tomorrow’s strip early, on patreon
I originally had a different dorky headline, but Wack’d supplied a better one.
Discussion (775) ¬
[ Comments RSS ]
tomorrow’s strip early, on patreon
I originally had a different dorky headline, but Wack’d supplied a better one.
Loading ...
“making an assumption for the sake of a pun”
XD (-_-)
You know what they say.
no what do they say? :0
It makes an ASS out of U and MING.
why did i get the feeling this was gonna be a Digital Circus reference XD
It’s been on the mind, of late.
To be fair, it is a frickin’ fantastic show.
And Ming did win the Favorite Character Award…
a-fuckin’-men
So what you’re saying is that Digital Circus stole this joke off of Benny Hill way back in what, the seventies?
No, what they said was that they had a feeling I was making a Digital Circus reference, which I was. If Benny Hill made the same joke half a century ago, I didn’t see it, because I haven’t seen that show. Or guy. I don’t know if Benny Hill is a show or a guy. Could be both. None of my business either way.
Both. Just to clarify, Benny Hill was a guy who had a show named after him.
Benny Hill from the last century, like, 70 years ago. ‘Twas an inspiration for Monty Python.
Benny Hill is a guy. Who had a show. Which got canceled. And then he died shortly thereafter. 🙁
And I was all like “Sam&Fuzzy did that joke first”. Shows what I know!
The modern version is stealing from XKCD.
“You know what happens when you assume.”
“I don’t, yet you’re confidently asserting I do.”
No, they subverted the joke from Benny Hill, which says ‘me’, not ‘ming’.
And the first time I heard the “Ming” variant was in a SnapCube video. I didn’t even know Benjamin Hill was associated with it until today.
Benjamin W Hillard
Unless the digital circus has been out for over a decade, that’s a Dresden Files reference.
Don’t let that MPTION guy off the hook, either!
I was about to do the thing and then I noticed your Gravatar.
Well played.
You make an ass out of u and mption.
I’m being especially lame brained, i know, but what’s the pun?
goodbi
Instead of goodbye. ‘Cause those two girls are byesexual.
666+ comments!!!! IT’s SHOWTIME >:D
Not the response Joyce was expecting.
Probably also not the headline Joyce was expecting.
Likely not the headline anyone was expecting
Well, we all know how Joe defines “headline,” and Joyce has already been there, so…
Or much of the readership either.
given the general Lesbian Thirst of the editor in chief, I would presume a certain level of tonal consistency, at least in the stories that might even tangentially involve chicks kissing
Daisy is riding this headline so hard right now.
this is how the sickos and relationship paladins can both win
Not really the response I expected from Joe either.
I not only expected this response from Joe, I have repeatedly called it in the comments.
Joe, the most experienced at sexual relationships, knows that a relationship is not exclusive until both parties agree that it is. Joe never agreed, so Joyce cannot cheat on him, because they are not exclusive.
so did i, many essays over the last few days the joe was gonna go this route
I went back recently and re-read the section where Joyce and Joe got together, trying to establish what the actual timeline of events was (mainly to use as ammunition against the heteronormativity blood knights that keep trying to characterize the laundry incident as cheating despite it happening before either of the girls got together with the boys, admittedly), and the main thing I determined was that Joyce and Joe’s relationship is incredibly ill-defined. Like, there doesn’t even seem to be a single strip to point at and say, “That’s where their relationship officially started.” It’s all implications, inference, and assumptions. At some point between Anti-Joyce climbing a tree and the two of them arriving at science class, they evidently became a couple, but exactly where…?
And this is not the first time that Joyce’s assumptions about what she’s allowed to do in this relationship were stricter than Joe’s. Like, Joe knows about Joyce doing laundry with Dorothy, and did not tell her she had to stop. That was all Joyce. And he explicitly encouraged her to masturbate when she was characterizing it as cheating on him.
I mean, he may well have spent the last couple days thinking, “Oh, Joyce is wearing Dorothy’s clothes again. Must be laundry day…”
Point of order: Nobody said the FIRST laundry incident was cheating (at least to my knowledge). When they went back to do it AGAIN the morning of the protest, that was cheating because:
A: Joyce had just acknowledged that, by her own definition, it was sex.
B: Joyce knew she was in a relationship with Joe and didn’t have his permission/consent.
C: Joyce suggested and planned to do it.
It is only cheating if it is outside of the boundaries of the relationship that’s been established, and as everyone else in the comments is rightfully pointing out – no such boundaries have been established. Joyce has her own assumptions about how relationships “should work”, and apparently so do you, but without communication, I don’t think exclusivity needs to be assumed default. They have barely even established being boyfriend/girlfriend, much less what that means for who they’re allowed to boink on the side.
People really are bending over backwards to try and defend Joyce cheating because they like Joyce x Dorothy. It’s really quite disturbing.
JOYCE knew it was wrong, hence why she felt so guilty when Joe gifted her the blanket. In JOYCE’S mind, it was cheating and a betrayal of trust. That’s all that matters.
And where are you considering Joe’s agency in if he considers it cheating? Who gets to define cheating in a mushy, undefined relationship? Joyce has guilt and religious baggage issues. Joe is fully aware of this and he isn’t overly innocent or naive. How often do people beat ourselves up over something that we think is going to hurt or be a big deal to another person, but then it turns out it wasn’t as damning as we thought it would be. They just need to talk about it, which they finally are.
Joe can certainly forgive her. Or even just not care.
It’s still a problem for Joyce, because she didn’t know that. She went ahead and did it anyway, apparently without caring whether Joe would be hurt or not. Without giving him a thought, as far as we can tell. That says something about her and her behavior, even if Joe winds up not caring.
I feel like for it to be “bending over backwards to defend Joyce’s cheating”, someone would have to be making an extremely weird or technical argument.
All John and Trixie are doing is pointing out that Joe and Joyce haven’t had a lot of clear conversations about their relationship boundaries, and theorizing that Joe himself might not actually have considered the two of them exclusive, which could be one explanation for what he’s saying in this strip.
There’s really no need to find that kind of argument disturbing.
That could be an explanation for what he’s saying in this strip, but making that a defense for Joyce’s cheating is “bending over backwards” because not only did she not know that, but she assumed it was cheating (or at least bad, if she hasn’t actually used the word).
She wasn’t relying on Joe being okay with it, which means she went ahead regardless.
Making this “it’s only cheating if they’ve explicitly agreed to be exclusive” argument when Joyce hasn’t even suggested it herself is bending over backwards.
@thejeff: I keep going over this and trying to find the words to explain the disconnect I’m seeing, so apologies if I still haven’t gotten it right, but:
what I keep seeing folks (very much not just Lumino) assert is that the people “defending” Joyce’s cheating are, like, desperate not to “admit” that it’s shitty. Or making excuses for it that they wouldn’t be making if they didn’t ship it. These statements, like saying that people are “bending over backwards”, imply a level of cognitive dissonance on the part of the people doing the “defending”.
The idea seems to boil down to believing that people who say what Trixie said above can’t just sincerely believe that Joyce’s actions don’t or shouldn’t count as cheating, and I don’t see any reason to make that particular assumption.
Also, people like John, who are literally just laying out the timeline of events and theorizing about why Joe might not be upset, also being described as “bending over backwards to defend Joyce”? Seems especially silly to me.
I guess I just don’t usually think of “thoughtful, calm, well-reasoned analysis” when I hear the words “bending over backwards”.
Maybe this is just my age showing, but this kind of rules-lawyering approach to relationships makes me really uncomfortable. The point isn’t to be legally in the right, the point should be kindness to your partner. Even if I’d only been dating someone for a couple weeks, knowing that there was a decent chance that kissing someone else would upset them is enough reason for me to not kiss someone else. Have the conversation first; whoever you were intending to kiss will still be there the next day.
I hope for the poly universe, but I super agree with this! Like the size of this infraction is up to the people involved, but Joyce has done this incredibly thoughtlessly and while thinking it was out of bounds and would hurt her partner–And that IS bad behavior! It IS being thoughtless and unkind! They should talk about it! They should SET some ground rules if they’re gonna stay together! Joyce should do the work to demonstrate she can be trusted!
I think what the pointing out of the vagueness is getting at is that we have some decent evidence Joe may not see this relationship as needing to be closed and monogamous if that’s not what Joyce wants–he’s certainly never indicated wanting that. And because of that many of us are much less surprised by this reaction than some people. But it doesn’t like. Absolve Joyce of having behaved badly. It just means it may be a thing to work through instead of a dealbreaker.
Generally the most basic boundary of pretty much most romantic relationships are “Do not cheat on me.”
Its kind of the default boundary that generally does not need to be said. You need to discuss if you are FINE with being non exclusive, but the assumption is 99% of the time, that you are, if that conversation hasn’t happened.
And if someone says “We never talked about it so I figured it was fine” theyre an asshole.
I did, in fact, have someone barge into an unrelated conversation to take me to task for not acknowledging that Joyce was cheating when she “had sex” with Dorothy. That was what actually motivated me to go document the actual course of events in the first place.
And, as I just pointed out, Joe and Joyce had a whole conversation about her doing laundry with Dorothy, and at no point in that conversation did he ever even hint that she should stop doing it. Joyce was the only one who suggested that. In fact, I don’t think Joe has, at any point in their relationship, ever suggested that Joyce should not do anything that she wanted to do. He has been all about enabling her to do what she wants to do, and not pressuring her to do things she doesn’t want to do.
He also had a whole conversation with Dorothy about her crush on Joyce, in which the only one who suggested that Dorothy couldn’t have Joyce was Dorothy. He didn’t even hint that Dorothy should delete Joyce’s sexts. He just asked for his own copy.
But hey, the important thing isn’t what Joe thinks the parameters of their relationship are or should be. It’s what some rando on the Internet thinks they should be in order to justify Joe punishing Joyce for being a terrible sinner, right?
You started off with an intelligent, respectful comment. And then you spiked it with the last paragraph of petty teenager spite.
Come on, man. Absolutely not needed nor helpful.
It seems like disrespect came to him first, I’m seeing here and have been seeing in previous comment pages…
Not to say it’s not unsavory, but why is it that those on one side of the argument must be paragons except for their argument itself, while the angry flying monkeys that aren’t *you specifically* are still after him?
The point is valid however “disrespectful,” it’s not our feelings that matter in this. It’s Walky’s and Joe’s. And Joe has been remarkably consistent about seeing this subtext stomping in from ten miles away, and implicitly encouraging it without addressing the pretty strict self-delusion going on in both of these young ladies.
As an only barely sometimes commenter here, I’ve got to say it’s a little too white-knighty for my tastes in here… not really gonna say much else here, but… yeah okay, sure man…. John’s totally the whole and only problem. And he’s not allowed to have human emotions about the topic. Sure.
… come on folks….
Lumino: Are you someone who thinks Joe should punish Joyce for being a “terrible sinner”? No? Maybe that part wasn’t about you, then.
Li: No, but I am somebody who is having my position strawmanned by spurious arguments.
I’ll be more direct: I literally don’t think that part was about you, I think it was about other commenters.
As someone who was rooting for this, I am THRILLED.
Back to my popcorn.
I strongly suspect that (assuming this is heading in the direction it appears) Joe is coming at it from a forgiveness angle rather than a “what you did is acceptable within the established bounds of our relationship” one. While they did not explicitly agree to exclusivity on-panel, there have been far too many statements implying that to be the case for that too feel like a reasonable response to me.
Agreed.
It’s also possible that Joe is thinking of it as “I kissed Dorothy on a spur of the moment thing, I’m not in LOVE with her, but I sinned and so I’m not worthy of you and we must break up”, so of course there’s no need to break up with him, Joyce would choose HIM. Not realizing, of course, that Joyce was already planning on choosing Dorothy. I’m not sure if that was his thinking, but he could still wind up taking it badly if he discovers what Joyce was planning to do.
Entirely possible. Poly stocks are high right now but there’s definitely other directions the story can go from here.
I kinda feel like the “you knew exactly what you were doing” combined with the fact that he knew beforehand Dorothy had a thing for Joyce means he’s not taking it as a given that Joyce would choose to remain with him if she has to pick one. I feel it’s not likely but it is plausible this is heading towards “It’s okay that you made a mistake, I forgive you for it, now you can come back to me exclusively” (probably followed by a bad breakup).
The more likely swerve that I’ve seen suggested is “I’m not really interested in continuing the relationship now, I just want to make you confront your choices head-on instead of being oblique about it”, in which case… yeah, this is probably not coming from a forgiveness angle.
this is actually where I’m at 100% with this right now, which is why I’m not really bothering to argue any points about it right now. it’s just as likely Joe is going to say “Joyce, just because you made a mistake one time, doesn’t mean I won’t forgive you. You don’t have to break up with me, because I know you’re figuring things out and you deserve room to make mistakes.”
But, of course, if he doesn’t dump her, but also doesn’t okay her having a continuing sexual relationship with Dororthy? That means Joyce has to actually think about what she wants, and actually make a choice, and actually break somebody’s heart.
Or more likely Joe, like probably most college guys, is totally happy for his girlfirend to have a girlfriend and this would be a different story if she’d kissed a guy.
Quite possible on initial reaction and that initial reaction might well be different if she’d kissed a guy.
I’m not sure most college guys would be as happy with the reality of their girlfriend having a girlfriend as with the fantasy.
Worth noting that this isn’t just a hypothetical arbitrary girlfriend. Joe has had a pretty good idea of how Joyce felt about Dorothy before he got together with her.
In that sense though, it’s very different from “like probably most college guys”.
I mean, it depends on tone.
Hard to tell if that’s “why would you think you have to break up with me,” or “lemme hear you say it: why did you have to come here to break up with me?”
The second option makes no sense, especially with that face.
Not everybody insists on punishment the way you seem to… it’s not just Joe who doesn’t.
I expected Joe would talk it over with a cool head, but the surprise isn’t unwelcome.
YESSSSSSSSSS
ABSOLUTELY. As a dedicated Joyce/Dorothy fan I am FINE with this. 100% onboard. POLY TIMES LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
YEEEEEEES POLYLYLYLYLYLYYYYYY!!!! >:D
*plays “Mystery Kindaichi Band” on hacked muzak*
Oh yes please. Can everyone be happy for once?
To quote The Doctor, with one or two letters changed: “Everybody loves, Rose! Just this once, everybody loves!”
awwwwww yisssssssss
Walky might not be happy.
Yeah it’s getting so easy to forget Walky in all this. We can assume there’s an incredibly high chance he hasn’t seen the newspaper article. And let’s face it, he’s a little messed up when it comes to relationships of all kinds. When i could see Joe doing what he’s doing now, i got no clue how Walky is going to react. I imagine his initial response is going to some kind of dismissive sarcasm as per standard. After that… something self-destructive.
Yeah the narrative really seems to be setting up Joe and Walky having different reactions from each other, because it’s boring if they have the same reactions at two different times.
I guess Walky will say something flippant that doesn’t respect that Dorothy is *in love with* Joyce, such as assuming that this is part of a phase but she’ll still go to Yale and be president as planned. That kind of thing.
unfortunately, no. if joyce isn’t “punished” enough by the story, then a lot of people are going to be very, very upset that the outcome wasn’t as miserable as they think she deserves.
Or… Joe doesn’t understand why a kiss like this would mean they break up. It can just be a kiss in his mind. He might not think she wants to break up with him over it and Joyce possibly never considered it… But I’m really not so sure Dorothy would want it. I think you might be getting overhyped and this could end up ugly. …The way it often does with young love.
Second.
Poly stocks THROUGH THE ROOF…….. for the moment.
You know, there’s a difference between poly and basic non-exclusive dating.
