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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 12h
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Joyce has had a lot of practice just staring at
Tristanpeopleohhh hey its a match cut huh
down to her sitting position!
lol that flashback ended sooner than expected
i wonder if sarah’s already in teh room too lol but i’m sure she would’ve told sarah she’d be staring at him all night XD
Joe: I mean, you could have just slept in a chair or something.
Joyce: Oh, no, I had to be here to keep watch.
Joe: Keep watch from what?
(Pan over to Sarah in corner, standing with baseball bat)
Joyce: The good news is you’re rested and she was up all night too. If I can buy you a few seconds, think you can make it to the door?
I snorted. entirely too plausible by half
Wow I think you just had an episode of foresight for the next strip. (i laughed too much)
Yes, this! By the way I love how Joyce is in the same posture as in the strip before!
In lieu of actual likes, please accept this “LOL.”
oh, Joyce. -_-
I mean I know I was internally complaining about the flashback but this feels like a really hard pivot
I suspect this is not the last we’ve seen of the flashback stuff.
maybe it’ll be ‘intertwined’/intercut with the present to parallel/give more context to how joyce acts around a boy that likes her XD: tho well we know for sure joe likes her
Doesn’t seem like that hard a pivot to me. Thematically, we’re in the same territory, and it makes sense that Joyce, given her background, would be thinking about the first time she was aware of having physical feelings for a boy.
Being able to sleep in uncomfortable positions is a very useful skill! I managed to miss out on my entire high school education that way.
Would you mind elaborating. I am very confused, but very interested in seeing where this is going.
I misread the comic and assumed she fell asleep in a sitting position
I think that’s genuinely a useful thing to be able to do, mainly so you can get some shut eye on long vehicle rides, but I also saw an opportunity to joke about how I slept through a lot of classes back in high school.
Ohhh. Sorry I am tired and the joke went over my head. Thanks for taking the time to explain.
Since the joke in the comic proper went over my head I can’t really judge.
I managed to fall asleep while marching in formation while in Basic, and the only way anyone could tell was I missed a column movement and kept on marching straight a couple of times and they had to send someone after me. That was more than 40 years ago.
My passengers really don’t like it when I do that.
Mmm.
Husband is currently doing the “basically jetlagged due to having worked one night shift last week but not enough to properly shift his clock” thing. Fell asleep last night, after driving us and our kids best part of 3 hours in total and being sociable and getting us home safely, and reading bedtime stories to the youngest.
He apologised because I’d done a few of the “preparing for the school week” things he usually does. I thanked him for not sleeping while driving
Having lived with the opposite, thank you for being an awesome and understanding partner.
I get it…in high school I slept with my face in a pile of towels in zero period, head down on a book in 1st period, face propped on my hand in 3rd period…by 5th period I could sleep sitting up hiding behind the person in front of me.
My zayde (grandfather) could always sleep in any position, anywhere — even in a WWII foxhole with guns firing above him.
I think his ability was an evolutionary advantage: he must’ve been the only well-rested guy around, and he did fight well, and he came back alive to have four more kids.
That’s not just an advantage, it’s a fuckin’ superpower
To sleep in any position and surface is truly a gift.
“look man the only thing I know about sex is that it starts in bed, and I’m not taking any chances”
“Would it help if I explained to you how it often doesn’t start in bed?”
“….. nope!”
at least they somehow weren’t locked in the laundry room together lol
I understand Joyce’s cuddle reflex. I used to share a bed with my best friend, and I would hold her while we slept. Nowadays I have body pillow during the winter and a smaller pillow during summer.
Have you tried a “pregnancy” pillow? The large u-shaped ones? I swear by them
I have not. I’m not even sure what a pregnancy pillow is. Might be awkward for me to buy in person though. I have no girlfriend/wife to accompany me, and I prefer to go to certain places only with a gf/wife because it is a little awkward for a guy to be purchasing stuff there.
just tell them repeatedly it’s not a sex thing and pay in cash.
Fair.
So hire a random actor or ask a platonic friend to help you out? I mean, you’re not buying this for any actual salacious purpose, so it’s not inappropriate to ask for help.
