Dumbing of Age Book Eleven

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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September 18, 2023

Calm yourself

by David M Willis on December 21, 2022 at 12:01 am
  • 02 – Turning Saints Into the Sea

└ Tags: dorothy, joyce

Discussion (338) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    December 21, 2022 at 12:01 am | #

    “JOYCE, I BEG YOU, DON’T CAST YOUR BODY INTO THE CRAGGED SHAME PITS OF THE LUST-WOLVES!”

    “Dotty, this is no longer adorable.”

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      December 21, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

      Welp, she wouldn’t be *presidential* if she weren’t a hypocrite, go figure -_-

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        December 21, 2022 at 1:50 am | #

        People really ripping into Dorothy here. She’s not objecting to Joyce having a romantic interest or having sex, it’s (based on the evidence of her experience of having *known* Joe for years) WHO that she objects to. Dorothy isn’t being hypocrite, she’s actualy being a good friend to Joyce based on the information that she has. Unfortunately for her and Joe, her data is out of date. The only person with recent data is too horny to view it objectively. Still, it may work out anyways as it *appears* Joe is actually wanting to grow and be a better person.

        • Schpoonman
          Schpoonman
          December 21, 2022 at 2:00 am | #

          Amber has been coaching Joe on this exact problem.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          December 21, 2022 at 2:52 am | #

          I think it’s ok not to be 100% objective WRT one’s feelings. Both for Joyce’s attraction (physical and emotional) to Joe, and Dorothy’s disdain for him. She just doesn’t like him, from their past, I don’t think knowing that he learned something in Gender Studies would make her stop disliking him. And that’s fine, nobody should be obligated to forgive or forget.
          Dorothy’s angry at Joyce here, and that’s the problem. She’s trying to make Joyce’s decisions for her, compared to with Ethan and Jacob, she just expressed her disappointment, right? Her motives aren’t unjustified, but she’s crossing boundaries with her actions. She’s not team mom, she’s just another dumb freshman trying to learn how to be. Making the same mistakes Joyce made when Dorothy was with Walky.

        • J. Spider
          J. Spider
          December 21, 2022 at 5:28 am | #

          Dorothy is too close to things on multiple sides. The proper way to handle the situation would be to open with empathy both in her discussion with Joe and her discussion with Joyce.

          She’s incapable of making an empathy statement at the opening of her discussion where she resonates with the emotions of the person she’s speaking with before diving into her advice. Without performing that action she’s making a move to conclude XD. I used to work call center and you never move to conclude that’s how you end up in looping conversations where nothing moves forwards.

          I get that Dorothy likely doesn’t know these tricks even as a polisci major

          • JRivest
            JRivest
            December 21, 2022 at 8:33 am | #

            Dorothy is off her game. We’ve seen her be more tactful and empathetic in the past. She’s under a lot of stress (possibly Yale-related, but she’s also having a bit of an identity crisis, as several people have questioned her people-skills and she’s getting desperate to prove them wrong, and ironically she’s just probing them right) and she is frustrated with Joyce in general lately.

            • Archieve
              Archieve
              December 21, 2022 at 4:24 pm | #

              I think your on to something with Dorothy trying to disprove her lack of people skills. One interpretation i haven’t considerd as much is she’s trying to work her charisma into giving herself the voice of authority and Is getting increasingly frustrated that people (mainly Joyce and Joe) arent responding like she they shoul. In her mind If she can’t make her own friend and old frienemy listen to her then how can she get a nation to listen?

            • Wizard
              Wizard
              December 21, 2022 at 4:37 pm | #

              If I have to be probed, I’d certainly prefer to be probed right. (Sorry, I try not to make fun of typos, but there are some I just can’t pass up.)

        • Pylgrim
          Pylgrim
          December 21, 2022 at 8:26 am | #

          Dorothy, a fledging scholar and passionate about gender studies doesn’t allow her to believe that they can change the mind of people based on her own negative perceptions of them. I think that’s where the “hypocrite” call is coming from.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            December 21, 2022 at 11:17 am | #

            I mean, gender studies didn’t actually change Joe’s mind. It was the revelation of the list and Joyce’s talk about her experience with Ryan and how Joe’s treatment of women echoed with that.

        • Joy
          Joy
          December 21, 2022 at 3:39 pm | #

          I really like Dorothy this arc.

        • Freezer
          Freezer
          December 21, 2022 at 5:17 pm | #

          Yes, we are ripping in to Dorothy. Because she’s treating Joyce like a child. AGAIN. As if there’s no way Joyce could enter a relationship with Joe unless she had no idea of his history (or was ignoring it). She’s letting her disdain for Joe override her friendship with Joyce. And yes, it’s damned hypocritical of her to do so. She claims to be a feminist. Feminisim is supposed to be all about the ability and right to choose whatever, whenever. She’s trying to deny Joyce the ability to choose an adult relationship because JOE BAD.

          And the sooner Joyce slaps her with the wet mackrel of self-awareness, the better for all involved.

          Or better still: Joyce blows her off. Dorothy goes to Danny in desperation. And runs into Sal, who having no reason not to, reads her for filth.

    • Clif
      Clif
      December 21, 2022 at 12:13 pm | #

      The reality is there is nothing like a mother’s disapproval to make a boyfriend more attractive.

      • Steamweed
        Steamweed
        December 21, 2022 at 1:21 pm | #

        ‘Dis rightcheer. Now her obsessing mind will obsess yet more.

      • Joy
        Joy
        December 21, 2022 at 3:40 pm | #

        This comment section is infantilising Joyce way more than Dorothy. -_-

        • Freezer
          Freezer
          December 21, 2022 at 5:17 pm | #

          Disapproving Big Sis, then?

  2. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    December 21, 2022 at 12:02 am | #

    “And then he takes out his Tummy Wand and-”

    “His what?”

    “Nothing. I know that’s not a thing. I’m still working through some stuff, okay?”

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      December 21, 2022 at 12:43 am | #

      Two minutes, I doubt the comic fully loaded before someone made this comment.

      • Clif
        Clif
        December 21, 2022 at 12:15 pm | #

        Two long long minutes. And then the space-time was brought back into balance.

    • Freezer
      Freezer
      December 21, 2022 at 5:18 pm | #

      “Tummy Wand” has now forced itself into my mental list of euphemisms.

  3. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    December 21, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    I’m starting to wonder what history Dorothy has with Joe we don’t know about. Like it can’t just be he was a super misogynistic dude bro could it?….Actually no, maybe that’s enough.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      December 21, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

      I mean, she knew him for years. Plenty of time for relatively minor issues to fester into deep resentments

      • Sirksome
        Sirksome
        December 21, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

        This feels like something more than just knowing him. It feels like Joe or being associated with Joe in some way hurt Dorothy. Like she’s seen first hand what dating him has done to women. Which is strange since Joe has been all about the casual hookup so I can’t imagine him bringing girls or the topic of women around Dorothy at all except in that very bragging way.

        • Nono
          Nono
          December 21, 2022 at 12:26 am | #

          Maybe the Future President was worried about the optics for hanging out so much around a sleazy womanizer.

          • GholaHalleck
            GholaHalleck
            December 21, 2022 at 12:28 am | #

            Nonsense, that’s part of the 20 year plan. every president since Eisenhower either had a sex pest bestie or WAS the sex pest bestie.

            • Freezer
              Freezer
              December 21, 2022 at 5:20 pm | #

              Consider this comment upvoted.

        • GholaHalleck
          GholaHalleck
          December 21, 2022 at 12:27 am | #

          It’s probably the age old “My best friend dated my BF’s best friend, he was only after casual bang buddies, she wanted more, they broke up, I lost my Best friend because I didn’t break up with BF because I was a moron and didn’t realize he didn’t fit into my 20 year plan for the white house.” Said in the Leslie Knope voice.

        • Psi Baka Onna
          Psi Baka Onna
          December 21, 2022 at 7:20 am | #

          Maybe she was aquainted enough with some of the girls Joe had a fling with to know what happened afterwards?

          Either that or she’s making a lot of assumptions about what these girls were expecting vs what they got? I’m expecting the former as highschools are generally small enough to be atleast aquainted with nearly everyone in one’s year group…

        • Mark
          Mark
          December 21, 2022 at 4:04 pm | #

          If Dorothy has seen “what dating [Joe] has done to women,” I wish she’d tell us. The few we’ve seen all seemed satisfied. There are plenty who will tell you, “Joe is creepy” (and they turned him down), but no one has said, “Joe abused me.”

          I feel that there are a lot of unspoken assumptions about What Women Want. Not every woman wants the same thing, and any given woman may want different things at different times.

          • Wizard
            Wizard
            December 21, 2022 at 4:45 pm | #

            Whatever his flaws, Joe has always been honest and upfront about the fact that he wasn’t interested in anything beyond a quick fling. He seems to have a very good grasp on the meaning of consent, and whenever a woman makes it clear she’s not interested, he quickly backs off and moves on.

            • foamy
              foamy
              December 21, 2022 at 8:16 pm | #

              Yes, *now*.

              Dorothy’s known him for a lot longer than just college.

              • King Daniel
                King Daniel
                December 21, 2022 at 10:31 pm | #

                Also, Joe has a history of repeatedly making sexually-charged comments in Sarah’s direction, for instance, even after she made it clear that she was in no way interested in him. Don’t think that qualifies as “quickly backing off and moving on”.

    • tim gueguen
      tim gueguen
      December 21, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

      Jealousy of Joe being closer to Danny than her?

