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Early update for October 31, 2025 (Patreon)

Published:
2025-10-30 03:55:01
Imported:
2026-06

Content

trick OR treat is a false, binary choice

Files

Comments

LupinThe8th

I don't know what Asma's majoring in, but she has a knack for couples therapy.

AE Gonzalez

Welp, this calls for a damnyouwillis69 of “five minutes in the stairwell”

Mark Thompson

Escalation detected. Escalation….acceptable

Populuxe

I’m confused. Why is Asma the judge of when and where Dorothy and Joyce should or shouldn’t kiss?

AE Gonzalez

Joyce making the most of the honeymoon with her wife.

Dan Rabin

Asma regretfully ponders that bringing her fence-cutters meant she didn't have room to carry her poking stick: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/02-but-the-sun-still-shines/chase/, https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/04-the-only-exception/scatter/, https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/04-the-only-exception/asma/. The final link I just gave is to the wordless strip where we see Asma returning to the Read Center Desk and having feelings whose interpretation on our part is a work still in progress.

Maybeeus

"and did that escelate into anything else that became a problem?" *scrolls down* *sees related posts with Joe standing around like a sad puppy and Becky having a mental breakdown, also Sarah* "Nope." It'd be perfect if there was a pic of Walky sad in bed but alas...

C

In their defense, it was only in the last two days that both were simultaneously aware that there might be a degree of attraction to one another...and it just exploded from there in a nuclear reaction.

Baron Mercury

I am also baffled by this conversation.

MrShoggoth

They’re the ones who went out of their way to bring it up and interrupt her afternoon in the process, I’d be pretty judgey too in Asma’s shoes.

Fart Captor

Joyce is missing the point but I still absolutely love her expression in panel 4 she's so angy

Harold

More priceless Dorothy and Joyce faces here! Especially Joyce's "No! I want ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST!" expression in panel 4.

Logibear

I feel like there are two completely different conversations happening here and Asma is waiting for a shoe to drop for these two that may never come down.

Kelly (they-them)

This is why it took Asma so long to get proper screen time. She's too smart for a comic called Dumbing of Age

Maybeeus

I rooted for this btw i knew it would be a mess and a disaster but it's like the end of DS9's In The Pale Moonlight. I can live with it.

Dan Rabin

Asma may have personal sensitivities about the matter that have neither to do with political expression nor with being censorious about the romantic expressions of others in general. Being confused is an incentive to keep reading, which is in the author's interest.

Dan Rabin

But now she has to brush up on handling stairwellness issues.

Astariel

I'm with Joyce in panel 4; I reject the premise. Honestly, I wish this whole conversation wasn't happening. Also, I have no idea what they're talking about in the last panel.

Smoochie

Probably because kissing wasn’t the original purpose of going to the protest? That in the face of the danger and being vocal about choices the college board and the government on the whole is making—the very last thing someone might think is ‘it’s now or never to smooch.’

Harold

@LupinThe8th: Then she needs to talk to Becky and Dina, stat

Laura

I understand why some could read this as asma objecting to the possibility of joyce and dorothy kissing at all, but I think she is objecting to kissing at the *protest*, specifically. i think the mismatch between asma and joyce/dorothy's reading of the dialogue is intended to be humorous, and not a portrayal of asma being homophobic and/or puritanical

Harold

@Astariel: Sex. They're talking about the consummation of their relationship, which apparently happened twice in Joyce's bed (honestly, per the Slipshine, I'm surprised the number is that low) and then a third time in the stairwell while walking downstairs just now (presumably on a landing of some kind). Ah, young lust.

Empress of Robots

I love how Asma dresses them down and their responses, but this time/place scolding seems a little out of left field since Asma really seemed to give no fucks when Raidah was performatively outraged over the Joyce/Dorothy kiss coverpage. I'm anxious to see what the next strip is and how this conversation resolves.

Kelly (they-them)

Wow, Asma's design has really improved. I guess that's true for everyone tho, since Willis's art has only gotten better over the years

Uniquitous

I dunno, classifying the relationship as a problem kinda speaks against recommending her in that regard.

Empress of Robots

Also, I feel like both Joyce and/or Dorothy are missing an opportunity to explain what really happened: that this thing between them had been building for a while and Dorothy was trying to get herself arrested because she couldnt deal with a world where she and Joyce wouldnt be together and Joyce followed her (and kissed her) to let Dorothy know that she had ALWAYS had her. Life doesn't stop for world events.