Like, I would be all for poly, but we’re not there yet. Right now, Joe is just taking the mature “we’ve only been dating for a week and have not talked about being exclusive” stance. As, you know, he should.
Yes. Several people have been asking for a distinction between open and poly.
That’s not even the distinction between open and poly. That’s the distinction between “We’ve just been on a couple dates, it’s not serious, there are no expectations” and poly.
Well the the couple of dates one is assumed to be a temporary phase. That eventually leads to either a breakup or exclusivity. Open relationships are meant to be in a stable state of together but with personalized exclusivity levels.
Exactly. That’s the “we’ve only been dating for a week and have not talked about being exclusive” thing.
Open relationships are a form of poly. Committed, but not completely exclusive and definitely requires discussion.
That’s a distinction I think keeps getting blurred in these discussions when the “But we didn’t see them discuss being exclusive” argument comes up.
I know. But “poly and or just some sort of open situation stocks are through the roof” is very long
Well, it requires a discussion with Dorothy and it’s kind of important whether that happens before or after she breaks up with Walky.
we all know this is gonna go the path of the deep space 9 relashionship chain meme.
Joe introducing them in a year
“this is my girlfriend joyce, and this is joyces girlfriend dorothy, and this is dorothy’s boyfriend walky, and that one in the corner is amber and she just likes to watch”
Pretty sure Walky has at least once already introduced his girlfriend Dorothy and her girlfriend Joyce.
YES… HA HA HA… YES!
…wait… where in DS9 was that?
There’s a meme that goes around that, since I can’t seem to link it here, I’ll transcribe:
Visitor to deep space 9 to keiko: [sic] so… you seeing anyone?
Keiko: why yes! This is my husband Miles, Miles’ boyfriend Julian, Julian’s husband Garak, me and Miles’ girlfriend Kira, Kira’s boyfriend Odo, Odo’s enemy-with-benefit Quark, Kira’s datemate Jadzia, and Jadzia’s husband Worf.
Visitor pointing at Sisko: and who’s that?
All in unison: that’s our dad
I’ll be honest, I don’t like the “meme”.
I feel bad for younger folks who stumble on gif sets and other things for DS9 where people are treating Miles/Keiko/Kira/Julian/Jadzia like it’s real instead of just wistful projection.
DS9 has real elements. The actors for Bashir and Garak very much wanted something to happen; Jadzia does actually kiss another woman; the Mirror Universe tosses you a couple of problematic bones; and there’s a bit of fun around Nina Visitor (Kira)’s real life pregnancy…
But the polycule isn’t even really subtext, and… look, I suffered through a whole season of Wednesday because of similar promises, it’s a crappy feeling lol and it really messes with your ability to enjoy the subtext a work might actually contain.
yeah i would definately prob not fol=nd the meme quite as funny if i hadnot grown up with tng starting when i was 4 and voyagers end coinciding with graduating high school, although ds9 was my least fave at the time (the proohet stuff rubbed me wrong back then.
WATCH LOWER DECKS WE GET MORE GARAK/JULIAN CUTENESS
AND DAMN THEN FOR ENDING IT
❤️
It didn’t fool me with DS9!!!! I’m just so tired of being queerbaited entirely by social media, you know? It’s exhausting to see a cute gif set and have to ask yourself, “Okay so when they say these two are LITERALLY GIRLFRIENDS is that actually literal or do they actually barely interact while having canon boyfriends……”
DS9 has great character dynamics all over the place, and I will ship Jadzia with Kira forever, but if I’d gone in expecting the polycule to be canon I would have been so disappointed and sad, and I would’ve liked Kira/Odo even less than I do.
Lower Decks’ revisiting of DS9 is excellent ❤️
@Li Look, are Wednesday and Enid dating? No. But if the show runners are being honest about trying to portray sisterhood they’ve been reading too much Citrus.
@Proxiehunter: I’m the one who watched the show and wound up feeling like they barely interacted. I wasn’t even aware of anything the showrunners had said!
So I agree, but from the opposite direction: portraying sisterhood requires characters to interact meaningfully!
I accidentally did this to myself once because I read a bunch of fan-fiction for a book series before reading the books. There was so much of a particular pairing I just assumed that that part was canon. (I was very new to reading fan-fiction at the time.)
To quote your icon: “oh no”
Open relationship stocks are thru the roof?
I personally want a polycule.
I also want a polycule. So much. I’m so freakin’ excited it might really be happening!!!
Fingers crossed!
Also, open relationship isn’t the umbrella term any more than poly is! Poly relationships can also be closed.
Also a lot of the self-identifying poly people I know don’t make the distinction at all,so I guess it depends on the people.
Bird guy from Regular Show fist pump WHOOOPWHOOPWHOOP dot gif.
Here we go, here comes the supernova of rage – and celebration by a certain kind of sicko, y’all know who you are!
I’ll have you know I am several types of sicko, thank you very much.
Same.
How many are you up to now? 15?
There are dozens of us
I’ll take it honestly, I really don’t care for Joyce and Dorothy myself but as long as Joe isn’t getting screwed over I personally can’t think of a reason to complain
the milquetoast sickos. or the paladins for a different ship who like to think of themselves as sickos.
Yes… ha ha ha… yes!
Joe, you sweetie.
OMG polycule alert
The Poly Alarm goes off in Grace, Sierra, and Mandy’s room, but they decide to just hit snooze.
LOOK, UP IN THE SKY! It’s the Poly-Signal… quick everyone, to the Poly-Cave!
damn the rent prices must be insane over there
They are, that’s why so many people started just living as roommates. Then eventually they were like “okay we’re roommates, but what if we were like… roommates?” What started as a cost-saving measure became a social paradigm shift.
If you share one bed, there’s so much more room for activities.
I was more referring to living in a cave as opposed to a building with running water but that sounds right, too
“It’s Sunday. They’ll still be gay after lunch.”
they just assume it’s them who keep tripping it, there’s a hair trigger on that thing
also
*FRANTICLY MUNCHES POPCORN*
Somehow, I doubt this is going to go the way people are hoping it will.
Don’t let me down, Joe.
Do you think he’s gonna request that Joyce knocks it off with Dorothy?
Something about his face in these panels reads “Why do we have to break up just because you cheated” not “This is awesome, I’m down for polycule”
My thoughts exactly.
I don’t think Joe is down for Poly, especially when it starts with cheating, BUT I think he wants Joyce to be really honest about her feelings.
Does she WANT to break up with Joe, or does she feel like she HAS to? Joyce has been running from reality for long enough.
i mean thats the question, and tbh if that IS what he’s going with then this isnt going to be as easy a choice for joyce as she thought.
She was clearly under the impression when she told joe, he’d want to break up anyway. However if he’s going more along the lines of “I can forgive one moment of weakness and during the early parts of a relationship”
And its also not a completely uncalled for take.
There have been people who have cheated once, and only once. Admitted it and the relationship eventually healed. I personally know of one in my life as is.
Especially since these two have not been dating THAT long, plus joe has not been in a particulalry long term relationship as far as I am aware.
It could also be the case that his dad cheated on his mom, and he still LIKES his dad so he can forgive joyce? I dunno that might be reading too deep into it, but I actually hope he is NOT proposing poly. Because that feels a bit too much like “Joyce gets her cake and eats it too!” rather than her having to actually face the music of her actions,
Yeah my read is “so? You’ve always loved Dorothy, why does that suddenly mean we need to break up because of it?” But I could be wrong
How do *you* want it to go, I’m curious. What would be letting you down?
I might be letting Ming down, but it seems to me they want Joe to tell Joyce that he isn’t the only break up option.
I want Joe to force Joyce to be honest with herself and make a CHOICE. In this panel, she phrases it as something she has no agency over. “We HAVE to break up”.
I want to see Joyce acknowledge that this isn’t a foregone conclusion, she is CHOOSING to break up with Joe to be with Dorothy. Mechanically, it doesn’t make much of a difference, but mentally it’s a HUGE distinction. If Joyce never takes responsibility for this choice, head on, then she never grows from it.
Yes, thats it.
Joe being willing to forgive it forces her to actively make the choice herself, instead of just going “Gah I did this thing we have to break up now-”
no, she has to make the choice. She has to decide wether she wants to go with dorothy, or stay with joe.
I would be surprised if this conversation ends with Joe suggesting or being fine with a poly relationship. I assume he wants Joyce to explain how she feels better before deciding to forgive and stay together or break up.
Yeah, I’m waiting to see how this plays out. Even if Joe would potentially consider a poly or open relationship, I dunno if Joyce has the maturity to negotiate that. It doesn’t seem promising, but maybe she’ll surprise us and stop acting like a bongo.
Honestly I don’t think any of these three are up to it, so maybe it should happen.
Joe’s got a complex about his father cheating, Dorothy can barely tolerate Joe, and recovering fundie Joyce jumping into a polycule as her first relationship. So many potential points of failure.
Also further complications from Dorothy either breaking up with Walky or *not* breaking up with Walky. It’d be delightfully messy even without having started in all the wrong ways.
I’m pretty sure we’re going to get at least some of what I’ve been looking forward to… Specifically, Joyce being entertainingly confused by events.
Admittedly, that’s not a particularly rare occurrence, but it never gets old.
I don’t know what YOU want, but I want them to define the does and don’ts of their relationship. And then, Joyce needs to go tell Dorothy what she wants, and see if Dorothy agrees.
It might be that this ends up with poly, open, “Joyce and Joe or Dorothy, exclusive” but also “Joyce and Joe, poly or open but no Dorothy because she opts out”. And so many more options. Who knows.
LMAOOOOOO
SICKOS STAY WINNINGGGGGGGGGGG GET REKT PALADINS
[glee] xD
Pretty sure paladins generally just want Joe to not get hurt, so this isn’t really a “get rekt” moment
As a Paladin, this is true. Joyce is a non-factor for me lately, my concern is all towards Joe (and Walky, but mostly Joe)
i mean they’ve been calling joyce and dorothy she-devils for the past two months for daring to slight a man who ended up not caring, so like. idk. i’m feeling some sort of polyamorous vindication from this after experiencing endless amounts of micro-to-macro aggression from the entire fandom
Yeah, I’ve been reading a bunch of folks who want Joe to explode at her, to scream at her, to dump her, to never speak to her again – folks who are calling Joe a “wuss” for not already being aggressive and hostile to his girlfriend, in this situation.
I could be making assumptions, but some people in the fandom give me the impression that they would like to see Joe become PHYSICALLY VIOLENT towards Joyce and that they would find it fully justified and deserved. (Joe would NEVER, but I really get the vibe they just want to see something really horrible and extreme happen to Joyce.)
Yeah a lot of the Joyce/Dorothy hate has felt fueled by good ol misogyny and homophobia, under the guise of “cheating is bad”
Cheating IS bad but the way people have been acting has been real blown out of proportion in my opinion.
They’re acting like Joyce cheated on a guy she was in a years-long marriage with and not that she’s a literal teenager figuring out her sexuality cheating on a guy she’s been with for what, a month? It’s still bad that she cheated but like, one of these is WAY worse than the others, and yeah, I get misogyny/homophobia vibes too with how EXTREME the reaction is to this, especially all the people who say it is forced and that JOYCE’S bisexuality came out of nowhere, as though Joyce and Dorothy haven’t been constantly ship-teased since the early days of the comic.
Ten days.
Yikes. Glad I’ve missed that particular bit of discourse. I’m pretty firmly on team Paladin but my desire for Joyce and Dorothy ends at them getting a stern talking to and reflecting on their actions.
Me too. It may be that i’m not seeing comments early enough, and violence advocates are having comments removed…. but I haven’t seen any suggesting angry Joe being physically violent, or even Joyce ‘deserving’ violence.
Folks are talking about the subreddit, it’s a mostly different group of people.
Even a “stern talking to and reflecting on their actions” like wtf kinda patriarchal bullshit is that? Is Joe Joyce’s dad? Gross.
You get that there’s a line between infantizing somebody and holding them responsible for their actions?
Joyce and Dorothy SHOULD reflect on their actions, because they both fucked up and hurt people who they claimed to care about. Are you implying that they should injure people without thought because they want to?
That’s kinda sociopathic.
“stern talking to and reflecting on their actions” is a very patriarchal way of phrasing that is the point.
Jumped straight to calling someone sociopathic, that’s wild.
Speaking of people who could maybe use a little reflecting on their actions…
If you go back and read, you’ll see that my comment was:
“Is this your stance? That stance is kinda sociopathic.”
I was criticizing the stance, not the person. But you can feel free to continue being offended if it makes you feel better.
lmao, yes, I’m the one who is clearly offended here.
I’m not splitting hairs with you, you’re being weird to people.
“Joe would NEVER”. Of course he wouldn’t; he’s heard about what happened back in https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-6/01-to-those-whod-ground-me/strength-2/ and knows he’d lose.
Or I suppose maybe he’s simply a decent human being. Could be either reason.
The usage of “they” is not acceptable when describing a large diverse group, name names if you’re going to talk shit about someone, or if you do want to attack the entire group at once you need to prove it with a link.
dumbingofage.com
scroll down a little
You can’t just expect the people who tone police your community, to be actually following that community, or just generally aware what’s been happening in the discourse! Everybody knows that all comment replies need to have cited sources, and personally call out specific other chatters. Otherwise, your morality and feelings cannot be dissected with academic rigor by sensitive pedants! Very insensitive of you.
You actually don’t need to prove anything with a link. This is a comment section, not a formal write-up. Also, plenty of the comments along this line are removed pretty soon after they pop up, so not possible to provide a link to.
Untwist the pearls a little there, buddy. No one’s in trouble, we’re just disappointed in you.
You are projecting hard Megan.
She’s talking about the subreddit.
i’ve been called a fake bisexual, told i’m a useless troll, and have had people use every misogynist insult in the book at both me and the fictional characters i like reading about over me daring to say ‘its not that serious, stop freaking out.’ also at least one person calling me delusional or dramatic or ‘projecting’ every time i point out how weird people are being about this
none of that was on reddit, it was all on this page. i’m not going to gaslight myself into not seeing the bigotry i experience, but thanks for your input.
also willis has confirmed that several people are trying to flood the comments of this site with comments calling joyce and dorothy “whores” and joe a “cuck” so like no. no, i am not projecting. there is real bigotry being pushed about this. it’s pissing me off. stop telling me i’m imagining it
Likely much of the reason some people doubted it was here was that those comments got deleted before they got to them. I personally don’t recall seeing much bigotry in the comments, but I have occasionally seen some, then found it not to be there on later visits.
To add: this isn’t a defense of… well, anyone, but especially not the people who saw it and pretend it never happened. Just saying that some of the people doubting it maybe aren’t actually being malicious, just unaware.
oftentimes I show up within an hour or two of the strip being up, and hear about unsavory posts in the early comments, and by the time I scroll down to read it all, none of the bad stuff has survived. I wouldn’t say it happens often, but I’ve noticed it.
Ok, gross. I have never been to the reddit group, and thought you were talking about the commentors here Megan. Apologies.
Yeah, I do want to second deliverything.
I’m also sorry for conflating your comments with other comments today that have definitely been about the subreddit! I haven’t seen “she-devils” here, I have seen screencaps of moderated comments that tried to call Joyce and Dorothy whores and I know the subreddit discourse is more extreme.
But also: it’s definitely always worth keeping in mind that stuff DOES get deleted, or just overlooked. It’s not all intentional misrepresentation. I’ve talked to too many people who are horrified to be informed of what they’ve missed seeing to think it’s intentional obfuscation.
The paladins over on Reddit absolutely hate this, I just checked.
tbf, everyone on Reddit always hates everything
Okay, this explains a bit. Very ooften during the comment threads of late, I’ve seen folks (mostly Sickos, to be honest), talking about notions and arguments I’ve either never seen on the threads, or which were only rarely put forward by one or two people who got shut down by the commentariat, including most of the other Paladins.
