234

Briefly
Posted on July 7, 2018 by David M Willis

234 thoughts on “Briefly”

  1. Doctor_Who

    Dorothy, it’s not to late to flee. Drama and pickles are two things that do not belong on a pizza.

    1. Reltzik

      Also anchovies.

      Pineapple WOULD be okay on pizza, except for some reason it always comes with drama lately.

      1. King Daniel

        Anchovies are one of the few pizza toppings I’ve never experienced, for better or worse.

        1. Doctor_Who

          Every now and again, we’re talking at intervals of a couple of years minimum, I’ll get an inexplicable craving for anchovy pizza.

          They are salty and fishy and they render any other toppings pointless because you will only taste anchovy. In fact, you might as well not bother with the pizza, the crust and sauce and cheese will only taste of anchovy, as will the air in whatever room you consume this monstrosity for the next week.

          And once I scratch the itch, I will have no desire to ever experience them again, at least until the next time it happens.

        2. Minotaur

          Yes, the whole pizza will taste of anchovies. But why that would be a bad thing escapes me.

        3. Leo

          It’s about the ratios. Anchovies and capers (compliment each other) enough for the taste, not too much to kill everything else, a fish like tuna (strong enough taste to be noticed over the anchovies), some onions for texture, and a garlic/oil dressing. A damn fine pizza right there.

        4. foamy

          I don’t think I’d serve that to my worst enemy.

        5. HeySo

          Take sardines, strip off the scales, and cut them into light strips. You mostly just get a salty flavor, with a slightly fishy umami tone. I don’t care for fish, and that manages to be workable for me, so it may end up being a bit less extreme an option than anchovies. 😛

      2. Pablo360

        I love anchovies on pizza. I also love pineapples on pizza, not because I like pineapples (I can’t stand them and even their residual juices make me nauseous unless they’re part of an upside-down cake), but because seeing other people eat things they like makes me happy for them.

        It’s not complicated, people. Other people liking things you don’t like isn’t bad and pretending it is isn’t funny.

      3. Victor

        You are so incredibly wrong that I cannot express the level of wrongness you have achieved.

        Pizza NEEDS anchovies.

        Putting pineapple on pizza should be a felony.

    2. Keulen

      That and pineapple.

      1. King Daniel

        If you’ve got something to say, name a time and place, face to face

        1. Lucy Gillam

          Damn you, I already had that song stuck in my head.

      2. Needfuldoer

        Pineapple is good pizza, especially if it also has ham and crumbled bacon.

        1. Kamino Neko

          My preferred pizza (the ‘Pig and Pine’ as I call it) is pepperoni, ham, bacon, and pineapple.

    3. Remmington Steele

      “Hey lad, you’re in a right pickle there.”

      To be in a pickle, is to be in a drama.

  2. Ana Chronistic

    THE TIME HAS COME

    AND SO HAVE I

    1. butts

      giggity giggity

    2. foamy

      *reaches into hat* “things you can say to your boss but not your girlfriend”

      1. Deanatay

        “I QUIT”

    3. TrueVCU

      I COME BACK TO YOU NOW

      AT THE TURN OF THE TIDE

    4. Keulen

      So it has come to this.

    5. Tacos

      Whenever I see this, I can only ever think of the lyrics to the main theme song of Devil May Cry 4.

      1. Jao

        Unfortunately “bang bang bang pull my devil trigger” is going to be a lot harder to implement in casual conversation.

    6. Delicious Taffy

      I’LL LAUGH LAST, CUZ YA CAME TO DIE

      1. Jao

        THE DAMAGE DONE THE PAIN SUBSIDES AND I CAN SER THE FEAR CLEAR WHEN I LOOK IN YOUR EYES

  3. BBCC

    This is gonna be DELIGHTFUL.

    1. not someone else

      *wheels out industrial-scale kettle corn popper for errybody*

      1. Needfuldoer

        Half of us will be scared or horrified, accidentally dropping it all over the floor.

        The other half will be gleefully eating fistfuls of popcorn and not looking away from the screen, like Michael Jackson in the theater part of Thriller.

        1. ruhrow

          Don’t forget those of us who think that kettle corn is what happens when young popcorns, full of potential deliciousness, get tempted away from their proper savory path into a life full of sickening sweetness and a weird plastic aftertaste.

  4. AnvilPro

    Dotty shouldn’t you be studying?

    1. Vinny

      Good thing she’s not wasting time banging Walky

    2. TemporalShrew

      Why would she waste time on something so trivial when there are proud pickles to purchase?

      1. Doctor_Who

        Penny proudly purchases pickles prior to perpetrating pre-marital panky with pupils.

        1. Jamie

          That was a thing of beauty. Well done.

    3. BBCC

      $10 Internet cash that she’s typing papers on her phone again.

  5. King Daniel

    “Proudly Serving Pickles Here Again”?