Dmitri0240

Even if they had done everything perfectly (realize they have feelings for each other, tactfully breakup with their respective boyfriends immediately, wait a socially respectable length of time before dating), Joe, Walky, and Becky still get hurt. That's not the fault of the cheating, that's the fault of the attraction existing at all. And all three of them saw this coming and would have known immediately anyway. As for Sarah, she was mad that Joyce was dating Joe and tried to get her to be with Dorothy, and then she was mad that Joyce was dating Dorothy and tried to get her to be with Joe. I think she was just going to be mad no matter what. The only people who were actually harmed by the cheating are the people involved in some capacity with the protest. Asma has a right to be frustrated at the kiss distracting from the actual purpose of the protest, but I don't know why she cares what happened after.

Logibear

Agreed. I feel like Asmas issue is more about the time and the place rather than the act.

Laura

so i don't understand why she should have given any fucks. since asma doesn't know raidah, she may not have perceived it as performative. and if she agrees with raidah on the broader point that they shouldn't have been kissing, it seems reasonable that she may not care about the degree of the outrage?

tifani

I love this

Empress of Robots

my comment was less about Asma caring about the messenger and more about her not caring about the message (white chicks kissing being centered at an anti genocide of not white people protest).

tifani

I wanted a metaphorical trial like scene with Sarah, Joe, Joyce, and Dorothy. I’ll settle for this.

Laura

ah ok, i misread! i don't think we have enough evidence to conclude that she doesn't care about the message, but yeah let's see how the conversation resolves

Ragtime

and all it cost was one Walky, one Joe and the self-respect of one Becky Macintyre. I don't know about you but I'd call that a bargain.

Empress of Robots

Also, why is Joyce and Dorothy having sex NOT at the protest a problem? I'm really baffled at Asma's point here as she's coming off a lot like Mary and that doesn't seem to jive with her other recent appearances? Still withholding judgement until the whole scene is done...

Empress of Robots

Also also DOA Book 16: I refuse to accept the premise that there are times I shouldn't kiss Dorothy!

Logibear

Pretty sure the sex aspect only came into it with Dorothy's and Joyces answer in the last panel. Getting the vibe that Asma is angling at something else in the second to last panel

Ph

She could have just let it go, but the two people involved just came up to her out of the blue and acted rude about it. This seems like the ideal time and place if anything.

Empress of Robots

I was basing my comment on this: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/01-not-so-smooth-criminals/missing-them/ Asma really seemed to give zero fucks that Joyce and Dorothy kissed. She snarked about having been too busy running through tear gas but if THAT'S her beef, eff that. Joyce got a giant face full of tear gas VOLUNTARILY on her way to get Dorothy. You can see it clearly in the last panel here in Joyce's eyes and nose (which are colored pink to indicate the irritant) https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/04-the-only-exception/cantleave/

Dmitri0240

Yes, this is the second strip in a row where Asma has steered the conversation away from the actual offense they committed (treating a serious protest as a date, and inadvertently appropriating it) and seemingly towards encouraging guilt about what they're doing in general. I don't think this is a accident, narratively speaking. I still think the two most plausible scenarios are "Asma is closeted, and this is some misdirected discomfort with her own sexuality peaking through" or "it's a misdirect so Joyce and Dorothy can take offense and suggest Asma is homophobic, before she sets the record straight that she's openly gay and she just thinks they suck as a couple". One Mary in the strip is enough, even if realistically a bunch of Indiana college freshmen are going to have a higher proportion of insufferable religious fundamentalists than we've seen in the strip thusfar.

Empress of Robots

MAYBE, it's just hard to read Asma and what she's getting to here which is a problem that can easily be resolved with MORE ASMA PLEASE going forward :D

Empress of Robots

Also also also: LADIES! Please stop humble-bragging about how much sex you've had in the last two to three hours...

Empress of Robots

there is also a realistic chance that Joyce and Dorothy have spent over an hour and a half of the last two hours fucking and I just hope they are staying hydrated.

Empress of Robots

And PLEASE tell me they washed their faces before leaving Joyce's room lol

DramaQueen

Why are they even inviting this gay-phobic criticism? They’ve had a life changing epiphany and started a relationship, it’s not a problem for this near-stranger to address. At least they haven’t gone to Raidah or that Christian bigot to get scolded. I’m sure Asma has better things to do.

DramaQueen

Yes; just why. Why are they even bothering this woman who’s stuck here listening to them?

