Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

May 22, 2026

Work

by David M Willis on October 24, 2023 at 12:01 am
  • 01 – Everybody's Looking for Nothing
└ Tags: dorothy, joyce, ruth

Discussion (290) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    October 24, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    KFC: BE SURE TO DUMP IT ON YOUR CHICKEN

    • Nono
      Nono
      October 24, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

      I’ve always seen it but never tried it. Is it actually any good?

      • Diane
        Diane
        October 24, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

        It was good until they got rid of their popcorn chicken and replaced it with nuggets. Something about the nuggets doesn’t taste right, and so I just get it plain mac and cheese now.

        • Jo_cubstar
          Jo_cubstar
          October 24, 2023 at 12:34 am | #

          What I’m really disappointed about, in Canadian KFC they used to have these bowls which were popcorn chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy… and it was delicious. And they’ve discontinued them 🙁

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            October 24, 2023 at 12:36 am | #

            The Famous Bowl? We have that in Illinois, far as I know. It’s my girlfriend’s go-to order.

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            October 24, 2023 at 3:23 am | #

            You can always make it yourself if they still offer all the constituent parts separately!

            • Queen Anthai
              Queen Anthai
              October 24, 2023 at 10:46 am | #

              Imagine Joyce faced with one of those.

          • zee
            zee
            October 24, 2023 at 1:02 pm | #

            Since when does KFC have chicken nuggets???

            • elebenty
              elebenty
              October 24, 2023 at 3:23 pm | #

              It’s been a while now, a year maybe?

              They got rid of the popcorn chicken, which was their one redeeming meat item for my (grown) kid. Their nuggets are simply chonks of meat with a light coating of the original breading. They changed the chicken strips, too. They are closer to Panko than extra crispy.

          • LadyIslay
            LadyIslay
            October 27, 2023 at 3:38 pm | #

            But we’ll always have ketchup. And ketchup chips.

            OMG

            KD – topped with buttered crushed ketchup chips and baked.

        • Shade
          Shade
          October 24, 2023 at 1:33 am | #

          Huh in Australia we have both still and the nuggets have been around longer than popcorn chicken.

      • Jamie
        Jamie
        October 24, 2023 at 12:15 am | #

        It’s okay. There’s a Korean place in my area that uses the same trick, but also throws in kimchi, shallots, tater tots, sliced green onion, and an egg. It’s amazing, murders my stomach, and is named the Bowl o’Shame.

        Sadly, I prefer not feeling terrible on the toilet over tasty food.

        • BarerMender
          BarerMender
          October 24, 2023 at 4:02 am | #

          As my dad used to say, “You’ll have shit in the creek for a week to keep from setting the woods on fire.” Except, being a West Virginian, he said, “crick.”

        • Freemage
          Freemage
          October 24, 2023 at 5:43 pm | #

          NGL, sounds worth it to me.

      • Angel
        Angel
        October 24, 2023 at 2:14 am | #

        i mean , theres prolly a ver of it at a local chicken shop that does it better but prolly charges you 4x as much tho i suppose if you had the time and patience and confidence in ur cooking skills (even with instructions ppl can still mess up, no shame in that tho) you could prolly make a version yourself to ur liking

      • Myth
        Myth
        October 27, 2023 at 5:14 am | #

        Honestly, it is exactly what it sounds like: it’s KFC’s mac and cheese side, with KFC chicken on it. I found it… underwhelming, personally. I usually order a Famous Bowl, so my standards aren’t particularly high or anything.

  2. shadowcell
    shadowcell
    October 24, 2023 at 12:03 am | #

    panel 4: joyce experiences pants euphoria

    • fridge_logic
      fridge_logic
      October 24, 2023 at 12:56 am | #

      I’m really really happy to see Dorothy spending friend time with Joyce. I also ship them at times like these but I want to make it clear that the platonic love is more important.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        October 24, 2023 at 3:24 am | #

        I just hope this isn’t a setup for another “teachable moment” where she again tries to convince Joyce to dump Joe.

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        October 24, 2023 at 4:04 am | #

        Yeah, but hot girl-on-girl action is more fun.

        • Meeks
          Meeks
          October 24, 2023 at 3:44 pm | #

          Perfect Gravatar moment

    • DashWallkick
      DashWallkick
      October 24, 2023 at 3:35 am | #

      I’m honestly not sure what her reaction is, I *want* to believe she’s delighted and thankful but given that she’s not flushed in the cheeks and her follow up question of suspicion I wonder if she’s concerned. Like in a “This doesn’t sound like you at all” kind of way. Especially since she just said she’d be busy with work and she funneled it into “this is work for me.” Like Dot is showing up and doing this willingly and unprompted; Joyce might be thinking, “Are you…alright?”

      Dunno, we’ll see! Unless a Patron wants to tell us ahead of time.

      • Daibhid C
        Daibhid C
        October 24, 2023 at 6:08 am | #

        Which would be a good thing for her to think, since Dorothy is very much not alright.

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        October 24, 2023 at 9:52 pm | #

        spoiling would be very bad form for them.

  3. Dave Van Domelen
    Dave Van Domelen
    October 24, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

    Ah, cutting away from the violence.

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      October 24, 2023 at 12:12 am | #

      Second time that’s happened for Lucy specifically.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-13/04-but-dont-give-yourself-away/treat/

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-14/01-everybodys-looking-for-nothing/raised-2/

      Starting to develop a neat little pattern.

      • Vanessa
        Vanessa
        October 24, 2023 at 12:20 am | #

        Supervillian origin story

      • Reaver
        Reaver
        October 24, 2023 at 1:38 am | #

        Funny how when Sarah says the horrible thing about Lucy being a passing phase/nobody everyone is cool with it. But when it’s Linda oHHh shit gotta fite.

        Poor Lucy getting this shit from Walky’s friend group and his parents

        • Daibhid C
          Daibhid C
          October 24, 2023 at 6:15 am | #

          Funny how when Sarah responds to Lucy calling her a bad friend (not entirely without reason) by questioning whether Lucy is even part of the friend group “everyone” is cool with it, but when Linda says she’s dragging Walky down with her blackness, that’s worse, somehow.

          Also, I’ve just skimmed the comments on that strip, and there’s a lot of people here who don’t count as part of “everyone”, apparently. Heck, I didn’t even attempt to defend Sarah on that one, because it was a crappy thing to say (even though I don’t think it was thespecific crappy thing to say everyone else thought it was).

          • PB
            PB
            October 24, 2023 at 1:53 pm | #

            Unlike Linda, Sarah has demonstrated actual care for those around her in a way beyond them being puppets for her ego. /nbr

        • bleepbloop
          bleepbloop
          October 24, 2023 at 7:45 am | #

          People were definitely pissed when Sarah said that even though it came after Lucy had said something presumptuous about her.

          • Butt Sir
            Butt Sir
            October 24, 2023 at 8:57 am | #

            Yep. Plus this time it’s not “only” about Lucy being under fire. This time Lucy is mainly pissed about how Linda talks down on Walky.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          October 24, 2023 at 11:27 am | #

          Sarah responded in kind to Lucy being mean to her. Linda, out of the blue, was racist. Incidentally showing Sarah was right, regarding the shenanigans to end racism plan.

