it is noted

Later
Posted on January 24, 2026 by David M Willis

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Tags: dina, joe, joyce

221 thoughts on “Later”

  1. NGPZ

    awe good on Joe to be so accommodating ^-^

    on the other hand, there’s gonna be a lot of sustained screaming in the comments today, isn’t there? (0-0)

    note: this is not an invitation to turn this very comment into a hater containment thread, please and thank you <3

    1. Bittersweet

      I actually really like this and I don’t know why, because I feel like I’ve been a pretty outspoken Doyce hater and Dorothy/Joyce/Joe polycule skeptic. Idk, I think it’s the smiles.

      [What I don’t like is the new website layout, which doesn’t look or work right on my phone or computer :\ ]

      1. Reaver

        Yeah,what is with this new layout? I don’t like change DX

        1. clif

          Well, at least the bongo filter still works.

        2. Jay

          Old website was built on something that literally doesnt exist anymore and it was causing issues

        3. Freemage

          Willis himself made the same comment–he has resisted updating the site for ages because he hates change. However, the old site was built on a defunct, non-supported platform (ComicPress), and was having ever-increasing issues. It was change or burn.
          Better to make targeted descriptions of the issues you’re having; the team may be able to figure out fixes.

    2. RassilonTDavros

      What about a gator containment thread?

      https://youtu.be/XhwgSEbA_Ok

      1. NGPZ

        that is fine, yes

      2. Thag Simmons

        Not the Gator I was expecting to see

    3. Rimwalker55

      First off, congratulations NGPZ for being first in today and having a spot on observation/prediction about “sustained screaming” to boot. Full marks.

      Second, Boy Howdy it’s been the eternal roar of an event horizon all the way down. Are we all reading the same strip?

      1. NGPZ

        I mean to be fair a lot of people here were desiring and expecting closure between Joe X Joyce following the whole debacle

        but at the same time Willis has expressed himself that for once he wanted endings to relationships that didn’t dissolve into therapy speak from college freshmen, who realistically would be messy and stupid about it (“even Asher, who as Walky pointed out is hardcore villian coded, makes double extra sure his relationship with Jennifer is over before he even considers kissing Ethan, like wtf yeah imma let these young adults just be horny idiots for once”)

        1. Rimwalker55

          Mr. Willis has always played a long game in his story arcs, and even when a resolution is unexpected it has been towards a happy ending. A notable weakness of mine. So I am hopeful for Joe and Joyce and Dorothy having a happy ending no matter what or how messy it turns out to be.

        2. Big Z

          It honestly continues to be my complaint that Joe is not being messy and stupid ENOUGH about it.

          I feel like it was a huge miss to NOT have this trigger his exceedingly well-documented trauma about cheating in general, and if we paper over that with “well, that’s why he tried to get the poly thing to happen”, I will still be waiting for the other shoe to drop in terms of Joe’s mental state when that doesn’t happen.

        3. NGPZ

          Yeah, and I concur with Freemage’s take below — if readers complain constantly about the inevitably decompressed and slow pacing of a gag a day comic, they can just read weeks or months worth of backlogs, cuz like, in that time surely they have better things to do than endless kvetching which realistically accomplishes jack?

          Myself? Honestly as long as we get more Dina, I’m happy. :’)

    4. Yet_One_More_Idiot

      Panels 1 to 6 are very adorable!

    5. Durandal_1707

      So this comic is pretty good? Probably? I have to imagine the second half of it, as it’s all covered by a giant PAXLOVID ad that I can’t dismiss.

      1. poofdepoof

        My ad is for mounjaro

  2. Steamweed

    I AM EMPHATICALITYNESSING MY SPEAKING!

  3. Jay

    I have no words about this being kicked down the road again other than I’m tired.

    1. Jay

      Oh and *re-adds the 1 year anniversary of Joyce and Joes “break up” to my calendar cause I genuinely expect it to pass before this gets any resolution*

      1. reddslym

        buddy do you realize how this comic has been paced for 15 years

        1. Jon

          Seems to escape a lot of people that this comic has been running for 15 years, and we’re still in freshman year.

        2. Yotomoe

          The Pacing has been slow since it started but it has NEVER felt THIS slow to me.

        3. StClair

          I’m quite aware of the pacing of comics of this format, and I would hope that the author is at least as aware, and why some storylines may be more or less suitable for that format.
          If, by way of analogy, it took me a full day (or more than one) to prepare a meal, I would think very carefully before making anything with raw chicken as an ingredient, lest I end up giving myself and my fellow diners food poisoning.

        4. Taffy

          Actually, you should give more people food poisoning. It’s healthy and good to get food poisoning, and you should be encouraging your friends and family to do it more often. Cook your chicken and fish very sort of raw if you want to make sure this happens.

    2. Shakes

      Petition to rename Joe to “Can”

      1. clif

        Of Coyce.

    3. AMagicalDuck

      It has been literally a day in universe. That is a perfectly reasonable time frame to be pausing a discussion when there are other issues to deal with

      1. thejeff

        I’d accept that more if there was there were even hints that Joyce was actually thinking about it and considering what to do, but just kept being sidetracked by the other issues. We got that one hint right after their talk that Joyce might still think of him as her boyfriend and nothing since.

      2. Yotomoe

        Honest to god, if my girlfriend cheated on me and then put off talking to me about the status of our relationship until “later” I kinda would sorta hope that this is a “within 24 hours” type of deal. Keeping me on the hook for longer just feels cruel. If it’s this difficult may as well rip off the bandaid.

