Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
RSS
‹
›
  • Home
  • About/Read before posting
  • Archive↓
    • by calendar
  • Cast
  • Store↓
    • Main Store (books and stuff)
    • T-shirts
  • Patreon↓
    • Patreon (regular)
    • Patreon (NSFW)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
might be a while
First Previous Random 236Comments Share Next Latest
Reddit Digg Facebook MySpace Delicious Stumbleupon Buzz Up! Mixx Technorati Google Bookmarks Yahoo Bookmarks Yahoo MyWeb Windows Live Propeller FriendFeed Newsvine Xanga LinkedIn Blinklist Twitter
Discover more Hiveworks comics
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Not Drunk Enough
Tess Stone
Logan Ibarra is possibly the unluckiest repairman in the world. A late night job should not have landed him in the middle of a mad scientist's squabble, but he soon finds himself surrounded by monsters and further madness with little tools to get out.
Sleepless Domain
Mary Cagle (Cube Watermelon)
In a world where magical girls and their battles are commonplace, loss has become all too common as well.
Goodbye to Halos
Valerie Halla
Cuddles, gay flirting, weird feelings, and magic-fueled knife fights - it's an adventure across the queer multiverse!
ARISE, YE SKELETON KING
Brian Clevinger, Escher Cattle, Lee Black
A troupe of wandering "adventurers" down to their last silver "acquire" a map only to find the real treasure was the fiend they dug up along the way.
Blindsprings
Kadi Fedoruk
Tamaura, wrested into a world 300 years in the future, must find a way to save the magic fading from her country.
The Substitutes
Myisha Haynes
What happens when three roommates accidentally acquire otherworldly and powerful magic weapons destined for someone else?
Darkling Bright
Chris Hazelton
Kieran Bright is a college student home for the summer and roped into an online reunion with his old neighborhood friends in the most recent update of their favorite childhood MMORPG. At least, he was, and that was the idea... Join Kieran and his friends as they are pulled into another reality that may or may not be real and are forced to confront their own identities, the nature of simulated universes and reality itself.
Headless Bliss
Clover
A story about story-telling, and other metaphysical themes such as Nightmares! (Failed) Teamwork! Comedy! And more!
Cassiopeia Quinn
Gunwild, Psudonym
A cute, pantsless thief is pursued across the stars by a buttoned-up military officer in the spacey, laser-filled future.
Astral Aves
Moon Cabal
A fantasy coming-of-age following the adventures of Astra The Black and friends, as they navigate the mysterious world around them. It's politics, adventure, and the supernatural; oh, and crazy hair.
Kochab
Sarah Webb
A YA F/F fantasy comic about Sonya, a lost skier trying to survive a snowy wilderness and find her way back to her village; and Kyra - a fire spirit trying to fix the home that she let fall apart around her.
Within
Verena Loisel
A young hitman meanders between a reality that seems to happen without him, and his dreams where he is lost in an endless house. When he makes an accidental friend, his world is shaken up and he realizes there are things he can't remember about himself.
Alice and the Nightmare
Misha Krivanek
Alice finally attends University to learn to collect the dreams of humans, meet new friends, and deal with a pesky reflection along the way.
How to be a Werewolf
Shawn Lenore
Malaya Walters was bitten by a werewolf as a child. After being raised by her human family, she faces the chance to learn what being a werewolf is really like as an adult.
Monsterkind
Taylor C
Wallace Foster, a young, bright-eyed human social worker, has his entire world view rocked when he's suddenly relocated into a city primarily inhabited by monsters.
Edison Rex
Chris Roberson
The adventures of the world’s greatest villain who, after defeating his superheroic nemesis, decides that he’s the only one left to defend the world.
Alexander, The Servant & The Water of Life
Reimena Yee
The 21st century retelling of the life and legends of Alexander the Great.
Sakana
Mad Rupert
Our heroes must navigate a hazardous dating scene, overcome personal anxieties, and wrangle unruly seafood in order to find love, peace of mind, and a paycheck.
Missing Monday
Elle Skinner
Two girls fall in love through a magic door connecting their worlds. When Monday suddenly goes missing, it's up to Foyle to find her. How she's going to navigate an entirely unfamiliar world is another matter.
Nigh Heaven & Hell
Scotty
Heather Vodihn is on a simple mission: find her father. However she becomes entangled with two strangers with mysterious powers being stalked by a group with bizarre demands. Heather must learn to trust her new traveling companions, even if she is untrustworthy herself.
The Last Diplomat
Cat Farris
Samma and Tark didn't ask to be stuck together, but now they're partners on the adventure of a lifetime.
Beeserker
TJ Cordes
This comic is about a robot powered by bees, but it's also about the kind of people who think filling a robot with bees is a good idea, and why they're wrong.
The Golden Boar
Magnolia Porter Siddell
A young woman joins a group of summoners who call forth Guardian Beasts to protect their isolated magical island. Unfortunately, her Guardian Beast is nothing like she'd imagined, and he's about to change her life, and everything she thought she knew about herself...
Saint for Rent
Ru Xu
Saint Halliday runs an inn for Time Travelers. Unfortunately, he seems to attract other supernatural "guests," too.
Quick$ilver
Crypto
The flirtatious, directionless, and ever disastrous Luci searches for excitement in a life of crime, and finds himself caught in a web of messy romance and bad blood.
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Barbarous
Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota
A crummy wizard and an anxious monster have to get over themselves and bring order to an apartment building full of misfits.
Trying Human
IntroducingEmy
Two women separated by over half a century are brought together by an alien-filled conspiracy involving murder, mystery and romance!
Star Impact
Jack McGee
A young, energetic woman fights her way up in the world of super-powered boxing after discovering the mighty gloves of her missing idol!
Little Tiny Things
Clover
What are the little things that move us? The simple joys that warm our bodies and hearts? The micro life of insects that influence our world more than we think? The tiny steps we make everyday to have a happier tomorrow?
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
Gzhel Guardian
Atla Hrafney, nushanchel
The Railway World is a complex, mysterious network of trains, towns and mechanical monsters. Leo is a Guardian of one of these towns, and although their burn-out and depression has taken hold of them, they have one last job to finish.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
The Weave
Rennie Kingsley
A young woman pursued by bad luck is witness to the murder of the Fairy Queen of Summer. Can she get to the bottom of this mystery?
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Stand Still, Stay Silent
Minna Sundberg
A few generations after the end of the world, a small, poorly financed research crew is sent out to rediscover whatever is left of the forbidden old world in the south.
The Forgotten Order
Christy
A young witch for whom every spell is a misfire finds solace and friendship in her new companion - a cursed doll.
Lies Within
Lacey
Lysander's aimless and carefree life is turned upside down when he accidentally discovers that the cute boy next door, Simon, is a literal monster
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
Ride or Die
Mars Heyward
Ride or Die is an LGBTQ webcomic about two street racers who team up with a demon-possessed muscle car in the search for a missing woman, while being hunted by a deadly religious cult.
Freakshow
Scotty
A festival of broken people, blood flows in the center ring. Come one and come all, to the greatest show in all of Paris.
Aquapunk
Lo
In an underwater world of unknown coordinates, inhabited by aliens, ghosts, and robots, a young member of a warrior underclass is framed for a crime and goes on the run. Little does he know he is part of a grand design that only gods and ancestors could choreograph.
Love Not Found
Gina Biggs
Abeille is on a quest to find someone who wants to do it the old-fashioned way in a time when touching has become outdated.
Scape
Lauren
Sula has always preferred to forge her own path, but before she knows it, she is pulled into the middle of a civil war between man and monster!
BOOKMARK
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
Goto TagClear Tag


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

July 11, 2026

Detox

by David M Willis on February 25, 2024 at 12:01 am
  • 03 – Trystin' in the Wind
└ Tags: dorothy, joe, joyce

Discussion (236) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    February 25, 2024 at 12:02 am | #

    Dotty’s face was never seen again

    • AbacusWizard
      AbacusWizard
      February 25, 2024 at 12:28 am | #

      THE MERGING IS COMPLETE

      • Taellosse
        Taellosse
        February 26, 2024 at 6:22 pm | #

        POWER OVERWHELMING

        (this was a Starcraft reference, right?)

