248

Standing
Posted on April 6, 2023 by David M Willis
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248 thoughts on “Standing”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “HOT DANG”

    *holds hands like a BOSS that she’s totally not NOT*

    1. Decidedly Orthogonal

      When’s the boss?

      1. TheStranger

        I’ll do you one better: WHY’s the boss?

        1. Casi

          Nobody ever asks How’s the Boss?

        2. LaGrosseLegume

          What’s the Boss again?

        3. Clif

          It’s the Bossinova. The dance of love.

        4. Deviant

          Hugo Boss. Its a pretty okay deodorant, and expensive clothes.

        5. Jim

          Not to menton, stylist of the Nazi Party…

        6. Wizard

          Sure, the Nazis were mass-murdering thugs, but you have to admit they were some of history’s most stylishly dressed mass-murdering thugs.

        7. khn0

          just… no.

        8. Taffy

          I ain’t gotta admit jack nor squat. Fuck ’em. Anything they wore is automatically dogshit fashion, and if somebody’s got a problem with that, they’re probably a fucking Nazi.

        9. Shadowsnail

          Wherefore art thou boss?

        10. Deviant

          Is the boss, from a strictly ontological standpoint?

        11. someone

          In what phase is the boss? Final form yet?

        12. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          And what are her drops?

        13. Taffy

          A weapon coffer, a minion, some chest gear, and one of those books you think you’ll collect enough of but then you get annoyed with PF groups so you give up and get the undyeable version of the item they’re for.

        14. Plonker

          Ah, finally, a man asking the important questions!

        15. Roborat

          Can’t be, there hasn’t been a week of powering up yet.

  2. NGPZ

    A bizarre twist for JoyJoe’s Adventure!!!

    Between giving up her dream of becoming President and (s)mothering Joyce, for Dorothy this really does look like the End of the World. ?

    *a passing car’s mini TV plays “END OF THE WORLD” from Stardust Crusaders*

    1. True Survivor

      JoyJoe’s Bizzar Adventure is a great name for their tale of romance, you’re a genius.

    2. Alaric

      Has she given up that dream, though. looks to me like come to question it, but she hasn’t yet decided whether she’s giving it up. She never questioned it before, so she doesn’t really know how to handle it. (Questioning something isn’t the same as rejecting it.)

  3. C.T. Phipps

    I think Dorothy’s internal monologue is: “I couldn’t get JOYCE the person who respects me most to not do something. I have no Presidential potential whatsoever.”

    1. anon

      i’m sure she’d take her advice on other things still, like with glasses and the birth control after all (even if jen did kinda have to initiate the latter with taking her to the free clinic or whatever )

    2. Doctor_Who

      “Things I can’t make Joyce do, a list by (NOT) Future President Dorothy Keener”

      1) Eat trail mix without separating the components.
      2) Limit Kraft Easy Mac consumption to 5 nights a week
      3) Not date Joe
      4) Masturbate

      1. justin8448

        In fairness, that last one is easily the most important.

        1. Doctor_Who

          Just wait until her metabolism crashes around age 22, then the Easy Mac thing will be.

      2. NGPZ

        Dotty could use some Mac and Cheese right about now. Or whatever her favorite comfort food is. Also her favorite show. Netflix and Chill, the works, as you earthlings call it.

    3. Fay

      I’m pretty sure her own words from a few strips ago(“When you’re ready, you’re ready”) are ringing in her head right now.

  4. Just an Armadillo

    Everything went better than expected! Though Dorothy definitely still needs help.

    1. Vanessa

      Dorothy still has a worrying tendency to stand there staring into the air like someone whose world has fallen apart! But at least she can recognize adorable when she sees it. Thank goodness we don’t have to watch Dorothy really seriously f things up and then inevitably hate herself even more.

      1. justin8448

        Self-aware Dorothy is the best Dorothy.

      2. Durandal_1707

        I dunno, given what OG Dorothy was like and what she did, I’ve been wondering for a while whether Dorothy is going to get stuck in some less-than-well-advised messing with the other characters “for their own good.” She really doesn’t seem too far away from that right now, especially with Walky as one of the potential meddle targets.

        1. justin8448

          I think Dorothy is still definitely not in a great head space. But she seems to recognize that she’s not making good decisions right now. I suspect she’ll put herself on time out from other people.

      3. Lars

        I wonder: When did the poll “Should Joyce/Joe be a thing?”conclude? And would this scene change if the poll had a different outcome?

        1. BOOSTER SHOT

          It concluded when Walky didn’t know who Carl was. The polls seem to be whatever makes Willis chuckle. I doubt poll results change anything about an arc that’s been running since at least Dina’s birthday party

        2. Plonker

          That, and you need to keep in mind Willis is about 6 months ahead of us, see Buffer Watch, so he already had decided the outcome of J&J when he posted the poll.

          Damn his omniscience!

