193

Four-Eyed Blondes
Posted on April 20, 2025 by David M Willis

193 thoughts on “Four-Eyed Blondes”

  1. Doctor_Who

    Four-Eyed Blondes sounds like a geeky indie cover band of 4 Non Blondes.

    Which is ironic, because they definitely left Ruth and Carla wondering what’s going on?!

    1. Doctor_Who

      Welp, should have checked the alt-text, Willis has bested me.

      1. Opus the Poet

        Still good, to think of that before you read the alt-text.

      2. Steamweed

        Always check the alt-text first. It’s just natural law.

        1. clif

          Hey, I’m just disappointed it wasn’t wishing us a happy Hitler’s birthday.

        2. Laura

          Plenty of better things to celebrate on 4/20.

    2. Puppeteer Nessus

      Hey this is that song He-Man does

      1. Thag Simmons

        Worse cultural legacies for a song to have.

        1. RassilonTDavros

          Honestly that’s probably one of the best cultural legacies for a song to have.

        2. DJTsurugi

          especially with how accurate it is. ~<3

      2. someone

        Fun fact, the song’s title is actually “what’s up” despite that phrase appearing nowhere in the lyrics, because “what’s going on” was already taken as a title by Marvin Gaye and many others.

        1. Azhrei Vep

          Kinda like the well-known 80s hit by Bon Jovi featuring the chorus of “Shot through the heart / and you’re to blame / you give love a bad name” not being named Shot through the Heart as most people I’ve known have assumed. Nah, that was taken.

          … by an earlier Bon Jovi song, actually.
          (It’s called You give love a bad name if you’re curious)

      3. Furie

        I think you’ll find it’s Prince Adam singing, not He Man. How could you mix that wimp and that hunk with the exact same body type and hairstyle up?

  2. BBCC

    They both know Joyce well enough now to know they need a translator.

    1. ZombieKyrik

      I don’t think they need a translator Joyce just needs someone to sit down with her and explain sex talk, innuendos, jokes, and the actual deed. If she had that this would be Smarting of Age in no time… except for the other characters, not counting Sal&Dan because I love them and I don’t think they’re that dumb most of the time.

      1. Li

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/mandangle/

        To be fair, she’s probably less reluctant to google things now!

        1. Opus the Poet

          Nice reminder that I was able to comment before the Ana and Jen that day. I had forgotten that.

      2. Inahc

        I dunno, I practically grew up on the internet and I feel like I still don’t know what I’m saying half the time. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch it just after I said it.

      3. S.R.

        I’m not sure it’s practical to fill her in on literally every single existing innuendo, which is what would be needed to avoid them entirely.

  3. Nono

    I do find it kinda cute that Carla refers to it as hanky panky around Joyce.

    I mean, 90% she’s making fun of her as she does it, but still.

    1. Falco

      Making fun of can be a sign of affection!

    2. Steamweed

      Carla is the goddess who knows how to talk to her worshippers. (and everyone’s a worshipper, whether they know it or not)

  4. Sirksome

    There’s definitely an extremely heterosexual explanation for this…….right?

    1. Steamweed

      Absolutely.
      Completely.
      Definitely.
      Totally.
      Undoubtedly.

      1. clif

        Not.

    2. mindbleach

      Sure, Joyce’s second time is gonna be with Joe.

      1. tdf

        I mean, are we counting that time Joyce and Dorothy held hands while Joyce had her first intentional orgasm, with Dorothy’s help? Because I know THEY don’t count that, but like…

        1. mindbleach

          I’m counting what is definitely about to happen and cannot possibly be an impending failure with disastrous consequences.

          … this is the one Jeph Jacques writes, yeah?

    3. TerribleTransit

      There is absolutely a heterosexual explanation for this.

      It’s not the correct explanation. But there is one.

      1. S.R.

        It is entirely possible for two heterosexual women to have and enjoy all sorts of sexual activities with each other. Sexual attraction isn’t necessarily required for sex to be enjoyable. That’s why some asexual people still have and enjoy sex- it works a bit like a massage, where you don’t need to experience massagual attraction for it to feel good.

        buuuuut that does not appear to be what’s going on here.

    4. Astariel

      There is if you ask Jennifer.

  5. Yumi

    Okay, so it was a reversal of before in a different way than I was thinking.

    1. Yumi

      Okay, so that wasn’t what I was trying to do before.

      1. Thag Simmons

        The HTML defeated you.

      2. Steamweed

        Dorothy doesn’t usually telegraph her embarrassment out-loud like that. Joyce is all about “I’m definitely not doing this sexual thing!” Dorothy mostly gives a particular look and slinks off.

  6. Rosicrucian

    Dorothy mentally calculating if she has to actually wreck Joyce for instructional purposes, or if she can just give helpful tips on being wrecked.

  7. Thag Simmons

    Do the right thing Dorothy.