  4. Astariel

    Aw, that was good communication between Joyce and Joe. I’m glad to see them both being mature about this. I also like Dina being impressed by Joyce here.

    1. Dara

      seriously, where’s the dumbing?

    2. Yotomoe

      I’m not. I need to see some immaturity actually.

      1. Grimey

        Don’t worry I’m sure Dina will—

        Well certainly Walky when we get back—
        …
        …

        Yeah I dunno anymore

      2. apocryphascribe

        Thank you!! Every time Joe shows up these days he’s always this mature, well put together dude. It’s actually bumming me out how much anti-drama is happening with these two.

        1. deliverything

          “anti-drama” is exactly my issue with today’s strip. I don’t mind Joe taking it well so much… but… well, yesterday it looked like Joyce was about to Joyce things up entertainingly, yet it feels like all that happened today was the cancelling of that potential fun, with nothing to replace it other than Joyce and Joe being cute at each other (which I don’t hate, but it’s just disappointing after the lead-up from yesterday).
          Somehow, today’s strip managed to simultaneously avoid advancing the plot while leaving us with less plot potential than before.

      3. Redward

        shaking your hand because I love when these guys are dumb and messy but I can’t help but remember that the last time that happened people in here considered it a war crime or smthn 💀

      4. Reltzik

        We’ll cut back to Walky before long.

    3. Armadillo

      Not sure how any of this reads as Joyce being mature. She’s not being mature in the slightest. Mature would be having the conversation with Joe instead of putting it off again. Mature would be not butting in on Becky and Dina’s relationship to try to magically fix things so you can keep feeling good about your recent life choices.

      1. Lumino

        Right? I feel insane with people talking about Joyce like she’s doing a good thing here and not dodging the question so she can ignore it again.

      2. Needfuldoer

        “Mature” would’ve been actually addressing the problem the first time instead of giving a vague promise that “we’ll talk later”.

        1. Armadillo

          I’m giving her a pass on that one since “My coming out was put on the front page of the newspaper” is legitimately something of an emergency situation.

        2. thejeff

          It seems like it would be, but it kind of just fizzled out. I guess it’s fair to panic about it and then not really do anything effective and not have any real consequences anyway, but there’s a lot of that going on. They grabbed up a bunch of papers, which didn’t keep anyone from finding out. Then went to yell at Daisy and didn’t even ask her to try to change anything.

      3. PhyrexianRogue

        Having the conversation with Joe is important. But it’s much healthier to pick a proper time and place for that, rather than having it right now out of the blue, in someone else’s room, while everyone’s mind is already occupied with other stuff.

        1. Big Z

          Except, as stated, the fact that the thing she’s in the room to do and the thing on her mind is “interfere further in someone else’s relationship, on the blind behalf of a person whose attraction to her is the cause of that relationship’s problems, while studiously refusing to deal with her OWN recent relationship issues.”

        2. Yotomoe

          Yeah. Honestly it feels like Joyce (and the narrative) are using a nonstop neverending “crisis mode” to keep herself occupied so she never has to address the elephant in the room. She is the bad guy in almost everyone’s drama right now and yet she cannot stop herself from constantly meddling.

      4. Freemage

        Quick note, here: Joyce has reason to believe she has relationship-fixing skills. Remember when Dotty and Walky broke up? Joyce barged in, a lot like this, and simply ordered Walky to undo the dumping, and within ten minutes, he and Dorothy were a thing again.
        So this is simply her thinking that was an authentic learning experience, and not a one-off fluke of timing.

    4. Big Z

      Hmm. I’m gonna be honest, I don’t read it as ANY communication, let alone “good” communication.
      –
      Joe’s being accommodating trying to will a world into being that doesn’t seem like it has a chance of existing.
      –
      Joyce is smiling like all the jokes about her romantic object persistence problems are coming true, and she’s probably already forgotten Joe is in in the room by the time she’s turned to yell at Dina.

  5. jeffepp

    Well, that was less dramatic than I ho… expected.

    Crap.

    1. Paradoxius

      And I repeat myself: Joyce should push Joe off a bridge #pushjoeoffabridge

  6. Rosicrucian

    I think Joe realizes later’s not gonna come.

  7. Nono

    Alright Joyce, what’s the dinosaur fact that you looked up

    1. Taffy

      Her dinosaur fact of the day is that they weren’t scaly or feathered at all, but we’re in fact fully bald and coated in a sort of slippery slime-type stuff that allowed them to skate through the dirt and rocks and jungles at high speeds (sometimes exceeding 90mph), which is why they were so dominant in their ecosystems of choice.

      1. reddslym

        I was reminded of that one but from Always Sunny where Frank comes out of the couch. “I just wanted to be pure”

  8. Icalasari

    Joe. No. Do NOT let her weasel out of it!

    1. Icalasari

      (Note: I’m just here for the drama. He can let her weasel out if it makes for even more, juicier drama)

    2. Needfuldoer

      Joe is Charlie Brown, Joyce is Lucy van Pelt, and the conversation they need to have is the football.
      Or: we the audience are Charlie Brown, Willis is Lucy, and Joece closure is the football.