        3. Mark

          No, see, it’s a quantum thing. We have observed the outcome, thus creating the outcome. If the poll went against it, it would have changed, through entanglement or some such magic.

    2. Needfuldoer

      I just hope she’s not mentally filing this away under “evidence for a future ‘I told you so’ when Joe falls back into old habits”…

    3. Nicoleandmaggie

      I want to give her a hug. And I hope she goes and has a good cry and maybe a pint of good ice cream. And then talks to someone who isn’t a main cast member and accepts Yale.

  5. UrsulaDavina

    That went way better then expected glad Dotty came to her senses… on this at least hopefully on other things to.

    1. Radiance

      I would decidedly not put this in the “positive” column for Dorothy’s mental health.

    2. Thag Simmons

      Still a little worried there might be a curveball here.

  6. Gizen

    I have a feeling that Dorothy’s response here is… not as healthy as it looks at first glance. Considering the identity crisis Dorothy is going through, and how much of her self-image is tied into being that person who gives helpful advice and knows just what to say and do to help everyone around her, I feel like… realizing that she may have been wrong about Joe and Joyce is likely to completely shatter her already fractured self-esteem.

    1. Just an Armadillo

      I hope it isn’t not as healthy as it looks because her expression in panel 5 already looks really unhealthy to begin with!

    2. Jo_cubstar

      Yeah, I sense a big fallout from this

    3. UrsulaDavina

      I think this a positive turning point for Dotty and she’ll get better.

      1. Vanessa

        If she can recognize the adorableness that is Joe and Joyce in this moment all is not lost. But hopefully she lets them mother HER a bit now because she’s clearly in need of some comfort.

    4. True Survivor

      Yeah, she seems pretty lost and defeated. Less happy realization that she was wrong and can let go of the fear and worry and more just smiling and laughing because everything seems pointless and your staring into the terrifying absurdity of existence. Especially the dialogue in panel five, given that her life’s goal (which is now crashing down around her) was, in effect, to tell other people what to do with their lives.

    5. Grimey

      I think you’re right. Any being happy for Joyce and Joe balancing each other out and helping each other grow could be overridden as proof that they didn’t need her to keep them apart or get them here.

    6. HueSatLight

      growing pains. Sometimes it’s better for someone to not imagine they give the best advice. She can be feel more fulfilled as a friend than as a mentor. This could be her turning point, her equivalent to: http://dumbingofage.com/ultimately

      1. justin8448

        Yeah. Dorothy was finding meaning and purpose in the wrong things. Or rather, in things that no longer fit who she wants to be as she matures and grows.

        She’ll need to find new ways to find meaning and purpose. That isn’t always easy, but that’s how life works.

    7. Schpoonman

      I hopethink this will split the difference between Gizen’s and Ursula’s predictions. Dorothy is about crash really badly, but sometimes college is for crashing badly. She’s 19 with very supporting parents, good friends, and a surplus of competence. She should be better after this.

      Gonna hurt like a muddytrucker for a minute, though.

      1. Schpoonman

        Goddammit.

        1. jflb96

          Yeah, it’s a pain in the arse trying to end a formatting in these boxes

        2. Schpoonman

          I’m normally very good about it, but I got tangled for a moment on which word (think or hope) to strike and forgot to close it.

    8. Thag Simmons

      Definitely a painful moment. Question is if it’s a turning point in a positive direction or if things are about to get worse for her.

    9. RassilonTDavros

      Yeah, I don’t think we’ve seen the end of this yet.

  7. True Survivor

    You’re ruining this for them, Dorothy. Their love won’t be as hot if its not forbidden.

    1. NGPZ

      Don’t worry. There’s always the rest of the cast to think Joyce a naive and Joe a sex monster. ?

  8. Jonah Sanville

    i just want all three of these kids to be happy

    1. DaveM

      Indeed. A JoeJoDo poly relationship that mutually abjures a JoeDo physical relationship could work for all three of them, provided they were willing to be open about what they want, and what they need to learn.

      So doomed from the start, but it COULD work so well for them!

      1. Gigafreak

        Noooo we don’t want this to go the way of the DoDo

  9. DailyBrad

    You know, thinking about it… this is a good twist in that it isn’t one. Like, most people expected conflict, but the lack of it makes perfect sense, both in-universe and from a meta “we already just went there” standpoint. So, this is a good subversion, rather than an attempted “gotcha” that is arbitrary.

    1. Vanessa

      Yup, I like it. And I just can’t take any more drama right now. With what’s going on.

    2. Jamie

      Tbh, I’ve kept pretty quiet overall partly because I had no idea which way this was going to go. It was pretty plausible both ways. This is the happier outcome so far, but it’s not at all worse for that.

    3. Archieve

      It’s helps that she actually saw them interacting positively on their own. She’s previously only confronted them individually and acted like a she was a barrier protecting Joyce. So glad she’s finally caught on its unnecessary.

  10. Shorduie

    Joyce is so thirsty, I love it.