But if folks are taking Reddit arguments, and assuming that those apply to Paladins here? Yeah, I’m just gonna laugh at that notion and move along.
Really? People carry over from completely different platforms and assume that that’s OK?
Are you saying they are platform cheaters?
Most people on most platforms seem to be deeply confused about the fact that two different websites might have different individuals and a different subculture of posting depending on rules and norms.
Then again, most people seem to be a lot worse at social dynamic comprehension than they think they are.
I mean. I’ve never talked about the subreddit because I’ve never looked at it. I have only talked about comments here that I have seen with my own eyes.
Comments occasionally get deleted. Willis sometimes posts screencaps of things that didn’t make it through moderation. And also sometimes you just miss things. It’s not that difficult to miss a single commenter or thread, especially if it’s largely populated by users whose comments you’ve learned to scroll past without reading.
So of course for you it’s mostly “sickos” talking about comment threads you’ve never seen. For me it’s the opposite.
They are no true Paladins.
Why do people go on Reddit, when we have this nice and civilised comments section right here?
That’s exactly why.
Haven’t been there, but from what I’ve read about the subreddit, it seems to be mostly made of people who were banned from this comment section.
I guess that explains a lot
constantly bewildered by the people calling themselves sickos who want Joyce to happenstance into staying an innocent perfect angel.
the whiteboard ding dong bandit is still at large and it is despicable that you are making light of such a fact
being a human being who fucks up and doesn’t have their life ruined over it does not mean that person is a “innocent perfect angel.”
being a sicko means being anti-catholic guilt. not everything needs to be met with righteous, biblical punishment. the presence or lack of comeuppance does not dictate the moral fiber of one’s being.
it also means Joyce should continue fucking up. I wanna see her do weed in front of sarah next.
Why specifically Catholic guilt?
Trust me, us Protestants often have it in spades, but it’s just the colloquial term for the complex.
Boy, those lucky Muslims that never have any guilt.
Okay so I completely misunderstood what Catholic guilt actually is… I thought it was a term for sexual guilt mixed with self-loathing that often comes from a repressed, usually religious background, but it seems I’ve been wrong this whole time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_guilt
But seriously, I’m not saying other people don’t experience guilt, it’s just a phrase.
Of course only catholics would feel guilty about potentially hurting someone they care about.
Oh, come on.
Huh. Turns out I’m Catholic. And here I thought I was atheist. TIL.
=_=
Don’t worry, not everyone deliberately misinterpreted you.
I’m sure some paladins want her “life ruined over it”, but Joe being upset with her and breaking up with her is a pretty low bar for “life ruined”.
Instead it looks like what we’re getting is “Joyce didn’t really fuck up, because Joe’s actually fine with it.”
I hope you’re wrong. Injuring acts done by a protagonist are only satisfying when there are consequences. Drama, for short.
injuring acts is a hell of a way to say “found out i’m gay without a man being in the room”
Do I have to explain that repeatedly cheating on a partner is injuring them? Do we really need to have that discussion?
yeah i’d actually love to hear how you’d explain that
you’re still equating punishment with whether a person is right or wrong. whether or not you believe what Joyce did counts as cheating or if she’s an awful person now, Joe’s reaction has no bearing on that judgement. His feelings do not dictate the fiber of another human being’s character
This I have to push back on a little.
I’d agree more if Joe weren’t the person who was cheated on. It is actually relevant to him.
I don’t think cheating is like, the worst crime a person can commit, and I certainly don’t think any of this has made Joyce a terrible person, but.
neat. that’s not what I said.
*hooting and hollering*
YES
Holy shit we are in the polycule timeline!
And the Pro-Polycule Faction goes *perk*
“I assumed you were already dating her when we got together.”
Joe is the side piece
when you order the side and you get a whole steak instead. ~<3
If I ordered a simple side and the chef sent me out a steak, I might just fuck them in their car during their break.
“But chef your skilled hands are needed in the kitchen!”
“Can’t you see my skilled hands are BUSY”
the ultimate service. ~<3
More of a cake. A beef cake.
Beef is in another hall. I asked him about the situation, and got a quotation.
“*grunt*”
Joyce is into girls and Joe is her only exception.
Aside from Jacob. And Ethan. And that one guy she had a crush on back home when she was younger. And probably some others I’ve forgotten.
Tristan.
Don’t be absurd. Joyce was never interested in Tristan. She never talked about him or thought about him or stayed at church for an extra sermon because he was there. Never.
She has two types.
And Jacob is the Biggest Dorothy Becky had ever seen, so—
So her uterus did jumping-jacks.
“girl” and “boy”?
Beef and mirror.
Honestly, the Tristan flashback is fascinating, and it pretty thoroughly demonstrated that Joyce can in fact turn on a dime from “who?” to “deeply infatuated in a way that lasts YEARS, the second she knows someone else is potentially into her” which is probably relevant for what Willis then showed us with Dorothy.
Joe really has become a favorite of mine, he’s a very understanding and empathetic guy after dropping the act
Stand back! He has emotional intelligence and he’s not afraid to use it!
Not going to lie, I am absolutely starving for more examples of positive masculinity in media. New Joe is shaping up to be a fine addition to the roster. 😀
any time you are in need of positive male role models, ask your self “What Would Aragorn DO?”
the answer extended edition marathon
Amen, comrade. Amen.
Kick a helmet in frustration and break my toe, got it!
two toes!
He would kiss your brow and say, “No, you have conquered. Few have gained such a victory.” Either that or, “Behold, I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, who am called Elessar the Elfstone, Dunadan, the heir of Isildur, Elendil’s son of Gondor. Will you aid me, or thwart me? Choose swiftly!”
OH YEAH BABY
Well here’s the thing about the polycule thing.
Joe might be for it, but who’s to say Dorothy would be okay with him and Joyce in a relationship?
What about Walky?
I’d love to see Dorothy be the one to get super jealous
Joe to Dottie: “We did the same thing with Danny, only I didn’t want to bang him.”
Dorothy: ……..
I am cackling at this. Especially how much Joyce loved Danny in Roomies. Then thinking back to Sal/Joe/Danny and if there is an alternate AU where Sal and Joyce are as into each other as Dorothy and Joyce in this one.
That AU only differs by how much Sal is into Joyce.
Dorothy: “So did you break up with him?”
Joyce: “No, uh… and we kinda ended up making out again.”
Dorothy: “Joyce, please…”
Joyce: “I told him I loved you! He was just so wonderfully understanding about it…”
Dorothy: [facepalms]
Joyce: “Did you talk to Walky…?”
Dorothy: [double facepalms]
Dina: [throws a pillow at them]
Dina: “Shh, I am here to remind you that Amber needs rest. You may scream into this, if it would help your frustration.”
Dina: [leaves, shuts door]
I have been rooting for “Joyce attempts a Polycule” with a lot of emphasis on “attempts“
Mess! Mess! Mess! Mess!
“Squawk! Poly want a threesome! Squawk!”
Hey! No parrots allowed in the dorms!
“RAWK! Fuckface want a threesome!”
…
Well, that’s all right then.
It’s okay. The parrot is dead.
*Squawk* I’m not dead. *Squawk*
It say’s it’s not dead. We have to remove him.
Well, it will be soon. It’s very ill.
*Squawk* I’m getting better… I think I’ll fly around.*Squawk*
“Of course it’s not dead! It’s resting!”
*squawk* “Pinin’ for the fjords!” *squawk*
‘Gayle, IU is great place for you to recite your poetry”
I don’t see a threesome in the cards, unless we skip a decade into the future maybe, and Dorothy has grown almost unrecognizable.
I guess this does fully explain Joe’s absolutely saintly behavior over the tit pic incident. Bro wasn’t just being a good friend to Dorothy or just chill, bro was shipping (/j? /hj? I’m like not fully serious 75%j if you will)
There’s a wide range of responses Joe could make from here, from “You kissed a girl. I want to be exclusive but never said that. Please don’t do that again” to “Do you want an open relationship? Because if you get to sleep with other girls then so do I” to ‘Who else are we adding to the fuck pile? Walky and Amber?”
Or he could just be cool with Joyce dating both him and Dorothy, and he can still be monogamous with Joyce.
That might be it. Wanting Joyce to be happy, so he’s ok with her dating Dorothy as well as him.
A healthy and satisfying way it could happen is Joyce saying something like “I don’t want to give Dorothy up, and you deserve better/happiness”, and Joe answering “I do, and I think you will be soon enough. In any case, it is up to me to say what I want.
It could clarify that the “I don’t get to be jealous” self-depreciation was a false alarm, or let that question in suspense for further character development.
My thought is that it isn’t certain yet what Joe really thinks is going on between Joyce and Dorothy. He might have some cliche idea that they are just “experimenting” or something. I hope not, but I have to acknowledge that as a possibility.
so far i would say that this is unlikely given him talking to dotty about her feelings for joyce
Oh, right! I’d totally forgotten about that happening a couple of days ago back in March!
My personal read right now is “You goofed up. I get it. I’ve goofed up in this relationship too (remember that time with Sarah?). We are absolutely capable of moving past this together.”
Yeah, while I keep making “Joe already knew they were dating before they even knew it” jokes, I think this is the most likely.
We should be asking justin8448. They are the one with the track record.
Really hoping for the polycule choice and not the Joe thinks Joyce will pick him over Dorothy. Also if people weren’t close to Dorothy and Joyce is the picture clear enough to positively out them? I’ve been wanting to defend (Daisy) whoever published the picture and headline after comments yesterday.
Daisy…
1) outed them as bi, which really isn’t news to anyone but is still wrong to do
2) revealed they, along with Jocelyne in the background, attended the protest which could be DANGEROUS
3) Focused on the wrong thing about the protest because of how horny she is.
I remember Becky being upset about the Robin and Leslie thing, primarily about both Robin and Leslie being outted without their consent. I think she’d be upset in this instance too. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/03-the-thing-i-was-before/smitten/
Yeah Daisy sucks for this one for sure
Daisy doesn’t make the news, she just report it.
She actually does make the news by choosing what she reports. She could have reported on police violence, taken pictures of that instead, or on the protest itself with pictures of that. She chose to print this particular picture with this particular headline and made the story (the news) about that instead.
It’s super in character for her, so no complaints, but she definitely had other options than to report on two girls kissing.
yeeeaaaaaah
as much as an entertaining horny idiot Daisy is,
I think she really needs a thorough talking to about the ethics of what she did 👀
IRL, there are photos of protestors of before and when protestors were arrested. The managing editor tweeted photos showing the sniper, but I don’t know if they used those in the paper. There’s more stories about the protests on the archive.org record of idsnews.com than the active site. but it’s slow and cumbersome to navigate. IIRC, none of the stories and photos did ! or 3 though.
I skipped comments yesterday, now glad I did.
Joyce and Dorothy outed themselves, didn’t they? I mean, they made loud romantic speeches across a distance and then made out out with someone in a public park, on a raised mound, in full view of dozens of people and multiple cameras.
I really don’t think there’s a leg to stand on re: complaints about ‘being outed’ when someone in that crowd of people who watched the public performance remarks upon it.
I wouldn’t say their speeches were loud. They weren’t speaking through megaphones, they were talking to each other, in relatively close distance. Joyce quoting the Ruth verse is the only one that I’d say might have been loud but not everyone knows that’s used often in lesbian weddings. Joyce doesn’t seem to.
I think it’d be the same logic for if any couple is out and about, holding hands and sharing a kiss. Yeah, they’re in a public place. However, does that make it okay to take pictures and broadcast them in the newspaper front and center? Especially in Indiana, which isn’t exactly queer friendly on the whole? Where their families can also see, should they manage to acquire these newspapers? It’s not illegal, but most people would poopoo it I’d think. I certainly would.
I agree with #3, but the picture isn’t clear since their faces are smooshed together. Jocelyne is covered up partially by the headline I think and isn’t even a student and Daisy wouldn’t know who she is.
The headline pun doesn’t make sense unless Dorothy and/or Joyce is recognized and recognized as bisexual by the reporter, photographer, or editor. Daisy’s met both of them, and has an inkling or two.
I know full disclosure of conflicts of interest aren’t common with like CNN or the NYT, but the IDS featuring a photo of one of its reporters, identifying them as a protestor, should also identify them as a reporter.
“*making an assumption for the sake of a pun”
Just saw that, with my glasses on this time.
It makes sense to Daisy and I had to remember that she knew both Dorothy and Joyce. But that doesn’t mean every student on campus can or will recognize them from a smoothed picture where they’re wearing nondescript clothes that looks like it isn’t even colored. Those who know might know or guess. But like others have said it’s PDA and unless they’re named in the article or the caption of the photo then that’s awful.
Also I was rereading It’s Walky archives and this isn’t the first universe a Joyce has been outed in a relationship by the media https://www.itswalky.com/comic/first-contact/
I’m not convinced. Daisy is too horny for chicks to accept them as anything less than a Kinsey 6.
I think the writer/editor is being ethical here (unless they are actually making the image the core of their article and not simply a hook). It is a journalists job to inform the public about important events in their community, and that includes publishing images of said events and of those involved. When done right powerful images can connect a reader with events and rally against injustice in a way pure words cannot. Often such image’s subjects are not in situations were they could or maybe would give consent to be photographed, but mid action in their most trying times or vulnerable moments. Still these images are often made the more potent for them and have far reaching effects – think The Terror of War (June 8, 1972) released by Associated Press. While hardly on that level, Joyce’s picture there is a damn beautiful and invocative image (no not in a sexy way), one that no self-respecting journalist would through away. Besides, neither of their faces are clearly visible and the author could reasonably presume they chose to be at that protest after the curfew. Additionally, its not like the author likely knew they were outing the pair’s sexuality or affair – its a big campus and without clear shots of their faces to cross reference it is unlikely the authors would even know who these people were or their situation. After all, if you saw two girls kissing in the middle of crowd in a giant open field would you assume that they were in the closet and had boyfriends?
I will admit the title is a little off-putting though, they could have just had that image as the front page and a story about the protest and won awards. Making the kiss the subject of a cheesy pun seems deeming of the subjects, their cause, and the severity of the events.
Complicated a little bit by Daisy knowing both Dorothy and Joyce – both of them doing work for the paper.
that photo is not “rallying against injustice in a way pure words cannot”. You’re comparing it to a photo of someone suffering from napalm burns. The sub is “Troopers clear Dunn Meadow, dozens arrested”. That’s not what the photo is of. even with the bullshit “bisexual lighting teargas”. If it won journalism awards, those awards would be tarnished for it.
honestly this was litigated yesterday, with the seeming conclusion : it is icky for daisy to not have confirmed that they are ok with the pic being published, but it was 100% her right to do so. jorothy is engaging in a PDA in a outdoor Public setting where you cannot assume privacy you are in a public place, and you are attending a public event with a known media presence, there is a tacit waiving of privacy for you actions in such an enviroment. (i knwo there are some places with laws regarding recording of people in public settings, but those are rare)
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that we have everyone’s feelings to consider, what does Joyce want, what does Joe want, what does Dorothy want, but just for the fact that this is even on the table, THANK YOU WILLIS, THANK YOU WILLIS, THANK YOU WILLIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yay 🙂
As Silksong gets a release date, somehow this arc feels the same as the waiting.
That said, GET FUCKED
DOUBTERSPEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS AN IMMEDIATE BREAKUPHoly!!!!
The Plot Thickens!!!
Go Joe!!!! Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe! Joe!!!
Joe Nye The Science GuNo wait…
Yeah, “the Culinary Guy” has too many syllables to make the rhyme work, lol.
again “and knowing is half the battle. GO JOE!”
