221

Knowing
Posted on April 19, 2023 by David M Willis

221 thoughts on “Knowing”

  1. sultryglebe

    So adorable!

    1. Chronos

      Indeed!

  2. Nevermaker

    THAT IS THE CUTEST THING I AM CALLING MY LAWYER

  3. Koms

    Oh dear me!!!!

  4. RassilonTDavros

    Trying to come up with a comment that isn’t just “awwww they’re so cute”

    ah what the hell. awwww, they’re so cute!

  5. Electric

    they did the thing!

  6. Doc Harleen

    This is so goddamn cute I fuckin can’t deal

  7. Bittersweet

    Excuse me while I squeal at a pitch only dogs and bats can hear.

    1. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Huh. I thought my tinitis was changing pitch.

      1. Jacob

        Lol this is comment is tops! +1 Internet

  8. Animedingo

    I feel like we kinda jumped to romantic interest pretty fast

    1. Caro

      this has been slow burning since 2011

      1. zaratustra

        Too fast!

    2. Thag Simmons

      I mean they went on a date all the way back in the first years of the comic, and this crush has been building for a while.

      1. Derek

        the date went horribly by all accounts (except Mike’s, he had a great time), so I thought this ship was sank and dead. Personally this doesn’t feel so much as a revival as it feels like something entirely new. I guess that makes sense for how much Joyce’s personality has changed since then.

        1. RacingTurtle

          Yeah, it feels like the walk to class was their second First Date

        2. Nono

          Hey, went better than Lucy and Walky’s “second date”.

        3. RacingTurtle

          Much better!

        4. Morleuca

          I dunno, Walky got a burger with brie on it.

        5. Just_IDD

          Joe has changed as well.

    3. Nono

      I mean, you’re not wrong. They went from “okay I need to think about this” to “cotton candy fluff” quickly.

      But this is also a webcomic and so there are gonna be slightly unrealistic jumps here and there. Otherwise it’s years of “will they won’t they” or “Joe had a one night stand because Joyce hasn’t given him an answer after three months and then she gets angry and the comments section devolves into a 1200 comment war over whos at fault, they were on a break’ etc.”

      It’s jumping the gun a bit, but if this is gonna end up happening for character development stage, eh.

      1. RacingTurtle

        It’s also how I remember many college romances happening among my peers back when—from “maybe?” to “<3” in a pretty short timespan

        1. Nerrin

          Good gods, yes. I think the extended breaks between semesters lent everything a weird unreality and urgency, especially when combined with the increased freedom of being at college in general. Or maybe that was just me, but I know I saw that same rapid relationship upgrade happen some too.

        2. Psychie

          Part of it is also a combination of stuff happening outside of your area of exposure, and a lot of that is entirely inside their own heads so even if you were physically present with them 24/7 you would still miss developments unless you were a mind reader.

          Then there’s the factor that while technically adults, most college kids aren’t significantly more mature than they were in high school, especially as freshmen and sophomores, so you still have the adolescent BS of not being aware of their own feelings, not being willing to accept or admit their feelings, being overly worried about how they will be perceived by their peers/authority figures/random strangers, etc. Eventually the hormones build up to the point that it overrides a lot of that adolescent BS that just gets in the way and so relationships can advance in fits and starts.

          Some people never manage to get over that stage of emotional maturity, to be honest, but it will be most apparent in college kids (since high schoolers often don’t have the freedom to explore their feelings in this way, which I posit might be at least part of why they haven’t gotten past it before college).

        3. Kimi

          It gets worse when they are technically dating but not saying that they are dating and claim that they are only friends.

        4. zee

          Yeah, yeah. I was flirting pretty hard with my best friend (now other form of bf) at some point during a rare single period and i was thinking, “yeah we’re probably gonna hook up sometime, cool.” Joking about if we started dating nothing much would change in our dynamic. Wanting to be single for a while.

          Then he said “i love you” and i melted into rosey pink heart shaped mush

    4. Thrair

      I mean, they’ve know each other since the start of college. And while that first date early on went poorly, they found one another at least physically attractive from the get go. Even then parted from it amicably.

      And since then they’ve both grown a lot as people.
      -She’s not as judgemental (overall – her snapback contempt for religion notwithstanding), less rigid on her thinking, and has shaken off her tendency to default to feeling guilty (it’s more like embarrassment now).
      -He’s realized trying to be emotionally unavailable doesn’t work as a coping mechanism AND hurts people who care about him anyways, has taken a long hard look at his behavior to this point, and is trying to shake off his cynicism.

      Add to that, they’ve become closer as friends for a while. Add to THAT, they’ve both shown they were attracted to the other but were too shy and/or afraid to act on that.