    1. Tan

      Probably, since no one’s sex tape has ever been titled “That Was an Excellent Decision”

      1. foamy

        My money’s on “I’ve Been Doing Fine”.

        1. King Daniel

          Is “Fine” the name of the SO in the tape?

        2. foamy

          I was thinking of it more as of a *descriptor* of them…

        3. Lokitsu

          Well, it beats “Blowing Bubbles in the Park”

        4. ruhrow

          Has Jeph gotten into Slipshining recently, then?!

        5. Tacos

          At least it ain’t “Raidah!” Probably.

      2. Tan

        On third thought, “Thank You for Asking” would actually be a good title for a very pro-consent sex tape.

        1. Tan

          “With That One Girl Who We Saw Briefly at ____” would be the working title for Joe’s sex tape series.

        2. foamy

          “Sorry, I’ve Forgotten Her Name” would work, too.

        3. Tim

          “Sorry, I’ve Forgotten Her Name” is what I was betting the Sex Tape was named.

        4. Minotaur

          Ah, yes, that would make more sense than “Briefly”. Though I wouldn’t put self-deprecating humor beyond Willis.

        5. HeySo

          That, and it’s the most intuitive option, being the title and all (which is often what Willis references in the alt-text).

        6. Needfuldoer

          Nah, Joe actually seems to be pretty good at remembering names.

        7. darkgloomie

          “Sorry I forgot to ask her name” seems more likely with Joe, yeah.

      3. maxyai

        My thought was “I raced down here soon as I heard.”

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      Is Pickles Raidah’s new nickname?

    3. Joe

      Also the title of the next book.

  6. Dead Meme

    *reads the alt-text*

    Good news, everyone: we’ve found the title of Willis’ sex tape.

    1. adjudicus

      NINE NINE

    2. Reltzik

      Is it “That one girl we met briefly” or is it “proudly serving pickles”? Because if we don’t know which it is, we haven’t found it.

      1. Laurel Raven

        I was wondering the same.

  7. King Daniel

    Also, loving Raidah’s hair here, like, dang I kinda wish I had hair like that

    1. Krys Brynhildr

      She definitely looks a lot different with it up in a ponytail.

      1. HeySo

        Willis is also a bit irregular on how thick he draws her eyebrows, and they’re as thick as ever on this one, which helps emphasize the difference in appearance.

        1. Airyu

          She could have also gone harder with the brow pencil today!^^

        2. DSL

          Perhaps she used the brow Sharpie.

      2. AgentKeen

        Now it can be ponytail vs. ponytail.

    2. Jess

      s a m e. the hair and the brows combo is my fave update of Raidah yet!

  8. Stephen Bierce

    Never gonna stop the Lunchtime Rai~i~dah

  9. Dylan

    “Soo, apropos of nothing, I’ve been reading up about polyamory! Interesting stuff, interesting stuff…”

  10. Passchendaele

    This place is never low on drama, and that’s not even considering galasso.

    1. Reltzik

      You might as well get pineapple on your pizza (and subs), because they definitely come with a large topping of ham.

      1. adjudicus

        Pamela also asks the employees to cover up the scenery, just in case galasso starts chewing it.

    2. Nono

      Still less drama than the cafeteria.

      1. Passchendaele

        pff wait until somebody flips a table here

        1. poisonousgiraffe

          the only person allowed to flip tables in this establishment is Glasso himself. Pamela had all the tables nailed down for this exact reason

  11. Harvest Time

    Oh boy here we go

  12. ShinyNeen

    Dorothy’s wingwoman (or maybe tension-defusing?) skills are about to be put to the teeeeest

    1. Larkle

      Gotta practice that diplomacy.

    2. Rabid Rabbit

      I’m going for tension-defusing, in that I don’t think Dorothy would ever willingly be a wingwoman.

      1. ShinyNeen

        Oh gosh no, but she does strike me as the kind of person who’s always glad to talk about her friends’ good points. Always sees the goodness in people, etc etc.

  13. Cattleprod

    How long was she waiting for someone to say her name so she could enter dramatically?

    1. Doctor_Who

      Been crouching behind the booth for the last 20 minutes.

      When Dorothy said she couldn’t remember the name, you could hear a muffled “OH, COME ON!”

  14. Doctor_Who

    So, anyone here watch Steven Universe tonight? All I can say is AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

    1. BBCC

      NO SPOILERS! I haven’t seen any of this week’s stuff – I have to wait until Monday because my boyfriend and I are gonna watch ’em all together and he’s gone all weekend.

      1. Doctor_Who

        No spoilers, just AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

        1. BBCC

          Okay, okay, yay! I’ve been watching the trailers every time I see them, I am PUMPED.

        2. No Name

          Word to the wise: The one on Friday is a long episode with two commercial breaks. So really, we get seven episodes this Steven Bomb.

        3. BBCC

          Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

        4. C.

          It’s only a double episode, as the two commercial breaks are staggered differently than CN’s standard one commercial break between episode setup.

          So six episodes.

