Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

July 1, 2026

Showers

by David M Willis on May 28, 2025 at 12:01 am
  • 04 – The Only Exception
└ Tags: joe

Discussion (181) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. The 25th
    The 25th
    May 28, 2025 at 12:02 am | #

    Don’t forget the happy little clouds

    • Tawnee
      Tawnee
      May 28, 2025 at 12:02 am | #

      and the happy little accidents?

      • Opus the Poet
        Opus the Poet
        May 28, 2025 at 12:07 am | #

        In my experience “Happy accidents” turn into lifetime commitments.

        • Marianne
          Marianne
          May 28, 2025 at 12:19 am | #

          In my 30s I came to see my infertility as more of a blessing than a curse… happy genetic accident! 😄

        • Laura
          Laura
          May 28, 2025 at 2:27 am | #

          Accidents cause people.

          • Steamweed
            Steamweed
            May 28, 2025 at 8:11 am | #

            Our species probably would be extinct if it weren’t for accidents.

        • Felix T. Katt
          Felix T. Katt
          May 28, 2025 at 6:47 am | #

          Children in the dark cause accidents; accidents in the dark cause children.

          • Steamweed
            Steamweed
            May 28, 2025 at 8:11 am | #

            Well put!

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        May 28, 2025 at 2:49 am | #

        They specifically made sure that wouldn’t happen last night.

        • David
          David
          May 28, 2025 at 6:54 am | #

          Frankly, I know of a petting accident that resulted in a pregnant “virgin”. It didn’t turn into an “immaculate” birth since the couple figured that if they were paying the price anyway, they could at least make it worth it. And they did, made it work, and in their mid-40s already were grandparents (they do have a 5-generation family photograph).

          I digress. Making sure might be harder than you think.

          • Nymph
            Nymph
            May 28, 2025 at 7:06 am | #

            I think they might have done “petting” very incorrectly.

            • Steamweed
              Steamweed
              May 28, 2025 at 8:12 am | #

              Sounds like giving petting their 110%. Or more. Their coach would approve.

          • SillyGoose
            SillyGoose
            May 28, 2025 at 7:18 am | #

            >Making sure might be harder than you think.

            Yet more evidence that lesbian sex is superior.
            … but wait she had lesbian sex with Joe so the only logical conclusion is that even cis lesbian sex cannot protect you 100%???

            • Embe13
              Embe13
              May 28, 2025 at 10:00 am | #

              100% correct. as Doyle put it, once you have determined the impossible, whatever is left however inprobable (or in the words of benoit blanc, stupid) must be true.
              men get snipped, then you ad a few orders of magnitude to the improbability to an accident occurring!

  2. Animedingo
    Animedingo
    May 28, 2025 at 12:02 am | #

    I mean if thats what hes into

  3. shadowcell
    shadowcell
    May 28, 2025 at 12:02 am | #

    before you have a happy accident

  4. Dot
    Dot
    May 28, 2025 at 12:02 am | #

    Oh I’m sure your tree is very happy right now, Joe

    • Steamweed
      Steamweed
      May 28, 2025 at 12:03 am | #

      But what if it were happier?

  5. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    May 28, 2025 at 12:02 am | #

    I don’t get it.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      May 28, 2025 at 12:04 am | #

      I’m glad someone other than me have asked about it.

      • Sharizard
        Sharizard
        May 28, 2025 at 5:34 am | #

        I’ll be that person.

        He’s trying not to have an orgasm in the shower after spending all night staying dry with the woman of his dreams.

        Boy’s on a hair trigger at the moment i’ll imagine.

        • SillyGoose
          SillyGoose
          May 28, 2025 at 7:21 am | #

          Is it because it’s bad manners in a communal shower?
          I can’t really imagine it’s because he thinks it wrong to uh, spill his seed on the ground.

          • morleuca
            morleuca
            May 28, 2025 at 9:16 am | #

            I would assume so if the showers have communal drains. Nothing like trying to shower and getting to watch someone’s unripened fruit float by.

            • Fernanda
              Fernanda
              May 28, 2025 at 9:31 am | #

              These kids don’t get a lot of privacy, do they? Communal showers, half-baths, roommates…

              • Pergola
                Pergola
                May 28, 2025 at 3:35 pm | #

                You do -not- want to touch the walls in the shower of a submarine.

            • Nymph
              Nymph
              May 28, 2025 at 4:16 pm | #

              Weird, my communal showers had individual drains in the stalls and no way of seeing what another person was doing or draining into their own area.