People will just assume you’re getting it for a baby shower, as it’s a very common (and nice!) gift. Go with your head held high, and have only cuddly sleep in your future.
— oh yeah, and that’s if they notice or think anything at all. People are incredibly bad at noticing things.
Point is, go get the pillow if you want it, happy dreams.
May I introduce you to a concept known as internet shopping?
Woohoo, going InPrivate gets around the Headers Too Large no comments or previous comic for you, now no comic at all! Issue I’ve had since… Fri I think? But really? Exchanging Ruth for Lyle?
Given that being annoying and loud was a very maladaptive coping mechanism when I was Really Not OK I’m spinning grav roulette again.
And it trolled me…
You can get them in ordinary places like Target, and believe me, there are a LOT of solo dudes who have bought one of these (either for themselves or to carry home for a pregnant person who was not immediately present).
https://www.target.com/p/pharmedoc-pregnancy-pillow-u-shape-full-body-maternity-pillow-jersey-cotton-cover/-/A-86167750?preselect=89134521#lnk=sametab
we need more friends/platonic cuddle buddles lol
Kept awake by the dulcet sounds of Sarah slamming her head against the bottom of the top bunk, every five minutes, all night.
Don’t worry Sarah has a hard head.
they’re being cute
My random prediction: Joyce is going to have to confront her own issues because the Tristan thing was a mean joke Misha played, and it plays into her insecurities/ why she was so pumped that Joe found her hot fr.
My only source is that I also dealt with this as a young kid in day-church activities.
That sounds right. It seems unlikely that Tristan would just show up unprompted in the modern day.
It does really align with what triggered Joyce taking Joe seriously as a partner (not counting their first date, ofc).
Oh, that fits really well!
It isn’t exclusive to day-church activities. I had a group of kids in school tell me my crush liked me and asked me if I wanted to date him. Apparently when he found out, he told them to break up with me. It was my shortest perceived relationship ever, clocking in at around 3 hours.
Dang, didn’t even cuddle in Joyce’s bed.
Coulda been worse, Joyce could’ve fallen asleep at the right moment and Joe stealthily left like Dorothy.
remembering a classic.
The last time we saw Joe they were still at the gym.
What were they doing all day?! He’s even changed clothes.
Oh thank goodness, it aint gonna be ALL flashback.
Glad I’m not the only one who is happy it’s over for now
I really don’t understand the comment section apparent disdain for flashbacks. I remember during the Halloween storyline people just wouldn’t stop complaining about it and I just found it bizarre.
I didn’t like the Halloween storyline in flashback for different reasons, but I do enjoy flashbacks here in general. I like to see what the cast was like when they were younger.
Maybe it’s because they’re all blue, all the time?
I liked the extended flashback sequence where we finally got to see Sal’s perspective of the gas station robbery, where it started out blue but transitioned to desaturated “normal” colors.
I think that’s it for me too. Even with the “all blue” version of flashbacks, there used to be some hint of color and shading.
at least this is a daily webcomic, even weekends, i remember back in the day with some series only uploading once a week lol
i don’t dislike flashbacks but it’d be nice to just like skip a week doing other things and then catch up since it’s proll ybetter to read it all in one sitting anyways
Not just a daily webcomic, but a well-paced daily webcomic. We’re spoiled by how good Willis is at this.
One of the comics I followed for years updates daily, but the plot meanders along at a snail’s pace. Go back 6 months and barely anything of consequence has happened.
Sounds like Questionable Content nowadays, except double it to a year.
What the hell were they doing since we last saw them? We last saw them during a morning workout session. Did they just go into her room and talk for 10 hours and then Joe fell asleep? Did Joe somehow sleep for 18 hours?
Maybe a future comic will elaborate. If we didn’t need to see it, it probably wasn’t that interesting, but still.
That’s a good point, though they could have been doing stuff all day that we just didn’t see. I think it is more likely that they went to lunch, and supper together, and were talking in Joyce’s bed when he fell asleep.