          • Synnerman
            Synnerman
            October 24, 2023 at 5:30 pm | #

            Also Sarah was responding to Lucy prattling Raidiah’s bullshit. (No I’m probably never going to spell her name properly)

        • Devin
          Devin
          October 24, 2023 at 1:19 pm | #

          Funny how people react differently to different situations.

      • MM
        MM
        October 24, 2023 at 9:48 am | #

        Third time’s the explosion?

    • foamy
      foamy
      October 24, 2023 at 1:33 am | #

      There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!

  4. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    October 24, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

    Shit, I’m still ship them…🥰

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      October 24, 2023 at 12:06 am | #

      I will never not ship them.

    • Proxiehunter
      Proxiehunter
      October 24, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

      This strip is certainly bringing peoples shipping of Dorothy and Joyce to a middle.

  5. JA
    JA
    October 24, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

    That cutaway tease.

    • Wraithy2773
      Wraithy2773
      October 24, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

      …well, it’s not quite “Steve Eating Cereal”, but its close…

      • Quirdry Tawks
        Quirdry Tawks
        October 24, 2023 at 1:19 am | #

        QC refs ftw! 😁

      • Butt Sir
        Butt Sir
        October 24, 2023 at 9:10 am | #

        Also, damn I need to re-read QC sometime again.

        • Butt Sir
          Butt Sir
          October 24, 2023 at 9:11 am | #

          Hmm… the link was supposed to read Cutaway to Dina Eating Cereal

  6. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    October 24, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

    Joyce had better ask Joe his opinions on Kraft Mac and Cheese real quick, because if they don’t align sufficiently the relationship is doomed.

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:18 am | #

      i think joe knows her preferences by now but he could just flavor his after rather than sharing a large batch from a big bowl (tho that’d be kinda self serve anyways)

  7. Nono
    Nono
    October 24, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

    Wonder how the rest of the cast has mac and cheese.

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      October 24, 2023 at 2:00 am | #

      Mike just had it with hot sauce if he was alone. If somebody else was present, with canned pineapple, solely to annoy them. If the person was your mom, obv, with a nickel.

      Walky: with sliced hotdogs, and extra cheese.

      Jacob: with peas, broccoli, and a can of tuna for protein.

      Booster: Has a shaker of Italian mixed spices for just this purpose.

      Jennifer: however somebody else made it for her.

      Ethan: Batman shapes. Also, salted with his own tears.

      • Steelbright
        Steelbright
        October 24, 2023 at 2:45 am | #

        This is perfect and i can find no additions

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          October 24, 2023 at 4:31 am | #

          What about Dina? Certaintly she’d love dinosaur shared pasta! 🦖

          • NGPZ
            NGPZ
            October 24, 2023 at 4:31 am | #

            *shaped

            • Mark
              Mark
              October 24, 2023 at 6:04 am | #

              She might be thrilled to share pasta with a dinosaur.

          • Daibhid C
            Daibhid C
            October 24, 2023 at 6:17 am | #

            I can see Dina disliking it because the shapes don’t have enough detail for her to judge their accuracy.

            • Thanatos
              Thanatos
              October 24, 2023 at 8:06 am | #

              I can see Dina saying she doesn’t like it because the shapes don’t have enough detail for her to judge their accuracy, giving it a suspicious glare, then eating it anyway because even potentially inaccurate dinosaur macaroni and cheese is still dinosaur macaroni and cheese.

              • Leorale
                Leorale
                October 24, 2023 at 10:18 am | #

                Totally agree re: Dina. Also if Becky’s the one making it, she spoils her a little: steamed broccoli if Dina’s wearing her triceri-top, or chicken if Dina’s being a carnivore.

                Sal and Marcie: BBQ sauce

                Grace, Mandy, & Sierra prefer Annie’s, because it’s fair trade

                Mary: Bacon bits.

                Robin: Pixie stix.

                Carla’s family’s chef didn’t make Kraft, so she isn’t nostalgic for any particular method. However, she’d enjoy serving it to / throwing it at somebody, via elaborately self-aggrandizing machine.

                Sarah: hotdogs, mustard, solitude.

                Charlie: we’re just glad she didn’t burn the kitchen down.

                • Taffy
                  Taffy
                  October 24, 2023 at 11:31 am | #

                  I’m a little worried about why Mary would go with bacon bits.

                • NGPZ
                  NGPZ
                  October 24, 2023 at 1:26 pm | #

                  because Mary’s a pig?

                • Leorale
                  Leorale
                  October 24, 2023 at 3:14 pm | #

                  Because Mary’s a pig.

                  Also, middle-class American Christian in Indiana, whose parents are perfectly nice and pleasant and normal (as per Word of God). I was going for common middle-American banality, not, like, chopped spiders. I imagined Mary’s parents might have bacon bits on the table and basically put them on everything.
                  There’s probably also a metaphor here for how bacon bits get everywhere, but I didn’t think that hard about it.

                • Taffy
                  Taffy
                  October 24, 2023 at 6:50 pm | #

                  For some reason, my mind went directly to “She developed the habit at a young age so she wouldn’t have to share with the Jewish kid in her class, because she’s that much of a petty bigot.”

                • Leorale
                  Leorale
                  October 24, 2023 at 8:36 pm | #

                  I mean, it definitely didn’t hurt my association that bacon bits are specifically treif (non-kosher).

                  I just don’t want to insult all the American Christians on this here website, who might like bacon bits and aren’t Mary.
                  #NotAllGoyim.

      • Angel
        Angel
        October 24, 2023 at 2:46 am | #

        i feel like jen would prolly have a ‘lighter’ ver like either baked or milder cheeses/calorie conscious if not being one of those asians that’s lactose (i’m not technically lactose but i never have more than one cup of milk before bed/that large a portion lol doesn’t stop me from eating ice cream tho)

      • WalkerOfSorrow
        WalkerOfSorrow
        October 24, 2023 at 3:01 am | #

        Well if that’s true, I’m stealing Walky’s and Jacob’s, first chance I get. If I have to choose one, Jacob’s.

      • Dara
        Dara
        October 24, 2023 at 3:17 am | #

        Okay, take Jacob’s, use shell-shaped pasta instead of standard noodle, add some booster seasoning of your choice (a little siracha, the abovementioned pepper, some specifically _seasoned pepper_ because that shit absolutely kills the canned taste out of anything) and you end up with a really good low-effort casserole where the shell-shaped pasta wraps itself around the peas and becomes a real gestalt.

        If you want to go nuts, toast some panko in a buttered frying pan with a little more pepper and sprinkle over it as you serve it.

  8. C.T. Phipps
    C.T. Phipps
    October 24, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    At last, Dorothy will make her move on Joyce and realize their love.

    • John Campbell
      John Campbell
      October 24, 2023 at 12:17 am | #

      I’m picturing them doing the Lady and the Tramp thing with a macaroni.

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        October 24, 2023 at 4:11 am | #

        IJBOL!

        • BarerMender
          BarerMender
          October 24, 2023 at 4:12 am | #

          (Not sarcastic.)

  9. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    October 24, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    Awwweeeeee 🥰🥲 Way to go Dorothy!

    Imma have some Mac and Cheese myself right now! 😋🧀

    with a secret ingredient if you can guess 😏

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      October 24, 2023 at 12:21 am | #

      roasted radishes?

      • Quirdry Tawks
        Quirdry Tawks
        October 24, 2023 at 1:19 am | #

        Wait wat.