This is gonna melt Joyce’s brain.
THROUPLE 📣 THROUPLE 📣 THROU P L E E E 📣
Walky:
>_>
<_<
Who?
You know, boy Sal. The Other Walkerton.
… Jennifer?
I think I’d remember a character like that.
Walky getting Danny’ed would be hilarious.
Oho.
Im gonna guess he’s assuming Dorothy initiated the kiss, given that he’d previously figured out how Dorothy felt. It’s gonna be realizing Joyce *reciprocates* that’s the issue.
Last page he said “I think you definitely knew what you were doing when you kissed Dorothy” and commented on Joyce wearing Dorothy’s clothes.
“You knew what you were thinking when you kissed Dorothy” — Joe, yesterday’s strip
*doing
Yeah… no.
I mean, Joe isn’t thinking this is all Dorothy
WAIT, MY KING, HE’S SO GOOD, JOE STOCKS SKYROCKETING
I’m so happy Joe isn’t crushed. I was worried about him getting his feelings hurt. This is the outcome I was hoping for. Even if the polycule doesn’t happen, I love how honest Joe is being with the situation.
There are so many options! Full on we can try being open I dont really get super jealous polycule to why break uo with me why not break up with her to I’ll just let you experiment for a while and see how you feel about Dorothy after that.
Before these comments explode anyone wanna confess their undying hatred for me? ♠️
I think that would make me a bad parent.
Hey i would love it if my parents tell me they hated me. I don’t believe to be deserving of love! 😃(Is that too overshary to be funny? Let me know down in the replies)
I’m sorry, I’m getting between you and whoever confesses ♣️
(It’s throuple themed, even!)
♣️? 🤔
Oh my god, Homestuck references are now out of date.
cackles
Oooof that makes me feel so damn old lol 😂
I understood that reference and assume you are excited for the incoming pilot in that case. 👋
Ia k very excited and not even hellaverse haters can take that away frim me
I’ve never met a Hellaverse hater, but their existence confounds me. If y’all hate it, then go do something you enjoy instead. Do you see me wasting hours on like… I dunno, Call of Duty forums bongoing and moaning at their existence rather than doing something that actually sparks joy?
But you see then they wouldn’t get to fell morally superior for not liking a cartoon.
I suppose it is easier than actually trying to act moral in your daily life… that involves all that weird icky stuff like compassion and the humility to admit mistakes and work to correct them. Might even have to learn to patiently tolerate folks who don’t look like you or share your interests. We certainly can’t be having that. /s
*tips my hat* Hello hello again, I am one of these such Hellaverse haters~ Lovely to meet you!
I’m mainly joking, when I hate the show I just bongo about it to my friends and I don’t harass others for it. Used to be a fan of Hb and the HH pilot, honestly used to be a big fan of Vivziepop back in ye olde DA days, but she’s not a good person and I dislike the kinds of things going on in her shows now on both a critical level and personal level. But I’m not here to ruin anyone else’s enjoyment of the show.
And that’s fine, I’m not saying everyone has to agree or enjoy the same shit I do. My general rule of thumb is this… pineapple pizza. I don’t understand the appeal and don’t want it within twenty feat of a slice I plan to enjoy, but the people who are into it are welcome to it. I certainly ain’t gonna legislate or make some kinda judgement on folks who do.
I’ll get what I want on my pizza, you get what you want on yours, and we can just talk like civilized humans across the table with each other. Differences do not have to be divisions.
I’m glad we both agree on this as well as pineapple pizza.
at this point, i actually treat the “pineapple pizza arguments” people like a red flag. if you care that much, about something that stupid, which you can easily opt out of ever affecting you? I just know from that one thing, they possess the personality streak to want to police and control peoples’ lives, and so I absolutely don’t want them anywhere near mine.
as a proud citizen of the Socialist Republic of Canuckistan, i have to state fruit works on the right pizza and pineapples should be used in more cooking.
as a wondering, how many of the ham and pineapple pizza haters have never had ham baked with pineapplpe
I’ve heard good things about ham baked with pineapple! I’ve never eaten it before myself, not a fan of pineapple in general. But that’s mainly me having food texture issues.
oof texture issues are the worst, i have those with most stew/curry type stuff
I don’t eat stewa or soups of any kind because i just can’t ecen stand to even look at them same reason i don’t pasta with sauce, i prefer it buttered
Ooh man I used to HATE paste with sauce on it, always ate it buttered. I’ve come around to pasta sauce but it has to be like… pure pasta, like if there’s tomato chunks I gag.
YES. Ham baked with rings of pineapple, pinned on to it with whole cloves. <3
if the soup is mostly clear (chicken/veggie) is doesnt cause any issues, but reality the stew/currie/yogurt sometimes is that my brain looks at it an goes “why am i eating something some one else has eaten once andeither shit out or vomited bck up, and i sstart gagging hard. i once threw up after dumping the soaked pan that was used to cook said saucy style dish o down the toilet as a kid. mom stopped asking me to do that t that point
of COURSE fruits work on pizza???? have people not heard of TOMATOES?!
Really, you having a different opinion and minding your own business? I wouldn’t even classify you as a “hater,” at least not as I understand or use the term.
i think this is an important distinction! you can hate something, but not be a hater; i would argue that “being a hater” requires taking specific actions, or sacrificing time or resources, to actively contribute to or evangelize in favor of hating that thing. It’s a verb, you gotta be doing something, not just having a passive emotion!
She indeed doesn’t seem like a good person.
go put a coin in the homestuck jar for your transgression
But why were you at the demon sacrament
I really hope Dorothy isn’t into it because it would be the perfect twist on this.
yessssssssss
Joe repeatedly being the bigger person between him and dottie feels right every time it happens.
A lot of Joe feeling like he owes people things, has to do with his own subtly low self-esteem…but, Joe actually was tangibly shitty to Dorothy, for a long time in-universe, even though he never seemed to grasp how much he was hurting her. He kinda does owe Dorothy some patience and understanding, because he knows that he was deliberately exhausting to her, and he’s perfectly willing to give her that grace.
I’m a little conflicted on this one.
On the one hand I might actually get to keep at least one of my ships and I’m always happy to see canon polyamory.
On the other…my drama loving goblin half is put out. With Willis saying things like he blew up his comic doing Joyce/Dorothy now and the ‘sorry Joe’s and the reminder about Joe’s trauma with infidelity last night AND what happened with Sarah this just…isn’t dramatically satisfying. I feel like we got a lot of build up to a rocky ride (with potential to eventually end up with everyone in an okay place) and then someone let the air out of the balloon before it was about to pop.
On the other other hand….a) There’s no guarantee polyamory will go well and b) we do still have Becky and Walky to find out (and I’ve kinda wondered if Walky’s going to be the one to be pissed off and I did think Joe might be the one who took it well so. What do I know, really? Guess I’ll just have to keep reading and see where it goes.
It ain’t over yet. Hold out hope
Even if they make poly work, it will be in dramatic fashion.
Yea, this is me as well
There’s glee at this surprise but also there isn’t that tasty tasty drama
we all may need to remember more often than not funny is going to beat drama in a silly slice of life strip such as this, so i find it is generally easier to expect the silly result and be satisfied by how often i am right
As others have mentioned, it’s not certain yet that Joe actually is suggesting poly… but… if it does end up being poly, I’m pretty sure there’ll be drama aplenty as these three (or more) people with their various issues attempt to make it work.
you said it better than I did.
There’s a significant piece of drama that feels like it’s been excised. If Joe was ok with polyamory to the point of suggesting it, as it seems he’s doing, he conspicuously didn’t mention it when their conversation went in that direction before. And he’s been good at communication with her.
Would there have been a good way to bring it up? Joyce was in denial about actually being interested in Dorothy and she has a lot of ex-fundie baggage about ideas around relationships, so it would require navigating both of those topics, as well as figuring out his own feelings on the matter. I’m sure this is something he’s been thinking about for a while, but I’m not surprised he’d take a while to say it.
yes. When she said she wasn’t going to masturbate with Dorothy anymore, he could have said even though that’s more than just masturbating, he wouldn’t hold her to that either. When she said she didn’t love Dorothy romantically, he could have said it wouldn’t bother him if she did.
It’s not impossible he wouldn’t say those things, but it’s nearing sitcom levels of miscommunication that would have been easily prevented. Except it seems like it’s contrived to avoid drama instead of cause it.
It’s possible he hadn’t settled his own feelings on it at that point, and wanted some time alone to think about it (not like that, you pervs). Since then, though, he’s probably decided how he’d feel about Joyce being attracted to both him and Dorothy.
This might also be one reason he’s so calm right now; he may have already run through enough variants of this situation in his mind that the only new thing about the current situation is that it’s actually happening.
people keep talking about this specific moment, but I really feel like people are projecting knowledge onto Joe that he has not actually reached in the text. It’s accurate that he clocked “doing laundry” could be a euphemism for something, but based on how he’s talked about it in the past, I suspect he’s heavily under-estimating how physical things got during the activity covered by the euphemism. he’s almost surely filing that information into the “Joyce feeling needlessly ashamed of tiny transgressions” folder, and isn’t estimating that Joyce masturbated herself to completion in a public space, while holding Dorothy’s hand.
This was definitely one of the possibilities I contemplated for my conspiracy theory board! That maybe, what with everything ELSE Joyce was saying, Joe was distracted from “masturbated with Dorothy”, and then decided Joyce was probably wildly overreacting to something more innocent than what actually happened.
yeah that’s totally also the impression that I got. like “man. i wonder what normal version of physical contact joyce thinks is masturbation?” and it was, technically, just holding hands!
I was hoping that the original plan was to let everyone down easy. But I have an uneasy feeling that now Willis has advanced the planned schedule, we’re just going to get the yucky ugliness early.
Joe assumed they were dating this entire time.
I’m on the edge of my seat wondering if this is “Joyce there’s a thing called poly and I’m okay with you and Dorothy” or “a one-off isn’t a deal breaker but don’t do it again” or “pfft, kissing isn’t cheating” or…
(I want it to be 1, but would be unsurprised if it’s an entirely different thing)
Yeah, that’s what I wondering too.
HOLY SHIT, IS IT REALLY HAPPENING?! ALL HANDS ON DECK, BRACE YOURSELVES TEAM POLYCULE!!!
LIKE HELLO???? HELLO???????????? HELLO
YES… HA HA HA… YES!!!!
Also: Yup, the Reddit chuds are losing it.
This is truly is a win for everyone.
“But mom, the reddit chuds hate it, so not everyone!”
“Oh honey, Reddit chuds aren’t people.”
You shouldn’t call them “aren’t people”. The postal service is gonna get clogged up for weeks with the amount of Funko Pops they’re gonna buy to cope with the emotional turmoil.
it’s okay, they’re too busy calling joe a wuss for not having already demonstrated his manly perogative by yelling at / screaming at / punishing Joyce in some way or another
oh also they’re now speculating that the author must be using this comic to communicate that they’re secretly a cheater as well
Everyone knows Real Men™ immediately jump to fury with no middle ground.
And then they wonder why people say “I don’t feel safe around men”.
“Real Men Don’t Have Emotions”
“But you’re angry all the time?”
“ANGER IS NOT AN EMOTION!!!!!!! >:|”
Honestly, Joe losing his shit and handling this with a tantrum would not only make me like him less, it would be the least manly thing he could do…
Even apart from that, the only time we’ve ever seen him super mad at anyone was when Mike kept PUNCHING HIM IN THE FACE, and even then, his response was to be like “you know what? Fuck this, I’m leaving.”
Why anyone thought he’d go all HULK SMASH! or something is beyond me.
It’s like QAnon: some people believe everyone has a pathological need to communicate everything, including (especially?) the things they’re trying to keep secret.
“Their need for symbolism will be their downfall.”
actual quote from a QAnon believer
Few things are more emotion driven than ”manly and logical” right wing dudes. Feelings are for chicks, so what they do must be pure, cold reasoning.
Feelings are for people who haven’t been clinically depressed for a half-century, give or take. I vaguely remember them, except for red-hot anger. That’s one I have been feeling constantly this century over many subjects, lack of safe bicycle infrastructure being the foremost, with anti LGBTQIA bigotry being a close second. Because both of them can and have gotten multiple people killed. I also get a little peeved at people who are starving to death not because of a lack of food, but because of a lack of money to get the food to the starving people.
the rage is felt in canuckistan and reciprocated and supported, FUCK DOUG FORD and DANIELLE SMITH (were gonna forcibly remove bikelane on major routes in big cities cause “thye reduce the space for cars on the roads and therefor are hugely responsible for congestion” who cares that they’ve saved a tonne of lives, or that the actual numbers say they’ve reduced congestion on those routes. thankfully i live in the only province lead by a person of indegeneous heritage, and is very firmly on the side of “we are ann people and deserve respect safety and liberty”
Fuck cars. They’re not worth all the trouble.
fuck planes too, blimps are better for the enviroment in every way. and 99% of all air travellers do not actually need to get to their destinations that fast
Don’t fuck cars!
Ow.
“oh also they’re now speculating that the author must be using this comic to communicate that they’re secretly a cheater as well”
okay but hold on, that’s the funniest possible take to have, given that Willis publicly put out that this storyline was fully instigated/inspired by input from his wife??
Not to sound like a sycophants again, but the insults you craft continually cracking me up… they’re this blend of popular culture savvy and dismissive that just produces these exquisitely contemptuous barbs.
It’s probably a bit played out at this point, but I really enjoy painting Redditors™ as complete cretins obsessed with Funko Pops, buying them indiscriminately as a substitute for any and all emotional responses. Happy, angry, hungry, confused, grieving, in their minds all things can be solved and/or celebrated by purchasing one of those rectangle-headed modern Hummel figurines. Everything else is unsatisfying to them, which is why they complain so much about every little detail of every little thing. They’re incapable of feeling joy unless there’s at least $25 USD worth of Funkos in their cart.
Reddit chuds? Lord, do I even wanna know?
r/dumbingofage has turned into a hate sub that says terrible things about Willis, and also the only character they like is Joe for some reason? It’s really weird.
Thanks for the warning. I’ll know to block the group if it comes up.
Having checked that subreddit, they don’t seem like chuds to me. They just seem like people who dislike the current story arc and the many people defending cheating here, and they prefer to express their opinions on reddit instead.
No no it’s obviously overrun by right wing chuds that only like Joe and want him to go ballistic mad, stop spreading disinformation /S
now obviously I’m not Joe. But for me? Dorothy wouldn’t feel threatening. As long as I’m the one Joyce’s looking to for guy things, that’s the whole deal. This may be a terribly hetero sort of perspective, but I get women being attractive! My girlfriend thinking a woman is attractive is just something to have in common with them? Especially Dorothy, she seems great. Now if she needed someone besides me to open jars or fight with bigoted JiffyLube techs (or do weenus things with)? then there’d be something to seriously talk about.
i don’t mean to come across as venomous, but i think you may need to analyze your own personal biases, because a woman can do all of those things. i’m a woman, and i’m great at opening jars. dorothy would jump in head-first to joyce’s defense if she saw joyce being taken advantage of by misogynistic mechanics. and trans women and the strap exist.
i can’t speak to whatever joe’s internal biases may or may not be, but i just felt like i had to say something, because you’re a real person. trying to find these fundamental differences between men and women is a non-starter for anything other than transphobic, misogynistic, and intersexist ideologies.
i think they are simply refering to the possibility of the paetners in a poly stuationship may fill differrent needs rooles for different member of the relationship.
OP literally says “as long as i’m the one joyce’s looking to for guy things, that’s the whole deal”. emphasis on “guy things” being “the whole deal”. this very clearly about gender roles, not different people filling joyce’s different needs in a relationship.