    • Eric
      Eric
      February 25, 2024 at 12:15 pm | #

      She will be assimilated

      • Eric
        Eric
        February 25, 2024 at 12:16 pm | #

        Heh-heh; I said Ass

      • seikodelic
        seikodelic
        February 26, 2024 at 8:23 am | #

        I am so sorry! I was trying to click off the alt text and I accidentally reported your comment!

    • StClair
      StClair
      February 25, 2024 at 1:34 pm | #

      GIVE ME YOUR FAAAAAACE

      (someone had to)

      • Sajuuk-Khar
        Sajuuk-Khar
        February 25, 2024 at 4:56 pm | #

        Your FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      February 25, 2024 at 3:03 pm | #

      Neither was Joe’s zipper.

  2. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    February 25, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

    Now I’m wondering what the odds are that Danny picked that up from Dorothy in the first place.

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      February 25, 2024 at 12:12 am | #

      It’s possible. Though it’s a level of awareness that I’m not sure I can see earlyDoA!Danny having, so I doubt it was something she told him while they were still dating.

      • Psychie
        Psychie
        February 25, 2024 at 3:17 am | #

        It’s possible that she told him and he didn’t comprehend until later when he had done more introspection. Like, he understood it on a surface level as a general “fact” that Dorothy had told him, and then later when he actually sat down and tried to sort himself out he remembered that “fact” but now had the proper context to understand how it was relevant to him, personally. That understanding led him to be able to give the fact to Joe when Joe was doing a similar sort of introspection but didn’t already have the “fact” in his head.

        If you think of the information itself as a key that opens a door in your head, having the key doesn’t do you a whole lotta good until you go looking to open the door. Danny might have had the key but didn’t go looking for the door until later, Joe was trying to open the door but needed the key.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      February 25, 2024 at 3:45 am | #

      “I got it from A-gnes, she got it from Jim / We all agree it must have been Lou-ise who gave it to him …”

      –Dave, a little song, all about FRIENDSHIP

      • NickG
        NickG
        February 25, 2024 at 6:22 am | #

        Friendship with benefits and also venereal disease. Good old Tom Lehrer.

  3. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    February 25, 2024 at 12:03 am | #

    His expression in the last panel makes me think this is not helping Joe disassociate this sort of behavior from sexual thoughts.

    A trait he shares with many of the readers, of course.

    • Bootshivers
      Bootshivers
      February 25, 2024 at 12:09 am | #

      He’s trying, the poor bloke, and I bless him for that

    • TulipKitten
      TulipKitten
      February 25, 2024 at 12:16 am | #

      To be fair, they masturbated together in a laundry room, and Joe knows about this…

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      February 25, 2024 at 12:31 am | #

      Given the looks on both Joe and Dorothy’s faces, I think the feeling might be mutual.

      **crosses fingers and chants**

      Polycule, polycule, polycule…

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        February 25, 2024 at 12:44 am | #

        Maybe a little too much bad blood between Joe and Dorothy for that to be long term viable?

        • Sajuuk-Khar
          Sajuuk-Khar
          February 25, 2024 at 12:56 am | #

          I mean, if Dorothy could surmount the Sisipheyan rock of her own personal issues, they might bury the hatchet pretty easily with some frank conversation, and, Willis being merciful, love could bloom

          So in other words, it’s absolutely never gonna happen

          • Thag Simmons
            Thag Simmons
            February 25, 2024 at 1:17 am | #

            I just think that a triangle that relies on two people who begrudgingly tolerate each other at best getting along is a triangle with a major point of failure.

            • Sajuuk-Khar
              Sajuuk-Khar
              February 25, 2024 at 1:39 am | #

              Agreed, and while my supposition was meant to indicate they could work up to a better relationship than that with some minor mutual effort, I also acknowledge that it’s incredibly unlikely.

            • Yeet
              Yeet
              February 25, 2024 at 7:31 am | #

              yeah but it would be dramatic and hot

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        February 25, 2024 at 1:23 am | #

        Joe: You two do what you need to do. I’ll be over here by the wall.

        • brionl
          brionl
          February 25, 2024 at 11:09 am | #

          The proper term is “I’ll be in my bunk.”

          • BarerMender
            BarerMender
            February 27, 2024 at 1:58 am | #

            He can’t watch from his bunk.

      • Jay
        Jay
        February 25, 2024 at 10:25 pm | #

        Don’t Ask Don’t Tell *can* be polyamory, I guess… I don’t think anything else would work with those two

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      February 25, 2024 at 2:53 am | #

      His expression looks to me like, “Oh, no, am I already loosing the new-found love of my life?”

    • Kazuma Taichi
      Kazuma Taichi
      February 25, 2024 at 5:30 pm | #

      My personal interpretation is Joe’s prob’ly putting 2 and 2 together that Joyce is bi and doesn’t realize it. Why else would proving they can touch without romance or sexuality require an “until” statement?

  4. Jacob Crawford
    Jacob Crawford
    February 25, 2024 at 12:04 am | #

    Love how Dorothy fails to consider that things may have occurred that she’s not aware of

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      February 25, 2024 at 12:07 am | #

      Like what? Oh, do you mean that she did not consider the possibility that Joyce and Joe did the horizontal tango? In that case, I think Joyce wears her heart on her sleeve and has some strong feels about that sort of thing. Therefore, a Dorothy could probably tell.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        February 25, 2024 at 6:56 am | #

        More like “Joyce can have character growth outside of Dorothy’s influence”.

        • Daibhid C
          Daibhid C
          February 25, 2024 at 7:44 am | #

          You mean she failed to consider the possibility that Joyce had “character growth” that meant she now did associate all forms of phycial contact with sex, and therefore needed the same disentangling as Joe? Because, honestly, I never considered that either.

          • Daibhid C
            Daibhid C
            February 25, 2024 at 7:47 am | #

            Okay, I’ve reread the strip and I’m now seeing her comment in panel 3 as less “I don’t think Joyce has any trouble with the concept of non-sexual physical contact” and more “I think Joyce should probably be more cautious about physical contact with you“. Which is kind of crappy, but I still can’t see it as failing to recognise character growth.

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        February 25, 2024 at 1:16 pm | #

        I don’t know if this is what Jacob Crawford meant, but it’s what I thought of. https://www.dumbingofage.com/cuddle/

        • Jacob Crawford
          Jacob Crawford
          February 26, 2024 at 12:48 am | #

          For the record this is what I was thinking of too. Dorothy makes the assumption that Joyce can separate sexual and non-sexual physical contact, despite zero evidence to support that premise, as well as evidence shown to the audience, in the form of events outside Dorothy’s knowledge, that she probably can’t as of this moment

      • Jacob Crawford
        Jacob Crawford
        February 26, 2024 at 12:52 am | #

        I mean that in other strips we as the audience, but also importantly Joe as a character, have been shown that Joyce needs to normalize physical contact with the opposite sex. She refuses to lay down when Joe is asleep because she’s worried about what she might do. Joe saw that event, made a comment based on that knowledge, and Dorothy walks up and assumes that Joe is talking out of his ass

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      February 25, 2024 at 12:10 am | #

      Feels like a reach.

    • anon
      anon
      February 25, 2024 at 12:26 am | #

      tbf most ppl aren’t as self reflective/sometimes don’t notice obvious things til they’re pointed out from another person’s perspective

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      February 25, 2024 at 1:25 am | #

      Didn’t Joyce say something about cherishing those moments when she’s breathing the same air as Dorothy? And didn’t Dorothy find that a little freaky?

  5. Taffy
    Taffy
    February 25, 2024 at 12:05 am | #

    Such demonstration. This was not my intention.

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      February 25, 2024 at 12:22 am | #

      This is what you get for that fifteen minute-long unskippable cutscene about how to believe in Joe is to believe in nothing, Dorothus van Keensar!

