynamic.
being a lightning rod is my guilty pleasure…
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/dinosaurs/
Counter-argument.
I’m here for the Joe/Joyce. But hey, that’s just my opinion.
A Grayfinity opinion! 😏
This is just sheer cuteness to give us a nice emotional whiplash from last scene… I’m here for it
It’s probably not meant that way, but I love how Becky’s expression in panel 4 can be read as going maniacal to try and hide how disappointed she is that the answer was not, in fact, pants euphoria.
Dinasaurus Becks still the superior ship because one of them is Dina. Joe and Joyce a close second.
Interesting both of my favorite ships include an autistic partner.
What the fuck is “life euphoria”? The pants kind, I understand that completely.
Guess you weren’t around for ‘High on Life’.
That video game that literally never stops talking?
an almost overwhelming sense of bliss and contentment.
You made that up, just now.
It is both quite pleasant and can mess you up if you’ve been primed to associate that kind of intense emotions with something supernatural.
Marriage?
If you’re the happily-marrying type, maybe. Haven’t encountered either phenomenon yet.
Joe and Joyce still holding hands
Like even before marriage, that’s crazy.
Becky and Dina dont count because theyre pretty much the it couple
Life Euphoria is so great. <3 i'm happy for Dina.
“Who’s the cuter couple?” sounds like the premise for one of those bad fake game shows that aired on MTV in the early 00s
What have you DONE, Willis?? You do NOT pit shippers against each other! You’ve broken the Forbidden Seal, YOU FOOL! D:
Look upon our perfection, ô God, and despair
Spring is in the air…
Becky’s hair is returning to pre-college status. And it’s getting more and more wild. I loved it.
And Dina’s on life euphoria.
Diana and Becky are doomed. Nothing summons the gods of fate like declaring your love eternal and perfect. Haven’t they watched any tv? I’ll be good and not link to tv tropes.
Joyce and Joe are so freaking cute together I CANNOT STAND IT ♥♥♥
I see Dina is wearing Becky’s Anderson hoodie. That’s so cute.
Its a token of conquest, all things considered.
Oh my God panel 3 😳
Dina and Becky are clearly a better couple, but Joe and Joyce are more compelling, I think. DB was kind of instant perfect chemistry, they’re cute and their relationship is a given through which other plot elements are born. Becky’s grown through knowing Dina, but she’s always been very accepting and enthusiastic about it. JJ has been slow burning since (checks watch) 2011, and we’ve watched them grow and change each other in more interesting ways. They didn’t want to make each other better, but they did.
Joe and Joyce have more compatible… pants euphoria.
Nah, we’ve seen that Becky and Dina are sexually compatible. Dina’s stated some boundaries before about being ok with Doing It even if she’s not turned on, etc etc. I think they’re good for each other
In terms of frequency.
Sorry, I’ve got to side with Becky: A white het cis couple is not at all interesting. As healthy and educational as the relationship may be for both of them, I remain 0% invested in their romance.
I join you in this sentiment. Maybe it’s partially because I have no history with the “original” universe in which Joe/Joyce were a thing and therefore have no love for the pairing, but I don’t hate the pairing either. I’m aggressively indifferent, especially when Dina/Becky are on scene.
I don’t disagree with you, but it is worth noting that Joe is Jewish, and Jewish people don’t generally get to count under “white” when white supremacy has any say about it.
I just realized that either John or Carol would look up Joe’s name on the internet when they hear his Jewish last name.
I think they figuring out he came from jewish family is lesser dramatic than they findig he have made porn…
I did forget that, which is bad. I should apologize except Joe is a fictional character. We could have the whole talk about the degree to which Jewishness conditionally counts as whiteness depending on how happy white supremacists are with a Jewish person at a given moment, but ultimately it just tells us Joe isn’t white.
I will stand by the boring cis hetero part though.
the world of heterosexuals is a sick and boring life
I do kind of hope that the idea here is that Dina and Becky are *hardcore* in the infatuation stage right now and moving way too fast. Because to be honest? I find Joe and Joyce more compelling. An interesting relationship needs hurdles to overcome.
(This is why a part of me still ships Ruth/Jennifer, despite it all. I miss getting to read queer relationships that are, you know, *messy*. Now all we have is Dina and Becky.)
Here’s hoping for more Ethan and or Booster
I hear that. I’m still rooting for Robin and Leslie
To be fair to Dina and Becky, they have been dating for like… 3 months at this rate? Since they got together in… October? Compared to Lucy and Walky, I definitely wouldn’t say they’re moving too fast.
I mean, Becky straight-up wanted to marry Dina, but Dina essentially said, “Not right now”, with the heavy implication she’d be down to do it later, just, later. That’s still moving pretty quick, just a controlled frenzy.
She also proposed marriage just after having sex due to her religious hang ups regarding sex out of marriage. Just because Dina did respond back ‘hey I’d like to get married someday’, I’d say that’s just… a reasonable answer? Especially for someone who’s ace and in their first relationship? I mean, when I had my first girlfriend, I had all sorts of stupid puppy love thoughts about marriage and kids (even had ideas for surrogacy since we were two women). Becky’s proposal wasn’t entirely serious or, I would argue, genuine.
Becky’s proposal was religious panic driven, but she did later tell Joyce they were kinda-sorta engaged, which sounds like she’s still taking it somewhat seriously.
Yeah, it wasn’t entirely impulsive.
Yeah, I don’t know if Willis is planning to give their relationship flaws. I just kind of hope there’s something in mind, because the only thing worse than a problematic lesbian ship is a boring one.
Ngl man sounds kinda like you just don’t like lesbian ships which I mean… you don’t have to? Just be honest about it.
I mean; they’re right about their pairing.
but they also can be wrong about other things lol
life euphoria would be an interesting book title lol
i do think joe and joyce are adorable but unfortunately, i am a lesbian, and i am very biased towards my girls
This feels like a book title!
Dina is so good I like them both I like all these characters on screen