              • Li
                Li
                May 28, 2025 at 5:13 pm | #

                The creeping neo Puritanism of “sex?? between consenting adults in the privacy of your own home but using a couch I might theoretically someday sit on?????”

                Some of us need to reexamine our thought processes and figure out when we started agreeing with the premise that sex is inherently shameful and traumatic.

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  May 28, 2025 at 7:33 pm | #

                  This seems more a matter of it being gross and physically dirty, rather than shameful and traumatic. Like it’s more about the fluids than any sense of shame.
                  Still weird though.
                  At least the shower’s probably the easiest place to clean up afterwards.

                • Li
                  Li
                  May 28, 2025 at 11:24 pm | #

                  I think I skipped a bit of connective tissue in my comment in the name of pithiness, heh, because I agree with you but I would argue that the “this is so gross and dirty” attitude is rooted in the unexamined idea that sex is shameful and that finding evidence of someone else having masturbated (which, for some reason, we are assuming would be left behind instead of going seamlessly down the drain, probably because lack of sex education is giving folks a very inaccurate idea of how thick semen is, lol) is the part that keeps being presumed traumatic.

                  Also, fully agree, the shower is literally the best place Joe could be jerkin’ it. This way he’s not even sexiling Danny! As long as he doesn’t make noise worthy of a porno, there’s no reason anyone else should even need to know he’s doing that in there.

                  (Not that I even think he is, I kinda think this is a cold shower, but it would be fine if he were.)

            • Taffy
              Taffy
              May 28, 2025 at 8:48 pm | #

              Why do we need to invent problems that haven’t been shown to exist in this comic? Communal drains, gimme a break.

          • Sharizard
            Sharizard
            May 28, 2025 at 9:57 am | #

            Perhaps he has his own feelings of it being ‘wrong’ somehow. It could be he wants to share the experience with Joyce and her not being there cheapens it.

            It could also be more a ‘bro thing’. Joe usually gets his orgasms from a partner. He might not want to ejaculate by himself. Or maybe he views it as premature ejaculation before Joyce didn’t actually do anything direct.

            Honestly though, i’m going with he views it as rude when people jerk off in the shower and other people have to deal with the trail.

            • Taffy
              Taffy
              May 28, 2025 at 7:09 pm | #

              What the hell are you talking about? He’s already said he jacks off a lot. He’s doing it right now, probably. You’re just making things up out of nothing. Complete air.

              • Sharizard
                Sharizard
                May 29, 2025 at 4:29 am | #

                Forgive me for not remembering Joe’s jacking off habits.

          • MissKellie
            MissKellie
            May 28, 2025 at 1:49 pm | #

            Semen isn’t water soluble either, so it can lead to clogs and a really embarrassing hall meeting.

            • Taffy
              Taffy
              May 28, 2025 at 8:52 pm | #

              Real life does work like the Tim & Eric’s Bedtime Stories 2015 Christmas special “Tornado”. Nobody’s putting that much down the drain.

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      May 28, 2025 at 12:04 am | #

      because he’s trying to pee???

      I don’t get it either honestly XD

    • Sanrai
      Sanrai
      May 28, 2025 at 12:07 am | #

      Happy trees make the best kind of wood, hard.

    • Steve
      Steve
      May 28, 2025 at 12:15 am | #

      The Bob Ross painting motion is similar to jorkin’ it.

      • Benjamin Geiger
        Benjamin Geiger
        May 28, 2025 at 2:07 am | #

        He’s in there beating his… brush.

        • Qube
          Qube
          May 28, 2025 at 2:41 am | #

          just beatin’ the devil out of it

          • Wizard
            Wizard
            May 28, 2025 at 8:16 am | #

            Reminds me of a comic I used to read. Some guys are sitting around beside the pool when a smokin’ hot piece of jail-bait walks by in a bikini. They all know her big sister would geld them with a rusty spoon if they laid a finger on her. One says “I’m conflicted about how to respond to this.” Another replies “I’m not. I’m gonna go inside and beat my dick like it owes me money.”

        • Embe13
          Embe13
          May 28, 2025 at 10:01 am | #

          I prefer Cal’s “Mastering my Joystick, guy!”

        • Schol-R-LEA;2
          Schol-R-LEA;2
          May 28, 2025 at 11:46 am | #

          Joe Rosenthal is Prickasso’s secret identity.

