176

Window shopping
Posted on October 19, 2024 by David M Willis

176 thoughts on “Window shopping”

  1. shadowcell

    “okay so if i may slightly rephrase”

    1. Anna

      ???

    2. Adept

      Exactly. For the literal minded.

    3. fridge_logic

      No, no she’s got a point: Dorothy is responsible for the most important sexual discovery of Joyce’s life so far (masturbation is cool), why shouldn’t she be the go to for every other sexual discovery Joyce ever wants to have?

      1. Michael Steamweed

        “Fridge_logic” is a perfect term for Joyce’s thinking right now. 🙂

  2. Nathan

    do we want to know whats in that box

    1. Doxkid

      A sock.

      1. jeffepp

        For the doorknob.

        1. DJTsurugi

          for Jacob ~<3

    2. Council

      That Could be a box. My first impression was a huge stack of Dotty-aimed paperwork.

      1. Jo_cubstar

        I also assumed it was paperwork. All her sex research

      2. Thag Simmons

        My first assumption was laptop. I think that’s probably wrong, it looks a little heavy, but it’s possible.

      3. Shade

        I thought it was paperwork too.

      4. HueSatLight

        There’s a preview panel dated for tomorrow on tumblr. It is a stack of paper. A ream perhaps.

        1. Andy

          A ream of in terms of sex?

    3. Sirksome

      Cupcakes? I bet it’s cupcakes!

      1. Mark

        I was gonna say doughnuts.

    4. Doctor_Who

      A size six.

    5. Thag Simmons

      If I had to guess from the shape, donuts.

    6. Proxiehunter

      The bunny. It was put back in.

      1. Michael Steamweed

        I understood that reference!

    7. Dara

      From my studies of Midwesternism Culture, I suspect it should be some form of casserole.

      1. Mark

        In a box?

        I mean: yeah, casserole is not unlikely, but not in a box. The paper gets all smokey in the oven.

    8. butting

      Laundry.

    9. Reltzik

      They finally caught the cricket.

    10. Needfuldoer

      My brain keeps flip-flopping between “stack of papers” and “white foam take-out container”.

    11. Shadowsnail

      She’s bringing Dorothy her box so Dorothy can tell her what to do with it.

    12. Chiatroll

      It’s not a box. It’s a giant sammich

    13. John in CA

      I assumed it was a pie, but I might just be hungry.

    14. Furie

      Cannolis and donuts. You know… to demonstrate with.

    15. Leadsynth

      I thought it was a huge sandwich

  3. Council

    I love Roz’s energy. She is putting all of herself into this spiel.

    But this was also very, very predictable.

  4. Sirksome

    Dorothy controls Joyce’s sexuality. Soon she will have power over everyones!

    1. Jamie

      The Kinsey Whisperer.

      1. Rolf of Many Doors

        Ooooo, I wouldn’t recommend citing Kinsey, bud – dude was waaaaay fucked up.

        1. Laura

          How so?

        2. Laura

          Oh, OK, I found the critique: he interviewed sex offenders and abusers without reporting their conduct to law enforcement. Yeah. Problematic.

          Was that what you were referring to?

    2. Reltzik

      She’s also got Walky’s sexuality.

      1. eh, whatever

        Avatar checks out!

  5. True Survivor

    Mario ads are consuming my dumbing of age webpage. Soon nothing of Joyce or the gang will remain only him – a Mario. I’m scared.

    1. NGPZ

      Hmmmmm… DoA Mario…

    2. RassilonTDavros

      The Age of Dumbing is over.

      The Age of Plumbing has come.

      1. butting

        Your Dorothy is in another castle!

        1. Effie

          Sorry Sarah, your Jacob is in another castle!

          And your Other Jacob is in an other another castle.

        2. Opus the Poet

          +1

    3. Marianne

      I’ll express-a my sympathy in-a Mario-ese: “WaAaAaAaAaAaAh! Ohhh no!”

  6. Thag Simmons

    I’m sure this is going to go very badly, but there’s so many different ways it could go badly it’s hard to call.

  7. Animedingo

    oH

  8. jeffepp

    Some more alone time with HER Dorothy.