      2. TemperaryObsessor

        We could think about classes we could think about grades we could think about studying and the choices we have made, or we could think about pizza friends and sun. There is still a lot of work left to be done but just right not lets only think about fun.

  15. Wraithy2773

    …huh, that’s funny, who left this giant pile of dynamite out and then doused it with gasoline?

    Weird people being weird I guess. Time for a smoke…

    1. Reltzik

      DON’T!

      Smoking’s bad for your health!

    2. Doctor_Who

      That honestly sounds like something you could encounter at an establishment owned by Galasso.

      Only reason this place has a bar is the health inspectors wanted to know why he had all these Molotov Cocktail materials lying around and he had to think fast.

  16. Roger

    slightly disturbed by Raidah’s whole look being weirdly like Joyce’s, yet also just different enough to conceivably be a coincidence.

    But oh well just gonna get ready my =/ for the inevitable here.

    1. BBCC

      It’s not too far off from her normal look. The ponytail is new, but she wears a lot of sweaters (or shirts that look like sweaters) and we’ve seen her in those pants before.

      So….yeah, could be either or.

    2. ARTSCHOOLRAGE

      … so hey, you don’t think radiah noticed how much jacob and joyce were hanging out, and, feeling a little insecure she emulated joyce’s look? Because now I totally think that.

  17. Larkle

    Our trio’s up to four.

  18. Kernanator

    Dumbing of Age, like many sitcoms, subscribes to the view that if something or someone is off-screen (panel), the characters cannot see it.

    1. Tan

      Alternatively, Jacob was not actually responding to Dorothy’s question so much as calling out to Raidah who was approaching from the direction behind Dorothy

      1. DailyBrad

        that’s how I read it, yeah.

  19. NerdHerder

    Anyone else notice the ghost dimension behind Dorothy in panel 3?

    1. jeffepp

      It’s the paint on the windows, or possibly the sign outside. You can see it in other panels as well.

    2. Tan

      That’s the window with a white logo glazed onto it. You can see it better in several of the previous pages

      1. NerdHerder

        Thanks, I was about to call for Danny Phantom.

  20. newllend(henryvolt)

    You know I kind of realized something in the last couple of days. If there’s anyone in the entire cast of characters who would attempt to snatch up someone else’s boyfriend because they thought he was to good for the other person it would be Joyce.

    Reason why is that it’s first the first thing the original “Roomies” AU version of Joyce tries to do when her character was first introduced.

    1. BBCC

      ….That’s actually super true.

      And, well, the kind of culture she’s from is often full of the idea that disregarding people’s boundaries or doing things because you know what’s best for the person (over their wishes if necessary).

      1. Jamie

        Man, I want to live in the special place you do where that isn’t the norm.

        1. BBCC

          Not to the same extent, no. For instance, in my neck of the woods, it is not considered normal to wake someone up by climbing in their bed, hovering over them and shouting.

        2. abysswatcher1993

          In the past I have expressed how sometimes you have to break boundaries to approach people in need…

          This time it’s not the case and Joyce has to be stopped before she hurts Jacob, Radiah, Sarah, and herself. And this time there i not going to be an alien plot to make her have an epiphany.

        3. BBCC

          Well, yes, if its an emergency, it’s necessary, but an emergency is a special circumstance and quite a few general rules can be suspended in an emergency.

          I wouldn’t consider her climbing up and yelling ‘wakey wakey,’ and emergency though. The dorm isn’t on fire, nobody is hurt or sick or in danger, the building’s not being evacuated, heck, nobody was even late. (Although, in any of those circumstances, I’d think just yelling for them would usually suffice, even if there’d be the odd time you have to shake them or get in their face or whatever).

  21. jeffepp

    Just remember, Raidah, Joyce has cut one rapist, and punched another who was a kidnapper. She ain’t afeared of you’un.

    1. abysswatcher1993

      Of course Joyce is a badass, but Radiah isn’t the villain here. She was the villain in Sarah’s backstory, but she hasn’t done anything that merits her losing her boyfriend over a Christian fangirl with social problems.

      1. Wraithy2773

        I even hesitate to call her the villain in Sarah’s backstory. Her great crime is, what, being a passive enabler of someone going through heavy grief and not grasping how bad things were, and blaming Sarah for getting her friend pulled out of college?

        That’s hardly mustache-twirling levels of villainy…

        1. Zee

          No, her greatest crime was leading a year long bullying campaign and ACTIVELY telling anyone who approached Sarah to avoided her so she couldn’t make any new friends, further worsening her asocial tendencies and pessimism. That was kind of a big part of Sarah’s story. Even after the truceshe tried talking shit to Jacob about sarah

        2. Wraithy2773

          Ah. Fair enough.

        3. Zee

          I actually went through her tag for this. She literally tells Sarah to die in her first appearance.

        4. abysswatcher1993

          Okay, now I remember why Radiah is an asshole.

    2. No Name

      PLEASE tell me you forgot the word “guy” after “another” and that you don’t know something we don’t. PLEASE!

