354

Church up
Posted on December 12, 2023 by David M Willis

354 thoughts on “Church up”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    Love is…

    [insert creepy super-deformed versions of naked Lucy and Walky]

    …doing shit you absolutely hate bc happy wife, happy life

    (being a mature adult sure is hard sometimes)

    1. M!a

      It’s telling that the characters you’re referencing were *also* utterly sexless. ?

      1. Freemage

        Except in parody versions. “… helping each other get up in the morning” being one I remember.

    2. S.R.

      Mm, needs some balance. Gotta treat your partner well, but also gotta treat yourself well.

  2. Doctor_Who

    I know what you’re thinking, but Walky just doesn’t want to lock himself into an eternity of “I Love Lucy” jokes.

    As a designated smartass, he would be honor bound to speak forevermore with a Cuban accent and request that she dye her hair red. He’s not sure if their relationship is at that level yet, so he’s going to drop hints that she should legally change her name to Mabel before he says the words.

    1. nobodybasically

      It wouldn’t be such a commitment if her name was Raymond. EVERYONE loves Raymond.

      1. Jamie

        Three’s Company, Too.

      2. Theluxland

        Is this an Animal Crossing joke? I feel like it’s an Animal Crossing joke.

    2. Plaaaaaa

      But can she explain?

      1. Taellosse

        Only if she changes her name to ‘Clarissa’

  3. DarkoNeko

    I was wondering if Lucy’s unability to get laid would be a long-running gag aaand….

    1. anon

      i wonder if she’s noticing he hasn’t said it again or in denial lol

      tho at least walkys not that much of a sleaze where it’s like “oh someone said they love me that means it’ll be easier to hookup”

      1. Johan

        He never said it in the first place. He said he loved something about her.

        1. Theluxland

          Ma father have never said it to my mother and they have been together for like 45 years and three kids. My mother is still trying to make him say it but my father is just that good kind of stupid.

        2. Dr. Sharks

          It’s not my place to judge anyone else’s family dynamics, but YIKES.

        3. Leorale

          Yeah… I’m not so sure this one’s actually a “good kind” of stupid.

          How does your mom feel about it?

        4. Mym

          Reminds me of a King of the Hill episode.

          That does worry me, though. Like, how is that a “good” stupid?

        5. Librain

          Have you seen Fiddler on the Roof?

        6. HueSatLight

          I get it. Parents are people with foibles, it doesn’t make them bad. I expect your dad is able to express himself in other ways.

      2. DarkoNeko

        oh looking at her face in the last panel, she definitely noticed (and seems to be getting frantic)

        1. clif

          Yeah, I think she’s pretty definitely noticing.

    2. M!a

      *I* certainly have been gagging on it for awhile. xD

      1. Yusaku777

        “That’s what my prom date said!” ????

        1. M!a

          Ayyyy ????

    3. Bryy

      Horrible thought.

      Paul cheats on Mary with her.

    4. Pergola

      ‘ unability to get laid ‘
      We have one of those and one is too many.

      1. Leadsynth

        What, Daisy? I’ve been wondering about Daisy and if she’s gotten laid yet

    5. Amós Batista

      That’s the worst trope ever. For God’s sake, no.

  4. Animedingo

    There it is

    1. Grimey

      Yep. Right on time.

    2. Warcodered

      The problem that’s never been fixed, they are not in sync.

  5. Nono

    Oh no.

    She’s fishing.

    1. anon

      i wonder if she realized he hasn’t said it in a while (well technically what he said before was misheard)

    2. M!a

      …and with no bait whatsoever.

      Meaning, well, put it like this: you’ll notice Walky isn’t exactly pushing for the sex either, right…?

      1. anon

        he did tell carla ‘i’m going to church with my gf to have sex later’ so a part of him was thinking about it/expected it even if not as enthusiastic as lucy

        1. Mym

          I also acknowledge other things on my schedule in the same manner, like a dental exam or a pap smear

        2. Taffy

          I’ve never had a pap smear before. Maybe one of these days I’ll give it a try.

        3. Bogeywoman

          If you have a cervix, please do. My AuDHD ass didnt get one until my doc pointed out I was 5 years late. Guess what?
          ? Cancer ?

        4. zee

          God I’m sorry to hear that. These things are so important.

          Try to make sure you go to a gyno you trust and/or is vetted by people you know. Went to a new place ONCE for a pap smear and let’s just say not all gynecologists are the same levels of gentle. My regular was wonderful with it though. A tiny tear is worth it if the alternative is cancer but it’s not very fun

        5. Taffy

          Oh, I Don’t have a cervix. Or any of the other associated parts. I just wanna challenge the doctor.

        6. Mym

          If you have female anatomy and you’re over 20, definitely get that shit checked. If you’re sexual especially. There are so many things that can go wrong beneath the hood that can be solved really easily if seen right away.

        7. Steelbright

          I feel like he said that to Carla maybe because that’s what he was telling himself, and maybe because it was an obnoxious thing to say to Carla, and maybe because he, like society, had unexamined assumptions that as a dude that’s just what he’s supposed to want? There’s really no other evidence that he’s interested in sex with Lucy, so i feel like what he said might not actually be true. Even if he doesn’t know it yet.

        8. deliverything

          The strip in question: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-14/02-its-the-love-i-havent-got/pacing-2/
          He doesn’t seem especially enthusiastic about it. Admittedly, he may be trying to act like it’s nothing special in order to annoy Carla more. I’m bad at understanding Walky and bad at understanding people being interested in sex, so I’m doubly useless on this subject.

        9. Nathan

          Wow, yeah, that is not the face of a person excited for sex or a Walky excited for trolling

        10. Miri

          I think he thinks she’s pretty? But where he definitely fancied Amber/Amazigirl (“Dinaaaa! Please stay in the room to make sure we don’t give into our carnal urges”) and Dorothy (meeting her was his sexual awakening) – the closest to that we’ve seen with Lucy is “Danny, please validate this as a third date so we can have sex, because I’m not into butt-stuff” – and he seemed mildly irritated that Billie prevented consummation, but… Less so than by the general comfort level of regular, non-PJ jeans, and societal expectation that he wears them, possibly? Or about on par…

  6. Kyrik Michalowski

    Oh boy, are we reaching a point where Lucy is the only one saying “I love you” and she suddenly notices Walky not saying it back?

    1. Vanessa

      She could go quite a while deliberately avoiding the realization that he doesn’t say it back — and he also walks away.

    2. Mym

      I mean, to be fair, she isn’t saying “cool” back. I feel like that’s the breakdown and loss of communication.

    3. Bryy

      It’s technically only been a week in-universe since she first thought he said it.

    4. thejeff

      She’s definitely noticed it here. This problem might be coming to a head.

      Which would be good. It needs to get cleared up before they have sex.

      1. Taellosse

        I’m kind of hoping they break up before they have sex. The profound imbalance in their respective emotional investments is unlikely to equalize, and sex under such conditions will only cause more pain when the disparity inevitably ends the relationship. Lucy in particular will gain nothing of value from the heightened stakes.

  7. Stephen Bierce

    I’m reminded of an NPR music review of an album by a grunge band, in which the commentator said “never before have I ever encountered anybody who makes ‘I Love You’ sound like a THREAT.”

    1. Opus the Poet

      +1

    2. Architex

      Is there a chance that comes from Bob Boilen?

  8. Sirksome

    Cool is such a great word. It means both nothing and everything and you can use it to replace one meaning with the other.