  9. Jo_cubstar

    Oh Joyce, you’re precious

  10. HueSatLight

    Tease. (Joyce teasing Dorothy and Willis teasing the shippers)

    1. Coatl

      It’s already scary to think what Joyce will do, if she already scared Dorothy before in the bar… oh god, the intrigue

      1. DJTsurugi

        my vision of a Dorothy, Joyce and Joe sexy times is coming closer. ~<3

    2. Amós Batista

      “0 days without Willis teasing us with Joyce/Dorothy ship
      Our record: X. (Being X the amount of days that Dorothy was trying to fix Walky).”.

  11. Viktoria

    It’s worth pointing out that Joyce was in a cult for 18 years and got free just six months ago. While Roz is entirely correct, Joyce is used to “listen to those smarter than you” as the correct approach to every problem and may be unlearning that for the rest of her life. “Do what is best for you personally” is far more advanced than where she is right now.

    1. True Survivor

      That is a good insight.

    2. drs

      Yeah, good point.

    3. Mark

      TBF cults capitalize on and distort the perfectly reasonable tendency for social animals to seek out leadership in moments of uncertainty.

      1. StClair

        Human cognition has a very large number of well-documented exploits and vulnerabilities, and most of them go unpatched in the wild.

  12. vlademir1

    Quick, I need a copy of Wannabe to get playing before someone else takes control of this comic’s audio server…

    Anyone?

    1. vlademir1

      Also, it’s really annoying when the banner ad at the bottom of the page decides to cover the post comment button and a video ad in the bottom right corner covers the close button on that banner ad and doesn’t have it’s own close button.

      1. Bash

        Tip from a web developer – if you right click and “inspect element” you can delete stuff from the page.

        1. Kintrex

          If you can right click and inspect element you can use an adblocker. Doesn’t help anyone on mobile.

        2. vlademir1

          Yes, but that does nothing to make it less annoying. The issue is baked into the UX of the platform this comic is hosted on.

    2. Shadowsnail

      Joyce Makes a Zigazig Ah: A Dumbing of Age Pornographique

  13. mindbleach

    There’s a gauge labeled Joyce No and Joyce Yes, and the needle is wavering halfway between them.

    1. Freezer

      That’s marked “I get it, but come on!”

    2. Reltzik

      The needle is swinging back and forth so quickly that it has achieved quantum superposition and is pointing to both simultaneously.

      YES THAT IS TOO HOW THAT WORKS!

    3. Needfuldoer

      Turns out it’s actually a metronome.

      1. Shadowsnail

        Joe can keep rhythm with no metronome
        No metronome
        No metronome

        1. Effie

          metro gnome?

        2. Opus the Poet

          I recognize that reference. Handlebars.

  14. BBCC

    THAT IS NOT WHO ROZ MEANT, but probably true XD

  15. Jeremiah

    Yup is 100% what Roz meant. Good job Joyce no notes.

  16. Chaucer59

    In my best Don Adams voice: “Missed it by THAT much.”??

    1. StClair

      Would you believe…?

      1. Mark

        Sorry about that, Roz!

    2. Michael Steamweed

      Whoa. This is some old school referencing. Intelligent stuff. Quite Smart, if you will. (And I understood that reference.)

      1. Opus the Poet

        Tennessee Tuxedo must not fail.

      2. Chaucer59

        What can I say? I’m that old.

  17. Blume

    That would’ve been good advice if Joyce trusted her own judgement -u-

    1. Mark

      She did. She judged that Dorothy is more experienced than she and less likely to brush her off with nonspecific advice like Roz.

      Not that Roz’ advice is wrong; it simply doesn’t address Joyce’s question. (Which she never actually got to ask.)

      1. Blume

        Yeah, Roz did that to Joe last time too.

  18. AntithesisConundrum

    this strip made me CACKLE

    1. Colin McKenzie

      Me too. It’s good to have an old-fashioned, uncontroversial gag once in a while.

    2. Johann

      Honestly this is a contender for DoA’s funniest last panel gag. Perfect combination of completely unexpected in advance but completely expected in hindsight and of utterly absurd yet believable.

  19. Sirksome

    From what we know of Joyce her ideal sexuality is being gently crushed under a massive ass of ambiguous gender, while staring at a boner, possibly with her face pressed into large boobs, and holding Dorothy’s hand or watching her as she engages in some sexual act. Also throw stubble in there somewhere. Yes. I’ve solved it. No idea what that means though.

    1. PirateTawnee

      Could also throw in her response to Sal’s hair the first time Joyce saw her take her crash helmet off.

    2. Michael Steamweed

      So her sexuality is Jennifer Walters and Bruce Banner?