Yeah. opening jars is easy if you just get one of these big rubber bands.
Why is everyone constantly overplaying how hard jars are to open? Just simply smash it open with something hard, like a hammer or a rock or a countertop. It’s easy as fuck, and you never have to open it a second time.
Well, sure, but if I have no jars to open, how am I meant to keep luring all these men into my basement, with the promise of opening jars?
Have you tried luring them into your basment with the promise of a cask of Shery wine?
I actually only buy jarred wine, so that problem sort of solves itself
Hmmm, I wonder if Joe’s why is indicating he is open to a polycule, or is it indicating that he is assuming/hoping Joyce will still pick him and treat the kiss with Dorothy as a one-time mistake of passion?
Joe was pretty okay with Joyce and Dorothy’s Mutual Masturbation earlier.
To Joyce this all comes as a shock, but Joe’s probably been expecting something like this for a while. Definitely a case of Joyce being the last person on the block to realize there was something going on between her and Dorothy.
Brutality: Pg 15
Lesbians: front page baby!
The editor knows what she is doing. And I know who the editor is.
I mean it’s breaking news and most of the paper is filler and ads, but that’s really hiding it.
And lo, there came a mighty SQUEE from the polyshippers…
POLY JOYCE POLY JOYCE POLY JOYCE I love you Joe for being cool with this
Oooh, the subreddit is gonna haaaaaaaaate this.
Almost as much as they hate us talking about them here! Hi guys!
I’d ask, but I suspect I am better off not knowing.
Is it more insulting to them that it wasnt until today i learnt they exist? I really should have known but DoA’s platforms have always been the comment section, and tumblr to me
it sounds like you like me were blissfully only aware of the more positive spaces of DOA fandom
i’m gonna continue not thinking about them. reddit is actually a really easy site to only see good content on. i don’t need to focus on the mountain of shit reddit produces, it literally allows you to opt out of anything you don’t want?!
From what i heard they would hate it if any of the characters breathed too loudly.
that’s the gist
If that’s how they feel, then why do they even read it? If you dislike earthing about a series then why subject yourself to frustration and outrage time and time again? Surely there are things they actually enjoy they could focus on.
They keep talking about how they’re gonna drop it but also can’t seem to look away?
I am reminded of how many readers of Spiderman comics continually complain about how they dislike where the writers have taken the story, but when I ask “so I guess that means you just stopped reading and giving them money, right?” And they’re like “uh, no… it’s still in my pull list.” THEN WHY THE HELL WOULD THEY EVER HAVE ANY INCENTIVE TO CHANGE?
Seriously, the world is gonna throw enough crappy stuff we can’t escape from and just gotta endure… why you’d seek out something that upsets you and engage with it over and over makes no sense. Fiction is suppose to be escapist, a reprieve from the rigors of life, not an exacerbation of all our woes.
Generally i sgree though i dislike the “fiction is supposed to be escapism” line because it assumes that fiction can only be one thing.
I get what you mean, and I didn’t mean that as a hard and fast rule… just as an example. When I said “escapism” I was trying to invoke that quote from Ursula K. LeGuin that equated the word “escapism” as a poetic way to say social commentary that imagines a better future.
Not so much the idea that media is some kinda opiate of the masses or stuff to numb your brain… but yeah, I can definitely understand how it may have come across that way. The word’s a bit fraught, I’ll admit.
Not problem you are cool just putting it out there.
Maybe they read it because they like posting a lot of angry shit?
I used to hate-read Ctrl+Alt+Del back in the Something Awful days, for much the same reason Willis keeps up with 9 Chickweed Lane. Some comics are a deeply revealing continuous trainwreck. They can be fun to talk about, even if they’re abysmal in-and-of themselves.
No idea why people would see Dumbing Of Age that way. Highly competent, huge buffer, consistent tone– minus a few deaths tugging on the drama tab. It’d be like finding out some group whinges about Gunnerkrigg Court. If there aren’t shitpost edits of every single update, what’s the point?
Unless it’s Joe. They love Joe and only Joe.
Is it safe to say that we hate the subreddit readers that hate this latest plot development? But, do they hate US for hating them?
Nahh I just point and laugh.
their boos mean nothing, I’ve seen what makes them cheer 👀
Biw i an curious what is it?
Honestly, I think we give them too much attention lately. We deserve better than thinking about them when they’re not even here.
I haven’t looked at the sub much, but I just did, and, no, sorry, they’re right that it sucks if (a) where this is going is ‘nevermind my well-established trauma about cheating, let’s pretend cheating == poly’ and (b) tons of the commenters here are genuinely (a.k.a. not in a “watch the trainwreck” sort of way) supportive and even excited about that.
(that said though I sorta think this is a fake out and that’s not what Joe’s about to say)
Well, I have my finest “Damn You, Willis”‘s ready just in case.
They don’t know where this is going; nobody who isn’t at least on Patreon does. So what’s the point in making assumptions and then whipping themselves into a fury about those assumptions?
The plot twists are where “damn you, Willis” comes from.
The comment section here whips itself into a frenzy more days than it doesn’t, so pointing fingers at Reddit about that feels a little hypocritical.
Considering how many people in today’s comments seem convinced we’re guaranteed poly despite how ambiguous the evidence is, I don’t think we’ve much room to claim we (as a group) don’t make assumptions.
I mean, I’m still hoping for a disastrous poly mess that barely works, but today’s strip gives us no more than a “maybe” in that regard.
After checking their comments for several strips on the subreddit, they don’t seem all that bad to me. I think the sickos are just hating on them for not wanting to argue with those of us who are commenting over here.
I haven’t checked the reddit, but I am kind of wondering how much of the sicko reaction is to them rather than to paladin posters here. I’ve seen a lot of assumptions that seem to match at most a tiny minority of posts here. And then those spark heated discussions.
It wouldn’t surprise me. I don’t have a reddit account and I didn’t know there was a DoA subreddit until today, but I can’t blame the people over there for not wanting to comment here. These comments can get really toxic at times, especially when a strip is focused on Joyce and Dorothy and what people think about them cheating.
This is a very interesting reaction to what you’ve heard about the subreddit so far. I would encourage you to take a look! Maybe you’ll like it.
Longer look deeper look whatever, it’s 7am and I hadn’t read further up the chain yet.
I for one have not been talking about it because I didn’t know it existed. But, like, yeah, the relative few comments that are virulently misogynistic or queerphobic do tend to stick in one’s memory. That’s not people being unfair on purpose, it’s just kind of how brains work.
No, it’s mostly the openly misogynistic and patriarchial BS they’ve been pushing for weeks and weeks.
One of them was announcing he was going to come here to remind us all that “dorothy wasn’t going to f*ck us”, which got a bunch of upvotes and positive comments. Others have been fantasizing about how Joe should punish Joyce and take revenge. Still others are openly discussing how Willis must actually be a cheater themselves, and on, and on, and on. The overall tone has been queerphobic and misogynistic, and if yr comfortable with what you saw as a glance, honestly, I’d suggest reading back a few days or weeks and taking a second look.
It’s amazing how many personal attacks can be read one-for-one as transference or projection. Sounds like that person’s the one who’s mad he can’t fuck someone in the comic.
Why would you want to Dorothy to fuck you, anyway? She’d just be comparing you to Joyce the whole time. Sounds pretty bad for your self-esteem.
I’ve checked several of the thread and seen a few comments like that over there, but most of them seem to be just people expressing their dislike of the current story arc without any of the bigotry that you’re claiming they have.
And this reminded me that Joe knows that Joyce has really only just started the long long long journey of understanding gender/sexuality/romance and breaking old assumptions (I often forget how little time has passed in this comic).
hell yes exactly my thoughts… theyve been together for like, 2ish weeks ?? i think ? and he’s been exposed to the absolutely wild level of hammered-in repression she’s got going on, & also how deeply she loves the people she cares for :-] him & dorothy both included
10 days, unless that was yesterday, in which case it’s now 11 days.
Yeah, the thing I can never wrap my head around with the haters in these comments is, you’re really gonna look at these kids and judge them extremely harshly for not having good life skills?
I finally understand what makes manga readers succumb to the assholish urge to spoil shit. These comments kinda make me wanna blurt stuff out.
But… I will refrain.
Gotta say people have just been making prediction after prediction that I was so sure would never come to pass. Not sure how I feel about that yet…
Your restraint is genuinely deeply appreciated. Thanks for letting us non-patrons experience the stpry at our own pace.
Aye.
I think this is one of the things Willis bans people for lol
F***piles solve everything:
https://youtube.com/shorts/4V_5zMSyjUQ?si=Sf2QMCT7ndbfQbLc
It’s spelled fuck.
Must it be, though?
Here, a frogpile: https://fishbio.com/frog-pile/
Admittedly, that wasn’t a very impressive frogpile, but there weren’t many naturally-occurring options that I could be certain weren’t trying to sell something.
Reserving my venom for this situation until the full conversation happens, but I am definitely burying my head in my hands because virtually every prediction I have made is coming true, and I did not make those predictions in good faith.
Not a fan of this development either thus far, but if my worst worry comes true (a webcomic arc is badly written), I dunno if we need to get into venom and all that.
Like what are the stakes here really
Thank you for this, sweet merciful Godzilla… I understand getting invested in fiction but sometimes the takes on this are so severe it leaves me a little concerned.
Yeah, like tbh I’ve hated this entire story’s arc and people always respond “then why read the comic” and in just like… it’s one, maybe two bad chapters in an otherwise really strong story??????????
Like, I’m happy Joe’s not getting his heart broken, and I’m happy that this almost certainly guarantees a Walky crash out, but if both dudes are perfectly okay with it and this pulls a QC (which has a bad habit of setting up conflicts that fizzle out rather than hit anything remotely feeling like a climax) I’ll be disappointed, but happy to move on to the next story. I don’t get all the vitriol.
Next storyline*
TBF I’m perfectly happy with QC doing that, because it’s always been predominantly a meaningless fluffy slice of life strip that moves at a glacial pace. I re-read the entire strip like half a dozen times, between being like 20 and 25.
And, every time? I skipped that chunk of strips, because while they’re the most narratively important strips of their time, they’re also just deeply depressing, which is the opposite reason I would be binging a webcomic I’d already repeatedly read.
I probably don’t even need to give more context, QC readers know what I’m talking about. But, to specify, it’s about 25 strips in the early 500s. If I read the strip again, I don’t think I’d skip them, this time…because if I were to re-read the whole catalogue now, I’d be doing it for a different, less emotional reason.
i spent so much of my teen years making sure i mastered html codes and so every time i fuck it up now, because this is the last platform on the whole internet that still uses it, it still hurts so bad
Ya, you are correct. In the moment I was very disappointed and had some strong opinions, but having slept on it, venom feels wayyyy too strong a word. I still have thoughts on this, but I think I’ll be trying to enforce a habit to wait til the following morning from now on.
This is way too measured and reasonable. Throw a table.
Yeah, getting into doctor octopus or green goblin should suffice
So many of y’all are assuming Joe would be ok with being in a poly relationship with Joyce and Dorothy, when there are other possibilities for his reaction in the last panel. Maybe he thinks the kiss was a one-time thing and is willing to forgive Joyce if she picks him over Dorothy. Or something else, I don’t know.
She’s been wearing Dorothy’s clothes for a few days. I’m pretty sure he thinks a lot more kisses (and a lot more) have probably already happened.
Don’t confuse assuming with hoping.
Came to say just that. It’s only ‘So many of y’all’ if we say hoping rather than assuming.
He would need to be an idiot (or strongly delusional, in any case I would not judge) to think it was a one-time thing. And he is not. It feels wrong to me if forgiveness depends on her choice now, and I don’t see him doing that. I believe he intends to forgive, or maybe already did, and is making sure she understands her wrong.
I may be wrong in all that, but i find it very believable that he intends to point out the possibility, or at least be ready to break up without any bad blood.
As I (and others I think) have been trying (and probably failing) to say, Walky seems way more unstable currently, having not fully learned that being open emotionally can be necessary.
Not only would he have to be an idiot to think that, it would be surprising if he thought that was their first kiss.
To be fair, Joyce probably couldn’t have kept it secret for too long, but the cover of her already being weird about Dorothy would have helped.
Joe gdi stop being sexy
LOVE . idk what will happen from here obviously but i had a feeling joe was very much not the type to judge someone in the process of messily figuring themself out. he & joyce have undertaken the project together of breaking free from their old ways of being … it doesnt seem like he begrudges her a messy awakening re: a deep attraction he already suspected she was harboring. & he knows she loves him to bits :] whether they stay together (monogamously, openly, or polyamorously) or not i love that joe is as “team joyce” as it gets!! he wants her to be happy.. wheeeee
inb4 “haven’t you been dating Dorothy for months now???”
this is the funniest possible reply
I think everyone knew Joyce was dating Dorothy before Joyce and Dorothy knew it.
Neither of them have a good sense of what “normal” platonic behaviors and boundaries are. Joyce treats basically everybody like a spouse, because it’s the only honest expression of just how much the damn girl loves.
Joe: I mean, I remember when you said to her, “Joe is hanging with us now”, and she gave me the EVILEST GLARE and said “Why.” I knew then and there what I was getting between. But, you wanted me there, and I wanted to be with you. That hasn’t changed, at least for me.
A bit late, but in case anyone wants to revisit that strip:
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-13/02-turning-saints-into-the-sea/youremember/
Now I am not a gambling gal, but I am all in on the Poly train
YYYYEEEEEAAAHHHHHHHH
No sicko, I, but I’ve been really hoping for a poly ending to this arc.
Seeing Joe handle this so well has definitely blunted my anger on this whole matter, since most of it stemmed from not wanting to see him hurt while he’s working so hard to improve himself.
…That said I’m still anti-poly, because the tonal whiplash that would happen in the comments would be absolutely hilarious to me.
“Why?”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WeRBneSPpzw&pp=ygUfam9lIHdlIGdvdHRhIGdldCBzcG9uZ2Vib2IgYmFjaw%3D%3D
I’m happy that this has turned into a discussion for them, whatever direction it goes
yes learning to be mature by acting mature, there is trauma in boths’ pasts, and they are newly embarked on this journey. i get that many don’t like the seeming disregard for the feelings of the supposed partners, and it isnt great that jorothy has seemed to get of to a start in this manner, and it would be nice if they had been clearheaded enough to talk to their partners prior to hitting the point of professing to each other, but unfortunately they are very hormonal teenagers, who’s abilities to make calm rational choices when they are properly fed and well slept, is still a 35-75% range. thats just the biology of physically maturing.
but here we have joe reacting with patience and maturity, allowing the one he loves, and knows is the inverse of him when it come to sexual awareness. all these emotions and harmones she is dealing with, he sees them and is playong the long game. he want to accompany joyce on her journey of self discovery.
re: the disregard of the partners, I think it helps that, for all Joyce did try to put it off and flirt with Dorothy and stuff this morning, it is still the first thing she did after getting up and showered (and although it wasn’t ideal I can’t blame her too much for being nervous the night before)
*too much for being too nervous to tell him the night before
I guess now the question becomes is Dorothy willing to share
Suspecting a lot of the drama fallout is gonna come from the Walky and Becky side of things
YEEEEAAAAHHHHH!!! JOE/JOYCE DISCUSSION!!!
I genuinely just did want anyone to get hurt here, & Joe was probably my biggest concern (since Walky’s already dealing with depression & Dorothy basically being a bounce-back for him & Becky… … I think the vast majority of the readers are expecting that to go badly, but are hoping for “less bad”) so this is good for me!
*just DIDN’T want anyone to get hurt here, I typed faster than I thought it out!
Well this isn’t what I expected.