  9. Ray Radlein

    Yeah, Joyce and Joe both know that Joyce and Joe’s a no-go

  10. QueenofSodor

    cackling with mad glee at them just mutually agreeing to talk about it Later™, it’s so funny

    1. nadamás

      It makes me very happy everytime people think she gonna get put down and everything turns out chill.

  11. Pocky

    Glad Joyce kept focused on the task at hand!

    1. Jay

      Something she’s able to do for everything but her cheating.

      1. Nymph

        IDK she seemed pretty focused on the cheating, too.

        1. Pocky

          yeah, she’s been knockin that outta the park

  12. StClair

    “Later. I promise.”
    *sighs*
    Ah well. At least this means we get right to the part where Dina utterly shuts down Joyce’s attempt to convince her with raw emotion and zero logic.

  13. Sirksome

    I wanna say don’t trust promises from Joyce Brown because she’s already proven not to keep those but Joe still seems to believe for some reason and I don’t have the heart to take that away from him. Don’t trust emphatics? Talking emphatically? Emphatic is kind of a weird word.

    1. NGPZ

      I think at this point Joe is fully aware that “later” is never gonna come and has just accepted it

      1. Jay

        And the worst possible ending to this story arc goes too.

        1. Coatl

          That would be the last straw and a terrible injustice to Joe.

        2. clif

          A terrible injustice to Can. Shakes renamed him above.

      2. DashWallkick

        TBQH I think later IS going to come up, but not yet. Joyce is absentminded and forgetful and will kick this issue aside for a few minutes to deal with a problem, and then it’ll slip from understandable to neglectful.

    2. eh, whatever

      It’s Greek. There’s “in” and “speak” in it.

  14. Yotomoe

    Please Joe. I’m begging you. Get OUT. This girl doesn’t care about you.

    1. Sirksome

      I really need Joe to move on at this point and quick because this is starting to feel cruel. Joyce has moved on and so should he. This now feels like more grace than she deserves.

      1. Yotomoe

        Joe was right when he called Joyce his weakness way back when. He’s really got a blind spot when it comes to her.

      2. Astariel

        Joyce isn’t the one asking for grace here, Joe is. Joyce was perfectly fine breaking up with him and just being with Dorothy. Joe is the one who’s asking for something more than that, and if he feels the price (waiting more than 24 hours for an answer) is too high, he’s perfectly entitled to and capable of withdrawing that request.

        1. Sirksome

          To be clear the grace in this situation is that Joe is not mad at Joyce for cheating on him and breaking up with him. Also waiting for closure on her time is just an extension of that grace. Joyce is in the wrong here and if she’s made up her mind on Joe’s poly proposal which I really think she has since she hasn’t brought any of that up to her girlfriend, then postponing the conversation by a day, an hour, even a minute is just kind of giving him false hope.

          You can maybe argue it’s more on Joe to move on. I think it is, but Joyce doesn’t help the situation by ignoring it.

  15. Suet

    and the emphasis is…

    later

    1. NGPZ

      Joe’s journey here has certainly gone *Roundabout* now hasn’t it? XD

    2. StClair

      great alt-text you put on that link.

      (for those on mobile: it’s to the strip from last August where she first made that promise, implying that it will be at least another five months before she gets back to him… or, quite possibly, does not.)

      1. Freemage

        *Shrug* That’s the nature of this strip’s pacing. Storylines are definitely dragging on, and without cutting a lot of buffered material, there’s simply no way for Willis to change that. As the nature of the story has changed from wacky hijinks, high action and gag-heavy strips (both of which alleviate the slow pace by being interesting on a standalone basis) to relationship drama, which takes longer to address anyway, even in a non-decompressed story, and is harder to hit the daily gratification in readers’ brains the way the earlier strips did.
        Unless Willis suddenly decides to burn the buffer by posting 4 strips every day until we get clear of this arc, we’re gonna be here for awhile, and yes, that means resolutions are going to take awhile.
        The options for readers who don’t like this are several:
        1: Start checking in weekly, or even monthly, and read the current backlog all at once.
        2: Decide that the pacing is too much of an issue for you, and depart.
        3: Come back daily and make the same complaints every day, which accomplishes absolutely nothing and just annoys the readers who are fine with the story as-is, or at least are willing to accept the story on Willis’ terms.

  16. chaostails7

    I don’t think Joyce deserves those smiles and that grace rn

    1. Jay

      She doesn’t.

      Sadly Joe’s a better person than both Joyce and myself

      1. dinerkinetic

        better person, or person with less self-respect? Like… I could understand forgiving cheating + even choosing polyamory, but why does joyce keep putting this off? clearly she’s unaffected and he… is _not_

        1. Jay

          Being kind is always better.

          No matter what.

        2. Jon

          Because she’s been “putting it off” for two days. I swear, some folks just forget that it’s been 15 years of DoA, and we’re still in freshman year. Things just don’t move that fast around here.

        3. Shepsquared

          We’ve also seen all the stuff she thought was more important. We’ve spent 5 months on that. At a certain point its obvious that Joyce isn’t putting Joe off because she has more important things to do, but because she barely thinks about him when he isn’t in front of her.

        4. thejeff

          Sometimes things can make sense in terms of in world timing, but still be a problem in terms of narrative pacing.

    2. Coatl

      It’s infuriating that she has that constant comfort.

  17. RassilonTDavros

    Oh this is going to be fun.

  18. darkoneko

    it is indeed noted

  19. Dot

    I don’t WANT the can kicked down the road! I want it to explode and shower everyone in carbonation and soda!