    • Gilthwixt
      Gilthwixt
      May 28, 2025 at 12:15 am | #

      Happy Trees sounds like a Bob Ross reference to me so maybe Joe is “painting” the shower stall walls with…something

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        May 28, 2025 at 12:21 am | #

        Ohhh. Gross. Just gross. Other people use that shower, Joe.

        However, I do appreciate you all taking the time to elucidate that.

        • Nymph
          Nymph
          May 28, 2025 at 7:07 am | #

          I mean, there’s water and soap everywhere, he can just wipe the walls down when he’s done. Joe is hardly the first or last person to jerk it (or pee or bang someone) in the shared shower stalls at college.

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          May 28, 2025 at 8:12 am | #

          Nocturnal emissions. Good hygiene. For many reasons the same bio matter ends up in showers anyways. The only reason to criticise someone for masturbating in a shared shower stall is puritanically driven social standards.

          • morleuca
            morleuca
            May 28, 2025 at 9:18 am | #

            some shared showers have shared drains, even if they have individual stalls.

            • Fernanda
              Fernanda
              May 28, 2025 at 9:33 am | #

              I mean, so what? The water and stuff doesn’t usually flow up from the drains, it only flows away, never to return again

              • Heavensrun
                Heavensrun
                May 28, 2025 at 12:01 pm | #

                They mean there’s a single drain in one stall where the water from the adjacent stalls flows toward It’s not super common, but it does happen in some very cheap places.

      • NGPZ
        NGPZ
        May 28, 2025 at 12:40 am | #

        ah, the Joy of Painting

        what with all the stroking and stuff XD

      • Erik
        Erik
        May 28, 2025 at 6:48 am | #

        Now they’re load bearing walls

        • Steamweed
          Steamweed
          May 28, 2025 at 8:14 am | #

          Ugh. Have a +1.

        • Barf Ninjason
          Barf Ninjason
          May 30, 2025 at 2:55 am | #

          Hey-OHHHH

      • Meagan
        Meagan
        May 28, 2025 at 10:45 pm | #

        Finally, an explanation that makes sense.

      • zee
        zee
        May 28, 2025 at 11:05 pm | #

        According to a Patreon comment from Willis, yeah it’s exactly that

    • Rose by Any other Name
      Rose by Any other Name
      May 28, 2025 at 7:42 am | #

      Neither do I.
      I get that he’s masturbating.
      I get that this is a Bob Ross reference.

      … I just don’t get why Joe would want to think about Bob Ross while masturbating.

      • Wizard
        Wizard
        May 28, 2025 at 8:33 am | #

        Everybody has their kinks, which are both the most personal and least rational things in the world.

      • deliverything
        deliverything
        May 28, 2025 at 9:45 am | #

        I’d assumed he was not actually masturbating, and trying to suppress the urges by distracting himself with non-sexy thoughts. Basically, what Sharizard posted above.

        Other commenters are playing word-games, as is common here.

        • Sharizard
          Sharizard
          May 28, 2025 at 12:33 pm | #

          My takeaway from all this is that there’s a collection of DoA readers who are suprisingly innocent.

          Either that, or not awake enough at time of commenting.

      • JC
        JC
        May 28, 2025 at 12:29 pm | #

        He’s trying to get rid of his wood by distracting himself, not jerk off. Bob Ross isn’t erotic. Willis is just fucking with people by making it only the happy trees and happy clouds. It would be like doing algebra or reciting baseball stats or thinking about the fortune he’ll make with Rosenthal Robotics, if this were a different universe. He probably has the shower set to cold, too.

        • Kevin K
          Kevin K
          May 28, 2025 at 11:26 pm | #

          > Bob Ross isn’t erotic

          NOW YOU TELL ME

  6. Steamweed
    Steamweed
    May 28, 2025 at 12:02 am | #

    Aaand of course we cut away to Joe. While Joyce’s mind is busy melting and reforming.

  7. Dread Pirate Robin
    Dread Pirate Robin
    May 28, 2025 at 12:03 am | #

    Straight up Joenkin it

    • I Know Why the Mowed Lawn Screams
      I Know Why the Mowed Lawn Screams
      May 28, 2025 at 12:12 am | #

      you cant stop the joementum

    • Wereg
      Wereg
      May 28, 2025 at 12:13 am | #

      and by ‘it’, haha, well. let’s justr say. his trees.

    • Mr D phone posting
      Mr D phone posting
      May 28, 2025 at 2:50 am | #

      Joenkin it in San Diego

  8. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    May 28, 2025 at 12:03 am | #

    I will forever feel bad for campus janitorial.