    1. HueSatLight

      Typing into a search engine in a private browser window: “Can you 69 face sitting? +reddit”

  11. Alongcameaspider

    Someone admitting they were wrong without there having to be a huge amount of drama first? What alternate reality have we stumbled into?

    1. cbwroses

      She’s saving the drama for what she’s going to do with Walky.

      1. Jamie

        Gonna make a shadow play with him, if you know what I mean.

      2. Taffy

        Threesome with Lucy?

        “We talked earlier and he seemed tentative. I already screwed him senseless a while back and he seemed to like it, so maybe if we ease him in with something familiar and then introduce your new experiences in during, he’ll be more comfortable.”

        “Look, whatever gets him in me.”

        1. Sajuuk-Khar

          This would be the best case scenario, but knowing our Willis…

        2. Bogeywoman

          I am down to clown with walky poly shenanigans. Everything needs more poly

        3. Taffy

          To quote Amy Pond: “I really wasn’t suggesting anything quite so long-term.”

    2. justin8448

      I have a crazy feeling that Dorothy’s storing all that drama internally.

    3. Dana

      There’s a shit-tonne of drama, it’s just continues to be contained between Dorothy’s ears.

    4. Nicoleandmaggie

      There’s drama, it’s just all internal. Dorothy really needs a friend right now.

  12. BlackScarabFilmZ

    Hmm… Torn between making a “Malcolm in the Middle” reference or a “Who’s the Boss?” reference…

    1. NGPZ

      How about a JoJo reference? ?

    2. True Survivor

      I think it is a reference to an episode of Community where Abed takes a class analyzing a sitcom called “Who’s the Boss?” and proceeds to undo the professors life’s work by proving that the question “Who’s the Boss?” is not rhetorical or an invention for further analysis but definitively the character called Angela. The whole plot ends with the professor breaking down and through the class out. He then opens up his desk drawer (implying he is about to take out a gun and shoot himself) only for him to instead take out another book he has written on an even more obscure and pointless sitcom he can now teach another class on.

      1. True Survivor

        I think I found a clip of the that plot. I believe the hover text quotes a line
        from the professor and is located somewhere about in the middle of this clip.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYhaTPg8lOE

  13. UrsulaDavina

    Joe, Joyce told you somethin’ that she thinks you’ll understand When she says that somethin’ she wants to hold your hand…

  14. Dday

    *cough**cough**calledit**cough*

  15. Serendipity

    😀

  16. Greg

    Very fun Joyce pose in panel 1

  17. Schpoonman

    Okay, someone give Dorothy a hug now, please and thank you.

    Maybe not Joyce or Joe, not for a day or three.

    Also, listen to your girlfriend, Joe.

    1. Nono

      Well, she’s not his girlfriend yet. They still gotta bite the bullet on that one.

      1. Schpoonman

        Well, I’ve got the right gravatar for the job.

        1. Council

          Beautiful, beautiful teeth.

        2. Needfuldoer

          “NOM NOM NOM OM NOM”

          – Heavy Weapons Guy

  18. Nono

    I’d fall out of a tree in front of Joe.

    1. Bryy

      If you know what I mean.

      1. thejeff

        Say no more.

        1. nicoleandmaggie

          wink wink nudge nudge

  19. Yotomoe

    Honestly I’d love a massage from Joe. He looks like he’s got big strong hands.

    1. DailyBrad

      Plus, we know Richard gives great shoulder rubs, if we recall his first meeting with Amber’s mom. Maybe runs in the family.

      1. Yotomoe

        If the apple doesn’t fall far, I almost think it’s a good thing he didn’t offer. Joyce isn’t ready yet.

      2. Taffy

        His shoulder rubbing technique is pretty unorthodox, what with the going into supply closets and railing the recipient, but it gets results.

        1. Dana

          It might be unorthodox, but it is the basis for a whole genre of porn.

        2. Yotomoe

          Ah, the old John Redcorn technique.

        3. Taffy

          One of my favorite jokes from King of the Hill is when Dale is freaking out about his mower so he’s watching the house extra hard, and he catches John Redcorn literally climbing through the window, and all he has to say about it is “Get inside and start massaging my wife.”, like that’s not the most suspicious thing ever.

        4. Steve C

          John Redcorn to Nancy after climbing back into the window “He taking a lot of the fun out of this.”

  20. brionl

    If you say Tony Danza is the boss, you’re wrong. Angela was the boss (played by Judith Light). That was the twist. A man working for a woman? How bizarre, how bizarre.

    1. Needfuldoer

      How bizarre?

      What about in Scarecrow and Mrs. King?

      1. NGPZ

        You totally missed an opportunity for a JoJo reference. Great analysis vid tho, NGL.

        1. Needfuldoer

          What? I’ve only heard about it from these comments and SoundSmith on YouTube.

          It’s an anime, right?

        2. Taffy

          It’s like an anime, except if the anime was made by a Japanese person.