      It’s less that this is sudden and more that they’re finally comfortable truly letting their guard down around each other. Which honestly is the hard part in most romantic relationships. They happened to decided to pursue a relationship AFTER getting to that point with each other, rather than after.

      1. Thrair

        rather than before*

    5. Liliet

      Well that’s a different understanding of what a “romantic interest” is than mine. “Romantic interest” refers to not even dating yet, just looking at the other person with – you know – interest. Romantic interest is Katara and Aang for the entire series, you know? At the point Joe confessed to Joyce and she reacted positively, they were romantic interests. No jumps have been made by Joyce in stating it here.

      1. GholaHalleck

        Right? They’ve wanted to jump each other’s bones since year one. They’ve just grown as people enough for that to possibly happen.

        You know.. barring that atomic land mine that is her assault trauma that’s been sitting there, not being dealt with.

    6. Council

      …That’s such a bizarre standard. They have known each other for months, and they have been emotionally opening up for most of that. ‘Romantic interest’ is just a fancy way of saying ‘I like you’. She kissed him on the cheek. This is so tame and wholesome for the second date that I have no concept of what Slow would look like for you. Anything slower than this would better compare Victorian-era grade masochistic self-torture.

      The only thing I find weirder than your position is no one else thinking it’s weird, even if they disagree. What the hell’s happening to the US dating scene? Do you guys need help?

      1. AKP

        I mean I also find this weird, but yes. Statistically people in the US need help. Loneliness is on the rise especially in young folks, and young folks today are doing less sex than their parents were at the same age in spite of a theoretically much more open culture about sex. Something somewhere needs fixing.

        1. Kimi

          Covid sort of did a number on group gatherings and meeting people. Even before that, I found most people in their 20s, or even 30s, rarely had time for get together. Putting long hours into 1 job or working 2-3 jobs left hardly any room for free time to spend with friends, not to mention the money to afford going out and about with friends. On the other hand, I have a cousin who comes from a well off family and she has the time and money to spend with friends and do fun things, so it might be a social class thing.
          I do find that it is easier to meet and play with people online in a game than physically meeting with them at a location. That might be due to cutting out travel time (just turn on the game after you get home from work) and being cheaper (playing a game of mini golf online only requires you to buy the game once, vs paying for it every time in person, only board games at someone’s house are similar).
          I also thought that a lot of dating back in the day used to be friends setting up someone with a friend. Online dating doesn’t really have that social aspect of someone vouching for you like a friend introduction can. A lack of social circles, or online ones that have distance play into it (hard to introduce someone as a dating prospect if you live in San Diego and are online friends with someone in Boston or London) might be a limiting factor. It is possible to get together with someone that is not locationally by you (my parents did it), but the challenges are there with affording the travel costs, and having the free time to do it in order to just meet the person, and then where you live and work if you both do end up dating. It can be a lot of stress when the world is already stressful. It could just be that people don’t want the extra stress, no matter how lonely they are. I do wonder if being in a relationship is a good solution for being lonely or if just having more/better friends is better. Not sure that jumping into a relationship just because you want companionship no matter the companion is a good thing.

        2. Amós Batista

          Nice post, and I wish to comment this.
          I feel the same. Also, as a hard person to socializing, I have watched all my siblings and friends getting far and far from me.
          So, I’m stuck, and I merely can count with social media and virtual meeting, like Instagram, Tinder…

          I don’t have a solution for this question at the end. Here in Latin America, people are prioritizing romantic relationship, instead having friends. What I think is also not so healthy.

        3. Psychie

          There’s also the factor that the culture surrounding expressing romantic interest has shifted drastically. Approaching a woman to ask her out on a date, or directly expressing interest in an acquaintance, is now construed as harrassment, irrespective of how polite you are or how willing to accept a simple no you may be. I get that there are a lot of creepy guys who act like they are entitled to the attention of women and refuse to accept a simple no, but if it is never acceptable to try to meet people, then how are you supposed to meet people? And since these are usually described as “unwanted advances”, how am I supposed to know whether my advances are wanted or not until after I’ve made my interest clear? For the record, I’m autistic so body language cues are a second language for me, and from what I hear deciphering “friendly” vs “flirty” cues is difficult even for neurotypicals.