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          October 24, 2023 at 1:20 am | #

          exactly. and nope!

          • Leorale
            Leorale
            October 24, 2023 at 1:59 pm | #

            Not a secret ingredient, a “special” ingredient. But I’m no snitch

    • Steelbright
      Steelbright
      October 24, 2023 at 2:45 am | #

      Nutmeg?

      • NGPZ
        NGPZ
        October 24, 2023 at 3:37 am | #

        nope! (none of you are gonna figure it out are you?)

        • BarerMender
          BarerMender
          October 24, 2023 at 4:13 am | #

          Black mustard seed, ground in your big granite mortar with your big granite pestle.

          • NGPZ
            NGPZ
            October 24, 2023 at 4:39 am | #

            Looks like imma have to give another hint.

            It comes from a tree native to India and Central Asia.

            • HueSatLight
              HueSatLight
              October 24, 2023 at 11:18 am | #

              toasted almonds

            • BarerMender
              BarerMender
              October 24, 2023 at 11:37 am | #

              Can only be cinnamon.

              • NGPZ
                NGPZ
                October 24, 2023 at 1:44 pm | #

                Here’s another hint: Carla also enjoys this ingredient, but as far as we know, she doesn’t primarily consume it by eating it 😉

                • HueSatLight
                  HueSatLight
                  October 24, 2023 at 6:01 pm | #

                  adoration?

                • Miri
                  Miri
                  October 24, 2023 at 6:38 pm | #

                  Is this an ingredient generally referred to as a herb or weed, good for relaxation and pain relief, popular recreationally amongst students, and recent legislation in parts of the US has made it either legal or legal for medical purposes?

                • NGPZ
                  NGPZ
                  October 24, 2023 at 11:37 pm | #

                  Ding ding ding!

                  Yee, I made cannabis infused Mac and Cheese! 😋

              • HueSatLight
                HueSatLight
                October 24, 2023 at 11:59 pm | #

                not a tree, so I’m still guessing almonds

  10. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    October 24, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    Ketchup in mac n cheese? WitchKraft!

    • Proxiehunter
      Proxiehunter
      October 24, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

      Obviously you should use pizza sauce.

      • NGPZ
        NGPZ
        October 24, 2023 at 12:23 am | #

        mustard! make it taste like sharp cheddar 😋 💛

  11. brionl
    brionl
    October 24, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    IMNSHO, Anne’s Organic is the best Mac & Cheese in a box. Any of the flavors are good. As long as you stay away from the god-awful Gluten Free one.

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      October 24, 2023 at 12:42 am | #

      TRUTH

    • Quirdry Tawks
      Quirdry Tawks
      October 24, 2023 at 1:22 am | #

      Probably true, but there are times you just really need that lovely orange processed powdered cheese food product. The kind of orange you can see from space. The kind of orange that’d fit right in on Koningsdag.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        October 24, 2023 at 3:27 am | #

        Yes!

        Just remember to devour it all before it sets. For whatever reason, that stuff never reheats right after it’s been in the fridge.

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      October 24, 2023 at 1:25 am | #

      Kraft has a gluten free version if ya wanna check that out

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:21 am | #

      i don’t mind some instant foods but some of the powder was too strong for me, even the kinda liquidy sauce was a bit meh but also a bit odd b/c the portion was way too much for the shell shaped noodles tho it might’ve been catered to an american palette. i dont mind the baked mac a local fast food chain has but a few other places that has had mac as a side is also a bit strong (tho i guess i usually prefer swiss/any thing other than pepperoni and grilled cheese i don’t eat a lot of melted cheese [and this ‘macaroni’ salad some hawaiian/asian place had was surprisingly good/light white sauce even tho i normally hate mayo unless it’s something else])

    • Dara
      Dara
      October 24, 2023 at 3:19 am | #

      yeah if you’re looking for quality vs. nostalgia this is definitely the way to go

      this is the shell-shaped pasta I was talking about above when I was going off about legitimate low-effort casserole.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      October 24, 2023 at 6:22 am | #

      I wish “gluten free pasta” was better. Some of it isn’t bad, but a lot is still grainy, mealy, and unpleasant. (I have no problem with regular ol’ semolina pasta, but people with celiac shouldn’t have to suffer any more for it! Maybe the whole “going gluten free by choice” trend will help advance development on better choices, like “going sugar free” helped give diabetics more choices than saccharin and aspartame.)

  12. Just an Armadillo
    Just an Armadillo
    October 24, 2023 at 12:06 am | #

    Damnit Dorothy, you even have to make Kraft Dinner a whole-ass thing. I get exhausted just looking at you.

    • Devin
      Devin
      October 24, 2023 at 1:21 pm | #

      Adding pepper to her own portion is making it a whole-ass thing?

      • MrBookBoy
        MrBookBoy
        October 24, 2023 at 7:34 pm | #

        I think it’s more that she’s going back into martyr mode and framing the mac-n-cheese as a huge burden to make Joyce happy.

        • Just an Armadillo
          Just an Armadillo
          October 24, 2023 at 11:54 pm | #

          That was what I was referring to, yes.

  13. Van Jealous
    Van Jealous
    October 24, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

    Ruth has the right idea. Cold Kraft’s M&C with Hunt’s Ketchup on it is the best!

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      October 24, 2023 at 12:16 am | #

      My dad used to put ketchup on his. Not my thing, but I suppose I can see how it works, same with pepper.

      (Myself, I just tend to put a kraft single torn up in with the mac and cheese to thicken it up.)

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      October 24, 2023 at 3:28 am | #

      You spelled Heinz wrong. 😛

      • Van Jealous
        Van Jealous
        October 24, 2023 at 10:51 am | #

        Hunt’s ketchup….not Heinz.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          October 24, 2023 at 3:00 pm | #

          I know what you wrote.

          At least get French’s. Hunt’s ketchup is as bland as their plain canned sauce. 😛

      • Mark
        Mark
        October 24, 2023 at 5:51 pm | #

        You spelled Brooks’ wrong.

    • Roborat
      Roborat
      October 24, 2023 at 3:00 pm | #

      My variant uses salsa instead of ketchup.

  14. Bittersweet
    Bittersweet
    October 24, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

    Dorothy, you’re sounding really… bad right now. Like, “someone call your parents” bad.

    Idk, maybe she always has a bit more formality to her manner of speaking, but she’s sounding really robotic here. From personal experience that’s like the last step before a complete severe breakdown.

    Basically, I’m just worried about her is all. I could be misreading and she could be sounding totally normal with appropriately mild enthusiasm about impending Kraft Mac and cheese.

    • drs
      drs
      October 24, 2023 at 12:30 am | #

      I took this as healing. She’s not cutting herself off from Joyce like a dumbass. And she’s smiling in panel 3.

      • DashWallkick
        DashWallkick
        October 24, 2023 at 3:26 am | #

        Yeah, plus remember what Amber said, focus on what you really enjoy in yourself. For this it’s taking care of Joyce, because they’re friends and she loves her, not *literally the entire world at once*. She’s centering herself, I think. Or at least taking a step to realize what she was doing is not sustainable.

        • Mark
          Mark
          October 24, 2023 at 6:09 am | #

          Start small, with something you know you can do, then work your way up.

