I don’t know WHAT Joe did to Joyce to deserve this level of disdain from her. God, every time she abuses him I hate her more. I can’t even find her sincerely sweet interactions enjoyable anymore because this garbage has just poisoned my perception of her.
Lys
Relationship conversations are hard, over the top romantic gestures and sex are easy. Like, has Joyce ever once had a serious conversation about a romantic relationship? The talk she keeps putting off with Joe would be her first of its kind! It’s understandable she’s avoiding it. It’s only been a couple of days, these things can get put off for weeks, months, years even.
Definitely not the only one. Read the comic only to feel my eyes glaze over when I saw the two of them together.
–
It’s not even hate or annoyance or any sort of emotional response at this point, just apathy. They’re cutesy and encourage bad behaviours in one another, there’s just nothing of interest plot-wise or emotion-wise when I see them together now. And the worst part is we keep having far more interesting character moments get interrupted to see this too
I SWEAR, if they bail on Asma and BOWLING so they can just do the horizontal tango,
this couple’s new name is gonna be *STUPID STINKY*
cuz dat wat they ARE (D:<)
Joyce could’ve easily just told Joe she doesn’t want to be in a poly relationship with him, and then went back to her room to have sex with Dorothy. Instead of keeping his hopes up. Joe deserves so much better than this.
I mean yeah? It was pretty clear from the get-go that if anything at all is still happening with Joe he’d be playing second fiddle. She literally explicitly broke up with him for dorothy. Maybe she ends up dating them both but right now she was pretty explicit about her priorities of definitely dotty, maybe joe.
Also: There’d be no point in talking if she doesn’t have a definitive answer yet, and she probably doesn’t. I’ve certainly had people take longer to think over similarly important topics. Even in a completely tame situation, it could easily take a good few days to mull over, and this isn’t a tame situation. She’s also dealing with: new relationship, realizing she’s bi, being outed on the front cover of the newspaper, being in danger at a protest, getting her dorm raided by the police, a surprise visit from her dad and having to deal with coming out to *him*, her best friend being upset and breaking up with her. (And frankly, probably still processing the “my sister is trans” thing as well). Not to mention, since her relationship with Dotty is itself very new, it’s hard to say whether she wants to also have a relationship with Joe when she’s still feeling the dorothy relationship out. And if she doesn’t have an answer yet, there really isn’t much you could expect her to say to him except “i’m still thinking” which, she basically did last time she saw him by saying “hey i do want to talk soon but not yet”. It just seems like you’re reading this super uncharitably
She said she came to break up with him, he proposed an alternative, she’s yet to give a solid yes or no to that alternative. Whether they’re currently broken up is arguable, but also completely irrelevant to what I was saying because that initial statement of wanting to break up with him in order to be with dorothy (not to mention the conversation afterwards) made her priorities extremely clear and that’s what I was talking about
For cryin’ out loud, maybe she hasn’t made a decision yet, you know. Maybe she needs to think about it. Maybe she even wants to talk to Dorothy about it before talking to him about it. Maybe the alt text isn’t a euphemism and she wants to cuddle because she’s trying to build up emotional energy to either ask her girlfriend for something a little unreasonable, or to reject somebody she likes and break his heart. Because doing that is actually *hard* and doing hard things is, y’know, hard, and she *already* had to try and patch up Becky and Dina as she runs around trying to process her incredibly sudden life change and the myriad ways in which it has had negative fallout.
Look I’m really not trying to hate here. I think Joyce is maybe getting too much of that recently, but I do find it interesting that she’s once again brushed off that conversation with Joe and it turns out it was for no reason at all. She’s looking to get some afternoon delight. She could’ve talked to that dude and cut him loose. There was no more important agenda here. She just does not care about him.
I don’t even think she really has any responsibility or obligation to talk to him. I just wish she’d say she won’t instead of what feels like purposefully giving him false hope. What am I supposed to think here?
She’s procrastinating this conversation worse than me with the dishes, at least I have the nagging on the back of my head that I need to do that. She straight up doesn’t seem to care so long as he keeps out of sight…
Eh, if Joyce truly didn’t care for/was actively apathetic to Joe wouldn’t she easily be able to respond to his proposition with a simple dispassionate “no”?
I think one could just as easily interpret Joyce’s active avoidance of the conversation as a symptom of Joyce subconsciously (and arguably even selfishly) not wanting to officially give-up/drop Joe yet, basically Joyce does want to have her cake and eat it too (in regard to having both Dorothy and Joe) but is avoiding/procrastinating on having to face the emotional discomfort of actually confronting the scenario until the last minute (or perhaps becomes tempted herself?).