          And the only solution to this problem that is considered acceptable is dating apps, which are so heavily skewed away from actually connecting people it’s absurd. You can’t provide anything of substance in most of them, so physical appearance becomes the only relevant data point, and women are so absurdly inundated with choices that unless you are in the top 80-90% of physical attractiveness (based on common, societal standards) you require incredibly luck to actually meet someone you are attracted to who finds you attractive as well AND you have compatible personalities AND you are able to keep her attention via text long enough for that to be made clear. Then there’s all the catfish and scams you have to weed out on top of it all. It is incredibly easy to get discouraged and simply give up. I’ve given up multiple times myself and ignore or delete all the apps periodically until the loneliness builds up and I go right back, because how else am I supposed to meet people with my schedule? I work when most people are out socializing and I’m asleep when most people work and do errands. Sure I have plenty of social hobbies, but the one most likely to increase my social circle (LARP) is fairly niche and as such the odds of a single woman with whom I am compatible who is also interested in me showing up are fairly slim (I’ve met plenty of women through the hobby, but most of them have been married or otherwise attached, incompatible via age, personality, sexual orientation, distance, or appearance, or don’t stick around long enough to get to know) by simple virtue of the hobby being fairly small in population. My other hobbies are less likely to expand my social circle, like D&D, once you have a table full of players you don’t often meet new people unless you need to replace old ones, decide to expand the table, or socialize with your party outside of the game.

          And I’m aware that a lot of this sounds like incel rhetoric, but the difference is that I don’t blame women for this, part of it is I wasn’t more social when I had more opportunities to meet people, part of it is I’ve arranged my life in such a way that scheduling socialization is difficult and most of that is eaten up by hobbies that are unlikely to gain me much exposure to single women, part of it is society overcorrecting because previous conventions were too permissive of creeps so now things are not permissive enough, and part of it is the dating app companies pretending to sell love and being so successful at it that they have successfully supplanted other unambiguous ways to signal availability and approachability like singles’ events to the point that they don’t exist in most of the country (or at least, nowhere near where I live). I’m also not an incel because I have actually received offers for casual sex, but I don’t want casual sex, I want love and romance. I don’t feel entitled to women’s attention or reciprocation, I just feel it’s unfair to be a creep-until-proven-innocent. And, honestly, I haven’t experienced a lot of that myself, most of that is from stories I’ve heard, so it is entirely possible that I am misinformed and I would be much safer expressing interest and “shooting my shot” so to speak than I have been lead to believe, but I have chosen to err on the side of caution because I don’t want my life ruined because I made a single comment or asked a single question and wind up losing my job or my social circle or whatever. So, even if women wouldn’t react as harshly as society would lead me to believe, the fact that so much of our culture instills this fear in men is a major contributing factor to why there’s so much less dating going on in this day and age among young people.

        4. Just_IDD

          I find dating sites like Hinge which force users to send a message instead of just a swipe mean that I get less crap matches. It forces lazy people to be proactive instead of passive at least for the initial communication. If you can’t be bothered to string a few words together about what you like about someone then you probably wont have the energy to actually meet and go out with someone.

        5. Mark

          +1

        6. Bittersweet

          I actually feel you here, not about romantic relationships, but about friendships. I’m happily married, but I have zero friends and my husband has zero friends. As an adult there are no opportunities to meet with strangers and have conversations unless you already have someone to introduce you. It’s stressful because I cannot just walk up to someone in public and strike up a conversation because it’s widely known people don’t want to be bothered.

          My husband works (I raise our daughter), so I thought it’d be easier for him but then there’s the whole “Work friends can’t be real friends” thing and I’m just like… where the hell are people supposed to make friends????

        7. BBCC

          “Approaching a woman to ask her out on a date, or directly expressing interest in an acquaintance, is now construed as harrassment, irrespective of how polite you are or how willing to accept a simple no you may be. ”

          No, it isn’t, as long as you’re not an asshole or a creep about it. This is literally just the hysterics people said to complain about people coming out about people harassing them. That’s the only part of this that’s ‘incel rhetoric’.

        8. Taffy

          Hysterics is kind of a funny word to use there, since it’s traditionally been used to paint a picture of a shrieking, irrational woman who can’t be reasoned with, and I’m just picturing the usual suspects dissolving into a crying, red-faced husk if you said it to them in person. It’s a good picture.

        9. BBCC

          You get me. <3

        10. thejeff

          Some of this may be on how and where you do it? If you’re just randomly approaching strangers going about their business and asking for dates, I’ve definitely seen that called out as harassment.
          Doing the same thing in a bar or other hook up kind of place is different. As is asking someone you’re actually already talking to in a friendly way.

        11. BBCC

          Sure, though it doesn’t sound like this person goes around talking to strangers going about their business. But even with those situations, the odds of any sort of serious consequences arising are still pretty small.

        12. Derek

          I know you said you’re not an incel, but damn your comment is liberally sprinkled with incel rhetoric.
          “Approaching a woman to ask her out on a date, or directly expressing interest in an acquaintance, is now construed as harrassment, irrespective of how polite you are or how willing to accept a simple no you may be.”