    3. Miri

      Under the repression she’s bi? But Becky’s family and she can’t see her like that?

  20. TrueVCU

    Ok this might actually be what breaks Dorothy

    1. TrueVCU

      Perfect gravatar yessssss

    2. TerribleTransit

      This shoe has been in the air a long time now, and I could NOT have predicted this would be how it dropped.

  21. Pocky

    ok; but like, is this gonna be another washing machine arc?

    1. Jeremiah

      I’m sure that would be completely uncontroversial and not cause any kind of angry arguments.

    2. Wack'd

      not another joyce’s washing machine arc

  22. Dante

    Joyve has been ramping up the queerness lately and I’m VERY pleased. Why, even the last panel has Bisexual Lightning.

    I know I’m not getting it, but my little heart here is like HELL YEAH SHE HAS TWO HANDS LET’S GET ALL THREE OF THEM TOGETHER. Apologies.

    1. Tesset

      She keeps talkin’ about polycules. What is that if not foreshadowing!

      1. Colin McKenzie

        Polycules are just particles that parrots are made of.

    2. mindbleach

      Half the comics I follow tease central polycules and not a single friggin’ one has actually done it. Not even as a romantic disaster arc for comedic purposes.

      1. Opus the Poet

        One I’m following is actually starting one because one female character has discovered she’s bi, and enamoured of both the male and female leads. It looks like it’s heading for a trainwreck, but at least it’s an interesting trainwreck.

        1. mindbleach

          And you’re keeping which one a secret?

  23. Zamperla

    Roz, two minutes later: Should I have outright SAID ‘direct communication with the person you want to do sex with’? No… No. I don’t wanna talk down to the gal.

  24. IntangibleMatter

    There are two interpretations:

    1. Joyce didn’t understand what Roz meant

    2. Joyce understood exactly what Roz meant, and realized she’s a lesbian sub with a thing for girls who wear glasses.

  25. Freezer

    naked_gun_mass_face_palm.gif

  26. Suet

    “What should I do” sounds incomplete, even if panel 6 is something.

    If we’re rekindling the Joyce-Dorothy ship, I want to rename the ship as Breen… coz the day the ship sails will end up in a BANGGG

    1. Shadowsnail

      The only canonical Breen ship ended tragically. Time to even the score.

  27. Tesset

    Yesterday’s comments were so smug about the Joyce/Dorothy shippers being overreaching lol. Well well well, look how little time it took for us to get back here…

  28. Taffy

    “Dorothy, good news! I’ve realised I need to practice sex before I try it with Joe! Do you have a spare strap-on we can use?”

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Scenario I: “Dorothy, I need to watch you and Walky (ugh) have sex while I take notes.”
      Scenario II: “Dorothy, I need to watch you and Joe have sex while I take notes.”
      Scenario III: “For proper comparison, I need to watch you have sex with Walky and then Joe, while I take notes and update the spreadsheet that you probably already have.”

  29. DashWallkick

    Dorothy did SAY she was the only person who’s ever made Joyce cum!

    1. Taffy

      No she did not.

      1. Doopyboop

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-13/02-turning-saints-into-the-sea/murderous/

        Because I am stupid I decided to go looking in the strips and I think Dash is referring to this! It’s not exactly what Dorothy said but it is close. The idea of her bragging to herself (if sardonically) about making Joyce cum is hilarious.

        1. Michael Steamweed

          She is the Abraham Lincoln of emancipating Joyce’s sexuality.

  30. Cimorene

    Panel 3-4 “Wow I’ve been in a funk since transitioning this is great to hear. Thanks Roz.”
    Panel 5-6 “Oh no. Joyce no. Oh no.”

  31. Juanoku

    I KNEW IT

  32. Qube

    laundry day already huh

  33. DailyBrad

    Roz is being very pleasant about all of this. Sort of wonder if she just, takes Joyce a touch more seriously now or what, but sure, I’ll take it.

    1. Jeremiah

      This is the topic that matters the most to her so it makes she takes it seriously.

    2. Coatl

      They both didn’t get off to a good start and it seems like Roz notices sincerity in Joyce these days, maybe that’s why she’s so kind.

      1. Bogeywoman

        Sincerity and noticing (respecting???) that Joyce is actively open to learning and changing when she recognises her ways of thinking aren’t healthy.