Probably went down to Walgreen’s and got a fizzy drink from the jerk at the fountain.
for the young and/or non-Indianan: no, that’s an actual job title, ‘soda jerk’. as seen on, for instance, Happy Days TV show.
–Dave, seen by your {counts on fingers} grandparents, at this point? durn timescale keeps sliding…
i love joyce
The silent killer.
It’s not actually fatal unless the other person is a human furnace. Which, to be fair, is a thing.
Cuddling is not a sin.
Deep in her fundie brain, cuddling means lust and thus is a sin. Now that she is an atheist she is slowly learning to cut through the bullshit, but it takes time.
Was she raised the flavour of “Christianity” where if men have lewd thoughts about them, the girls/women are to blame, and behaviour codes for girls become increasingly convoluted (can’t eat ice cream/a lolly because watching them suck/lick would put Thoughts into boys’ minds about them licking/sucking other things; can’t recline on a sofa in mixed company coz seeing them lie down could make boys think about laying them down and doing THINGS to them; can’t do X sports activities or wear Y clothes…)?
Coz if so, cuddling, spooning, and the possibility of morning wood absolutely mean she could well have absorbed the message that she’d be leading him astray if she went to sleep next to him in her own bed…
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.
Yeah, the christian doctrine i grew up in was basically “it’s a slippery slope, one thing will inevitably lead to the next and boom you are pregnant, or worse, DEFILED“.
Then everyone keeps discussing the cutoff point of how much physical closeness was okay before it’d get, well, slippery. There’s no clear line.
The people on the Jesus forum i was on spent more time discussing KSvdE (no sex before marriage, but in German, they discussed this so much they had to abbreviate it, lol), than discussing, you know, God.
Which is why these days i feel like if your goal is to focus on God, you should just go do all the things you are obsessed with so you can stop obsessing about them. Fuck to clear your brain, then you can come back and think about how to be more like Jesus or something. I had the same experience trying to fast for a few days “to focus on God” – all i could focus on was “i am so damn hungry”, i’ve definitely had times when i ate like a normal person and was able to focus on God stuff. Your brain *will* focus on what you can’t have, esp if it’s important things like food and sex.
she’s prolly thinking about sarah mentioning joe just being in their room is enough for ppl to assume XD;, so idk how it’ll be when she blurts out “we had a sleepover last night” or so
Spooning leads to forking
Against my better judgement I want Joyce and Joe to bang
it’s either going to be super amazing or super awkward if she accidentally blurts out something like “it felt better when dorothy helped” XD
Against?
You’re dating.
It’s allowed.
Sleep snuggles are the best, Joyce. Give in to the snuggliness.
Until you overheat and shove your partner away because you’re about to get heat stroke.
quick poll: Does anybody actually find sleeping next to somebody/sleeping whilst cuddling (as opposed to alone) soothing & helpful? I feel so warm and fuzzy when it works that way in romance stories, but IRL I can’t fall asleep whilst cuddling. Roll around way too much.
i wouldn’t mind but other than a younger/age /kiddy sleepover with someone of the same gender, it’d be awkward to ask someone of the other in a platonic way unless ur already close or like know they’re ace or already taken (although unless their partner is in bed too hugging as friends is one thing but i wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as someone already in a relationship even if i had no sexual/romantic desires for them at all)
but yeah i’d rpolly roll around too much myself/would rather have some cute fluffy dogs to cuddle iwth
Aww, the struggle of our society not having any outlet for platonic touching is real. :/ i guess there’s always pets. or, rant about this topic to close friends waiting for one to volunteer, haha.
No touchy! Noo touchy! No touch.
I frequently fall asleep cuddling with my partner, and he’ll roll over in the middle of the night, sound asleep, to reach out and pull me to him so he can nuzzle into my hair. We both love it a lot
We don’t stay cuddled up all night long, but it happens off and on throughout the night as we move and shift in our sleep.
Some people do, some people don’t.