    • Pinkie
      Pinkie
      May 28, 2025 at 12:05 am | #

      I used to have to clean the guys’ bathroom on campus. I’ve got a perma-scowl from when there were puddles on the floor BEFORE I mopped.

  9. ZombieKyrik
    ZombieKyrik
    May 28, 2025 at 12:03 am | #

    I hope Joe isn’t about to rub one out in the shower. As people have pointed out water doesn’t make for good lube. Besides if you had asked Joyce before she left I’m sure she would have helped you with your… “situation.”

    • Steamweed
      Steamweed
      May 28, 2025 at 12:04 am | #

      Eh, if he’s got lotion in that shower caddy, he’ll be fine.

      • Z
        Z
        May 28, 2025 at 12:08 am | #

        Conditioner can do the trick

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          May 28, 2025 at 12:15 am | #

          Or any of the dozens of slippery fluids we use to clean ourselves, really.

        • BarerMender
          BarerMender
          May 28, 2025 at 12:50 am | #

          Conditioner, eh? I’ll that that under advisement.

        • yak
          yak
          May 28, 2025 at 6:10 pm | #

          Shampoo and conditioner can REALLY hurt if they get in there. Just use soap or spit.

    • Risky
      Risky
      May 28, 2025 at 12:33 am | #

      Some people can jerk with lube but that can lead to chafing even with good lube. Just grabbing on and making the hand motion leads to the loose penis skin stroking the shaft, using their own internal lubricant. This can go on pretty much indefinitely as long as they aren’t too rough.

      • Risky
        Risky
        May 28, 2025 at 12:38 am | #

        Sort of like rubbing the clit hood over the clit instead of touching it directly. Touching the Buber directly can also lead to relief usually by rhythmic squeezing.

      • Nipo
        Nipo
        May 28, 2025 at 3:34 am | #

        This is where foreskin comes handy.

        • LiamKav
          LiamKav
          May 28, 2025 at 5:01 am | #

          Pretty sure Joe doesn’t have that.

        • Veronica
          Veronica
          May 28, 2025 at 6:47 am | #

          Ooooooh. I was like “why is everyone acting like lubricant is something you *need* to masturbatory?”

          America and it’s weird circumcision culture, right, got it.

          • David
            David
            May 28, 2025 at 6:58 am | #

            Joe is jewish. Nothing to do with U.S. culture.

            • Nymph
              Nymph
              May 28, 2025 at 7:09 am | #

              I mean, the USA does also have a culture of circumcising infants regardless of religion. But yeah, in Joe’s case, it was likely a religious decision.

              • morleuca
                morleuca
                May 28, 2025 at 9:20 am | #

                80% just because

            • Veronica
              Veronica
              May 28, 2025 at 10:20 pm | #

              Yeah Joe is Jewish. You telling me everyone here in these comments acting like you can’t masturbate without lube is also Jewish?

          • Dot
            Dot
            May 28, 2025 at 8:20 am | #

            Joe is Jewish

          • Hroethvitnir
            Hroethvitnir
            May 29, 2025 at 1:37 am | #

            Ahhh, belated ditto. Like, lube is great! Super great and something that needs to be way more standard in piv sex. But there really, really isn’t a problem with masturbating a penis in the shower if it has a foreskin.

    • Dana W
      Dana W
      May 28, 2025 at 2:57 am | #

      The fact that he made it as FAR as the shower is proof of his phenominal self control.

    • Amelie Wikström
      Amelie Wikström
      May 28, 2025 at 6:11 am | #

      Joe normally jerks off at least six times a day, I’m sure he’s got a method that doesn’t clog the shower drains.

      • Steamweed
        Steamweed
        May 28, 2025 at 8:18 am | #

        I wonder if Joe is at level 3 yet with Joyce, or if they’re still at 2. Girl’s gotta get through that.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        May 28, 2025 at 8:29 am | #

        semen does not clog or block plumbing, including shower drains.

  10. JA
    JA
    May 28, 2025 at 12:05 am | #

    Communal shower…without shower sandals…

    • Grungehamster
      Grungehamster
      May 28, 2025 at 12:12 am | #

      He could really use Joyce’s jugs right about now, huh?

      • Lee
        Lee
        May 28, 2025 at 1:18 am | #

        There are already a LOT of dirty jokes here today, but this one’s my favorite.

      • Steamweed
        Steamweed
        May 28, 2025 at 8:18 am | #

        +1 internet point.