    3. Rabid Rabbit

      Oh the hell she ain’t. All Raidah has to say is the word ‘Koran’ and Joyce will leap twenty feet backwards. Or even ‘mosque’.

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-8/01-face-the-strange/guzzle/

      1. GenJen

        Oof. Thanks for this. I went through the few pages after your link and I remember why there was another reason Raidah left a sour taste in my mouth. She’s very much using him as a status symbol and knows that she can use his need to make his family proud to manipulate him. Eww.
        Not like I had any moral qualms about this in the first place, but i’m now squarely in Camp Jacob (Noooo not that Jacob. I mean, well, yeah him to but that’s not relevant). I wouldn’t be opposed to him getting with Joyce, but I don’t think Radiah’s good for him. She see’s him as a pet project, an investment, rather than a person.

        1. Wraithy2773

          …I just don’t get this look at Raidah, that she’s using him as a status symbol. The one time it comes close to that is her shooing him off to study instead of fool around, referencing his desire for success to prove things to his family, and saying that he knows what he wants and that she’s better for getting him there than Joyce is.

          And yeah, the phrasing is a bit squicky, but another way to read it is “I don’t need to worry about some other woman stealing him, I trust him”…

        2. GenJen

          It’s that line “Your brother didn’t get to where he is by fooling around, did he.” That really got to me. I don’t know, maybe mentioned his brother as an influence to her in private, but it still comes off as super weird for a partner to say. It’s an offputting thing to say, even in a relationship that’s been going on for a few years. Like, i’m not saying she doesn’t have real feelings for him, but I think that’s laced with this idea of being some sort of power couple. Like, He needs me to reach his family standards, not someone studying Education. Rather than two people making each other better, it feels like she’s grooming him.

          Looking back, I probably sounded too harsh on Radiah with the phrase status symbol. She’s not a bad person. She’s more like Dotty, but with a bit more control over her surroundings and a more competitive (not really the word I want use but the best I can think of) streak.

        3. thejeff

          Yeah, I’m pretty sure the best thing about this storyline is that when it all blows up properly, Raidah’s going to lose Jacob. Joyce isn’t going to be rewarded for her boundary breaking by getting, I suspect, but Raidah’s going to do something ugly enough to piss Jacob off.

  22. butts

    Tolerable to see you again, Raidah.

  23. DeepThought42

    So are they putting pickles on pizza or do they have sandwiches options because pickles seem like a terrible topping like olives which are terrible as well I would rather have pineapple on my pizza then olives or pickles. also if you dont overload the pizza with pineapple it’s actually pretty good. Also Dorothy you have to stay thereI know it sucks but your awkward yet subtle diplomatic prowless is the only thing standing between. a pickle pizza and pineapple pizza!

    I dont know what I am talking about can we see what Carla is doing?

    1. AutobotDen

      There’s a thing called cheeseburger pizza. it has pickles.

      1. DeepThought42

        ugh that sounds awful I love doll pickles just not on my pizza. I hate sweet pickles.

        1. Jamie

          Never underestimate what people put on pizzas.

        2. DeepThought42

          Pickles is kind of where I draw the line. Its a l one ne we do not cross!

        3. DeepThought42

          I apologize I am writing on a phone I meant to say it’s a line we do not cross.

    2. Axel

      Well, it is “Galasso’s Pizza (and subs)”, so yeah, sandwiches, but if they have pickles, at least some people will order them on pizza.

      1. thejeff

        College students will order anything on a pizza. Even if it’s just for a gag.

    3. Victor

      DO NOT DISPARAGE THE OLIVE!

      (Actually a pickle and olive pizza sounds pretty good, assuming they’re dill pickles, because sweet pickles are a crime against humanity. That’s with black AND green olives of course, and with Italian sausage.)

  24. Tacos

    “Because, you know, they’re proudly serving pickles here again.” is a bit long for the title of a sex tape wouldn’t you say?

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      And by pickle, he means penis.

      1. Delicious Taffy

        That brings back some memories. Ah, the old days of YouTube…

    2. Pat

      No, I think he means “That was an excellent decision.”
      Or possibly “Are you still… together?”
      “That one girl who we saw briefly” ..?
      Oh, it’s “Sorry, I’ve forgotten her name”!
      “Yeah, that was it!”
      Or maybe “I raced down here as soon as I heard.”

      1. Mordecai

        That’s ridiculous. It’s obviously referring to “by David M Willis on July 7, 2018 at 12:01 am
        04 – Of Mike And Men”.

  25. Lone Duck

    Our pickles are happy to be here, proud to serve, nothing but respect for their pizzamates.

  26. ARTSCHOOLRAGE

    In a way I’m glad that radiah was here, because hey, trying to steal a happily taken man isn’t cool. At the same time, we know radiah has a major attitude problem, soooo I’m gonna make a prediction!