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        February 25, 2024 at 12:25 am | #

        I’m trying to place that avatar, because I feel like I’ve seen this before, and I’ve got to say “long unskippable cutscene” “nihilism” and “-us van something” are all not helping me narrow it down at all.

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          February 25, 2024 at 12:30 am | #

          It’s from Kingdom Hearts 2.

          • Thag Simmons
            Thag Simmons
            February 25, 2024 at 12:39 am | #

            Well, I was assuming Final Fantasy, so I’m close!

            • MirageOasis
              MirageOasis
              February 25, 2024 at 12:44 am | #

              They’re messing with you, it’s the final boss of FF14 a real reborn, Gaius Van Baelsar.

              • Sajuuk-Khar
                Sajuuk-Khar
                February 25, 2024 at 12:47 am | #

                Well now my bit just looks stupid!

              • Thag Simmons
                Thag Simmons
                February 25, 2024 at 12:47 am | #

                Ah, so my instincts were correct. I even would have gotten the game right, although I think I was assuming this guy was a different FF14 character.

                • Sajuuk-Khar
                  Sajuuk-Khar
                  February 25, 2024 at 12:50 am | #

                  Gaius is the old-school of FFXIV villains, kids these days are all about the PC’s evil self-proclaimed bestie Zenos or the incredibly outrageous and 100% done Ancient king of serving conga, Emet-Selch.

            • Agentomega
              Agentomega
              February 25, 2024 at 12:46 am | #

              You’re correct and they’re pulling your leg. It’s actually Gaius van Baelsar from critically acclaimed MMORPG FFXIV, now with a free trial through level 70 including all Stormblood content.

          • Sajuuk-Khar
            Sajuuk-Khar
            February 25, 2024 at 12:45 am | #

            Thag, I can’t believe you haven’t heard of the critically acclaimed action RPG Kingdom Hearts 2. You can play through the entirety of the base game fully remastered AND experience the award-winning Final Mix content, with no restrictions on playtime.

            • David DeLaney
              David DeLaney
              February 25, 2024 at 3:43 am | #

              was not expecting these levels of MMORPG advertising in the comments to-day

              –Dave, not that there’s anything wrong with that

              • spriteless aunty
                spriteless aunty
                February 25, 2024 at 8:44 am | #

                Yea FFXIV advertising is a meme. Like people literally have reaction images with that text that come up whenever anyone mentions Genshin Impact. It’s fine it’s fine it’s fine.

              • StClair
                StClair
                February 25, 2024 at 12:48 pm | #

                Ask Me About LOOM

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          February 25, 2024 at 12:45 am | #

          The actual, non-smartass answer is: It was an image of Gaius van Baelsar, from Final Fantasy XIV (free through the third expansion!), paired with an edit of an iconic quote of his. After a bigger villain tricks him into setting off a magical nuke called Ultima, he looks around at the damage and says “Such devastation. This was not my intention!”, despite summoning the power of three captured gods to try and murder you like two minutes ago.

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            February 25, 2024 at 12:50 am | #

            I don’t wanna raid with y’all. Too many NIN players.

            • M!a
              M!a
              February 25, 2024 at 1:42 am | #

              MCH main. Lends itself well to my rotation of “hit him with everything that’s not in cooldown”. 🤭

              • Taffy
                Taffy
                February 25, 2024 at 2:23 am | #

                SMN here. It’s great for my ADHD, cuz it’s simple and colorful (go ahead, make fun of that it’ll make you* look really cool), but on days when I can manage more complex planning, I’m a big fan of RDM for being super flashy.

                *That’s the Royal You, for the record.

    • clif
      clif
      February 25, 2024 at 1:19 am | #

      It may not have been Dorothy’s intent, but last panel Dorothy is smiling.

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      February 25, 2024 at 7:37 am | #

      much hug

      so affection

      very friends

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        February 25, 2024 at 6:33 pm | #

        WoW

  6. TerribleTransit
    TerribleTransit
    February 25, 2024 at 12:06 am | #

    Okay, Chekhov’s Implied Lesbian Romance is getting really hard to ignore.

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      February 25, 2024 at 12:08 am | #

      Poor Joe. They are just rubbing it in his face (or well here it is actually each other’s but you get the drift).

      • Amelie Wikström
        Amelie Wikström
        February 25, 2024 at 12:28 am | #

        I feel like he’s trying to find a way to have the joke be funny but realizing no matter how he plays it it’s just going to sound like “hurr lesbians hot durr”. And he’s sad because that’s an image he doesn’t want to have be his anymore but it’s refusing to leave him, maybe he can’t ever change how people see him; maybe it’s better to just throw it all away and go “should I leave you two alone for an hour?”

        • David DeLaney
          David DeLaney
          February 25, 2024 at 3:40 am | #

          “… I’ll be in my bunk, er I mean loft bed”

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      February 25, 2024 at 5:52 am | #

      We’re not in Act Three yet.

  7. shadowcell
    shadowcell
    February 25, 2024 at 12:06 am | #

    Dumbing of Age Book 14: Many Men Suffer From This

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      February 25, 2024 at 12:09 am | #

      That would a great title.

    • Jess
      Jess
      February 25, 2024 at 12:16 am | #

      definitely a top contender imo

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      February 25, 2024 at 12:22 am | #

      …Honestly, that would be fucking hilarious.

    • AY
      AY
      February 25, 2024 at 4:49 am | #

      +1

  8. Jammy
    Jammy
    February 25, 2024 at 12:06 am | #

    Joyce, that’s the best worst pickup line I’ve ever heard.

  9. Vanessa
    Vanessa
    February 25, 2024 at 12:07 am | #

    Good, Dorothy is touch starved, too.

  10. Raen
    Raen
    February 25, 2024 at 12:07 am | #

    I feel like Joyce is rather badly failing to make her point.

    • spriteless aunty
      spriteless aunty
      February 25, 2024 at 8:47 am | #

      She’s got less sex entangled with touch than Dorothy even.

  11. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    February 25, 2024 at 12:08 am | #

    …I mean I’m not sure how sexual this is but it’s certainly reading at least a little romantic

    • anon
      anon
      February 25, 2024 at 12:27 am | #

      wonder how retroactively frustrated becky was with joyce back then given her affectionate naure

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      February 25, 2024 at 3:40 am | #

      oh the _romance_ factor between those two has been breaking the meter for some time now

  12. Grimey
    Grimey
    February 25, 2024 at 12:08 am | #

    Joe In The Last Panel: Hold up

    • Raen
      Raen
      February 25, 2024 at 12:17 am | #

      He already kind of suspects, doesn’t he? For instance, when Amber quips “I’m pretty sure Dorothy’s straight,” he seems to immediately know what she’s implying. Plus he knows about their “laundry days.”

      • anon
        anon
        February 25, 2024 at 12:27 am | #

        she was also like ‘technically dorothy’ when she talked about holding hands with ppl romantically lol

  13. TulipKitten
    TulipKitten
    February 25, 2024 at 12:14 am | #

    I feel like Joyce’s only experiences of touch with men are sexual in nature. She could definitely do with some detangling, let’s be honest.

    • anon
      anon
      February 25, 2024 at 12:22 am | #

      i can’t rly think of the last platonic male she could physically hug that’s not among her relatives; i’m sure ethan could use a hug tho not sure when they’ll get a chance to interact next

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        February 25, 2024 at 3:39 am | #

        I’m also sure Joe’s roommate is both available for hugging on request and sufficiently not A Guy Associated With Sexuality to Joyce that the experiment should be made

        –Dave, and then we need to test how much of an outlier hugging Sal would be. with consent of course, gotta pass the ethics board

        ps: also, a good sub-name for this whole strip would have been Sinfest but that’s memetically polluted now

        • anon
          anon
          February 26, 2024 at 12:20 am | #

          well, if she can learn dan’s name but i think he’s gonna focus on sal, tho a double date with them would prolly be more pleasant than a double date with walky/lucy would’ve been

  14. Jo_cubstar
    Jo_cubstar
    February 25, 2024 at 12:15 am | #

    So how long until Joyce realizes she’s queer?