DramaQueen

But why does this stranger even care and why do they care what she thinks?

tifani

This is so funny though. The consequences of them choosing to involve Asma in their business by barging in on her at her job to heal Dorothy’s white guilt feelings and Joyce’s whole immature af fight me energy on the idea that doing what she wants when she wants always because kissing feels good thing she’s clinging to for self identity purposes means they have invited an element into the conversation capable of dismantling all their mutual self serving justifications of their past behavior with next to no effort at all. All she’s doing is calmly listing their actions. She’s offering no real judgment besides a little raised eyebrow. They’re judging themselves because they know when you lay it out fact after fact they handled this fucking TERRIBLY. And they did! This was a choose your own adventure in how to handle the premise of realizing you have feelings for your bestie while involved with other people and the preservation of your larger social circle and at every opportunity they picked the option that best suited their wants and needs over everybody else’s. And that only feels good to you if you are okay with being the kind of people who don’t prioritize others. And they aren’t. And you can’t be if you want to have a life that includes other people in it. Friendly reminder how isolated these two have been for weeks our time. Friendly reminder how unhappy everyone this directly effects besides them is now as direct consequences of their choices. All you in the comments continuing to fight for their right to have not anything different than what they did this is the comic itself telling you it rejects that premise.

Jesse

Okay, now it’s weirdly the queer characters talking about their sex lives as a problem, and the religiously-dressed lady implying more the actual problem. EDIT: I see how the part about religious clothing comes across like an unfair generalization on my part, so I apologize for that.

Astariel

@Harold - That doesn't make any sense. I refuse to believe that either of them would classify sex as a problem, especially Joyce, given how outspokenly defensive of kissing she's been. And it has nothing to do with the protest, so how is it even relevant?

tifani

Asma and Booster should interact.

Astariel

@Smoochie - I would say that being in serious danger, like a police raid, would be a very reasonable time to think 'It's now or never to smooch.'

tifani

Oh my god shut up. Shut up. Shut the fuck up.

tifani

If this was Raidah not Asma making these points would you be able to actually hear them? Is the presence of her hijab so loud to you you are incapable of actually listening to her words and theirs at the same time?

tifani

This isn’t about religion this is about objective right and wrong in regards to their behavior. Dina could easily be making this exact same argument this is not a religion thing. It’s a “these bitches fucked up”’thing.

Smoochie

Society in-universe is not ready for Asma and Booster together.

C Bonesmith

I wonder if the reveal isn't going to be "Asma cares about their sex life," but rather "Asma knows that somebody got grievously injured- somebody who was last seen helping these two in particular escape." The last thing Amazi-girl did before getting hurt was take down a fence- with Asma's help. The last thing Amazi-girl said before running back into that protest was TO them, within earshot of Asma. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/04-the-only-exception/scatter/ I think Asma knows more about what happened next after these two left than she's letting on and that might be flavoring this conversation. And even if she doesn't particularly care about AG/Amber, she would probably care about the protest being derailed by police violence against a white woman in a costume- another major distraction competing for attention with what the protest was actually about. (Granted, this would depend on her not knowing that nobody knows what *happened* to AG/Amber, but I just kinda think that "Asma is homophobic" isn't the vibe here. At least I'm hoping it's not.)

Onyx

DUDE - Asma was LITERALLY wanting Alice a few strips ago - this has NOTHING to do with religion, and everything to do with Dorothy and Joyce's Whiteness keeping them safer, allowing them to feel more comfortable making out in the middle of a protest being broken up, and with their actions taking over news of the protest. And not only that, she isn't attacking them over it, she is walking them through why it is problematic. So STFU.

Smoochie

You really think Asma is coming from a place that’s gay-phobic? Because I feel like that’s not what’s happening here.

tifani

They invited her into this conversation. What the fuck about any of what she is saying is queer phobic besides you deciding it is because it’s a Muslim person dressed in clothing that reveals her religious background speaking? You have no actual clue what she herself believes. Atheist Muslims exist and wear hijabs sometimes because the community contains variety. Like every other category of people. Context clues siren but the comic tells us that Asma is politically progressive and likely queer herself. You don’t like what she’s saying because it doesn’t suit you so your dismissing her very valid points as bigotry and acting like Joyce and Dorothy are somehow being ostracized by someone who did not seek them out.

