268

How’re you doing?
Posted on March 1, 2025 by David M Willis
you can read tomorrow's strip early on Patreon

268 thoughts on “How’re you doing?”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    Joe marches in like a lion and out like a lesbian

    …wait no

    [coincidentally, found a game that is literally unplayable without the lesbians lol]

    1. Rolf of Many Doors

      Joe marches in like a lion and out like s a lesbian

      1. Rolf of Many Doors

        I don’t understand html tags, and again wish you could edit comments

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          What were you intending to write?

        2. Jamie

          They wanted the strikethrough to end after “like”, but missed the “/” that indicates a closing tag. Browsers tend to try their best when given invalid HTML, so it automatically closed and then opened a new <strike> element, which… looks like you never closed it.

        3. Pseudowolf

          Do you see what you did?!?

    2. Byron Orpheus

      I’d like to hear more about this game. Much like high school, I’m missing the lesbian content.

      1. Ana Chronistic

        there’s a link to it?

        if you meant specifically about the lesbian content, turning off the “Lesbian Toggle” disables the playable characters XD

    3. Kazuma Taichi

      yay lesbians!

  2. Doctor_Who

    At least she didn’t gasp in shock, or Joe might be taking her to the campus medical center to have that highlighter removed from her throat.

    1. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Might not be too bad. At least it’d not be Joe lodged in her throat.

    2. Steamweed

      Tomorrow’s strip might show that highlighter lodged in _Joe’s_ throat.

      1. Byron Orpheus

        Joe’s throat? If he’s lucky. Or unlucky. I’m not judging.

  3. Shakes

    Animal Crossing shocked sound.

  4. Serendipity

    Oh we’re going there! Good!

    1. Yumi

      Yay! I was excited to see what came of that phone buzz. The cutting away made it extra enticing because it was definitely going to be something.

    2. DJTsurugi

      someone FUCKING SAID IT! ~<3

  5. AeromechanicalAce

    Two steps forward, one step back there, Joe.

    At least SOMEONE knows she needs therapy.

  6. Sirksome

    Aw I was wrong. She’s not at the protest. She’s just bisexual brooding.

    1. Thag Simmons

      Has the protest actually started yet?

      1. Sirksome

        The Newspaper reported that they escalated. I assume that to escalate they would need to start but clearly my intuition is shot and what I thought were plot hints were nothing so who knows?

        1. Jeremiah

          They might still be plot hints they are just not happening right now.

        2. Opus the Poet

          So no heads are getting busted at the moment?

        3. Mark

          I’m imagining that things have been proceeding, the protesters have scrupulously followed the school’s guidelines on peaceful petitioning for redress of grievances, the onlookers are quiet, the administration is keeping its cool, the police see nothing alarming, and the newsies are losing interest because it’s been days of this kumbaya stuff with no heads busted.

          Hey, in a universe of infinite possibility it’s gotta happen sometime.

        4. Taffy

          That’s plausible, except for the “the police see nothing alarming” part. Cops are the jumpiest, most paranoid people I’ve ever seen. They could see a friendly game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and interpret that as a violent altercation. A musical instrument looks like a weapon to them, regardless of shape. A hacky sack is a bomb. Snacks are guns. They live in a world where everyone is right on the edge of murder.

        5. thejeff

          Well sometimes. When it’s people they’re already suspicious of. Like black people or protesters.
          Other times, they’ll casually overlook the obvious signs – like when a nice white boy from a good family is accused of sexual assault.

        6. Taffy

          “Nice” of course meaning “wears brand-name clothes and doesn’t look too ethnic”, and “good family” meaning “family with a certain amount of income”.

        7. thejeff

          Something like that, thought rural “good old boys” can pass the test too.

        8. Sirksome

          Or the friendly and trustworthy neo nazi group exercising their rights to publicly organize while fully armed with automatic weapons, torches, and nooses. That’s fine. Nothing dangerous going on there.

    2. morleuca

      I think she’s making protest signs

      1. morleuca

        Nope never mind. There’s an open textbook.

        1. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Well… It is Dorothy. Maybe her protest signs have citations.

        2. Steamweed

          But does she use APA, Bluebook, or MLA for her citations?

          (this is a very important question that i must have answers to)

        3. Reltzik

          Every citation will be presented in all three formats.

        4. Steamweed

          Damn, that’s gonna require some _big_ signage.

    3. Leadsynth

      It would be cool to see her at the protest. But I feel like Dorothy’s style is less to participate in the protest, and more to write a sternly worded letter to the university management who make decisions about investments, or whatever. (Of course, Dorothy’s style may be cramped by the fact that she’s depressed or at least not feeling like herself right now)

      1. thejeff

        Best approach for her would probably be to play journalist and write a positive article about it for the paper.

    4. Carla's #2 Fan

      I have forgotten the protest. Please remind me?

      1. Freemage

        Jocelyn’s reason for being on campus is to join a student protest that is a paper-thin remask of the campus protests against Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. The goal of the protest is to get the university to stop doing business in Fauxisrael.

        1. thejeff

          Timeline weirdness again. Now campus protests would likely be against the latest Trumpian crisis.