  9. M!a

    I don’t dislike Lucy in any way; it’s just I find her so unbelievably bland, just without appeal of any kind.

    This story arc is not helping me get past that.

    1. Yotomoe

      I concur.

    2. Nono

      I honestly cannot tell if this is Willis somehow managing to intentionally write a character that’s incredibly bland, or him trying to make an interesting character and having her fail despite all the best attempts.

      1. Sirksome

        I think it’s intentional. Lucy has been introduced and repeatedly referenced as Joyce minus (quirk or flaw that makes Joyce interesting). The most interesting thing I’ve seen is she’s more manipulative than she presents herself as. Although she may be close to snapping.

        1. Coatl

          Something tells me she’s learned a little from Jennifer and Raidah, I mean, she’s got them at the pinnacle of the “right path of adulthood.”

        2. Nono

          I mean she’s managed to out-whitebread Danny, which is a feat onto itself.

        3. Opus the Poet

          And she’s literally pumpernickel, how does she do that?

      2. tunasammich

        I mean she is like, a realistic, relatable person. An 18 year old kid who likes nerdy stuff and is just trying to fit in and have a hot boyfriend

      3. Taellosse

        I’m almost positive it’s intentional. Most of what makes Lucy interesting are aspects of herself she ruthlessly suppresses because they conflict with what she’s been raised to believe are acceptable traits/interests/desires. Until and unless she breaks free of that mold, she’s going to go through life mostly being overlooked, taken for granted, and dismissed by everyone around her.

    3. Coatl

      I’ve said it before, but basically it’s a “Joyce without the horrible events” although perhaps Lucy’s true development is that she has self-respect, just look at that expression in the last panel.

      1. Bryy

        I’m kinda taken aback by Lucy knowing Walky’s history with the church, but still expecting him to go For Sex.

        1. cain

          I mean, “The Church” isn’t really a thing, here. The church Ross came from, the school Sal was sent away to, and the congregation we saw tpday are all pretty clearly different denominations of Christianity. And I think it would be easy for her to dismiss that thought with “well Becky’s here, and she went through all that too.”

        2. Nathan

          She isn’t expecting him to go — wasn’t it even his idea?

    4. anon

      maybe she’ll be more interesting post breakup

      Would be mildly amusing if she ended up looking more ’emo’ than ethan does currently lol

      1. Mym

        Maybe she goes full femcel

        1. clif

          I have never heard the term femcel before and find it mildly horrifying that I immediately understand the term completely.

        2. Mym

          Lucy and the black pill of truth

        3. Amós Batista

          Well, femcel is a was or another less dangerous than male incel. Right?
          Anyway, it could be a huge plot twist.

        4. Mym

          I wouldn’t say the danger level changes?

        5. Nathan

          The concept of incel was coined by a fat lesbian. Creepy straight men took it over and ran with it, and she was horrified and regretted it, but its origins are not so masculine as its present.

      2. Bogeywoman

        Lucy entering her villain era would be fun (and/or frustrating)

        1. Adam Black

          shes been in her Villain era since October.

    5. HueSatLight

      I find her incredibly irritating, but kind of interesting in that she shares traits some of the other characters have (obviously Joyce, but she has Sarah and Dorothy moments too). But they’re toned down, so she’s kind of a study of “what if those other characters but more ordinary”. The blandness feels intentional. What if the red flags are all yellow flags, is the character less or more sympathetic?

      1. Coatl

        How exactly would she be similar to Dorothy?

        1. Mym

          They both like Walky’s stomach

          (false flag v.v put me in gay baby jail)

        2. Dr Sharks

          Wait, has the “gay baby jail” meme escaped containment? You don’t mean, like, three sloped surfaces that come down to a point in the middle, or a closed room with a slightly vibrating floor so you can’t pause?

        3. Mym

          I haven’t been convicted yet, so now you have me worried

        4. FlamestAndLight

          what do you mean “escaped containment”? I heard “gay baby jail” when I was a kid over 20 years ago

        5. HueSatLight

          this is the kind of question that gets people lecturing at me for using terms that aren’t perfect, even when I first say that I’m dissatisfied with my word choice.

          Like assuming the role of expert. People pleasing. When it turns out she’s the one organizing her floor’s weekly movie night (and not the RA). A similar lack of charisma. It’s little moments, where she reminds me of Dorothy, but without being a presidency-obsessed cartoon maniac. But she still tries too hard, past the point of diminishing returns.

        6. Bogeywoman

          I get the – err- *word that means the meta statement in your first paragraph* but yeah, your point is accurate. People pleaser with ambition and no rizz totally connects them.

        7. eskimolos

          Besides that Lucy has been explained in-comic as being black Dorothy by at least one person, I feel like possibly at least two (I wanna say walky and Jennifer?) – I think they both likely get quite good grades while also being “vanilla” people pleaser social movers, which should be a breath of fresh air to Walky’s parents but somehow still wasn’t enough…

        8. Li

          It was Sal, trying to get their mom to recognize that Lucy wasn’t a downgrade from Dorothy, whom Carol liked.

          Walky and Jennifer have made no such comparisons. Lucy herself has called Joyce a bisexual version of herself.

      2. AlexaSpuds

        Yellow flags are fucking boring, red flags are at least interesting and fun until everything falls apart

        1. clif

          Everybody loves a good train wreck. I am completely confident in Lucy’s ability to ability to participate in a spectacular train wreck. You’ve just been spoiled by Jennifer.

      3. HueSatLight

        I thought of a shorter way to say this. I find her both off-putting and interesting because she is challenging.

        1. HueSatLight

          also a little bit of low volume Jennifer. eg: Lucy in this panel 3 reminds me of this conversation: https://www.dumbingofage.com/knockoff/

    6. Mym

      I wish she was either more bland or crazier, but this yandare-light isn’t the right level of drink for me

    7. Amós Batista

      please, give try harders a chance ?

    8. wolfbeckett

      I don’t mind her too much on her own but she’s so awkward with Walky and they have no on screen chemistry at all. This relationship can not end soon enough for me.

    9. Mark

      Strange: I find her one of the more likable characters. If I were a cartoon freshman at Cartoon IU I’d be happy to know her.

      1. cain

        Same, but that doesn’t make her all that interesting to read, imo

        1. Mym

          I feel like every strip with Lucy drags

          Except today’s. Today’s is finally interesting

    10. zee

      Eh, awkward sweetheart trying their best but socially screwing themself over with their naivete and obliviousness is a fun character imo. It’s a trope i enjoy writing. from the start she’s reminded me of my first dnd (well, technically pathfinder but fuck actually playing that game) character, I can’t help but feel attached and endeared to her

    11. Yeet

      I think it’s that she’s the most “I have to fit in and yet stand out” out of everyone
      If she starts being herself on purpose she’ll do fine – Lucy who was helpful and organised movie nights for her floor was actually pretty cool!
      She just didn’t have the devotion she thought cool people get.
      And her friends kind of bailed on her movie nights way too easily, (which is kind of a dick move) leaving her feeling probably super unappreciated.

    12. Mturtle7

      I think she’s interesting, honestly! She’s geeky about cartoons, genuinely cheerful and optimistic about most things, enthusiastically but not evangelically Christian, wants to be ‘cool’ and ‘popular’ but isn’t so desperate for that as to discard any of the things that she already loves, and is in the very early stages of unlearning various silly ideas about relationships that she learned from popular culture.
      I guess she’s one of the most “normal” characters in the strip, in that she doesn’t have an elaborate backstory full of trauma, abuse, and/or true crime, but that’s kind of a low bar as far as “normal” goes – it doesn’t make her bland!
      Also, I’m kind of the opinion that in general, it’s pretty impossible for a character to be “bland” if they genuinely love something (seriously, anything) and the audience knows it. They can be flat characters, sure, but not ‘bland’. And Lucy isn’t really either of those things!