    • Tan
      Tan
      December 21, 2022 at 12:42 am | #

      I was going through old dorothy+joe tagged strips for interactions between them (and boy are there a lot of done-with-his-shit expressions on Dorothy’s face when they wind up directly interacting not about Danny)

      I think https://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/03-the-thing-i-was-before/presidential/ is actually extremely telling, even accounting for the fact that Dorothy was elsewise in a bad mood. I can pretty easily imagine years of Joe putting down Dorothy’s ambitions in assorted misogynistic ways thinking he’s funny, while Dorothy feels socially obligated not to object, which he takes as her not minding……

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        December 21, 2022 at 12:53 am | #

        “Aw, c’mon Dorothy, I say stuff like that all the time. You’ve never got mad at me before.”

        Yeah, I can definitely see that.

      • Jamie
        Jamie
        December 21, 2022 at 1:52 am | #

        This is a good theory.

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          December 21, 2022 at 1:59 am | #

          Also keep in mind that due to the sliding timescale, Dorothy (19) would now have been born in 2003/2004. She’d have been in high school with Joe during the Trump presidency. Just to add another level of fucked-upness to all that.

      • Qube
        Qube
        December 21, 2022 at 3:36 am | #

        it’s worth noting that a couple of strips later he follows them explicitly to apologize for saying that

      • tunasammich
        tunasammich
        December 21, 2022 at 10:03 am | #

        I mean, the “do list” and this interaction would be enough for me to act like Dorothy is here. And he had that horrible list of ratings that happened like a couple of months ago comic time. She’s just telling her friend not to date a jerkwad, a time honored tradition

        • Wizard
          Wizard
          December 21, 2022 at 4:48 pm | #

          Trying to give your friend the best information you have? Cool. Trying to make her decisions for her? Not so cool. Dorothy is dangerously close to pushing this too far.

    • anon
      anon
      December 21, 2022 at 3:35 am | #

      i remember joe saying he was gonna make her an ‘8’ on his ‘do’ list but i don’t think he mentioned anything about actually hooking up with her (well not that he’d do that/admit it to danny at that point but feels like we would’ve gotten hints? or maybe it’s something like with liz where tehy stop halfway)

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        December 21, 2022 at 7:47 am | #

        There’s an idea going around that she got horny and turned to him for his casual sex specialty during the timeskip, but I don’t see any real support for it.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      December 21, 2022 at 7:49 am | #

      Seems to me like that’s basically enough. Probably with some level of seeing the aftermath with other girls he’d hooked up with back in high school

    • JepMZ
      JepMZ
      December 21, 2022 at 11:42 am | #

      Even without being in the know of his most personal conquests in full detail, he still already had the sex scandal video at the start of school

  4. Ellen
    Ellen
    December 21, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    Thank you for this mental image
    of Joe
    twerking up into Joyce’s face.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      December 21, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

      Let us pray Willis never draws a Slipshine set inside Joyce’s imagination.

      • Sajuuk-Khar
        Sajuuk-Khar
        December 21, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

        Says YOU, Time Lord

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        December 21, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

        Wait a minute, isn’t imagination where her comic comes from? 😮

        • Wraithy2773
          Wraithy2773
          December 21, 2022 at 5:28 am | #

          I seriously doubt that such a strip would make it past the editor, thank you.

          …

          Now, if it was girl-on-girl twerking, we all know how insanely thirsty that poor woman is.

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      December 21, 2022 at 12:15 am | #

      For some reason all I could think of when this came up was the evil layer building segment of this strange wonderful nightmare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R1kleY9Jxc

  5. Sajuuk-Khar
    Sajuuk-Khar
    December 21, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    In the days
    And weeks ahead
    Joyce boutta eat that booty
    Like challah bread

  6. William Leonard Reese Jr.
    William Leonard Reese Jr.
    December 21, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    *Trying to picture the kneading of the face with the butt*

    . . . Like. . . like how some men can flex their pecs like in that one famous gif? But with butt and on the face?

    I mean you do you Joyce, but now that image is stuck in my head.

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      December 21, 2022 at 12:49 am | #

      I have seen bike riders who can do that with their glutes, especially after getting off the squat machine.

    • anon
      anon
      December 21, 2022 at 3:41 am | #

      i suppose a less intense version of twerking? xD

  7. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    December 21, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    DAMN Joyce. I’m gonna have to start writing this down.

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      December 21, 2022 at 1:52 am | #

      And then illustrating it. And then sharing it!

  8. shrub
    shrub
    December 21, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    I don’t know whats worse, being told to “calm yourself” (has telling someone to calm down ever worked?) or grabbing someone from behind so their head jerks back (although I might think its bad because I currently have a stiff neck)

  9. Bicycle Bill
    Bicycle Bill
    December 21, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    ‘Kneading his face with my butt’??

    Who are you, and what have you done with Joyce?

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      December 21, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

      It’s 2022, let Joyce eat ass

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      December 21, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

      It is impossible to be in this comic and not get Butts Disease in some form.

      • Emperor Norton II
        Emperor Norton II
        December 21, 2022 at 12:29 pm | #

        Heck, you even have Butt in your nick.

        • Wizard
          Wizard
          December 21, 2022 at 4:53 pm | #

          It’s even spreading to the readers! Butts!

      • nicoleandmaggie
        nicoleandmaggie
        December 21, 2022 at 4:48 pm | #

        ROFL

    • Bicycle Bill
      Bicycle Bill
      December 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

      Sorry, that should have been ‘kneading MY face with HIS butt’ … although that just sounds even worse.

      • Wizard
        Wizard
        December 21, 2022 at 4:58 pm | #

        Some people are into that. Not my idea of fun, but what consenting adults do in private is none of my business. In this case, I really want it to be none of my business.

    • anon
      anon
      December 21, 2022 at 3:36 am | #

      she caught the butts diseasee

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      December 21, 2022 at 3:04 pm | #

      I didn’t know Joyce was into that stuff.

  10. Marvelman
    Marvelman
    December 21, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    So, Joe seduced Dorothy while she was dating his best friend? I’m trying to think what else could explain Dorothy’s grudge against Joe but that’s all I can come up with.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

      He was a womanizing douche in her general vicinity for about 3 years?

      • Florence
        Florence
        December 21, 2022 at 1:04 am | #

        Yea, I’m surprised by all the deeper explanations when it seems like this is the most obvious answer

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          December 21, 2022 at 1:55 am | #

          Some people see Occam’s Razor and decide it would make an amazing component for their Rube Goldberg device.

          • Dina (no not that one)
            Dina (no not that one)
            December 21, 2022 at 2:27 am | #

            Hot damn that’s a good one

          • Wizard
            Wizard
            December 21, 2022 at 5:04 pm | #

            I own a book about conspiracy theories called “Occam’s Nightmare”. The author describes a tool he calls Dan Brown’s Hammer. Conspiracy theorists use it to nail on ever-greater complications whenever their theory threatens to break down.

        • James
          James
          December 21, 2022 at 3:13 am | #

          Yeah, Joe has objectively not been a real great person for YEARS, and Dorothy is not privy to his efforts at changing on account of being part of the same fictional narrative rather than a close-to-omniscient viewer. And even if she were privy, it’d be pretty reasonable to doubt those efforts as either disingenuous or just not terribly relevant in the face of his history.

          Also Joyce has effectively zero actual experience dating, and has actually been a victim of sexual assault *pretty darn recently*.

          Honestly it’d be weirder if Dorothy *didn’t* see this as a dangerous thing to be warned against.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            December 21, 2022 at 7:52 am | #

            Yeah, women cautioning their friends about skeevy men is apparently a really bad, control issue thing now.

            • Big Z
              Big Z
              December 21, 2022 at 1:31 pm | #

              I’d be more on board with this take if Joyce hadn’t also known Joe for a semester and a half at this point, including sitting next to him in the gender studies class (and smacking him down for misogyny fairly often, at that).

              I’d also be more on board with this take if Dorothy hadn’t been escalating her weird “Joyce is a naive infant who needs a keeper” vibe lately.

            • Wizard
              Wizard
              December 21, 2022 at 5:06 pm | #

              The “control issue” comes from the fact that Dorothy is dangerously close to going beyond cautioning to actually trying to make Joyce’s decision for her.

              • Axel
                Axel
                December 21, 2022 at 8:56 pm | #

                Yeah this. I would support Dorothy saying “Joyce, you need to know just how bad Joe is before you do this,” and even “I really don’t like being around Joe, so please don’t date him” (a little unreasonable, but she can ask).

                But instead it started with telling Joe not to date Joyce (in a conversation Joyce didn’t/doesn’t know about), and that given her infantilizing of Joyce, it now seems to be moving to trying to parent her (demanding what Joyce does/doesn’t do and insisting it’s because she knows better and it’s for Joyce’s own good)

                • Axel
                  Axel
                  December 21, 2022 at 9:37 pm | #

                  Also as far as we know, what Dorothy dislikes is all pretty public and known by Joyce, as Big Z said. Unless she has some bombshell we don’t know about yet (possible but I think unlikely), she isn’t giving Joyce anything new to work with.

      • tunasammich
        tunasammich
        December 21, 2022 at 10:06 am | #

        Yeah, the rating list that made half the women on campus hate his guts was bad enough lol

    • Doopyboop
      Doopyboop
      December 21, 2022 at 12:15 am | #

      I feel like it might be less to do with Joe (although she certainly isn’t friends with him, she hasn’t been adverse to his presence before) and more to do with Joyce. She doesn’t trust Joyce’s judgement and wants to protect her from Joe and his… Joe-ness. Which, I get it… but Dorothy is definitely going overboard with it here. Joyce is an adult, Joyce has also taken the time to get to know Joe and is aware of his flaws and positive traits without excusing those flaws.