I’m not sure where this will go. As before, I’m suspicious about a poly arc that is borne from betrayal of trust. Both in “I don’t think it’s likely to go well” (they tend to not) and “It’d require a very high degree of writer trust that it will be handled well across long timespans” which I’m super super pumped for.
If it’s not a poly arc, will Joyce be able to stop herself from repeating? I’m doubtful.
…That’d be a really interesting place for the story to go, honestly. A not poly arc and then Joyce repeats. What then?
I guess we’ll wait and see what happens.
I’m a little bummed by this turn of events (so far), but not as much as I was at first blush. I don’t think Joe is being super wise, and I’m a little worried how the comic is going to frame and treat this, but human mercy and connection is great and all.
This was pretty much my take as well. You said it much nicer than I would have but that’s why I didn’t let myself post anything substantial. I just don’t care for the idea of bad behavior being rewarded with no consequence in my fiction. Get enough of that in real life, especially nowadays. So the idea of Joyce getting pretty much everything she wants despite trampling the boundaries of both of her partners, it really rubs me the wrong way.
It hasn’t actually happened yet, so I am trying to wait and see but the forecast does not look good.
One thing I don’t get about this perspective, is, why do you need all the payoff for this to happen now? Like, it’s distinctly possible that this situation plays out with far less drama than everybody was realistically assuming…the thing that comes of that, doesn’t necessarily have to be good? It doesn’t necessarily have to count as the story condoning bad things?
They story is going to keep happening! Maybe Joyce getting off light here, is part of the path towards a bigger pay-off, or bigger drama, in the future? Maybe the thing that we’re reading as her “not being punished,” is actually going to lead to a lot more pain, for everybody involved, given that the story is going to keep happening after this?
Maybe the real punishment comes later. Maybe getting off light, is the thing that leads to Joyce making bigger mistakes later, and having more punishment come home to roost for her. Why is the assumption, that if every strip doesn’t end with a 90s cartoon moral message, that the story is morally condoning bad behaviors?
I just don’t understand the rabid, slavering obsession with needing to see mentally ill teens traumatized to the maximum because they didn’t win the Ethics Olympics every single day they woke up…especially in a COMING OF AGE STORY.
Okay, okay. Predictions. Less-Cowardly-Dodge Edition! But keeping in mind that I am GUESSING, I think Joe’s expressions over the last few strips have been really interesting and difficult to judge.
— Day before yesterday’s strip.
First panel: blank. Second panel: A bit wary, perhaps. Third panel: A smile, but bland. Fourth panel: I’m thinking “reluctant amusement”. Fifth panel: maybe a bit concerned? maybe a bit exasperated? Sixth panel: neutral, but he’s resigned himself to calling her back over so that she doesn’t mumble whatever she’s about to say to the wall.
— Yesterday’s strip.
First and second panel: wry amusement warring with exasperation. Fourth panel: bit of a smirk, enjoying the dropping of the proverbial bomb. Fifth panel: eye roll. Sixth panel: full exasperation.
— Today’s strip.
Second panel: expectant, waiting for Joyce to say something. Third panel: distracted, he wasn’t expecting THAT and he’s trying to answer her question. Fourth panel: sympathy. Fifth panel: confusion, leaning skepticism.
So… all in all, I don’t know.
I don’t think he’s angry. At the very least, he’s not evincing anger.
So far, it feels like this could all be on target in my long-ago guess (not that it was just me thinking it), where Joe suggests Joyce date both of them not because he’s excited about the idea or because he truly wants to, but because he thinks he doesn’t “get” to be jealous (as he’s said himself).
I think the fact that it’s also Dorothy of all people has softened the blow in a way. He already saw it coming and has accepted it.
He VERY much saw it coming. Before Dorothy or Joyce by a long shot.
If Joe knew they kissed at the protest when Joyce tried to talk with/break up with him the first time and let things escalate to a bj is that wrong of him?
I think he didn’t. That was the night before the current IU day, the newspaper came out the current IU morning.
I think it’s probably fine.
I mean, even if this wasn’t explicitly today’s paper (Joyce expressed surprise about the IDS having a Sunday edition), he’s surprised she wants to break up, so. No, he didn’t do anything wrong, even in the hypothetical version of events where he’d already seen this photo yesterday.
I’m in definite agreement that whatever Joe is feeling, it’s not anger. I’m not yet ruling out upset/disappointment/exasperation, obviously.
I’d still be pretty disappointed in the outcome of this arc if it ends up as “Joe lets Joyce do whatever because he feels like he doesn’t deserve to be jealous”, in all honesty, that’d be worse by far for me than the attempted-poly ending.
Kinda holding out hope that we get something more like “We don’t have to break up, you made a mistake, we’ll work around it and keep dating.” vs “but it WASN’T a mistake, I love Dorothy (too?) and I don’t want to stop being with her.” that ends with Joe just not being willing to be part of that.
I’d have a hard time with accepting a Joe who just sort of resigns himself to being treated as an afterthought, and that’s what it would feel like unless Willis threads a needle I can’t even see. On top of that, given how Joyce has been conducting herself all through this, “I get to be with both Dorothy and Joe” is the ending LEAST conducive to her continuing to undergo interesting character growth, IMHO.
Absolutely agreed 100%
“Joe being treated as an afterthought” has been the primary source of my dislike of this storyline.
It was always my greatest fear about the poly angle, personally. He invites it upon those around him to ignore his feelings to keep everyone happy, because he doesn’t actually want to take up space and force his circle to accommodate him. So, he may well okay arrangements happening, that he isn’t as cool with deep down, but will lie to himself about it.
My counter to that is that “Joe lets Joyce do whatever because he feels like he doesn’t deserve to be jealous” is pretty clearly not an ending, but a set up for disaster and character growth.
^^^^^
This.
Now mind you, I’m hoping it moves in a direction where he speaks up and is listened to and cared about, and they all find a way to make it work eventually.
But I was in no way trying to suggest “Joe goes along with it even though he doesn’t really want to” would or should be a long-term state of affairs!
Ok i guess he’s a paladin!! But do you think dorothy has interest in sharing joe?
*sharing joyce lmao
I would like to hear your definition of a paladin.
In context.
YES! HA HA HA! YES!!
HOLY SHIT IT’S HAPPENING EVERYBODY STAY CALM BECAUSE I AM NOT AAAAHAHAHAAAAAAHAHAH
(Ahem) SO. This is a fortuitous term of events.
Unlike a lot of my fellow “sickos” here, im really hoping this DOESN’T become a Poly situation. Nothing against Poly people, one of my best friends is in a healthy poly relationship, has been for years, but I don’t think it would work at all because there is no mutual attraction between Dorothy and Joe, or Walky and Joyce (walky does not like Joyce at all if I remember correctly).
Poly Relationships are not a Harem, everybody dates everybody, its not like an Open relationship. Everybody needs to like/love everybody and have good chemistry for it to work.
An Open relationship MIGHT work better, but I still think that would not end well for those involved in the long run.
I doubt Dorothy would want to share Joyce, and we know that Joyce would do literally anything for Dorothy at this point, regardless of how greedy she is feeling.
Really pulling “one of my friends is” before Just spewing something blatantly false.
Im just going off what my friend told me about Poly relationships, that is what they told me.
As a poly person, your understanding is incomplete – poly relationships don’t require everyone to date everyone.
You are correct that e.g. harems and poly relationships often have differences. But the core difference is that harems are often functions of social status imbalance and/or possessiveness, which aren’t healthy foundations for poly relationships.
However, poly relationships that come from healthier places are healthier, even if not everyone is romantically involved with everyone.
Having good chemistry and positive feelings amongst everyone is certainly good, but that does notneed to rise to the level of attraction.
I also hope this doesn’t become a poly relationship, but for a different reason – the poly would arise from a foundation of betrayal, which is often unhealthy. For an analog, it is generally bad to ask for a transition to open relationship *after* getting intimately involved with a third person.
My understanding was completely based off what my friend told me Poly relationships were like. I trusted their view because they have been in a healthy Poly relationship for close to a decade now, but im sorry if my view was incomplete, I shall do further research into the topic.
Actually, poly relationships can vary a lot. Not every individual relationship in a poly situation has to be the same. They don’t all have to even be romantic and/or sexual. That’s common, and getting along to some degree seems pretty required. However, there doesn’t need to be a romantic and sexual relationship between every single member. It would be perfectly valid if among the four of them, the only romantic/sexual pairings were Joyce/Dorothy, Joe/Joyce, and Dorothy/Walky with the remaining pairings being platonic friendships.
I like the implication that Joe and Walky would work fine.
Well, I don’t think Walky would have a problem with it . . .
What do we think, folks? Is Joe into twinks? :|aaaa
I think I’d encourage you to research more about different poly permutations, including the ever popular ‘hinge’ configuration
Joe here with the best possible response~
I was thinking Joe’s reaction would come from a place of either “resents cheating” logic or “wingman pride” logic.
looks like we’re headed towards wingman
This is the best outcome I could’ve asked for. I had hoped that Joe knew before ever starting a relationship with Joyce that she was part of a package deal. That he, like pretty much everybody else, already knew Joyce and Dorothy were deeply in lesbians with one another but hadn’t quite figured that out themselves yet.
My suspicion is that Joe is primarily making sure that Joyce knows why she is breaking up with Joe.
Is it really what she wants? Or is it simply because she thinks that’s what has to happen after someone fucks up? Does she think what she has done is unforgivable? Was she swept up in a moment, or is it how she feels outside of that one incident?
Like, if she wants Dorothy instead, then fine, she wants Dorothy. But if she still wants Joe, then they can talk it over and see where to go afterward.
Definitely worth taking a moment to talk things out before jumping to the conclusion.
Idk. Part of me wants that to be it, but that’s not how I read his last-panel eyes, nor how I read the past couple of strips as having developed.
Yeah. Joyce does need to think what she wants. It was Dorothy who said breaking up was required. Joyce clearly wants both. I think Joyce simply expects to be required to choose between the two. Too many assumptions. Too much ‘social rules’. What does each of then want, What does each of them find acceptable, even if not wanted. Where are the flags in the sand for ‘do not pass this line’…
I kinda think it’s both ‘we don’t have to break up’ and ‘if we break up, let’s be clear on why.”
I really am just a fan of any theory where Joe gets to come out of the situation with his dignity intact, regardless of the outcome. Poly? Dumping? Mono? Whatever the outcome, just let my man come out of it without any egg on his face.
I mean, where would the egg even be coming from, in this metaphor? What’s the thing that would reflect embarrassingly on Joe, in any outcome?
I am so happy Joe is so chill with this.
I can’t believe I forgot polyamory exists
Man this story is so good. There’s so many things that could happen and so many ways I could feel about them. GOD I LOVE INDEPENDENT MEDIA.
*Narrows my eyes at the writer* It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see where it goes.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Oh no, who could have guessed Joe would be okay with a poly and or open relationship? Especially one that would make Joyce happy.
bit soon to assume thats whats happening methinks.
Happily waiting to see what Willis has in store for us next!
ahaha that headline
And Joe comes in with the poly proposal!
“It’s an open relationship, ladies”
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/06-yesterday-was-thursday/boytoy/
ok i am sorry to do this but a devils advocate thought intruded on my silly comic joy. I do not actually think this will happen, i do not want this to happen, but to those who are still wholly on the joe = bad bandwagon: the next panel is joe saying “i didnt think we were monogamous, i’ve been porking girls on tinder the whole time”
like we have seen his growth and this would be a horrible plot twist, but i think there are those out there who would support this.
There are people here who support drama, so that’s automatically a yes.
(Not from me. I don’t want drama.)
i was refering to those who were loud at the beginning of the year about joe deserving any harms joyce causes him during the relationship cause he is permanently marked as evil for the list and other behaviors at the beginning of the comic
I’m not going to say this didn’t happen, but damn is it a completely different comments section than the one I’m reading.
The one I read has far more people claiming Joe was always an ethical slut and never really did anything really wrong, while those who remind others of Old Joe’s problems talk about him actually getting a redemption arc.
i am specifically refering to comments from 3 months ago or slightly more, and i have a suspicion that more than a few of them got nuked for crossing the line as i remember there being comments about people who check in the early afternoon being really confused to what some of us were talking about, but then overthe last few month the puplicly stated opinions of joe deffinately turned the corner (i think cause more than a few of use reacted ver strongly with well thought out reasoned and supported comments, and then he coached sarah in the gym and called out rachel and the joe can only be bad people got quiet
and then a second thought intruded………….joe is hoping to accompany joyce on an Emmanuelle (1974) style journey of self discovery.
again i’ dont actually want that to be a part of his motivation, and i do not think it actually will be. but this one made me laugh
Okay, even I can’t deny this is sounding a whooole lot like poly proposition. Well, happy to be wrong if that’s the case.
God fucking damn it.
*smug dancing yr general direction*
*double time*
I am having a bit of a depressive spiral anyone has anything cool to share to take my mind off.. my mind.
Teenage mutant ninja turtles is a spoof of daredevil, the foot = the hand, splinter = stick,
The original comic book makes this much more obvious, it’s black and white and extremely… dramatic? Actively funny to read but in a very different way from the 80s cartoon or anything that followed.
They were in fact created in the same accident when the chemical that hit him dripped down into the sewer.
Here’s a nearly 8 minute guitar solo that was allegedly improvised, with the keyboard parts played using the head of his guitar while he jammed.
Spider-Man and Black Cat should do the poly thing with Mary Jane.
Mary Jane has broken up with Paul at last.
I may have suggested this before, but Spider-Man dates Black Cat. Peter dates Mary Jane.
Really going full miraculous huh.
It’s only full miraculous if Black Cat is Mary Jane in the continuity where this happens.
I had some short explain the “Miraculous is just Four Ships in a Trenchcoat” thing to me and that means I get to understand this joke 🙂
Weird facts about animals always cheer me up a bit, so here’s one I gave my nephew to cheer him up. Manatees control their buoyancy with flatulence. Which means that when they want to reach the surface, they fart their way to the top then they eat and get heavy again to go the bottom. Whenever I’m down, I just imagine a manatee with a trail of bubbles just rocketing to the surface and it at the very least makes me smile.
…but if you fart, you lose buoyancy. Also, manatees need to breathe every once in a while, so they need to reach the surface pretty often.
Mammals are the only animal affected by capsaicin. Also, I hope you feel better.
Adding to that: peppers evolved their capsaicin storage to discourage mammals from eating their fruits (because birds, who are unaffected, would spread the seeds farther).
Then humans decided they liked it, and ruined everything… or would have, except now we cultivate them, so it ended up working even better for the plants than the original trick did.
Mint is similar, developing the cooling effect to discourage eating them. And similar to the above, humans also decided they liked it. I always laugh when I see the ‘mouth cool! mouth cool’! meme with the cavemen.
Arriving a bit late to be of any help, but I am a big fan of the sister channel to Daily Dose of Internet, ‘Daily Dose of Pets.’ The internet was made for cute pet videos.
I find reading through the Walkyverse and then back through DOA to be absorbing.
Thanks everyone, sorry i fell asleep before i could read any of this at the time. I appreciate it amyway.
I think this playlist is one of the most valuable things I havve ever binged: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnIGh9g6fA
(pops a party popped bc one way or another this is bout to be INTERESTING)
Because Dorothy told her to, Joe. That’s why.
Yup. This is what I’ve been saying. Several people are super sure it’s a mutual wish, but we’ve never seen it stated by Joyce.
I like where this is headed.
I’ve gone back to read this and at no point does Dorothy say “break up” or end relationships with walky/Joe, instead she simply says “*tell*” their boyfriends, until after Joyce had already walked down the hall by herself, rehearsing a couple approaches on what to say to Joe, one of which sounds like a break up and one which could be the lead-in to a poly proposition or a breakup.