        2. Leorale

          I’ve been hoping against hope that Bulmeria isn’t about Israel/Palestine, which is a serious ongoing trauma. It’s not okay. Make it anti-trump, please, for the love of anything you wish.

        3. thejeff

          “Bulmeria” can’t really be about Trump.

        4. Leorale

          Yeah, I know.
          I’ve been reading Willis comics since I was a college freshman myself. Maybe it’s silly to be so attached to a comic, but, it’s been like the one constant in my life for over 20 years.
          And I was so excited about Jocelyne, who was the most like me.
          It’s gonna be so sad when she’ll shit all over my triggers such that I’ll need to stop.

        5. Nymph

          Jocelyne*

        6. Carla's #2 Fan

          Ohhh! Right, thank you!

  7. Jess

    RECORD SCRATCH

  8. Longshot97

    Ohh. THAT’S why he pulled up the music on Joyce’s phone, rather than letting her do it. It wasn’t just comedic “how does she not know yet” it was DELIBERATE. Willis, I salute you.

  9. mindbleach

    Wait. Joe has emotional intelligence?

    We’re all doomed.

    1. FaerwenOfValenwood

      *that one astronaut meme*

      Always did

      1. justin8448

        Yeah. He previously used his emotional intelligence to be upfront with everyone about not wanting to be involved in anything emotional.

        It was still there all along though.

      2. Deanatay

        Hobie Brown meme:

        – When did you get this emotionally intelligent?

        – I was this emotionally intelligent the whole time.

      3. Annarchy

        ??‍???‍?

    2. Yumi

      Well, she sent Joyce a pic of her boobs. (And Joe was the one who saw it.)

      1. Davus

        Okay, suddenly Joe’s question has an actual basis. Thank you!

    3. Carm

      He also used his emotional intelligence to get laid and apparently leave a trail of mostly good times rather than broken hearts.
      The being awful was in part a self sabotage against emotional attachment. Be the worst version of himself up front so noone caught feels.
      Which was so successful that Not Even Joyce could rose-coloured-glasses her way past it. Joyce at her Most bull-headed unreality manifesting

      1. Regret

        This reminds me of the difference between who we are in different groups.

        Old Joe in a group of women? Emotionally intelligent, high social tactical insight, charming, open and honest about what he wants. Leaves a trail of happy experiences.
        Old Joe in a group of men? Extremely emotionally restricted, tries to get others laid by giving them tips. Doesn’t realize that his emotional intelligence and honesty are large factors, thinks it is all about his social tactical insight and charm. His list is an attempt to bond with what he thinks are all men so he can then share his social tactical insight.

        Ah, the harms self deception can do.

        1. thejeff

          That’s a really rose tinted picture of Old Joe in a group of women. He was open about what he wanted, but he used little social tactical insight or emotional intelligence. Telling strangers how much he wants to fuck them isn’t either of those and that’s how old Joe interacted with women.

          Even before the list got out, he’d pissed off more women in the cast he’d interacted with than he’d charmed. No one actually liked him, except Joyce, who already had him off his usual script and even she had to tell how awful his usual script made her feel.

        2. Jamie

          Intelligence: well known to be a binary on/off switch.

    4. anon

      photo aside, wonder if joe was told by becky, ‘friendly rival’ act aside that walky said something like ‘does joyce act like she wants to go down on every girl or just dorothy’ lol

    5. Hasufin

      I was gonna say. Honestly it’s NOT that big a leap: he went from “I know what to say to girls to get them into bed” to “I’m not afraid to talk to girls and it turns out the same set of skills I used to figure out how to get them into bed also gives me insight into what they’re actually thinking”. It’s not a leap which is often made, but the potential is there.

  10. FaerwenOfValenwood

    Ahhhh yesssss there’s a reason Joe is Bestest Boy for me

  11. Thag Simmons

    Joe I don’t think she’s going to take that question very well

    1. Red

      maybe but it still needed to be asked

    2. BarerMender

      By her face, I think Dorothy, just this instant, came out to herself.

      1. Tawnee

        Notice how Dorothy’s PEN IS rising at the mention of Joyce’s name? Very telling.

        1. S

          Joe is going to fix her. With her PEN’S [rising].

        2. Steamweed

          *salutes you

      2. Mark

        I thought that expression was “where in all the universe of time and space did that come from?” but you could be right.

  12. TheKelliestKelly

    Enough about this love triangle- I want to know what’s in Dina’s box already

    1. Laura

      Ummm…. Becky is. Often.

      1. NGPZ

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

        I think they mean this, a literal box from Amazon XD

        1. Proxiehunter

          Yes, but the phrasing invited intentional misunderstanding for the purposes of humor.

        2. Regret

          Excellent gravatar for that remark.

      2. Taffy

        Oh, like with her vagina.

      3. Steamweed

        *applauds

    2. Sirksome

      You can choose between the potential lesbian pining or….THE MYSTERY BOX!

      1. Thag Simmons

        There’s probably a really cool dinosaur toy in the box

      2. justin8448

        They’re both pretty great, NGL.

      3. Taffy

        It could be anything. It could even be lesbian pining.

        1. Laura

          A pine box?

        2. Tesset

          From an island in Greece?

        3. Taffy

          Greek women are gorgeous. Who could fault ’em for picking each other?