  10. NGPZ

    Re: first and second panels, who else can really really relate? ?

    1. Illjwamh

      If I had a significant other, she would need to understand this as well as Becky clearly does

    2. anon

      yep, “I love you but i need my space” even with a partner/bestie. XD; tho nice if y ou can be comfortable in silence and cuddle w/o talking since i can get physically clingy sometimes but be nice to chilli n the same room even if you don’t do anything together like cats XD: or ‘parallel play ‘as they say

    3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Yes, this is a good sign. Becky isn’t caught up in the “love means spending every possible moment together” dysfunction, a lesser version of “love means I am the only thing in your life that matters” dysfunction.

      Even if you love someone, you may need alone time when you can be entirely yourself and not worry about how you are affecting other people.

      1. Coatl

        The truth is that Becky and Dina have been the only couple in this comic that have not had such serious problems…but if we know something about this comic strip, it is that anything can happen.

        1. spriteless aunty

          They have problems that stem from Mr. Macintyre trying to separate them, and they have problems from Becky’s various hang-ups. But they are kind to each other, and to themselves, at least.

  11. Kyrik Michalowski

    Are these two ever going to do the horizontal tango, or are they doomed to break up before any sexy times?

    1. NGPZ

      dooo doo doo doo doom! dooo doo doo doo doo dooom!!!

      DOOOOM!!!!! XD

    2. Sirksome

      Problem for me is I’m not sure them smashing at this stage is great for the relationship. Walky seems reluctant to hit the sheets and they are on very different emotional levels. It could make things worse, although maybe it would fix everything?

      1. Vanessa

        Lucy would probably feel that she is married after having sex.

        1. yarrr

          – Nigel Thornberry

      2. BarerMender

        Referring to sex as “smashing” would put me right off.

        1. Sirksome

          I was trying to avoid not being too crass or clinical with my vocabulary.

        2. HueSatLight

          “you mean coitus?”

        3. HueSatLight

          oops, I made this reference on Yellow Brick Ramble too.

        4. clif

          That’s okay. I don’t read Yellow Brick Ramble.

          Yellow Brick Ramble would be nearly as good a band name as The Coitus Cancers.

      3. Mark

        I’m pretty sure that Walky is reluctant because he has perceived that they are on very different emotional levels.

      4. Lanie

        I really don’t want them sleeping together right now. They seem so disjointed on where they stand emotionally that I think it would just make it worse. Walky in particular has seemed so uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping with Lucy that I honestly think it would make me feel gross if it happened before they get on the same page emotionally (Which it really doesn’t seem like they’re going to do any time soon if this comic is any indication!).

    3. UrsulaDavina

      Given that Walky never actually said I love you and Lucy interpreted I love that about you as I love you on their second date m8nd she was sort of distracted, tells me this ship is going down beacuse saying I love you on the second date is well a little whack as the youth use to say.

    4. Reltzik

      It might not be either-or! Maybe they’ll break up first and THEN have sex!

    5. anon

      @sirksome: outside of ma3 i don’t think there’s ever been a case where sex would fix a relationship , esp at their age lol. and it’s not like walky hasn’t been experienced before, so hopefully he wouldn’t confuse sexual compatibility with affection after a night togehter lol

      1. Opus the Poet

        Even Ma3 there were relationships that not even mind-blowing sex could fix, Zee x Yuki 4xample.

        1. spriteless aunty

          Wait, what’s ma3?

        2. Mym

          Comic: menage a 3. It was started by the same person who made(started) Penny and Aggie

    6. Yotomoe

      I truly. TRULY hope they never have sex.

      1. Coatl

        It’s impossible to imagine either of those two messing it up, just think about it… Lucy’s inexperience and excessive enthusiasm and Walky’s possible mistake in saying other names during the act.

      2. M!a

        I suspect what you’re dreading most is the resulting Slipshine. ?

      3. Mym

        Same

      4. HueSatLight

        After Walky’s stunt, Carla will send a drone to follow him around and douse him with freezing water to keep him from ever having sex again.

        1. Yotomoe

          He’ll just learn to associate getting blasted with ice cold water with being horny.

        2. Mturtle7

          I’m pretty sure that if Carla actually had the power to prevent people from having sex ever again, she would already be using it as often and on as many people as possible! Sex-repulsed asexuality is just the Objectively Correct sexuality as far as she’s concerned, just as female is the Objectively Correct gender (both to be, and to be romantically oriented towards).
          As a sex-repulsed ace myself, I kind of relate.

      5. Dday

        Boooo! Boooooooooo!

      6. Amós Batista

        noo

  12. Sirksome

    Has it been two weeks yet? What’s the over-under on Sal’s estimate?

    1. cbwroses

      1 week was Thursday.
      Today is Sunday.
      It will be a week Monday when she thought he said it to her and she actually said it to him.
      But someone double check my math.

      1. HueSatLight

        I’d have them starting on Wednesday evening (Hompk), and the next Wednesday when they had lunch with Lyle where she heard love, (Turning Saints into the Sea).
        But they have been together a week and a half so far.

  13. JA

    Is this one of those “prepare the popcorn” strips?

    1. M!a

      Enhhhhh, a major DeeDub plot point can play out over a period of years (our time).

      I don’t think microwaves come with a setting that long. ?

  14. Acebender

    Ah, young love…

    1. Yotomoe

      Ah, young cool

    2. M!a

      Ah, young following-the-path-of-least-resistance

  15. Coatl

    Well, I guess I’m not the only one who looks uncomfortable and scared in the last panel with Lucy’s “I love you” expression.

    1. Reltzik

      That’s the expression that made me do a double-take and a reread. I’m convinced that at least two characters here are engaged in internal screaming.

      1. Coatl

        If you say it for Walky, then he has hidden it well

    2. anon

      the giddiness would be endearing if it matched walkys enthusiasm too

    3. M!a

      It really does look like the gleeful expression of the person firing up that chainsaw at long last…

      1. Coatl

        indeed

  16. Derek

    this here is why I think Walky is not sexually or romantically interested in Lucy. she’s just convenient to have because he doesn’t have to put any work into the relationship but we have yet to see 1/100th of the interest Walky showed in Dorothy

    1. Illjwamh

      I kinda figured this right from the start. At best he’s giving her a shot because she so clearly likes him and he figures he might as well see if he can come around to feeling the same. At best.

      1. Comic.phile

        After Dorothy confessing to him he’s probably also trying to prove to himself that he can be a good boyfriend to Lucy, even as he increasingly loses interest in her.

        1. Coatl

          That’s the detail, he constantly repeats to himself his “love” for Lucy, that there are no expected results, although I have some disdain for how he rejected Dorothy and remained silent with Raidah’s insults in just one day. At least I hope there is a healthy interaction with the blonde (I know she is having a very bad time right now, but I really hope there is no hate for all this), yes, a return of both is unlikely, but I will not deny which was one of my favorite couples… dreaming is free

        2. Comic.phile

          Honestly? Same

  17. UrsulaDavina

    So it’s been like a week or two since Walky and Lucy have started dating and Walky said I love that about you which is not same thing as i love you, but Lucy has to know saying. I love you on your second date is bannaners right?