As in, after Joyce putting her mouth on Joe’s weenus, Dorothy mentions drafting break up speeches, before they agree to just sleep on it and try again in the morning.
WHAT?
No, “Why?” Close, though!
Where?
Yeah, that sounds about right. Though I think folks thinking this will turn into a defined poly relationship are still getting ahead of themselves, lots of ways this could shape up (I mean, this situation is atleast 4 characters deep so who knows).
And again, freshman in their second semester in college. Totally expected for them to try things out, make mistakes, whatever.
“Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!” — Valerie Frizzle.
Also, man. That headline and picture sucks for those two, but I really care more about how this works with the protests. Like it was already inappropriate at best, dangerous at worst, but I kind of hope they get hammered by this socially. Maybe it just hits close to home as someone who works on similar stuff but if someone like, did a proposal or used a serious event with serious consequences I’d hold a grudge and probably wouldn’t ever let them live it down.
Though atleast they’re dumb freshmen as stated. Leslie the newspaper editor though, also an acceptable target.
Dorothy is not likely to have her education funding pulled as a result of the headline/picture. With Joyce, it’s not as clear. Her father has been supportive, but the limits aren’t clear.
Do we actually know that Joyce is receiving funding from either parent? Could be a combination of scholarships, government grants, and a college fund established in her name. As well as a few disastrously expensive student loans also in her name.
I don’t think Joyce’s identity, in particular, is at all clear in that photo, even if her dad is following the student paper online for some reason.
yeah, why ?
“Because! This relationship is so boring to read about! It’s been going on for three years in realtime, and we haven’t been interesting once! Since we got together, your character has become obnoxiously perfect, with no meaningful conflict or tension, and I’m sorry, but breaking up with you is the only way you might do something mildly interesting.”
I know I say it every time, but I feel like I live in an entirely different universe from the people who think Joe and Joyce is boring compared to Dorothy and Joyce — a friendship and now relationship that has yet to have meaningful conflict or tension or interest beyond the perpetual “everyone but them knows they’re gay for each other” that was honestly a LOT more fun than them figuring it out.
Nah people jusy love being uncharitable towards otger commentors
This. I mean I am in the camp that Dotty/Joyce are terribly one-note and boring, but it’s been a recurring theme in the comments for people to have wildly different reads from strip to strip and their first instinct is to die on that hill. I am not innocent of this either.
i actually like to be really, really charitable to other commenters! i just stop when i come to believe that said other commenters are being uncharitable, or mean, themselves!
That last thing wasn’t more fun from my side of the fence. It was a lot of me liking cute moments briefly followed by scrolling down into the comments to see myself getting called an idiot by proxy and a couple of commenters who specifically, regularly laughed about how great it was that Willis was baiting people like me with something they never meant to follow through on.
The idea of another five years of that honestly makes me extremely unhappy to contemplate.
I’m sorry for folks who were enjoying Joe and Joyce’s relationship more than this, but I am not at all sorry we didn’t spend another five years in that status quo.
That’s also fair — frankly, I thought that line of thinking was asinine, as AT BEST it’s been “this possibility is open”, speaking as someone who thought Joyce wasn’t really there yet with Dorothy until a couple of months ago.
Yeah…
I think it’s a rock and a hard place! I’m hoping at least most of us enjoy dynamics again soon. (It can’t be ALL of us because some of us want things that are mutually exclusive, but I do feel a lot of sympathy when I think about folks who loved this strip for years losing that.)
Personally, I really only require two things to keep enjoying a piece of media (beyond general artistic merit, natch)
1) at least one character I can unequivocally like and understand.
2) the story/world is coherent and well put together
This latest stuff has been straining me a bit on #1 but only in the sense that my reserve of “characters I like and understand” has been reduced by at least one, but there are still others on that list.
bah, too soon
Mostly this storyline grinds on me because I don’t understand Joyce’s actions anymore, and I’m not sure Joe’s going on a path I understand.
(“understand” here meaning “visceral, yeah I could imagine reacting that way under those circumstances” understanding, not mere comprehension)
Basically I guess I just hope those who stick it out have their faith rewarded rather than winding up wishing they’d given up earlier, if that makes sense.
Also: thank you. 🙂
I like both relationships, but I don’t think poly will happen. I do think Joe will assume that Joyce never wanted exclusivity, and the ships will sail from there.
See, that I don’t think makes sense, BUT I don’t know what I would think makes more sense.
Thats certainly a take.
Bleh.
So this can go two ways, it seems. The first is that this is Joe forgiving Joyce her indiscretion. The second is him being ok with Joyce continuing to smooch Dorothy.
If Joyce is like “Joe, I’m goong to continue to smooch her” and Joe just goes “I know, it’s cool”….yeah, that’s where my salt comes from. Because not only does it preclude drama and mess, it really sets up an unhealthy relationship for JoJo.
“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy” sets up a relationship that’s all give and no take on Joe’s part. Joyce can do whatever she wants, safe in the knowledge that Joe will be cool with it. She doesn’t ever need to stop and think “But what about Joe?” before she does something.
Joyce didn’t consider Joe at all most of yesterday. That’s certainly forgivable for someone in their first relationship. But setting it up as the new status quo is a huge problem.
If Joe and Joyce is JoJo, does that make Dorothy and Joyce DoJo?
Right with you, with the plausible exception of “Willis probably has the writing skill to make that behavior in Joe workable, with building-up resentment and the associated drama potential” — except that the drama potential for what’s already happening has mostly, to my mind, been squandered.
Squandered is a good word for it.
im hoping he’s thinking it as more “theres a lot of emotions surrounding this and i feel like it was less active cheating and more a moment of passion.”
Because i seriously do not see a poly relationship between dorothy, joyce, joe and walky to end in any way well at all, especially since Dorothy doesnt really LIKE joe all that much, we have shown very little indication walky would just be fine with it.
“She doesn’t ever need to stop and think “But what about Joe?” before she does something.”
Of course she doesn’t. The comments section will do it for her.
Perhaps you are unclear on the difference between “the characters in the story” and “the random people who have opinions on the story”, but just in case you are, nothing anyone says down here is going to actually affect events in the story, and is thus not relevant to to story that we are talking about.
Hope that helps!
Guess I didn’t see that response coming since, yeah, as with most, I expected that Joe would be upset enough to agree that breaking up was the course of action. This is already much more interesting.
if Joyce accepts the potential poly proposal it’ll almost certainly create conflict with Dorothy who I’m almost 100% sure is monogamous. The drama is so good
Joe already knew about Dorothy’s feelings. It’s possible he’s considered how he’d feel about Joyce dating both of them.
Joeogamy
nooooo, Joyce, take your glasses off before you facepalm!!!!!
I see, so this must be where we get a flashback of Joe Also receiving a “it’s not gay to kiss the homies” speech from Billie, before cutting to a panel of him and Jacob making out
The retelling of which impacts Joyce’s libido the way a wildfire is put out by a thermonuclear bomb.
“you’re saying the whole floor is gone?”
“Yeah, totally demolished. The top floors of the dorm are just floating, now. They actually fucked the entire story into oblivion!”
I can’t see “IDS” without thinking of Ian Duncan Smith, a british MP from the 2010’s who was put in charge of the Department for Work and Pensions (which deals with benefits) and so aggressively destroyed that part of the welfare state that someone started a band called the Ian Duncan Smiths, which is pastiches of The Smiths songs but about Ian Duncan Smith. https://soundcloud.com/theiainduncansmiths – OH, hold on, They’ve kept going! Oh god I’m going to be listening to these new ones for a bit.
Not against the poly solution but it just feels so narratively unsatisfying and just makes the past month of tension building to this utterly pointless
I suspect because we’re mid conversation we’ve yet to see the specifics of how he’s feeling
Don’t worry, it’s absolutely not solved yet. A thousand more things can still go wrong.
Secondly, I for one was anticipating this moment, and therefore it felt very satisfying to see the build-up leading to exactly the moment I felt it was going to lead to. In that sense, it’s like watching a good heel turn in wrestling*: You can see it coming from miles away, but it’s still good to be right.
Admittedly, this may be in part because what we are seeing is also truly classic narrative among those of us who regularly deal with anxiety. We are extremely, -extremely- good at making worst-case scenarios happening in our heads and therefore avoid confronting the problem until it gets impossible not to… and then it turned out the worst-case scenario only existed in our own heads. Now, it is true that Joyce’s expectations for this moment was more realistic than the usual anxiety brain scenarios, but it still is something we can relate to, and find a moment of catharsis in.
And then we immediately get anxious about the next thing instead, because our brains refuses to let us learn from this.
*I say good heel turn because good face turns are almost entirely non-existent, and they usually pop up without any building to it whatsoever.
It’s always so satisfying to see someone describe anxiety so succinctly and accurately. As a frequent anxiety haver myself.
Especially the “our brain refuses to let us learn” part, right?
No, you don’t understand, this time it could be different!
This.
IF this basically amounts to joyce getting her cake and eating it too im calling bullshit.
Going poly does not solve the fact that she was cheating first, that she was trying to hide it initially, and it would basically amount to joyce facing zero consequences for her actions and I will actually call that bad writing.
But we shall see.
Interesting. If everyone doesn’t face consequences for their misdeeds, if they haven’t all been appropriately punished by story’s end, it’s bad writing?
‘Cuz, wow, do I know a lot of novels we need to throw out of the Western Canon asap, then…
YES
I KNEW IT
I am so wildly delighted by this y’all have no idea
Polyamory [TM]: Where Horny Sickos and Relationship Paladins Find Common Ground!
*deep breath and primal scream* YESSSSSSSSSS!
ha, I knew it, good on you Joe
I knew Joe would be cool about it. He understands she has lived a repressed life and is waking up from that. He loves her enough to not be mad about and accept it. Dude really loves her.
YEAHHHHH
All you saying poly proposal… my money is on “Joe is fine with it SPECIFICALLY because it’s another girl, and thus feels less threatening.”
This is absolutely possible, but if Joe’s been thinking about this, it’s also possible he’s considered how Walky would fit into the whole scene as well.
I will laugh my ass off if Joe is the first person to bring up Walky’s feelings in all of this.
That’s the way I’m leaning as well. Though it might be more specifically because it’s Dorothy, whom he’s known for a decade, and has known is in love with Joyce for longer than he’s been in love with Joyce.
I think if that were the case Joe wouldn’t have gone to chat with Dorothy about her feelings for Joyce.
I, for one, am pretty sure i know exactly where this is going, not just for the next week or so but for all of time. And I think it’s awful that Sierra is going to steal Jason’s new blender and give it to Tommy (he hasn’t been introduced or even conceptualized yet but trust me he’s a garbage character) into the June 18, 2034 strip.
Jeez, spoilers.
You fucking let Tommy alone!
personally I stand with Sierra. Jason will deserve that
god FUCK tommy
(Sticking out my tongue like a toddler confronted with brussels sprouts) No like it
Now they’re a polycule
I love Joe and just hope this works out for him. In some way. Joyce too. Dorothy can be happy too, I guess, if she has to be. Walky can F right off.
(That’s just the way I feel.)
I’d like that too
A minor point here: as a retired journalist I have to question Daisy’s news judgement regarding the front page photo for the IDS. You have an incident where an actual costumed superhero beating up the police during a protest that already more violent than the actual incident it’s based on. And getting away with it. Plus students getting arrested and roughed up in the processed.
And what does the coverage focus on? Two girls, both associated with the paper, kissing during the chaos. I mean it’s funny as hell, given Daisy’s extravagant level of sexual frustration. But it’s bad news judgement.
Daisy’s news judgement has long been questionable.
Now if Amazi-Girl’s new costume had a chest window, then she might have gotten the front page.
Dorothy and Joyce had ordinary levels of poor judgment. Daisy had professional levels of poor judgment. I’m also not a fan of Robin’s sign mocking protestors.
I am desperately hoping this is Joe being okay with poly (with the issue of his dad being that he’s a cheater about it) and not him thinking “oh well girls don’t count”
on the other hand, wait…since they started running her comics?! boi how long have you been crushing on this girl without telling us the audience!?!
It was textually revealed that Joyce and Joe were secretly texting as friends and confidants for quite a long time during much of the strip, I simply don’t remember exactly how long.
And, after all, he did rate Joyce a zero on his “do” list, and even Joyce, herself, correctly concluded that, since he asked her out, she must have initially had a higher rating, before their doomed original date.
Joe has actually been down bad for in-universe months, or even over a year.
I have been generally right about most of my predictions, but I gotta admit I have no idea how Walky fits into all of this. Guy had his moment standing up to his mom for being awful, became a better person having done it(even if he didn’t get the girl) and then just became a cryptid for how often he has appeared since. Walky got the “I don’t want to play with you anymore” treatment. At least for now. Doesn’t feel like his character arc is finished.
regarding the sunday edition. It’s not a contradiction though, newspapers don’t have to have comics on sundays. Sunday comics isn’t even a thing newspapers are known for. (kidding aside, they could like spring for syndicated comics on sundays. I’ve seen weeklies do something like that.)
*Siiiiiiiigh* This would be the time for me to take a step back from the comic. I just don’t buy this turn for Joe, and it feels like it ignores what should be an obvious trigger for him to smoothen the path for Joyce and Dorothy. Willis does as Willis wants of course, but this just because an ick for me.
An obvious trigger for Joe would be him being tempted to cheat. Or worse actually giving in to that temptation. His trauma has always been the age old trauma of having an asshole father and fearing becoming him. Not once has he shown any evidence that his reaction to being cheated on would be any worse than for your average person.
That’s an interesting point. I don’t know if I agree, but it’s a fair take.
Same boat. It’s not the one I’m sitting on, but it’ll safely float.
So, what are the odds that Hank and/or Carol still read the IDS?
Like they may catch the front page
But them being as culty as they are suggests they (probably) partake in an active boycott of “liberal news media” 9-9
honestly it may depend on more if IDS is distributed in an electronic form, like does it have a website, do they send an emailed version out, as alumni her dad could very easily be recieving it through an email or such
Could also have been what Dina was reading on her phone.
Wherever Hank got the photo of Jocelyne at the protest from is likely to have this one as well. More likely, since this one is bigger news.
Alumni Facebook feed?
I mean, Hank may have gotten the pictures of Jocelyn from the actual mainstream news? I don’t buy that a 50-something year old man is trolling the feeds of local news from the town his daughter is in college in, just in case he sees her. He probably saw a news story regarding the protest on the real news, and thought he saw his son, and was wrong about that. The protests have clearly been an on-going, newsworthy event in-universe.
yeah like even if they do engage with what they see as enemy media, is for sake of mockery and ridicule, and approach it with the same combative stance as their leaders
Joe’s known this was a possibility since before their relationship started. He’s had plenty of time to think about how he would handle it if it happened. Clearly, he’s decided that he’s willing to share if it means a happy Joyce.
joe asking the real question
it’s not like dorothy and joyce weren’t already a little married
THIS is the closest argument that, to me, would most easily explain Joe being enthusiastically behind Joyce and Dorothy, specifically. Like, does anybody think Joe wasn’t already planning to share a lot of time with Joyce, with Joyce’s existing best friend, when they’re both obviously co-dependent and joined at the hip?
If Joyce and Dorothy are now fuckin’, that’s literally just two more things Joyce and Dorothy will be doing together. He was already down to “split” Joyce, because he is not and has never been a possessive ass-clown. So how different would this version of his relationship with Joyce be, versus the existing one he had, where Joyce has been equally married to Dorothy the entire time he’s known her, and everybody on Earth besides those two women understood this?