          My man, this is simply not true. If you approach a woman at a bar or a club and ask her out, and then politely bow out if she says no, NO ONE will construe this as harassment unless they’re fucking insane.

          The whole “young people don’t date because the pendulum has swung too far to demonize men” sounds a lot like the “if you accidentally get someone’s gender wrong these days you’ll go to jail for a hate crime” type nonsense

          I’m glad you’re aware incel rhetoric is bad and are trying to distance yourself from it, if I were you I’d check where these conceptions of the gender politics in the modern dating scene are coming from, your well might be poisoned

        13. Taffy

          “I don’t want my life ruined because I made a single comment or asked a single question”

          I can personally promise that this isn’t going to happen, unless you’re an absolute fuckhead and the comment/question is genuinely offensive. Like, just don’t go to a bar and start asking people how tight they are and you should mostly be fine.

          “And I’m aware that a lot of this sounds like incel rhetoric”

          Great, awareness is good, so the next step is to remove these ideas from yourself and replace them with things that are actually true. The whole “Can’t even look at a woman without getting maced and clapped in irons” thing is mostly just reactionary bullshit from men who hate that they aren’t able to just reach their hands down women’s pants in public. Don’t live in fear of half the world’s population just because those losers are.

          That said, I do think people have gotten more distant and harder to connect with. My theory on it is that nobody’s really been teaching the last couple generations how to actually engage with people. When you grow up being told everything bad that ever happens is your fault, but you’re also essentially scolded for doing things right (“What do you want, a cookie?”), it can lead to a lot of insecurity and unsureness on what’s actually good behavior. And when all of that happens during a period where people who’ve been really harmed are speaking up and saying “Hey, we actually hate when this happens, could you not do it?”, I guess it can seem like nothing is allowed. But that’s a bullshit knee-jerk reaction that doesn’t hold up under light scrutiny, not something to build a lifestyle philosophy around.

        14. thejeff

          And honestly, even if someone is hurt and offended by a pass, whether they should be or not, the man’s life isn’t going to be ruined. Certainly not if he’s making passes at strangers.
          Do it at work or in a school setting where everyone knows both of you and it could have repercussions, but mostly he’ll walk away and it’ll have no effect on his life at all.

        15. Thrair

          This, tbh. That’s the only reasonable reason I can see an otherwise innocuous pass causing a guy major issues with his life: Doing it in a formal setting like work, school, etc. And those tend to have restrictions against office dating because workplaces don’t like to deal with drama – either from possible sexual harassment or even just the relationship forming and then souring. On top of the fact that if awkwardness ensues for one or both parties, they’re not really able to avoid it.

          “Don’t crap where you eat”, and all.

          I’m 32, haven’t really had a romantic life for a number of reasons, and am growing to slowly worry I’ll never find someone. And I *am* afraid of afraid of coming across as creepy, so have probably missed chances because I’ve taken it too slow and the lady in question thought I wasn’t interested enough. Plus cultural norms HAVE shifted in a way that encourages caution. So I kinda get his anxiety.

          But at the end of the day, we have to pick which side we want to err on. Being too passive might cost me some opportunities, but that’s a downside that belongs to me alone. I can own that.

          Being too aggressive would make it a problem for others. If you prefer that to the former…. well…

          *shrug*

        16. BBCC

          Even places like those aren’t going to care about asking someone out unless it’s categorically against the rules for employees to date. Things are better but you still usually have to be pretty undeniably inappropriate to get any severe consequences for harassment at work.

        17. Yumi

          I think generation-wise, there’s also some impact from the teaching of “stranger danger.” And it’s complicated because it can genuinely be dangerous for kids to talk to strangers, but also if you’re raised to think “talking to strangers is dangerous,” guess what you might be more hesitant to do?

      2. Kimi

        Victorian-era grade romance can be interesting for comedy, but not so much for living through it.
        Personally though, I would rather know someone first and what they are like before I started dating them (I would say that Joe and Joyce qualify for that though, as they have basically been in the same social group of friends). That could be because I am female and possibly on the spectrum though.

        1. Miri

          Aargh sorry accidentally flagged instead of replied (my first time)??‍♀️

          I’m demisexual so I don’t really feel attracted to people until I know them well. (Finding a word for that was really nice. Used to think I was just kinda really slow about realising these things.)

          Possibly on the flip side, I’ve known my husband since I was 18, we’ve been together since I was 20… We’ve known each other over half our lives and been together about that long and we’re still super attracted to each other. Genuinely liking your partner, and your attraction being rooted in that, seems to be a good thing. Would recommend!