Maybeeus

I think i've kinda passed my burnout point in terms of commenting. I think the point where my comments are about other people commenting and not the comic itself is the point where i cross the line. If i have a good joke to tell i'll share it and if i have a good long wall of text i want to vent about something silly in-comic i'll dump it. I've never been fond of online discourse culture and the fact that i have somehow once again found myself in the middle of it is kind of silly. I don't even really have a huge wall of text about this even though i was prepping for one lol. I do, somehow, have this backlog of things i want to talk about whenever they become relevant but most of my thoughts these days seem to be Walky related somehow? So you'll probably see more of that whenever he shows up again. Also Asma rules and haters can suck ittttttttttttt

Shane Wegner

Maybe Asma is at least partially aware of, and alluding to, Amazigirl and the cops getting involved in Fight Round 2 sometime after The Kiss, which caused Amazigirl to invest more time saving them a second time. (Which Asma was directly present for, the fence portion at least and maybe some of what followed.) What happened off panel after that is up in the air, but it’s possible Asma saw some of it and saw enough to deduce that Amazigirl knows and was particularly protecting Dorothy and Joyce. Which also leads into “surely you weren’t too busy having sex to even make sure both of you know your friend was seriously injured?” “Amb—I mean Amazigirl is hurt?!?” “Ah, I see that’s exactly what happened.”

Annie

I can't help but wonder if Asma thinks their apology is just performative, even their initial greeting must have felt performative because of those smiles might have felt like "we want something from you" to Asma. Especially since they don't know her even from a general social circle. She was "front desk girl" to them until the protest. It's one thing to check if she's all right after everything but then they go and make it about themselves. While Dorothy and Joyce are fine and lovely and it's them being human and imperfect.... but it does give off wanting to be absolved by WoC. Dorothy's apology for "cop energy" can feel like just her wanting to feel better about making Asma uncomfortable. Joyce's non-apology is still making it about her and Dorothy. No idea how Joyce's statement was even related to the whole "check to see if Asma is okay". Joyce is really riding that first kiss, honeymoon phase, post sex high! Asma has a right to be miffed that the whole thing because yes good for Joyce and Dorothy for finding love and not their fault that journalism centered on them to grab reader attention for sales, but how she experienced the protest must have been trauma inducing. Asma must feel frustrated because now it feels the protest she participated in was belittled because of the news focusing on the wrong thing.

etherealDesign

Jesse, this comment may have seemed very clever to you but it was actually quite dumb. I recommend deleting it and taking a few minutes to reflect on what you just said and why

Smoochie

@Astariel Humor me (and I say this not against any of Willis’s narrative choices, I’m all in for that because we wouldn’t be having this discourse). Could they have not kissed in a now or never moment before they entered the protest? Could they not have had a ‘glad to not be arrested’ triumphant smooch, once safely there? Could there not have been multiple moments while still in present danger and near the police but not the very apex?

Jesse

@Tifani I wasn’t trying to suggest otherwise here. I was worried yesterday that Asma was starting to come across as homophobic, especially when she’s normally a sympathetic Muslim character, but now it’s more clear that she has a point. The actual weird part is the queer couple hearing “Escalate into… a problem”, and implicitly interpreting that as their sexual relationship, which has been in private, or at least when they were alone. I accept that I should have been clearer and more tactful regarding hijabi women, though I’m not convinced I was so offensive that you needed to send me three angry replies in a row. Ironically, it looks like you should think just a bit harder before you assume the worst and tell other people to shut the fuck up.

Grace Serenity

Don't both Asma and Booster live in the same building?

tifani

Maybe look at every other response to your comment before you come at me for being the first one to call you out. Your comment radiates bias to me and so I feel no regrets about my initial response.

Onyx

I'm seeing a lot of problematic comments on this, so I need to point out a few things. First off, for everyone who is framing this as Asma is anti queer, you *DO* remember when she saw Alice she def showed attract to her https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/01-not-so-smooth-criminals/help-3/ Next - Dorothy and Joyce did not go to Asma to check on her in anyway helpful or honest. They did not go to her focusing on her and if she is ok, they went in with cheeky grins and focusing on themselves. (NOTE - while this is a shitty take, they are still kids and learning, so I'm not taking it as they are going to be this way their whole life.) If they were truly focusing on finding out how Asma was doing *that* would have been on their faces. Then, instead of again, focusing on Asma, Joyce centers the focus on their kissing, and then starts debating it. Asma looked like she was going to let is go with the slightly, but now she is drawn into a conversation - particularly by Joyce - where she is now explaining things. And she isn't even expressing anger at them, she is actually calmly trying to talk them through how their behavior was problematic AS A PERSON OF COLOR, and Dorothy and Joyce are focusing on the sex afterwards aspect (with the accompanying White privilege over their actions at the protest), which wasn't what Asma was even talking about. (Again they are naive, but if they don't have a different perspective by the end of this conversation I am going to be VERY disappointed in them.) Given how Willis has approached things like this before, I am pretty comfortable saying this conversation - particularly from Asma's point of view - has nothing to with religion or disapproval/hatred of queerness, and everything to do with Joyce/Dorothy centering themselves, so knock off the "vaguely" racist/queerphobic comments and actually think about what it going on here. Finally, , remember the strip from three days ago where Joyce was asking Dorothy if apologizing to Asma would want to be apologized to like that or if they were actually going to run into asking for "unpaid emotional labor to assuage guilt" over their actions? Willis was framing this conversation, I guarantee you.