  13. Friday

    Well, I never thought this day would come.

    1. anon

      would be great timing for becky to walk in now too

  14. Laura

    Re: alt-text:

    …What?

    1. Gigafreak

      It’s a parody of the Friends themesong, prompted by Joe’s impression of Joey Tribbiani’s iconic flirt in today’s comic.

      1. Laura

        Oh. Huh. Thanks!

      2. Thing2

        I would never have got that one!

      3. ConstantUbiquitous

        And reflecting that the comic is posted on 1st March, which is a traditional day to celebrate Wales and Welsh culture as it’s Dydd Gŵyl Dewi / St David’s Day. He’s the patron saint of Wales but it’s mainly a secular thing these days.

      4. nobodybasically

        Specifically, it’s a parody from the show 30 Rock, from a fictional British version of the show called “Chums.”

        1. Daibhid C

          Oh, interesting, because there was also an actual British parody of Friends that was also called Chums, as part of some Ant and Dec show the title of which escapes me. All I remember is the voiceover saying “Chums is filmed before anyone can stop us.”

          Also “when the rain falls on Wales” is a great metaphor for “always and forever”, so kudos to the 30 Rock writers there.

  15. audkitten

    I love Joe’s growth as a person. I really do

  16. Elf grrl

    Oh DAMN.

    He either saw the picture on Joyce’s phone or this is a shot in the dark. Regardless.. ? ? ?

    1. Proxiehunter

      Or he just paid attention to how Dorothy acts around her. But seing the pictures is probably what sent him from wondering about it to asking her about it.

      1. TulipKitten

        Or he heard when Joyce told him directly about the fact that she masturbated in the laundry room with Dorothy.

        1. justin8448

          Just gals being pals!

        2. Steamweed

          Gal pals!
          Good friends!
          Roommates!

          (4 out of 5 archaeologists and historians agree)

    2. sultryglebe

      Joe doesn’t know that Joyce was trying to send him pics either, does he?

      1. furubatsu

        Joyce did tell him she was sending one, and even took a “panty pic” in front of him to send him. So he at least has reason to believe its a genuine mistake on Joyce’s part and she’s lucky that the person she sent it to wouldn’t show it to anyone. Dorothy’s insistence on sending pics back and her general possessiveness over Joyce, however, would give Joe reason for concern.
        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2024/comic/book-15/02-the-one-where-jocelyne-returns/photo/

        1. sultryglebe

          Thanks. I forgot about that scene. What neither Joe nor Joyce know is that the pics are going to Dorothy.

  17. Yumi

    Okay, I can tell it might be needed so:

    Here’s where we saw Joyce’s phone buzz in Joe’s hand in the strip after Dorothy sent the pic: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/02-the-one-where-jocelyne-returns/forgetyou/

    1. True Survivor

      Thank you for the source.

  18. bwooom

    Holy shit.

  19. Gigafreak

    Nobody told her this was gonna be so gay
    (Clap clap clap clap)
    Her goals are smoked, she’s choked,
    She stars in DoA!

    1. Strain of Thought

      Seems like she always lives in current year!

      1. Daibhid C

        And this isn’t just about the time she and Joyce went out for a beer!

        1. Deanatay

          I’ll be Dumb for youuuuu
          When you need me to be Dumb
          I’ll be Dumb for youuuuu
          And you’ll be Dumb for me tooooo

  20. Joe Moose

    Drama Button ON!

    1. Joe Moose

      Drat! Forgot to post the link

      https://www.dramabutton.com/

      1. Regret

        I laughed loud and repeatedly. I expect to laugh from it a couple more times out of context and everytime I find a context where I can legitimately use it. Thanks!

    2. DoverianDragoon

      I almost said “better the drama button on than the drama tag pulled!”
      But uh… If there were a drama tag, it got pulled a long time ago.

  21. Lo

    5000th strip!

  22. The 25th

    My brain just blue screened. I didn’t think it would be acknowledged in comic.

  23. RassilonTDavros

    I gotta respect Joe’s directness here.

    1. Jerach

      Joe’s been dating an autistic girl for a bit, I bet he’s learned that directness while being sincere is very helpful.

      1. k

        and he probably learned how to do that by growing up with his autistic mom

  24. Suet

    are we sure his full name isn’t Joe “Tribbiani” Rosenthal

    must I read tomorrow’s strip early on Patreon, we all know Dorothy’s gonna deny the accusation.
    she’ll gonna deny even more the lewdie pic…
    she could deny aiding Joyce achieve bliss…

    oh no she’s Peter

    1. Proxiehunter

      She’s going to deny it, but is she going to do it tomorrow or are we going to switch to another storyline for a week?

    2. StClair

      At the part in Jesus Christ Superstar where Mary sings about how Jesus said Peter would do that, and wondering how he knew, I’ve always been like:
      Have you met Peter? This was completely predictable and unsurprising.

    3. Ray Radlein

      Joey Tribbing

  25. jeffepp

    “Yeah, probably. That’s why I took her virginity.”

    “All the signs were… You What!?”

    “Just messing with you. As far as you know.”

    1. Steamweed

      “Have _you_ put her on a dryer yet?”
      “Uh, no.”
      (*smug smirk) “Well!”