        3. Needfuldoer

          That explains it. I’ve never been into the animes.

        4. Taffy

          It’s a pretty good one, as cartoons go. Follows the Joestar lineage (up to the point I’ve watched, I don’t care to know if that changes until I get there), and their intergenerational struggles against this guy called DIO, who’s just this absolute fuckin’ prick from start to finish, and right from the first or second episode he puts on this mask that turns him into a vampire and it’s a whole ordeal to take him down. In the first couple sections there’s this special breathing/vibration technique called Hamon (I’ve also seen it called the Ripple) that’s basically ki attacks, and some more vampires show up but they’re vulnerable to Hamon because it mimics sunlight somehow and they’re fucking vampires. Then in the third part they introduce Stands, which are basically guardian spirits that only Stand users can see and they use them to fight. Some are basic dude-shaped ones with like an elemental attack or super fast swordsmanship, and some are fucking stupid like one that’s a whole cruise ship attached to an extra intelligent orangutan. It’s mostly a bunch of dudes talking at apparently hyperspeed, because they have whole conversations that allegedly only take seconds, and then a guy will figure out the other guy’s weak spot from something he just said or did and they’ll do a big attack and everyone makes a face about it. It bounces between being really cool, really funny, and just flat-out obnoxious, but the art is neat and the music broadly rocks.

          That’s the short, reductive version. The long version is a wiki.

        5. Taffy

          Oh yeah, and a lot of the characters are named after musical artists and bands and such, like DIO Brando or Robert E. O. Speedwagon or Vanilla Ice.

  21. Qube

    so if Joyce decides whether or not Dorothy is a Boss, would that make Joyce a Big Boss

    1. Schpoonman

      “Hragh, Joe, I’m trying to get a look at your tush, but I’m dummy thicc, and the clapping of my tush keeps alerting Dorothy.”

    2. Yotomoe

      Joyce…remember the basics of CQC.

      1. Heavensrun

        Goddammit why isn’t there a like button

      2. Sajuuk-Khar

        Joyce surprises Joe by tackling him during their initial foreplay and yelling CRAB BATTLE!!!!

    3. StClair

      !

    4. Sajuuk-Khar

      What a thrill~…

    5. Sajuuk-Khar

      Wait, does that make Joe Revolver Ocelot? Is Walky secretly his dead dad now?

    6. Dave

      All these jokes about Metal Gear being flung around when there OUGHT to be jokes about Joyce wanting to put Joe’s Monkey Master in her tummy prison

      1. a/snow/mous/e

        *slow clap*

    7. Keulen

      “Metal Gear?!”

  22. hazel

    Appreciate the Community reference in alt-text

  23. Suet

    No, Joyce, no do-overs. Falling from one tree is enough

    It would take a strong, strong man to ever let you go

  24. Axel

    She’s right in panel five, but I’m pretty sure it’s “because I can’t even figure out my own shit right now, so how could I be right about anyone else?” rather than “because it was never my business and you seem happy”

    1. Vanessa

      I surmise she WAS standing there while they yelled at each other between the tree and the ground. And she definitely saw that adorkable hand-holding pose! I think she’s at “you seem genuinely happy” anyway. Maybe it’s seeing Joe letting himself be vulnerable and dorky.

      But I don’t think that her early-life-crisis is past. Come on Dorothy, you are ripe for some character growth, not a break-down and going off-stage.

      1. Jamie

        Oh, her crisis is not past by a long shot. She just got to postpone it for a few strips. The real question is whether or not Joe or Joyce realize something’s going on before she’s gone.

      2. Regina phalange

        At first I thought this would be a relatively quick story wrap-up for Dorothy, but now I’m wondering if this is all leading to a PTSD diagnosis for her. This is actually an incredible opportunity to delve into the nuances of PTSD and counter a lot of common misconceptions: Dorothy handled the kidnapping perfectly in the moment but now that the moment has passed, it’s affecting her perspective; Dorothy did not objectively experience the most trauma at the hands of Becky and Amber’s dads; and she feels a disproportionate amount of guilt for being affected so strongly by something she *knows* was worse for Becky and Amber, two people she is relatively close to and admires (Which is certainly worsening any anxiety and/or PTSD she has over the situation).

    2. Rose Red

      I also think that it’s a little bit knowing that Joyce isn’t making this decision purely out of horniness? like, IIRC, the last time she asked Joyce if she liked Joe, her reaction was basically “I am horny and want to do sexy things with him! but I’m too embarrassed about it to articulate that and I’m not going to actually answer your question “

  25. Ty34er

    I swear to god, if Dorothy starts smoking weed and then gets kicked out of school…

    1. Jamie

      Becky would never narc on her for that, yo. Becky might not go to bat for her, but she’s never going to actually throw her under the bus.

      1. AGV

        If Raidah caught wind of that however…

  26. Reltzik

    Is Panel 5 Joyce being deep, or just nonsensical?