    • Hoboturtle
      Hoboturtle
      December 21, 2022 at 11:45 am | #

      Don’t think Joe would do that. I mean he straight out admitted he would try to seduce her once she broke up with Danny but I don’t think he would try while they were still dating.

    • Mark
      Mark
      December 21, 2022 at 4:17 pm | #

      I have wondered if, back in high school, Dorothy was tempted, risked her relationship with Danny, and came on to Joe. Who, out of loyalty to his friend, declined. There’s a very twisted path from there to her present attitude, and I have no confidence in this notion. I’m just stirring up debate.

  11. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    December 21, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

    Did we know Joyce was all about the ass? I feel like this isn’t the first time she’s mentioned her attraction to booty.

    • Catullus
      Catullus
      December 21, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

      I can’t recall the exact moments offhand, but I vaguely remember her being interested in ass even back when she was dating Ethan.

      • bemisawa
        bemisawa
        December 21, 2022 at 12:20 am | #

        I think you’re right – I believe she had sent pictures to Becky, maybe? Also, I’m pretty sure the term “tushie” was thrown around at least once.

        • Schpoonman
          Schpoonman
          December 21, 2022 at 12:29 am | #

          Also she was checking him out when she woke him to work on their science assignment.

          • Schpoonman
            Schpoonman
            December 21, 2022 at 2:02 am | #

            “Him” being Joe in this case.

          • HueSatLight
            HueSatLight
            December 21, 2022 at 3:02 am | #

            Oh my god, Becky. Look at his butt. It is so big. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/05-as-long-as-its-free/twohours/

            • nicoleandmaggie
              nicoleandmaggie
              December 21, 2022 at 4:51 pm | #

              BEST COMMENT.

        • Rabid Rabbit
          Rabid Rabbit
          December 21, 2022 at 3:00 am | #

          I think there was a “Hello, Ethan’s tushie? Yes, I’d like to grab you very much” at one point, possibly when she was asking Jennifer if it was possible to smooch a boy without going all the way. And Jacob caught her checking out Ethan’s ass more than once.

  12. Cheshrin
    Cheshrin
    December 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    This is a conversation that is about to go very poorly for Dorothy.

    If not because of Joyce blowing up at her, then because I am about six panels away from crawling through the fourth wall and blowing up at Dorothy myself.

    Like ma’am I get that from a Watsonian perspective you are being not entirely unreasonable but I have been waiting for this ship to sail since the day after Dina’s birthday so if you wouldn’t mind–

    • Lumino
      Lumino
      December 21, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

      See, my problem with Dotty here is she claims she’s ‘asking’ Joyce, but asking implies that she would respect Joyce’s decision.

      All presented evidence indicates that no, she will not.

      • Archieve
        Archieve
        December 21, 2022 at 12:27 am | #

        This definatley does look like the final straw that could lead to their first real fight, Joyce has expressed previous frustration with Dorothy over her being too in her business and Dorothy hasn’t shown any real acknowledgment that she needs to step back sometimes, despite Jennifer having it spelled out for her.

        • Bryy
          Bryy
          December 21, 2022 at 4:35 am | #

          If JENNIFER thinks you are crossing the line concerning other people’s business….

    • Cheshrin
      Cheshrin
      December 21, 2022 at 12:25 am | #

      Also, like… yeah, you WERE in the same Gender Studies class, Dor. You were in that same class with Joe AND Joyce, meaning you spent a semester watching Joyce rake Joe over the coals (deservedly so) every time he breathed misogynistically. Joyce has never tolerated Joe’s shitty behavior (hell, a driving point in their growing friendship was Joyce calling Joe out on being a shithead about his treatment of women and Joe actually taking it to heart) so why are you suddenly assuming that she’s Too Horny To See Joe’s Faults NOW???

      Joe’s right, Dorothy does need to have more faith in Joyce.

      • GholaHalleck
        GholaHalleck
        December 21, 2022 at 12:32 am | #

        Joe will never be Anything more then her ex’s sex pest friend to Dotty. It’s going to take an act of Willis to get her to see as anything but the horndog “I don’t want to be emotionally close to women because I’m trash like my father” Joe.

        • Bladeglory
          Bladeglory
          December 21, 2022 at 12:40 am | #

          She probably doesn’t even see him as that, considering that would have required Joe to be open about his feelings.

      • Bryy
        Bryy
        December 21, 2022 at 4:34 am | #

        Dorothy has a lot in common with Jennifer.

      • Blume
        Blume
        December 21, 2022 at 10:50 am | #

        True!! Joyce never misses a chance to call Joe out, even now! She did it in the life drawing class as well! I suppose we can’t remember everything in our lives, but they must’ve fought often enough that they became known for it. They wanted to pretend continuing to banter after all, after Joyce wanted to hide her atheism.

    • anon
      anon
      December 21, 2022 at 3:42 am | #

      hopefully she doesn’t try to pull an ultimatum?

      or “you know what? i’m going to head off to yale and never see any of you again anyways, so i give up/i’m done” or so lol

  13. Mike Provencher II
    Mike Provencher II
    December 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    When Joyce says “Kneading his face with my butt” it feels innocent in a very slightly risque kind of way. But if Amber used it as a tag on her fanfic it absolutely would not.

    • Mike Provencher II
      Mike Provencher II
      December 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

      *”Kneading *my* face with *his* butt” is what I meant!

      • Bladeglory
        Bladeglory
        December 21, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        Why not both? At the same time. The funny number but with butt kneading.

        Amber: That seems like it might be a little difficult to-

        Joyce: Silence. You may be my senpai, but you have no idea what I’m capable of. You underestimate my power!

        Amber: Don’t try it Joyce!

        *in another room*

        Joe: ….I sense impending danger.

        • Lingo
          Lingo
          December 21, 2022 at 1:16 am | #

          …Would that be considered a 96?

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 21, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

      MY face with HIS butt. Joyce is the one getting a facefull of butt not Joe.

      I mean I’d prefer a face of Joyce butt but Joyce has her mind elsewhere

      • Sajuuk-Khar
        Sajuuk-Khar
        December 21, 2022 at 12:22 am | #

        Joyce’s hidden but insatiable lust for eating booty

        • GholaHalleck
          GholaHalleck
          December 21, 2022 at 12:33 am | #

          The Butt is Jesus approved.

          • Azhrei Vep
            Azhrei Vep
            December 21, 2022 at 2:03 am | #

            Which is Ironic, since the butt itself does not approve Jesus.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      December 21, 2022 at 12:23 am | #

      If it’s the butt cheeks, it’s wholesome.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        December 21, 2022 at 12:51 am | #

        If it’s between the cheeks, it’s holesome.

        • chuckroast
          chuckroast
          December 21, 2022 at 1:53 am | #

          Jesus fucking christ.

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            December 21, 2022 at 2:03 am | #

            No, that’s something else.

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            December 21, 2022 at 2:03 am | #

            I believe that would be tagged “selfcest”.

  14. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    December 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    Man, I know this isn’t the point, but I kinda like the fact that Joe being Danny’s friend is just…such a thing that he’s basically a package deal with anyone he dates. You date Danny, you’re dating Joe too. And vice-versa presumably. They’re ride-or-die besties forever and I find that adorable.

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      December 21, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

      It’s cool. Positive male friendships are nice to see. Kind of rare to see one’s that exist beyond the bro culture stereotype.

    • Nono
      Nono
      December 21, 2022 at 12:30 am | #

      Probably doesn’t help(?) that they’re roomies.

      Though to be fair, Amazi-Girl didn’t really see much of Joe while she was dating Danny.

      • Clif
        Clif
        December 21, 2022 at 1:44 am | #

        I’m not sure how much of Joe Sal sees while dating Danny.

        • Nono
          Nono
          December 21, 2022 at 2:10 am | #

          Probably a decent amount if she insists on throwing rocks at their window instead of texting Danny like a normal person.

      • Hoboturtle
        Hoboturtle
        December 21, 2022 at 11:55 am | #

        And now theyre siblings. Fate isn’t always direct

  15. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    December 21, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    What Do You Get When You Fall In Love…

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      December 21, 2022 at 12:55 am | #

      I remember that song, Burt Bacharach wasn’t it?

      • NickG
        NickG
        December 21, 2022 at 6:26 am | #

        And Hal David.

      • Mark
        Mark
        December 21, 2022 at 4:28 pm | #

        Title: “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”

  16. Blackdrazon
    Blackdrazon
    December 21, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

    I just accidentally skipped a line and read this as: “I’ve never ever EVER considered dating Joe! Or putting my mouth […] with his butt,” which seemed like a much deeper admission than I expected Joyce to make.

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      December 21, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

      I choose to believe this is exactly what she meant 😏

  17. elfroyalty
    elfroyalty
    December 21, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

    did joyce just admit that she’s definitely not been fantasizing about eating joe’s ass?

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      December 21, 2022 at 12:55 am | #

      she has never thought about it once! not one singular time! definitely not on one occasion!!

  18. Sporky
    Sporky
    December 21, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

    jesus christ dorothy shut UPPP

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      December 21, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

      THIS

      • Bryy
        Bryy
        December 21, 2022 at 4:41 am | #

        Also: you know that your friend has PTSD.

        But I guess being mad at them trumps that, huh?