    1. cbwroses

      She doesn’t see it as crazy because they’ve been hanging regularly for months and she’s wanted him almost since first sight, so if he realized he loved her relatively soon after realizing he liked her, it doesn’t seem farfetched.

    2. Mym

      I want to complain about how unrealistic Lucy’s expectations are, but maybe it’s because I’m on a gay-femme standard.. we were discussing marriage by day six.
      Lucy needs to date
      DAISY

      1. Nedlum

        If Joyce is a bi Lucy, Lucy can’t be bi.

        1. Mym

          There’s more than bi, gay, straight
          Lucy probably isn’t ace
          But she could be:
          Heteroflexible
          Pan
          Questioning
          Queer
          Still room to be gay for girl abs

    3. thejeff

      Well she wasn’t going to say it then even though she was feeling it because it seemed so early, but then he said it, so obviously they were on the same page, right?

      Right?

      1. Sirksome

        He didn’t say it though. He said he loved that she understands his desire to do the Thor Ragnarok meme joke. That’s a bit of a reach to interpret that as being in love with her.

        1. Li

          I think you are missing the bit thejeff is doing. The comment’s contents are supposed to be a somewhat sarcastic version of Lucy’s thought process.

    4. Mturtle7

      Hold on a damn minute. Wait. Wait.
      Didn’t practically everyone in the fandom mock Lucy mercilessly when she acted like a couple has to wait until the third date to have sex, or else the relationship is doomed? Wasn’t this treated as an absolutely silly nonsense idea, which she was naive for ever believing?
      And yet, I scroll down here to the comments, and see people unironically debating at exactly what point in the relationship a couple is allowed and/or required to say “I love you” to each other? And even using the same “second date/third date/etc.” measurement style that Lucy used in the comic?
      Maybe it’s just because I’m aroace and therefore missing some crucial experiences that make this all make sense, but this all strikes me as EXTREMELY hypocritical.

      1. Hrodvitnir

        It’s emotion vs arousal. Many people can like someone enough to have sex within hours of meeting someone. Experiencing romantic love is *rare* (I personally think it’s not a thing but some people do) within a few hours, which is effectively what a few dates is.

        It’s fair that they’ve known each other longer, which makes it less weird.

        Ultimately all I have been able to see the whole time is a Walky who shows zero romantic or sexual interest in her (being turned on by someone you like touching you intimately is not the same thing as necessarily wanting to have sex with them) – if he is attracted to her at all, it’s outweighed by something (probably that she’s in love with him).

        It’s very uncomfortable, and I do not dislike Lucy at all.

        1. thejeff

          The think about talking about love so early is that it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of new infatuation and think that’s love and then crash harder when that fades.

        2. Felian

          That’s exactly my experience!

  18. Blume

    Yeesh… Feels REALLY bad. Sorry Lucy. She’s starting to notice, I really hope this relationship ends super quickly without blowing up soon. Just rip off the bandaid! Give Lucy actual friends! Let her feel comfortable! She just seems so high strung all the time, trying to please people. It’s stressing me out ?

    1. Coatl

      I think that will be Lucy’s character development, as she learns to love herself.

      1. M!a

        That, or the Makeover Montage…

        1. Coatl

          Maybe 50/50

        2. Mym

          Oooo, who will be the sassy montage sidekick??

        3. Coatl

          It may be Jennifer, but rest assured she’ll want something in return.

        4. Mym

          Jennifer is too malicious, but I a good choice for that reason. She’s also convenient.

          I feel like Booster would be a good option. Idk if they and Lucy have met, but they bring enough sass.

          Carla has made appearances with Lucy, but I fear she might be having an off couple days 🙁

        5. Nedlum

          Booster’s the one who said that Lucy can do better than Walky, here and here. He explained his rationale here.

        6. Opus the Poet

          Jennifer, who else?

        7. David DeLaney

          Ethan

          –Dave, she ends up with Transformer-inspired makeup

  19. Carms

    Yee-aiks

  20. DaveM

    Oh dear, Lucy wants him to say the three words so much.
    {Siren} “Awooga, Awooga, Awooga”
    {Voice over} “Condition Red, this is not a drill!”

    Walky, if you’re in a relationship with an almost terminally horny cute girl, who wants nothing more than you to boink her senseless and say that you love her, and you are talking about setting up relationship boundaries, then Run, do not walk, RUN to the nearest available exit. Even “rule of funny” is bellowing smoke at this point.

    1. M!a

      Keep in mind that the nearest exit may be behind you.

  21. EAG46

    Oh dear. Run, Lucy. RUN. You deserve someone who really does love you. And saying “I love you” just to get sex is…that’s not how to go about it. Ask Jennifer where to get a vibrator, if you’re that anxious. [As for Walky, he needs something, but what exactly I don’t know.]

    1. anon

      i mean at college age some guys would just be willing to enjoy the ride if propositioned rather than wanting to hear i love you but i imagine walky would hopefully be able to talk to her about it if he’s able to be honest about the church trip even if it was in a snarky way

    2. sakamism

      To be fair, she’s not gonna find many people that will say it like a week or two into dating her. But yeah, she should be with someone that actually shows that he likes her in the way she likes him at all. It seems like Walky’s reasoning for dating her is basically just “Why not?” because she likes him and he at least likes hanging with her platonically. I don’t feel like that dynamic is gonna change at this point.

    3. Comic.phile

      Ffs, it hasn’t even been two weeks yet. No one should feel rushed or pressured into saying that.

      1. Needfuldoer

        He said it in an offhand way before they started dating. She’s been chasing that high ever since.

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/proselytize/

      2. Mark

        Nor be rushed or pressured into bailing out of a relationship that isn’t 100% perfect and balanced and complete from the first instant.

        1. clif

          Hey! We can’t be having nuance on the Internet.

    4. Mym

      I like that the comment implies that Lucy can be reasoned with.

      I agree that she /does/ need a vibrator and stop trying to pressure others into sex.

      Walky needs a therapist.

      1. Li

        Ftr I don’t think Lucy is intentionally pressuring him into sex. It is kinda what’s happening, but I think she’s operating on the Social Assumption that boys always want sex, and while Walky has been openly relieved they were cockblocked, he has yet to actually say anything to Lucy about not being ready or not being sure he wants to go there. He’s definitely just kinda been drifting along in the wake of her interest.

        Which is failing the Enthusiastic Consent model, for sure, but Lucy’s total inexperience and Walky’s lack of communication make me reluctant to put that label on it.

        I think she’d be horrified if he told her he was feeling pressured to sleep with her.

        1. Mark

          She needs that horrification. And Walky needs to learn to use his voice for communication rather than avoiding communication.

        2. thejeff

          He does and it’s getting ever more urgent that he do so, but that conversation is very likely to blow up the relationship, which he clearly doesn’t want to do, so it’s understandable that he’s stalling.

        3. Li

          I do not think she “needs” to be told “you’re pressuring me into having sex, feel shitty about that!”

          I think she, and like most of Planet Earth, could do with being informed seriously that no, men are not Always Horny, and even if they were, horniness still wouldn’t be consent. Because media’s messaging is currently HEAVILY in favor of those concepts. But I don’t think she personally “needs” to be horrified and feel guilty. She hasn’t actually done anything to Walky, she’s just been incorrect about how mutual her excitement for sleeping with him is.

        4. Mym

          I think Lucy needs to watch the “tea” video.