Shane Wegner

I’m pretty sure Asma knows more of what happened to off-panel with Amazigirl and is hinting at that in a way a casual eavesdropper wouldn’t hear “and did your pal have to fight the cops again thanks to you coming back for smooches?” “She WHAT?!” “Oh sorry Joyce, yeah Amazigirl got stabbed but I was too horny to mention that” “You WHAT?!” “Yeah” “Well I know the feeling , with Joe I didn’t so much unequivocally break up with him as leave open the possibility of polyamory he proposed for future consideration and was too horny to mention that” “You WHAT?!” “You two are a disaster”

Jesse

@Onyx I refer you to my reply to Tifani, and add that if you actually read my first comment, I at the very least admitted that the Asma character is suggesting a valid point. As for the first part you wrote, I admit I didn’t remember that scene , but that’s just a risk that comes with a brief interaction between side characters in one of many small daily updates. Also, despite your talk about race relations, somehow I’m the one actually trying to be considerate.

Grace Serenity

They're just walking about the common areas of the dorm just REEKING of sex!

Donny K

Asma does NOT Get paid enough, form a union around this girl (not that kind! Joyce no!)

Jesse

@Tifani I did, smartarse. If you don’t want people being irritable toward you, don’t be so insulting in the first place. Maybe climb down off that high horse before you fall off.

Jesse

@Etherealdesign For what it’s worth, I added an apology for phrasing it badly.

tifani

@jessedusk you went back and replied to every other comment way after I called you out on only coming at me first but congrats on scrambling to cover your own ass after the fact. And maybe be a little less focused on me hurting your feelings and a little more concerned about your own inherent bias. You’re coming across as a little thin skinned tbh.

Zesstra

"It kinda blew up the strip and Willis had to rewrite the buffer, but it was worth it!" "Joyce, the fourth wall!" "Oops!" ASMA STATS This is Asma's 31st main strip appearance and 16th one with dialogue, the first time she's had over 50% speaking appearances since 2019, the sixth time overall. If she speaks in her next appearance, it will be the first time she stays over 50% for more than one appearance in a row. With 43 words, this is tied with Trustees (15:4) for her third wordiest strip.

Sajuuk-Khar

Dorothy: So I lied. I cheated. I ran at riot cops pretending it was an act of nobility. I am an accessory to breaking up the longest running relationship in the comic. But the most damning thing of all is? I think I can live with it! And if I had to do it all over again I WOULD.

Sajuuk-Khar

Asma is having a conversation that is very different than the conversation Joyce and Dorothy are having with her, where one person is talking about “appropriate protest behavior” and two people are talking about “a desperate hunger for validation”

Sajuuk-Khar

Asma is not classifying the relationship as a problem

Sajuuk-Khar

On the one hand this strip is a perfect example of what happens all the ding dang time in the comments section, wherein people are talking past each other. Asma is trying to get these two dumbasses to fly right, especially if they’re going to be engaging in more direct action in future. She’s trying to get them to de-center themselves and think about the goals of an action they’re at. That’s not what Joyce and Dorothy are hearing, though! They’re hearing “FEEL THE WEIGHT OF YOUR SINS. YOU ARE TRULY CRIMINALS. I DO NOT VALIDATE OR ABSOLVE YOU”, because this conversation for them was about shooting Asma fingerguns and being like “heyyyy we’re good right??? sorry about the ‘journalistic’ focus but like it’s cool that we made out!!” and now that they can’t get that they’re left with a big bucket of shame. And that brings me to the other hand, where I don’t know if I like this particular strip! I was very vocal yesterday about how reading this conversation as “Asma is a tokenized hand puppet for Theocracy discourse” is a bad dumb take, and now I feel kind of stupid for speaking up, because, uh, there’s a little of that energy here, Willis :/ It doesn’t feel great!