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      February 25, 2024 at 12:24 am | #

      Honestly, I don’t think Joyce’s queer revelation is gonna be the problem

      Like, at all

      • Sajuuk-Khar
        Sajuuk-Khar
        February 25, 2024 at 12:53 am | #

        Dorothy’s potential queer revelation: that meme of a guy at a blackboard sweatily diagramming shit and progressively yelling about it more and more until it’s jump-cut to a hydrogen bomb going off

        Joyce’s potential queer revelation: Oh no! Anyway,

        • GholaHalleck
          GholaHalleck
          February 25, 2024 at 1:31 am | #

          The sheer volume of guilt Joyce would have upon realization that she and Becky COULD have been a thing will kick start the revival of the Catholic Church in a tri-state area.

          • Sajuuk-Khar
            Sajuuk-Khar
            February 25, 2024 at 1:44 am | #

            Yeah but like, it’s Joyce. She’d immediately seek Becky out to apologize or her attempt to let it fester would be so comically obvious Becky would call her out on it. She ain’t gonna die on that hill.

            • Tan
              Tan
              February 25, 2024 at 3:30 am | #

              “So listen, Becky, turns out that I’m bi after all, I’m just so completely not into you specifically that I just assumed I was straight. My bad.”

              • Aura
                Aura
                February 25, 2024 at 6:38 am | #

                Or just too repressed for most of her life to have allowed for the possibility, it’s not like that’s at all uncommon sadly. That’s not my read of things right now but it could easily have happened that way.

                • Autogatos
                  Autogatos
                  February 26, 2024 at 3:22 am | #

                  Yup. Not even just when people are repressed. I was raised in a very NOT homophobic family (both my parents were theatre majors, which tended to be a pretty accepting crowd even back then, had gay friends, and explained what “gay” meant by the time I was in like, 2nd or 3rd grade) but I didn’t realize I was bi until my mid-30s.

                  Mainly just because being attracted to both (and being attracted to women less frequently than men) it was easy to just assume I was straight because society conditions us to view that as the “default.” And since I was growing up in the 90s, I wasn’t really exposed to much in the way of discussion about variable examples of identities. When people like me, who were mostly attracted to men, were attracted to a girl, it was dismissively called a “girl crush” in a way that implied it wasn’t a *real* crush, and I internalized that and was just…oblivious for decades.

              • Mark
                Mark
                February 25, 2024 at 7:45 am | #

                Ouch!

              • Sajuuk-Khar
                Sajuuk-Khar
                February 25, 2024 at 8:35 am | #

                Dammit, I talked about this.

                Becky might feel pretty bad about it, but like hell that’s how Joyce would frame it and Becky would, I am 99% sure, accept a bi Joyce, especially if said bi Joyce was confessing everything to her like a leaky dam made of tears and guilt, a scenario I find incredibly likely. Like, I know the comic’s Dumbing and all but there’s dumbing and then there’s shit that wouldn’t happen.

                • StClair
                  StClair
                  February 25, 2024 at 1:01 pm | #

                  Joyce does not hold anything back, ever.
                  Which is endearing (to a point, where it becomes “a bit much”) but don’t, like, ask her to keep a secret.
                  She’d try, as earnestly as she does everything else, but uhhh…

                • HueSatLight
                  HueSatLight
                  February 25, 2024 at 2:33 pm | #

                  Ultimate Joyce revelation: Joyce is bi, but not attracted to Becky or Dorothy. How she acts with Dorothy is because she has a “skewed idea of what platonic lady friendship should be like“. She’s attracted to Sal.

              • spriteless aunty
                spriteless aunty
                February 25, 2024 at 8:53 am | #

                You’re like a sister to me.

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        February 25, 2024 at 1:34 am | #

        Surely “Queer Revelation” is already a band name.

        • Hoboturtle
          Hoboturtle
          February 25, 2024 at 5:09 am | #

          Google says there is “Crystal Queer Revelation” but couldn’t find just plain old “Queer Revelation” with a quick glance.

        • Slartibeast Button, BIA
          Slartibeast Button, BIA
          February 25, 2024 at 9:38 am | #

          “Detangling Joyce” would be a good band name also.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      February 25, 2024 at 5:34 am | #

      I don’t have any hope, sincerely.

  15. Jess
    Jess
    February 25, 2024 at 12:16 am | #

    all of Joyce’s facial expressions in today’s strip are so cute!!

  16. Coatl
    Coatl
    February 25, 2024 at 12:17 am | #

    That expression from Joe is already creating ideas in the last panel.

    • Dara
      Dara
      February 25, 2024 at 2:53 am | #

      Oh yeah. OH yeah. Panel 5 Joe is figuring shit out.

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        February 25, 2024 at 3:35 am | #

        the brightness behind his eye dots

  17. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    February 25, 2024 at 12:18 am | #

    So you imply you have already touched each other within those premises, then.

  18. anon
    anon
    February 25, 2024 at 12:18 am | #

    Cute

    tho reminds me of that one meme like “why do you do x? to touch other men/women” or so

  19. Warcodered
    Warcodered
    February 25, 2024 at 12:19 am | #

    Joyce and Dorothy hugging outside a romantic and sexual manner, luckily this fanbase would never immediately hop to that conclusion.

    • anon
      anon
      February 25, 2024 at 12:25 am | #

      i can see the ‘entertainment’ of shipping them as fictional charas, but irl if i was in that friend group i’d feel bad for becky given how long she’s carried a torch for her(or whatever that metaphor is), not that she’d be obligated to date becky just because she was first into her

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        February 25, 2024 at 12:33 am | #

        This is probably the root of Becky’s dislike of Dorothy, even if Joyce doesn’t have outright romantic feelings for Dorothy, Joyce’s feelings for her are a lot closer to romantic than they are for Becky.

      • RacingTurtle
        RacingTurtle
        February 25, 2024 at 12:54 am | #

        Honestly that’s one reason I’m not into the pairing. Becky’s been through so much that “Joyce is into women, actually, it’s just YOU she finds repulsive” feels terrible. If these were real people, Becky would have to get over it, accept that these things happen sometimes, she’s happier with Dina anyway, etc. But since they’re NOT real people, it just seems cruel. Becky has her flaws to work on, but she doesn’t deserve cruelty.

        That’s just me overly and illogically sympathizing with a fictional character in a free comic strip, though, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . Cruelty to her isn’t real; it’s storytelling

        • Sajuuk-Khar
          Sajuuk-Khar
          February 25, 2024 at 1:08 am | #

          I feel very similarly re: Becky and it being cruel to her, which doesn’t help at all with my other primary reasons for Not Being Into Joyce/Dorothy (see my other comments, see also: Dorothy’s whole current jealousy/protection/obsession complex)

          • Coatl
            Coatl
            February 25, 2024 at 1:16 am | #

            I’m not a fan of the Joyce/Dorothy ship either.
            And just as you mention, those complexes that Dorothy shows only make her appear as the villain of the story, and in my opinion it is not fair that some see her that way.

            I may be wrong, but Joyce also has some possessive details about Dorothy.

            • Sajuuk-Khar
              Sajuuk-Khar
              February 25, 2024 at 1:30 am | #

              I don’t think it’s responsible to label anyone a villain in this situation. Like, Dorothy isn’t in the wrong for how she feels, nor is Joyce, no one has actually crossed any lines and I fully admit I’m engaged in supposition and vibe checking.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          February 25, 2024 at 1:12 am | #

          I think the framing of “she finds Becky repulsive” makes it feel cruel, but uh, that’s clearly not how she feels. She does love Becky, she loves her very much, she just loves her in a way that is fundamentally not compatible with the way Becky wanted Joyce to love her.

          That core truth remains the same whether Joyce is capable of same-sex attraction or not.