  19. Francoinblanco
    Francoinblanco
    December 21, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

    I totally forgot that, by dating Danny, Dorothy know Joe.

    Ok I have Wild theory, Dorothy dig Joe as she dig Walky but dating Danny and her own volition stop her. But that irk is still there and she hates that urge to throw monkey toy at him.

  20. Grayfinity
    Grayfinity
    December 21, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

    Well, that’s the main part, isn’t it? Dorothy was NEVER Joe’s friend, never considered him part of her circle, and wanted to be rid of him as much as she wanted to be rid of Danny (plausibly more so because of his past behavior).

    “Now you’re just somebody that I used to know.” -Gotye

    I take it she’s fed up because he’s still tangentially involved with her life.

  21. Cmasta1992
    Cmasta1992
    December 21, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

    Yeah the arc of this conversation combined with Joyce’s facial reaction does not bode well for these two not having a row

  22. pickonecard
    pickonecard
    December 21, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

    Ok so Dorothy has officially stepped into “Weird Mom” territory. Literally none of your business, stop treating her like she’s two.

    • pickonecard
      pickonecard
      December 21, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

      Also, grabbing her like that is absolutely not ok and a great example of Dorothy not respecting Joyce as much as she likes to think she does

      • Archieve
        Archieve
        December 21, 2022 at 12:36 am | #

        She definitely has a way to go before acknowledging that she doesn’t always know what’s best for Joyce or when she needs to back off even when she does.

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      December 21, 2022 at 4:33 am | #

      Also, Assault Mom territory.

  23. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    December 21, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

    “You will regret it.”

    Dorothy, I know you can’t observe things from beyond the fourth wall like we can but things don’t tend to go well for people who have No Regrets

    • AbacusWizard
      AbacusWizard
      December 21, 2022 at 12:23 am | #

      Sometimes it works out okay.

  24. Uly
    Uly
    December 21, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

    Okay, well, other than the part where she nearly yanks Joyce down by grabbing on her hoodie – which I’ll assume is exaggerated for the strip – this conversation is actually going better than anticipated. Dorothy is focusing on Joe and his well-established personality rather than on Joyce and why she needs protection from herself.

    • Archieve
      Archieve
      December 21, 2022 at 12:20 am | #

      I’m hoping Joyce follows example and counters with her reasons for trusting Joe so Dorothy atleast realizes that the two have had something of a stable friendship before getting to this stage but Joyce is also on the defensive now so It could easily just become a straight up argument.

  25. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    December 21, 2022 at 12:17 am | #

    I have returned after several day absence – it has been a heck of a last 5 days. Thank you to all those who wished me luck on my assignments, it meant a lot.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      December 21, 2022 at 2:56 am | #

      It’s nice you’re back.

  26. AbacusWizard
    AbacusWizard
    December 21, 2022 at 12:17 am | #

    I am amused at how they are both just sort of talking past each other in the final panel.

  27. UrsulaDavina
    UrsulaDavina
    December 21, 2022 at 12:17 am | #

    Pretty sure Joyce was aware of Joe’s issues she did go on a date with him once and also chastised him for his womanizing. Also had Mike beat him. Joe is trying to get better but since Dotty doesnt really interact with him as much anymore she probably hasnt seen any growth and just defaults to her view of him prior to university. So I can see where she is coming from but if Joyce explains this and Dorothy defaults to infanatlizatiing Joyce then I would be mad.

    • Archieve
      Archieve
      December 21, 2022 at 12:33 am | #

      Unfortunately Dorothy doesn’t seem to know how to turn off her mom-manage mode yet.

  28. Raja
    Raja
    December 21, 2022 at 12:20 am | #

    Dorothy not knowing Joe and Joyce have been texting for months and grown close it’s not a BRAND NEW thing. the feelings being shared is a new thing. I get being protective of your friend, but forbidding them to do things ain’t it

    • Raja
      Raja
      December 21, 2022 at 12:21 am | #

      also let joyce eat ass

  29. Siddlaw
    Siddlaw
    December 21, 2022 at 12:20 am | #

    Joyce wants to eat ass confirmed

  30. RacingTurtle
    RacingTurtle
    December 21, 2022 at 12:22 am | #

    Dang, Joyce! That’s getting pretty detailed!

    On the subject of why Dotty is overstepping here: Joe is one of my favorite characters, but I have no trouble believing that there is no Big Secret That Explains Everything, Dorothy just dislikes him. Because, you see, I have *met Joe.*

  31. Greg
    Greg
    December 21, 2022 at 12:24 am | #

    That’s a great first panel

    • Carla's #2 Fan
      Carla's #2 Fan
      December 21, 2022 at 7:23 am | #

      Agreed! I think it’s quite dynamic and looks very cool!

  32. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    December 21, 2022 at 12:26 am | #

    If you tell Dorothy that Joe is one of her good friends, you get clotheslined.

  33. Nono
    Nono
    December 21, 2022 at 12:28 am | #

    Silly Dorothy, you should have expected that Joe would turn up to any class where he thought there might have been a higher chance of women that could potentially have a higher chance of being lesbians.

  34. Sajuuk-Khar
    Sajuuk-Khar
    December 21, 2022 at 12:30 am | #

    “Haha! I consider these things five times daily, that’s WAY more than once! The perfect crime!!”

  35. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    December 21, 2022 at 12:33 am | #

    Joyce is horn’t.

  36. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    December 21, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

    didn’t peg joyce to be into, uh, anilingus

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 21, 2022 at 12:39 am | #

      Didn’t annilingus Joyce to be into Pegging.

  37. Florence
    Florence
    December 21, 2022 at 12:38 am | #

    Well this is when the rubber hits the road of both of their communication styles and distances from each other in certain ways

    So long they’ve been in a dynamic that’s all “Joyce is a child and Dorothy is a mum”, and they are both trying to not do that but right now Dorothy is still talking at Joyce with more orders from above than actually talking with Joyce and Joyce isn’t even saying what she feels.

    Feels bad when good friendships hit these points of struggle with individuals evolution, particularly cause they both care about the other.

    Or the deep feelings are so strong and Dorothy cannot lose Joyce to another!

    *cut to epic romance cover with Joyce Dorothy and Joe in that pose that anne Hathaway had from the Shakespeare play she did*

    • Florence
      Florence
      December 21, 2022 at 12:41 am | #

      This is an artists interpretation that is lovely and also has the picture itself at the last one

      https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu2fkASBjmL/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

  38. Archieve
    Archieve
    December 21, 2022 at 12:39 am | #

    Dorothy, Joyce might also regret it one day if she goes through her whole college experience following her mom friends orders and never having any memories outside of them.

  39. MisterJinKC
    MisterJinKC
    December 21, 2022 at 12:42 am | #

    To those referring to Joe as a misogynistic guy please stop. Misogynistic means he strongly dislikes, despises, kris prejudiced against women. He’s a horny teenager who is very open about what he wants. That’s it. At worst he’s oblivious to why something could be offensive to some people. But he has never demonstrated even the smallest amount of malice towards women.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      December 21, 2022 at 12:59 am | #

      You don’t need to be consciously malicious to be misogynistic. If you behave in a misogynistic way, like, oh, I dunno, talking about ‘upgrading women’ with your dick and fixing them and making a fuck list that you hand around to everyone you know, you are indeed behaving misogynistically.

      • MisterJinKC
        MisterJinKC
        December 21, 2022 at 1:21 am | #

        The literal definition of misogyny is to dislike, despise, or be prejudiced against women. He can be a dumbass or an asshole, or a self centered dipshit without being misogynistic. Also, he didn’t hand around his fuck list. It was stolen and distributed without his knowledge or permission.

        • Nono
          Nono
          December 21, 2022 at 1:23 am | #

          He definitely offered the RSS feed to the list to at least Roz.

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            December 21, 2022 at 1:51 am | #

            He also mentioned its existence to Jacob (“that thing’s even got grannies on it”), while he was dating Raidah, in Raidah’s presence (prompting Raidah to comment “tell me there’s a version of Earth where I didn’t just hear [Joe] has a ‘Do List'”), at which point Joe offered Jacob the password.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          December 21, 2022 at 1:55 am | #

          etymology isn’t the same thing as definition. he’s behaved misogynistically. It’s a major part of his character arch.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          December 22, 2022 at 12:25 am | #

          Literally, first storyline, he asks Danny if he’s subscribed to his do-list’s RSS feed. You don’t have an RSS feed with subscribers for a private list.

          And prejudice need not be consciously malicious or even conscious to exist. Joe has behaved misogynistically.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      December 21, 2022 at 1:33 am | #

      “Please don’t call Mary a transphobe. Transphobe means she’s afraid of trans people.”

      They’re the same picture.

      • James
        James
        December 21, 2022 at 3:16 am | #

        False!

        Joe has become aware his behavior is an issue and is, at least theoretically, trying to change.

        Mary is allergic to the suggestion that she might be less than flawless.

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          December 21, 2022 at 3:19 am | #

          Haha, oh yeah.

        • Wraithy2773
          Wraithy2773
          December 21, 2022 at 5:22 am | #

          Fair, but importantly for the context of this strip, Dorothy is entirely unaware of Joe’s growth. To her, the *best* case is that he’s just a douchebag teenage sex pest that she wants to be able to safely ignore far, far away from her day-to-day life and is hopefully mostly harmless.

          Hopefully.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          December 21, 2022 at 8:06 am | #

          True, but that’s not the argument being made here. MisterJinKC is claiming Joe never was misogynistic.