    1. Proxiehunter

      Joyce?

      1. Puppeteer Nessus

        That seems right to me

      2. Deanatay

        Joyce is, indeed, the right thing.

        Meaning, she’s the one on the right, when they’re walking.

    2. Steamweed

      Dorothy, as Nike (the company, not the goddess) would say, “Just do her.”

      (dunno, maybe the goddess would say it, too)

  8. Joe Moose

    ♫ And so I wake in the morning
    And I step outside
    And I take a deep breath and I get real high
    And I scream at the top of my lungs ♪
    [possum screm]

    1. NGPZ

      I prefer edibles myself for gettin real high ^^

      Happy 4/20 AND Easter! Also Dotty X Joyce Bedtime fun begins!!!

      *plays “No Joke!” from Steins;Gate Music CD on hacked muzak*

  9. ZombieKyrik

    Damn, I was hoping for more Billie/Alice time, so I’ll have to assume they are getting soft serve, and talking.

    Someone please help Joyce with sex language and idioms. I cringe when she says stuff like this because I realize how off-putting it is.

    1. Yumi

      They reach Joyce’s room only to find that Billie and Alice are already banging in it

      1. Li

        One would think they’d have headed back to Forest to use one of THEIR rooms! How inconsiderate can you get ?

        1. Yumi

          It was close by and it was empty

  10. Sirksome

    Side note. I think Ruth and Carla are best friends, or at least as close to best friends as either of them are capable of admitting.

    1. Opus the Poet

      I think you’re right:
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/todo/
      Maybe not the best example but An Example.

    2. Rabid Rabbit

      As best I recall, Ruth is the only person Carla has ever openly spoken to about the fact she’s trans. Admittedly, that was in the context of Ruth completely failing in her job because she was breaking All the Rules, but would have done the right thing if she wasn’t open to blackmail at the time, but still. That does indicate a level of honesty that’s often shared only between friends.

      1. Jamie

        I mean, it’s not really a high bar for honesty when that fact was in the national news. Not that I’m disagreeing with Sirksome (not sure what I think about that; does Ruth even know about Charlie yet?), but literally the only person who didn’t know was Joyce. Part of Carla’s attention-getting shtick is about making sure people also know she’s that Carla. The one who’s definitely named Carla now.

        1. thejeff

          Part of it, but she also never brings it up. Which is why Rabid Rabbit said “has ever openly spoken to”.
          I don’t know if it really says anything about level of honesty or friendship, since it only happened after Mary dragged it out into the open.

          The only other person I can think of was Malaya, when they asked her about it directly over their own concerns about being non-binary.

    3. Steamweed

      They are both sophomores and have that extra year of university experience and lacking the lost-freshman trait, while living among a gaggle of lost-freshman types.

      1. RassilonTDavros

        Pretty sure they’re both juniors, actually.

        1. Steamweed

          Oh! That just tells me I need to re-re-read the whole dang thing, from very first episode.

  11. Wendy

    4-eyed blondes, time to square up with the 4-eyed redheads.(They’d get their asses kicked though.)

    1. Steamweed

      Carla is roller-derby material. Ruth isn’t but definitely could be. Both Dorothy and Joyce would be the freshest of fresh meat.

  12. Dara

    Ruth’s look of absolute stunned shock, so stunned she can’t even make a face because all the circuits have shut down, is so beautiful here xD

    1. Needfuldoer

      She’s in “you don’t realize what you just said, do you” overload.

    2. Steamweed

      Their brain cells do not accept that (1) Joyce actually knew what she was saying and (2) meant it.

      1. clif

        Well, my brain cells have not actually accepted it either, but that’s partially because Willis is a known tease.

        1. Steamweed

          What? You don’t believe fully completely in your heart that Willis will provide us a Dorothy-Joyce sex scene? Shirley you can’t be Sirius!

  13. Derek

    Joyce you don’t wanna get wrecked on your first time, you need to work your way up. It’s similar to how you can THINK you’re a size queen, but it’s better to not put that into practice until after you’ve had fun things inserted and you can really gauge what girth seems best for you.

  14. darkoneko

    Neither have you, Carla.

    1. IntangibleMatter

      Carla always knows what she’s saying, she just doesn’t much care

  15. RassilonTDavros

    Welp I guess I’m gonna have that song stuck in my head for the next few hours-and-or-days. He-Man is risen indeed!

    (now is time for CAKE)

    1. StClair

      The Power of Greyskull COMPELS you!

  16. IntangibleMatter

    Joyce is the only person in this comic who isn’t feeling thoroughly awkward in some way, and that’s because she’s the only one who’s being so awkward.

    Also Dorothy’s facial expression, dammit girl needs a hug.

    1. Jamie

      Not sure a hug would help, in this situation…

  17. Amós Batista

    !