          When Sarah called her “traumatic,” though it was a joke, could it have foreshadowed how Lucy treats men in her life? The way she “helped” Jennifer was by objectifying Asher and Ethan together. She objectifies her own boyfriend, trying to keep him on a “sex to-do list” of sorts.
          I’m mostly rambling, don’t take it too much to heart, unless Lucy is your favorite, then we must duel.

        5. zee

          I wouldn’t say favorite but I do love her, so…
          *Throws glove*

        6. Mym

          We duel at midnight (12:17 loading time), your choice of weaponry

        7. Li

          I really don’t have a lot of patience for the argument that she was “objectifying” Asher and Ethan in that strip, so I hope that’s part of the not-serious ha ha.

      2. David DeLaney

        perhaps she can borrow one from Sarah

        –Dave, perhaps he can recommend one to Dorothy

    5. Bash

      I’m not sure if you mean “saying it to get sex” in a general way, but it absolutely does not apply to Walky. He doesn’t even WANT to have sex with her.

      1. Daibhid C

        He’s also not saying it. Lucy “I don’t believe you understand the pretend, self-placed hoops a Christian woman will jump through to justify being railed” is.

        1. Li

          This is one of those things where I suppose I very technically agree (in that I think Lucy wants the first time she has sex to be with someone she loves who also loves her), but the framing (where she is “just” saying the words to “get” sex) is… not something I can agree with even a little bit.

        2. thejeff

          Kind of, but she was already talking about it before the “love” word came up. The “three dates” bit was early.

          Thinking Walky said “love” definitely escalated it though.

    6. zee

      A therapist, he needs a therapist. And maybe a Ritalin or bupropion prescription

      1. Mym

        Both, Both is good

  22. Yotomoe

    Real question. How do you feel about people saying “I love you”
    Like it’s a nice thing but there’s the pressure of having to say it back. It seems rude to be told “I love you” and not reply back but it’s also kinda presumptuous to say it and expect an “I love you” back.

    1. Blume

      For me, it’s something I just say to my friends casually. I’ve got the vague sense that the words are special, and I try to care about it and say it less to MAKE it special but… I don’t think it’s a thing I can do for a long period of time. I just love people sometimes, usually platonically.

    2. anon

      well i’d rather hear it from a friend, but i’m a girl, so if i dated a guy, even if they were to make the first move in asking me out i don’t think they’d necessarily be the first to say i love you either tho i am in the south so i’m sure there’d be ppl emotionally stunted too, but i’d prolly jokingly be like “Thanks, can you buy me dinner then, i’m trying to save this month” XD

    3. yak

      I feel like it’s no big deal if you actually love each other. It’s a little ritual to explicitly affirm a relationship. In my family we always end calls with “I love you”.

      The only problem is when the love is one-sided or when you say it because you feel like you *should* say it (I think both are happening here) rather than because it’s just true.

      1. anon

        lol that reminds me, any time we needed to use the phone (pre smartphone era) to call a parent or so, our teacher would only let us use it if we said i love you to them at teh end, in retrospect that’s kinda messed up depending on the situation. or diff cultures, igot way more hugs from my friend gropu even casual acquaintances than i ever di from my parents growing up

        1. clif

          All the other kids waited until their parents hung up and then said it.

      2. eh, whatever

        Rituals make everything meaningless and turn everything into an expectation.

        1. clif

          You’d love the Catholic church then.

          Meh, humans need rituals. It makes the world a less scary place.

        2. yak

          I quite disagree with both of these assertions

    4. Leorale

      My college boyfriend and I had a timing mismatch, but we were able to talk about it, and to discuss how he wanted to say “I love you” without me having to return it yet: he was legit OK with me responding “thank you”.

      I’m sure that response could’ve been heart-shredding for many folks, but we discussed that I was probably on the way, and to just be patient — and somehow this response worked for us. Probably because he had reasonable hope that my stance of “not yet” would likely turn into “hooray, me too” over time.
      I did indeed catch up with him eventually.
      (And he proved unworthy of that love, way-more-eventually, but that’s the way it goes!)

      I’ve had different loves since him. Turns out I’m typically slower to fall in love than my partners are, but also, that this can be OK, because I pick folks where we’re pretty super at communicating. Many things can be OK if everyone can talk about things very honestly and very kindly with each other.

      1. Leorale

        I think the difference is that, my college boyfriend just really needed to express how he felt. He didn’t need my returning love nearly as much as he needed to be honest with where his heart was at.

        Lucy and Walky are not that super at communication that they will have this kind of meta-conversation about all this. And Lucy definitely doesn’t just want to express her feelings, she wants Walky to love her, too! Which is a perfectly legit thing to want from your boyfriend, but unfortunately, he’s not there yet and might not ever be.

        I’m very glad he’s not lying about it, tho.

        1. thejeff

          But it’s particularly bad because it’s all built on the wacky misunderstanding.

          She’s only saying it now because she thinks he said it first. Otherwise she’d probably still be waiting and not nearly so concerned about it. As it is, the situation where he said it once and then stopped is a lot more concerning than one where he hasn’t gotten to it yet.

      2. clif

        >>Many things can be OK if everyone can talk about things very honestly and very kindly with each other.

        This!

      3. Needfuldoer

        Sometimes it’s hard to remember that “not yet” is not necessarily a “no”.

    5. Bash

      If I were ever the one to say it first I’d make it clear that there was no pressure to say it back, the way Dorothy did. But usually I’m more like Walky in that scene, saying it to make my partner happy in the moment. You do pay for it later though, when the person starts talking about getting married and you have to go back to school in a different city in the fall. Maybe that’s why I haven’t had many serious relationships.

    6. Bittersweet

      I love saying “I love you” to my husband! Though we checked to make sure we were okay saying it before we did (it was like, less than a week into dating, though we’d been friends for months, so I was like “So like, I know it’s really early and you don’t have to say it back, but I feel like I might be in love with you?” And he said he thought the same thing)

      I HATE friends saying “I love you.” I do not love my friends. It’s a massive emotional overstep and like, I have maybe one friend that I do love platonically and we’ve known each other literally decades and I would not say that to her. Love has heavy romantic or familial connotations to me, if you are not my lover or my family, do not say it to me lol. It makes me so incredibly uncomfortable, and I have friends that just say that to me and I’m basically Walky here like “Uh, cool?”

      1. Sere

        Did you tell them you don’t like it? Because I’m parsing that as no one knows it’s an overstep, you don’t correct it, and you might even distance yourself from them over it… just like walky, that’s not a good way to hold a boundary.

        1. Leorale

          A very dear friend and I used to say we “friend-love” each other, to get at that feeling without the sexy or familial or romantic connotations.
          English has so many words, but it still needs more for this one. More words for English. All the words!

        2. clif

          I random-stranger-on-the-Internet-love you and your approach to things.

        3. Leorale

          <3 !

      2. Comic.phile

        Oh, I love saying I love you to my close friends, and when they say it too. It’s a different type of love to my spouse, obviously. But there are definitely friends that I love.

        My spouse said I love you first by accident. It came out laughingly and then he looked at me horrified because he realized he just said something big, but I loved him too so it spared us something like what is happening here. Though unlike Lucy, he realized immediately “oh shit it’s really fast to have said that I hope I didn’t mess up”

      3. Yotomoe

        See I say “I love you” to my friends cuz for me “I love you” means “If you died I would never get over it. Like if something happened to you I’d think about you and cry regularly.