Sajuuk-Khar

Joyce and Dorothy unfortunately totally did come here (unconsciously) looking for absolution, and this conversation should have ended last strip while they were on equitable footing, to be frank. Joyce and Dorothy should have gracefully bowed out after “you’re starting to get it.”

Sajuuk-Khar

It absolutely is about the event and not the act. Asma and J/D are talking past each other.

Sajuuk-Khar

On the OTHER other hand, that does seem to be intentionally part of the framing, like, Dotty and Joyce should not have come to Asma’s desk and started this stupid conversation where they are unconsciously begging Asma for something she doesn’t owe them, doesn’t know they’re asking for, and has no obligation to give! It’s a very teachable moment about learning how to interact with people as an adult, especially marginalized people! So I don’t know. EHHHH. Asma rocks, though. I hope she and Alice make out (not at a protest, possibly with Billie also there).

Jesse

@Tifani You hadn’t said anything else when I started replying to another person, so I hadn’t bloody read it yet. Do you obsessively refresh a webpage when you’re trying to type something? You replied to me first, I replied to you first. That’s how it works. I also tried to learn from my mistake and added an apology to my original comment. Though it might have been easier to learn from if you hadn’t started by telling me to shut up three times in a row and then exaggerating the point you actually had. Now you’re complaining that I didn’t respond in the exact real-time sequence you expected. I hope that you eventually realize how grating you are, and how it undermines you even when you have something worth saying.

Empress of Robots

I really need them to bump into Danny because he would probably know what Dorothy smells like and would absolutely deadpan. "So what are we at now? A 5 or 6? Maybe a 7? And before you deny it, just know that Joyce REEKS of you."

Empress of Robots

Oh wait. I wonder if Asma saw Amazi-girl get shot with the rubber bullet/bean bag that required her to need stitches (I've always assumed that's what caused her injuries). Like, what if stopping to help Dorothy and Joyce actually caused A-G to get hurt?

Empress of Robots

It would explain WHY Asma was so shaken when we saw post-protest (seeing a presumable student shot/hurt would be haunting), her nonplussed reaction to Raidah's performative outrage, and why she is hassling Dorothy and Joyce about unintended consequences from their protest kiss.

Empress of Robots

It's also VERY possible that Asma knows who A-G is because she sees everything but a lot people overlook her.

Rubia

There are waaay too many characters named Nemesis in fiction. Can you narrow this down a little?

Seth Aaron Hershman has they/she pronouns

are we STILL on "amazi-girl came to the protest specifically to protect joyce and dorothy, and not out of a general interest in all the imperiled protesters, and therefore anything bad that happened to amazi-girl is joyce and dorothy's fault"

Sajuuk-Khar

@Seth, Amazi-Girl only *really*showed up because she saw Joyce and Dorothy were there and NO FUCK YOU HAUNTED KNIGHT I WON’T WRITE BULLSHIT LIKE THIS! DIE ANEW, FOUL SPECTR—AAAAAUGH

tifani

Oh please — do I strike you as the type who cares if someone like you thinks I’m annoying? Let me be a buzzing in your ear with the last bit of mental energy I’m willing to extend to you. Buzz buzz, motherfucker. Tone was appropriate. You’re not owed respect when your entire argument is built on disrespect. You put your foot in your mouth in a way that has real-world implications, and I’m not interested in sugarcoating that for you. You should know this by now. This is the internet — if you’re going to share opinions publicly, you have to be ready to be held accountable for them. You said something biased, and you were corrected. Instead of engaging with the substance of that correction, you fixated on tone because that’s easier than facing the reality that your perspective was narrow and harmful. That’s not conversation — it’s avoidance. The tone was direct because the harm was clear. That’s how accountability sounds. If that makes you uncomfortable, that discomfort is part of the learning process, not proof you were wronged. Congratulations. I’m done talking to you though. Forever.👍

Seth Aaron Hershman has they/she pronouns

fun fact i was trying to remember the "giant centipede that attacks you for writing 'i never beat off'" tumblr post and was so sleep deprived i got everything about it wrong

Astariel

We saw Amazi-Girl escort Joyce, Dorothy, Jocelyne, and Asma out of the protest, then go back to help more people, all while uninjured. So we know that's not what happened.

Astariel

That's not what happened. Amazi-Girl got all three of them plus Jocelyne out, then went back for more. She wasn't injured at that time.

Dmitri0240

@Smoochie From a meta perspective, I'd agree that it's unlikely that Asma is just being bigoted with no further nuance. I don't think the author would specifically try to increase her role in the strip just to have her be the villain. But from the actual words she has been speaking the last two strips, it *really* does sound like Joyce, Dorothy, and the audience are meant to believe she's being homophobic in general. I'm just hoping there's a more interesting explanation than "Asma's a bigot" or "unsatisfying writing".