      2. Ray Radlein

        tbf, Joyce has always been sincere

        1. Mark

          One of the things I like about her.

  34. Joyfulldreams

    I legit facepalmed. But, like, in an affectionate way.

  35. Reltzik

    ….

    I’m remembering a story. I’m not sure where I remember it from. I’m not sure if it’s fact or fiction. But it doesn’t really matter if the story’s true, it just matters because it feels applicable to today’s comic.

    This story is about land pirates. Basically, pirates that stayed on land while they did their piracy. They’d use lanterns at night to appear to be lighthouses and guide ships onto the rocks, and then swarm on board, kill the crew, and take the valuables. Pirates, but they didn’t actually need to go to sea. It feels applicable here.

    … yeah. Land pirates. That’s definitely what’s happening in Panel 6.

    We’re getting ship-baited.

    1. Uly

      Are you trying to describe wreckers?

    2. Mark

      Nice pun.

      IIRC yes, there have been at least coast-dwellers in places where shipwrecks are common, who supplemented their livelihood by scavenging wrecked ships in their neighborhood.

      I’m not saying that some did not realize that they could make even more profit if there were more wrecks, and that they could do something about that, but I’m not saying they did.

  36. ADLegend21

    Literally wheezing. Perfect set up and pay off.

  37. Wandering Mage

    Not beating the sapphic allegations today, I see.

  38. GUIGUI

    …

  39. GUIGUI

    Only you…

  40. Florence

    First up: lmao on this tease
    Secondly: I am trying to figure out Dorothy’s face in the final panel and as much as I want the chaos from the DorothyxJoyce kiss nothing previously indicates we’re there yet. She just seems so caught in the moment of Joyce’s beauty

    1. Mark

      I’m reading it as: it’s been maybe 300 milliseconds since Dorothy recognized the shape approaching her, Joyce seems particularly happy to see her, and Dorothy is just beginning to think “what’s this about?”

  41. zims

    Okay but speaking from experience, this is not the best advice to give a repressed autistic girl trying to figure out what all the sex stuff even IS. Urban Dictionary was a better resource than Roz. At least that explains penetration.

    1. Zaxares

      Yeah. XD To be fair to Roz, her overarching point is VERY on point; do not look to others to try and figure out what YOU like in sex. That is something only you can discover through trial and experimentation. But Roz forgets that Joyce is SO clueless about intimacy that she needs at least SOME advice on where to start. (Like, if I hadn’t seen the strips with it, I’d probably have assumed that Joyce needs directions on KISSING.) So, sitting her down and listening to her questions and answering as fully and honestly as you can is probably the best approach for Joyce. And amusingly, Dorothy is probably the best person suited for that. 😉

      1. spriteless aunty

        Indeed. I do hope this is comedic timing, and Joyce is coming to Dorothy for the detail oriented advice, not just for dommy mommy god replacement.

    2. Formerly Glenn

      I feel like Rix likes feeling like she’s morally (sexually) better than people, rather than actually helping them.

      1. Blume

        Same. She’s passionate about what she cares about… What she cares about isn’t exactly individuals though. Hmm, I guess it’s seeing the forest before the trees? I’m not implying she’s a bad person, by the way.

  42. Joy

    I do like Roz sometimes

    1. ValdVin

      Yep. She’s the SME (subject matter expert) with the right attitude someone like Joyce needs. Joyce isn’t the only student on campus who could use this advising.

  43. WindyDream

    Oh man, poor Dorothy

  44. miz

    [EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER]

    1. Mark

      Which is the correct buzzer?

      1. Michael Steamweed

        The one that goes in the Hitachi wand.

  45. CJ

    Poor Dotty.
    (Sometimes Roz makes sense, she’s just a misunderstood person.)

  46. ValdVin

    Hey gang, it’s time to explore mutual carnal congress with Dorothy Margot Keener!

  47. Tomixcomics

    DoA comics are funny and charmign bnut it’s been a while since one made me laugh quite as loudly as this one did.

  48. darkoneko

    … oh come the fuck on, Joyce

  49. Daibhid C

    Dammit, Roz actuallly gives some decent advice that isn’t based on projection and prude-shaming, and what happens?

    1. Daibhid C

      (No I didn’t put three “l”s in “actuallly” by mistake, that’s just how much I’m emphasising it.)

      (Yes, I realise normally you’d push the “ac”, not the “ly” but I’m being quirky.)