Oh I am not saying it doesn’t, but it could possibly be intentionally the point if Willis truly meant what they said that they wanted to do a cheating story-line with some truly unbecoming and realistically immaturely selfish young-adult behavior.
Lys
I find it very relatable! It’s hard to be honest with yourself about what you want, and it’s even harder to talk to other people about it. Much easier to just go with whatever impulse seizes you in the moment.
Yeah, that’s my read exactly. The conversation with Joe is an unpleasant prospect for Joyce because she would have to choose between letting Joe go, or trying to convince Dorothy to share, both of which would be difficult, so she keeps putting it off because that’s easier. Indeed, I think her insistence on having having bed-time with Dorothy right now is her trying to distract herself from Joe.
She’s procrastinating this conversation worse than me with the dishes, at least I have the nagging on the back of my head that I need to do that. She straight up doesn’t seem to care so long as he keeps out of sight…
Honestly, I’m living for this continued confirmation that Joyce doesn’t actually care all that much about Joe right now. Makes sense, her one track mind is still riding the high of being gay for Dorothy and I suspect that high will last her a long time, probably for longer than it will for Dorothy herself. Which means it’s likely we’re soon getting some lopsided understandings and communication issues in the future between these two, which is something I’m excited to see shake out (if for no other reason than it would get me more invested).
“Today’s one of my favorite strips” – David Willis
I… I just… I can’t anymore. I’ve been more mixed than outright negative on the storyline so far, but this strip just… is awful. Joyce acting like a needy child to put off talking with Joe is one of your favorite strips, Willis? Okay.
I swear Joyce acts more like a spoiled immature child after getting together with Dorothy than she ever did before. I really do feel like getting together made both of them behave worse, as they enable each other’s worst impulses.
Oh, no! Sin and depravity. Cheating and chastisement. Why has Willis not junked something like a year’s worth of strips to pander to the desire of many of the vocal portion of the readership that there be crimes and punishments? That people offer sensible solutions to each other, instead of amusing messes in which there is payoff for the most ridiculous solutions? That fictional life in short strips, intended to amuse or to cause readers to emote, should not be chaos?
Well, I for one, am here to read the comic Willis writes. I don’t personally think I could do it better. I enjoy it. And if I didn’t, I wouldn’t bother reading it nor contributing to its continuation.
So you want the comments to generally be more unpleasant and toxic?
Dot
I want people to express whatever thoughts they have, whether they’re negative or positive. I hate this idea that the vibes should only ever be positive. If people have critiques, they should express them, even if they do so vitriolically. Like. Who cares?
the containment threads were less “containment” and more “an open festering wound that didn’t ‘contain’ jack shit, because containment implies a level of compartmentalization, which is impossible in a comments section that lacks a ‘show more/hide replies’ function for threads, meaning there would always be an exposed block of people feedback-looping the worst-possible-faith readings of the comic on every goddamn strip because god fucking forbid two queer women live their lives without prioritizing the feelings of men”
—
i’d be quite happy if they never came back.
The creator of the containment thread (me) is a whole dyke so I’d appreciate you casting fewer aspersions on my support of queer women, thanks.
QueenofSodor
i’m also a dyke. you’re ignoring my point here, which is that the threads weren’t any good at their stated goal because they were not meaningfully ignorable for anybody trying to actually engage with the comments section. they were essentially picture frames for tar pits; not containing but instead proudly displaying.
nadamás
And let’s nor forget that it was demonstrably detrimental to Willis mental health. It stopped for good reasons.
QueenofSodor
@nadamás: i mean i’m pretty sure the reason the threads stopped was because dot was publishing them earlier and earlier to such a ridiculous degree that it was the *first comment* on a strip. which, again, makes the whole thing difficult to ignore (and therefore defeats its own stated objective) when the steward for the project is rushing to make it the first thing you see when you scroll down to the comment box!
Whereas your hate for other commentors is normal and fine, and definitely doesn’t encourage anything negative. No one who thinks well of the strip has ever randomly insulted anyone else in a reply outside of the hater thread, or randomly posted their hate for other readers as a base comment. Everything wrong with the comments came from the hater thread.
I found the hater containment thread useful and saw that it did contribute as intended. (Ie, fewer people replying to those enjoying the comic with “no, this sucks”– less yucking people’s yums, to bring in a trite phrase.)
—
It was also easier to scroll past than to have it pop up unexpectedly. However, adjustment to the new layout might make it more difficult to follow where threads start and end, and multiple replies will get all narrow and long.