    • justin8448
      justin8448
      October 24, 2023 at 1:56 am | #

      I think this is Dorothy, at bare minimum, coming to terms with the fact that she needs to change. She understands that what she was doing wasn’t working anymore.

      That’s a great first step, but there could still be more breakdowns along the way.

      • Steelbright
        Steelbright
        October 24, 2023 at 2:49 am | #

        Yeah this is like, actually listening to Joyce’s preferences and being nurturing and spending time together, rather than judging and nitpicking, feels like progress. Maybe she’s rethinking what “helping everybody else” means. Still not so great to think of yourself as not worthy of help, but… Progress!

    • moriarty70
      moriarty70
      October 24, 2023 at 11:46 pm | #

      When has adding parents in ever helped a situation with this crowd?

      • Bittersweet
        Bittersweet
        October 25, 2023 at 1:35 pm | #

        Dorothy’s seem pretty nice and even-keeled. If their daughter was going through a bout of depression they seem like the sort that would come and try to help her, rather than drag her away from college or berate her.

  15. Cholma
    Cholma
    October 24, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

    College dorms have actual kitchens? That surprises me for some reason.

    • Raven
      Raven
      October 24, 2023 at 12:13 am | #

      If it’s anything like my old dorm it’s one communal kitchen for the whole building. Bigger dorms I could see having one per wing or something

    • drs
      drs
      October 24, 2023 at 12:31 am | #

      My college’s dorms had kitchens in every hallway.

      Needed them, the meal plan was only for lunch and dinner weekdays, weekends on our own.

    • Dan
      Dan
      October 24, 2023 at 1:13 am | #

      My dorm had a kitchen in the basement – I thought they all did.
      I never used it since I had a hot plate in my room.

    • Quirdry Tawks
      Quirdry Tawks
      October 24, 2023 at 1:27 am | #

      That’s nuttin. My grad school was the only uni I’d ever heard of with its own bar.

      Basement of the student union, dim, loud, always packed… Ah the mems.

      • drs
        drs
        October 24, 2023 at 2:22 am | #

        No bar, though some dorm parties were allowed alcohol with putative carding. But we did have a student-run ‘Coffeehouse’ in the basement — more about the burgers, jalapeno cheese sticks, soft drinks, etc.

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        October 24, 2023 at 4:25 am | #

        That sounds like the bar at my school. It was called a “coffee shop,” but it was a simple beer joint. Got some good musicians, though. John Jackson. Donal Leace. John Miller (blues musician).

      • Mano308gts
        Mano308gts
        October 24, 2023 at 6:16 am | #

        I think having an on-campus bar is not-so-rare in countries where the drinking age is equal to the age of incoming freshmen (18); I attended grad school in Ireland and my university had a bar on campus, that doubled as a decent food place for breakfast. I know some other universities in Ireland also have bars, but not all.

        • Daibhid C
          Daibhid C
          October 24, 2023 at 6:30 am | #

          Yeah, Edinburgh (where I went to fail at physics due to undiagnosed dyscalculia) has a sports bar in the Teviot, the main student union building, I think two bars in the Potterrow “student hub”, and a there used to be a fourth in the Pleasance building where the SF&F Society used to meet, but it’s a cafe now. I don’t drink, so I only ever went to the Pleasance for Skiffyoc meetings.

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:22 am | #

      i’d hope they’d have something in a break room, if ur living in a dorm i assume you wouldn’t always want to go to the cafeteria and/or affording takeout each weekend

    • Mark
      Mark
      October 24, 2023 at 6:12 am | #

      Me, too. I never lived in a dorm, but I helped my (future) wife move in/out over summer breaks and I don’t recall seeing any kitchen.

    • sdrainbow
      sdrainbow
      October 24, 2023 at 8:19 am | #

      My sophomore dorm had a kitchenette in the lobby, but none of the freshman dorms did.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 24, 2023 at 8:38 am | #

      I think they’ve become a lot more common since my day.
      We weren’t even allowed to have hot plates in our rooms, though everyone did.

      Just supposed to starve on weekends, I think.

    • zee
      zee
      October 24, 2023 at 1:09 pm | #

      Well yeah. Are college students not expected to cook? The girls on my floor are always marinating and frying chicken or making salmon or shrimp or something.

      • Cholma
        Cholma
        October 24, 2023 at 5:10 pm | #

        I guess I expected them to be like military dorms. Two beds/desks per room, and either a shared bath between rooms or a single community shower/toilet on each floor. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner all served at the campus dining facility/cafeteria.

  16. Chiatroll
    Chiatroll
    October 24, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

    Wait wait.. we got to go back to walky and lucy sir.

    Turn the camera around.

    • Icalasari
      Icalasari
      October 24, 2023 at 12:14 am | #

      Don’t worry, we’ll cut back to Walky’s Egg Donor being atomized, I’m sure

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      October 24, 2023 at 1:35 am | #

      I’m worried she just bottled it up, and switching scenes is to advance time without showing the non-response.

      • Mark
        Mark
        October 24, 2023 at 6:13 am | #

        I’ve assumed that time is retreating, not advancing, in the scene changes: these are all happening concurrently.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          October 24, 2023 at 11:07 am | #

          I hope so. So far, she’s only bottled up her frustrations and unleashed it at the person the “popular” people directed her at.

    • Woof McGee
      Woof McGee
      October 24, 2023 at 4:42 pm | #

      Not yet! Maybe six months

  17. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    October 24, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

    Part6 (NSFW)
    Would you believe me if I said I still have a bit more in me?

    • Proxiehunter
      Proxiehunter
      October 24, 2023 at 12:13 am | #

      I’m shocked, shocked I tell you. I could never believe you would have more in you.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      October 24, 2023 at 12:15 am | #

      I can believe it. I also love her teasing about what he’s off to do.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      October 24, 2023 at 12:34 am | #

      If nobody has pointed this out yet, your dialogue feels very in-character for Joe and Amber.

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        October 24, 2023 at 4:29 am | #

        Agree.

    • Quirdry Tawks
      Quirdry Tawks
      October 24, 2023 at 1:05 am | #

      ‘Believe’? Like we weren’t hoping? 🤭

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      October 24, 2023 at 1:12 am | #

      not seeing the ‘thump thump thump’ from upstairs anymore.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        October 24, 2023 at 1:20 am | #

        Haha it’s still happening. Probably just a lull while they’re shifting positions.

    • Quirdry Tawks
      Quirdry Tawks
      October 24, 2023 at 1:13 am | #

      Oh. Em. Effin. GEE.

      Yoto you’re brilliant. Thank you for sharing it with us. ❤️

    • PirateTawnee
      PirateTawnee
      October 24, 2023 at 3:37 am | #

      Reading the comment before I tab over to the link, and it sounds like *someone* needs a bit more in them.

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        October 24, 2023 at 4:30 am | #

        Or in someone else.

    • Alan in DC
      Alan in DC
      October 24, 2023 at 6:37 am | #

      “I would have rocked your world”.
      Wow… big change from her encounter with Danny: “I really don’t know what I’m doing. It’s just the mask.”
      Well, good for her!

      • deliverything
        deliverything
        October 24, 2023 at 3:25 pm | #

        I hope so, but… well, I know a lot of gamers like to claim to be more skilled than they actually are, especially when they don’t have to prove it. She might just be approaching this subject the same way.