  26. Coatl

    The truth is that I was surprised that Joe said that, I mean, chaos is normal in this comic, but to get to the point and not increase the problem in the long term…honestly very good

    Now the real uncertainty is the type of response and reaction that Dorothy will give.

  27. IntangibleMatter

    WHAT. HAVE. I. BEEN. SAYING. ABOUT. THE. TOXIC. YURIFICATION. OF. THIS. COMIC.

    1. Qube

      …”more”?

      1. Marisa Mockery

        The Tony icon absolutely makes this

        1. Qube

          it did work out nicely, didn’t it

      2. Nymph

        lmfao

    2. Thing2

      I learn something new every day. Often in the comments section of this comic.

    3. FlamestAndLight

      wait hold on wait. I know im gonna get a reputation here but like . . . what if we yurify JOE? Trans Joe. I want it, I need it, it wouldn’t fix anything but that’s the best part

  28. animedingo

    The long game of this threesome is crazy

    1. Sirksome

      Kinda hilarious that Joyce is closer to enabling a threesome than Joe ever was by himself.

  29. Bittersweet

    1.) I love Joe’s bluntness and how he isn’t here out of irritation or “wtf” but because he’s genuinely concerned about Dorothy (not that I expected the former, I just Like This Interaction.)

    2.) I’m really worried that he deleted the text on Joyce’s phone and that’ll be a thing. It doesn’t feel like something he’d do, but I just feel like Joyce would’ve mentioned it by now if she saw it. I dislike that type of drama specifically and if my favorite ship sinks because of that, I will be very upset.

    3.) I also really hope Joe doesn’t do the opposite and try to martyr this relationship because Dorothy fixes people as opposed to breaking them (as his perception that he struggles with himself).

    I just want this to be a nice, good heart to heart between two longtime acquaintances who never really got on but have both grown beyond what they were. Again, I don’t think any of the above will happen/has happened, I’ve just been anxious about it for a while lol.

    1. furubatsu

      Fingers crossed for no.3

    2. Wilde

      Fwiw I expect Joyce looked at it, missed all the signs, told him about it and fully was like “just gal pals doing pal things!” And he caught all the context Joyce missed

      Not that I know what it’s like to be a deeply repressed queersexual raised in a toxic homophobic religion or anything

  30. DailyBrad

    Takes one to know one, I guess.

  31. Bwsab

    Oh, thank god. There have been hints for a while that Joe might have seen the booby pics. Even worse, there’s been hints that Joe might be holding onto Joyce’s phone so she doesn’t see the booby pics. (Not cool.) And I’ve been terrified that this was going to turn into a sitcom-y “JOYCE! HAVE YOU BEEN SEXTING WITH DOROTHY!! HOW COULD YOU!!” “JOE!! HAVE YOU BEEN LOOKING THROUGH MY PHONE AND THEN HIDING IT FROM ME!! HOW COULD YOU!!” “GRAAAGGGHH!!” “GRAAAGGH!!!!” And then Dorothy walks in, and Joyce goes “DOROTHY!!! HOW DARE YOU RUIN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH JOE AND HIS PRESUMABLY AMAZING DONG WITH YOUR CONFIRMED AMAZING RACK!!! OUR FRIENDSHIP IS NOW OVER!!!!” And Dorothy tries to mend the friendship with an escalating series of comedic hijinks, but it’s not enough and Joyce runs out of the room and gets hit by a car, so Joe can then cry at her funeral over the relationship he could have had if he had just trusted his girlfriend more.

    And, like, I love drama, but Joe has been getting more and more mature, and I really, REALLY don’t want to read a storyline of him hiding information from Joyce out of petty jealousy or a story of Joyce and Dorothy fighting with each other over a misunderstanding. These characters care about each other, I don’t want to see them lash out at each other. I want to see them try to figure out how to deal with their feelings.

    Maybe I’ll be proven wrong in tomorrow’s strip, but this feels less like a confrontational “Why are you sending my girlfriend boobs?” and more like the understanding place I feel Joe is right now: he knows Joyce is into him, but he’s also seen a lot of signs that Dorothy might be into Joyce (mentions of a mutual masturbation, the new “booby” incident) and he’s giving her an opportunity to talk about this. Because he does care about Dorothy and he wants to figure out what this is. (Although, if he’s stealthily been keeping Joyce from her phone, that’s not okay. I reeeeaaally hope this story isn’t going in that direction. Maybe he’s just been doing that temporarily as he tries to figure out Dorothy’s side of things? Would that be better.)

    1. Jeremiah

      I also love these characters AND would like to see them lash out at each other because that would lead to fun character analysis (see my love and constant Dunkin of Jennifer)

      1. Mark

        I would like that, in the sense of clearing the air and making room for improvement of their acquaintanceship.

    2. Grimey

      I’m honestly glad to see things turn out this way not just because it proves Joe has done the work and grown from how we first saw him (and the fact that he would come to Dorothy like this shows for all intents and purposes that Joyce was right in putting faith that Joe had changed).