  18. Looney

    i don’t claim to know what the best solution to All Of This would be. all i know is i think dorothy deserves to squeeze some boobies

  19. The 25th

    I see a lot of conflict on Dorothy’s face. Sadly I think Dorothy’s moral compass will win out

  20. darkoneko

    oh damnit the alt-text makes me want to listen to 4-non-blondes. Actually, let’s goooo

  21. SvenTS

    Love that Joyce can say she’s going to get wrecked but *not* ‘shit’ even with her new policy on swearing.

    1. John Campbell

      I don’t keep an official count or anything (because seriously that would be crazy who would do something like that), but Joyce has said “shit” before. Twice. At her mom.

      1. clif

        For the benefit of those too new here to get the joke, John Campbell maintains the official F-bomb list for the benefit of the community.

      2. mindbleach

        She’s PG-13 and angling for that R.

  22. Morhek

    Joyce has never said “Hey, what’s going on?”

    1. Steamweed

      You need to give Jugs some time to learn. It’s hard going up that great big hill of hope.

  23. Shakes

    Dorothy is deeply concerned with this turn of events.

    1. Deanatay

      And yet, she’s not fighting it…

      1. clif

        Dorothy did not comment on Joyce’s answer.

    2. Steamweed

      Dorothy frequently follows Joyce wherever she leads.

  24. Li

    — So we skipped forward. We didn’t get to see what Dorothy’s response to Joyce’s request was.

    Now we have them in the halls: Joyce walking tall and proud, not entirely unlike how Becky and Dina’s proud declarations of successful sexing one another; Dorothy scrunched down, blank-faced in the first panel, looking conflicted and a mite unhappy in the second, looking like she wants to disappear.

    — Carla and Ruth speak for the readers: does Joyce know what she’s saying? How literal is she being? What on earth are she and Dorothy about to do?

    I’m… a little bit reminded of the run-up to the reveal of Joyce’s atheism to Becky, where Becky poked Joyce several times in Christian-y spots (like prompting her to say grace), and I started wondering if she knew Joyce had “lost” her faith and was trying to get Joyce to admit it. I was wrong then: it was just Willis delighting in forcing Joyce into awkward situations. So of course I know I could be just as wrong now! Joyce could have no idea Dorothy likes her and might genuinely be expecting…???

    Well, here’s one idea: maybe she wants help performing a sexy getting-ready song for Joe? She wants to wax her legs and squeeze into some complicated lingerie she bought for the occasion but doesn’t know how to put on and do special makeup (though after last time, one would imagine she’d ask Carla’s help for makeup)…? She’s hoping for a last-minute tutorial on condoms and lube…?

    I don’t know! And we clearly aren’t meant to. Carla and Ruth wouldn’t be speaking for the readers if Willis intended this to be totally obvious.

    — As for Dorothy…

    I really don’t know what she’s thinking here.

    I’m inclined to assume that it’s one of two possibilities:

    a.) intent on helping Joyce through this as a platonic friend, but aware that it’s going to break her own heart in the process, and not appreciating the reminder of how much Joyce is looking forward to later on

    b.) intent on telling Joyce that she can’t help her with this because she has feelings for her, dreading that conversation, and not appreciating the reminder of how Joyce has no idea what’s coming, and how her confession might spoil Joyce’s mood and change their friendship forever

    Like, strictly speaking, it could also be c.) intent on taking advantage of her BFF’s naïveté and feeling guilty about that…

    …but this would be an order of magnitude worse than when she tried to talk Walky into dumping Lucy; much worse even than when she tried to kiss him after he said he and Lucy were “probably” done. Magnified because Dorothy was rock-bottoming there, per her own description, and here she’s had at least some time to think about her feelings for Joyce and isn’t acting out of spur-of-the-moment misery and loss.

    So: in other words, this would be premeditated murder, while her previous offense was more like attempted battery in the heat of the moment…? It would be a really big escalation.

    Not… entirely out of character, but making something of a leap.

    What I’m hoping right now: option b, definitely. I can even sympathize with Dorothy not wanting to have that conversation on the steps where anyone might have walked up to overhear.

    But jeeeeeeez.

    1. apricot

      Good analysis, I think

      1. Li

        Heh, thank you. ? We’ll see, of course!

    2. Morhek

      I assume that Dorothy’s mind has shut down at this point and she is following on autopilot, still hearing the words “I’m probably gonna have sex” echoing in her head.

      1. Li

        Also possible! Buffering can take a while sometimes…

    3. Florence

      Definitely b

      Like a twist on Becky confession but this time pulling away with the perception it won’t go anywhere

      1. Li

        Yeah…

        It still feels like a scene Willis wouldn’t actually want to do twice but I guess we will see.

        1. Li

          Also repeating something I’ve said elsewhere: IT’S ALSO BEEN like a decade! That seems beyond the statute of limitations on “doing the same thing twice is repetitive”.

