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Ste Jormur @stejormur.bsky.social ⋅ 5h
🥹
(I'm the butt of the joke in @damnyouwillis.bsky.social's #DumbingOfAge comic on 3/25/25)
Full strip: www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b...
Pat Brosseau @droog811.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
StarWars @StarWars.activitypub.awakari.com.ap.brid.gy ⋅ 3d
DiscussingFilm @discussingfilm.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
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ugh, morning people
Love the Sarah gravatar for this
Oh no, what if it turns out Tony is actually super chipper in the morning?
He stays over, and he and Joyce are both grinning over Sarah at six AM. Morning people just make other morning people more powerful, as illustrated in this strip.
Tony actually gets grumpier after coffee.
Later on in life he would be diagnosed with a caffeine intolerance.
Morning people are the worst, and I <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp-20h78PqE"?hate getting up early.
Here, you dropped these:
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</a>
Unless this fails, in which case I’m just making a bigger mess. Help-ing!!
Bleh.
And that’s coming from someone who has to wake up at this hour.
Humph, I’m starting to think that “morning people” are a myth. I seem to be the only one.
Many of them have died under mysterious circumstances.
Where there were once morning people, there are now mourning people
I love being a morning person.
If it was me I’d simply stop being asleep when other people get up instead of complaining.
(I do stop being asleep constantly. It’s chronic insomnia.)
(But every complaint I hear about morning people honestly sounds like sour grapes.)
It is sour grapes. In the “I feel like shit, am groggy and need time to get my body working after sleep, and the fact this god damned beacon of sunshine is able to be fully cognizant and active during my idling stage is annoying” kind of way.
Also the whole “I am still tired and sleep is good, bouncing around the house while other people are still sleeping can be considered rude in and of itself” thing.
At least most night owls know to be quiet in our nocturnal circadian rhythms, lest we draw Shai-Hulud to us.
What’s so great about mornings? Humans have considerable natural variation in their wake/sleep preferences. Studies of remote, un-contacted tribes suggest that this long predates modern technology. The leading theory is that this variation offered an evolutionary advantage, with “early birds” and “night owls” keeping watch against attacks from enemies or predatory animals while others slept.
Depends what you mean by ‘a morning person’. If you mean someone who is able to wake up and function quickly, then I am myself a morning person (which is….weird because I haven’t woken up in the morning in months) because while I choose to move slowly after I get up, I can be functional pretty fast.
If you mean a person who likes to wake up early, fine.
If you mean someone who likes to be obnoxiously cheerful when someone is sleeping or just waking up – by which I mean, someone like Joyce who stuck her face in other people’s faces and screamed WAKEY WAKEY? Yeah, I hate them, because they’re fucking rude
What if you were in a situation where nobody around you shared the same sleeping schedules and any one or more of them would getting up at all hours? Would you just never sleep at all, in that case?
*would be getting up
There may be real reasons I’ve lived alone for the last 23 years.
As an ex-night-shift worker, I used night masks and earplugs (though, technically I STILL do, since the one next to me is a snorer)
particularly Night Shift problems are the lawn care people and kids hitting the apartment building with their ball bc too close to the playground and people calling all day bc they have the wrong number and never seem to get the hint and why I got rid of the “with FREE walkie talkie” phone my ex made me get before
The Ethanification of Jennifer.
Soon Hasbro will announce a new line of Star Wars Transformers (yes those were a thing) with a Kit Fisto that turns into this thing and the metamorphosis will be complete.
I actually thought it was Ethan until I read the comments, checked the tags and reread the comic! ^^;
Wait what it’s NOT Ethan?
…. oh
Same. Totally saw her as him. I must now hie myself away to indulge in “Gasp! Secret family link of Ethan and Jennifer!” hypothesis hijinks.
The Occam’s Razor machine spits out: “Nope, just a copy-paste of Ethan’s eyes”
It’s a direct continuation from the previous page and her old cheerleader uniform is clearly visible in the first panel. Then again, I’ve made similar mistakes before, so I won’t laugh very loud.
Yeah, on the one hand it is the page directly following the previous page, which in the last panel showing Jennifer lying in the exact same position as the “mystery character” in this strip, just from a different angle.
On the other hand… um… I guess Jacob, who is Ethan’s roommate, being there could cause confusion that the “mystery character” could indeed possibly be Ethan, since… uh… it does kind of look like Ethan…? A bit…? If you tilted your head and squinted really hard?
Of course, the tag also says “jennifer” and not “ethan,” so…? *shrug*
*Ethan walks in*
Hey, you’re in my bed.
…
AND MY MOOD
Ethan: Oh, wait, that makes Lucy my roommate.
*immediately nopes right out
Alternatively…
*Jennifer walks in*
Hey, you’re in my bed.