      • Embe13
        Embe13
        May 28, 2025 at 10:03 am | #

        +2

    • Longshot97
      Longshot97
      May 28, 2025 at 12:37 am | #

      Take a shower < Do laundry

    • Big Z
      Big Z
      May 28, 2025 at 1:47 pm | #

      College men are a different and often grungier breed.

      Source: I was a college male at one point.

  11. M!a
    M!a
    May 28, 2025 at 12:08 am | #

    And Bob’s legscy endures. 🤭

  12. AbacusWizard
    AbacusWizard
    May 28, 2025 at 12:09 am | #

    That towel is doing a lot of work.

  13. foducool
    foducool
    May 28, 2025 at 12:12 am | #

    Joe, the Ministry of Silly Walks called!
    They wanna do an interview!

    • Fernanda
      Fernanda
      May 28, 2025 at 9:37 am | #

      Thanks, very few comments can make me truly let out a hearty laugh

  14. Derek
    Derek
    May 28, 2025 at 12:12 am | #

    would it be too crude to suggest he’s making tress with semen?

    • The 25th
      The 25th
      May 28, 2025 at 12:28 am | #

      I think that is implied already 😅

    • Laura
      Laura
      May 28, 2025 at 2:14 am | #

      Planting seed…

      Watching his acorn grow…

      (In French the word for “acorn” is “glans”, which is the same as the word for “penis”.)

      • morleuca
        morleuca
        May 28, 2025 at 9:21 am | #

        part of it anyway

    • Laura
      Laura
      May 28, 2025 at 2:31 am | #

      Q. What’s long and woody and full of seamen?

      A. A ship!

      /pun

      • Marianne
        Marianne
        May 28, 2025 at 4:46 am | #

        I remember in my school the variant of that joke that went around was “What’s long and hard and full of seamen? A submarine!”

  15. SeedyV
    SeedyV
    May 28, 2025 at 12:14 am | #

    Joe is following Bob’s advice and beating the devil out of it.

    • Schpoonman
      Schpoonman
      May 28, 2025 at 4:51 am | #

      I do not remember the episode, but I distinctly remember Bob once saying “beat the little devil off” instead of “beat the devil out of it”.

  16. BBCC
    BBCC
    May 28, 2025 at 12:14 am | #

    I don’t think that’s what they meant by morning wood, Joe.

  17. IntangibleMatter
    IntangibleMatter
    May 28, 2025 at 12:16 am | #

    Side note: hey Joe why the fuck are you standing on the floor of dorm showers in bare feet. How badly do you want to get warts

    • Steamweed
      Steamweed
      May 28, 2025 at 8:19 am | #

      He is a bit distracted right now.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      May 28, 2025 at 3:06 pm | #

      I understand this is a possibility, but I don’t remember anyone worrying about it in my college days. Nor do I remember anyone getting warts – though I suppose I might just have not known. It certainly wasn’t commonplace.

      I have to think the concern about this is overblown.

      • Meagan
        Meagan
        May 28, 2025 at 10:47 pm | #

        As someone who frequently forgets shower shoes in situations with communal showers, I also think it is overblown.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        May 28, 2025 at 11:06 pm | #

        I think it depends on different factors, but I got plantar warts from the gym shower in middle school, and it sucked. (Made worse by me not really understanding what it was and letting it go longer without treatment than I should have.)

        In my college dorms, I think the it would have been less conducive to spreading them– individual, closed off shower stalls, cleaned at least once if not twice a day, and many people who do use shower shoes… you’d probably be okay. With my experience, I wasn’t looking to take the risk, though. Also, stepping in someone else’s wet hair feels gross.

      • Li
        Li
        May 28, 2025 at 11:29 pm | #

        I think it’s prooooobably a combination of things, like genetic predispositions. Some folks’ immune systems are more or less reactive, and that makes this kind of… infection??? …more or less likely.

        I think getting a wart once is more than enough reason to be hesitant, but I’d agree it’s probably not something everyone needs to worry about.

        Also too, as Yumi noted, some people are also going to be more or less sensitive to unpleasant textures encountered when barefoot.

  18. TrueVCU
    TrueVCU
    May 28, 2025 at 12:18 am | #

    Dendrophiliac confirmed

  19. Kyulen
    Kyulen
    May 28, 2025 at 12:22 am | #

    I’ve never thought about Bob Ross like that, and I don’t really want to.

    • KtBear
      KtBear
      May 28, 2025 at 5:18 am | #

      Who the hell is Bob Ross??