This is COMPLETELY off topic, but… did anyone else get, on one of the banner ads, something with Uncle Sam saying “DEFEND THE HOMELAND, JOIN ICE TODAY”?
Like… what the fuck?
Also, the strip has only been open for twelve hours, I’ve literally read none of the comments yet, but I see y’all have almost 500 of them down. Comments section is appropriately screaming. I love you guys.
Huh, I was not expecting Joe to be the one to suggest the throuples relationship with Dorothy. I’m okay with this.
he hasn’t suggested anything
I’m so excited for Joyce to learn about the concept of polyamory
She already knows it because one lives in her wing
Ohhhhhh there’s several wonderful train wrecks down this path. Walky’s done so much ‘joking’ about a polycule, it would be delicious for him to be the one to try to bail on it. Becky could try and get with Joyce and fail while also undermining her own relationship with Dina. Maybe Joyce and Dorothy are awake to both of these possibilities and keep accommodating outside their comfort zone to avoid conflict and the whole thing comes down like a house of cards in a year of real world time. As nice as it would be for it all to go fine, that’s for a fix-it fic. Let’s see that messsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
Becky tries to get with Joyce, fails, but Dina ends up having a day with Joe. The drama.
Legitimately, the thing I am waiting for is Dina going to bat for Joe against somebody. She confirmed to Joe that she sees him as a friend to her directly, not just a guy she knows through her social group, and tolerates.
I don’t even know if it will happen in this particular arc! But someday, Dina is gonna back him up on something directly, and it’s gonna be glorious.
It would be weird if it happens here if Joe is actually okay with it. Unless he’s not really okay with it, but going along because he doesn’t think he has the right to feel jealous. That might be interesting for Dina to point out.
We haven’t seen much of Dorothy and Walky since they got back together… so I don’t think it’s a big emotional attachment for him right now. Especially since she broke up with him before, so Walky may have already steeled himself. Enjoy their time while it lasts, and when it does… yeah, that was going to happen eventually anyway.
I could very well be wrong.
I want everyone to be happy. But I keep seeing NightGuy with blood on his hands.
Don’t worry, it was ketchup all along.
This is… going better than expected. Let’s see if that continues
Is that Joceline inder the start of “Protesters” too?
yes
For what it’s worth, what this particular strip shows is not necessarily Joe leaning into the poly-angle relationship. He knows Joyce and Dorothy are close, like…very close. He knows Joyce is freshly ‘de-religioned’ and is exploring her sexuality with wide-eyed innocence. And he knows she and Dorothy were at a very stressful, very charged event. My read so far is that he’s not mad she kissed Dorothy, because…yeah, he can kinda see that. It must have felt like the end of the world. In his eyes, kissing someone isn’t ‘cheating.’ Even having feelings for someone isn’t ‘cheating.’ He’s prepared to discuss these events, see what Dorothy’s feeling, what she wants, and separate it out from her leftover ‘fundie’ crud that is accusing her in her head of having committed an indelible sin because she had a brief, fleeting moment of intimacy with someone other than Joe. He’s a good guy. And I think if Joyce does decide, in the end, that she wants to explore this with Dorothy, he won’t hold it against her.
Argh, I said ‘see what Dorothy’s feeling’ and I meant what Joyce is feeling. My bad.
the only thing worse then relationship drama is “everything magically works out for the cheater” -plot, i mean, why bother having consequences and actual morals . am i right?
Ah yes that extremely common plot. Can’t throw a stone without hitting a movie or TV show where that’s the message.
😆 almost as common as the ‘cheating gets fixed with polyamory’ plot. happens allllll the time
A true cliche!
Okay, but actually that is like a really common plot, they just usually never frame the cheating as cheating and thus it tends to get overlooked. Like, how many couples start with a kiss while another is in a relationship? A ton. Normally we just don’t care about the other person because they’re typically boring or an ass.
Hell, Hallmark is an entire genre of people cheating on their partners in varying degrees and being rewarded for it lol. It’s not why those movies are bad, but it’s definitely in them.
I… guess I’m not watching the same movies and TV shows you are, because I don’t think I can name any examples of couples starting out with a kiss while one of them is still in a relationship?
Racking my brain but all I can come up with is Love, Actually, which. Yuck, but they didn’t even get together.
It’s not common in mainstream media any more than the “fix everything with poly”. But better time didn’t say it was common, just that it was worse than relationship drama. It’s rare because it’s usually bad story-telling.
The only place I’ve seen either commonly is in fan fiction and in shipping discourse. They’re generally in fan fiction because a lot of fan fiction is not actually good writing – though there are certainly gems. Sturgeon’s Law applies more than ever.
I mean, I don’t think I even think we can say it’s “usually bad storytelling” if it isn’t happening in professional works. Like you just said, fanfic is usually bad — this is true regardless of the quality of the actual tropes within it.
Also, am I the only one who just doesn’t read bad fanfic? Folks talking about the plague of “fix everything with poly” in fanfic like it’s inescapable, but while I believe them that it’s common (in fanfic), it’s also not something I’ve actually seen a lot of.
i mean the discussion has only started regarding what consiquence the “cheaters” will face. i said yasterday that i could see the relationship still being over, and i do not see how that isnt a consequence, just because it doesnt end with a onesided strip tearing and yelling doesnt mean the consequence isnt still there or as severe.
i also brought up that the recent sscience regarding consequences and thier effectiveness being overwhelmingly more likely to create change of behavior when they are not handled as a major screaming or brow beating manner
Alongside the commenters noting the discussion isn’t over yet, and there’s lots of people Joyce has yet to talk much to…
Going back to her room with Sarah will definitely remind Joyce that there are consequences.
Yeah, why even have fiction if not to reinforce morality, right? I know that’s the only reason I read anything. /s
It is really, really funny when commenters just won’t plainly admit that they think that the only books we should be allowed to read are scriptures, which have never once contained anything problematic within them!
exactly! all stories are meant to be moral parables, where anyone who misbehaves is summarily punished!
this is VERY important, for some reason!
it’s true, you caught us, we’ve done away with morals! muahahah! our decadent evil is now UNLIMITED! we’ll cheat anyone! on EVERYONE! people we’re not even with!
why, i’m cheating on YOU, RIGHT NOW!
Dunno about ‘we’, but it is perfectly possible to, without necessarily being ‘bad’. Many people have described me as Amoral thru my life. I suspect that this is because I do not think that there is any such thing as a kind of external good and bad.
I once read of a place where water is so scarce that small family/tribal groups moving on the landscape would not only think it was NOT bad to kill a stranger, they might well consider you a bad group member for not killing strangers, because the may use resources such that your own group members may die. I choose that extreme example because the situation matters. And the consequences of the situation matter. And that is what we are doing with all our rules and laws, trying to avoid consequences we don’t want. If enough people don’t want to be killed or their loved ones to be killed, we make a social pact that it is “bad” and there will be punishments to deter it.
Fundamentally disagree, mainly because I don’t think you and I would define the c-word in the same way.
It would be dishonest to make an agreement with somebody that you have a monogamous sexual/intimate relationship, not to honour said agreement and to keep the non-honouring a secret.
And secondly, why the heck can one not have your ‘morals’ etc and still see people depicted in fiction as being ‘immoral’, and getting away with it? It happens in real life, so why not in fiction?
Just putting this out there:
I don’t think Joe and Joyce ever explicitly discussed being sexually exclusive, and while Joe likely knows that Joyce would assume exclusivity, he would not do the same himself.
Is it going to be that easy, though?
…Isn’t that kind of the default assumption unless you have specifically had a conversation stating otherwise?
If I’m with somebody for ten days? No, I wouldn’t make assumptions about that. It’s not the sort of thing you should make assumptions about, it’s something that partners need to directly communicate about.
Isn’t that the kind of assumption that many societies want to impose, especially via religion?
Have we not grown to the point where we realise that humans are not an inherently monogamous species, as indeed many other apes are not?
Perhaps we could offload a whole bunch of dreadful guilt if we started with the assumption that human relationships are NOT monogamous, and went on to discuss it from there?
Isn’t this whole comic about thinking over religious fundamental rulings and deciding whether they actually apply or not?
I’m not religious, and although functionally monogamous, I’m not monogamous in my own choices.
Before we can deal with Joe&Joyce&Dorothy&Walky, we need to get Daisy squared away. I want Dorothy to revise Amazi-Girl’s outfit with a cleavage window and for Amber to model it for Daisy.
oh yes! Daisy’s been waiting far too long. 🙂
Lmao oh no, so Walky is really the one that’s gonna throw a fit, for the drama
… please?
More of a depressive episode. Joe walks in on him sulking to “Maybe I’m Just Tired” and wonders what’s up with everyone’s 2010-ass music choices.
Booster attempts a rebound.
you misspelled “Booster tries to direct Walky directly into Amber’s pelvis, like a pretty little cruise missile.”
https://bsky.app/profile/damnyouwillis.bsky.social/post/3lx2z7kplck23
Always good to remember to thanks Willis for keeping this comment section on just it’s regular levels of awful.
Wonder if that has anything to do with a certain user with a Sailor Moon gravitar who likes to link to alt right web sites to support their arguments. Cuck is a popular insult for those types.
…are you joking?
I assume this is supposed to be a reply to someone but it’s not, it’s a stand alone post.
I yhink they are asking Joe if he is joking
I could have sworn I saw their posts higher up in the thread and then had to refresh to find this one, but the time stamps don’t bear me out. Might have replied to someone and then seen their posts higher in the thread before scrolling down to see this and just assumed it was newer than those. Now that I’ve noticed this seems to have been their first post on this strip that interpretation makes more sense.
So Joe is fine with Joyce being in an open relationship with him and Dorothy. That’s… not what I expected, but awfully mature for him. However, even if he and Joyce agree to be open, I’m still thinking Dorothy’s jealousy will drive a wedge between them… and that’s if Becky doesn’t throttle both Joyce and Dotty first.
Also, the front page title is absolutely tacky and really does a disservice to the other people that were protesting against genocide. But sex sells, doesn’t it?
“Joe is fine with Joyce being in an open relationship with him and Dorothy.” has not actually been said yet. The conversation isn’t over. It’s much more likely than some have assumed given the past couple strips but it hasn’t been said yet and there are still more strips to come.
That was supposed to be a reply to Corey C. but it doesn’t seem to have worked right.
Maybe. Or maybe he thinks it was just some kiss in the moment and not that Joyce wants to be with Dorothy instead.
“Oh, I think you definitely knew what you were doing when you kissed Dorothy.”
I do not think that lines up with Joe’s dialogue.
Yeah but I still don’t think that means he assumes Joyce wants to start a full relationship… Just that she wanted to kiss her. Both Dorothy and Joyce seem to be in agreement to break things off with their current partners to be with each other… but Joe doesn’t know that yet and Joyce just said she has to do it because she cheated on him.
I guess I just don’t know if I believe this is gonna go the thruple route and a lot of people are going to be really disappointed. This whole story is about young kids making rash and dumb kid decisions. 🤷♂️
There is very low chance of a throuple.
I just don’t think “some kiss in the moment” lines up with his dialogue. I am not otherwise pretending to know what Joe’s angle is here, but he’s also talked to Dorothy about this, and I don’t think his impression from her was that she just wanted to kiss Joyce once, either.
I haven’t really been a fan of Perfect Boyfriend(tm) Joe so I mostly hope this pushes him towards something interesting. And honestly the most interesting things are probably sort of miserable for him. I’d like it if they got into a poly / some sort of open relationship deal & he felt some sort of way about it without wanting to speak out – he’s said before he doesn’t “get to be jealous”. Joe has, in the past, not seen himself as a possible victim (so to speak) of shitty behavior in relationships – he’s always worrying about being a possible perpetrator. I think it’d be interesting to explore that.
Alternatively I’d really like something to come of his interaction with Rachel. Or for him to have flaws again. He’s been trying so hard to be good and it’s working and very boring to watch
See, there was a ridiculous comment about how Joe’s “spineless” for not being upset and other toxic masculinity garbage, and now it’s gone! Poof! Like magic (the magic of moderation).
Later someone’s going to refer to that element of the commenters, and everyone who didn’t see the comment is going to think they’re making up a guy to get mad at. It’s a genuine phenomenon, sigh.
it’s kind of wild to me how many people on the internet just, cannot comprehend the existence of Common Things That Have Always Happened In Internet Communities, Since The Day It Was Launched
It DOES go both ways, I’m sure. I’ve seen folks talk about streams of conversation I’ve missed, too.
But the queerphobic and/or misogynistic stuff is quicker to get deleted, for obvious reasons, so… fff.
I mean, I absolutely believe that stuff exists, I just sometimes question the rationale for referencing it as though it’s anything other than deleted trollpoo.
@Big Z: I mean, I can tell that I lost the thread of my rant by this reply.
My point wasn’t to cast aspersions on people who are incredulous. I think incredulity is a natural reaction, given the givens. It’s just definitely increasing the rate at which people are talking past each other.
Yeah, sorry, that’s kinda where I’m at too — I mean, I’ve routinely caught a lot of flak for having opinions in the same vague region of the paladin/sicko axis (still a band name!) as the deleted, the trolls, and the Redditors. As such, I have a vested interest in part of the solution being “why bring those fights here, when you can just talk to the people who are here and not deleted instead?”
Which I think would help with the talking-past-each-other rate — I feel like my interaction with Sajuuk-Khar is a pretty good example of that happening and then getting reasonably resolved, but I’d rather it just didn’t happen in the first place.
Mm, I don’t think people are intentionally doing that. I think the worst comments lodge in people’s minds. I also think some of us have started skimming the comments looking only for names we know we like talking to, which is another thing that contributes to having a skewed impression of what the “””other side””” is saying.
(And I’m definitely talking about both sides and not any one specific person.)
Oh certainly, it’s definitely happening in both directions. I just think we’d all be better off, conflict-reduction-wise, if we recognized that those vicious comments that get lodged aren’t the fault of the mostly decent people on every side of this discussion.
At this point, granted, I mostly skim AROUND names that I know I don’t find value in interacting with for one reason or another. Hilariously, most of the people I’m looking to talk with are on the opposite “side” of that original dichotomy.
🙂 well I like talking to you too haha.
But also: it does… genuinely suck to keep seeing commenters that attack queer identities and to be told to just ignore it as irrelevant trolling?
It’s not that easy for some of us.
Perhaps Joe’s “Why” is “Why do you have to break up with me?”
And feel free to put the emphasis on the you, or the me there, as you see fit.
That’s not a bad way of looking at it. Playing with the emphasis …
“Why do you have to break up with ME?” (“I should be breaking up with you!” or “You should nip this dalliance with Dorothy in the bud.”)
“Why do you HAVE to break up with me?” (Poly stonks through the roof!)
“WHY do you have to break up with me?” (“I want to hear you specifically say what you think you did wrong and how it came about.”)
“Why do YOU have to break up with me?” (Bitter ending: “… shouldn’t Dorothy be doing it, since that’s apparently who’s pulling your strings?”)
…
“Why do you have to break UP with me?” (“Break DOWN with me! This is now a dance battle.”)
Huh. 740+ comments after all. Didn’t think we’d get this many.
I shan’t read the comments. I’m only here to gawk at the comic
Honestly you be happier that way. Learn from our fooly.
CALLED IT
Who bets Daisy was too excited about the girls kissing in front of riot police photo to wait for Monday?
I predict Dorothy will confront Daisy about this only to be told that it was Dorothy making out while her fellow students were being beaten for protesting genocide.
*kicks feet up with popcorn* not how I wanted things to go, but I’m intrigued.
Go on.
If only there was one more strip before this one; then it would have run on Sunday.
Sunday Edition? What’re Julia and Doris up to today, then
I don’t see their faces… may plausible deniability ruuuuuule