Suffer in their happiness
Hopefully her dreams are Jedi ones and it’s telling her to find Alice before the Tuskens get her.
Obi Wan Kenobilly, you are my only hope.
It’s always been weird to me how close that name is to Tuscans. Those darn desert planets, ya gotta watch out for all the Italian sand bandits. They’ll toss big fishing nets on you and turn you into mildly spicy sausage.
Tuscan Raiders are vicious and cruel but they come with unlimited breadsticks.
Lucy already got on Jennifer’s nerves before she started being insufferable sweethearts with one of the hottest dudes on campus.
Jennifer should complain to Radah about how cheerful Jacob is in the morning.
Well at least some named characters don’t suffer irreparable emotional trauma in this comic.
Well, give it time.
–yet.
Now you’ve done it.
I know it’s probably a hair care thing, but my first thought was that Jacob had a bald cap on. Gotta get in on that hot Lex Luthor roleplay.
A bald cap would be an improvement over what he’s got going on under that do-rag.
And Lucy already found his kryptonite.
The implication of the hair care thing here is that Jacob has waves which I’m now realizing is a very cool thing that can be implied through art without even needing to draw waves
If anyone still wants a reminder on the Alice situation:
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/04-the-whiteboard-dong-bandit/scowl/
Yeesh.
Wait. I just noticed that there’s some unknown blondie sitting at the table with Alice. They aren’t seen again. So did they just sit there for that whole dramatic conversation?
Yes.
It’s okay though. The nerds are invisible to her anyway.
She’s still in the shot a couple pages later. My head canon is that she’s Alice’s new girlfriend.
It’s possible Alice and her still share Billie’s old thing about nerds, but there’s no real evidence for it in that conversation. Jennifer thinks so, but Alice is desperately trying to avoid talking to her, not to her dorky friends.
Her forgetting Walky’s name despite knowing him for years and again after just being told it in the cafeteria does at least imply that she hasn’t changed in that aspect.
Forgetting the name of a vague acquaintance from high school while in the midst of a traumatic confrontation with your ex isn’t really proof of anything.
Yeah, I figure she’s Alice’s new girlfriend who’s trying very hard to pretend that the old girlfriend isn’t causing an embarrassing scene in the middle of the cafeteria.
Charles Xavier. “To me, my Sex-Men!”
I bet dollars to donuts that Amber has read (or more likely written) a fanfic with that exact line.
“A” fanfic? As in, just one?!
Seeing Jacob just makes me think: how sturdy are their beds? Obviously they can handle the two of them sleeping but what if it was like… a JoexJacob couple. I’m not sure about the integrity of college beds.
What is the room bedding situation like? Cause it seems like some rooms have bunkbeds and others have separated twins. A private twin seems like a luxury in this regard.
This looks like separate twins? Certainly not bunk beds in this room, so at least Jacob won’t be bonking his head on the ceiling.
Read Hall has bunk beds. Forrest has twins. Malaya mentioned that when she moved in with Sal.
Read Hall has loft beds, not bunk beds. Every single time it comes up, someone calls them bunk beds, and that’s not what they are. There’s a desk and whatnot underneath, not a second bed.
Any allegations to the contrary are bunk.
Why keep talking about this? Let’s put the drama to bed, people.
Clearly, they would need to acquire an oversized plush dinosaur.
Well, I never lived in a dorm, but I have… enjoyed activities in a few of them. The ones I’ve been in were quite sturdy, but the last dorm bed I experienced was 20+ years ago so they could have gotten worse.
Probably has, since they’re probably the same beds.
From my memories, the bed frames themselves were industrial strength sturdy, but the mattresses and springs were old and saggy
yeah, this is my memory also — solid oak frames, kleenex mattresses
♪ Hello darkness, my old friend ♪
Y’know, if not for the cheerleader uniform, I could have mistaken this for Jacob’s room!
I also thought that was Ethan for a bit there.
Same. I was very confused as to why Jacob and Ethan had Jennifer’s cheerleader uniform.
fr fr? Moving in like that? This ain’t the end of Book 14, yanno.
I see what you’ve done for other people, and I don’t want that for me
Still figuring out the presence of the Our Flag Means Death poster
It’s Jennifer’s thing. Lucy’s side has Teen Titans Starfire and other superheroes.
Jennifer should be thrown out of the room at 8:00 AM every morning for revenge on that time she ladyblocked Lucy.
Kind of reminds me of Ruth’s depressive episodes right before she got on meds.
Jennifer needs to face Alice.
Only then will she be a true Jedi Knight.
Darn! I’d hoped there’d be a strip of Lucy being tickled.
I’ll have to request that as a Patreon bonus strip.
I really enjoy how Willis does panels where a character remains still for the length of a strip. Like, there’s no copypasting – each panel is still individually drawn. It very much feels like the character is alive despite not moving at all.