    • Mark
      Mark
      December 21, 2022 at 4:43 pm | #

      Thank you MisterJinKC. That’s not the word I would have chosen, or anywhere near one. Joe can be crude, juvenile, selfish, and offensively direct, but I’ve seen no evidence that he considers women a lesser order of being, and he does respect a woman’s boundaries when stated. I’d be embarrassed to know him, but that’s the limit.

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        December 21, 2022 at 7:44 pm | #

        How Joe’s objectification of women is harmful has been directly addressed.
        https://www.dumbingofage.com/object/

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        December 22, 2022 at 12:26 am | #

        He literally talks about ‘fixing’ women with his penis. That is, indeed, misogyny. And no, he does not always respect women’s boundaries. He didn’t back off Sarah until she screamed at him.

  40. BBCC
    BBCC
    December 21, 2022 at 12:58 am | #

    As has been common lately, these two are talking past each other.

    • Wraithy2773
      Wraithy2773
      December 21, 2022 at 5:26 am | #

      That honestly feels like where a lot of arguments stem from, just in general: Two people who are having different conversations where they’re absolutley right, but failing to even recognize that they’re not considering the other side’s perspective.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      December 21, 2022 at 8:08 am | #

      At least at this point Dorothy is starting to lay out her concerns. Joyce’s horny attempts to deny any interest are preventing her from responding with anything that might make Dorothy less worried.

  41. drs
    drs
    December 21, 2022 at 1:05 am | #

    So, if Dorothy and Joe have had a hookup or fling at some point, and Dorothy admits it, would this affect Joyce dating Joe?

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      December 21, 2022 at 1:13 am | #

      I don’t think Joyce would understand “Eskimo sisters”.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      December 21, 2022 at 8:10 am | #

      Probably, but I doubt that happened.
      Almost certainly not before she dated Danny and it’s pretty clear that her opinions about him have been the same since the start of the comic.

  42. alongcameaspider
    alongcameaspider
    December 21, 2022 at 1:21 am | #

    Ok Dorothy, you’ve shared your concerns with Joyce, now is the time to back off and let her make her own decision

    • Mark
      Mark
      December 21, 2022 at 4:46 pm | #

      I disagree. Now is the time for Dorothy to actually present her evidence. All she’s given so far is her judgment. An aspiring politician should know how to lay out the case supporting her position.

      • thumb
        thumb
        December 21, 2022 at 5:50 pm | #

        An aspiring politician should know to exploit their audience’s prejudices and dance around all issues of evidence.

  43. Suet
    Suet
    December 21, 2022 at 1:21 am | #

    Joyce really loves crawling into someone’s body part(s), no matter whose

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      December 21, 2022 at 2:32 am | #

      Safe and warm forever…

  44. goggleman64
    goggleman64
    December 21, 2022 at 1:31 am | #

    This is the first time I’ve taken in that Joyce is wearing a set of Dreamsicle-orange sweats, and has topped it off with a slate grey sweater vest.

    It’s a *choice*.

  45. Megan Rivera
    Megan Rivera
    December 21, 2022 at 1:39 am | #

    You heard it here first: Joyce is interested in Rimming

    • Axel
      Axel
      December 21, 2022 at 9:50 pm | #

      I know this is a joke, but I’m pretty sure Joyce is imagining this with no butthole involved. Just clean skin (possibly on the other side of clean, dry clothes)

  46. anonymsly
    anonymsly
    December 21, 2022 at 2:03 am | #

    If Joyce is actually going to call Dorothy on None Of Your Beeswax, I am here for it.

    But really all I want to say is: Dorothy, WHY did you think a classroom full of potentially sex-positive women was the last place you’d find Joe and not the first? especially in the intro course! I’d bet there’s at least one Joe every term.

    • Rabid Rabbit
      Rabid Rabbit
      December 21, 2022 at 3:03 am | #

      Leslie even highlighted that as a reason why people take the course.

  47. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    December 21, 2022 at 2:31 am | #

    So Dorothy’s true motivation comes out. If her daughter gets with Joe, she’ll never be rid of him!

  48. Taffy
    Taffy
    December 21, 2022 at 2:31 am | #

    Much as I don’t think this is Any Of Dorothy’s Business, I’m still glad she’s making an effort to warn Joyce about Joe as she knows him. I don’t really care if she’s not expressing it in the single most absolutely optimal way, because this isn’t a fucking speedrun, like most things in life. Yeah, she could do this or that or the other, but oh well. She’s doing this, not those other unspecified things.

    Proud of Joyce for definitely not admitting she wants to motorboat Joe’s asscheeks like it’s Friday night at the fishin’ club, which she totally doesn’t wanna do and therefore cannot admit to wanting.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      December 21, 2022 at 3:11 am | #

      I agree with that.
      Today is a hard strip to think about it: if it was me, I would be gladly if a friend warm me about a bad girl, at same time I would think they are doubting me I can get a girl. Or, my friend want to get her first.
      I don’t know.

      • Minkey93
        Minkey93
        December 21, 2022 at 1:05 pm | #

        This is true. But also, beyond the first date and their conversations about the topic after the do list dropped. Her interactions with Joe have been mostly positive and a source of stability.

    • Mr.Morningstar
      Mr.Morningstar
      December 21, 2022 at 3:39 am | #

      Definitely, and she doesn’t have all the info on joe unlike us the audience who has seen his true colors and how he’s changed

      So o course I can understand her skepticism, abd know that it does come from a place of caring for joyce, but at the same time, I can’t help but worry how she will react when joyce inevitably double downs on joe, since she HAS been talking with him for a while now and has seen him beyond his reputation

      And lately she has been verrrry judge of Joyce’s choices, or treating her like a child.and frankly i think it’s going to blow up soon. Somethings got to give from one of them

      • Mr.Morningstar
        Mr.Morningstar
        December 21, 2022 at 3:45 am | #

        Please ignore my typos being on my phone with a shite.wrist does that

    • Saria
      Saria
      December 21, 2022 at 5:22 pm | #

      Honestly, as someone who had a friend not want to intrude and thus didn’t warn me about a guy, it’s so much better to give the warning! Even if they choose not to use that information at first, they are warned and can more easily recognize the problem behavior as a real, systemic issue.

      Being told about how the guy got invasive and creepy even in his old friend group may have saved me from months of threatening messages after I tried getting to know him, got uncomfortable with how he treated me, and rejected him (he never actually asked me out, but acted like I was his girlfriend and started acting pretty controlling so I confronted him on it… only for him to get VERY angry).

      It may “not be her business”, but if you have information that may be very pertinent to the person and relationship, I’d say it’s the right think to do to inform your friend – Dorothy is admittedly being rather forceful here, could just leave it at a warning/description of other experiences she’s had with Joe and let Joyce decide what to do with that info, but I’d say it’s a much better friend move to care and get involved than to shrug and decide it’s not her problem.

  49. LIGHTWEIGHT BAYBEE
    LIGHTWEIGHT BAYBEE
    December 21, 2022 at 2:45 am | #

    I think people treat Joe like a creep to much like i understand that the list was very cringe but that was never meant to see the light of day dude had his privacy violated
    if Amber can have her fanfiction Joe can slide on his very immature list

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      December 21, 2022 at 3:18 am | #

      He shared it on purpose with everyone he met. What fucking “privacy”?

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        December 21, 2022 at 3:32 am | #

        Also, I’m pretty sure this comment section has called out Amber in the past when she does real-person-fics, as that’s legitimately something to take issue with as well

      • LIGHTWEIGHT BAYBEE
        LIGHTWEIGHT BAYBEE
        December 21, 2022 at 4:08 am | #

        zamn really ig i missed that
        coulda sworn it was his own middle schooler tier cringe database

        • LIGHTWEIGHT BAYBEE
          LIGHTWEIGHT BAYBEE
          December 21, 2022 at 4:16 am | #

          i stg it was password protected tho like that was the whole point that danny’s shitty middle schooler webcode was not secure at all leaking the list to everyone he knew

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            December 21, 2022 at 5:05 am | #

            The best way to keep a password secure is to not hand it out. Joe did exactly that, and apparently Danny never changed it at any point, so all it would have taken was one person he willingly handed it out to, deciding to spread it around.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              December 21, 2022 at 8:12 am | #

              I still think it was Raidah.

              • Taffy
                Taffy
                December 21, 2022 at 8:53 am | #

                Oh, definitely. On the list of suspects, she’s right at the very top. As ridiculous and petty and childish as she is, I still don’t think she’d get access to something like a “Do List” and just let that information dangle without doing something about it.

    • Johan
      Johan
      December 21, 2022 at 12:29 pm | #

      This list was dangerous. Not just cringe.

  50. Imogen
    Imogen
    December 21, 2022 at 3:04 am | #

    All of this would make way more sense if Joyce have actually expressed romantic interest, but since it’s all sexual, Dorothy does honestly just seem kind of irrational here. Like, if Joyce had shown any sign that she was falling for Joe in a real way, that’d be different. But, like, you can have sex with people who you wouldn’t want to be best friends with.

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      December 21, 2022 at 3:40 am | #

      Sure, some people don’t group sexual and emotional and romantic intimacies as a package deal, and can have no-strings fuckbuddies. I don’t think Joyce can, though… I think she’ll only want sexytimes with somebody whom she can really trust, and she’s likely to bundle that trust with romance.

      Nothing wrong with wanting that whole package. Sex, trust, and romance are a great bundle. I typically go for that deal, too — many types of intimacy at once, please. ♡

      It’s just, that’s not the deal that Joe has ever once advertised to people in Dorothy’s hearing — he’s been very loud about wanting the opposite. (Unbeknownst to Dorothy, that’s because Joe’s afraid he can’t have romantic and sexual intimacy at once.)