Harold

@Astariel: I don't think they're "classifying sex as a problem" - it reads more like Joyce hearing Asma's question about "escalation" as "did the kiss escalate into something else?" and responding accordingly, both for punchline purposes and as an illustration of what Sajuuk-Khar and others have been saying all through these threads about Asma and J/D talking past each other.

Harold

@Astariel: While I'm here, thanks for trying to fight the good fight of pushing back against this astonishingly persistent idea that "Joyce and Dorothy's actions are directly responsible for Amazi-Girl getting injured." As Seth Aaron Hershman wrote earlier, it's hard to believe people are still arguing about this.

Empress of Robots

Im actually more and more convinced that A-G was injured protecting Asma and immediately after Joyce and Dorothy got out of the protest. And that A-G's preoccupation with her very distracted bisexual friends may have played a role in that.

darklion

Asma is the horny police, send them to horny jail

Jesse

You took your own advice to shut the fuck up? ‘Bout time.

Astariel

She's literally standing on the fallen fence about five feet closer to the protest than Joyce and Dorothy. She's as out (of the protest) as any of the other three at the point. You can headcanon that she went back and somehow this made Amazi-Girl getting hurt Joyce & Dorothy's fault, but literally nothing we see in the comic supports this.

Astariel

@Harold - I guess that could be it. I certainly can't think of a better explanation, but I find it unsatisfying because literally the last word in Asma's question is 'problem,' so why would J&D respond with sex unless they for some reason think having sex was a problem? Thanks for the kind words about the A-G situation. I don't expect people to remember every detail from a decade and a half of strips, but we all saw this just a few months ago and it was a fairly important plot point. I don't think it could have been any more clear that A-G made her own choices and the presence of Joyce & Dorothy was pretty much incidental to what she was going to do anyway.

Astariel

One day we will understand how the Joyce/Dorothy relationship is crucial to defeating the Dominion.

Harold

@Empress of Robots: I had completely forgotten that Asma was still inside the perimeter the last time we saw her at the protest. That does potentially put a different spin on the situation, and on Asma's words and demeanor since returning to the dorm. Still doesn't make J/D responsible for what happened to Amazi-Girl, though.

tifani

God you’re dull.

Astariel

@Smoochie - Yes, they certainly could have done all or any of those things, but I don't think the way it happened is less valid or believable than those possibilities. Obviously, since this is fiction, it all fell out the way it did because the author plotted it that way, but if we take them as real people, the set of emotional variables and random chance happened to line up so that they had their epiphany when and where they did, and the conditions of extreme stress they were under contributed to it. For me, at least, it makes emotional sense and I find it believable. YMMV, of course.

Jesse

They came back for the last word and then blocked me! It only took them about 24 minutes to decide they weren’t done yet! Hahahahaha!

Empress of Robots

There is nothing to say a cop wasn’t just off panel like with Joyce before the kiss

Empress of Robots

Also Asma cut the perimeter fence so she would DEFINITELY be a target

zee

Oh, she knows that shit was performative. Probably has a radar for white liberals looking to do Catholic style confession to feel better about themselves

zee

Take a shot every time a doa reader accuses a WOC of being homophobic for criticizing the ✨widdle gay beans uwu ✨ That was a joke, if you really do that I'm not paying your hospital bill

zee

My asexual ass could not be friends with these two,,,,

zee

Probably because raidah made it out like Joyce is a serial cheater. So asma probably just sees this as a pattern of 0 self control to the point of being harmful to others instead of something that just happened like, twice

zee

God Joyce is being such a baby in a not endearing way. This is the first time I've actually felt too old for their dipfuckery.

zee

That's stupid romcom logic. They literally put themselves in danger by not leaving when people were practically pushing them out. They would've been relatively fine if they left with everyone I will never stop being annoyed at dottys little tantrum, so insanely self centered and childish

Maude Reads Things

Joyce's shittiest traits all kinda boil down to her stubbornness and clearly people going 'But she's SO CUTE and she doesn't know any better' hasn't done her any favours.