  25. bat

    You will never gaslight me into believing Joyce is blonde. That’s been brown and that remains brown.

  26. peng

    lol i love dorothy being like 🙁 while also still completely following joyce to her room to wreck her

    1. Steamweed

      First:
      “I’m…I’m not going to have sex with her. I’m just going to tell her how I feel about her.”

      Then:
      “I’m not going to tell her that; it would ruin her enthusiasm. I’ll just explain to her some simple sex stuff.”

      Then:
      “Okay, I can’t just explain it, because she needs some practice. I’ll keep the sex stuff simple.”

      A slippery slope.

      (so slippery)

  27. Taffy

    This’ll be the day we’ve waited for.

    1. Proxiehunter

      This will be the day we open up the door

  28. Lee

    Wait, this is round THREE? Round One was the laundry room masturbation, but what was Round Two? What have I missed ??

    1. clif

      As Suet has reported elsewhere, https://www.dumbingofage.com/2024/comic/book-14/03-trystin-in-the-wind/underagedly/

  29. Syd

    We have lost the plot so badly

    1. clif

      But there it is right there. Joyce was fairly definite.

    2. Steamweed

      Nah, pretty sure I’ve seen this flufferette plot in some porn somewhere.

  30. Syd

    I’m glad we’re acknowledging that dotty and joyce look like blonde clones in-story though lmfao. Same bangs and all! No wonder Carla always got them mixed up.

    1. clif

      There’s the same problem with Sal and Amazigirl. No wonder Jennifer always gets them mixed up.

    2. Steamweed

      Jugs and Not-Jugs _do_ look similar.

      1. clif

        And more importantly, neither of them are Carla.

  31. Rabid Rabbit

    “Yer PROLLY gonna hafta bang her.” https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-6/02-that-perfect-girl/progress/

    Not quite the circumstances you envisaged, Walky, but at least even then you didn’t seem opposed to the idea of your girlfriend banging someone else on principle.

    Also, I know it’s been 10 years for us, Dorothy, but even so, you can’t complain about the fact we started doubting your Kinsey ranking before you did.

    1. Aura

      Oooh great callback! Looks like a nice bit of foreshadowing from here.

    2. Steamweed

      Daang, that was 9 and a half years ago.

      Such simpler times.

    3. Tan

      I was reading on a bit from here and came across this old strip: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/02-that-perfect-girl/spouse/

      Which is just :chef’s_kiss: re-read with the context of the current storyline

  32. Armadillo

    Still time to turn this situation around, but it looks like Dorothy has already let this go on further than she should have. The only morally acceptable response to Joyce’s request in light of Dorothy’s recent realization is a definitive “no.”

    Well, she could also, like, fully confess that she’s realized she’s been unconsciously taking advantage of Joyce’s naivete. That would also be morally okay. but also probably skipping several steps to navigating the situation in a healthy way. Really I just want her to acknowledge that she needs to reassess the boundaries she’s been keeping. Immediately. Before she does something actually despicable instead of just messy. You can do it Dorothy, I believe in you!

    1. Taffy

      Fuck the “healthy” way. I wanna see Dorothy almost go too far but not quite get there, because it opens up more fun paths.

    2. clif

      So just to be clear, helping a dear friend who has asked for your help is despicable? I mean some discussion on exactly what help she’s requesting might be in order. But Joyce seems to be pretty clear in her own mind exactly what she’s asking for. If she’s fine with it AND Dorothy’s fine with it, I don’t see the moral issue.

      1. Taffy

        At a guess, the despicable thing would be having any sort of sexual or romantic contact with Joyce while they both have boyfriends, and those boyfriends likely knowing nothing of said contact in the moment.

        1. Armadillo

          Not only that, but also the fact that Dorothy is doing this while not being open about her sexual feelings for Joyce. That’s the real sticking point for me here.

      2. Armadillo

        Maybe I’m reading too much into this. But right now it seems like this is turning into laundry 2.0 here.

        And if Dorothy goes along with something like that while not being open with Joyce about how she feels, despite now being aware of those feelings? It’s sexual exploitation. Full stop. I will not debate further on that.

        For the record I really hope that’s not what’s happening here, I just have a really gross feeling about the direction this seems to be heading.

        1. clif

          If I were taking bets, I’d bet on it not being the direction it’s headed. Mostly because Joyce and not Dorothy. But we can wait and see without getting all judgy.

          Taffy, I don’t recall any agreements of exclusivity being made, though they might well have happened offscreen.

        2. TerribleTransit

          It is generally culturally appropriate to assume exclusivity unless otherwise stated. “We never explicitly stated we couldn’t sleep with other people” is a shitty excuse for cheating, not a gotcha that makes it okay. If you’re going to be with other people it should be crystal clear from the get-go with each of them, and situations where that’s known and understood as the default are vanishingly rare.