    1. Proxiehunter

      Panel 5 is Joyce telling Joe to hold her damn hand.

  27. EpochFlame

    a pleasant surprise

  28. Moonlighter

    Good on you Dorothy.
    Although it feels weird to be happy about what is both a step towards healthier boundaries in her friendships but also likely a step on her downward spiral.

    The road to positive growth is often fraught I guess.

    1. Bryy

      This is actually the verge of a mental breakdown.

  29. Meagan

    Joyce’s sexual awakening is fun and cute to watch.

  30. Net-Zero Joeyce Shipper (no engine, slowly following the current)

    HIDING THEIR HANDS BEHIND THEIR BACKS LIKE THEY GOT CAUGHT WITH EM THE COOKIE JAR

    A+++

  31. Francoinblanco

    Nooo my popcorn! my drama! oh humanity.

    1. AGV

      I’ll gladly take the popcorn if you don’t want it

  32. Dr. Gonzo

    I think Dorothy was stunned to see Joe behaving in manner that was legitimately not dickish, and maybe he’s not actually praying on Joyce and maybe even capable of real personal change.

  33. DaveM

    DAMN YOU WILLIS!
    From Joyce’s cute ‘…Dang gotta fall out of that tree again’ to Dorothy’s “Who am I telling OTHER people what to do with their Lives Anyway” in one strip!

  34. Steelbright

    Aww, this is surprisingly wholesome, but I still kind of hope Dorothy gets a chance to experience something actually cathartic for herself….somehow.

  35. TemporalShrew

    Much better reaction than I was expecting, but now I just feel kind of bad for her.

    1. Francoinblanco

      Yeah she doesn’t seem to have the strength to care. looks like she just gave up

  36. Taffy

    Dorothy’s taking it fine. I’m not gonna look into this any deeper, because I don’t want to. Joyce and Joe are gonna go do that massage Joe promised just now and then they’re gonna do some sort of class or whatever, and then they’re gonna do a different massage.

  37. Hazel

    Dorothy is suffering and no one cares.

    1. Taffy

      Dorothy isn’t letting people know she’s suffering, aside from in subtle ways that don’t look all that different from her usual demeanor. They can’t care about it, because they haven’t realised it yet.

      1. Leorale

        That’s the problem with pretending you’re fine. People often believe you.

        1. StClair

          She’s fine!

          (Carla did not actually believe her, IMO, but she very much wanted to get out of there.)

        2. Taffy

          This is why when people around me insist they’re fine, or haven’t had a major issue in a while, my first instinct is to reach out as well as I can afford to, just in case they’re fucking lying. I’m already an active suicide risk, I don’t need my friends doing it too, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

  38. Caro

    Even in dumbverse, I still look for the stripes. Dori’s wearing one, Joyce isn’t. Joe’s is broken. Hm

  39. CJ

    Too busy with themselves to realize Dorothy needs a hug. At least.

    1. HueSatLight

      This is their moment for them. Becky can mend Dorothy.

      1. Taffy

        Dorothy requires Grade 8 Dark Matter for a proper repair, though, and Becky’s only got her crafters up to about 55 because she spends all her time going to venues for public ERP.

    2. Amós Batista

      Ugh, typical couple…

    3. thejeff

      She can go back to Walky for a hug. That certainly won’t lead to any further issues.

  40. Leorale

    That’s the problem with pretending you’re fine. People often believe you.

    1. Leorale

      Whoops, meant to be a reply above.

  41. SDRainbow

    OH THANK FUCK

    now I can pivot back to panicking about Dorothy’s emotional state with no guilt!!!!

  42. DashWallkick

    Called it. Dorothy is going to slink off and depression sleep for a week as her foundation crumbles. Oooh the poor girl.

    1. Mark

      When next we see her, Dorothy is wearing a beret and spouting half-mad poetry.

  43. NGPZ

    Dorothy’s gonna suffer autistic breakdown I can just see it now
    Who will be there to comfort her?
    Ideally Joyce or Dina.
    I hope she’s not gonna actually do anything self-destructive. ?

    1. Amós Batista

      I couldn’t count on Joyce. If she and Joe are going to be a couple, they will be instantly unavaliable for a long time.

  44. Kenny Williams

    Did dorothy just break?

  45. Bryy

    THAT ‘FINE’ IS BEARING A LOT OF LOAD, DOTTY.

  46. Hrafn

    My preferred definition of “Boss” — “an ornamental stud” (as in the boss of a shield). 😉

  47. Heavensrun

    Okay, so, like, I realize I’ve been shipping Dotty and Joyce since…approximately the moment they met each other. So this might be the yuri goggles talking, but I think I just saw Dorothy’s heart break?

    1. DailyBrad

      I could see it, though part of me thinks it’s like she just saw Joyce ride to the end of the street without her training wheels, and knows Joyce doesn’t need her in the same way anymore, that she’s got this.

    2. Amós Batista

      Not only her heart. Ours, too ?