    1. Nymph

      Where’s the earth-shattering kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!

    2. Big Z

      Frankly, I’m kinda hoping Dina comes back with a “Get your smarmy face out of MY problems and take care of your OWN problems.”, or similar.

      The most annoying thing about it still being like two days since this nonsense started is that it’s not really been enough time for Joe to decide to be justifiably salty about it. C’mon, you big lovable lunk, stand up for your damn self.

      1. eh, whatever

        I don’t get it. Are you angry at humans for not defending their Klingon honor? They aren’t Klingons in the first place…?

        1. Big Z

          Uh, are you sure you’re responding to the right comment? Mine’s talking about normal humans having normal human reactions to a busybody who just cheated on one of them and fucked up the other one’s relationship by existing near her girlfriend, nothing at all in there about Klingons.

        2. B

          Completely agree. People seem to think that it’s important for him to be angry because they would be in that situation, but anger isn’t the only choice.

        3. eh, whatever

          Uh, are you sure you’re responding to the right comment?
          Absolutely. “Be normal already!” wouldn’t be a nice thing to say or think in the first place; but on top of that I also have to question your idea of “normal”. Not everybody gets angry like this so easily; it’s not unrealistic to depict someone as not doing that.

    3. Reaver

      Read as “Carbonara and soda” and was very concerned about what kind of soda you were drinking for a second-

  20. Kitschensyngk

    Please, Joyce, the word is “emphaticiationalizing.”

    1. clif

      Someone who gets English.

  21. apocryphascribe

    …I’m taking back my SICKOS.PNG from yesterday. This conversation is going to be delayed so much, GTA 6 will be out before it happens.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      But before/after the publication of “The Winds Of Winter”?

      What about “A Nest for Nightmares”?

      Edit: An edit button! Hurrah!

      1. Jay

        After the Doors of Stone but before Half Life 3

      2. Adept

        A person of culture, appreciating giant space worms.

    2. Yotomoe

      At this point, Tekken x Street Fighter will come out before it happens.

      1. YourCousinJay

        God I wish… really hope they revive that spin-off one day

        1. Yotomoe

          With Harada and Ono gone and just the live service-ification of fighting games it’s kinda gone from a long shot to a “snowball’s chance in hell” to be honest.

  22. IntangibleMatter

    Exact same type of thing as the EGS:NP “Jestful Statement” arc.

  23. Mewzard

    I get that Joyce came to have a specific conversation…but I do hope Joe and Joyce get that real conversation at some point…presumably after she finally tells Dorothy about the suggestion.

    1. Zero

      Does she want to have that conversation in front of Dina?

      1. StClair

        I don’t think that she wants to have that conversation at all, but feels obligated to.

  24. Sirksome

    I’ll say this as a bit of a prediction. I think Dina will cut Joyce down a peg or two here. I don’t think it will be fully intentional or malicious on her end but they both have a dynamic when communicating with each other that manages to resonate and is effective at hurting each other. That plus Dina is much better friends with Joe than she is with Joyce and is more likely to sympathize with him. Speaking in his advocacy seems in character for her. Helping lift the metaphorical giant stuffed dinosaur in his heart. That plus I really think Joyce deserves that here. There all three here for a reason.

  25. Doopyboop

    As far as I’m concerned, if Joe is fine with the conversation happening later, then that’s alright. If he was stressed or upset that’d be one thing, but he’s completely chill to wait for an in-depth conversation. It’s not like there’s a ticking bomb that’ll explode if Joyce doesn’t choose to be poly or not right now. Police just raided their rooms. Amber is still unaccounted for as far as Joyce and Dorothy are aware. There’s other stuff going on and Joe both understands and respects that.

    1. drs

      Isn’t think like 1-2 days after the protest? Still in “plates in the air” territory, like Joyce has pushed Joe off for a week.

      1. Madock345

        Just one day after their talk and two after the protest. Yeah, things are still wild. I don’t think it’s been so long in-universe that Joe’s reaction here is surprising. “Last night we said we needed to have a big talk later.” isn’t like, the drama people seem to be making it.

        1. Sirksome

          I think I have a few points in response to this. One is that it is a real world vs comic world timing thing. It’s been a month for us but just a day for Joe.

          Two I readers and Joe sympathizers are more upset than usual because Joe has also been made a joke this entire time. Quite literally being punchline that Joyce was too busy fucking Dorothy to care about him. We know Joe has just been sitting around waiting while Joyce has been so busy, eating ice cream, annoying Asma, getting a cool leather jacket, and being a jerk to Walky.

          Then finally the business she has here is not really more important than talking to Joe would be. Honestly I think Joe is being more of a support to Dina than what Joyce has come here intending to do. She’s not concerned about Amber or the raid from the police. She want’s Becky and Dina to get back together. She can definitely talk to Joe here but is choosing not to because he’s not a priority to her.

          I think that’s fair of her. She’s moved on, but I think it’s also pretty fair to call her out and be upset at how little she seems to care.

        2. Doopyboop

          Regarding the last bit, Joyce might not want to talk about this with Dina in the room because it’s personal and the last thing Dina, who’s relationship with Becky is on the rocks, needs to hear is another person’s romantic baggage. I’m sympathetic to Joe as well but at a certain point, people interpreting Joe as being a punchline in all of this is more a problem of the readers who feel that way than the comic itself. I think a lot of personal feelings are getting in the way for certain readers. There is no rush for Joyce to decide shit with Joe right now, Joe is completely fine with that, and yeah the pace is kinda rough but it’s similar to any other media. It’d be great if things happen ‘right now’ but you’d have a much shorter story.