          Aside from general cultural norms, we can identify from previous conversations between all of the people involved that exclusivity is expected from each member of the two couples.

  33. Freezer

    Ruth has the best “Wait, what?” expressions.

  34. Taffy

    If I’m gonna take a guess at Dorothy’s mindstate, I’m assuming she has this feeling in her gut. A little burning sensation, almost like the one you might get when you’re angry but not as hot and without quite as much direction. And it’s heavy, too, like something dense in her stomach, never leaving or feeling entirely comfortable. She doesn’t know it yet, but that’s guilt in there, trying to root her to wherever she stands, so she won’t go into Joyce’s room and do what she’d probably like to do. She’s made mistakes before, maybe gotten a little closer to something than she’d meant to, but now she’s fully aware of what she wants and it’s not doing her any good, because she’s still walking to that room. She’s still following Joyce, knowing full well she’s into her, not bothering to get clarity on what Joyce is actually asking her to do, because she wants it to be The Thing, whether she wants that to be what she wants or not.

    It’s all an assumption, of course, and I’m only using my own experience to infer any of it. And it’s only the assumption of an emotional state, not any actual intent on Dorothy’s part. Plus, her being fictional and all, the stakes are as low as they get.

    1. thejeff

      Probably with a bit of hoping whatever Joyce is actually asking for won’t quite cross the line, both so she can avoid coming clean to Joyce and so that she can enjoy the parts up to the line.

      Wherever that line actually is for her, which is likely a moving target.

  35. MissKellie

    I think a good mess could be Jennie’s advice coming back at an inopportune time. Like, Dorothy gets 10% into it and realizes she can’t go through with this only for Joyce to kiss her like regular best friends are allowed to do. Would be a fun twist.

  36. AbacusWizard

    heck yeah, Joyce, keep ’em guessing

  37. AK

    Not really the point of today’s strip but I was recently looking through the Ruth tag and like. Does anyone else feel like Carla’s interactions with Ruth are by far where Carla has been at her most interesting? I dunno. Strong dynamic.

    1. Rectilinear Propagation

      It’s good stuff!

    2. Armadillo

      Carla has all her best character moments when interacting with Ruth, yes. And all her best moments period when torturing Mary. She is otherwise very whatever to me.

    3. Rabid Rabbit

      Carla is at her most honest with Ruth, possibly because Ruth has little tolerance for bullshit other than her own (and Jennifer’s). She drops her “I’m a super-special Magic Pixie Trans Girl (whose Daddy & Mommy are basically Elon except less batshit and not transphobes)!” persona around Ruth on occasion.

      So, yes, because there’s no one else around whom Carla drops her mask more than Ruth. I mean, maybe with Charlie, but I’ve yet to be convinced the mask gets dropped there.

  38. ADLegend21

    Heeeeeyyeeeeeyeeeeeeyeeeeeeey I said hey. What’s going on?

  39. Acher4

    Dorothy is rising.

    Joyce is risen!

    Will Joe rise? 😛

  40. Miri

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-13/03-joementum/touched/

    Hey now, sometimes Joyce is aware of how what she says sounds, she just doesn’t realise why it sounds like that…

    1. Steamweed

      Lookin’ forward to how she later describes to Sarah what’s about to happen.

  41. Thing2

    My favourite kind of jokes are the ones where people’s assumptions run away with them, and the outcome is not what they were expecting at all, cos people have grubby minds!

    1. clif

      Are you talking about the commentariate?

      Because I’m going to assume you’re talking about the commentariate.

      1. thejeff

        Probably. Though Dorothy’s definitely also running with the grubby assumptions.

        1. clif

          Maybe.

  42. TheFlamingonator

    Always fun to see Ruth and Carla in the same strip

  43. Suet

    Round One
    Round Two

    “She Has Never Once Known What She Was Saying” ? Maybe the ambiguity of her innuendos is just smoke and mirrors.

    At least the last two are straight-forward, what’ll they do this time?

    1. Aura

      Thank you for the reminders, I couldn’t remember the second time!

    2. Steamweed

      Those two four-eyed blondes are a right pair of bongo bosses! We know it’s true because Joyce said so!

  44. EtchJetty

    GOD

    REALLY FUNNY DUPDATE TODAY HUH

  45. Steamweed

    A pair of four-eyed blondes and a pair of four-eyed reds.

    Two pair! Unless any of youse has better, I’m takin’ the pot.

    1. Taffy

      I got four queens.

      1. Steamweed

        Well dang. Unless we’re playin’ dragon poker (a la Robert Asprin), then I’m guessin’ you win.

    2. Willoughby Chase

      You have a pot to piss in? In this economy?

      1. clif

        Yes, but it was made in China, so we can’t afford to replace it.

      2. Steamweed

        Family heirloom.

  46. Em

    Well, someone’s getting wrecked, one way or another, I suppose.