    Radiah will eventually be unable to hide her snark re: thinking joyce as pedestrian or otherwise rag on joyce, expecting jacob to agree with her. Then, jacob disgusted by her repeated not-niceties, dumps her of his own volition.

    THEN, Sometime in 2019, jacob and joyce get together, but to only fall apart when someone- joe, sarah, anyone who is in on the “scheme” of setting up joyce w jacob, ALSO dumps joyce because WOW how rude of you to pursuw mw while i was (then) happily taken.

    I like the idea of jacob being a really morally upstanding straight man to everyone’s dramatic bullshit and having no tolerance for it. Like sarah, but less bitter.

    1. CJ

      I really wonder where your expectations that Jacob would feel betrayed stems from.
      Is is part of this “women are home wreckers narrative” that is so lavishly applied to the current situation?

      I’d expect him to laugh about it. And once he hears the back story, he’s going to take Sarah’s part. Because he is a nice guy and can distinguish betrayal from teenager stupidity.

      1. Wraithy2773

        …….because people he’s treating like and thinking of as friends are explicitly trying to manipulate him into ending a relationship he’s happy with and hooking up with one of them?

        Sure, it’s no knife in the ribs, but FFS it’s a shitty thing to do. The shitty “Women are homewreckers” narrative comes from when the women aren’t explicitly angling to sleep with a man in a monogamous relationship (and, often, when the man is actively trying to sleep with them) but society treats the women as the evil party because they should just try to keep their legs closed.

        Here, the active, explicit intent of Joyce has been to break up Jacob and Raidah so that Jacob could instead date someone that Joyce approves of, whether it’s Sarah or herself. That is fucked up shit and a betrayal of what Jacob sees as a casual friendship.

      2. Joe Angel

        They are actively trying to wreck a happy home in this actual situation so what the hell CJ.

      3. CJ

        The active intent of Joyce is to get close to Jacob. That this means Raidah and him have to part in incidental, not her main intention.

        Joyce has fallen for Jacob and is making her feelings known.
        There is nothing at all wrong with doing so.
        The homewrecker story (she is trying to break them up) is yours, not hers (though the true-love-story she might be telling herself – we can’t be sure she is but give her upbringing ist likely – is a much bullshit as the home wrecker story).

        Also, given the interactions Raidah/ Jacob we’ve seen, I don’t believe there’s a happy home to wreck, but that question is actually irrevant.

  27. ShinyNeen

    At first I totally read panel 2 as Jacob staring at the ceiling and gleefully shouting “Raidah!” purely in response to Dorothy’s question.

    I read it correctly now (I read Raidah as approaching the table from the wrong direction), but at least I got a good chuckle out of my mistake.

    And Jacob does look darn happy to see her, doesn’t he?

  28. bejouled

    Raidah has never had her hair up like that before, and she’s never dressed that way. Is SHE copying JOYCE?

    1. BBCC

      Raidah layers a lot lately and we’ve seen her wearing sweaters before. No, the new bit is the ponytail.

    2. Keulen

      Raidah’s hair is definitely different from what we’ve seen before, and I’m wondering if that’s just her trying a new look or if she’s got some ulterior motive here.

    3. JessWitt

      To copy Joyce, she needs a sweater hoodie.

  29. C.T Phipps

    I totally believe Dorothy is realizing that she’s attracted to Jacob.

  30. Irredentist

    He told Raidah they were all having lunch here? What an idiot.

    1. King Daniel

      And he’s an idiot for inviting his girlfriend to join his friends for lunch…why?

      1. abysswatcher1993

        He isn’t the idiot… but he would be if he was aware of his feelings for Joyce. Radiah isn’t going to be happy.

        1. Marsh Maryrose

          For now — and I reserve the right to change my opinion later — but for now, I’m going with assumption that Jacob is just naturally and innocently flirtatious. He’s not ashamed of his interactions with Joyce because they don’t mean anything to him, and he might be genuinely shocked if anyone interpreted them as anything other than friendship.

          Meanwhile, Joyce, I am guessing, is interpreting their mutual flirtation as something that could lead to more than friendship. Which is why she gets flustered when Raidah appears suddenly.

        2. Conuly

          Anecdotally, I’ve heard from people raised in similar environments as Joyce that all that purity culture nonsense can make it really, really hard to see the difference between “normal human interaction” and “flirting/lust”. Is asking for shared notes a sign he likes you? Does a single group pizza outing indicate true love? Why else would a person smile and says hi to people of the opposite sex other than to flirt? Who can tell these things?

        3. thejeff

          Honestly, when you’re crushing hard on someone, it’s often hard not to over interpret every little interaction, whether you’re coming out of a purity culture or not. Much like we do, reading this comic.:)

          And I agree that Jacob’s not at all conscious of what’s going on – him letting Raidah know about lunch with Joyce is pretty good evidence of that. That said, Joyce’s flirting is working on him, even if he’s not consciously aware of it.