Today’s palette is blues thru purples to pinks, symbolically gay, symbolically girly, for they are in agreement, yes, but it appears that Joyce has thrown off the shackles of social expectation, and Dorothy just wants to. Joyce made the opening move on Dorothy, Joyce is leading the way, but only by a hair’s breadth.
Meanwhile, the dorm room is obdurately natural, neutral green, conforming with the other dorm rooms, be normal, be the same, comply.
70 thoughts on “Feared”
QueenofSodor
dorothy’s incredibly cute in that pink hoodie, completely understandable joyce for to be demanding “bedtime” so suddenly
NGPZ
“SCREW THAT, MOM! I WANNA GO BOWLING!” 😤
Grimey
“Horny as the devil with her little witchy ways.” – Blu, ‘No Greater Love’
Astariel
It’s bedtime, Dorothy. Just accept it.
Sirksome
Don’t trust bedtimes (thinly veiled excuses to fuck).
jeffepp
There WILL be Snu-Snu!
mindbleach
Oh shit, who taught her Top Voice?
Laura
“She has The Voice!”
“The Weirding Way!”
embe13
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
IntangibleMatter
Y’know what, at least you can always go to bed. You can’t always go to the laundry room.
Dara
four score and seven seconds ago, the abraham lincoln of making joyce cum was a useless lesbian?
Mravac Kid
It could be argued it’s *always* cuddles o’clock.
Dot
Oh my fucking gd she left the conversation with Joe behind literally so she could go fuck Dorothy
Big Z, the cycle is collapsing in on itself, what do we do
Nono
Having a “empathetic” conversation with Dina gets her in the mood apparently?
Sirksome
Oh good. I’m not the only one feeling a bit of wtf at this.
Lumino
I don’t know WHAT Joe did to Joyce to deserve this level of disdain from her. God, every time she abuses him I hate her more. I can’t even find her sincerely sweet interactions enjoyable anymore because this garbage has just poisoned my perception of her.
Lys
Relationship conversations are hard, over the top romantic gestures and sex are easy. Like, has Joyce ever once had a serious conversation about a romantic relationship? The talk she keeps putting off with Joe would be her first of its kind! It’s understandable she’s avoiding it. It’s only been a couple of days, these things can get put off for weeks, months, years even.
RexLatro
Definitely not the only one. Read the comic only to feel my eyes glaze over when I saw the two of them together.
–
It’s not even hate or annoyance or any sort of emotional response at this point, just apathy. They’re cutesy and encourage bad behaviours in one another, there’s just nothing of interest plot-wise or emotion-wise when I see them together now. And the worst part is we keep having far more interesting character moments get interrupted to see this too
Icalasari
Raidah is also supposed to meet them for bowling. So she’s about to screw three people, and only one will enjoy it
Dot
Asma, not Raidah.
NGPZ
I SWEAR, if they bail on Asma and BOWLING so they can just do the horizontal tango,
this couple’s new name is gonna be *STUPID STINKY*
cuz dat wat they ARE (D:<)
Sirksome
Did they even ask anyone to go with them? Asma’s expecting the cool friend with boots and leather jacket whoever that ends up being.
Dot
They have not talked to Sal or Alice on-panel
Freemage
Nah, it’s only 3:30, plenty of time for boinking and then bowling (and probably more boinking afterwards).
DiDi
*screeches in horrific realization and rage*
And here I was just gonna complain about her turning into a fucking rabbit. This makes it worse.
Kyulen
Joyce could’ve easily just told Joe she doesn’t want to be in a poly relationship with him, and then went back to her room to have sex with Dorothy. Instead of keeping his hopes up. Joe deserves so much better than this.
John Campbell
Has it ever possibly occurred to you that maybe she doesn’t want to tell him that?
Heavensrun
Or that she isn’t sure yet what she wants to tell him.
Heavensrun
I could be wrong, but if she wanted sex, I don’t think she’d be in PJs.
Stormtide Leviathan
I mean yeah? It was pretty clear from the get-go that if anything at all is still happening with Joe he’d be playing second fiddle. She literally explicitly broke up with him for dorothy. Maybe she ends up dating them both but right now she was pretty explicit about her priorities of definitely dotty, maybe joe.