        Of course, she could well be right anyway, if for no other reason than that Yotomoe probably doesn’t want to depict disappointing sex.

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          October 24, 2023 at 5:19 pm | #

          That almost seems like a skill. Draw out a sex scene of canonically bad sex.

          • Mturtle7
            Mturtle7
            October 25, 2023 at 2:11 am | #

            Reminds me of the Literary Review’s Bad Sex in Fiction Award! https://literaryreview.co.uk/bad-sex-in-fiction-award

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      October 24, 2023 at 7:57 am | #

      dick is getting angry

    • milu
      milu
      October 24, 2023 at 8:37 am | #

      gotta squeeze out every last drop of that horniness, Yoto.

    • Jeff K!
      Jeff K!
      October 25, 2023 at 1:25 am | #

      How on earth did I not notice this was happening until tonight?
      Most days I click to the previous day and search for “yoto” just to see if there’s bonus comic, and I somehow missed five whole strips?!?

      Excellent work as always, Yotomoe!

  18. Proxiehunter
    Proxiehunter
    October 24, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

    Damn you Willis!

  19. Synnerman
    Synnerman
    October 24, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

    Holy dramatic blue balls.

  20. Icalasari
    Icalasari
    October 24, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

    Dorothy is making MAC N CHEESE AND NOBODY CAN STOP HER!

  21. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    October 24, 2023 at 12:12 am | #

    I take it as a good sign Dorothy insists on making at least some her way. She needs to not deny herself at least some pleasures.

  22. Call Me Deacon Blues
    Call Me Deacon Blues
    October 24, 2023 at 12:14 am | #

    This reminds me of when I first made mac and cheese for my ex. I’ve never been much for boxed mac and cheese (yes, I realize this makes me a weirdo), but when I do make it on rare occasions, I always add extra cheese to it. Like, shredded cheese, or a torn up American slice, or shredded parmesan if I’ve got it (or some grated parmesan dust if not), or a little Velveeta, or whatever. So I made the mac and cheese and without thinking I just added extra cheese… and she got so mad at me she started CRYING. Because I ruined it. Admittedly, I didn’t think to ask before adding it, but she also didn’t tell me that adding cheese would cause her to have a meltdown lol.

    Ironically, when she calmed down, she later admitted it was better that way. Oh well lol

    • Call me Deacon Blues
      Call me Deacon Blues
      October 24, 2023 at 12:18 am | #

      Gravatar roulette

      Also, before anyone asks, she wasn’t on the spectrum or anything (at least she never had a diagnosis or any symptoms). But she did have a habit of making small things into big things

      Like her refusing to eat the Big Mac meal from McDonalds because I accidentally ordered a medium fry instead of a large one. Because if it wasn’t going to be enough food she wasn’t going to eat it at all, threw it away, drove off for about 6 hours to cool off, and then went to McDonalds to get another Big Mac meal. Sigh…

      • Call Me Deacon Blues
        Call Me Deacon Blues
        October 24, 2023 at 12:19 am | #

        Apparently I don’t understand how gravatar roulette works

        • TheHorseCouncil
          TheHorseCouncil
          October 24, 2023 at 12:24 am | #

          Did you change the capitalization on your email?
          Thats what I usually do.

      • not someone else
        not someone else
        October 24, 2023 at 12:36 am | #

        As someone who absolutely is on the spectrum, I have absolutely had a meltdown because there was something wrong with my Mac and Cheese, but I would never throw away a good meal because of an accident on size. Especially if I wouldn’t be made fun of for just getting more fries or something.

        I am now forcibly reminded of the sheer amount of food-related trauma I have…

        • not someone else
          not someone else
          October 24, 2023 at 12:37 am | #

          Gotta love missing a forward slash.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        October 24, 2023 at 9:46 am | #

        “There is not enough food, therefore I will eat no food at all.”

        Yikes.

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          October 24, 2023 at 11:28 am | #

          The only appropriate response to that behavior is “Then starve.”

      • Proxiehunter
        Proxiehunter
        October 24, 2023 at 1:35 pm | #

        She never had any symptoms the poster says as they describe some of the symptoms she had.

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      October 24, 2023 at 12:20 am | #

      I don’t think it’s weird to not like boxed mac n cheese. I was raised on homemade mac n cheese. You bake it usually. Lots of church potlucks, cookouts, stuff like that. It’s weird to me when boxed is considered “the good stuf” when it’s always just been a “I don’t wanna cook tonight” alternative. Probably just cultural differences.

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        October 24, 2023 at 2:14 am | #

        I think if a person grows up on it, it often becomes a comfort food. It’s very easy, very predictable, you can make it come out exactly the same as how you had it when you were a kid.
        For Joyce, it’s also a Safefood.
        Either way, the secret ingredient is nostalgia, and you and I just haven’t got it.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 24, 2023 at 8:41 am | #

        The trick is not thinking of them as the same food. They’re both good, but they’re completely different things.

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:27 am | #

      ppl can get emotional over random things, i’d only be mad if someone took something i bought and made it without permission versus that but i’m not a huge fan of cheese overall compared ot most americans, or can tolerate some of it’s mild/prefer a lighter taste/used to pizza

    • Hof1991
      Hof1991
      October 24, 2023 at 9:43 am | #

      If you’re weird then I am too. Boxed product in question has no actual cheese in it. Never liked it. Won’t eat it. If I have time and desire I can make macaroni with cheese. Probably have six different kinds of 🧀 on hand.

      • Angel
        Angel
        October 24, 2023 at 10:24 pm | #

        Yeah, unless it’s like dirt cheap to just buy a box of it, you could easily just buy a box of just the noodles and buy separate cheeses of your liking lol

  23. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    October 24, 2023 at 12:14 am | #

    Just adding pepper is still practically plain, Dorothy.

    • Nathan
      Nathan
      October 24, 2023 at 12:30 am | #

      Right?? Her idea of making it fancy is the second most basic seasoning of our culture, barely a step up from salt
      .

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        October 24, 2023 at 12:37 am | #

        Nobody said it was fancy, though…

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:28 am | #

      maybe she doesn’t eat it often enough to bother going ‘all out’ on seasoning it, if not for a lack of seasoning available on the kitchen stock

      Something like plain/buttered noodles i’m fine with b/c i’m basic af but i wouldn’t mind like, lemon pepper/garlic salt maybe or so

  24. Dday
    Dday
    October 24, 2023 at 12:18 am | #

    Is adding ketchup a Canadian thing? Like ketchup chips?

    • Quirdry Tawks
      Quirdry Tawks
      October 24, 2023 at 1:30 am | #

      Not sure. Only other place I’ve seen it was on Kids In The Hall, soooo maybe?

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:30 am | #

      they add ketchups on omlettes/omurice in japan too so might depend on the country. tho i can imagine some places like the south would add hot sauce for a bit of a ‘kick’ to balance out hte creaminess

    • Mano308gts
      Mano308gts
      October 24, 2023 at 6:22 am | #

      Ketchup in Mac and cheese is a known, if uncommon, choice among East Coast USA peeps… Certainly not a rare enough thing to cause confusion or surprise.