        3. Yotomoe

          It feels very ironic to acknowledge Joyce probably not wanting to unload baggage about her relationship troubles while simultaneously she is overtly butting into DINA’S relationship issues, of which she is at least a tangential catalyst for. Maybe Dina doesn’t wanna talk about this relationship drama with HER right now, actually.

        4. thejeff

          @Doopyboop: The “punchline” was the comic itself,
          cutting to Dorothy and Joyce fucking while Joe talks about waiting for her to return. That’s not a problem of readers who feel that way.

        5. Doopyboop

          @Yotomoe. Yeah, you have a point. That’s a flaw on Joyce’s part. Maybe next strip will be Dina telling her to back off.

          @Thejeff you’re demonstrating my point right here. Did YOU laugh at that comic strip? Did seeing Dorothy tonguing down Joyce make you point to the screen and go “HAHAHA THAT’S SO FUCKING FUNNY!!!” because I sure didn’t. Just because it’s the last beat panel doesn’t always mean it’s a joke. For example, is the last panel here meant to be a punchline?: https://www.dumbingofage.com/comic/opaque/ No. that’s a serious moment. Oh how about the way older strips would end on a shot of the characters in bed? Some are meant to be joke panels but sometimes you have moments like this: https://www.dumbingofage.com/comic/onemoresunday/ . Is Joyce looking up at the sky, contemplating God’s existence a moment where the reader goes HAHA THAT’S FUNNY? No. So why then, do you think the panel showing that Joyce is not returning to Joe to talk right now because she’s busy having sex funny? It’s a bit ironic, maybe, but not a joke or a punchline. I feel sympathy for Joe there, not like he’s meant to be laughed at.

      2. drs

        holy carp wtf did I write
        let’s try again:

        Isn’t it like 1-2 days after the protest? Things are still in “plates in the air” territory, not like Joyce has pushed Joe off for a week.

    2. Bash

      I was hoping this would be a common sentiment, but I guess not.

      1. kdmw

        I think it probably is a common sentiment, but people just tend to comment more if they have a complaint than if they think things are fine

    3. thejeff

      Leaning the wrong way on the understanding/doormat scale.

      1. Doopyboop

        Well that’s like, your opinion, man.

    4. HueSatLight

      Joe being fine with it, and secretly setting it up, without Joyce or Dorothy’s knowledge, feels kind of contrived in a “keep Joyce from being too flawed” in a kind of after-the-fact consequentialist way.

      1. Doopyboop

        That’s a bit of an overstatement, especially when to Dorothy’s face, Joe said “just be honest with yourself” and that’s the extent of his involvement in them hooking up. It’s not like he was the one personally shooting gas cans at them to force them into a tense moment to kiss.

    5. Trut

      Yeah, this is Not the place to talk. Plus it’s only been 2 days and a lot has happened… I’ve been in situations where the other person and I mutually agreed to delay a serious discussion until things calmed down. I wish people would give Willis time to cook and some grace too, even if they don’t like this story development.

      1. Doopyboop

        I wish people would give Willis time and grace to cook too. I know people get upset about the pacing, but there’s a certain point where it’s less a problem with the story and more a problem of the readers taking daily updates for granted. Not every question or plot beat will be handled right now, I know that causes tension, sometimes the tension is the point of the story.

  26. Kyulen

    I was really hoping Joyce would actually talk with Joe about their relationship and his poly suggestion soon, but I guess I’m gonna have to wait who knows how many more months for any resolution on that. Joe deserves better than this.

  27. Kim

    I assume Emphaticalityness, as a title, was already taken. Willis really need to stop overusing that word!

  28. IntangibleMatter

    Exact same type of thing as the EGS:NP “Jestful Statement” arc.

    1. IntangibleMatter

      Dammit, website lagged and I commented twice.

  29. DiDi

    *shrieks, throws chair, smashes window, kicks table, banshee wails, punches wall, sets curtains on fire…*

    *breathes*

    So anybody else in Texas bracing for this Winter storm?

    1. clif

      By bracing, do you mean ready to flee to Brownsville?

      1. DiDi

        I wish… We’re hunkering down, I think.

      2. Jon

        Ted Cruz fled to Laguna Beach.

  30. Poewar

    Joe, you’re never going to get her back unless you stare meaningfully into the darkness!

    But congratulations on staying kind.

    Kind of single…

    Rim shot!

  31. ProfNekko

    still kinda funny how Joe has come from one of the more detestable characters in the comic for his constant playboy attitude to turn into one of the most sympathized with individuals .

    Sad thing for Joyce is that kicking the can down the road could play very poorly for her in the long run. It’s pretty clear that a lot of people don’t exactly approve of her treatment of Joe (if it had just been dating Dorothy it would have been one thing but the backstabbing of a guy who genuinely wants to better himself is a cold wound indeed) and I feel that further trying to keep Joe in this limbo state is just further tormenting the poor guy.

    The polycule route for those who want it is highly unlikely to happen since even if Joyce takes to the idea and Joe is ok with it there is the simple fact of the matter that Dorothy does not like Joe at all and would torpedo such a deal posthaste.