      Also glad that you touched on Joe caring about Dorothy. He’s known Dorothy a long time..Longer in fact than he’s known Joyce. I feel with that length of time, you get to know certain tics and tells. Joe might have had an inkling all the way back to that drunken picture Dorothy and Joyce took. Something along the lines of him remembering Dorothy used to look that happy around Danny for a time, and Walky at one point or another…But every so often he can catch Dorothy positively glowing in Joyce’s presence.

    3. Coatl

      Wow, I’ve never seen a really fascinating comment, I’m serious, yes, chaos is the daily life of the comic, but if we take into account everything the characters have dealt with.

      Yes, there are moments where you say “hey, they’ve already been through a lot, it’s better to solve it by talking”

      Joe probably saw the photos and that’s why he got to the point.

      Joyce/Dorothy is not to my liking because no matter what, Dorothy is the only one who is really harmed and taking into account the downward spiral in which she seems to continue, that would have made it even worse.

      Oh my, I love Walky/Dorothy and I just hope Walky doesn’t get hurt.

      1. justin8448

        I think / hope that your concerns about people getting hurt are misplaced.

        Joyce can be in two relationships – One with Joe and one with Dorothy.

        Dorothy can do the same with Walky and Joyce.

        No one needs to be break up with anyone or even be left out! These can be “V” relationships, rather than triads. Which means Dorothy and Joe can mostly ignore each other, as can Joe and Walky, if that’s what they choose.

        Polyamory is great!

        1. Coatl

          Look, it’s true that I don’t want there to be serious conflicts, but I won’t lie, I don’t really like Joyce, I’ll clarify, it’s not that I hate her.

          However, what you mention, well, it looks interesting and it could work.

        2. Jeremiah

          What does you not liking Joyce has tondo with anything? Genuine question, that fell out of of the left field.

        3. GholaHalleck

          There is no one in this Dodecahedron of Lust that has either the mental stamina OR self reflection skills needed to handle polyamory in a healthy way.

          No. This is a teseract of heartbreak in the making.

          This is some sixth dimensional abstractly terrible idea that we can’t even measure with our current tech levels.

          I cannot wait to watch it.

        4. Regret

          You make a good point in between all the shape jokes.

          This makes me realize I don’t have the mental stamina or self reflection skills to handle a relationship of any form, even a monoamorous relationship with myself.

          Or should that be egoamorous? Depends on whether you consider yourself as a single being or if your self reflection is advanced/distorted enough that you can see yourself as The Other.

        5. eh, whatever

          Ipsamorous!

        6. GholaHalleck

          This just gave me the oddest mental image of someone breaking up with their hand, and the hand like, tearfully putting on a glove like an overcoat and storming out of the apartment.

        7. Effie

          beautiful

        8. Bittersweet

          Yeah, like, I worry sometimes that I come off as being anti-polyamory when I’m not (I have characters that I’ve written into such relationships and my mom has two husbands and two boyfriends). 99% of the time when someone says a situation would be solved by polyamory, it’s involving characters who lack the maturity and communication skills to make it work. Like, most love triangles in fiction are at the point where the hinge absolutely should not do polyamory because they’ve already shown to have the communication skills of an empty billboard. Just because it’s the easy looking solution does not mean it’s actually an easy solution.

        9. Bittersweet

          [That said, I think Joe could make it work. Joyce could make it work with a little more growth, not much. I do not believe Dorothy or Walky are healthy or stable enough right now to handle it.]

        10. GholaHalleck

          Joyce is honestly the weakest link. She’s barely emotionally ready to bang *herself* let alone handle bisexuality being an option.

          Then there’s unpacking of her relationship with Becky, her sexual trauma from the assault that we’ll never actually see being handled, and her mental hang ups from being raised in a cult…

          And then the sheer WTFism of Dottie being her College Mom… Who also now wants to bang her, and had torpedo’ed every relationship she’s been in that we’ve seen, and possibly suggested cheating.

          Who ALSO has unresolved anger issues at Joyce’s current boyfriend, the poorly-thought-it-out ethical manslut who has major trauma about infidelity.

          And then there’s Walky… Who would honestly probably be fine with everything.

        11. BorkBorkBork

          I think the comic has well established that Joyce is fully emotionally ready, willing, and able to ‘bang herself,’ so to speak.

          Everything else is spot on.

        12. justin8448

          Walky once jokingly referred to Joyce as “my girlfriend’s girlfriend” forever ago, back when he and Dorothy were dating the first time.

          Walky may not be mature enough to handle it, but I’m guessing he’s already had times to come to terms with the possibility.

        13. StClair

          Solve all of your un-acknowledged/examined/confronted emotional issues by jumping into a sexual relationship! (aka “just fuck already”)
          Yeah, it doesn’t work that way. But shippers wanna see it, so…

    4. Yondrose

      Joyce has trusted him to screen other things on her phone, so this isn’t very transgressive. They have to navigate their boundaries, and they communicate well.

      Plus Joe clearing things up with Dorothy first might be the smart thing.

      1. Chubseus

        Also, Joyce is sometimes bad about checking her messages. Even if Joe told her she got a text, she might not have gone back and read it yet. The funny thing to happen would be for Joyce to send Dorothy more lewd pix in the middle of this conversation.

    5. DashWallkick

      It’s a strikingly mature turn for Joe. He is now doing the emotional work of looking into a friend, testing her mental state, and asking difficult questions that might be something to avoid in the future. And not just bombing it on purpose so he doesn’t have to be vulnerable.