  25. Bo
    Bo
    October 24, 2023 at 12:20 am | #

    Dorothy: “My work is making everyone ‘s lives better :)”

    Ruth: “And that includes me, right?…”

    Dorothy: ” Anyway…”

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:16 am | #

      well, they aren’t exactly close but i imagine maybe dorothy would think of another way to pay her back after the last time she supervised her drinking or so

    • PirateTawnee
      PirateTawnee
      October 24, 2023 at 3:40 am | #

      Dorothy: “My work is making everyone ‘s lives better :)”

      Inner Dorothy: “And that includes me, right?…”

      Dorothy: ” Anyway…”

      • StClair
        StClair
        October 24, 2023 at 3:41 pm | #

        Dorothy will pass out trying to help just one more person before putting on her own mask.
        And when she wakes up, blame herself. For passing out.

  26. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    October 24, 2023 at 12:22 am | #

    D: We’re out of ketchup.
    R: I can squeeze some out of my chips

    • Mym
      Mym
      October 24, 2023 at 2:30 am | #

      I weep, missing ketchup chips

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        October 24, 2023 at 9:49 am | #

        I wish ketchup chips and hickory sticks were easier to find in the US. (Never been to Canada myself, but a former coworker went regularly and always brought the good stuff back.)

  27. Francoinblanco
    Francoinblanco
    October 24, 2023 at 12:32 am | #

    Dorothy becomes a real politician. under the guise of taking care of everyone, she only cares about her own people

    • Coatl
      Coatl
      October 24, 2023 at 1:17 am | #

      Well, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Ensure the well-being of a nation

      • NGPZ
        NGPZ
        October 24, 2023 at 5:13 pm | #

        family, tribe, nation — all human inventions designed to solve the problem of Me vs Us. However effective they may be, they always leave us with the higher order problem of Us vs Them.

        • Coatl
          Coatl
          October 24, 2023 at 9:24 pm | #

          indeed

  28. AeromechanicalAce
    AeromechanicalAce
    October 24, 2023 at 12:32 am | #

    Nah, Best mac N cheese has hot dogs, garlic, and extra shredded cheese.

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:48 am | #

      be interesting to see ppl react to a blind taste test and see which is most popular. (tho i think after adding a specific amount of meat/extra in gradients when does it stop becoming ‘mac and cheese’ and just a ‘meat and pasta dish with melted cheese’ lol)

      • Anon A Mouse
        Anon A Mouse
        October 24, 2023 at 9:17 am | #

        Lasagna? Mac and cheese with some meat in it. Its all mac anf cheese.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          October 24, 2023 at 9:50 am | #

          The lazy shortcut way to make lasagna is to just make ravioli in meat sauce.

    • Mark
      Mark
      October 24, 2023 at 6:21 am | #

      Ham.

  29. Taffy
    Taffy
    October 24, 2023 at 12:33 am | #

    Dorothy is looking extremely “I would willingly kiss a girl if she asked me to” today.

    • not someone else
      not someone else
      October 24, 2023 at 12:38 am | #

      It’s the untucked dress shirt. Especially if there’s a few buttons down in front. Huge bisexual vibes.

      • eh, whatever
        eh, whatever
        October 24, 2023 at 2:17 am | #

        what

        • Jamie
          Jamie
          October 24, 2023 at 8:25 pm | #

          As far as I can tell, the internet has decided that sitting crooked and being slightly askew in general is how you determine that someone is bisexual. Which is weird, because none of the bisexual people I know feel a need to do any of that stuff.

          I think they just want to have some stereotypes.

      • Angel
        Angel
        October 24, 2023 at 2:51 am | #

        other than getting caught on something i wouldn’t think ‘untucked’ shirts necessarily look unpro or so, unless it’s like super long compared to your pants but i’d prefer shirts to be a bit longer so my midriff doesn’t accidentally show if i move around/stretch plus you could prolly ‘get away’ with wearing sweat pants that are a certain texture/darker color versus jeans if your shirt is covering where a zipper would normally show (not that ppl should really care too much lol)

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      October 24, 2023 at 12:38 am | #

      This is Dorothy. She needs the girl to follow a trail of extremely subtextual clues that will break Dorothy’s heart if she even gets one wrong, THEN ask Dorothy to kiss her but not directly.

  30. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    October 24, 2023 at 12:34 am | #

    this is an improvement over “by being president of the United States of America or equivalent successor nation”. Need to drop the “else”. And scale back the every.

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:51 am | #

      i’m sure she still sees joyce as a huge ‘fixer upper’ even tho she’s gotten better since the beginning of their college days as long as it doesn’t devolve into some toxic codependency lol

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      October 24, 2023 at 7:45 pm | #

      I think the main problem with Dorothy wanting to become president to make everyone else’s lives better was her thinking she could do that by becoming president. Maybe in a country where the political system works for the working people, but not here in the US where the political system works for the very wealthy.

  31. Jo_cubstar
    Jo_cubstar
    October 24, 2023 at 12:39 am | #

    I add real shredded cheese to mine, broccoli, roasted red pepper, whatever kind of meat I have on hand, sometimes bread crumbs, and then bake it for a double-baked kind of deal.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      October 24, 2023 at 12:49 am | #

      the crunchy top is a special treat.

    • Quirdry Tawks
      Quirdry Tawks
      October 24, 2023 at 1:17 am | #

      When I’m making it from scratch I try to undercook the elbows a lil bit, then fish em in the oven. Done it with and without a Panko crust. My oh-my-gawd favorite is to make it with diced ham and lots of jalapeños. Om nom nom.

      • Quirdry Tawks
        Quirdry Tawks
        October 24, 2023 at 2:18 am | #

        *finish. Jeez.

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:52 am | #

      i never esp disliked broccoli (tho i tended to eat teh stems more than the tops unless it was made in a restaurant/takeout compared to parents cooking) but i liked caulifower a bit more

  32. UrsulaDavina
    UrsulaDavina
    October 24, 2023 at 12:47 am | #

    On one hand this could be good or bad but its a bold strategy cotton let’s see if it pays off for her

  33. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    October 24, 2023 at 12:47 am | #

    Can a box of Mac n’ cheese serve 2 people?
    My instant macaroni parameter is Lamen. So, it seems like one portion is small for an adult. Right?

    • miz
      miz
      October 24, 2023 at 12:59 am | #

      a standard sized box of kraft mac n cheese as depicted in the above strip is 7.5 oz dry, or somewhat less than 3 cups cooked. in theory, that’s 3 servings per box.

      • miz
        miz
        October 24, 2023 at 12:59 am | #

        (in practice, i would happily eat the whole box in one sitting by myself if no one stopped me)

        • rjmmbc
          rjmmbc
          October 24, 2023 at 7:22 am | #

          I did that once. It was delicious and I regretted it immensely.

          • Amós Batista
            Amós Batista
            October 24, 2023 at 5:25 pm | #

            “at first 3 seconds, it totally worth it”
            O’Marlley, Amber

            (Also, me)

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      October 24, 2023 at 1:01 am | #

      I assume they’re not necessarily eating it to get full, if they’re splitting the box.

    • Quirdry Tawks
      Quirdry Tawks
      October 24, 2023 at 1:01 am | #

      I’m a fairly, um, big girl, and I eat about like you’d expect. But yeah, one box of M/C will feed me twice. Unless I am really depressed.

    • Mym
      Mym
      October 24, 2023 at 1:05 am | #

      Box says it’s 4 servings

      • Mark
        Mark
        October 24, 2023 at 6:27 am | #

        I have always wanted to meet the miniature people who determine serving sizes on food packages.