        2. Psi Baka Onna

          Amen to finding a term! The ace spectrum needs more representation tbh as I find it distressing how many people think love = sex. I myself thought I was bi for years as I felt the same about everyone but it never felt right. Learning about demi- sexuality was an eye opener.

          But yeah, the most important part of a relationship is enjoying eachother as people. I’m digging how Joe & Joyce are developing as they clearly enjoy being around eachother.

      3. justin8448

        Yeah. Joyce woke up (and presumably fell asleep the night before) on Joe’s shoulder at Dina’s birthday party. They’ve been comfortable and intimate with each other for a good long while now.

    7. eh, whatever

      it’s called falling in love, not going down the escalator

      1. Clif

        It is completely possible to fall down an escalator.

        1. Morleuca

          its also possible to go down on an escalator

    8. Nathan

      I feel like “romantic interest” is the very bottom rung of romantic attraction. She’s literally just saying she’s romantically interested in him — for a lot of alloromantic people, that precedes even a first date.

    9. CODDE117

      Nah nah, they’re full blown puppy stage right now, they’re probably both more excited than they’ve ever been in their lives!

      Plus it has been a slow burn for a whhiiiiile now, and Joe admitted back in art class, remember? Honestly I saw this way beforehand.

  9. Caro

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THE SMOOCH. im dead. ive died! im too happy its too cute

  10. newlland(Henryvolt)

    Oh now that’s just sweet.

  11. Svankensen

    I demand a kiss proper!

    1. Opus the Poet

      I think this is the first time we see Joyce kissing anybody she’s not related to.

      1. saltchocolate

        I was thinking this!! When did Joyce become this person?? Off-screen? Or . . . right before our eyes??? ? ? ?

        Either way, I love it!

      2. Schpoonman

        She has kissed Ethan and Jacob.

        1. HueSatLight

          And Becky http://www.dumbingofage.com/tool

    2. Mark

      The find someone who wants to be kissed and do it. Let these two move at their own pace. I’m enjoying the slow, savory evolution.

  12. UrsulaDavina

    D’awwwwwwwwwww

    Also sturdy is a good quality to have in a romantic partner.

  13. NGPZ

    Awe ?

    *plays “Close to You” by The Carpenters on P.A. Speakers*

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      *plays “You Can’t Hide Your Knowing Eyes.”

  14. Cmasta1992

    WHAT A GREAT BIRTHDAY PRESENT TO ME

    1. a/snow/mous/e

      Happy birthday! 🙂

    2. True Survivor

      Happy Birthday to you, Cmasta1992.
      I tried to come up with a clever rhyme, but ran out of time.
      It was supposed to have Joyce and something about choice.
      I guess I’ll just hope that like Joe, it brings you a warm fuzzy glow?

    3. NGPZ

      ?????

      Happy Birthday to you!!!
      The world is a zoo!
      May you have a great party!!
      And the Joe-Joy ship come through!!!

    4. Amós Batista

      happy birthday, it will be a lucky year for you

  15. Kim

    Aw! That hand on the side of his little face <3

  16. Grimey

    We did it guys.

  17. Leorale

    Aw yay.

    Also sometimes I gallantly try to hide anxious people, but it is like hiding behind a very short stalk of wheat.

  18. Schpoonman

    Oh my GOOOOOOOD

    1. NGPZ

      In light of Joe-Joy’s Adventure, I could not help but read that in the voice of Joseph Joestar. XD

  19. Joe Moose

    OH MY GOSH SHE KISSED HIM!!! [hypersonic squeal]

  20. Puppeteer Nessus

    He has clearance, Clarence

    1. Dana

      Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor?

      1. Caspar Mulders

        Surely you can’t be serious.

        1. Opus the Poet

          I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.

        2. Ed Callahan

          It’s scary, though. I know a lot of younger people who have never heard of Airplane.

        3. Nathan

          I’m 36 and know it only from the jokes.

        4. TlalocW

          Okay, find it on some streaming network or whatever and watch it, youngster.

        5. Taffy

          Why’s that scary?

        6. Yumi

          Some are terrified of the relentless passage of time.

  21. RacingTurtle

    Oh my gosh this is too cute to be allowed

  22. Queezle

    so much cute in the comic recently

    1. TrueVCU

      Punishment a comin’

      1. DailyBrad

        Maybe, though it also could be a reward for sticking with it through “Joyce fighting with all her friends” and “Dorothy Keener’s Self-Destruction Tour”. I’m sure we’re getting punted again soon, but this does feel maybe less like lulling us into security and more a decompression.

        1. Dana

          I’m sure Dorothy’s tour is still going strong. Just had to stop for gas and snacks.