      …More to the point, from Dorothy’s perspective, Joe is mad annoying, and Dorothy is sick of having him around. If Joe and Joyce date, Joe will be around a lot more. Yuck!

      • Mark
        Mark
        December 21, 2022 at 4:58 pm | #

        There’s also the difference between what one wants and what one thinks one should have. I think that Joyce will let herself be led by the former close to the point of no return, but ultimately give more weight to the latter.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      December 21, 2022 at 8:14 am | #

      That’s true in the abstract, but this is Joyce and Dorothy knows her well.
      And she’s right. Joyce is horny, but it’s also all tied up with romantic interest.

      What all the horny talk does is just reinforce to her that Joyce isn’t thinking clearly about Joe.

  51. ADLegend21
    ADLegend21
    December 21, 2022 at 3:30 am | #

    oh he 100 percent hears this and will be devastated

  52. Andrews
    Andrews
    December 21, 2022 at 3:33 am | #

    Strumming my pain with his fingers
    Singing my life with his words
    Kneading my face with his butt

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      December 21, 2022 at 3:44 am | #

      Knee-eading my face, with his butt
      Telling my whole life, with his words
      Knee-eading my face… with his butt
      🎶

  53. Tan
    Tan
    December 21, 2022 at 3:56 am | #

    Can we all just take a moment to forget how cute Joyce & Joe’s developing thing is and think about, objectively, what if we had a friend we cared about who said to us “Look, I know you’ve known him a lot longer and he’s always been a low-key shitty misogynist, but I alone can see beneath all that to the good inside that I’m sure I can bring out.” about a guy they are drooling over. How many of us would REALLY think our friend was thinking clearly and making good decisions?

    ….

    Okay, moment over, now we can go back to thinking about Joyce&Joe being cute

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      December 21, 2022 at 8:16 am | #

      Especially since Joyce hasn’t actually said any of that, just talked about all the sexy things she definitely doesn’t want to do to him. She hasn’t even tried to explain that they’ve actually made a non-sexual connection and that Joe has been changing.

  54. Bryy
    Bryy
    December 21, 2022 at 4:30 am | #

    Dorothy, physical fucking assault crosses the line.

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      December 21, 2022 at 4:38 am | #

      yeah that. hai ptsd trigger

      • Bryy
        Bryy
        December 21, 2022 at 4:42 am | #

        I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Dorothy has a lot of similarities with Carol Brown.

        • The Wellerman
          The Wellerman
          December 21, 2022 at 4:56 am | #

          Well, I don’t know if Dorothy would go as far as to KILL, but yeah I’m sick and tired of infantilizing ableism too.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      December 21, 2022 at 4:49 am | #

      Is this really “assault”? She grabbed her hoodie. Like, I wouldn’t appreciate it either, it’s rude as fuck and unnecessarily physical, but it’s not a physical attack. Joyce isn’t in harm’s way, she’s in no danger, and Dorothy wouldn’t hurt her.

      • Axel
        Axel
        December 21, 2022 at 5:13 am | #

        Assault is pretty broad, and she did hoodie-choke her. The complicated thing is that it’s a comic so it’s hard to know when something is intended cartoonishly vs when it’s intended seriously.

        • Wraithy2773
          Wraithy2773
          December 21, 2022 at 5:18 am | #

          This. I’m leaning on “it’s a comic, its not meant to be taken as it would in real life” at the moment, if only because of the characters involved and how Joyce seems to have no issue with it.

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          December 21, 2022 at 6:02 am | #

          I guess that makes sense, and I’m certainly not trying to downplay assault. I get wary sometimes of watering down big important terms by using them for lesser things, is all. The lack of Joyce taking offense leads me to think it’s Not That Serious.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          December 21, 2022 at 8:22 am | #

          Assault is very broad and in some contexts even a simple touch can technically qualify, but it’s also a common rhetorical trick to use that broadest definition to imply equivalence with the more common understanding of assault as actual violence.
          Given that Joyce shows no sign of any physical distress here, I think it’s pretty safe to assume the hoodie-choking didn’t involve any actual choking.

          • The Oracle
            The Oracle
            December 21, 2022 at 9:04 am | #

            I think at worst she experienced an instant of very minor clotheslining. Her collar doesn’t even seem especially tightened by the pull, possibly due to complex hoodie/backpack physics.

            We need to stop demonizing any and all physical interaction by treating it as equivalent to actual harm. It helps nobody and makes people afraid of each other for no reason.

          • Axel
            Axel
            December 21, 2022 at 3:45 pm | #

            also that the action lines are “surprised” ones around her head, rather than around her neck or anything

            • Axel
              Axel
              December 21, 2022 at 9:48 pm | #

              to further clarify I don’t think what happens on this page is assault, just that yeah, technically the action could be (especially if it then escalated). Incredibly rude though.

          • Mark
            Mark
            December 21, 2022 at 5:02 pm | #

            This dispute seems to be between “assault” the Term of Art and “assault” in Ordinary Language.

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        December 21, 2022 at 5:16 am | #

        No no, you see, Dorothy grabbing her hoodie and having some mom-friend tendencies makes her comparable to friggin’ Carol

        /s, so very much

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          December 21, 2022 at 6:04 am | #

          I dunno if I’d go quite that far, even as sarcasm.

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            December 21, 2022 at 10:00 am | #

            It’s being stated without sarcasm just a few comments above me.

            • Taffy
              Taffy
              December 21, 2022 at 11:11 am | #

              Yes.

            • Bryy
              Bryy
              December 22, 2022 at 1:16 am | #

              Literally not what I said.

              • King Daniel
                King Daniel
                December 22, 2022 at 1:21 am | #

                Your exact words: “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Dorothy has a lot of similarities with Carol Brown.”

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        December 21, 2022 at 11:30 am | #

        IIRC, Joyce snagged Walky’s hoodie once, to make sure he went to calc. I think he escaped by disrobing.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          December 21, 2022 at 1:47 pm | #

          I was a little wrong. He didn’t escape from the hoodie grab directly. But he later escaped by disrobing (faking the rapture).

          • The Oracle
            The Oracle
            December 21, 2022 at 3:12 pm | #

            You shouldn’t fake the Rapture. It’s not a joke. Millions of families get Raptured every year.

            • King Daniel
              King Daniel
              December 21, 2022 at 5:31 pm | #

              Just keep your doors closed and you should be safe. As long as they don’t figure out how to open them…

    • WizardPantaloon
      WizardPantaloon
      December 21, 2022 at 8:05 am | #

      Please tell me you’re kidding.

  55. Enaluxeme
    Enaluxeme
    December 21, 2022 at 4:47 am | #

    As readers, we know Joe acts in good faith and is growing up as a person, but Dorothy doesn’t know that. To her he’s just the same old misogynistic jock :/

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      December 21, 2022 at 7:39 am | #

      Expanding:

      Joe’s convo with his dad about not trusting Richard to not cheat on Stacy.

      The two text conversations Joyce and Joe had about things including her know-divorcingp parents, and more deep stuff.

      I’m really interested in what Dorothy has or hasn’t heard of these off-panel.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        December 21, 2022 at 8:23 am | #

        Probably nothing.
        If she’d known anything of Joyce and Joe talking beyond the most casual context, she wouldn’t have been so surprised when he showed up to join them for lunch.

  56. Axel
    Axel
    December 21, 2022 at 5:11 am | #

    big jump between Joyce’s second and third options but I’m in

  57. Fuzzy
    Fuzzy
    December 21, 2022 at 5:17 am | #

    Yeah this is very much a “I DO NOT WANT THIS HUMAN IN MY LIFE, PLEASE DO NOT PUT HIM IN MY LIFE” thing. If Joyce and Joe start hanging out all the time then she’ll have to be around him. Even his change of heart doesn’t necessarily mean much to her if she finds his entire personality unbearable.

    • Fuzzy
      Fuzzy
      December 21, 2022 at 5:19 am | #

      (but she did make Walky part of Joyce’s life and Joyce found Walky insufferable, so it’s kinda payback.)

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        December 21, 2022 at 5:28 pm | #

        Someone else pointed that out (might have been on Patreon) and it’s been stuck in my head since. Joyce’s complaints were less serious, but all the same mostly ignored.

    • anon
      anon
      December 21, 2022 at 5:35 am | #

      i get the concern but other than lovey dovey couples being attached at the hip or double dating (i mean joyce put up with walky well enough), but doesn’t mean ppl in relationships can’t hang out one on one together , or have some girls only night hangout at each others rooms (tho i can imagine sarah being grumpy about that)

      • Axel
        Axel
        December 21, 2022 at 6:58 pm | #

        Sarah might be but there is also Dorothy and Becky’s room

      • Fuzzy
        Fuzzy
        December 22, 2022 at 12:21 am | #

        I mean sure, you can hang out one-on-one too, but there will be more Joe in her life if Joyce is dating (or consistent FWBs with) him. Today is evidence of that.

        • Fuzzy
          Fuzzy
          December 22, 2022 at 12:21 am | #

          (in-universe today not this specific strip)

    • Mark
      Mark
      December 21, 2022 at 5:07 pm | #

      If Joe + Joyce takes off, it’s an opportunity for Joyce to ask Joe, “please don’t tease Dorothy so much — she’s my friend.”