    3. GholaHalleck

      She put herself on the Maytag’s Most Wanted List and this is the thanks she gets?!

    4. HueSatLight

      I could see that, and I have never shipped them. The last chapter’s name was a reference to jealousy, and I think that’s all Dorothy had left in the tank.

  48. BOOSTER SHOT

    I also liked that episode of Season 1 Community

    1. David M Willis

      look it was season two

  49. Freezer

    Aww… I had my heart set on some Smackdown Al A Joyce.

    1. Freezer

      “A La Joyce” is fine too.

  50. Needfuldoer

    Dorothy Status:
    Everything: Fine
    The Matter: Nothing

  51. BBCC

    Joyce is gonna go to bed at a reasonable hour and eat healthy meals because Dorothy told her to and DOROTHY CAN’T STOP HER from listening.

    This is sweet though. Dorothy may not know the New Joe yet, but she knows he does really care about Joyce and that’s good enough!

    1. anonymsly

      I think the Joe in Dorothy’s head, the one she was worried about, would never hold hands like he was holding Joyce’s. (I think Dorothy would like New Joe, if he lets her see him.)

  52. Sajuuk-Khar

    TFW you’re coming out of your cafe and you’re doing JUST FINE
    (Dorothy gotta gotta be down because she wants it all)
    It started out with a kiss
    How did it end up like this?
    (It was only for fun before Yale a kiss, it was only a kiss)

  53. missilentmurmur

    I’ve just had a dream that Joe and Joyce went on a date to the aquarium, but as soon as they decided to go, Leslie and Becky teleported there to go with them and ruin it

  54. Lone Duck

    Dorothy seems to be doubting her ability to help people, and her judgment. In general, this is a sign of growth, especially since it happened before, I dunno, graduation. I think Sarah or Ruth would be a decent person for Dorothy to continue talking through these things. Joyce lost her faith, Dorothy lost her dream, and in the long run, these are good things.

  55. Needfuldoer

    I hope this is part of Dorothy’s newfound humility and realization that she’s not always right, and not the beginning of a less direct, more passive-aggressive way of voicing her disapproval.

  56. Amós Batista

    Quick, Dorothy! Now you run cry like they do in animes.

    1. Amós Batista

      *Now you run, crying like they do in animes…

  57. TKtheAce

    ok listen here Walkerton!! Don’t go trying to kill off a{nother} character thinking that they’ve fulfilled their purpose or that they never will.

  58. Amelie Wikström

    It’s Dorothy. Dot is the boss so hard she (both retroactively and extranarratively) became the boss of Who’s the Boss.

    Also, congrats to Dorothy who’s once again upstaged the entire comments section that unanimously predicted she were going to be willfully wrong and be terrible about it.

    1. Sharaku

      One of the meta-things i love about the whole comic is Willis’s ability to constantly prove the comments section wrong. We’ve ‘predicted’ so much about where the strip is heading on a day to day basis and yet so many of the predictions are constantly wrong.

    2. Taffy

      It was majority vote, not unanimous. I’m on the record claiming Dorothy was gonna ask them for a threesome.

      1. Yumi

        It could still happen!

      2. Amelie Wikström

        Yeah, that was a bit too much exaggeration. What’s the word. Hyperbole. Personally, I thought the whole “Dorothy has a desperately wrong idea about what Joe is up to these days and she’s so weirdly obsessive about keeping Joyce away from him it’s pretty much nonsensical unless she’s in terrible denial about being attracted to Joyce” really HAD to go in some unexpected direction because it’s never been Willis’ style to make a sympathetic character act offputting like that.

        Although I have resisted making ny real predictions so now I’m standing here not able to say “I told you so” to anyone. Probably for the best.

        1. Shade of Blue

          “Dorothy has a desperately wrong idea about what Joe is up to these days and she’s so weirdly obsessive about keeping Joyce away from him it’s pretty much nonsensical unless she’s in terrible denial about being attracted to Joyce”

          I’m so tired…. ?

          Shoves is not loves, people.

        2. GholaHalleck

          I’m still of the notion Joe really hurt one of Dotty’s friends pre-comic time, and that’s why she’s been so vehemently anti-joe.

          I’ve never really gotten Dotty-wants-Joyce-carnally vibes.

          But then I *also* think her type leans hard into “I must be better then them in every way” which is realllly unhealthy.

      3. Sajuuk-Khar

        I have managed to articulate the vague outline of a Dorothy Asks Joe and Joyce For a Threesome fic in my head ever since the whole “kickin a chair” strip, but like a lot of my fanfic ideas I have not given it wings.

        It seems like a thing that could and maybe should happen, though.

    3. Big Z

      I don’t know that I’d agree that “being obviously shattered and abruptly changing coping mechanisms about that” is necessarily equivalent to not “willfully wrong and… terrible”, she’s just doing it to herself instead of Joyce/Joe.