    7. Mark

      There’s a difficulty in English because the word “love” has been asked to carry too many different meanings, for very different kinds of emotional attachment.

      Anyway, to address the question: I feel that when expresing love one should do so without expectation. Love is a gift, not a transaction. If that’s not what one is feeling, one should use another, more fitting word.

      1. Regret

        I was looking for someone else to think that too.

        Love can refer to what you feel for those that take care of you (uneven power, like a child’s love for their parents or a student’s love of their teachers (which is rarer)), those that you take care of (like a parent’s love for their child), the love you feel towards yourself, the love you feel towards your peers, the love you feel when you belong to a group, the love you feel towards certain ideals or worldviews, and the love you feel for the divine.

        These are usually seperate emotions, though they can of course stack and overlap.

        Most people don’t feel all of these, and most definitely not all at once.

        The Ancient greeks had seperate words for them, but I can’t be bothered to look them up again (I keep forgetting what they are).

    8. Dr. Sharks

      About 15 years ago, I was dating this girl, and I was thinking about saying it to her. I’d never been in love before and hadn’t said it to anyone I’d dated before this point.

      I talked to an older friend of mine about it, which in retrospect was kinda dumb because this friend had hella romantic baggage and a bad track record with relationships. He gave me basically the opposite of Walky’s bad advice when Dorothy told him she loved him, like “those words have immense power and you can’t take them back and you should be absolutely sure you mean it before you say them.”

      So I hemmed and hawed about it, like “Do I really know what love feels like? Am I totally sure about this? Are there situations where this would feel like a mistake?” and held off…until SHE said it first, and I immediately said it back, and was relieved because it felt right and natural and good.

      She was still a little miffed because she was hoping that I would say it first, but we’re married now so I guess it worked out?

      1. Leorale

        That is a delight.

    9. zee

      I’ve been kinda trying to water those words down, bc they’re pretty concentrated in my head which makes it feel awkward to say platonically. Which sucks bc I do love my friends. I can probably count on my hands the amount of times I’ve heard or said “I love you” in my family. They’re not bad, we’re just not affectionate. More, show love through action kinda thing. And at this point I feel weird saying it to or hearing it from them. But I think “I love you” are cool words that we should be able to use more with people on a whole. Tell your homies you love them when you say goodnight. I also think having to say it back is dumb, “I appreciate that” should be a fine response imo. I think “I’m not there quite yet/I’m not super comfortable saying that yet, but I do appreciate it” should be a normal conversation to have for both relationships and friendships

    10. Yeet

      it’s cool if I love the person (platonic included)
      it’s less cool if I don’t
      it’s super uncool if they infiltrated my fucking house

      1. Leorale

        But they went to all that trouble! Don’t you know how expensive crowbars are these days??

  23. Diane

    I feel a little, tiny bit bad for Lucy, cause it sucks to love someone and it’s not returned, at least, not in the way you thought. But she’s always been looking for hints of love and usefulness in places that they just aren’t there, and she has yet to realize. Her relationship with her floor being another thing. She’s just got very bad luck in relationships, friendly and otherwise.

    1. anon

      well it is her first bf after all so all the fluttering feelings are probably a bit intense, though hopefully she’s not too devastated when it ends

    2. Mark

      I think Lucy’s main problem is that she’s in too much a hurry. She wants Instant Connection(tm), just add water.

      She should not take up bonsai as a hobby. Or maybe she would learn something valuable if she did.

  24. Barf Ninjason

    “Let me, for our happiness, be the one to love the less.”

    1. Barf Ninjason

      From Dorothy Parker’s Somebody’s Song:

      This is what I vow;
      He shall have my heart to keep,
      Sweetly will we stir and sleep,
      All the years, as now.
      Swift the measured sands may run;
      Love like this is never done;
      He and I are welded one:
      This is what I vow.

      This is what I pray:
      Keep him by me tenderly;
      Keep him sweet in pride of me,
      Ever and a day;
      Keep me from the old distress;
      Let me, for our happiness,
      Be the one to love the less:
      This is what I pray.

      This is what I know:
      Lovers’ oaths are thin as rain;
      Love’s a harbinger of pain—
      Would it were not so!
      Ever is my heart a-thirst,
      Ever is my love accurst;
      He is neither last nor first—
      This is what I know.

  25. Mym

    OhohoHoHoHohOHoHOHOHOHOHO

  26. Dday

    I lowkey affection you, Lucy

    1. David DeLaney

      all he needs is glove

      –Dave, it’s gonna be a blue world for Lucy

  27. Moonlighter

    Cool

  28. AGV

    Uh oh, someone’s avoiding the L word

    1. anon

      better than giving her false hope but i wonder if she’s seen any warning signs that things aren’t going well with walky’s side of things

    2. zee

      “I lesbians you, Lucy”

  29. Tem

    Dammit Walky that is not the correct response!

    Its “I know”.

    1. Mark

      🙂

    2. Vulcanodon

      And then you get frozen in Carbonite!

  30. Cmasta1992

    Why won’t you let my ship sail Willis?
    Am I not supposed to have what I want? What I need?

    1. zee

      ?️ light a candle my kindred friend, we shall mourn together

  31. bubba0077

    This is a direct mirror of a similar scene with Dorothy.

    Walky not replying in kind could be him learning, but I think it is more likely a sign he isn’t into Lucy. Doesn’t help that Dorothy immediately told him he didn’t have to say it back whereas Lucy is clearly fishing for him to say it.

    1. Mym

      Amazing recall, thanks for that throwback!!

    2. Sajuuk-Khar

      Hahaha I knew about this but the character development from then to now, and the reverse of emotions—Walky had some genuine feelings he cast in a goofball light and now he doesn’t and realizes the inherent power so he won’t, it’s just. Bravo, Willis.

      1. thejeff

        It’s also a very different relationship and the comparison’s all messed up by her thinking he said it first.

  32. V

    Oh, the wheels are coming off FAST.

  33. Kavonde

    That elicited an audible “oof” from me.

    Poor kid.

  34. Sajuuk-Khar

    Well, there ya gotta

    1. Sajuuk-Khar

      *there ya go. There ya gotta? What the fuck, autocorrect? Fuck off.

  35. Li

    You know, that first panel actually gave me some hope for these two. “Huh,” I said to myself, “that’s a very considerate question and it seems to show investment in this relationship. As has often been the case in Lucy/Walky strips of late, I find Walky’s expression kind of hard to read, but—”

    And then I kept reading, and. Ouch. Big ouch.

    I do think Lucy noticed that he didn’t say it back. I think there’s some strain to her smile in the last panel; that she’s trying to hold on to hope with her fingernails. But I suspect we will see the cracks soon as she admits, at least to herself, that this was not a good sign.

    It also makes me reconsider my thoughts on the first panel. Reminds me that he’s also spoken about this relationship in a very considerate and mature way with Dorothy. He really… wants to be a good boyfriend.

    And I’m ALSO reminded that one of my own red flags on this ship was that Walky has, at least once, said something to the effect of not wanting to “fumble that ball again”, re: a smart pretty girl being into him. He said it directly to Dorothy, and it felt very much like he was trying to… fix his “mistake” with her, which. Is understandable, but… just not great to be thinking of Lucy as a change to fix a mistake he made in a previous relationship, instead of as her own person.

    (And then there was that ominous exchange with his father, where I’m less troubled by Charles saying “sure but Amber committed a crime for you!” than I am by Walky’s strongest defense of Lucy out of her earshot was “I really do like her.” Just… underwhelming, as far as protestations when your dad tries to tell you that you should date whoever you’re into, not whoever you think your mom approves of?)