    1. Nymph

      Hi! Polyamorous person here: Dorothy doesn’t have to like Joe! There are loads of polyamorous relationship styles that don’t include your partners having veto power over other partners. Dorothy and Joe can just enjoy their time with Joyce individually and cross paths as little as possible if that’s really what they want. But, honestly, I think Dorothy will be chill with it. Either out of guilt or genuine approval idk!
      –
      Also-also, I’m still hoping for polyamory in the main cast! Messy, unfair, unhealthy, or communicative, loving, and beautiful–I do not care what permutation we get. I just wanna see several people who love each other and get along trying not to hurt people while they navigate something that forces them to confront their unexamined opinions and fears. Also yay polyamory rep that isn’t a group of cardboard-cut-out characters would be AMAZINNNNGGGG

      1. Tequila Mockingbird

        Thanks for offering and sharing your experience and expertise about this! I only recently learned about the lifestyle when one of my friends told me they’re poly and I have been trying to learn as much as I can, so as to understand him and the world he comes from.

      2. thejeff

        Effectively though Dorothy does have veto power over Joe, because she doesn’t have to agree to be in one of those polyamorous relationship styles and we know that Joyce isn’t going to risk losing Dorothy to make it happen.
        She definitely doesn’t have to like him or deal with him much, but she’s got a say in whether it happens or not.

        I do hope something works out here. It would seem strange to tease it like this and then not pay off, but also it feels like it’s not going to.

      3. Corey C.

        I see your point, but remember that every time Dorothy sees Joe and Joyce together she has flashbacks of Blaine kidnapping Joyce and driving off into the distance. That one scene represents the first time she lost complete control of the situation, and she always values being able to keep calm and have a plan even at the most chaotic of times. If there’s even a slight chance Joyce could run off with Joe, Dorothy needs to snuff it out, which is why she wanted a clean break between then so Joyce could give 100% of her heart to Dorothy. She won’t accept even 99%, it MUST be 100%,

        1. Nymph

          You and I disagree about how to interpret Dorothy’s trauma/panic attacks and her actions surrounding the situation. It isn’t that I don’t remember what happened, I just don’t think it’s as directly linked to Joe as much as Dorothy’s worry that if she didn’t speak up soon she’d lose her chance with Joyce forever.

        2. Yumi

          I don’t see there being evidence that it’s an “every time” thing. Like, “fear of losing Joyce” being real strong at that moment? A moment where she had been so close to intimacy with Joyce moments prior, and then Joyce goes off on a date with her boyfriend and plans to have sex for the first time with him, but she can’t stop it, can’t tell Joyce (she thinks), the yearning angst that been building for weeks is right in her chest, “The Only Exception” is playing in he background but “Mr. Brightside” would also be fitting…
          Yeah, Dorothy’s trauma had a lot to work with there. I don’t think it’s fair to judge what she’d be like every time off one moment of crisis when circumstances have already changed dramatically.

        3. Shade

          No? One time is not everytime.

    2. Shade

      She has baggage with Joe because of who he used to be, plus the jealousy for her unrealised feelings. But I think if there was any reason it wouldn’t work here it’d (rightfully) be on Joe’s end now as he has a reason to not be happy with Dorothy or Joyce and hopefully he gets a chance to communicate that.

      –

      Dorothy was already demonstrating the ability to interact with Joe without being hostile which is all that’d be needed on her end. But it’s also possible she wouldn’t be okay with it and that’s fine too.
      –
      Edit: Guess its double spacing now.
      –
      Edit 2: Nope

  32. Shogo

    I’ve always liked Joe, so, bleh to this. Stop just placidly accepting Joyce’s shitty behavior. Just, please, let someone in the friend group get actually mad at her and Dorothy. (Raidah doesn’t count.) Something more than mild disappointment from Sarah.

    1. thejeff

      We got a little bit from Walky and I’m hoping to see more when he and Dorothy run into each other again.

  33. Cbwroses

    Joe’s handling being put to the side better than I would.

  34. eskimolos

    I mean, in my experience this is so real. I have both been in Joe and Joyce’s shoes, either being left in limbo while I think someone is deciding whether they still want to be with me, and having left someone but struggling to fully detach while they take that as hope that I still want to be together. In every case though, the break up was final, it was just hard for both parties to admit it.

    This is tricky to write, especially at the pace the comic goes. All of the situations I’ve been in took months to recover from, even when I was the one leaving. I’ve had an ex-boyfriend like Joe who was still hoping we would get back together two years later. I hope this hasn’t sunk Joe as a character for the next decade or so. Few people in this comic are actually happy, but his ability to be solid was rare and appreciated in a cast of people with so many internal struggles.

  35. Miroku2235

    Later, and by later I mean never since you’ll disappear from my brain once you’re no longer in line of sight.

    1. Switchchris

      You can see on her face how sorry she is for what she did to Joe. She wants to have that conversation, but there are more important things happening right now and she wouldn’t be able to give that conversation her full focus.
      That is not to say that the conversation is not important, but to Joyce her best friend going through a crisis takes priority. Even when they were dating Joe was the 4th spot on the totem pole. It went Her Sister, Dorothy, Becky, then Joe and Sarah. She would risk death for the top 3 spots, and proved that on multiple occasions, and her devotion to her friends is one of the things Joe loves about her, I doubt he would ever get in the way of that.

  36. Arianod

    Joe is too precious

  37. Well_Played

    Joe truly deserved better.