Smoochie

@zee I didn’t drink that much even in college. Maybe if you let me space out the shots over the course of a week per strip

Maude Reads Things

Asma, you might have to be much harsher to get through to them

zee

Like Joyce is annoying as hell rn but it doesn't actually bother me. These characters don't really elicit strong negative reactions from me anymore. Until I scroll down and see over 100 adults clambering over each other to justify why she's not being annoying actually and she's a perfect little gay baby with her perfect little girlfriend and all these (incidentally brown women) are just buzzkill, sanctimonious haterz!!!1!11!! And also probably homophobic, totally.

tifani

@zee thank you for saying these things so I don’t have to. I had to learn how to block people over this latest bullshit. It’s that stupid.

Railway Series Book Club

this strip annoys me in a vaccum because joyce/dorothy and asma talking past each other is frustrating, but the fact that the broad strokes picture asma is drawing here can be read as either What Happened At The Literal Event and What Happened To Your Love Lives made something click for me re: the entire narrative intersection between Joyrothy Culmination and Bulmeria Protests and the way the emotional narrative's circle was successfully squared, at least in my opinion? im gonna sit on it for a bit tho, bc with my track record i'll probably be proven wrong within the next couple strips, lmao

Railway Series Book Club

also dorothy what the fuck do you mean "that five minutes in the stairwell", did joyce pin you down to the stairs and start railing you again? girl???

KittyKai

Until proven otherwise, this is my headcannon :3

Uniquitous

Welp. The patreon comments section is now as big a trash fire as the main site. Good job crew.

Astariel

A romcom? You mean, like the one we're reading right now? The milieu in which these characters exist? You don't say! Also, even with the kiss, they're still relatively fine, and they still got out ahead of plenty of other people, the ones A-G went back to save. Asma presumably wasn't waiting around for them and they got out at the same time she did.

Empress of Robots

"That Five Minutes in the Stairwell!" NOW ON SLIPSHINE!

Empress of Robots

Also Dorothy's off her game, it should be "those five minutes" not "that five minutes" since five modifies minutes. I'm going to assume the grammatical misstep is authorial intent that supports my headcanon that Joyce and Dorothy have been reduced to one brain, fueled by one braincell. STOP FALLING INTO THE STEREOTYPE, LADIES!

zee

You'll never finish at that rate

Sajuuk-Khar

@Queen: you are not alone in feeling that this strip is both frustrating and Important! That was why I put that addendum on my main comment because it’s obviously frustrating to see this but it also…*gestures wildly*

zee

This isn't a romcom. The whole point of when Joyce does stupid romcom shit is that they're not living in a romcom. They're in a dramedy with relatively grounded logic where dipshit romcom behavior is rightfully called out as self centering dipshittery. As for the timing of the kiss, I was saying that they put themselves in a completely unnecessary and stupid dangerous moment for that "do or die" bs by willingly going back for no real reason, against the better judgement of literally everyone around them. It's like they were trying to manufacture a death defying scenario so they could have a "do or die"

Mariah

i got the patreon back to escape the trashfire but there is no escape.

Uniquitous

This right here, this entire exchange? This is the problem.

5099 5618 v2.0

@Seth Aaron Hershman has they she pronouns (°~°|) ...they make *giant* centipedes? Regular ones are crazy enough, then human ones, now giants... Gotta bump that powered armor up on the priority stack... (/•_•)

5099 5618 v2.0

@Harold Everyone should have ice cream for breakfast once or twice. Not more than that, tho. There are... consequences, usually...

Jesse

@Uniquitous Okay, Bothsides McGee.

Shane Wegner

Amazigirl went back for more of her own free will, yes. But who stabbed AG? Could easily be the guy she kneed in the face to save Joyce wanting revenge, maybe even following them. And Dorothy not mentioning AG being injured is just facts.

Shane Wegner

There are a lot of levels between 0% and 100%. Yes, AG would have gone there on her own anyway. But did Dorothy and Joyce take more than their fair share of getting saved? I submit yes. AG smacked aside a gas canister and told them to leave together. Instead of doing that, they stood around angsting and Dorothy Leeroy Jenkins’ed back into the danger zone, leaving Joyce alone as a juicy lone target. Who immediately got rolled up by a cop, forcing AG to intervene a second time with a knee to the face. Still not leaving, Joyce bumbles back into the danger zone for the Kiss, then AG intervenes a third time to pull down the fence. We don’t know if there is any element of covering their escape for the battle that actually injured AG, if there was that would intervention 4 on their behalf. Three or four interventions for two people who were there with no plan or preparation, unlike everyone else, cost time, energy and cop aggro AG wouldn’t have spent otherwise. I won’t say it’s 100% their fault, that’s oversimple. But to say they had no effect or responsibility on how things played out is also inaccurate.

Minzoku Bokumetsu

I picked a good time to never have read comments