    ((Also don’t get me wrong, there were problems with Charles saying that to his son, but in terms of “bad signs for the health of Walky’s relationship”, it was less of one.))

    1. Thulcandran

      To be honest, I think the warning signs were already there from the first few days, with Lucy’s eagerness; Walky’s “huh, I didn’t realize it, but you’re a girl who likes the stuff I like and is pretty” really really does not play well with Lucy’s checklist of dates and sleeping together and getting married.

      1. Li

        Mm, “too dumb to realize he’s in love” is a trope I like, but yeah, something about the very specific way he said it twigged me at the time, too.

        I will say again, I like Lucy. I might like her a tiny bit more every time someone hates on her. I want her to have nice things. But I really think she deserves a guy who’s as into her as she is into him.

        1. Heather

          I feel you on the ‘likes her when another hates on her’. I think she first got really interesting to me with the conversation (…verbal massacre?) with Sarah. Def rescues from her from the Danny heap for me. Like out of the cast she’s probably the ‘most normal’ but like what is a normal person really and there’s no person alive who doesn’t have blind spots or issues. Lucy has something interesting to look at and explore and she seems so lonely in some ways. Tbh though oddly, so does Dorothy now with her recent issues with regards Joyce not needing her anymore.

        2. Big Z

          I’m kinda combining your feelings about Lucy (I like her as a character, too) with my feelings that she’s riding a relationship checklist based on her religion to think she might realize that when she says “I love you!” what she means is “I want us to be close enough that I can want sex without feeling guilty about it!”

          In that sense, I think Walky not saying it back while being a pretty good boyfriend for this stage in the game otherwise is actually going to be good for her if she introspects about it a bit.

          (this post brought to you by my memories of dating in early college when I was still a good little churchmouse but also nigh-uncontrollably horny like our Lucy here)

  36. Bash

    I can see the cracks.

  37. pope suburban

    Oooooh nooooooo this is not good. I had thought for a while that they could get past it but they are just not heading the same place with anything. And now Walky really knows it. Maybe or maybe not because of their terrible fake-girlfriend stunt with Amber, and/or his dad’s subsequent feedback on the subject. Oooooohhh nooooooo.

    1. Florens

      Lucy’s plan to use “true love” as a hallway pass for pound-town is backfiring.

  38. The Jighole Man

    oooooh boi.
    so here’s the question that comes to my mind… is she too fast, or is walky too slow?
    Have they been together long enough for “i love you?”, or is she really trying too hard to “secure a man” as fast as possible?

    1. Daibhid C

      The first time she said it was, I think, two dates ago. Walky completely freaked out.

    2. Bittersweet

      Realistically, she’s way too fast, but Walky also just isn’t into her at all. Like, there is no honeymoon period for him. If Lucy and any other named member of the cast were hanging off a cliff, I really think he’d just rescue whoever was closest to him, regardless of if it was Lucy or not.

      1. Bittersweet

        Like, if Lucy and Joyce were both hanging off a cliff, I think he would deliberately pick Joyce (and he’d justify it by it being out of pity for her), but you should not ever be willing to pick someone you actively kinda dislike over your girlfriend. Nor should it be so easy to visualize. Nor should your ONLY strike against that visualization be “but it would make him a bad boyfriend”

    3. Doopyboop

      For Lucy ‘s probably been long enough if not overdue, because she’s been looking at him with romantic intent for like.. 5 months. They’ve only been dating for like, a bit over a week, but she’s been crushing on him and being his friend while probably sighing to herself about how handsome he is and how lonely he is and how she could make him feel so much better with kisses and hand holding and after-third-date sex… As well as already thinking about their future together and family stuff. She’s almost written out a fanfic in her head of their married life.

      Whereas for Walky, dating has only been on the table for about the exact amount of time they’ve been dating, so a bit over a week. I don’t think it’s a matter of too short or too long, but simply their differing perspectives on the relationship.

    4. thejeff

      She’s too fast, but she also thinks he said it first, which complicates things. If she hadn’t heard that, I think she’d be a lot more mellow about this.

      Now she’s wondering what changed that he won’t say it again.

    5. Mturtle7

      I mean, I’m aro, so I can’t exactly talk about this from a firsthand perspective, but…
      I seems kind of silly to me to say that either one person must be objectively “too fast” or the other person objectively “too slow”? Like, to me it just looks like Lucy wants a faster progression towards intimacy than Walky does. She’s the type of person who can learn to love things very quickly and easily, while Walky is more emotionally guarded and slow to accept change. There’s nothing inherently wrong with either of those things, nor are they completely incompatible attitudes in a relationship! It’s just a difference between them, and it’s possible, though certainly not guaranteed, that they can compromise on it! …Right?

      1. The Jighole Man

        the way i see things, the point of the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing is to be with a person you like, and see if that “like” can blossom into love.
        it’s fine to fall in love slow, and it’s fine to fall in love fast.
        what’s not fine is trying to goad someone into reciprocating that love.
        I love you… I said I LOVE you. BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE YOU, WALKY. WALKY, MY LOVE, WHO I LOVE, AND LOVES ME TOO, RIIIIIIIGHT!?!?

        you have to give the other person the proper time to fall in love, an amount of time that is different for everyone. Love is not created, and it’s not forced; it is realized; and if you keep pushing, you might just push him away.

        Now, it is indeed possible for someone to be too slow to realize love, and it is ok to not like that. you are a person with hopes, dreams, and aspirations too. you can’t be expected to wait your whole life for him to finally begrudgingly mumble the words “I love you too”.

        for a good example of walky in love, look at https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-14/01-everybodys-looking-for-nothing/bag/ .
        He may not be expressing love, because he is sorta kinda in a relationship with lucy, but look at the atmosphere in that room; 2 friends on the exact same wavelength. these 2 share the exact same set of braincells, and could probably be at their doing nothing more than just sitting together playing mario kart; and if that aint love, i don’t know what is.

        1. The Jighole Man

          ok so, i said “these 2 share the exact same set of braincells, and could probably be at their doing nothing more than just sitting together playing mario kart”
          that was meant to be these 2 share the exact same set of braincells, and could probably be at their Happiest doing nothing more than just sitting together playing mario kart

  39. Florens

    I wonder if Lucy is only “in love” because she wants to smash. Wouldn’t be the first time for a Christian kid to use the conjunction of first time living away from family and deep infatuation to bypass a somewhat anti-sex education.

    (I may or may not be speaking from experience ^^)

    1. Needfuldoer

      She’s eagerly speedrunning the first 3 dates so she can justify it in her mind.

      1. Hambone Jones

        Which always keeps slapping me in the face with how darn arbitrary that is of a timeline. Like, where does that even originate culturally, because it feels like a Family Feud answer more than a piece of wisdom.

    2. Amós Batista

      What we can do for sex…

  40. a/snow/mous/e

    uh oh, the return of the L word. Walky had better figure out his feelings quickly…

    1. Hambone Jones

      Because that’s how healthy feelings work: squeeze them out right away or else it may never happen!

  41. BBCC

    Well I can’t see any way this could go wrong.

    1. clif

      Dorothy could snap and go postal with Sarah’s bat just as they are having sex and in the aftermath the comic could henceforth be about Mary.

      1. clif

        They being Walky and Lucy, not Dorothy and the bat.

        Just to clarify.