    1. J

      yup. I hope he realizes this soon.

  38. Florence

    I love Joyce and Dina’s dynamic so hoping they can keep on the road they’re on

    Feels nice to have 2 autistics being friends and being able to understand each other in a way no one else in the cast does

    1. Shepsquared

      Going off of her lunch with Dorothy, Joyce doesn’t actually understand Dina at all and isn’t going to for a while. Maybe not ever.

      1. Big Z

        Yeah, right here with you. I haven’t seen much evidence, certainly not recently, that Joyce has ANY particular understanding of who Dina is and how she feels about things.

    2. Tequila Mockingbird

      The fact that we have two neurodivergent characters that showcase the spectrum of expressions and manifestations of that experience warms my heart, and it’s the kinda representation I’d love to see more of.

  39. Thing 2

    So. If you care about someone, and what happens in terms of relating to them, the best thing to do is depart, or fly off the handle, or get angry, fire accusations? Or is it more likely to end well if you say hello, be calm, state what you want, hear what they say?
    Perhaps it would be good to bring up everything they did wrong and rub their nose in it? Tell it from your own perspective as if what you think is how it is, or ask her how she sees it?
    Of course if you just want to let off some steam and not care what happens…. I wanted to let off steam today. I very carefully did not let it off at the person who had made me so angry. So I still have options.

  40. YourCousinJay

    Man… poor Joe.. Atleast he seems to be holding it together but I still really don’t like him going out of his way to tell Dina she’s never alone after we visibly saw him waiting by his door for however long in the bonus strip. I’m really worried he’s just putting on a brave face while quietly hurting

    1. Switchchris

      Joe is strong, and while he is definitely dealing with some heartbreak, he has always put her happiness first. I don’t think he would ever blame Joyce for what happened. Despite how it ended, Joe benefited from this experience, it allowed him to Grow as a person and figure himself out, it gave him more friends, and it showed him that he isn’t like his father (which is something he always feared).
      Joyce is obviously sorry for hurting joe, you can see it in the look on her face right there, she really wants to have that conversation, but it needs to be at a time where she can focus on that conversation, once everything has calmed down.

      1. Insanenoodlyguy

        Sadly she’ll still be a bongo at that time.

  41. Zamperla

    Joes a good egg*. This is more or less how I imagined he’d feel about it. He knows this has all been a lot for Joyce. He’s probably been trying to prep for all this since he let himself openly like joyce, yanno.

    Also dina’s right, joyce’s ability to push forward through awkward social situations is really very good these days.

    *Not like that. …Unless? Hahaha. …Unless. (hopeful eyebrow waggle)

  42. thumb

    It’s not often Dina and Joyce are speaking the same language. More often now she’s understanding herself.

  43. Acher4

    Oh.
    Well, I really expected some more to happen…
    At least, I really like how mature they are… :D

    *it’s also funny, how this is so NOT of what some specific commenters wanted to happen and once more destroys their “moral superior” head cannons, that aren’t aligned with any of the facts we have seen* :P

  44. AC

    Joe i need you to be the tiniest bit less nice about this

  45. Foxtastic

    So I understand you’re reeling from the website being new and different and new and different is bad….but while it’s new and different and bad anyways, have you considered adding blockquote lines so it’s easier to tell what comments are under other comments?

    (I’m kidding and don’t actually expect this from you, but you know, it’d be nice maybe someday maybe if you felt like doing a lil QOL thing jkjk unless…)

    anyways glad to see that we’re not going with the really painful secondhand embarrassment situation that coulda happened here with Joyce and Joe. It is sad to see Joe continuing to be shoved off til later, but…I think it’s giving Joe more opportunity to figure himself out while being forced to wait.

    Also I love Joe in purple. such a good color on him

    1. eh, whatever

      I can see the indentation just fine; are you on a phone?

  46. hof1991

    Jacob warned Joe about Joyce. Joe is the starry eyed romantic here.

    1. apocryphascribe

      Now see, THAT conversation is probably happening sooner than this one, and honestly it’s one I’m looking forward to just as much, if for no other reason than the potential for Jacob to tell him “I told you so.”

  47. Buck Ripsnort

    EMPHASIS ON THE EMPHATICALLYNESS!

  48. Insanenoodlyguy

    New desire:
    Seduce Joe, Dina. This girl has ruined relationships of both other people in this room, make a new one in defiance of her wishes! She does not get to say who you date, she does not get to keep her man she cheated on while also maybe cheating on her new woman. Make out with Joe all licky style while Joyce watches!

  49. Mustachio

    Does anyone else listen to The Wandering Inn audiobooks? I think of Joyce every time the narrator voices Erin Solstice. Joyce uses that voice in my head canon.

  50. zee

    WHEN IS LATER

    1. Taffy

      Later is when I say it’s later.

    2. Astariel

      Later is any time after the present.

    3. Anon

      For them? maybe 3-4 days/ a week. FOr us, maybe 2-3 months lol XD

      Unlses willis is gonna surprise us and joe’s been waiting outside the door the whole time after dina and jocye are done

  51. Corey C.

    Did… did Joe just raise a death flag for himself by putting a pin in the much needed discussion with Joyce? Since he’s now Amber’s stepbrother, I can see him now taking a bullet for her and therefore permanently removing himself from Joyce’s love life.