  58. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    December 21, 2022 at 5:34 am | #

    OK, so I always thought the Dorothy’s problem with Joe was in the “unsufferable/bad influence bestie of my boyfriend” category, but now there seems to be something more. Is Dorothy just jealous?

    • Wraithy2773
      Wraithy2773
      December 21, 2022 at 5:37 am | #

      I think its more that this is a somewhat personal thing. Like, Joe, in his teenage douchebaggery, hurt someone that Dorothy knows, and it created a bit of a wedge, something that she’s been trying to keep on the down-low for a while.

      And as everyone knows, nothing goes bad when you try to repress your feelings on something!

    • thumb
      thumb
      December 21, 2022 at 5:40 pm | #

      I mean the implication here is she never like him because he was a douchebag and only tolerated him because of Danny. i.e. Joe was the broken stair. And now she’s warning Joyce about the broken stair. Joyce probably thinks she’s a carpenter.

      This is a fine analogy. I have not taken it too far.

      • Axel
        Axel
        December 21, 2022 at 7:01 pm | #

        I disagree, part with the use of broken stair (since I think Danny is the only person that really shrugged off Joe), but mostly because I don’t think Joyce is going into this thinking she can fix him (perhaps thinking he is already what she’d consider fixed, but I don’t think she sees him as a project boyfriend)

  59. Zaxares
    Zaxares
    December 21, 2022 at 5:40 am | #

    Oh my… Joyce, kneading your face with his BUTT? Oh ho, you ARE learning fast! 😉

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      December 21, 2022 at 6:05 am | #

      She’s beginning to believe.

    • AlaninDC
      AlaninDC
      December 21, 2022 at 6:59 am | #

      Somebody PLEASE sketch that and put it up on Imgur. That would just be frigging hilarious.

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      December 21, 2022 at 7:33 am | #

      Hey, she’s an aspiring writer, and she’s simply doing research.

  60. JoeCovenant
    JoeCovenant
    December 21, 2022 at 6:14 am | #

    But(t) TF out, Dotty!!

  61. Yumi
    Yumi
    December 21, 2022 at 6:22 am | #

    “With his BUTT? How would that even– oh, there’s a sketch.”

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      December 21, 2022 at 9:52 am | #

      I believe that falls under the heading of “worldbuilding”.

  62. milu
    milu
    December 21, 2022 at 6:22 am | #

    DOROTHY TRYIN TO STOP JOYCE FROM EATING JOES ASS
    YOU KNOW WHO ELSE DIDNT WANT PEOPLE EATING ASS
    MOTHERFUCKING NAZIS THATS WHO

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      December 21, 2022 at 6:41 am | #

      I can’t believe it. I don’t wanna believe it. But it’s true. Dorothy Margot Keener is a Nazi. 😢

      • milu
        milu
        December 21, 2022 at 6:48 am | #

        And whoever disagrees is a nazi!!!!! Sorry 💁‍♀️

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          December 21, 2022 at 8:57 am | #

          Maybe if people don’t wanna be accused of being Nazis, they shouldn’t be Nazis. 💅

    • JBento
      JBento
      December 21, 2022 at 7:21 am | #

      She’s even maybe half jewish!

    • The Oracle
      The Oracle
      December 21, 2022 at 9:06 am | #

      Aren’t there Jewish readers here? Is it bad taste to joke about Nazis? I’m genuinely asking, not judging.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        December 21, 2022 at 11:04 am | #

        If we go back to the comments on the strip where Becky did that with Joyce’s siblings, it would seem so.
        Otherwise, I’ve never really seen it. Avoid joking about being a Nazi or about the Nazis being right, but hyperbolic comparisons to Nazis being bad haven’t usually raised any concerns. Other than Godwin’s Law.

        • Clif
          Clif
          December 21, 2022 at 12:07 pm | #

          Do you know who else brought up Godwin’s Law? Hitler, that’s who.

          Or he would have if the Interweb had been around back then.

          • Doom Shepherd
            Doom Shepherd
            December 21, 2022 at 2:13 pm | #

            Now that he’s formulated a second law, it really should be called Godwin’s First Law.

  63. Sean Smith
    Sean Smith
    December 21, 2022 at 7:05 am | #

    I feel like a lot of people have forgotten about the truly awful things Joe has said and done.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      December 21, 2022 at 7:10 am | #

      I dislike Joe too, but couldn’t Joyce fuck Joe just for fun? Once or twice and after, left him?
      She get what she need and good-bye?

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      December 21, 2022 at 8:50 am | #

      Nobody’s forgotten. But what? He’s only an adult by legal technicality, is everything he did as a kid supposed to mark and stain and taint him forever? No chance to take those shitty actions and use them as a stepping stone to learn and grow and fix himself? If a person isn’t allowed to grow, then what options are left? You don’t forget the past, but you can’t let it be the sum and total of who you are and who you try to be going forward. Otherwise, everyone who screws up as a kid may as well just kill themselves and leave the board entirely, since there’s nothing left for them. Is that what people want? Because that’s the mindset that gets created, just nothing but despair and hopelessness.

      I know Joe is a fictional character, but when we constantly harp on the past and bring it up as if nothing has happened since, real people are reading it. Maybe I’m just being touchy about this, but that’s where I’ve been before and that’s where it leads.

      • The Oracle
        The Oracle
        December 21, 2022 at 9:07 am | #

        You’re being touchy, yes. Just a teeny bit.

      • tunasammich
        tunasammich
        December 21, 2022 at 10:16 am | #

        I mean yeah, but it still makes sense for Dorothy to be wary of him

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          December 21, 2022 at 11:07 am | #

          So what?

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        December 21, 2022 at 11:14 am | #

        But at the same time, even when you change, you can’t expect everyone to install trust and accept it, especially when you’ve been continuing to pose as the same to most people.
        Joyce has accepted that he’s changed and grown, because she’s been part of it. Dorothy hasn’t seen that. No one has even told her that he’s changed.

        I think the vast majority of people here are happy for the Joe/Joyce relationship, but many can also see why Dorothy isn’t. Which is why we keep bringing up Joe’s past problems.

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          December 21, 2022 at 11:24 am | #

          At this point, the whole “Dorothy has reason not to trust Joe” thing has just been repeated to the point of exhaustion.

          And the “can’t expect et cetera et cetera” thing, too. It’s old news.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            December 21, 2022 at 3:11 pm | #

            I mean sure, but so has the “Dorothy is so evil and controlling and Joe is such an innocent bunny” thing. (Slight exaggeration there. Maybe.)

            • The Oracle
              The Oracle
              December 21, 2022 at 3:16 pm | #

              Who called Joe an innocent bunny?

              He’s so obviously a beagle.

      • Big Z
        Big Z
        December 21, 2022 at 1:26 pm | #

        As a dude who had to grow out of some backwards-ass mentality during my first year of college, I feel this in my bones (but maybe at about 20% the vitriol level because it HAS been twenty years 😀 ).

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          December 21, 2022 at 2:57 pm | #

          And all anyone ever wants to talk about when it’s brought up is “Well, nobody OWES you this or that”, which is just changing the subject. Who fucking cares about social debt or whatever? It makes any attempt at improvement immediately punishable.

    • Autogatos
      Autogatos
      December 21, 2022 at 8:56 pm | #

      Orrr people do remember but acknowledge he hasn’t done anything totally irredeemable granted his fairly successful recent efforts at change. If every person IRL were held to the retroactive standards characters in this comic are, we’d all be considered terrible people forever because I guarantee you everyone here has been imperfect at some point in their past and had to learn and grow.

      And even beyond that, these are fictional characters and they should therefore be held to an even lower standard than IRL people. Because it’s fiction. If Joyce wants to date a murderous space vampire a-la Julia Grey that will not, in fact, hurt any real people in real life.

  64. Dave
    Dave
    December 21, 2022 at 7:10 am | #

    “Not even ONCE did I dream of him as a bipedal dogman asking for help burying a comically oversized bone!”

  65. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    December 21, 2022 at 7:20 am | #

    I believe Joyce and Joe will, eventually, become a couple, as you can see this header. How they look in the same line, as if they are walking side by side…

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      December 21, 2022 at 8:25 am | #

      Isn’t that actually from the start of this arc, when the three of them were first walking to lunch? Or a redrawing of it for the header, more likely.

      • Moonlighter
        Moonlighter
        December 21, 2022 at 12:03 pm | #

        Possibly. Joyce’s hair in that banner is different. She wore it in a Biillie-esque ponytail during the Jacob storyline, and so it feels like an intentional callback for it to resurface now. Also the outfits are different.

  66. C.T. Phipps
    C.T. Phipps
    December 21, 2022 at 7:29 am | #

    Wow, Dorothy really hates Joe. I did not expect that.

  67. jackiedu46k
    jackiedu46k
    December 21, 2022 at 8:17 am | #

    Alas, Joyce is too distracted to simply explain the character arc 😔

  68. codycola
    codycola
    December 21, 2022 at 9:25 am | #

    Dorothy is becoming increasingly annoying.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      December 21, 2022 at 10:00 am | #

      She wants Joyce not to hook up with the guy she’s spent years wishing she could get rid of, and that’s annoying to you?

      • Username Taken
        Username Taken
        December 21, 2022 at 10:35 am | #

        Telling your friend to calm themselves and physically yoinking them backwards when all they wanna do is go to their room and draw horny comics is… Pretty condescending and infantalizing, IMO. I’d call it annoying.

        But they’re all adorable, young dumb little goobers who mostly mean well, so hopefully this conversation leads to some better communication between the two.