    6. audkitten

      Maybe I’m just overly trusting, but I never got the impression Joe was keeping Joyce away from her phone. (This mean to be comforting but I know tone can be weird.)

      1. Nymph

        Yeah, I also never got that impression and am not sure where it came from.

  32. Qube

    I was mostly joking when I brought up this potential throuple but OH MAN

    1. Thag Simmons

      Man I don’t know if that’s in the cards. Joe and Dorothy begrudgingly tolerate each other at best

      1. Qube

        I mean I sorta figured if it came from anywhere, it’d originate from a mutual affection for- and with- Joyce. it’s been mentioned elsewhere that a big reason for Dorothy’s distaste for Joe stems from her not being around for all of his character development. she’s never actually seen him being a better person, which I reckon would change if they spent enough time around Joyce (and by extension each other)

        but enough mechanics discussion back to our regularly scheduled OH MAN

        1. anonymsly

          She DID decide that actually, she’s okay with Joe and Joyce after seeing/hearing them together. Whatever her personal thoughts on Joe (and there are many thanks to his years of being ‘my boyfriend’s sleazy gross best friend he refuses to let go of’) she at least realized and recognized that Joe is legit and seriously into Joyce. Their mutual love of Joyce is pretty much the door they would have to go through in order to become real friends.

          And I think Joe WOULD be a good real friend for Dorothy, now. He knows her really well, he’s well off the objectification train, she’s very disconnected from Danny which would have been a complication earlier, and Joe is intelligent, perceptive, and doesn’t ‘require’ parenting from Dorothy.

        2. Thag Simmons

          Still, I really don’t see them ever dating being a good idea

    2. Steamweed

      AO3 fanfic has been written about a hypothesized Dorothy/Joe/Joyce grouping.

      Read, enjoy, and leave comments. 🙂

      https://archiveofourown.org/works/55752664?view_adult=true

  33. Dara

    AND WE’RE OFF! 😀

  34. Jeremiah

    Going straight (ha) into it I see.

  35. Speedball

    YES, rip that bandaid off!

  36. NGPZ

    mmmmmmm now I really see what’s going on here!

    1. NGPZ

      https://youtube.com/watch?v=NHrjvT0uzNQ

  37. Gojira007

    So like.
    I’m SUPER curious how Dorothy’s going to respond to this? ‘Cuz I’m not 100% sure if even SHE necessarily knows the answer, even if she might initially think she does, and that makes this a veeeeeeery interesting conversation for Joe Specifically to initiate.

    1. anon

      even if she does admit it to herself after idk if she’d be talking a bout it too much with joe, or even if she was willing to be honest with joe i can imagine her being like “so what/it doesn’t matter b/c i wouldn’t pursue joyce even if you werent’ dating her”

      1. Effie

        “also I’m back with Walky now”

        (oh man my avatar gonna be ALL wrong for this)

  38. Taffy

    “Not yet, but if you want a third at some point…”

    1. Steamweed

      To further enrich Joyce’s education in these matters, of course.

  39. Scolopendra

    HE SAID IT??? Good golly I was not expecting it from Joe of all people. Really putting those surprising depths of emotional intelligence to use.

  40. BarerMender

    Oh! Oh! Is my ship coming in?

  41. Carl Muckenhoupt

    “To a certain extent. I’m not too fond of the more outre formal experiments that he’s most famous for, but Dubliners is one of the best short story collections of the 20th century.”

    1. Aubrey

      Wow this is exactly how I feel about James Joyce

  42. Marisa Mockery

    Joe’s expressions in panels 3 and 4 are FANTASTIC

  43. Jeremiah

    Ah so that is why joe asked Walky where Dorothy was

  44. dgf

    I know Joyce x Dorothy is probably endgame, but Joe x Joyce was nice while it lasted

  45. macaroon trilogy

    Joe is truly one of the worst people to bring this up (also the only one who reasonably can/would but stlll) . really excited for this

  46. BBCC

    Joe, askin’ the real questions with the real Friends references!!

    1. BBCC

      I didn’t remember to roulette.

  47. Nevermaker

    Oh, I dunno if this is gonna be fantastic or terrible BUT EITHER WAY I’M PULLING OUT THE POPCORN

  48. reed

    can’t wait for becky to hear about this one.

  49. Polar

    Holy shit.

    1. Steamweed

      Appropriate gravatar is appropriate.

  50. Amós Batista

    It was weird the joke Joe has brought here, but I forget they know each other, like, since high school

  51. Axel

    “It’s just, you sent her a bunch of tiddy pictures?”

  52. AGV/Ruby

    Wait, hold up. Is Joe pulling the “??️‍??” on Dorothy???

  53. JA

    Dang dude.

    Didn’t think Joe actually noticed.

    1. Jeremiah

      He had Joyce phone in his hand when she sended the picture.

  54. Rabisch

    Love the fact that Joe is asking it to her in a respectful serious way. But I don’t think Dorothy will answer him. Not only because she don’t like him, but because is very probable that she doesn’t have an answer or is avoiding thinking about it.

  55. Risky

    Can’t read, some kind of evil uk mobile ad.