        4. thejeff

          Meant to add, it’s not just Joyce reading more than friendship into Jacob’s flirtation. Pretty much everyone else exposed has picked up on it. Like Dorothy in the last strip. And Raidah sensed the threat last time they met.

        5. Marsh Maryrose

          I concur. I think I said a while ago that the only person who doesn’t realize that Jacob’s attracted to Joyce is Jacob.

    2. newllend(henryvolt)

      Hm, didn’t catch that.

    3. Agemegos

      What? Honesty and openness in a relationship is idiotic now?

      Just when I had got the memo!

  31. Lilyliv

    A real pickle indeed, Dorothy.

  32. Just for kix

    Galasso proudly serving pickles to pickly situations since 1983.

  33. abysswatcher1993

    When the atheist girl knows the Christian girl is going to make the Muslim girl angry, and the lesbian girl is going to take pictures. By the gods of Wakfu, Tamriel and Discworld, this seems like a cantina joke, but without Mexicans!

    1. Delicious Taffy

      Maybe they’ll all decide their various religious views are silly and convert to the Dibellan arts.

      1. C.T Phipps

        Praise Talos and death to the Thalmor.

      2. abysswatcher1993

        You mean having open sexual relationships and praising a piece of religious crafting to get extra points for 7 hours?

    2. SolomonK

      Even though “Jew” is capitalized here, as it often is not in this comment section, the term “Jew boy” is offensive, of course, and “Jewish” is an adjective while “Jew” is not.

      1. SolomonK

        I am unhappy to see that this comment got no response, and that the comment with the offensive term “Jew boy” was not taken down.

  34. Proto

    I’m confused, is Dorothy’s face in the last panel because she senses drama incoming or because she’s also trying to make this Jacob/Joyce thing happen and Raidah’s presence hinders that plan?

    1. Coma

      I think it’s too early for her to want to make a Jacob/Joyce thing happening. Just the day before yesterday (so like, 10 seconds in-comic) she realised there was something between them – I think it’s more like “Woah, this could become pretty awkward”

      1. Clif

        The last few comics with Jacob in them are a masterclass in visual storytelling, with art conveying so much more than the words about what is happening internally. As Joyce left, we saw Dorothy realize what was happening. Like many of the commenters here, Dorothy is not pleased with the ethics of what Joyce is doing (and while I disagree, thinking its a knee-jerk ethical position that denies Jacob his fair choice, this is a flag that Dorothy’s position may be Willis’s as well), so that when Raidah says she raced down as soon as she heard, Dorothy’s instinctive unthinking relieved reaction is “That was an EXCELLENT decision” and then in the last panel she hears what she just said as it sounded out of the clear blue. It demands an explanation and all she has is a lame comment about them serving pickles again. Which was actually pretty fast thinking, but just wait till in minute when it hits her that what she said could be taken to imply that Raidah is a pickle.

    2. Wraithy2773

      …what makes you think that Dorothy is wanting to make a Jacob/Joyce thing happen? The closest thing I can see is her going “…sorry, Jacob, she’s usually not this weird…”, which is something you do for a friend.

      I don’t see Dorothy shipping Jacob/Joyce. I see her realizing what Joyce is up to and going “Oh. Fuck.”

    3. Bladeglory

      Dorothy’s face in the last panel means “WHY is you attending an excellent decision, you ask? Uh… UH… UHHHHH because pickles are being served again and definitely not because I just realized Joyce is trying to court your boyfriend. Nope it’s definitely not that second one.”

    4. Gimmick

      I read the situation as ‘I can tell my friend has a crush on you and that perhaps you have some tiny feelings too, so I’m gonna scout out if you’re single and oh dear, that’s your girlfriend, Joyce’s behaviour is gonna make this…. difficult’. Like, Dorothy cares for Joyce but I don’t think she’s going to ENCOURAGE her breaking a couple up.

  35. Josh Spicer

    UUUUUM!

    JACOB SEEMED INTENT ON JOYCE

    JOYCE STILL IN FOR JACOB

    RAIDAH’S APPEARANCE IMPLIES JACOB TOLD HER

    I’m…I’M NOT SURE JACOB IS NAIVE ABOUT THIS

    This whole ball of drama…WHAT IS GOING ON

    1. BenRG

      I’m expecting a lot of passive-aggressive verbal sparring between Raidah and Joyce with poor Dorothy caught in the middle and an innocently uncomprehending Jacob trying to work out what is happening.

      1. Clif

        Jacob trying to work out what is happening? Maybe. Jacob has a history of making girl-friends jealous. He is obviously enjoying flirting with Joyce. He has apparently just invited his girl-friend down to watch. I hope I’m misreading, but patterns of behavior are a thing and I’m really unconvinced Jacob is innocent.

  36. Marsh Maryrose

    Once again, I have to ask questions, the answers to which may be obvious to everyone else?

    What did Raidah hear, and from whom did she hear it?

    On the first count, the news of the morning is that Dorothy and Walky broke up, and that Jason was fired. Raidah has no reason to care about either of those.