  47. Pergola

    Why all the fuss? Joyce is going to get some help with her music, that’s all.

  48. Willoughby Chase

    Dorothy is looking a little butch here

  49. Yumi

    This is somehow less awkward than Carla’s most recent interactions with Joyce.

  50. Leon

    I think Joyce knows exactly what she’s saying and that’s the point.

    The main question I have here is about Joyce’s supposed naivety. Given what we know, Joyce likely has her own designs here. She’s aware of the gayness of the laundry trip but has requested and initiated an escalated version of it. It was Dorothy’s idea last time. Contrast her reaction to Carla questioning them on their way to the laundry room to this strip. Confident admission of what they’re about to do and no visible anxiety. Joyce hasn’t brought up the titty pic, but she must have some ideas of why Dorothy might have sent that to her. After all, Joyce is a self-proclaimed lesbian love sleuth. She immediately and purposely frames it as a completely normal thing to do in order to justify keeping the pic in her mind. Then you have Jennifer telling her it’s completely normal to make out with and bang your bestie once or twice. An invitation to what will presumably be a dry humping session immediately following these events isn’t a coincidence. What makes it murky is the pretext or guise it’s about preparing for Joe, but that seems completely like hog wash if you think about it for five seconds. Oh, and the drunken confession of wanting to watch Dorothy have sex with Walky to observe how it’s done (for the same exact reason) while covering up his half with her hand has turned into a full on propositioning Dorothy to show her herself. That’s significant for more reasons than one and a shift from observer to participant.

    The idea only Dorothy would morally in the wrong if she participates in what Joyce wants her to do with her and is actively orchestrating is depriving Joyce of agency here. It doesn’t make sense because it’s predicated on the notion Joyce is unaware she’d be getting Dorothy off in this scenario and Dorothy would be intentionally taking advantage of that fact. What’s clear is Joyce is aware they’d be getting off together regardless of her awareness of Dorothy’s now explicit romantic feeling for her. While Dorothy would be knowingly cheating on Walky in a sense, Joyce would, under the pretext of practice and notion that sexual activity between friends is normal and “degayifies” it somehow (only implicit atm), ironically be cheating on Joe in another sense.

    1. Li

      I like this interpretation of events.

      I do think most commenters are assuming Joyce can’t possibly know what she’s inviting. I’ve been assuming we would see her realize what the photo from Dorothy meant rather than it happening off-panel.

      But like, this sort of subversion of expectations would certainly explain why Willis would have wanted to skip showing us that!

      1. Heavensrun

        I’m pretty sure she’d concluded that the photo was sent to her by mistake when Walky got a bunch more.

        1. Li

          Technically, she concluded the JENNIFER pic got sent to her by mistake; she was kind of overwhelmed by the Dorothy photo, and didn’t directly connect it to Walky.

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/03-me-and-who-you-say-i-was-yesterday/regrettably/

        2. Heavensrun

          (There is virtually no chance you see this at this point, but I still feel compelled to respond)

          Not explicitly, but the impulse to delete it clearly suggests that she is assuming that sending it to her was a mistake.

    2. thejeff

      It’s definitely possible, especially with the set up of Jennifer’s line, but it’s also still possible Joyce is still focused on getting wrecked by Joe tonight and on getting advice from Dorothy, not practice.

      1. Leon

        There’s an emphasis on Dorothy physically demonstrating what to do in Joyce’s fantasy scenario (extra emphasis on just watching what Dorothy does). It was also another way to poke at and remind us of the suppressed desire Joyce has for Dorothy. In that scenario, it also involves two people in action. What is happening now is for the same purpose but no Walky involved and Joyce specifically says “we’re doing hanky panky stuff.” I don’t think it’ll be as innocuous as just getting advice, but I’m welcome to surprises here.

        I’m also not saying Joyce has figured out Dorothy completely, but must at least have some kind of inkling about something. It goes into how she’s altering these events (the pic, Jennifer’s sage wisdom, the Laundry trip, so on) to fit into a framework that doesn’t make it “weird”, which will open up another can of worms once she’s completely honest with herself. Joyce also connects round one (“you took me to do laundry”) and two (“I took you drinking”) with the statement “we’ve learned how to let each other say yes.” What does that mean for round three? Joyce took the initiative here.

      2. Li

        I feel I should stress that I don’t think any attraction to Dorothy is replacing or supplanting her obvious very intense attraction to Joe. I didn’t really mention that in my comment, but yeah.

        1. Leon

          Oh, that’s obvious, yeah. That goes without saying.

          In a sense I’m doing an exercise in logic (the last two Joyce/Dorothy pages are call backs) while considering other story elements to make an educated guess on underlying motive. It’s more the actual intent I’m thinking of with this whole thing. I thought some responses to Dorothy were rough regarding the C-word and didn’t consider Joyce fully if you’re going down that route. Personally, I don’t think it goes that far, but there will likely be mutual boundary pushing that results in a permanent change in their relationship and the next story line in this book will have a lot of things happening because of it.