    4. nicoleandmaggie

      Actually, if you look at my comment from yesterday, I was 100% spot-on. (Day before yesterday I was wrong, but yesterday, 100% correct.)

  59. shrub

    OK so now there’s nothing stopping a double date of Danny/Sal and Joe/Joyce from happening

    1. thejeff

      A triple date with Walky and Lucy as well – since they were already talking about a double with Sal and Danny.

      1. shrub

        Not sure how that would work given both Joe and Danny aren’t exactly the biggest fans of Walky and they don’t know Lucy at all

        Could be a bit awkward

  60. Mark

    OK, who broke the Dorothy?

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      The strongest steel must be thrust into the the fire ten thousand times.

    2. Needfuldoer

      Dorothy broke the Dorothy by trying to Dorothy too hard.

    3. HoopsieDaisy

      Broke or loosened up the joints? Sounds like this Dorothy is more well-adjusted than the earlier one who wanted to rule the world (in a way).

      1. HoopsieDaisy

        Oh, and I don’t dispute that she wanted to be a benevolent ruler of the world.

      2. Daibhid C

        Wait, are you saying not everybody wants to rule the world?

        Man, I can’t believe Tears For Fears lied to me!

        1. StClair

          I don’t. That’s way too much work and responsibility.

      3. StClair

        She may get to the latter later, but IMO right now she’s just in pieces.

  61. vulcanodon

    This is going to be painful for a while, but the ledger will show the lifting of a huge burden from Dorothy’s shoulders.

    Also the adorableness of JoJo

    Starting to worry; Is there an asteroid incoming in the Dumbiverse or something?

    1. NameLips

      Last book’s antagonists were the Evil Dads. It became a life or death situation.

      This book has people evolving, changing, and becoming new people. Joyce, Dorothy, Joe, Billie, Amber…

      Something terrible is yet to come. This book can’t possibly be about everybody maturing and living happily ever after.

      Asher and the mob? Joyce’s church? Billie I mean Jennifer’s new friend group? Who are the villains?

      1. Caro

        It did take ten books to get to the evil dads for the first semester. We might be action-free for a while.

        1. thejeff

          Well, to the evil dad team up.
          Blaine first appeared (and first got punched) in Book 3.
          Ross first appeared in person in Book 5 – with the first kidnapping shortly after.

      2. vulcanodon

        I’ve been hoping for a Jocelyn narrative. Though my head-storyboard goes in some pretty scary directions.

  62. Lysbeth

    And then Joyce proceeded to fall out of that tree again. I mean, anti-Joyce did. Joyce herself, she left to evangelise Bulmeria.

  63. Allie_KO

    Two days of anticipatory anger, and it was okay. can we admit most of this comment section has a bad/unfair read on Dotty yet, or does this make her secretly evil somehow?

    1. Daibhid C

      I mean, getting angry over what you think a character’s going to do is always a bit silly, but I’m very much on Team Dorothy most of the time and I was a bit surprised by this. Heck, even Dorothy acknowledges that this isn’t the reaction one might expect based on her prior behaviour!

      Which isn’t to say that I don’t think a lot of the comments have a bad/unfair read on Dorothy, in that I think the aforementioned prior behaviour was coming from a good place, even if I disagreed owing to having information she didn’t.

    2. vulcanodon

      Dorothy gave us plenty of reason to think she was going to do something unpleasant. Always happy to have it turn out better than expected.

      1. Allie_KO

        Look, Dorothy could turn water into wine and folks here would accuse her of encouraging alcoholism.

        1. Taffy

          Idk about alcoholism but it does seem like a waste of water.

    3. Alongcameaspider

      I dont think it was unreasonable to think she was going to react badly considering how she acted the last time she was around Joyce and Joe

    4. Joyfulldreams

      Maybe some of us WANTED some drama, and we’re not actually doing a fictional character dirty for thinking the story might go in a certain direction? She’s fictional, she’s not hurt by people guessing what she might do.

      1. Allie_KO

        Dorothy isn’t real, sure. But watching her get the vitriol she does compared to, for example, Joe, whose past behavior is a pile of red flags is Uncomfortable. It’s a thing that happens in fandom a lot and it sucks.

        1. Schpoonman

          We’re also something like two years IRL time into the spring semester and have seen Joe for almost that entire time being a very different person than he was in the past, and Dorothy increasingly dipping her toes into questionable waters. Even Liz’s appearance gave us reason to believe in Joe.

          I categorically do not think she’s a predator, but the day she pushed Joyce into masturbating was a cavalcade of fucked-up behavior. She said her piece (admittedly both she and Joyce were talking past each other a bit) and that’s where she should have stopped. Joyce had already said earlier that day she didn’t want to dwell on her sexuality, I’m fairly certain Dorothy never asked Joyce what made her interested in Joe, and there is no universe where Roz would have rubberstamped “I’m teaching you to masturbate because I think you’re horny and you’re not listening to me.”