  56. nobodybasically

    I was just on a 30 Rock clips binge on YouTube, so the alt-text was a very happy surprise.

  57. Joyfulldreams

    OH SHIT ARE WE DOING THIS????

    1. Steamweed

      Yes, but only until Willis pulls a scene change or time skip on us.

    2. anon

      either she’ll be in denial or angry like with jen like “Joyce isn’t ‘mine'”

  58. foducool

    Joe, that would be YOUR job

  59. Maddie B

    Thank you, Joe!

    For both the regular concern and for asking the question without turning it into a joke.

    1. anon

      i mean i would hope he isn’t flippant/wouldn’t make a joke about it tho i can totally imagine someone like walky being like “i know ur into my gf, thanks for not making a move on her b/c you’re objectively a better catch” or so in his snark

  60. Mr.Morningstar

    ..I mean if you’re just gonna say it,

  61. Needfuldoer

    Wait, is it Valentine’s Day again?

  62. Aquila

    Joe quoting Joey; brilliant!

  63. Florence

    This is a very sweet moment but I hope this doesn’t stop any potential chaos

    1. Florence

      Chaos in relation to Joyce and Dorothy realising their desires to be clear

  64. Rabid Rabbit

    Everyone’s going on about the last panel, but I think panel 6 may actually be my favorite. The almost Sarah-like bluntness, calmly delivered because it’s not the main point, but he’s still not going to take your bullshit, Dorothy, he knows you too well for it to work on him.

  65. Mark

    Can’t help hoping that, in addition to resolving Checkhov’s Sext, this could produce an angry exchange that also begins to unpack Dorothy’s curiously personal animus against Joe.

    1. Adept

      Joe has been very sweet for a long time now. I hope this doesn’t blow up in his face too badly. Dorothy has never seemed to like him much.

      1. anon

        I guess it’s hard to accept /believing about ppl changing esp if you had a bad impression of them at the start, like the line billiefer told joyce about how ppl are never gonna let you forget the person you were or so

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/04-dont-stop-billie-ving/missus/

        1. thejeff

          And by “bad impression of them at the start”, we mean “known them to be a creep for years”.

          It also helps when you’ve got more of a reason to think they’ve changed than that your naive friend has a crush on them. When Dorothy was still really opposed to them getting together, Joyce didn’t even try to explain that Joe had changed or talk about the connection they’d been building for months. Instead, she denied liking his butt, which wasn’t exactly reassuring about her rational assessment of the situations.

        2. anon

          was he a creep tho? I mean the ‘list’ thing wasn’t exactly the best reflection of himself but other than that i imagine in high school he was more of a ‘gigolo/male slut’ as opposed to someone who say, ‘pressured/seduced innocent unpopular ‘nerdy/ugly girls’ more likely to say yes/kinda girls who would normally never get anyone’s attention at that age’ or stealing girls that already had boyfriends; i imagine he also didn’t have a scenario like what jen/alice had to deal with

        3. thejeff

          Yeah, he was a creep. Not as bad as Chester – not a rapist. He presented himself as worse than he was in many ways, but his whole thing was objectifying women and interacting with them only to get sex. Even in college, he’d basically alienated most girls in the cast. Even before the list came out.
          Joyce had to have a whole talk with him about why his thing was still bad and harmful, even if he was doing it to avoid hurting women by cheating on them like his dad.

          It’s his whole character arc. Let him have development rather than pretending he was good all along.

        4. Turtlefu

          Keep in mind that Joe is not such a creep that he was being rejected by every woman he meets. He had a very active sex life, and had no problem finding partners. Women like Robin’s sister (forgot her name sorry) who also want a purely sexual relationship didn’t really have an issue with Joe.

          Just because we haven’t seen Joe’s many sex partners doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Other characters have commented on it.

  66. crow

    Why is your door open, Dorothy?

  67. Confused Cat

    Tomorrow’s strip is going to be Steve Dina eating cereal, right?
    Or Amber waking up in her bed thinking about midterms.

    1. Steamweed

      Oh pshaw. Shirley you can’t think Willis would do that to us!

      1. BorkBorkBork

        I do, and don’t call me surely.

    2. anon

      the blurred patreon strip does show it continuing at least lol

  68. Proto

    Tomorrow a lot of shippers are gonna be really happy or really mad.

    1. Steamweed

      Not too much. WoG never stops a true shipper.

      1. Li

        Mm. Word of God can’t make anybody ship something they don’t, nor is it likely to make most people stop shipping something they do.

        But when a ship has been teased enough (even if that teasing was tongue-in-cheek), being told firmly and unambiguously that the ship is never going to happen…

        Well, speaking from experience, it can really sour your enjoyment of the ship’s dynamic.

        Like. S’not gonna make anyone think this whole arc was less obviously gay, but it might put some people off reading the strip. Not because they “lost” the “ship war”, but because it might feel, suddenly, less like they’ve been being fed fun little treats, and more like they’ve been the butt of an unkind joke for a long time.

        1. Steamweed

          Oh, yeah, definitely. “You made me believe in X+Y, but pulled the rug out from beneath me, laughing all the way.”

        2. Li

          Yep.