          I think how Joyce frames those two outings with “we’ve learned how to let each other say yes” is significant and it’s purposeful to have them encounter Carla to make the connection. The other two times Joyce answered Carla she spilled the beans (inadvertently once and on purpose the next), too.

        2. Li

          I agree. I think what I was trying to say is:

          it can be both.

          Joyce doesn’t have to have lost any interest in or focus on what’s going to happen later tonight with Joe, for her to also be interested in Dorothy rn. False dichotomy, you know?

          Every now and then I remember I need to kinda push back on the idea that all D/J shippers are anti J/J. Mostly Joe just doesn’t occur to me as a factor when I’m talking about D/J, but not because I want him to disappear or have any trouble acknowledging Joyce’s obvious Joe-thirst.

        3. Leon

          Joe is cool to me. I think what will probably end up happening with D/J is the most narratively interesting development for all characters involved.

          To speak further about the Joyce’s simultaneous interests, that is an entanglement she will have to come terms with herself. From what I understand, her issue with Ruth and Jason was the idea Ruth had to choose a preference and stick with it despite acknowledging what bisexuality ultimately is. She was with Jennifer, so she shouldn’t be dating guys now. I’m assuming that will be a problem for her in the very near future along with the idea of sexual fluidity, which is also something Becky is currently dealing with. A lot of things are converging atm huh.

        4. Li

          I think it’s probably also in part… who the heck is Jason???? Joyce KNEW Jennifer! She SHIPPED Ruth/Jennifer!

          But yeah, the idea that a bi person might actually date a boy definitely took her aback.

    3. Bittersweet

      Yeah, this is definitely not a good look for Joyce here if she’s actually thinking of doing what it seems like she’s doing. I think people fixate on Dorothy because she’s already crossed the line once somewhat (the picture to Joyce) and generally been dodgy with respecting other relationships in general (not just Joyce/Joe, but Lucy/Walky as well)

      If Joyce does go through with it, I’ll have lost a lot of like for her as a character. Mistakes happen and changing is hard, but I [as a neurodivergent bi woman who struggled a lot with things like “saying no” and understanding appropriate friendship behaviors] cannot give anybody a pass on cheating on their significant other whose specific bad trigger is infidelity. It makes it worse than Dorothy cheating on Walky imo, at least that could trigger positive development for Walky. I don’t see Joe getting cheated on causing anything but a spiral.

      Of course there are also the possibilities that Joyce doesn’t do anything, or that she and Joe talked about it offscreen (we know D and W didn’t) and he was cool with it, stuff like that. My harsh judgment is purely for the outcome of Joyce cheating.

  51. Rabisch

    The fact that Dorothy isn’t even trying to say something back show very well what she decided to do. Can’t wait!

    1. clif

      Does it tho?

    2. thejeff

      I don’t think so. I think she’s leaning on plausible deniability as long as she can. Then we’ll see which way she goes when it comes down to it.

      Assuming that Joyce is really going where she (and we) think she is.

  52. Kyulen

    For once Joyce might actually know what she’s saying. Though it would be funny if she somehow still doesn’t after all this time.

    1. Pergola

      Joyce thinks she knows what’s she’s saying. Bail for Yale, Dorothy!

      1. Heavensrun

        I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed. Whatever Dotty does at this point, she’s a future IU alum.

  53. RedComet

    Joyce knows what she is doing and thinks it’s okay because Jennifer said best friends are allowed and they’ve already done things that are in the same family. Dorothy is…. either shamefully going along with this or plans on discussing why she can’t once they’re in private. I’d argue that she could have had a quiet outdoor conversation about this instead of going to dangerous territory so she’s absolutely thinking about going along with it.

    Her own fault that Joyce is (somewhat) innocently spreading the word to bystanders.

    Awful decision by Dorothy but great decision for all of us who get to see how this train wreck goes down.

    1. thejeff

      Even Jennifer’s thing about best friends really only was meant to apply to “while still being straight”, not cheating on a partner.

      And I can see Dorothy a) Not wanting to have this conversation in public,
      b) wanting to delay having this conversation at all in hopes Joyce doesn’t mean what she seems to mean and she doesn’t have to confess yet,
      c) dealing with the temptation of what Joyce does seem to mean.

    2. thejeff

      If Joyce really does follow through on the “you’re allowed to bang your best friends” thing thing with Dorothy, that’s really going to mess with Becky when she finds out.

      I mean, I know she’s happy with Dina and all, but damn.

  54. R. Francis Smith

    I made a super nerdy snort noise at “four eyed blondes” I admit.

    Because I’m old. Also, nerdy.

  55. thejeff

    Also, I’m old.