        2. HueSatLight

          Dorothy’s been doing some of the things that made September Joe a creep. Dumbing of Age includes her. It’s not unfair for other people to criticize the actions of your favorite character.

    5. thejeff

      I kind of dislike that this seems to have been resolved without anybody actually talking.

    6. Shade of Blue

      Provided this keeps going relatively smoothly, this will be the first time we’ve seen positive growth in Dorothy for a while. Every time she’s showed up in the past couple arcs she’s been inappropriately controlling. Dorothy relenting in this moment isn’t retroactively proving that she’s been crushing it in the good friend department or something. If anything she’s now realizing that her behavior has been inappropriate. On the other hand we’ve been watching Joe develop for ages.

      You could argue that Dorothy was justified in worrying about Joe. But the appropriate reaction to this is a conversation, not trying to control who she has sex with by “teaching” her to masturbate.

  64. JessWitt

    Phew, I’m relieved Dorothy isn’t gonna ruin this scene. Appreciating her moment of introspection too.

    1. PhyrexianRogue

      There’s a fine line between introspection and ‘mental breakdown’.

      This seems less like a happy ‘They don’t need my advice’ and more like a ‘My advice is useless. I am useless’.

      1. JessWitt

        Ah right, right – I was so fixed on Dorothy not derailing Joe and Joyce that I forgot about her own inner turmoil.

  65. HoopsieDaisy

    Joyce, Anti-Joyce was saying she wanted to get killed by a butt earlier. Regular Joyce is allowed ask for a massage without falling out of trees. I’m a real big fan of stopping this violence.

  66. Icalasari

    WOO DOROTHY YOU LEARNED SOMETHING!

  67. nicoleandmaggie

    Hey! Maybe JOE will notice Dorothy’s not ok and ask her if she’s all right (directing Joyce’s attention to Dorothy and ending in a Joyce/Dorothy hug). That would be an excellent next strip.

  68. poyo

    ah, few, all is well 🙂
    honestly I was expecting she would react this way (she’s WAY more mature than a lot of you get credit for!!!) but i’ve been proven wrong before !! lol

    1. poyo

      let’s be honest with ourselves….. if you saw your extremely sheltered home-schooled friend who is JUST NOW discovering her sexuality, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t be a LITTLE worried upon seeing her spending time with someone you KNOW was, at one point, a sex pest?
      lets cut the girl some slack !!! it’s hard to admit when youre wrong !!

      1. Shade of Blue

        Very true. But is the best solution to this concern to try and control who your friend has sex with by getting them the masturbate for the first time, telling them to JO instead of going out with the guy, and lowkey accuse the guy of being a predator in a Taco Bell? Better to just have a real conversation with your friend and the sex pest, no?

        1. poyo

          of course !! but we’re talking about 19yos here. let’s keep our expectations reasonable (lol)

  69. Amós Batista

    … but I’m still feel sad for Dorothy, in a way or another. She seems done.

    As I feel sorry for those who shipped her with Joyce.

  70. Wendy

    Oop. Now I’m sad for Dorothy.

    Joyce, though well-meaning, does seem to have that unfortunate tendency many autistic people have, i.e. not noticing when her friends are feeling down and might be in need of support. Particularly Dorothy. Though I do think that a lot of people who put themselves in the position of being the one to support others find that those same people tend not to notice when that person needs support themselves.

    1. Serendipity

      She isn’t making it known.

    2. Taffy

      That’s not an autistic thing, it’s a general humanity thing. Even my allistic friends (bless their hearts) don’t usually notice when somebody is hiding their emotional state and not reaching for help.

  71. Blue

    Things going well? What comic am I reading?

    1. Booyahman

      Well we’re setting up for Dorothy immediately damaging at least two of her other friendships (are Dorothy and Lucy friends? I actually don’t remember how much they’ve interacted) over the next couple panels I think, so it’s still DoA

  72. King_Salty

    “Dorothy’s not the boss of whether she’s the boss of me” might be my new favourite Joyce line.

  73. Archieve

    Pleasantly surprised by Dorothy backing off on them but got to wonder if her line about not getting to tell others how to live their lives is is more about doubting her leadership because she’s always had this idea that a world leader needs to be able to handle personal problems as well as global problems.

    1. TerribleTransit

      It is definitely more about that, with a side of “I don’t even know what I’m doing with my own life, I was clearly never as cut out for this as I thought”. It’s progress for Dorothy, but the kind of progress that involves not just shattering her worldview but grinding it down into tiny pieces, and it’s going to be really rough for her before it gets better.

      I foresee a serious emotional breakdown for Dorothy in the near future. Hopefully she’ll let her friends help with it.

  74. ChloeTheBold

    someone needs to check on dorothy, I’m worried about her

  75. Matt

    Killer Community reference in the alt text.

    Also, the answer is Angela…

  76. insertname

    Aw sod it. *puts popcorn away*
    Not even upset for lack of drama, just sad cuz Dorothy is really deep in the downward spiral.

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