      • Steamweed
        Steamweed
        May 28, 2025 at 8:20 am | #

        The painter who is famous for cozy, relaxed, and warm painting demonstration and instruction.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        May 28, 2025 at 8:34 am | #

        Bob Ross is the television painter and third member of the Mr Fred Rogers/Steve Irwin good people meme trifecta.

    • Clif
      Clif
      May 28, 2025 at 4:23 pm | #

      Have you considered brain bleach? https://www.amazon.com/Intox-BRAIN-BLEACH-8oz-Flask/dp/B01M3N6J33

  20. Suet
    Suet
    May 28, 2025 at 12:24 am | #

    Eight hours? You might not make it after a month’s worth of pressin’

    Two if we’re resilient

    • Laura
      Laura
      May 28, 2025 at 2:26 am | #

      The harder the pressin’ the bigger the messin’…

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        May 28, 2025 at 8:36 am | #

        If her mouth he be pressin’
        easy clean is the messin’

        • Laura
          Laura
          May 28, 2025 at 10:44 am | #

          Let this be a lesson,
          Unless we’re digressin!

  21. Taffy
    Taffy
    May 28, 2025 at 1:05 am | #

    Joe’s thighs are oddly short.

  22. 3oranges
    3oranges
    May 28, 2025 at 1:07 am | #

    Joe’s asking a lot from that towel.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      May 28, 2025 at 1:36 am | #

      Joseph “3 Miles Long” Rosenthal

      • Laura
        Laura
        May 28, 2025 at 10:45 am | #

        And 8 miles high…

  23. Mel
    Mel
    May 28, 2025 at 2:13 am | #

    “Huh I thought the stereotype was thinking about basebal– JOE NOOOO NOT THE STALL WALL!”

  24. Laura
    Laura
    May 28, 2025 at 2:24 am | #

    *Plays “Bob Ross Remixed” on the hacked CRT TV monitor…*
    https://youtu.be/YLO7tCdBVrA

    *…Then plays the Fallout 4 remix of the remix on the hacked gaming monitor…*
    (TV-MA for Violence)
    https://youtu.be/DB_J1khj6eQ

  25. It Me JD!
    It Me JD!
    May 28, 2025 at 2:34 am | #

    Joeseph Pollock.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      May 28, 2025 at 8:37 am | #

      “If I had a black light in here…”

      • Olav
        Olav
        May 28, 2025 at 9:14 am | #

        “You got issues, Quill…”

        • Olav
          Olav
          May 28, 2025 at 9:15 am | #

          Dammit, should have said Joe instead of Quill…

  26. Acher4
    Acher4
    May 28, 2025 at 2:35 am | #

    “most incredible woman in the world”

    Awwwwwwww, he is SO in love!

    😀

  27. Emperor Norton II
    Emperor Norton II
    May 28, 2025 at 2:41 am | #

    Think Happy Tree Friends, Joe.

  28. ThomThom
    ThomThom
    May 28, 2025 at 5:34 am | #

    Alright folks, we found the most horrific thing a web comic can do. This 15 year project is over, SHUT IT ALL DOWN! Good work, see you at the wrap party.

    • Nymph
      Nymph
      May 28, 2025 at 7:11 am | #

      I’m confused what’s horrific about this.

  29. Veronica
    Veronica
    May 28, 2025 at 6:48 am | #

    Thank god the comment section is here to remind me that Bob Ross is…someone who exists? Some kind of…famous American paint guy?

    • aSnowyEvening
      aSnowyEvening
      May 28, 2025 at 7:09 am | #

      You know how Mr. Rogers is iconic for teaching kids how to be kind to others in some kind of otherworldly way? Bob Ross is an ex military dude who said “fuck this” and went on to be like Mr. Rogers level of iconic for teaching viewers how to be kind to themselves via painting with similar etherialism.

      • Laura
        Laura
        May 28, 2025 at 10:49 am | #

        After being a sergeant, he promised himself he would never yell again.

        Thankfully, all those years in Alaska did at least inform his landscape imagination.

        Well known for his iconic permed ‘fro. He chose it because it was cheaper than haircuts.

      • Veronica
        Veronica
        May 28, 2025 at 10:17 pm | #

        Being a non-American: No. No I have no idea who Mr Rogers is. Some old dude in a sweater doing Play School stuff?