Also: There’d be no point in talking if she doesn’t have a definitive answer yet, and she probably doesn’t. I’ve certainly had people take longer to think over similarly important topics. Even in a completely tame situation, it could easily take a good few days to mull over, and this isn’t a tame situation. She’s also dealing with: new relationship, realizing she’s bi, being outed on the front cover of the newspaper, being in danger at a protest, getting her dorm raided by the police, a surprise visit from her dad and having to deal with coming out to *him*, her best friend being upset and breaking up with her. (And frankly, probably still processing the “my sister is trans” thing as well). Not to mention, since her relationship with Dotty is itself very new, it’s hard to say whether she wants to also have a relationship with Joe when she’s still feeling the dorothy relationship out. And if she doesn’t have an answer yet, there really isn’t much you could expect her to say to him except “i’m still thinking” which, she basically did last time she saw him by saying “hey i do want to talk soon but not yet”. It just seems like you’re reading this super uncharitably
Dot
She did not break up with him.
Stormtide Leviathan
She said she came to break up with him, he proposed an alternative, she’s yet to give a solid yes or no to that alternative. Whether they’re currently broken up is arguable, but also completely irrelevant to what I was saying because that initial statement of wanting to break up with him in order to be with dorothy (not to mention the conversation afterwards) made her priorities extremely clear and that’s what I was talking about
Heavensrun
For cryin’ out loud, maybe she hasn’t made a decision yet, you know. Maybe she needs to think about it. Maybe she even wants to talk to Dorothy about it before talking to him about it. Maybe the alt text isn’t a euphemism and she wants to cuddle because she’s trying to build up emotional energy to either ask her girlfriend for something a little unreasonable, or to reject somebody she likes and break his heart. Because doing that is actually *hard* and doing hard things is, y’know, hard, and she *already* had to try and patch up Becky and Dina as she runs around trying to process her incredibly sudden life change and the myriad ways in which it has had negative fallout.
Sirksome
Look I’m really not trying to hate here. I think Joyce is maybe getting too much of that recently, but I do find it interesting that she’s once again brushed off that conversation with Joe and it turns out it was for no reason at all. She’s looking to get some afternoon delight. She could’ve talked to that dude and cut him loose. There was no more important agenda here. She just does not care about him.
I don’t even think she really has any responsibility or obligation to talk to him. I just wish she’d say she won’t instead of what feels like purposefully giving him false hope. What am I supposed to think here?
Joe. Please move on. She ain’t the one.
Nubetrasnochada
She’s procrastinating this conversation worse than me with the dishes, at least I have the nagging on the back of my head that I need to do that. She straight up doesn’t seem to care so long as he keeps out of sight…
Theozilla
Eh, if Joyce truly didn’t care for/was actively apathetic to Joe wouldn’t she easily be able to respond to his proposition with a simple dispassionate “no”?
I think one could just as easily interpret Joyce’s active avoidance of the conversation as a symptom of Joyce subconsciously (and arguably even selfishly) not wanting to officially give-up/drop Joe yet, basically Joyce does want to have her cake and eat it too (in regard to having both Dorothy and Joe) but is avoiding/procrastinating on having to face the emotional discomfort of actually confronting the scenario until the last minute (or perhaps becomes tempted herself?).
Dot
This kind of just makes Joyce look worse
Theozilla
Oh I am not saying it doesn’t, but it could possibly be intentionally the point if Willis truly meant what they said that they wanted to do a cheating story-line with some truly unbecoming and realistically immaturely selfish young-adult behavior.
Lys
I find it very relatable! It’s hard to be honest with yourself about what you want, and it’s even harder to talk to other people about it. Much easier to just go with whatever impulse seizes you in the moment.
Lys
Yeah, that’s my read exactly. The conversation with Joe is an unpleasant prospect for Joyce because she would have to choose between letting Joe go, or trying to convince Dorothy to share, both of which would be difficult, so she keeps putting it off because that’s easier. Indeed, I think her insistence on having having bed-time with Dorothy right now is her trying to distract herself from Joe.
Nubetrasnochada
She’s procrastinating this conversation worse than me with the dishes, at least I have the nagging on the back of my head that I need to do that. She straight up doesn’t seem to care so long as he keeps out of sight…
RassilonTDavros
“What are we gonna do on the bed, Joyce?”
Morhek
The same thing we do every night. TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD.
Cbwroses
A perfect opportunity to call Dorothy “Pinky”.
Jo_cubstar
Oh Joyce, just tell her you want her. You don’t need to put on pj’s to have sex.