    I say this because usually in soap operas if two characters are supposed to have a long talk and they put it aside a second time, that always leads to one of them dying before they get the chance. And since Mike’s already dead, Amber is wanted by the police, Joyce has plot armor, and Joe seems way too much of an obstacle for the DoJo ship to fully sail, then maybe ol stepbro is on borrowed time…

    1. apocryphascribe

      Willis has stated there aren’t going to be any more deaths among the main cast. That said, there are other ways to permanently remove a character from a strip like this. Transferring schools, dropping out, getting put on a bus, what have you. Point is, while I don’t think he’s going to “die” (even though it would be darkly funny to have the “I hope jakey dies” crowd get exactly what they want), it is within the realm of possibility that this conversation never actually happens. I think I’d drop the comic completely if that was the case though.

  52. Taffy

    It would be really cool if Dina went on a rampage with her rocket launcher that has infinite ammo. She could blow up so many buildings and people if she used her legally-owned rocket launcher that never runs out of ammunition and went on a rampage.

    1. StClair

      Taffy, what are you doing?
      Seriously, what are you doing?

      1. Taffy

        I’m suggesting Dina go on a rampage with an infinite-ammo rocket launcher, I thought that was pretty clear. Is there a different layer to your question? If so, please explain it. If there’s something objectionable about my comment, please explain that in explicit terms, because I don’t see anything objectionable about it and can’t read minds (so don’t hit me with any “you know very well” type energy).

        1. StClair

          I think that your comment is a non-sequitur that does not contribute to the discussion, of this comic or otherwise.

        2. Taffy

          You think correctly, then. It’s entirely a non sequitur, it doesn’t contribute to the discussion of the events in today’s strip, and it was never meant to.

        3. StClair

          Then I return to my original question, or a restatement of it: why did you post this? What is the point? What purpose does it serve?

        4. Taffy

          We tire of your questions. Why do you care so deeply? Why does it affect you so much? Why do you lie awake at night pondering the deeply philosophical cosmic meaning of “Hehe, Dina with a rocket launcher”? Why this, why that, why anything?

        5. Yumi

          Okay, StClair is being hella weird about this, but I found your comment mildly amusing, and posting and reading mildly amusing things is like… one of my top ten purposes of using the internet.

        6. NGPZ

          I concur Yumi
          but i guess to some, Taffy is an acquired taste XD

    2. yak

      It’s kinda weird that it never seems to come up how she has an infinite-ammo rocket launcher, even though it’s clearly established canon

      1. reddslym

        What, youve never heard of Chekov’s Infinite Ammo Rocket Launcher before? Its a fundamental pillar of creative writing!

  53. Dot

    Honestly though where does Joyce get off in this situation lmfao

    1. Big Z

      How does Joyce get off? Well, probably “with Joe, if Dina wasn’t here”, based on recent events.

  54. DashWallkick

    I know people are correct in thinking Joyce should be talking with Joe now and not later, but tbf it was “I’m gonna get outed” then “my sister is going to be outed” then she had time with Dorothy then cops raiding the girls room, now the Dina/Becky thing. A lot has happened very fast! She’s kind of juggling a lot!

    1. yak

      I think the Dina/Becky thing is the one that can wait the most. There is no pressing concern at the moment, even talking to Joe and Dorothy about polycule can wait.

    2. Dot

      The Dina/Becky thing is not actually Joyce’s business, or at least not her business to the extent she has decided to insert herself, and she should definitely be using the time to at least inform her girlfriend of the suggestion that Joe made

  55. thejeff

    Is the Dina/Becky thing really something she needs to juggle? More
    important than even talking to Dorothy about Joe’s poly offer?

  56. Deanatay

    Dina!! Note my emphaticalizations! Of werds! These will convincitize you, I am encertainated!

    1. Deanatay

      Also, you used “Later” as the strip title? A word that will, undoubtedly, be used in other strips, and has been already? When you had “emphaticalityness” SITTING RIGHT THERE??

  57. Cmd1095

    Should Joyce be dealing with the Joe conversation instead? Yeah probably.
    However counterpoint, autism hyperfocus. Joyce would not be able to focus on that conversation even if she tried right now. Not while her mind is focused on trying to save her best friend’s relationship that she kinda sorta torpedoed even if it’s not really entirely her fault.

  58. bliss

    It is a comic. Enjoy it as a comic and resist assigning so much weight to the activities of
    the characters. You kids and your shipping…

    1. Amós Batista

      No, I want to take everything seriously. I project myself in my fav characters, I live through them.
      Kappa

      1. NGPZ

        honestly, seconded

  59. a/snow/mous/e

    Yay, Joyce does actually plan to have this conversation! …that doesn’t necessarily mean she won’t keep running from it, but it’s a much better place than I thought she was in!

  60. Axel

    This isn’t exactly a criticism because I know Joyce is feeling an urgency to say what she has to say, but like, girl you could have offered sympathy or asked what happened from her perspective before (seemingly immediately) going into “you have to get back together for my reasons”

  61. Thing 2

    What is Dina impressed by/at?

    1. Anon

      social interaction can be hard for NDs but there was a previous panel where she was like “i would simply say stuff and not care about the reaction/consequence” or so when joyce was first starting to date joe and not ready to tell becky yet?

  62. Anon

    ‘braving though an awkward social interaction’ i mean that’s never rly stopepd joyce before. tho idk if she’ll say anything that’d rly help. or if they do get back together it won’t be because of joyce

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