        • zee
          zee
          May 28, 2025 at 10:48 pm | #

          As a fellow non American who didn’t grow up with Mr Rodgers: a very very kind man who taught kids to be kind to others. Like America’s friendly grandpa, very beloved. Bob Ross was also a very kind man who made painting tutorials, most famous for his soothing tone and a philosophy of “no mistakes, just happy accidents” in art. I think his videos are on Netflix but like, also all over YouTube lol. They’re both basically seen as like human Santa Claus or Christlike (as in actually acting how Jesus wanted people to act, not like Joyce’s hometowns version of “Christlike”). That’s probably the most universal way I can describe it

          • Veronica
            Veronica
            May 29, 2025 at 7:25 am | #

            +

    • StarfighterVicki
      StarfighterVicki
      May 28, 2025 at 7:37 am | #

      Imagine a YouTube channel of painting tutorials done by someone who makes you feel better about life even if you’re not interested in painting.

      The dude could say “the draft fucking sucks, and the United States sucks for having it” and it’d be calming.

      • Olav
        Olav
        May 28, 2025 at 8:48 am | #

        There are multiple YouTube channels where I’ve watched them even though I either wasn’t particularly interested in the details of the topic or it went way over my head. But the creator was just so good and enthusiastic that it felt wonderful just watching them share their passion.

  30. StarfighterVicki
    StarfighterVicki
    May 28, 2025 at 7:21 am | #

    There’s drama brewing with Joyce and Joe, and I… feel bad for Joe?

    Damn, he’s gotten a lot of development since their first date.

  31. Alan in DC
    Alan in DC
    May 28, 2025 at 7:48 am | #

    Gotta love that “Keep On Truckin'” strut Joe is doing on his way to the showers.

    Robert Crumb lives!

    • Steamweed
      Steamweed
      May 28, 2025 at 8:10 am | #

      One of the masters. An ancient artist, an ancient art form, and an ancient time.

  32. zee
    zee
    May 28, 2025 at 8:34 am | #

    Oh God right, if he didn’t go to the bathroom after helping Joyce out last night mans just been pent up all night

  33. Olav
    Olav
    May 28, 2025 at 8:45 am | #

    I’ll break the string of comments about what Joe is or isn’t doing in the shower to point to something else: “Most incredible woman in the world.”

    Awwww…

    • Looney
      Looney
      May 28, 2025 at 9:10 am | #

      LITERALLYYYY joe my friend joe

      • Scolopendra
        Scolopendra
        May 28, 2025 at 2:51 pm | #

        Joe my best buddy my excellent buddy who deserves the world and happiness and for this relationship to go right instead of horribly wrong ;_;

        • Big Z
          Big Z
          May 28, 2025 at 6:57 pm | #

          Right? At this point, it’s not even about my dislike for the Joyrothy ship, it’s just that Joeyce is so fucking charming.

    • Big Z
      Big Z
      May 28, 2025 at 1:45 pm | #

      There walks a man who has tasted the fruit of seeing women as “partners” and not just “sex partners”, and he wants more.

  34. Wizard
    Wizard
    May 28, 2025 at 9:08 am | #

    Jackin’ it vs blueballs from hell. Been there, jacked it.

  35. Taigan
    Taigan
    May 28, 2025 at 10:33 am | #

    I don’t think I’m far off base in saying that, after the last few strips, no one was dying to know about Joe’s erection.

    • Nymph
      Nymph
      May 28, 2025 at 4:13 pm | #

      Yeah, but some of us are happy to know.

  36. Cloud
    Cloud
    May 28, 2025 at 10:46 am | #

    Not in the communal shower Joe! That’s how you end up on a list!

    • Nymph
      Nymph
      May 28, 2025 at 4:15 pm | #

      I just don’t think that’s true. Like, how would they even prove you were doing that? No one can see him unless they open the individual stall door and I assume he’s either not surrounded by crowds just waiting to peek in OR stupid enough to loudly shout “I’m cumming” to the general population.

      • yak
        yak
        May 28, 2025 at 6:06 pm | #

        Jerking it does create noise, sometimes it can be difficult to keep the noise level down especially when you are close.

        IMO there’s nothing wrong with cranking one out in the communal showers if a) you have no other option, b) you know that nobody can hear you, and c) you make sure absolutely everything gets cleaned up. But really, Joe, come on, just wait for Danny to go to class or something.

        • Nymph
          Nymph
          May 28, 2025 at 10:12 pm | #

          Yes, I’ve masturbated before lol thank you for explaining. My point is still that what he’s doing isn’t something that lands you on a list, and I genuinely don’t know why people are being so odd about it.

          • Yak
            Yak
            May 29, 2025 at 4:03 am | #

            Touching yourself in a public place does land you on a list in most states. This would include public bathrooms. You’d probably need to dig in to case law to see whether a shared dorm shower counts as a “public place”. If someone got offended by it, they could definitely cause some consequences to Joe.