Quinn
I’m not looking forward to Asma being disappointed.
apocryphascribe
Honestly, I’m living for this continued confirmation that Joyce doesn’t actually care all that much about Joe right now. Makes sense, her one track mind is still riding the high of being gay for Dorothy and I suspect that high will last her a long time, probably for longer than it will for Dorothy herself. Which means it’s likely we’re soon getting some lopsided understandings and communication issues in the future between these two, which is something I’m excited to see shake out (if for no other reason than it would get me more invested).
darkoneko
Joyce : constantly horny
AshleyMagica
“Today’s one of my favorite strips” – David Willis
I… I just… I can’t anymore. I’ve been more mixed than outright negative on the storyline so far, but this strip just… is awful. Joyce acting like a needy child to put off talking with Joe is one of your favorite strips, Willis? Okay.
Kyulen
I swear Joyce acts more like a spoiled immature child after getting together with Dorothy than she ever did before. I really do feel like getting together made both of them behave worse, as they enable each other’s worst impulses.
Lys
I agree that Do-Jo make each other worse, but I love it, it’s one of the best parts of their relationship.
Warmth
It seems she won’t be perfect or at least good enough anytime soon…
Thing 2
Oh, no! Sin and depravity. Cheating and chastisement. Why has Willis not junked something like a year’s worth of strips to pander to the desire of many of the vocal portion of the readership that there be crimes and punishments? That people offer sensible solutions to each other, instead of amusing messes in which there is payoff for the most ridiculous solutions? That fictional life in short strips, intended to amuse or to cause readers to emote, should not be chaos?
Well, I for one, am here to read the comic Willis writes. I don’t personally think I could do it better. I enjoy it. And if I didn’t, I wouldn’t bother reading it nor contributing to its continuation.
Dot
Might be time to bring the containment thread back
AMagicalDuck
All that ever did was encourage people to post hate more
Dot
Ok? So what
AMagicalDuck
So you want the comments to generally be more unpleasant and toxic?
Dot
I want people to express whatever thoughts they have, whether they’re negative or positive. I hate this idea that the vibes should only ever be positive. If people have critiques, they should express them, even if they do so vitriolically. Like. Who cares?
QueenofSodor
the containment threads were less “containment” and more “an open festering wound that didn’t ‘contain’ jack shit, because containment implies a level of compartmentalization, which is impossible in a comments section that lacks a ‘show more/hide replies’ function for threads, meaning there would always be an exposed block of people feedback-looping the worst-possible-faith readings of the comic on every goddamn strip because god fucking forbid two queer women live their lives without prioritizing the feelings of men”
—
i’d be quite happy if they never came back.
Dot
The creator of the containment thread (me) is a whole dyke so I’d appreciate you casting fewer aspersions on my support of queer women, thanks.
QueenofSodor
i’m also a dyke. you’re ignoring my point here, which is that the threads weren’t any good at their stated goal because they were not meaningfully ignorable for anybody trying to actually engage with the comments section. they were essentially picture frames for tar pits; not containing but instead proudly displaying.
nadamás
And let’s nor forget that it was demonstrably detrimental to Willis mental health. It stopped for good reasons.
QueenofSodor
@nadamás: i mean i’m pretty sure the reason the threads stopped was because dot was publishing them earlier and earlier to such a ridiculous degree that it was the *first comment* on a strip. which, again, makes the whole thing difficult to ignore (and therefore defeats its own stated objective) when the steward for the project is rushing to make it the first thing you see when you scroll down to the comment box!
Shepsquared
Whereas your hate for other commentors is normal and fine, and definitely doesn’t encourage anything negative. No one who thinks well of the strip has ever randomly insulted anyone else in a reply outside of the hater thread, or randomly posted their hate for other readers as a base comment. Everything wrong with the comments came from the hater thread.
Yumi
I found the hater containment thread useful and saw that it did contribute as intended. (Ie, fewer people replying to those enjoying the comic with “no, this sucks”– less yucking people’s yums, to bring in a trite phrase.)
—
It was also easier to scroll past than to have it pop up unexpectedly. However, adjustment to the new layout might make it more difficult to follow where threads start and end, and multiple replies will get all narrow and long.
Thing 2
Today’s palette is blues thru purples to pinks, symbolically gay, symbolically girly, for they are in agreement, yes, but it appears that Joyce has thrown off the shackles of social expectation, and Dorothy just wants to. Joyce made the opening move on Dorothy, Joyce is leading the way, but only by a hair’s breadth.
Meanwhile, the dorm room is obdurately natural, neutral green, conforming with the other dorm rooms, be normal, be the same, comply.
nadamás
I am imagining this with like a snobby french art critic accent and it’s amazing.
Taffy
She’s peeing in her Jays?
AMagicalDuck
This is a very good one
nadamás
Let’s start saying stuff: Who here plays the binding of Isaac? I been on a binge with it lately.
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