          • Sajuuk-Khar
            Sajuuk-Khar
            February 25, 2024 at 1:26 am | #

            That’s absolutely true from an objective standpoint that we have as the audience, and I think it’s good you point that out because as audience members we should keep it in mind, but in this particular case I think we’re all on the same page: we recognize the objective truth that Joyce’s romantic rejection of Dorothy isn’t a rejection of Dorothy the person, it’s just that rejection experience from Becky’s perspective is a little, uh, too familiar. And painful! It sucks!

            IN A VACUUM, though, I also believe Becky and the audience both know that that perceived cruelty isn’t a reason to disqualify Joyce/Dorothy.

            Hence my mentioning of the other, much more disqualifying reasons Dorothy keeps collecting.

            • Thag Simmons
              Thag Simmons
              February 25, 2024 at 1:45 am | #

              The rejection is painful and it sucks, for both of them honestly, but it’s also a turning point and both characters manage to grow from it and end in better places than they started.

              So yeah, in terms of reasons Dorothy and Joyce maybe shouldn’t be a thing it does not rank highly for me.

          • Bash
            Bash
            February 25, 2024 at 2:22 am | #

            I think that while Becky was developing a crush, Joyce was thinking of Becky as a surrogate sister. Romance with Becky feels weird, but a girl that she met when she was already eighteen is a different story.

            • Arian
              Arian
              February 25, 2024 at 6:08 am | #

              I think that’s a plausible explanation.

        • Raen
          Raen
          February 25, 2024 at 2:45 am | #

          I think “repulsive” is a very strong word. If Joyce is into women, but not Becky, it may be that she found her overly familiar/sororal, or that the timing was wrong, and she wasn’t willing to admit it to herself (as she still isn’t, if it’s the case), or maybe just that she still felt Ethan had her heart, or that Becky just didn’t stack up to Dorothy.

        • Chubsius
          Chubsius
          February 25, 2024 at 6:45 am | #

          My read is Joyce wouldn’t say Becky is unattractive, but rather something along the linear of, “I love you like a sister.”

        • miri
          miri
          February 25, 2024 at 9:58 am | #

          It is not cruel to not reciprocate a crush. It happens all the time in real life. Whether or not Joyce is actually attracted to women, she is clearly not attracted to Becky in that way. Joyce is under no obligation to return her feelings even if she discovers at a later point that she is not as straight as she thought she was. Sure that sucks for Becky, but nobody is ever obligated to reciprocate someone else’s romantic advances regardless of gender.

          • RacingTurtle
            RacingTurtle
            February 25, 2024 at 10:18 am | #

            I didn’t say Joyce would be cruel. I said the story would feel cruel; I was speaking of the characters as characters, not real people.

            • RacingTurtle
              RacingTurtle
              February 25, 2024 at 10:27 am | #

              To hopefully be even clearer: That’s why I said I was being illogical. I was treating Becky and Joyce as *characters*, not people, but then still reacting as if cruelty to Becky matters in that context. It doesn’t; she’s not real.

          • CayceCayceCayce
            CayceCayceCayce
            February 25, 2024 at 10:20 am | #

            Thank you. Everyone acts like Joyce being queer would mean that she owes Becky reciprocal romantic feelings. But that’s just not how the real world works. One-sided crushes happen all the time. It might hurt Becky, but she’s a big girl who has a loving partner; she can deal with it.

        • anon
          anon
          February 25, 2024 at 5:18 pm | #

          childhood friends aspect aside it’d be great if ppl don’t take it personally like how ppl used to raise an eyebrow/keep distance if they find out someone their gender is gay but doesn’t mean they chase them, like how every girl that is willing to flirt with some guys or dates for fun doesn’t mean they’ll say yes to everyone

  20. Cmasta1992
    Cmasta1992
    February 25, 2024 at 12:19 am | #

    Hey Dorothy! Mind ya business

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      February 25, 2024 at 12:33 am | #

      That would be out of character, though. She’s constantly in somebody’s business, and I don’t really know what the point of her is without that trait.

      • Sajuuk-Khar
        Sajuuk-Khar
        February 25, 2024 at 12:38 am | #

        I feel like this meddling is totally fine in a vacuum, especially since Dotty immediately gets comeuppance to her faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace.

        It’s only concerning cause she spent the last night drunkenly voxplaying Gerard Way

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          February 25, 2024 at 12:54 am | #

          Exactly

      • StClair
        StClair
        February 25, 2024 at 1:06 pm | #

        IMO, an important part of Dorothy’s character growth will be recognizing and figuring that out for herself. (“If I’m not that, then who/what am I?”)

  21. thakoru
    thakoru
    February 25, 2024 at 12:21 am | #

    Touch each other outside, romance or sexuality.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      February 25, 2024 at 3:34 am | #

      the supreme importance of the Oxford comma

      • eh, whatever
        eh, whatever
        February 25, 2024 at 6:30 am | #

        That’s not an Oxford comma.

        • clif
          clif
          February 25, 2024 at 7:06 am | #

          That’s a Harvard comma.

          • Mark
            Mark
            February 25, 2024 at 7:53 am | #

            It’s a #000 comma.

            • Lurker in the Wires
              Lurker in the Wires
              February 25, 2024 at 4:40 pm | #

              It’s a comma chameleon.

              • David DeLaney
                David DeLaney
                February 25, 2024 at 6:35 pm | #

                it’s the absence of an Oxford comma, technically

                –Dave, which is where everything goes horribly wrong, much of the time

  22. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    February 25, 2024 at 12:22 am | #

    Not to kick Dorothy when she’s down, but panel 3 is an example of her ‘wisdom’ being mediocre. Joyce spent all night awake, afraid of cuddling with Joe.

    And maybe it’s the way the first three panels are drawn, but it feels like she’s air-dropping into a personal conversation too. Just doing some confirmation bias, re: Dorothy’s crush/jealousy. And I think Joe’s noticing it too, from Dorothy’s face in the last panel.

    • Coatl
      Coatl
      February 25, 2024 at 12:32 am | #

      Well, one night of Karaoke is not enough to fix all the problems she has, it is obvious that there is still a lot of character development in Dorothy that is needed.

      Honestly, I don’t want Dorohty to go through any more hardships than lead to something fatal.

      Joe’s expression clearly shows that he feels threatened, but with Joyce’s last comment, he may also be thinking something else.

      • HueSatLight
        HueSatLight
        February 25, 2024 at 12:47 am | #

        She could be a lot more content if she realized she was ordinary. She’s going to keep making hardship for herself until she does.

        I don’t know if he’s feeling threatened (the emotion), but I think he’s learning new context for why Dorothy threatened him in Taco Bell. He might be fantasizing about Joyce and Dorothy together, but he seems to think about Joyce sexually with a different part of his brain than he’s horny for everyone else.

        • Coatl
          Coatl
          February 25, 2024 at 12:58 am | #

          I remember, when her parents went to visit her, they never seemed to pressure her, if not quite the opposite, they just wanted her to look for something that would make her happy.

          And Dorothy made it clear that she wants to be at the top and not look for something so simple and that should be being Dorothy’s character development….simple things and being someone normal is not bad.

          • StClair
            StClair
            February 25, 2024 at 1:10 pm | #

            Unexceptional? Unacceptable.

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        February 25, 2024 at 3:33 am | #

        I _am_ told that one night of Kara-ok makes a hard girl humble though

        • StClair
          StClair
          February 25, 2024 at 1:11 pm | #

          Not much between despair and ecstasy.

    • Bash
      Bash
      February 25, 2024 at 2:19 am | #

      She’s absolutely inserting herself into a private conversation. Something I think we’re going to see a lot of.

      • Skater Girl
        Skater Girl
        February 25, 2024 at 2:55 am | #

        A private conversation taking place 30cm away from a half dozen other people in thier social group.

        • Archieve
          Archieve
          February 25, 2024 at 3:16 am | #

          Not private in a nobody else was meant to hear way but definitely in the sense that Joes words were only seeking Joyce’s opinions and Dorothy interjected were her opinion wasn’t beng sought out and making a couples conversation about herself.