            More importantly though, it would be mortally embarrassing.

            • Nymph
              Nymph
              May 29, 2025 at 5:22 am | #

              If it counts as that kind of place, then I think you’d find he’s already in trouble for being naked in there. It’s a private stall, people need to stop clutching their pearls.

    • Big Z
      Big Z
      May 28, 2025 at 6:59 pm | #

      I have some news you may not want to hear about a common use of the showers in the men’s dormitory, because when your alternative is “hope your roommate and you don’t have classes at the same time AND that he’s predictable in when he comes back to the room”, the communal shower is the place you are LEAST likely to get caught/bother anyone.

      Hell, Joe’s got a DOOR. We had SHOWER CURTAINS.

    • Li
      Li
      May 28, 2025 at 11:31 pm | #

      I really hope this is a joke and that you do not actually think there are or should be lists of people who masturbate in dorm showers.

  37. Elf grrl
    Elf grrl
    May 28, 2025 at 11:20 am | #

    This has to be the best Joe redemption arc. Man went from sex pest to pent up himbo boyfriend in 6 month (canonically). I hope he remains growing and getting better and awesome

  38. Kaz
    Kaz
    May 28, 2025 at 11:46 am | #

    I’m so curious about where this all can go, especially for Joe. If Joyce leaves him for Dotty, will he be understanding, or bitter, or just sad, or a mix of all 3? Will he take it gracefully or will it get ugly, or worse will he suggest poly between them? If Joyce chooses him and he finds out about her feelings with Dotty, how will that affect him? He knows Dotty’s feelings but seemed okay about them, not protective, which is a massive green flag, but will that stay or does he just feel confident in himself and have that get cracked? I really hope for the best with Joe, whether it’s with Joyce or not.

    • Kaz
      Kaz
      May 28, 2025 at 11:49 am | #

      Before anyone asks, poly itself isn’t bad, but he should definitely not be the one to suggest it, even if it’s just wholeheartedly thinking of Joyce because it will always look like he’s trying to find a reason to get with more women due to his reputation. Plus that would be a lot for Joyce, what with all that’s happened in the last several months and her coming to terms with her faith, and now her sexuality, she needs time to let everything settle before even thinking about the complexity that is a poly relationship.

      • V98
        V98
        May 28, 2025 at 5:16 pm | #

        Nahhh, it’s called Dumbing of Age, not Smarting of Age! I can see Joyce giving poly a try.

        And I don’t think any romantic permutation of our characters ever has Joe/Dorothy as a possibility, so I wouldn’t worry about him looking like he’s just trying to get more chicks lol

  39. Van Jealous
    Van Jealous
    May 28, 2025 at 12:21 pm | #

    It’s nice to see that Joe has erected a “branch office”, as it were…

  40. Comic.phile
    Comic.phile
    May 28, 2025 at 5:15 pm | #

    Willis please don’t have Joyce break Joe’s heart. Please please please

  41. yak
    yak
    May 28, 2025 at 6:00 pm | #

    Ah yes, the terrible dilemma of living in the dorms and not being able to masturbate.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      May 28, 2025 at 8:46 pm | #

      I’ve never lived in a dorm but I’ve always shared living space with someone, and it’s really not that difficult to find an open window for crankin’ it. There are usable places everywhere.

      • yak
        yak
        May 28, 2025 at 9:39 pm | #

        Yeah, but sometimes the stars misalign and an opportunity doesn’t present itself for a few days.

      • zee
        zee
        May 28, 2025 at 10:42 pm | #

        I almost choked. Take your fucking fake internet points and get out

  42. Poot-pootington
    Poot-pootington
    May 28, 2025 at 9:50 pm | #

    If they ever get to do the deed, Joe and Joyce are going to need at least a weekend to recover.

  43. Meagan
    Meagan
    May 28, 2025 at 10:48 pm | #

    It seems pretty clear from looking at the shower construction that their walls go to the floor and therefore do not have communal drains.

  44. Pappenheimer
    Pappenheimer
    May 28, 2025 at 10:58 pm | #

    Perhaps a little known fact – there is a placard on the wall in the Medical Center on Fairchild AFB announcing that Bob Ross used to work there, possibly because nobody else famous ever did. He worked in the medical records section, which is both very important and mind-numbingly boring, and apparently decided after leaving the Air Force that he would never act like a master sergeant (which can sometimes mean being loud and abrasive) ever again.

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