    Is “wrecked” really slang for sex these days? Without other context, I’d assume it was about getting drunk.

    Or is Joyce just misusing slang she doesn’t really understand?

    1. Taffy

      It implies heavy-duty sex. Intense and messy and possibly rough, with a severe need for hydration afterward.

      1. Li

        What Taffy said.

        I seriously doubt Joyce means that she wants it rough, but I do think she wants, like. A Lot of Sex. Much Sex. High-intensity sex.

        At least in her daydreams. 🙂 I’m pretty sure slow and gentle and vanilla would more than make her happy for her first time.

      2. Proxiehunter

        And likely some difficulty walking for a brief period after.

  56. Falcon

    Oh I get it. Dorothy is one of those go-getter executives who wants to relinquish control in bed by bottoming for Joyce.

  57. anonymsly

    Dorothy, you are allowed to say no. In fact, you should say no.

  58. DorJoJoe

    bro is it happening for real

  59. Heavensrun

    Man, lot of people in these comments who seem to have forgotten what they’re ACTUALLY doing. Look, I ship Joyrathy, I have shipped them for awhile. I’m practically captaining the vessel.

    But no, Joyce isn’t planning to bang Dotty, guys. She THINKS she’s getting advice on how to do sex with Joe. Hence “We’re doing hanky-panky stuff.” She either isn’t thinking about how that sounds to Carla (likely) or is just leaning into the running gag about them being gay together (less likely but possible) but I’m about as certain as you get that she’s not planning to sex Dotty.

    Dotty is clearly about to break, though. It’s just a question of if she’s gonna panic and kiss Joyce like Becky did, or if she’s gonna have a meltdown and confess, or if she’s just going to try and be the best person she can be and give the girl she likes honest, good advice on how to please her boyfriend. I don’t think she sees any possibilities that result in anything but heartbreak for her.

    1. Taffy

      Yeah, I think some folks are being a little quick on the draw with a certain C-word (not that one) and it’s a little silly.

    2. Li

      Hey, be fair: it’s not like Joyce invited Dorothy to go get ice cream and the rest of us are imagining stuff. Willis gave us a very deliberately ambiguous setup here, where yes: the rational brain says, “Joyce cannot possibly be asking Dorothy to warm her up for Joe.”

      But the rest of the brain is going, “She’s LITERALLY asked Dorothy to warm her up for Joe!”

      Willis could’ve immediately resolved the ambiguity by showing us Dorothy asking Joyce what she meant and getting clarification, but instead cut straight to the two of them walking to Joyce’s conveniently-vacated room with Joyce proudly telling Carla they’re gonna go do some sex-ish-stuff and Dorothy avoiding Carla’s eye contact, culminating in Ruth and Carla both being like, “…..they’re not actually… right????”

      So yeah, you’re completely right, but also, it’s not like Willis doesn’t want us all speculating like mad.

      1. thejeff

        Definitely true and it’s not just Willis ship teasing either, since it’s pretty clearly hitting Dorothy the same way it’s hitting the commentariat, so it’s serving her character arc.

        But at the same time, that doesn’t mean Joyce really plans to practice sex with Dorothy.

        1. Proxiehunter

          Practice sex with Dorothy? Clearly she’s planning to perfect sex with Dorothy so she can blow Joe’s mind. And other parts of Joe.

      2. Leon

        To add to this because it’s funny, the idea of Joyce on her own initiative breaking up Dorothy and Walky is in the text and not something out of thin air either lol. I was very surprised when Booster said that and that they thought it was a possibility. I don’t think that’s going to happen but I assume it was said for a reason.

    3. HueSatLight

      “honest, good advice” seems like a stretch to me. She might attempt to do that, but she attempted to do that with Walky, and the advice was empty platitude at best, possibly subconsciously sabotaging him. “If you’re not ready, you’re not ready” is closest to this situation, because he was asking for advice about sex with Lucy. But everyone loves when you’re obnoxious and Poor communication is important for a relationship fit the bill too. Dorothy is ordinary, and gives ordinary quality advice. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, and it’s going to be influenced by how she’s feeling whether she intends it or not.

      1. Taffy

        Well, those later two links just plain don’t say what you said.

        1. HueSatLight

          everyone loves when you’re cocky, taffy

        2. Taffy

          Yes, they do. You should see me perform, sometime. I put on a hell of a show.

        3. Li

          +1 lmao

          “That’s an… interesting characterization of those links” was the kindest response I could come up with personally.

      2. Heavensrun

        I said “try,” mind.

  60. thumb

    I wonder how many people in this strip have figured out what Joyce’s “we” is referring to.
    I wonder how many people in this strip will be wrong about this “we”.
    I wonder if one of these people will be Joyce.

  61. Charles Phipps

    Dorothy would have been an awful RA but Carla absolutely should have the job instead of Ruth.

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