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            February 25, 2024 at 4:31 am | #

            God forbid 😎

          • HueSatLight
            HueSatLight
            February 25, 2024 at 12:16 pm | #

            It’s fairly common in real life, and it’s often not a big deal. But I think how it’s visually presented here means it has significance. i think it has to do with jealousy she doesn’t think she’s having, and I think we’ve seen her presented doing the same thing before.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        February 25, 2024 at 3:32 am | #

        Dorothy trespassing on private property by eating at a restaurant

  23. Sajuuk-Khar
    Sajuuk-Khar
    February 25, 2024 at 12:27 am | #

    Dotty. Really. You’re gonna spend last night belting an anthem about how managing Joyce’s feelings and problems is wearing you out, why doesn’t she notice your feelings etc., and then bust this particular move, the next morning? Really, Dots? You gonna live like this? It’s not the coolest look in town! Joe has a shirt about this look!

    • elfroyalty
      elfroyalty
      February 25, 2024 at 5:01 pm | #

      I do think that song was less pointedly about Joyce and more about her general relationship to her peers, and the expectations she holds herself to. After all, she decided she wanted to sing it upon Sal and 2 of her exes crashing the party – if anything, the song was directed at Walky, who has been insisting she’ll be fine the entire timeskip (April 11, 2023 strip “Up an’ at ’em” is a great example), and he along with Danny, Joyce, Mike, and Amazigirl are depicted as people who she seems to believe have great expectations of her (based off of panel 2 of August 18, 2023’s strip “Get me out”). But, again, I don’t think it was necessarily about someone specific. It was a very literal cry for help, “I am not okay,” because she has so much unresolved trauma, she can’t admit it unless she’s buzzed and feels she has no other option.

      not having either of her romantic interests at this point reciprocate and being in desperate need of intimacy (emotional, physical, sexual) is definitely not helping, though, but I’d also argue she’d not be a great partner at the moment considering the emotional state she’s in… 🙁

  24. Taffy
    Taffy
    February 25, 2024 at 12:35 am | #

    Joyce looks like she’s drooling in Panel 4. This is very amusing to me.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      February 25, 2024 at 3:32 am | #

      this is The Way^{tm}

  25. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    February 25, 2024 at 12:49 am | #

    I remember during 2020 I realized that it had been an entire year since I had touched another human being. Now I’m back in the real world but I still can’t help but notice I very rarely actually have physical interaction with people. Sucks.

    • Armadillo
      Armadillo
      February 25, 2024 at 12:59 am | #

      Honestly, I’m there too. I’ve got exactly two friends I consider close enough for casual physical contact and one of them lives in a different country. Been coming to terms with how touch starved I might be ever since Danny brought it up to Joe.

    • M!a
      M!a
      February 25, 2024 at 1:29 am | #

      Oh totally, I was once huggier than a twelve-step group.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      February 25, 2024 at 5:47 am | #

      I believe in you. This issue is real. Hope this year you can get through this and receive the amount of hugs you deserved.

    • milu
      milu
      February 25, 2024 at 7:46 am | #

      Aw. That’s rough! I feel for you. I would totally hug you now if i could

  26. Ray
    Ray
    February 25, 2024 at 12:51 am | #

    Does sharing a laundry ride with Dorothy count as Joyce’s first lesbian experience?? 🙂

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      February 25, 2024 at 12:58 am | #

      No! The Discourse! You brought it back…reanimated it! You fool! Run! Run for your liiiiiiife

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      February 25, 2024 at 1:14 am | #

      No

      • Lia
        Lia
        February 25, 2024 at 1:22 am | #

        rly thought this was gonna be a different kind of contrary evidence but god ur so right

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          February 25, 2024 at 1:35 am | #

          Without a full archive binge and clear definition for what we’re counting as a lesbian experience I’m not comfortable trying to place where it is on a count, but it is definitely not the first.

      • Mark
        Mark
        February 25, 2024 at 8:08 am | #

        I don’t think I’d count either one of those. Not without Joyce thinking at least “oh, so that’s what’s happening here. OK….” She was horrified by the earlier encounter and (I’m convinced) would be horrified by what has been suggested here about the latter.

  27. BohNo
    BohNo
    February 25, 2024 at 12:53 am | #

    hm

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      February 25, 2024 at 12:57 am | #

      This is the most unhinged take I’ve ever seen in these comments.

      • clif
        clif
        February 25, 2024 at 1:25 am | #

        You take that back!

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      February 25, 2024 at 1:31 am | #

      How could you say something so controversial yet so brave??

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      February 25, 2024 at 1:36 am | #

      hmm?

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      February 25, 2024 at 1:59 pm | #

      Are you trying to start a debate here? :p

  28. Dday
    Dday
    February 25, 2024 at 12:59 am | #

    It’s not working! Touch *harder*!

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      February 25, 2024 at 3:31 am | #

      now KISS

      • clif
        clif
        February 25, 2024 at 7:09 am | #

        What Joe is straining not to say in the last panel.

  29. M!a
    M!a
    February 25, 2024 at 1:27 am | #

    How did Joyce become the most well-adjusted DoA character? O_o

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      February 25, 2024 at 1:33 am | #

      Dorothy’s blue supergiant core collapsed in on itself and began drawing the other stars’ anxieties into her event horizon

      • David DeLaney
        David DeLaney
        February 25, 2024 at 3:31 am | #

        this is how some versions of cultivation levelling work yes

        –Dave, soon she will qualify for Grandmistress of Anxiety, and the attendant powers and responsibilities and spreadsheets thereto

      • StClair
        StClair
        February 25, 2024 at 1:14 pm | #

        god I love this metaphor.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      February 25, 2024 at 1:36 am | #

      Over a decade of character development?

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      February 25, 2024 at 1:40 pm | #

      Character growth early bloomer.

  30. BBCC
    BBCC
    February 25, 2024 at 1:28 am | #

    Yeah, I don’t think Joyce is particularly touch starved. Not with other girls anyway.

  31. DashWallkick
    DashWallkick
    February 25, 2024 at 1:34 am | #

    Dotty’s smug face in the last panel is cute. I hope this indicates her little Aggretsuko moment helped.

    • Coatl
      Coatl
      February 25, 2024 at 1:43 am | #

      Step by step, but at least it is an obvious result

  32. BarerMender
    BarerMender
    February 25, 2024 at 1:55 am | #

    Joyce’s mittens on Joe’s back are just so cute.

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      February 25, 2024 at 3:48 am | #

      plus the realization about Joe’s circumference

      –Dave, even with mittens on their tips barely touch … “so it’s not gay” no BAD meme get OFF of there

  33. GUIGUI
    GUIGUI
    February 25, 2024 at 2:36 am | #

    I was going to make a joke, but the alt-text beat me to it.

  34. Segnosaur
    Segnosaur
    February 25, 2024 at 2:37 am | #

    Ok am I the only one initially confused because of the word break Demon-stration” and Joyce was about to make some sort of religious comment because she emphasized “demon”?

    • Mark
      Mark
      February 25, 2024 at 8:10 am | #

      Yes.

      Isn’t perception fun?

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        February 25, 2024 at 9:58 am | #

        Perception has been a dump stat in almost every campaign I’ve been in. One party member with a high passive is all you need if the party never splits, because they’ll just notice everything for you, and then everyone else can spend those points on a more useful stat. Give everyone a good Perception score and the DM will just make every other character a fucking ninja, in a senseless attempt at “balancing” the game.

  35. Suet
    Suet
    February 25, 2024 at 3:13 am | #

    “Would a hug help?” “No. But if I’m being smarter now, it means I should probably test your hypothesis anyway.”

    It’s a revolution, a skinship revolution.

  36. David DeLaney
    David DeLaney
    February 25, 2024 at 3:29 am | #

    Joe’s brain, lower decks: “hol’ up a minnit there”

  37. ADLegend21
    ADLegend21
    February 25, 2024 at 4:04 am | #

    oh please Throuple them!

    • yak
      yak
      February 25, 2024 at 5:09 am | #

      Nah, it’s not in any of their characters to be okay with that particular throuple.