          Not saying Willis owes anyone anything, but addressing it this directly at least creates an expectation that it will get an honest examination, instead of being brushed off as a joke.

          (imho, it did start as a joke — making Joyce say accidentally suggestive things is always funny — and perhaps a bit of a loving homage to Parks & Recreation. But by the point where Daisy was telling Joyce outright that if she doesn’t make good on the romantic tension between Julia and Doris, it might feel queerbait-y, I think Willis was proooooooobably planning on at least having something one-sided where, for example, Dorothy comes to the realization that her feelings aren’t completely platonic? Either out of anxiety that the dynamic WAS becoming bait-y, or because they’d decided it would be an interesting thing to explore.

          Just my impression, though.)

    2. anon

      i mean, is that not what the fanartists are for? she did canonically teach joyce about the washing machine tho

    3. Amós Batista

      Nah, just got tired to be baited.

  69. Nicoleandmaggie

    Right because your crush’s boyfriend is exactly who you want to talk to about your crush.

  70. ziggy78eog

    What do I need to offer the God/Goddess of Shipping, to get my Joe/Joyce/Dorothy ship, out of dry dock?

  71. Chasey

    I dunno, I kinda feel like this question should come from a friend of the couple so it seems less intimidating…

    1. thejeff

      But that would involve telling someone else about the suspicions, which is bad in its own way.

      1. anon

        unless it was becky but i imagine even if she’s ‘over’ joyce she wouldn’t necessarily wanna put that thought into dorothy’s head either

  72. Buck Ripsnort

    O MERCIFUL GODDESS, don’t let this turn into an awkward attempt at a 3-way. I ask for all the characters involved.

    1. Nymph

      Please let this turn into a poly relationship instead!

    2. anon

      I mean ‘3 way aside’ i wouldn’t be surprised/half expect joyce to say something like she’d be comfortable if dorothy was in the room for her during the experience

    3. peng

      im so down for an awkward attempt at a threeway

  73. AnonGrouch

    This looked fun to draw. So many emotive stuff going on.

  74. Mooniee

    Aw hell yeah I didn’t expect this at all how exciting

    1. Mooniee

      THE PERFECT GRAVATAR FOR THIS SENTIMENT

  75. AnonGrouch

    Why are all these plot thickenings about plot thiccenings? The world may never know (it’s because college. obv.)

    1. Arianod

      The thicc doesn’t stop from plottening

      1. Arianod

        Weird. That made perfect sense in my head.

        1. clif

          It made perfect sense. English is a versatile language.

  76. Yeet

    joe is pretty often on the ball, as joyce said

  77. Steamweed

    Jeeeezzz, Joe, that’s some deep end diving there. Armful of cinder blocks and dropping right into the deepest end.

  78. Kyulen

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Dorothy is bi but doesn’t know it yet. Either that or she learned how to behave towards other girls she’s friends with from a girl who’s bi or a lesbian.

    1. Schpoonman

      That’s the rationale for Joyce being the way she is in female friendships, she learned how to be friends with other girls from Becky.

  79. Akane

    I knew Dorothy was into Joyce! Good to see her finally coming out of the closet!

    1. Taffy

      So proud of her.

    2. anon

      feels like joe’s opening the door slightly for her and offering a hand/slightly pullling her out lol

      1. Taffy

        SO PROUD OF HER

  80. Taffy

    I really enjoy how Dorothy holds highlighters in her mouth. It’s cute.

  81. Furie

    I knew he was the one who got the text!

  82. Pharmadan

    Joyce is unwittingly assembling a harem

  83. Marrow

    “me too”

  84. tenkiforecast

    So, how poorly do you think Becky will react upon learning that Joyce is bi, and the issue is that they were too close at a young age and the Westermark Effect served to torpedo that relationship?

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      As I recall, they’ve figured out that the Westermark Effect is from seeing someone being cared for by your mother at a young age. So if Carol and Bonnie did a lot of babysitting exchanges, maybe.

    2. anon

      i would hope she woudl be fine with it considering she has an awesome gf now and they’re more like ‘family’ at this point

      tho i think she did half joke early at the beginning like “good thing you’re not gay b/c i’d roast you for being in to scrawny nerds” or something like that

  85. peng

    a) how have i been reading these damn comics for like 13 years and THIS is the one i miss the night it comes out (i miss a lot the night they come out but still im mad)
    b) how is this not the biggest comment section ever

    1. Ilucuthen

      A combination of “No one’s really arguing that much” and “We’re all holding our breath”, I think

  86. Juanoku

    My dog died today
    This makes it a little less painful
    Thank you

    1. Buck Ripsnort

      My sympathies

  87. Kazuma Taichi

    well, it’s like they say
    takes one to know one

    Joe knows quite well the telltale signs of being into Joyce

  88. Tessea

    I’ve been reading this comic for three weeks straight and _this_ is the cliffhanger on which I finish???

  89. Steamweed

    Re: the latest poll: Is Dorothy into Joyce?

    I mean, it’s unfair. I wanted to vote for BOTH the options of “Yes” and “She harbors perverse lust”.

    But, alas, (and indeed a lass), I was limited to just one option.

  90. Alan in DC

    That was LAST NIGHT?
    Jeez, the time dilation in this strip is amazing. One could live forever!

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