        2. Alongcameaspider

          I also suspect Sarah’s reaction won’t be as positive as Becky’s to this development

  23. newlland(Henryvolt)

    Anyway I’m back to to more Reddit post, it’s not going to be daily anymore though and today is just a simple shit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/dumbingofage/comments/12rg3rh/ross_failed_his_mission/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

    1. Needfuldoer

      Shit post, or shitpost? There’s a difference.

  24. Doopyboop

    This is the cutest strip in this entire comic.

  25. Raja

    YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY so so cute oh my goodness. Hand holding and cheek kisses? My favorite

  26. Golden Yak

    Now *there’s* a book title.

  27. DailyBrad

    I love this, and I knew she had a type, given Joe, Ethan, and Jacob. It’s just funny to have her confirm it and with this reasoning.

    I absolutely adore this for them. I love Joe’s gentle approach with her. It feels… earned? Like, think back to him talking her up to Jacob, think back to him talking her through her parents’ marriage problems and subsequent divorce.

    I love her acceptance of him once he stopped running away from his feelings for her and started being himself. I love that she thrives on him sharing his vulnerability with her, and how it seems to make her feel utterly safe with him.

    These two are people who have seen each other’s unflattering moments and saw something special in one another, and I’m loving that.

    1. System_Anomaly

      Well said.

      1. StClair

        Seconded.

    2. Kim

      Great comment :’)

  28. Steelbright

    So fucking cute, i am dead

  29. Jamie

    Adorbs. I missed yesterday’s comic, but also very pleased with their Knowing Eyes™.

  30. Taffy

    Ha! Straaaaiiiight!

    1. Enkrod

      You know I still heard that in Chang’s voice.

  31. William

    Awwwww Adorable smooches are adorable.

  32. Sol

    My shipping heart is squeeing so hard right now.

    I dread when Willis stomps on it.

    1. Clif

      Everything has its price.

      Sometimes it’s worth it.

    2. StClair

      “Yes. But a thing isn’t beautiful because it lasts.”

  33. ollie

    ohhhhh, this is *so* cute and *so* sweet, I love how this is progressing and turning out.

  34. EpochFlame

    oh my goodness, how adorable

  35. HueSatLight

    aw, there’s a little floating butt over her head even.

  36. John Campbell

    Sorry, Dotty, you’re going to need to bulk up if you want to keep doing laundry with Joyce.

  37. Diane

    ♥♥♥ A SMOOCH! ♥♥♥

    Also glad to see Joyce did not miss class.

    1. thejeff

      So, she didn’t vanish up the tree, she was just hiding behind Joe the whole time?
      That’s Dina level stealth.

  38. poofdepoof

    Kiss!! Even better, cheek kiss!!! *time to melt*

  39. LadyIslay

    This almost makes up for Mike. Almost.

    1. Clif

      No.

  40. crys

    my fellow joeyce shippers, in celebration of this beautiful slow burn setting sail, I am very curious to know: when did you start shipping joe/joyce? and what do you consider the first hint of the pairing within the comic? (the earliest i can remember is joyce waking up on joe’s shoulder during the becky-desanto party aftermath??)

    1. Axel

      I don’t know about first hint, it may have been earlier (the failed date could have been one), but shipped since they went back to Joyce’s house after Becky’s kidnapping (the first one), and Joyce was texting him for support. I think they started talking a bit before that too, but I can’t remember for sure. When Joyce said something like “your anger feels familiar.”

    2. RacingTurtle

      I have shipped them across two continuities, so I’m not a good data point. In Dumbing of Age, this strip is the one that made me certain the ship would sail:

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/01-pajama-jeans/touch/

      It also convinced me it would be a loooooonnng wait.

      1. Rotunda

        That was my early clue, too. Sticking to it was hard at times, but I never really thought that Joe meant “touched me” literally as in being punched by her.

    3. Nerrin

      When it turned out that Joe was who Joyce was texting her concerns and family problems to regularly. I’m sure there are plenty of earlier signs (or “signs” thanks to shipping goggles) but that’s where it first felt for real like there was some actual potential for deeper connection between them, whether it was realized romantically or not.

      1. Schpoonman

        That was also my “There’s something there” moment.

      2. Lamppost

        Yeah, same here!

    4. V

      Tbh even on their awful first date I always liked Joe and Joyce, but when I actively wanted to see them together was probably the reveal that he’s the one she’s been texting and venting to.

      1. Needfuldoer

        Agreed with all of this.

    5. Leorale

      Ever since Willis mentioned liking them together, back in It’s Walky!.

    6. Bobcat

      The texting. That’s how I knew they would be a great item.

    7. Mano308gts

      I won’t try to challenge earliest point, but rather the title of ‘clear and obvious point’, which was when Joe was doing a rather good job of talking Joyce up to Jacob.