        • Mr.Morningstar
          Mr.Morningstar
          December 21, 2022 at 1:29 pm | #

          It will likely… EVENTUALLY lead to better communication.

      • Wereg
        Wereg
        December 21, 2022 at 2:08 pm | #

        The message is entirely understandable. Dorothy hasn’t seen Joe change like the audience has and dude was NOT great last time she paid any attention to him. However, you can be a concerned friend warning someone about a creep without pulling your friend back by the hood, and you certainly can try and warn someone while also respecting their autonomy.

        Also no, I don’t think Dorothy would really have the right to stop her friend from hooking up with someone just because she’s been trying to get rid of Joe for years. That’s not what’s happening here, but I figured I’d answer the question.

        • The Oracle
          The Oracle
          December 21, 2022 at 3:06 pm | #

          That’s not a question anybody asked, though. The comment you’re replying to asked if the OP was annoyed by Dorothy doing the described action, not whether Dorothy has the right

    • Delavan
      Delavan
      December 21, 2022 at 6:43 pm | #

      Approximately as annoying as some of the more self-righteously judgmental portions of the comment section over the last couple weeks.

  69. Daikaiju
    Daikaiju
    December 21, 2022 at 10:01 am | #

    I’ve kinda had side eye about Dorothy ever since the whole dumping Danny because of her Plan. This is business isn’t helping with that.

  70. Username Taken
    Username Taken
    December 21, 2022 at 10:24 am | #

    Yoinking your kid by the hoodie to get their attention is… Pretty unnecessary, IMO. Doing it to your adult friend because you play mom is some next level infantalizing (at least, I assume Willis means it that way and not as physical comedy given the tone of Joyce and Dorothy’s interactions lately).

    Also come on Dotty, Joe is available and Joyce has kneads.

    • The Oracle
      The Oracle
      December 21, 2022 at 3:03 pm | #

      I can’t believe Dorothy grabbed Joyce by the jacket, swung her in multiple circles, and threw her at a nearby explosive device, shouting “So long, gay Joyce!” when she let go.

      • Username Taken
        Username Taken
        December 21, 2022 at 6:35 pm | #

        I was so shook when she yelled “It’s-a me, Dorothy!”

  71. Wendy
    Wendy
    December 21, 2022 at 10:44 am | #

    Joyce sure jumped fast from “I Have Never Deliberately Entertained A Sexual Thought In My Life” to “I’m Gonna Eat His Ass.” I’m impressed.

    • The Jighole Man
      The Jighole Man
      December 21, 2022 at 10:48 am | #

      she won’t eat taco bell unless she can personally oversee the taco creation, but she’ll eat cake like her last name was Bogtrotter

  72. The Jighole Man
    The Jighole Man
    December 21, 2022 at 10:51 am | #

    from 1 demanding controlling mother to the next.
    something tells me joyce is going to snap at her for trying to be as controlling as her mother was.

  73. Gwyn
    Gwyn
    December 21, 2022 at 12:40 pm | #

    I get Dorothy’s concern but I really think Joyce and Joe could be good together. Like “opposites attract” but they actually compliment each other and bring out the better in each other, and help each other get out of opposite toxic traits. It could go bad, sure, but it could also go really well.

  74. Steamweed
    Steamweed
    December 21, 2022 at 1:19 pm | #

    Some very specific hypothetical imaginings which have definitely not been imagined!

  75. Mr.Morningstar
    Mr.Morningstar
    December 21, 2022 at 1:27 pm | #

    ..Side note, I do not recall any point where Danny and Joyce have interacted,

    like at all

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      December 21, 2022 at 3:14 pm | #

      Nor can Joyce.

      She vaguely recalls a hat.

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        December 21, 2022 at 5:32 pm | #

        I’m looking forward to an eventual double date, Joyce and Danny having a heart-to-heart, and Joyce still being unable to remember Danny.

    • thumb
      thumb
      December 21, 2022 at 5:34 pm | #

      I think there was a strip where she went something like “I’m sorry who are you?”

  76. Big Z
    Big Z
    December 21, 2022 at 1:27 pm | #

    I know there is a storyline related purpose for both of Joyce’s closest friends, individually, to be boundary-smashing weirdos about at least some parts of their relationship, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      December 21, 2022 at 3:15 pm | #

      I wonder if it has something to do with Joyce being (or at least having been) a boundary-smashing weirdo.

  77. StClair
    StClair
    December 21, 2022 at 1:37 pm | #

    That… kind of went to a weird place, Joyce.
    Also, they are now definitely talking past/not actually listening to each other.

    • The Oracle
      The Oracle
      December 21, 2022 at 3:00 pm | #

      They learned it from you, dad.

      Or however that quote goes.

  78. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    December 21, 2022 at 2:23 pm | #

    I’m glad Dorothy has stopped Joyce for tell her what worries her. Is so unusual seeing her so upset, the possibilities that Joe the eternal nuisance would return in her life like when she was with Danny is probably too much for her. Sad to see that Joyce is unable to understand her drama, for now.

  79. The Oracle
    The Oracle
    December 21, 2022 at 3:08 pm | #

    Some of you have never been a bad person and it shows.

  80. Anna
    Anna
    December 21, 2022 at 3:23 pm | #

    Kneading…my face…with…???

  81. Joy
    Joy
    December 21, 2022 at 3:40 pm | #

    I like the art in panel one.

  82. Joy
    Joy
    December 21, 2022 at 3:49 pm | #

    Hahaha, you guys are making this so i overblown, this is a normal friend interaction between people who are close to each other. They’re both just expressing themselves. The loud active denial instead of just saying nothing is a phase Joyce is going through while working through her repression, and dorothy should be allowed to express negative emotions normally. They’re close friends, and girls, so it’s normal for them to try to defend each other from potentially misogynistic boys. The hoodie thing is a thing Joyce does to other characters and is probably fine?

    • miri
      miri
      December 21, 2022 at 6:25 pm | #

      It’s truly incredible how any given action made by any character is immediately the worst thing that anyone has ever done and means they are irrevocably abusive or something.

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        December 21, 2022 at 7:02 pm | #

        Either that, or whitewashing the character’s actions almost to the point of absurdity (see: the multiple commenters further up who are literally saying “Joe has never been misogynistic, stop saying he was”—or to pull up an old example, the “Mary was just trying to study” arguments which got so bad at one point that over a thousand comments—an entire day’s worth—got mass-nuked in their entirety, and the comments section kept closed for a couple of days afterward in a heavy-handed but ultimately-successful move to contain the situation).

        • miri
          miri
          December 21, 2022 at 7:58 pm | #

          Straight up. I feel like totally normal behavior gets lit up with ten times the intensity as the actual horrible shit that some of these characters have gotten up to. It’s very strange.

  83. Serendipity
    Serendipity
    December 21, 2022 at 4:47 pm | #

    Dorothy. DO NOT pull on Joyce’s hood like you would a traffic-seeking dog’s leash. That is wildly inappropriate, and technically speaking assault.

    • WizardPantaloon
      WizardPantaloon
      December 21, 2022 at 8:03 pm | #

      Please go outside.

      • Serendipity
        Serendipity
        December 21, 2022 at 10:46 pm | #

        Rude.

  84. Wizard
    Wizard
    December 21, 2022 at 5:10 pm | #

    Never, ever considered dating him? She actually went on a date with him! Granted, it was a disaster, but still a date.

  85. wakeangel2001
    wakeangel2001
    December 21, 2022 at 7:08 pm | #

    he’s slept with quite a few girls in the first semester, but what did he do that makes him so bad? I think she’s making some unfair assumptions, dare I say, slut shaming?

    • Alex
      Alex
      December 21, 2022 at 7:38 pm | #

      I think mostly just a lot of lewd comments. I imagine it was worse in high school, too. At the start of the comic he was basically that guy that had to make every situation into a joke about sex.

    • vulcanodon
      vulcanodon
      December 21, 2022 at 10:07 pm | #

      The website where he ranked real, recognizable girls as to fuckability? Ugh.

  86. Axel
    Axel
    December 21, 2022 at 9:43 pm | #

    Lots of people posing theories varying from likely to bizarre, so mine:

    Dorothy has never mentioned friends from home other than Danny and Joe. Joyce, Becky, Ruth, Walky, Sal, Billie, and probably others have, so it’s not like the comic ignores their lives and relationships that aren’t main canon.

    Maybe Dorothy kept having Joe hook up with her friends, then when they broke up (or didn’t hook up again), didn’t want to hang around Joe, and since Danny was so attached to him, and Dorothy dating Danny, they ended up stopping talking to Dorothy as well.

    This would also play well, I think, with the resentment Dorothy had toward Danny, especially early in the comic, and it would explain why she is this mad about a friend being interested

    • Axel
      Axel
      December 21, 2022 at 9:44 pm | #

      *by ‘having’ I mean that it kept happening to Dorothy, not that Dorothy was setting them up on dates

  87. Vukodlak
    Vukodlak
    December 21, 2022 at 11:55 pm | #

    These denials are getting oddly specific.

  88. pope suburban
    pope suburban
    December 22, 2022 at 7:37 pm | #

    Oh lord, I was just reading back through the archives and…what if Dina is ultimately responsible for Joyce’s wish to investigate Joe’s butt?

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-13/01-bring-me-to-life-drawing/tushie/

    I mean probably not, but this is absolutely cracking me up for some reason.

  89. Hinoron
    Hinoron
    December 25, 2022 at 1:24 pm | #

    Has somebody already blocked out the memory of going on a date with Joe on like, day one?

Who's that guy over there?

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