      • Jeremiah
        Jeremiah
        February 25, 2024 at 8:31 am | #

        I mean, things can change, this strip still going to go for many years most likely. Can you imagine the earliest versions of these characters doing some of the things they do now?

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          February 25, 2024 at 10:02 am | #

          Yes.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      February 25, 2024 at 11:52 am | #

      Maybe I understand polyamory less than I thought, because Dorothy does not seem cut out for polyamory to me. She seems to experience jealousy too much. https://www.dumbingofage.com/sudden/ + the next one.
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/faceless/

  38. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    February 25, 2024 at 5:51 am | #

    Joyce’s cutest moment ever! Distributing all hugs everybody deserves.

  39. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    February 25, 2024 at 5:54 am | #

    Joe, you shouldn’t left your girlfriend hug her friend like this!
    Fo what any man would do: go back to your room and give the most bear hug to him!

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      February 25, 2024 at 12:27 pm | #

      Rewriting because I shouldn’t be allowed to write anything at 5 AM:

      Joe, you shouldn’t left your girlfriend hug her friend like this!
      You better do what is necessary to do: go back to your dorm and give the most tight hug to Danny.

  40. eh, whatever
    eh, whatever
    February 25, 2024 at 6:39 am | #

    Ouch. The glasses. The glasses!

    • Juanoku
      Juanoku
      February 25, 2024 at 6:56 am | #

      Oof, yeah, i didn’t think about it but that’s gotta suck. Those things are fragile, to the point where mine had tape on one side and wire on the other to keep it together for like 6 months

  41. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    February 25, 2024 at 6:54 am | #

    No touchy! Noooo touchy! No touch.

  42. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    February 25, 2024 at 6:54 am | #

    Joe’s thinking about it isn’t he

  43. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    February 25, 2024 at 7:13 am | #

    … so, wait. If this interaction implies to onlookers something romantic between Dorothy and Joyce…. does that mean Dorothy’s NEVER getting her face back?

    • Da Boy
      Da Boy
      February 25, 2024 at 8:33 am | #

      She became a victim to a Face Hugger

      • milu
        milu
        February 25, 2024 at 9:36 am | #

        That’s doing nothing to decouple the scene from sexual undertones

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          February 25, 2024 at 6:37 pm | #

          Also doing nothing to decouple the scene from sexual undertones: the use of the word “coupled” in the context of sexual undertones.

  44. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    February 25, 2024 at 7:33 am | #

    **smooooooshhhh*

  45. milu
    milu
    February 25, 2024 at 7:56 am | #

    on a completely unrelated note here’s part 13 or whatever of the HIT FAN SMUT SERIES

    Make Love Not War

    enjoy, cuties (these 5-character zero-G scenes are such a b*tch to draw 🥵) (but i shall bravely do a few more 😢)

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      February 25, 2024 at 10:08 am | #

      I like the yellow necktie. It’s a good touch.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      February 25, 2024 at 4:23 pm | #

      These poses looks like some Renaissance painting.

  46. Da Boy
    Da Boy
    February 25, 2024 at 8:32 am | #

    Joyce and Dotty embracing that FalinxMarcille energy

  47. Gingercake
    Gingercake
    February 25, 2024 at 9:12 am | #

    I’ll bet Joe is remembering this:
    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-13/04-but-dont-give-yourself-away/cheating-2/#comment

  48. milu
    milu
    February 25, 2024 at 9:40 am | #

    It’s gotta be sooo relaxing to draw hands wearing mittens

    No wonder Joyce’s hands are all over the place in this scene

  49. JepMZ
    JepMZ
    February 25, 2024 at 9:40 am | #

    I don’t care. This is a ffxiv reference. “This was NOT my intention”

    • Maddie B
      Maddie B
      February 25, 2024 at 10:38 am | #

      If it wasn’t her intention, she shouldn’t have rebuilt the Ultima Weapon.

  50. staszu13
    staszu13
    February 25, 2024 at 10:01 am | #

    Awww

  51. DioBreaker
    DioBreaker
    February 25, 2024 at 10:14 am | #

    Joe’s puppy dog eyes are so cute

  52. Fredcritter
    Fredcritter
    February 25, 2024 at 11:57 am | #

    Wow. Joyce looks cuter than usual in these panels. That’s saying a lot since she usually looks pretty darned cute…

  53. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    February 25, 2024 at 1:43 pm | #

    now make Dorothy and Joe hug.

  54. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    February 25, 2024 at 2:23 pm | #

    “I’m on the fence on whether that’s a detangling joyce’s need”
    Still figuring out if Dorothy is trying hard to be a politician or her soul is a 60 years old teacher.

  55. Schpoonman
    Schpoonman
    February 25, 2024 at 3:18 pm | #

    Some day Dorothy will respect Joyce. Probably not any time soon in-universe.

    • Bruno
      Bruno
      February 25, 2024 at 5:54 pm | #

      The reason Joyce is such a good friend for Dorothy is because she understands that Dorothy’s problems have nothing to do with her. So while Dorothy’s going every way catastrophising half to shit, Joyce is literally just having a spine, not being affected positively or negatively by Dorothy’s actions too strongly but still enjoying her company as a person. Let her have this.

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        February 25, 2024 at 10:29 pm | #

        Let Dorothy have her moment getting between Joe and Joyce AGAIN? After she said that they’d be alright and that she needed to stop meddling? I saw a comment further up the page that Joyce spent the entire night wide awake on the opposite side of the bed from Joe. She DOES need the detangling. Dorothy’s back on her bullshit.

  56. foducool
    foducool
    February 25, 2024 at 5:10 pm | #

    joe looks like he’s ready for threesome hug in that last panel lmao

    • David DeLaney
      David DeLaney
      February 25, 2024 at 6:39 pm | #

      we’ve already seen his gorilla arms are long enough
      to just, like, go for it while whey’re distracted

  57. Throwatron
    Throwatron
    February 25, 2024 at 6:24 pm | #

    my body could not fucking handle this slipshine if it happened. id just blink out of existence.

    • Bruno
      Bruno
      February 25, 2024 at 6:28 pm | #

      It did for April Fool’s Day one year.

  58. Mr. Random
    Mr. Random
    February 25, 2024 at 9:13 pm | #

    I’m actually starting to wonder if Dorothy’s going to eventually try and get back together with Danny if she ends up staying.

  59. Heavensrun
    Heavensrun
    February 26, 2024 at 1:19 am | #

    Sorry, but no way two people with glasses can smush faces like that without extensive clacking. 0/10 realism literally unreadable.

  60. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    February 26, 2024 at 4:51 am | #

    This is so sweet. Let aside Joe’s big confusion seeing that, Joyce is just too sweet.

  61. JA
    JA
    February 26, 2024 at 10:57 pm | #

    Joe just trying to suppress his sex brain from thinking of them lezzing out.

  62. Spongegirl Circleskirt
    Spongegirl Circleskirt
    February 27, 2024 at 1:15 pm | #

    ok this is cute as fuck….

  63. Kaiyalai
    Kaiyalai
    February 29, 2024 at 10:26 am | #

    I… should not be feeling envious of Joyce.. or Dorothy… as a first reaction reading this.

    And yet

So...

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
CONVENTION APPEARANCES


September 13/14, 2025 - Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland

David M Willis! avatar
David M Willis!
@damnyouwillis.bsky.social
reposted by David M Willis!
linkara.bsky.social's user avatar
Linkara @linkara.bsky.social ⋅ 13h
Also, I see we're bringing back the ol' love octagon.
Several panels from the webcomic Shortpacked! depicting the character Robin Desanto unveiling a chalkboard that shows various characters in the webcomics' romantic relationship statuses to each other, the equivalent of a
4
55
 
reposted by David M Willis!
drawncoyote.bsky.social's user avatar
John Berry @drawncoyote.bsky.social ⋅ 4h
It worked! Thanks, Joe! Also, sorry, Joe.
Joe:
3
4
54
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 6h
I think you mean Poop. Prints don't drop from the butt.
3
1
25
 
reposted by David M Willis!
danschkade.bsky.social's user avatar
Dan Schkade @danschkade.bsky.social ⋅ 7h
Happy Nonbinary People's Day, you gemstones. A year or two back we introduced FLASH GORDON's first enby, the outlaw lawman Bones Malock. Having known and loved a lot of nonbinary people, I knew the truest way to represent you was as a unsettling desert pirate with a lightning sword
Flash Gordon's Bones Malock:
Bones Malock, under captions reading:
Bones Malock and Flash Gordon.