In this particular case, the depression vibes it gives Jen are immaculate.
A favorite of mine, too. Willis is very much in control of his timing.
jennifer i think maybe you’re not working through the things you should be working through and that it’s negatively affecting your quote-unquote “recovery” that you are so insistent on having completed in *checks watch* 3 months
anyway jucy stays adorable <3
I love seeing Lucy win just as much as I hate seeing Jennifer lose.
Gonna count today as a dub though
Hey, if only Raidah could see this it’d be a trip-trip-triple win.
This is an improvement.
Malaya would already have maimed between one and four people.
Jennifer can’t wrap her head around geeks being happy. Because if geeks are happy then all of her misery not being one is pointless.
I mean it’s probably also that she was stewing in the memory of the greatest moment of her life turning to ash in her mouth, not just annoyance at her geeky roommate. That’s just salt in the wound at this point
I mean have no such life shattering trauma and I would still be annoyed at a couple being this obnoxiously bubbly first thing in the morning. You can be in love without being loud.
I hope they do this every single morning for the rest of the semester.
You can, but it’s less fun.
Honestly, I’d be moved to casual violence of the hurled pillow variety, with a bellowed “GET OUT”. Failure to comply would lead to a critical analysis of their respective skills, and if that didn’t work, if I were Jennifer, I’d establish a “Jacob spending the night without discussion is reason for Jennifer to walk around naked,” rule. Jacob’s discomfort, and Lucy’s thinly covered insecurities, would likely quickly lead to future trists happening elsewhere.
If that doesn’t work, it’s time to make eye contact during the night before.
They are. So cute. God help me.
Seconded!
Damn they’re adorable
is that thing on Jacob’s head meant to be a do-rag to protect his hair? it looks like bald wig
Yup. Sleep cap for the hair. Same with Lucy’s (but bigger, since she’s got more hair).
Jennifer is having it rough, I’m so thankful my university doesn’t have roomates in dorms.
I can imagine few punishments worse than having to live with a morning person.
some quick google research tells me durags always have a long part in the back that needs to be tied to fit the user’s head. Whatever Jacob is wearing doesn’t have that, soooo…he sleeps with the world’s worst beanie I guess
Could be a wave cap.
That seems to be the one.
I just assumed the ties were in the same place as Joyce’s fingernails, but a wave cap does seem more likely.
He is secretly a robot refugee from Questionable Content, and that is his overnight recharging cap.
I knew there had to be logical explanation.
Not the crossover we deserve, but the crossover we need.
hey
… is for horses, but it is better for cows.
Every time I’ve heard something say that in real life, I’ve felt the urge to spill something on them that’s just hot enough to be shocking but not hot enough to actually harm them. Preferably something that stains, because they always lock into their fuckin’ Stock Phrase Stance™ and put on this shit-eating grin like they’re saying the cleverest thing anyone’s ever said, and you can’t interrupt or visibly shut them out because they’ll just chase you down and restart until you let them finish.
What, you don’t like canned wit?
It’s literally the exact same thing as Skyrim guards repeating the same dozen lines about reforming the Dawnguard, arrows in the knee, fiddling with locks, being lightly armored, all that crap.
Come on.. Sticks and stones can break your bones, but repetitive words can only drive you mad.
How do you know most of us aren’t NPCs in the world? Maybe we gotta say all that repetitive stuff. Don’t blame us for the laziness of authors not coming up with another few hundred stock pieces.
It’s the worst sort of boomerism. There was a period where they all did it because they thought “hey” was disrespectful.
“Who’s she? The cat’s mother?”
No she’s the person we were just talking about it’s called fucking context clues jesus christ.
And everyone’s perennial favourite “Yes, you *can* go to the bathroom. You do have that ability”
Make you a hamburger? Poof! You’re a hamburger.
Call you a cab? You’re a cab.
The “cat’s mother” one doesn’t even make sense. I assume it’s some orphaned reference to some old timey meme from the elder culture, but today it’s gibberish.
“Who’s she? The cat’s mother?” is a centuries-old Irish upbraiding for youngsters what done been disrespecting the matrons. Apparently by referring to them with pronouns too often as compared to proper titles and surnames.
Pronouns: pissin’ off conservatives since 1066.
I can’t stand people who insist on being referred to by their full name and title every single time they’re mentioned. They need to get over themselves, especially if they’re just regular-ass house people.
Taffy is against pronouns?
Taffy prefers amnouns??
One time was talking to another staff member in a classroom, and a student came over and asked if they could use the bathroom. Other staff member gave the old, “I don’t know, can you?”
And then I just shot them an annoyed glance and said, “Yes, you can, take the pass.” The other staff member seemed annoyed with me, but I was the one who was full-time in that classroom, we’re not doing that here.