I cannot stand to have my movement restricted while I’m trying to sleep, but I do love falling asleep next to my spouse. I’m a stomach sleeper, and my spouse is a back/side sleeper. We normally don’t even face each other, but we always have a hip on the other person’s hip, sometimes a shoulder on a shoulder. Juuuuust enough contact, but we’re both free to move.
from a culture where cosleeping and platonic touch with family is very normal — usually I end up back to back or just holding hands with whoever I’m sharing the bed with. It’s funny to me how this trait seems more common in cultures w hot climates
Just curious how much cuddling occurred when she fell asleep next to Becky or Dorothy.
right… suddenly much more suspicious of those “weird dreams” Joyce keeps reporting
Most of the time its the other person doing more of the cuddling.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/early-2/
https://www.dumbingofage.com/cheating/
an exception
https://www.dumbingofage.com/strewn/
*most of the time that it’s shown.
Becky does mention previous cuddling in “cuddlin”
And now Joe gets to find out about more of Joyce’s “this is normal right” behaviors.
we need a “… you’re aware that’s trauma, right?” emoticon
I had a relationship with a lass some years ago where we were both quite sleep cuddly, but also very used to sleeping alone. Which was an issue as she was a VERY restless sleeper. Honestly, the number of nights I’d wake up get out of bed and walk around to her side, get back in and snuggle up so I wouldn’t get pushed out of bed onto the floor (which isn’t as fun as you might think)…
Anyone else think this is a lie, and Joyce didn’t want to admit to cuddling Joe?
No way! Nope! That can’t possibly be the truth at all!
/s
At least she’s not hovering directly above him like the ships from Independence Day.
Sleep-cuddling is a slippery slope to P E R V E R S E S E X U A L L U S T
Sleep-cuddling is THE BEST slippery slope to P E R V E R S E S E X U A L L U S T
Wait, why was Joe dreaming about Joyce and Tristan?
(I kid, I know flashbacks in this strip don’t have to be someone’s actual memories.)
Joyce is a contact oneirist for her super-power?
–Dave, besides the teleportation, I mean
Oh shoot and it’s Monday too.
The Monday before was “Don’t Stop Billie-ving” (and 4 panels in This was Halloween).
significant events:
Jennifer took Joyce to the health center, where she got prescribed BC for her bad period pain and got a referral to be tested for autism.
Raidah invited Walky (and Lucy) to breakfast … for reasons?
comic relief regarding Becky and Dina trying to keep their sex a secret from Joyce, but telling everyone else in the world.
To analyze/editorialize a bit, there’s a lot of strips about Jennifer/Billie and changing identity, how much a person changes, what they keep with them, and how other people resist that change. Even Joyce and Jennifer, who commiserate about other people resisting how they’re changing, reflexively see each other as who they were, not who they’re becoming.
It feels like a thesis statement almost. But written in a way that feels natural for the characters, and not like an essay plopped down into their speech bubbles.
Oh no, does Joyce hallucinate the ghosts of her friends when she’s tired, like Amber does?
Oh, so you realized that when it was Dorothy, eh ?
Poor Joyce…
A peak autistic ex-fundie moment.
She had to stay awake otherwise she would be sleeping with him.
Hmm. A convert to atheism, with a moral compass still calibrated by Christianity? I’m sure I have no idea what THAT’S like.
so this is the chapter where Joyce deals with her hangups vis-a-vis sex, attraction, and intimacy.
Honestly, I wouldn’t get your hopes up – I think Joyce is gonna continue progressively dealing with her hangups vis-a-vis sex, attraction, and intimacy fro a long, long, time. They’re pretty deeply seated, so removing them isn’t exactly a one-day process!
Aye, but I also didn’t say “resolve”.
… I slightly misread Joyce’s dialogue in the 3rd panel and went “You WHAT?!”
Barista Willis thank you for the Morning Joe
Its progress. Joyce slept with someone (without the Hanky Panky) and Joe slept with someone without the Hanky Panky. Progress.
Rooting for this couple…. can’t wait to see what heartbreak Willis has up his sleeve
Wow, am I a day late? The comments section is bursting
hey willis thanks for making the ending of the previous strip echo the start of this one. you’re really good at this whole “making comics” thing
How very… Minbari