    On the second: the only thing that makes sense to me is if Jacob texted Raidah about lunch plans. But why would she drop everything and race if all she got from Jacob was “You wanna have lunch?”

    1. BBCC

      Jacob probably included who they’d be having lunch with (Joyce and Dorothy). Raidah’s friends are suspicious of Joyce so I’m not surprised she’d book it over to make sure nothing happens.

      1. Nono

        Or maybe she heard that Sarah wasn’t coming and was all, ‘SCORE!’

      2. Marsh Maryrose

        This would certainly be something she might think privately, but she wouldn’t announce it to Jacob and a random person she met once. So I’m still wondering what’s up with “I raced down here as soon as I heard”?

        1. BBCC

          Heard they were there and having lunch and she was welcome to join them maybe?

        2. Emily

          Yeah, I’m not sure why we’re searching for deeper meanings here when that’s the pretty obvious conclusion to draw.

        3. thejeff

          Well, that’s the surface meaning and the one Jacob’s intended to hear. But she definitely raced over because of Joyce.

        4. Pat

          She likes the restaurant. He said he was at the restaurant and invited her to join. That would be enough, wouldn’t it?
          It might be a little odd in the cafeteria (though I’d just assume she was exaggerating), but in a popular pizza restaurant?

        5. Tan

          (and subs)

  37. stoodmuffin

    DORTHY knows what’s up

  38. Coma

    It’s been some time since we’ve seen her, so I had to check her tag to realise “Yeah, Raidah looked like this.”
    (in my defense, she smiles. Most of the time we’ve seen her she didn’t smile)

    Now I wonder what will happen. And…damn, what would’ve happened if Sarah’d still be there? (remember, she was invited to lunch too)

    1. Krys Brynhildr

      Pretty sure we haven’t ever seen her with a ponytail before either, and looking over the archives to confirm that, she used to have a lot less bushy of eyebrows too.

      So yeah, its not like its hard to see why she’d be difficult to recall that way, since she’s either changed her style or uh…got a visual redesign in the long gap since she last got screen time?

  39. Nobody

    Poor Dorothy

  40. Conuly

    Wow, Raidah, insecure much? Jacob isn’t cheating on you with two girls at once in a pizza joint. And if he is, you racing down there is exactly the wrong reaction. Dump anybody who tries that move, don’t cling to them.

    1. BBCC

      I don’t think she suspects he’s cheating on her, but I do think she’s keenly aware of Joyce’s interest and wants to keep an eye on that.

      1. bryy

        Radiah has also expressed an interest in controlling Jacob’s life. So.

        1. Wraithy2773

          …I’ve looked back over Raidah’s appearances, and the closest that’s come is “no, we shouldn’t fool around, you know you have studying to do”.

          It’s a little controlling, sure, but it came off to me more as trying to support your boyfriend and help him succeed. And given that she hasn’t gone “Jacob, I want you to stop meeting with other women”, aka “Giant Red Flag #1 about Controlling Girlfriend”… yeah.

        2. ValdVin

          What is the most physical intimacy we’ve been let know to happen with these two?

          They don’t get a lot of panel time without Sarah, Joyce, or others around.

        3. thejeff

          Physical intimacy? They’ve talked about fooling around – rejected that time, but in a casual way that suggests it does happen at other times. In pretty much every appearance together, they’re in physical contact – holding hands, arm around the shoulder like here, something. Not much more than that, but like you say, we don’t see them in private.

  41. BenRG

    I can understand Dorothy’s sudden attack of anxiety. I would feel the same, sitting at ground zero of a nuclear explosion the way she is!

  42. Eldritch Gentleman

    Raced Down here, that sounds like some pretty clingy behaviour…

    1. hof1991

      Isn’t Jacob worth racing down for?

      1. Eldritch Gentleman

        Hmm point conceded

  43. Bagge

    Ha, let’s give Raidah her due: That was an awesome entrance

    1. Tacos

      I don’t know. Coulda used more explosions and strobe lights…

      1. BenRG

        It’s a comic, so we couldn’t hear them play Killer Queen over the PA as she walked in.

        1. Bagge

          You need a browser plugin for that.

      2. Remmington Steele

        Dry ice and “BAWAHAHAHA”

      3. BBCC

        *Edna Mode voice* NO STROBE LIGHTS.

  44. Rabid Rabbit

    My, but Jacob looks awkward in panel 3.

    *Starts popping popcorn*

    *Doesn’t actually start popping popcorn, because there are another 20 hours till things get going, and cold popcorn is disgusting*

    *Girds loins and raises shields again everyone who’s about to claim that cold popcorn is edible*

  45. Arianod

    “You could even say that we’re in one.”

  46. Caya

    Which one is supposed to be the sex tape title? I see several options:
    – So, Jacob, are you still together?
    – Together with that one girl who we saw briefly at Joyce’s dorm party.
    – Glad you could make it to lunch with us.
    – They are proudly serving pickles here.