That’s when you revoke their bathroom access.
And every cashier’s favorite: “No price, huh? Guess it’s free!”
After the fifth time in the same day it’s hard not reply “I will hurt you.”
Oh, interesting. When I see something without a price label in a supermarket, I simply assume it’s unpayable and boycott it.
is it just me or does Jennifer seen especially HOT in that strip? ^-^
Andrew Garfield on the poster, to keep alive his fame, before we knew he was quite soon the next year about to get a big-ass fame bump.
Buck up Jennifer, you only have to feel like that another 49.5 years. Suicidal ideation stops after the first 5 or 6 years.
Poor Jennifer, cursed with a painfully cheerful roommate and her equally cheerful SO
“Check out what your emotional unavailability means you can’t have.”
Lucy’s never been hotter.
I dig the avatar
The perfect way to capture her sexiest expression.
Seeing that Cheerleader Uniform Jennifer /STILL/ keeps up being ripped down is gonna be very satisfying, isn’t it?
Especially when she puts it on.
I think they are kind of cute.
Hmm? Did we already skip to the next day or did Jacob and Lucy just sleep in while Billie took a nap?
This is the morning of the next day after Joyce and Becky sang a song and Jocelyne experienced strong emotion on viewing a family photo. The pinkish cast to the light gives a clue to the time of day.
It just felt a bit abrupt since it didn’t seem late in the day in the last comic with Jocelynn
Whenever a new chapter starts, it’s a new day.
I wonder how early in the morning it is. And I’m reminded that my sleep cycle of staying up stupidly late started getting messed up in college, and never recovered.
Ethan might be learning a new boyfriend-stealing technique…
That’s Jennifer.
That’s what he wants you to think. Ethan is a master of disguise.
No, no, it’s Jennifer disguising herself as Ethan. (Intrepid reporters gotta be good at that stuff.)
Jacob is most definitely wearing a wave cap, but imo i understand the confusion. it’s deffo missing the visible seams that most wave caps have IRL
1000%
Also it’s just unusual (and delightful) to see bonnets, wave caps, and durags in comics, so a lot of non-black people reading might be seeing them for the first time or not familiar enough with them to know what they’re likely to be.
Brings me a lot of joy to see it.
As a rural small-towner, I agree that it’s nice to see. In an ideal world with 100% even human distribution, we’d all Just Know About™ these things, but this comic was the first place I encountered them. Context clues and commenters discussing them helped fill in the blanks pretty quickly.
As someone who does not live in America I actually really appreciate how 1. the comic is so specific on these little aspects of American life and 2. the comments sections almost always have extensive culture notes and people going “yeah, this is exactly what this is like”. I’m not really invested in American life beyond this webcomic, to me the whole country is just the lore of DoA.
That’s basically all the country’s good for, at this point.
As usual, the headwear is a nice attention to detail
I have to stop reading DoA during 2:30am bathroom trips… my initial thoughts included “Why is Jennifer in Sarah’s room”, “Who is the tall dude with Sarah and does Tony know about him”, and “Why is everyone wearing stupid hats?”
I barely recall my own name at that hour of the morning and I read the strip without my glasses. Once I was fully awake it all made sense, but things were a bit weird for a few hours this morning.
And the real question, “Why is Sarah suddenly short?”
Special shoes.
So Jennifer’s options are going back to sleep into a reminder of one of the worst moments of her life, or staying awake and having to endure the diabetic-coma-inducing sweetness of Lucy and Jacob.
A tough choice, to be sure.
Oh, whoops. That was meant to be a paragraph break.
I’d say it broke the paragraph just fine.
Their sheer enjoyment is incredibly saccharine. Cool representation tho.
Hells, the first panel, I thought that was Ethan.
For Jennifer it’s just another day in Hnnngh-idise
it do be like that, jennifer
Wait, Billie reattached the S on her Dragons uniform? That’s so sad D:
Stolen replacement.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/order/ Ruth reattached it waaaay back when before they were dating.
Oh right! Can’t believe I forgot this
This has absolutely nothing to do with this strip or anything that has happened recently but I was reading some of the archive strips and was wondering if Carla has
dammit can’t do HTML for the life of me.
bought a pie yet.
cause of this strip.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/04-dont-stop-billie-ving/yuppers/
Apparently Charlie was fond of pie. Unless she was thinking of something else and didn’t notice.
Poor Jennifer. I know that feeling when your life is shit and everyone around you is disgustingly happy. It’s even worse when they’re morning people.
Too much sweetness for Jennifer. I hope she doesn’t turn evil and decide to destroy such a nice couple.
I think it’d be funny if she tried and failed. Lost her mojo.
Damn this reminds me ive been forgetting to sleep in my bonnet again…..
I like to see this too happy.
i’m getting flashbacks