      Like, you’re going to tell someone else that is potentially interested in someone just how much you think they’re going to be perfect, eventually?

      You probably need to realize that you personally think they’re going to be perfect, and get on that effort of trying to become involved.

    8. Big Z

      I can’t say when I saw the first hint, but I started shipping it the moment I realized I identified a lil’ bit both with Joyce (as the repressed religious kid coming into atheism and their own in college) and Joe (as the proto-incel/PUA dude finally learning how to not treat women as things).

    9. zee

      I think either when he started talking about her to Jacob Like That or when the list leaked. Or when it was revealed they were texting through her trip home, i think that came first?
      Probably sparked my the friend that got me into this comic pointing out Joe’s obvious crush

  41. True Survivor

    So what Joyce is saying is … that she loves him for his body?

    1. Liliet

      An ability to hide behind someone is not only down to their body, it also depends on their willingness and ability to stand and be hidden behind.

    2. Amós Batista

      That’s a naughty hint of her. But the main point is, she feels Joe is able to support her, as physically than emotionally.

  42. Steve

    Oh no, the flying pooping butt is letting Joyce have it!

  43. Tom

    THE SQUEAL I JUST LET OUT.

  44. Suet

    Now if we can have more strips with Joyce in this tree-hugger pose, this could erase a world of hurt.

    Like… GREMLIN!

  45. BOOSTER SHOT

    Fried egg, I’m in love with this

  46. Bryy

    RIGHT IN THE GUTFEELS.

  47. Risky

    You have been selected for your girth.

  48. key

    [VICTORY SCREECH]

    1. Schpoonman

      [10,000 dogs just going nuts]

  49. shrub

    And that’s how dumbing of age ended

    1. Opus the Poet

      Then it must be getting a title change because the buffer is like, October 10.

    2. Amós Batista

      Don’t worry, there must be someone that not have found love in DoA.
      Daisy, for example.

  50. Liliet

    Oh my god this is so fucking adorable

  51. AbacusWizard

    Speaking as a big guy with a smol spouse, this is adorkable.

  52. Freezer

    *unmanly squee*

  53. ADLegend21

    she smooched him that’s like 5th base or something.

    1. justin8448

      Joyce gets all the bases!

  54. Versen

    Ooh we be smoochin!

  55. Needfuldoer

    Awwwwww…

  56. Acher4

    How are they so adorable together!?! 😀

  57. foducool

    awwww

  58. Minty

    Awwwww♡♡♡

  59. AGV

    Joltik Joyce

  60. Allison Branford

    Thus it is explained why Joyce was never impressed by Danny. That skinny torso is worthless!

  61. Amós Batista

    So, that’s a yes
    You made it, Joe. You won her hearth…

    1. Hazel

      Her roaring fire…

  62. Joanna Cole

    I have nothing useful to say but to add my voice to the choir if oh my heart!! ♥️

  63. Enaluxeme

    This is so cute

  64. GeekyWarrior

    Ahhhh so cute! What a great comic for my birthday!

  65. Just_IDD

    Her kiss, freely given, thawed the heart of the ice giant!

  66. Zaxares

    Another post from the “Awwww…” gallery. XD First kiss (on the cheek) moment too, I believe!

  67. DarkoNeko

    oh my gaaaawd

  68. Amelie Wikström

    Okay I’m encutened to thiis relationship now.
    Also I’m really happy Joyce can acknowledge she’s neurotic.

  69. Bo

    :0

    ~ Kees ~

  70. Reltzik

    Is this the first time that Joyce has confirmed to Joe that he’s a romantic interest? I think the last update he got on their relationship status from her was “Of course we’re friends” without specifying if it’s just-friends or friends-plus. Though that kinda counts as part of the previous “I’ve heard you declare your interest in me, but I’m going to tease for a bit rather than immediately tell you whether I’m reciprocating,” so maybe fold the two in together.

    … granted it’s been pretty obvious she’s reciprocating for a while now, but I think this is the first time she just out and confirmed it for him?

  71. rooting for them

    omfg please let these two be happy

  72. ValdVin

    Big boi attraction confirmed.

  73. Autogatos

    As a fellow tiny neurotic person in a relationship with someone an entire foot taller than me, can confirm it comes in handy, both for hiding and reaching tall shelves.

  74. Poppakat

    That is just so freaking cute!!!! *head explodes*

  75. Leesai

    My squeal of happiness was only beaten by the one I let out when Perse and Hades finally kissed in Lore Olympus. I’ve been a JoycexJoe shipper from the start!!

  76. helisa

    Please don’t let this end on heartbreak. Please don’t let this end on heartbreak. Please…

    1. Adept

      They are university freshmen, so… likelihood is high.