      1. Mark

        Lengthening the timing is a different style of emphasis.

  50. Matrix

    Nonononono

  51. Colin McKenzie

    Please let Dorothy tell Joyce to piss off and make her own decisions.

    1. mindbleach

      (Don’t say you should go fuck him. Don’t say you should go fuck him. Don’t say you should go fuck him.)

  52. Mark

    It’s like ice cream. If I’ve never heard of ice cream, and someone takes me into the shop and there’s 39 flavors and oodles of toppings and almost endless ways to combine them all and the clerk asks me what I want…how should I know? I’d probably ask my partner: “what do you like?” I may like it well; I may like it a little; I may not like it at all. But I found a way to decide using someone else’s experience, since I have none of my own. And next time I’ll have a basis for choosing.

    But Joyce isn’t even there yet. She wants something to happen, which is outside her experience, but it’s not happening spontaneously and she doesn’t know how to take the lead and move forward. Know well enough to put the odds in favor of success rather than of making things worse. I’ve been there. It’s agonizing.

  53. Pergola

    “… a whole universe of things you can try”
    Many of which are icky and crivalent.

    1. Taffy

      I looked up “crivalent” but only got results for somebody’s Instagram and isolated uses in reference to arsenic and something math-related. Assuming it isn’t a typo, could you explain this word?

      1. Pergola

        Entirely made up. Like if the inventor of ‘cromulent’ had ‘cringe’ in mind.

  54. Michael Steamweed

    Rational part of me: Joyce, that is NOT the correct conclusion!
    Shipper part of me: Joyce, that IS the correct conclusion!

  55. Clell65619

    Okay, wow.

    It’s odd that out of her ‘friend’ group of 18-20-year-olds, Roz, quite possibly the most self-involved and rebellious, is the only one with helpful advice.

    If only Joyce was self-aware enough to understand it.

  56. Meagan

    Jumping off what others are saying about Roz’ limited helpfulness here, it would be a lot more helpful to offer Joyce a yes/no/maybe checklist like are showcased here
    https://sexualhealthalliance.com/nymphomedia-blog/yes-no-maybe-checklists

  57. Stephen Nedland

    I hope this is the beginning of the Joyce/Joe/Dorothy throupling that I’ve been hoping for, for a few months now.

  58. Yeet

    roz if you want to be the sex expert person you’re gonna need to understand that some people don’t have even the basic mechanical underpinnings here
    good advice in a broad sense but I think joyce might need to literally know how things work
    I feel like colleges should probably offer free anonymous info for this stuff though given how… varied… people’s backgrounds can be

    1. Jdorr

      Just decent sex education in general would be helpful. Unfortunately some people get weird about the idea of people actually understanding the subject

      1. Sirksome

        It’s weird to me that society and especially western or conservative society view basic sexual knowledge as taboo. Maybe we need to reframe is to reproductive education? Because it’s just a basic biological function like shitting or breathing. Yet we fight against it being taught in school or children knowing, or freely providing protection and education. Joyce having no real knowledge about it was not just a failing of her parents to educate her but our society as well. Yo me it’s like arguing against teaching people how to use a toilet and just letting them figure it out themselves.

        1. Jdorr

          Totally agree exept I suspect a name change wouldn’t solve the problem as it’s not the name they have an issue with

  59. TulipKitten

    Are they actually gonna bang or is Willis just trolling the readers at this point?

  60. Jdorr

    ? not what she meant Joyce

    1. Mark

      Or maybe Joyce decided, “well, that didn’t help. Who else do I know, who understands these matters?”

      1. Jdorr

        Fair

  61. elfroyalty

    this is like someone walking up to you and asking for some basic cooking tips and you going ‘oh man you can do ANYTHING with food, it’s all a matter of taste, just because i like to flambe my steaks doesn’t mean you will!’

    it’s true! but perhaps not helpful in this context.

    really hope someone just directs joyce to leslie at some point for some advice. ik she’s a gender studies teacher and not specifically sex ed but like. there’s no way she doesn’t get this type of question 100 times a semester.

    1. Mark

      Indeed. Joyce is at the “how do I turn the oven on?” stage.

      1. elfroyalty

        yeah, or “how long do i cook the chicken so i don’t die?”

  62. thumb

    To be fair, experience has proven her right.

  63. James Custer

    I love this comic so much.

  64. Barf Ninjason

    Ok, *that* was funny

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