        • Hof1991
          Hof1991
          October 24, 2023 at 9:47 am | #

          Small serving sizes let them list fewer calories per serving.

        • Mym
          Mym
          October 24, 2023 at 9:48 am | #

          You’re supposed to eat it in addition to vegetables and a protein

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            October 24, 2023 at 11:56 am | #

            That’s not a thing though.

            It’s like those old ads for breakfast cereals where it was “part of this nutritious breakfast” and the breakfast shown is like fruit and eggs and juice and would be just as nutritious without the sugar cereal.

            • Mym
              Mym
              October 24, 2023 at 1:04 pm | #

              It’s almost as if kraft M/C is just junk food. The serving size should be small because it shouldn’t be eaten as a meal

            • StClair
              StClair
              October 24, 2023 at 4:14 pm | #

              “adjacent to this complete breakfast.”

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      October 24, 2023 at 1:10 am | #

      In the US, macaroni is only elbows. In Italy they count more noodles than just elbows.

      • Mym
        Mym
        October 24, 2023 at 1:50 am | #

        Arms and cheese

        • BarerMender
          BarerMender
          October 24, 2023 at 4:38 am | #

          Good one.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        October 24, 2023 at 3:36 am | #

        What part of the US are you basing that off of? Everyone I’ve ever met IRL counts everything from elbows to spirals to mini bowties to shells to those ones little straight ones with the pinhole in them. If the pasta is under an inch and you’re coating it in one of several cheese sauces, that’s mac & cheese here.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          October 24, 2023 at 10:36 am | #

          Missouri. Shells and cheese is like mac and cheese, but its shells. if we don’t call it macaroni when there’s no cheese, then it’s not mac and cheese. If I ordered mac and cheese, and got cheesy bow ties, I wouldn’t trust anything made by that person/restaurant to be what they claimed and would rather have hunger pains.

      • zee
        zee
        October 24, 2023 at 1:18 pm | #

        In Jamaica some people call all pasta macaroni. I always found it annoying but I guess it’s technically more authentic, who knew

        • Proxiehunter
          Proxiehunter
          October 24, 2023 at 1:40 pm | #

          If you’re Yankee Doodle you call a feather in your hat macaroni.

        • Jamie
          Jamie
          October 24, 2023 at 8:32 pm | #

          I mean, there are places where people call any kind of soft drink “pepsi”, so.

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:55 am | #

      i’m sure dorothy’s calculated the exact amount they need for their own portions and seconds based on the last time they ate together
      tho given how ‘bottomless pits’ some teens are they might need more

  34. Mym
    Mym
    October 24, 2023 at 12:52 am | #

    I hope
    They do

    L a u n d r y

    • clif
      clif
      October 24, 2023 at 2:03 am | #

      Mmm.

  35. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    October 24, 2023 at 12:55 am | #

    1 box makes about 700 mL.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      October 24, 2023 at 12:56 am | #

      @Amós

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      October 24, 2023 at 2:55 pm | #

      450mL for each one. Seems so few. What’s about 2 boxes of Mac ‘n Cheese?

      (Look how I webt straight to your comment. Too lazy to calculate to Metric System)

      • LiterallyJustSomeGuy
        LiterallyJustSomeGuy
        October 24, 2023 at 3:44 pm | #

        Half of 700mL is 350mL. Double of 700mL is 1400mL.

        • Amós Batista
          Amós Batista
          October 24, 2023 at 6:17 pm | #

          I’m hungry.

  36. Quirdry Tawks
    Quirdry Tawks
    October 24, 2023 at 12:59 am | #

    Oh gosh. I was not expecting Dotty to act so… adjusted? Would that be the right word?

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:36 am | #

      unless she’s just on a manic ‘high’ and just hiding it/knowing joyce’s issues might be ‘easy’ to solve or just wanting to check in on how her and joe are doing

    • Bash
      Bash
      October 24, 2023 at 5:22 am | #

      I think this is a distraction from the real problem.

      • Proxiehunter
        Proxiehunter
        October 24, 2023 at 1:43 pm | #

        Sometimes that’s an unhealthy coping mechanism other times it’s what you need for a while to process and put the real problem in proper proportion instead of blowing it up to be bigger than it really is.

  37. Coatl
    Coatl
    October 24, 2023 at 1:03 am | #

    I dare say it’s a good start.

  38. Acher4
    Acher4
    October 24, 2023 at 2:08 am | #

    I like that from the clothes and Ruth talking,
    this comes just after the two patreon bonus comics. :O

  39. Angel
    Angel
    October 24, 2023 at 2:12 am | #

    ok but what brand of ketchup🤔

    • rjmmbc
      rjmmbc
      October 24, 2023 at 7:21 am | #

      There’s only one brand of ketchup. Heinz.
      (Ok, and a second weirdly delicious brand of organic ketchup at a restaurant near me but they don’t have it anymore so my point stands.)

    • Mr D
      Mr D
      October 24, 2023 at 1:24 pm | #

      Malloa

  40. Moon
    Moon
    October 24, 2023 at 2:14 am | #

    I put either a little yellow mustard or honey dijon in the cheese sauce personally

  41. thakoru
    thakoru
    October 24, 2023 at 2:47 am | #

    Amber did tell her to focus on things that bring her joy, and this is a perfect example. I’m not a very good cook, but I do get a lot of joy from cooking for other people, even (especially?) when it’s something simple like Mac and cheese. Cooking for yourself sucks, because it’s always easier to just heat something up or go to McDonalds or whatever. But cooking for other people lets you focus on the process instead of how hungry you are, besides just feeling nice to do things for people.

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 2:57 am | #

      yeah money and time aside, shame it’s not more of a ‘thing’ for ppl to host potlucks, if not like culinary arts students hosting a dinner every weekend or so, unless it’s something more ‘upper class’ students would have the budget for but even a casual hangout is possible but i guess ppl would just order in pizza or takeout unless your group of friends is known for foodies/likes to cook as a hobby

      tho i can see the appeal of ordering out too, even if someone loved you unconditionally, i’m not boterhing someone in the middle of their sleep at like, 3 am if i want some scrambled eggs and would either make it myself or go to a diner lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODYfkPxdy8c or it’d end up something like this lol

  42. Bobcat
    Bobcat
    October 24, 2023 at 3:21 am | #

    Damn you Willis, way to leave us on a cliffhanger!

  43. Dara
    Dara
    October 24, 2023 at 3:24 am | #

    years from now, when married, they will accidentally re-enact this scene after a fight and only realise they’d done so… later. ^_^

  44. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    October 24, 2023 at 4:14 am | #

    the floor’s common kitchen huh.

  45. BOOSTER SHOT
    BOOSTER SHOT
    October 24, 2023 at 4:17 am | #

    This should be the most commented upon strip

  46. Da Boy
    Da Boy
    October 24, 2023 at 4:54 am | #

    Whaaaaat!? Damn drama-blocked by Willis again!
    Ohh Dotty likes it spicy, I like her.

  47. Thomas
    Thomas
    October 24, 2023 at 5:32 am | #

    The dorm floor’s kitchen which we haven’t seen very often, if at all.