  77. Proto

    For a long time I’ve been so attached to the original Walkyverse I would not accept anything besides those as the OTPs but this finally deals it. I’m now ride-or-die for these two cuties.

    1. Proto

      *seals it, meant to say

  78. keithcurtis

    This is just the groundwork for Willis to kick you in the emotional crotch later. You have been warned. 🙂

  79. Rose Red

    Is Joyce standing/sitting on something, or maybe just tiptoe? She’s not that tall normally, right?

    1. ischemgeek

      I imagine her clinging to the back of his jacket.

      1. Schpoonman

        She’s using Joe’s butt as a kneeboard.

        1. Schpoonman

          Excuse me, *tush

  80. Pylgrim

    Alright, comic over, what a great run. Thank you Willis, this is a great ending and now we can all move on knowing that these two will live happily ever after an nothing will ever come between them.

    1. eskimolos

      100% *rides off into sunset, content in knowing these two are happy together, forever*

  81. BBCC

    That last panel killed me. I am dead. You’re speaking to my ghost now.

  82. poyo

    uuuuuuhhhhggg theyre so CUTE !!!!!! there’s no way this ends well lol

  83. Keulen

    I feel like everyone’s already said it, but damn this is super adorable.

  84. shrub

    Is this Joyce’s first genuine kiss?

    1. HueSatLight

      First non-disaster kiss.

  85. Daibhid C

    But by hiding, Joyce has ensured that they don’t know that she knows that they know. She’s stopped the recursion!

  86. Chasey

    Okay, I don’t even like this pairing (indifferent, actually) and that was cute. Honestly surprised she’s the one who made smoochies first, though, but I can see it; Joe seems like he’s trying very hard not to be his usual and let her go at her own pace.

  87. anonymsly

    This is very cute and all, but I am deeply amused by how well Joyce knows her type now. All three of her romantic interests have been EXACTLY as she described – big enough that she behind their torso as needed.

    I have shipped these two forever. That is, therefore, how long they need to stay a couple.

    1. anonymsly

      * big enough that she CAN HIDE

      How do I leave out whole words?

    2. DailyBrad

      I like thinking of their ship name as “Joy”, because A. it’s easier to say than Joece or whatever, and god does it sum it up nicely.

  88. ian livs

    I see that blush, Joe. I SEE it

  89. Juanoku

    THAT’S SO ADORABLE

  90. zee

    I literally squealed out loud ohmigod ohmigod oh my GOD

  91. HueSatLight

    off topic, but you can look up how much google scraped individual websites to train their chatbot.
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2023/ai-chatbot-learning/#lookup-table

    itswalky.com: 210,332nd most scraped
    dumbingofage.com: 688,178th most scraped.

    We have to produce more comments for the data mine.

    1. Taffy

      Don’t fucking train a robot to act like us. That sounds insufferable.

    2. HueSatLight

      I realized it’s Google’s “Do List”, and now regret the second half of my comment. Anyways, good luck on any class action suit, everybody in the general public.

      1. NGPZ

        My only hope is that it doesn’t wind up an automated Nazi like Microsoft’s did ?

        1. HueSatLight

          Colossal Clean Crawled Corpus not that clean after all

          stormfront 27,505th
          infowars 6,562nd
          mumsnet 5,137th
          breitbart 159th

    3. Amós Batista

      Half of this is mine, when I scraped here to mount a graph for DoA…

  92. TerribleTransit

    So I guess Joe was the tree this whole time.

    Also this is freakin’ cute.

  93. Kazuma Taichi

    Glad to see that Joyce is fully embracing her diagnosis already
    only took what? a day and a half?

    1. Blue

      Neurotic means you’re anxious to an unhealthy degree. It’s different than autistic.

  94. Opus the Poet

    I’ll make this post up until Saturday, the day of the race, the IU Little 500 takes place on Saturday https://www.idsnews.com/article/2023/04/little-500-bike-race-iu-guide-rules-terms You might remember this race from the movie Breaking Away.

  95. Roborat

    This is so cute that I was expecting the ghost of Wilfred Brimley to appear.

  96. Felian

    PREMARITAL HANKYPANKY

    that’s, like, at least 5th base in Joyce upbringing, right? 😀

  97. PB

    SQUEEING UNTIL I BURST

    1. NGPZ

      it’s raining you!! ?

  98. Nothri

    A broad that likes them broad as it were.

  99. Bruh

    Nice.

  100. Ragingagnostic

    I still think back to Joyce’s first date with Joe and marvel at how far he’s come: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/03-men-are-from-beck-women-are-from-clark/seconds/

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