    1. Scoops

      I raced down here soon as I heard.

    2. Clif

      Waiting for Dorothy to realize she just implied Raidah is a pickle.

  47. ValdVin

    Jacob has his hand on her shoulder in panel five. Nice to see.

  48. hof1991

    Raidah makes a superhero entry. DYW needs to add the sparkles and larger font that they use in comics when a hero makes their entrance. But my html skills don’t let me do that in a comment – not lately.

  49. Arioch

    My 2 cents… Jacob isn’t stupid, he knows that he is starting to crush on Joyce a little bit too. Not a lot, but a little. But, he’s in a happy relationship and he also likes her as a friend and genuinely wants to be friends with Joyce and believes he can be. So, he does what many people do, he tries to mitigate. A sit down lunch where a bunch of their other friends might bail? (And, they did.) Invite Raidah to join them.
    And, Raidah’s not stupid either. I may not like her for how she has treated several people, but she isn’t stupid. She knows he likes Joyce. Hell yes, she is emulating Joyce’s look a little bit. I would not be surprised if she was wearing boots. She will probably try to make Joyce look bad and get Jacob to not like her. We’ll see how that works out…

  50. Zee

    Ooooh I hate raidah but I’m so glad to see her here. Can’t wait for shit to hit the fan

    1. Clif

      Trouble iis, when shit hits the fan, you never know where it’s going to go.

  51. Sae

    Is the alt-text a Brooklyn Nine-Nine reference?

    1. Beef

      Only other place I’ve seen that joke. I love it

  52. Parzival

    On the one hand, Joyce and Jacob are doing something quite wrong.

    On the other hand, fuck Raidah.

    I’m not sure which side to root for and am having a bit of a crisis.

    1. thejeff

      That’s pretty much me. Though I think Jacob’s basically innocent here – other than of being flirtatious and oblivious.

      I expect disaster all round.

      Hopefully Joyce will learn a lesson about boundaries and Raidah will show her true colors and Jacob will dump her and find someone else eventually.

      1. Marsh Maryrose

        “I Expect Disaster All Round” would the title of my sex tape.

    2. Conuly

      Going out to pizza with a friend isn’t wrong. Period.

      1. thejeff

        Not in and of itself, no.

        But it depends on what you’re doing while you’re out to pizza with that friend.
        You could be plotting a crime. It’s still conspiracy, even if you do it over pizza with a friend.
        One of you could be trying to seduce the other, which might be wrong, depending on other circumstances.

    3. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

      I like your Kurisu avatar! Is that Amadeus?

    4. Vi

      Yeah I’m definitely on the “fuck Raidah” side of things. Jacob does deserve someone better. I don’t think Jacob is doing anything wrong though- if he DOES like Joyce, I don’t think he even realizes it, or he wouldn’t have invited his girlfriend. There’s no guilt here. And for Joyce, I think she’s just got a crush, I don’t know if she’s actually done anything horrible yet.

  53. woobie

    Too bad Sarah decided to bail on lunch.

  54. Jago

    Feeling threatened, Raidah?

  55. Mad Maple

    Oh dang. I arrive on this panel and i realise that i’ve caugth up with Willis. This webcomic have been all my free time for this week. I retroactively compatize with everyone who is now in my situation. No more binge reading for ol’me.

  56. mrnoidea

    CALLED IT

  57. BBCC

    Also – I think the way Jacob’s face brightens when he tells Dorothy Raidah’s name is really cute.

    1. Vi

      YEAH THAT IS VERY CUTE THOUGH I’M NOT SURE RAIDAH DESERVES IT. I MEANT TO SAY THAT IN MY COMMENT, THAT I THOUGHT THAT WAS SO CUTE. AND THEN I FORGOT. SO THANK YOU.

  58. Clif

    Keep digging, Dorothy.

  59. Samantha

    Am I the only one who doesn’t think Joyce is doing anything wrong anymore she confronted her friend about trying to use her. Now she genuinly likes Jacob and has been only mildly flirty she’s just obviously crushing on him but mostly seems to being his friend and trying to display herself better around him not outright hitting on him.
    What I expect to happen Raidah decides to be mean to Joyce Because of her relationship with Sarah prompting anger from Jacob that she could be so petty. First chink in their relationship and then Dorothy reminds Joyce that Jacob is not available

    1. Vi

      I kinda agree! I don’t think Joyce has done anything in particular; she seems to have a crush on Jacob, but she’s just awkward because she’s realized that now. I don’t think she’s been hitting on him or anything yet.

  60. Vi

    I’m gonna be real- I really don’t LIKE Raidah. I’m not for the boyfriend stealing, but I don’t like her as a whole. The thing with her and her friends making fun of Dina, the reason they’re mad at Sarah when Sarah honestly did the best thing she could in the situation she was in, the way she treats Jacob when talking about him to her friends, I don’t LIKE her. I don’t think she’s a very good person.

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