    The unrealistic aspect being how clean the damn space is. Common kitchens like these are often incredibly filthy. I guess Dorothy must have cleaned all of it, huh. Or Ruth is still frightening enough to enforce a strict cleaning schedule.

  48. Felian
    Felian
    October 24, 2023 at 6:29 am | #

    My love language is getting made food exactly the way my neurodivergent taste buds AND eyes need it to be <3

  49. Alan in DC
    Alan in DC
    October 24, 2023 at 6:30 am | #

    Crumbled well-done bacon.
    Not bits in a jar, but the real thing.

  50. Jimmy
    Jimmy
    October 24, 2023 at 6:58 am | #

    I have a cup of chocolate milk with my mac & cheese. Is that weird? Probably.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      October 24, 2023 at 10:53 am | #

      makes sense if mac and cheese was on the menu once every week or two in elementary school.

  51. monkyvirus
    monkyvirus
    October 24, 2023 at 7:20 am | #

    Firstly we need to get back to Lucy. Secondly, Joyce Dorothy is being really weird. Her work is making everyone else’s lives better??? Someone sit her down with a cup of tea and check in. Do not be distracted by mac and cheese!

  52. milu
    milu
    October 24, 2023 at 8:14 am | #

    just gonna shill my nonstagram again, i post mostly smut and (smutty) DOA fanart. Obviously it is NSFW 18+ lol.

    a while back i started a porn-y story feat Marcie & Malaya, i didn’t finish it (barely started really) because i kept going back and fiddling, but i kinda lost interest on the way so i’m gonna post what drawings i do have, context-free and incoherent as they are.

    maybe not all in one go so that i have an excuse to put this link up a few more times =P

    (yes i’m whoring for compliments but a) don’t whore-shame, and b) i think it’s possible some people what would appreciate my silly horny art are not yet aware of it, so i’m really being super selfless and cool actually)

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      October 24, 2023 at 10:26 am | #

      These would make the ancient Greeks blush. [thumbs up emoji]

  53. raultsi
    raultsi
    October 24, 2023 at 8:58 am | #

    OMG – Ruth eats it like my family used to. 5 kids growing up, one salaried income. We ate a lot of Mac and Cheese.

    With broiled sausages or scrambled hamburger, and a veggie.

  54. Suet
    Suet
    October 24, 2023 at 9:21 am | #

    This is a nice start… yeah why wasn’t this one the birthday strip for Mrs. Willis instead (lemme have it, I guess)

    A counterpoint to Ruth making her own Kraft Dinner: this monstrosity

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      October 24, 2023 at 1:53 pm | #

      This strip went up 9 pm PST on 10/23, so technically it was her birthday strip over here

  55. Bryy
    Bryy
    October 24, 2023 at 9:49 am | #

    Dorothy, you’re not supposed to make epiphanies work for you.

  56. HoopsieDaisy
    HoopsieDaisy
    October 24, 2023 at 10:15 am | #

    There’s nothing wrong to adding ingredients after the fact, but the cooking instructions are there for a reason. Trust the food scientists that worked to perfect the formula.

    • Proxiehunter
      Proxiehunter
      October 24, 2023 at 1:54 pm | #

      Sometimes a little mad science in the kitchen makes it better though.

    • Da Boy
      Da Boy
      October 24, 2023 at 2:23 pm | #

      Food scientists have been demonizing fat and pushing low-fat for half a century to cover up the damage cigarettes did so… eh, they are kind of on thin ice.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 24, 2023 at 3:06 pm | #

      It’s not really like the “food scientists” creating Kraft Dinner are focused on either nutrition or actual quality.
      It’s all about cheap and addictive.
      Adding more flavoring to your personal tastes or adding ingredients to make it more of a complete meal doesn’t break anything meaningful.

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      October 24, 2023 at 8:36 pm | #

      “Trust the food scientists” is possibly the most disturbing comment on this strip.

      • Hambone Jones
        Hambone Jones
        October 25, 2023 at 11:45 am | #

        Good job reading that completely out of the context of the first half of the sentence. I bet you can make everything real spooky this Halloween season.

  57. RoyanRannedos
    RoyanRannedos
    October 24, 2023 at 11:12 am | #

    All the fanciest…dijon ketchups!

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 24, 2023 at 11:59 am | #

      Only if I had a million dollars.

  58. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    October 24, 2023 at 12:27 pm | #

    I wonder if Dorothy wants to have a serious talk about the future with Joyce while they’re eating. One of those who need the warm light given by candles… Of course Ruth will hear everything and give her lots of advice.

  59. zee
    zee
    October 24, 2023 at 1:22 pm | #

    Okay here’s my Mac n cheese hot take, inherited from my brother. I don’t eat the stovetop stuff much but I love easy Mac, specifically replacing the ⅓ cup water with 1 cup milk. Bonus points if it’s oat milk, it adds a kind of rich sweetness. Result is a kind of delicious cheesy soup I am addicted to. Make sure to get that mac al dente too

  60. PB
    PB
    October 24, 2023 at 2:02 pm | #

    I’m just gonna say it.

    Homemade mac and cheese is the only kind I like. Kraft is just okay compared to taking your own pasta and adding the cheese of your choice.

    • Hambone Jones
      Hambone Jones
      October 25, 2023 at 11:47 am | #

      What? Homemade, lovingly prepared recipes with higher quality ingredients taste better? I don’t know. You might be on a list now. (Kidding)

  61. nightshade
    nightshade
    October 24, 2023 at 4:51 pm | #

    kraft makes Velveeta shells in cheese that are almost like the version you’d get on thanksgiving or xmas in some parts of the us. The only downside is cause it uses cheese sauce its 4 bucks box

  62. Mr D
    Mr D
    October 24, 2023 at 6:41 pm | #

    comment section today:
    Joyce and Dorothy in the same room, SHIPPING INTENSIFIES

  63. Pinkie
    Pinkie
    October 24, 2023 at 9:17 pm | #

    Still got to make mac n cheese with Cougar Gold. But a tin of that stuff is…$50?

    • Angel
      Angel
      October 24, 2023 at 10:30 pm | #

      not if you steal it! 8D; <-for legal reasons this is a joke

      tho i wouldn't be surprised if stuff like that was overpriced/catered to rich ppl versus something you could sorta make urself if you rly tried

      • anonymsly
        anonymsly
        October 24, 2023 at 10:49 pm | #

        Iirc it’s an on-campus WSU creation – WSU creamery, college of food science. So it’s probably made by students, arguing the simple-ish to make… but it does get aged for a year before it’s sold, so that makes it harder to readily do in-home. I think the expense is mostly because it’s made in comparatively small batches; WSU Creamery’s no Tillamook operation.

  64. 3oranges
    3oranges
    October 24, 2023 at 10:43 pm | #

    Joyce is an element of the set everyone else, not a subset. No wonder Dorothy is failing math.

    (/s)

  65. BBCC
    BBCC
    October 25, 2023 at 12:22 am | #

    Sounds about right for a Canadian, yeah.

  66. TatterhoodsGoat
    TatterhoodsGoat
    October 25, 2023 at 4:35 pm | #

    Fancy Dijon ketchup!

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May 3, 2025 - FCBD @ Laughing Ogre Comics in Columbus, Ohio

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Aidan Moher @aidanis.fun ⋅ 4h
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Cheryl Lynn Eaton @cheryllynneaton.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
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