Flash: Okay... wait thirty seconds, then give me a distraction.

Bones: Got just the thing.

Flash: Do NOT blow the place up.

Bones: You're the boss.
3
52
180
 
reposted by David M Willis!
notablyuncool.bsky.social's user avatar
Hannah Who @notablyuncool.bsky.social ⋅ 14h
Happy International Non-Binary People's Day to all those who work, create, parent, protest, love and live without ever fitting into someone else's category.
header image - a yellow purple and black flag flies in the wind
media.tenor.com
a yellow purple and black flag flies in the wind
Alt: Non-binary flag blowing in the wind
1
94
181
 
reposted by David M Willis!
hausofdecline.bsky.social's user avatar
Haus of Decline @hausofdecline.bsky.social ⋅ 12h
A blond female Philly Phanatic says
68
621
4272
 
reposted by David M Willis!
bitshammer.bsky.social's user avatar
Bits @bitshammer.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Mood
6
104
316
 
reposted by David M Willis!
jacobaugust.bsky.social's user avatar
Jacob @jacobaugust.bsky.social ⋅ 17h
Nice.
A screenshot of the Dumbing of Age archives, showing the chapter titles of Book 15 and their respective number of strips. Chapter 4,
1
1
41
 
reposted by David M Willis!
daisyfm.net's user avatar
DaisyFM ✒︎ @daisyfm.net ⋅ 1d
Okay, everyone's jumping to conclusions, but Joyce was hit with a mysterious pink gas in Thursday's strip. Now, in recent years, the police are known to increasingly use military grade weapons. Which reminded me of this bit of proposed technology from the 1990s: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_bomb
en.wikipedia.org
Gay bomb - Wikipedia
4
9
69
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 15h
I ain't readin' all that!
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Dumbing of Age: "LIVE JOCELYNE REACTION" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
LIVE JOCELYNE REACTION
that's not the end!  there's more tomorrow, already on patreon!...
11
2
114
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Dumbing of Age: "LIVE JOCELYNE REACTION" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
LIVE JOCELYNE REACTION
that's not the end!  there's more tomorrow, already on patreon!...
49
18
140
 
reposted by David M Willis!
edidin.bsky.social's user avatar
Jay Edidin @edidin.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
hey, kid, what do you want to play with from the cool superhero movie? is it a nude, melting senator who feels like a stretch armstrong doll that has been left out in the son and maybe mildly chewed by a neighborhood dog? WELL, SON, YOU'RE IN LUCK!
the most upsetting toy of all time: a small and horrible statue of melting, nude Senator Kelly from the first x-men film
19
36
190
 
reposted by David M Willis!
brendelbored.bsky.social's user avatar
Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
James Gunn i demand u bring back Conservative Superman
Superman shaking Jared Fogle’s hand
27
184
1341
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
(July 10, 2026)
Sal and Danny saw you from across the room and enjoy your vibe.
6
3
56
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
trying to voice recognition a search for superman's actor
1
1
45
 
reposted by David M Willis!
drivaaar.bsky.social's user avatar
Drivaaar @drivaaar.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
I want YOU to transform Autobot City (with generous green spaces, affordable public transport and amenities, and plentiful social initiatives)
3
20
111
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
welp back to drawing comics featuring a character you can't see yet for like 11 months
6
1
74
 
reposted by David M Willis!
thewritertype.bsky.social's user avatar
Paul Bassett Davies @thewritertype.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Then they came for the sarcastic people and I was like oh great that's exactly what we need right now well done to all concerned.
14
183
851
 
reposted by David M Willis!
cassmoney.bsky.social's user avatar
Cass 🪻 @cassmoney.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Comic of a man peering through a window.
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dumbing of Age: "Can’t leave you if I stay" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Can’t leave you if I stay
jesus christ tomorrow's strip early on patreon oh my god...
1
2
38
 
reposted by David M Willis!
nerdylawyer.bsky.social's user avatar
The Nerdy Lawyer @nerdylawyer.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dorothy: You can't just follow me into fire! Joyce: You don't want me following you into fire? Then don't run into fire!
2
51
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
today in #9chickweedlane i learned i apparently gotta go see if "correlate" has an archaic definition that means something nonsense
13
2
57
 
reposted by David M Willis!
virginiabarksdale.bsky.social's user avatar
Virginia Barksdale @virginiabarksdale.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
screaming, crying, throwing up, Pete the Peacock is real, I feel lesbian God in this chili's tonight
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dumbing of Age: "Can’t leave you if I stay" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Can’t leave you if I stay
jesus christ tomorrow's strip early on patreon oh my god...
2
35
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dumbing of Age: "Can’t leave you if I stay" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Can’t leave you if I stay
jesus christ tomorrow's strip early on patreon oh my god...
12
10
102
 
reposted by David M Willis!
riotgrlerin.bsky.social's user avatar
RiotGrlErin @riotgrlerin.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
pam bondi as porta potties: thread
Pam bondi and he side profile wearing a dark yellow coat.
A yellow porta potty probably less shitty than Pam.
237
1329
6691
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
header image - a man in a blue plaid shirt sits next to another man in a gray jacket
media.tenor.com
a man in a blue plaid shirt sits next to another man in a gray jacket
ALT: a man in a blue plaid shirt sits next to another man in a gray jacket
2
22
 
reposted by David M Willis!
brigid.bsky.social's user avatar
Brigid Keely She/Her @brigid.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Joyce is absolutely totally straight and just wants to hang out with her best friend, who happens to be another lady. This is normal behavior and a normal biblical quote to use that has no other context. GAL PALS
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
joyce walks down an aisle
1
9
88
 
reposted by David M Willis!
southworth.bsky.social's user avatar
Paul Southworth ☢️ 🐟 @southworth.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
A lot of songs are lowkey about being horny
2
7
43
 
reposted by David M Willis!
inflatabledalek.bsky.social's user avatar
Stuart Webb @inflatabledalek.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
OK, I said I was going to a thread of receipts together on the guy who runs Kapow, in odder to explain why I personally would recommend not giving him your business at TFN. Starting with the original post, revealing the guy loves sharing right wing fascist stuff on LinkedIn.
xjmaw.bsky.social's user avatarAlex Maw @xjmaw.bsky.social ⋅ 6m
Since you might think it's weird you got a like on this over a year after the fact, the director of Kapow just shared this on LinkedIn; i.imgur.com/hqQYWgO.png
4
61
96
 
reposted by David M Willis!
rosalarian.bsky.social's user avatar
Ro Salarian @rosalarian.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
This is the best review I've ever gotten on my clothes. They will make you hot and popular. Find em at rosalarian.com/shop
Text conversation that reads: 
Pink text: i just wore my pervert shirt from your site to a party last night and it was possibly the funniest conversation starter OVER AND OVER. i could have full conversations with someoen about it and then the person literally sitting on the other side of me would look over and go HEY YOUR SHIRT SAYS PERVERT?! just immaculate, best design I've ever gotten and it also scores me a whole subway bench on the train.
Black text: This is exactly the reaction I was aiming for, both at the party and on the subway
Pink text: 100% crit rate
Pink text: i was extremely popular all of a sudden
A photo of a short sleeve button up skirt that is black with the word PERVERT scrawled all over it in white handwriting
5
37
128
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Bold new hero Steve Lombard
2
8
60
 

©2010-2025 Dumbing of Age | Powered by WordPress with ComicPress | Subscribe: RSS | Privacy Policy | Back to Top ↑