        1. Mym

          Dorothy and the bat have a healthier rapport. They also seem to have more charisma

      2. David DeLaney

        Mary Worth origin story

  42. Dara

    Muppet down a little bit, Lucy! Please!

    1. clif

      I have never heard Muppet used as a verb before. From context I would substitute tone it down, but I have trouble associating that with Muppet.

    2. Needfuldoer

      How?

      Cooking chaotically? Heckling the other characters? Playing the trumpet in the middle of a giant logo hanging from the ceiling?

  43. HueSatLight

    no strip named “Cool” yet.

    1. HueSatLight

      Willis is probably saving it for when Walky and Lucy get married.

      officiant: Do you, David, take Lucy ….
      Walky: cool

  44. DashWallkick

    This might be an unpopular take but Lucy needs to chill the hell out here. She doesn’t seem to realize it but she’s REALLY in love with the idea of being in love and the whole appeal of Walky is that he’s fun and chill and silly, and she’s desperately trying to turn it into a romance. Seems like the writing is on the wall for them both. Booster was right, she can do better.

    1. Daibhid C

      I’m not sure the thing half the comments have been saying since shorly before Lucy and Walky started dating is that unpopular a take, really.

      1. DashWallkick

        I have not read the comments vigorously enough to know if people are just blaming Walky’s immaturity or not!

        1. eh, whatever

          Then why are you writing comments? I don’t get it.

        2. clif

          eh, whatever

        3. PedanticJerkass

          Since when, exactly, is it required to read other comments before you are allowed to leave your own?

    2. Sere

      He also can do better. She’s just not a good match personality wise. That said, part of me wonders if he wants to put his emotions on the line for *anyone*. He’s been kind of neutral about expressions since dotty split, Mike died, and amber split off from him… a lot of loss very very quickly. Plus trying to reconnect with sister when his life experience is to put on a happy face with everythkng… Lucy is that happy face of everything. She hasn’t had a few months of the school of hard knocks.

      Lucy is sprinting but she does deserve someone who is at least interested/enthusiastic about her.

      1. Mym

        While I think everyone deserves to not be treated like Walky is treating Lucy (or vice versa, she is a monster to me)

        No one deserves a partner. Lucy and Walky should really learn to love themselves before grasping at another person. They deserve nothing from anyone else, but they deserve it individually from themselves.

    3. zee

      Dude, the unpopular take is “Lucy is cute and great and just another dumb kid like the rest of the cast, and I really hope she and walky can work things out.”

      That also happens to be my take

      Other walky shippers are allowed to huff their copium, I can too

    4. Needfuldoer

      I think she’s going to anti-chill here. She’s really pushing for Walky to say those three magic words.

      The only kind of “chill” Lucy’s interested in right now is the “Netflix and” kind.

  45. Acher4

    Next panel:

    Lucy: I LOVE YOU!

    Walky: I KNOW!

    1. C.T. Phipps

      It worked for Han Solo.

    2. morleuca

      Could just go with a “…yup! With a back hand wave over his shoulder

  46. Amós Batista

    … Willis will break Lucy and Walky, isn’t?

  47. Needfuldoer

    Sometimes it’s about the things you don’t say.

  48. Queezle

    This made me physically uncomfortable. I like both Walky and Lucy but I can not wait for this relationship to end. Ahhh

    1. Mark

      I cannot wait for them to have an honest talk about it, blot away the tears, and repair this relationship.

      1. Mym

        Sometimes the best way to repair a relationship is to return to “just friends*

    2. pope suburban

      Yeah, I tried to support this for the longest time but now it’s just something that makes me squirm. They’re not right for each other at all. They’re fine friends and I think they’d be good co-creators on something like a podcast or comic book, but as anything romantic? No. There’s just no spark there and lord knows Walky has tried to kindle one. This needs to be over so they can both move on.

  49. Da Boy

    Anyone else heard the slam of basement door and clinking of chains when they saw that last panel Lucy?

  50. RF

    I think these crazy kids are gonna make it! *double thumbs-up*

    1. clif

      Indentation to the contrary, I choose to believe this is a reply to Da Boy above.

  51. cain

    “I’m grateful” is actually a pretty good response to “I love you” if you’re not ready to say it back yet.

    Unlike “Cool.”

    1. Mturtle7

      Honestly, I thought that both responses seemed perfectly reasonable on Walky’s part. He’s not ready to say the exact words “I love you” with all its, shall we say, ritual connotations, but he’s also clearly communicating romantic affection for Lucy.
      Then I scrolled down to the comments and saw everyone FREAKING THE HELL OUT about him not saying the proper words. So uh, it’s possible that I’m just too aro to understand the subtext of this strip? But then again, I’ve noticed sometimes people get really upset about things that really are kind of arbitrary and have nothing to do with actual relationship health or romantic feelings. I guess we’ll see!

      1. Jason

        The problem is that Lucy thinks Walky has already told her that he loves her. He did not, he said he loved something about her, but to her they’re already at a point of mutual “I love yous”.

        There are great ways to handle one partner saying “I love you” before the other is ready. And if it’s established that that’s the norm, and everyone is okay with it, “I’m grateful for that” is a great response! But that isn’t the deal here. Lucy is trying to get him to say it back, and specifically wants to hear those magic words. But Walky doesn’t love her, and he’s trying to be a good boyfriend, and doesn’t want to lie. And he turned to Dorothy for advise on whether to tell her she misunderstood him and was steered away from doing so, leaving the pair of them in this situation where Lucy thinks saying “I love you” is an acceptable norm between them and Walky’s refusal to do so is indicative of an issue (see: her face in the last panel as she doubles down) and Walky knows that he can’t truthfully say it back. He’s basically misled her by not correcting her, under the advice of someone he looks up to, and his inability to just say the words she wants to hear has the potential to just cause things to go poorly between them.

        1. Mark

          While reading this I recalled the strip wherein someone explained to Joyce (concerning Becky) that “you don’t love her the same way she loves you.” [Emphasis added]

        2. seeprybyrun

          Excellent analysis.

      2. cain

        If everyone involved is on similar pages and it’s part of a shared informality in communication, “Cool” would probably be a good response as well. But these two are *not* on the same page.

  52. Steamweed

    “Cool.”
    “Neat.”
    “Groovy.”
    “I know.” (Okay, that one has extra meaning)

    1. Mym

      “sure!”

  53. Rogue 7

    When Walky and Dorothy had their kerfuffle over the l-word, Walky was still thinking that real life relationships work like they do on TV.

    He knows better now.

    I still think Walky is into Lucy and he’s not just with her because it’s easy or convenient. He’s gone anove and beyond just trying to performatively be a “good bf”. Does that mean they’re going to work out? Eh, I wouldn’t bet on it, but a mismatch in feeling about how fast one should move in a relationship is one of those breakups where no one’s at fault.

    1. morleuca

      I think that every relationship Walky has been in has been ended by someone else. He knows it sucks, he knows it hurts, and he knows how obsessed Lucy is with him. But he also does care about her and doesn’t want to hurt her. And he also has some issues with pathologically avoiding conflict.

    2. Amelie Wikström

      I feel like he’s striving for maximum comfort and ego stroking for minimum effort and emotional investment. Heck, this church visit isn’t even about their relationship, it’s about Walky trying to make his parents be less racist. If he tried to be a little more into it he could at least get some boyfriend points but he’s kind of not there at all.

  54. Alan in DC

    Apropos to absolutely nothing — over in Northampton Mass in today’s QC strip (#5197), there is a closeup of female protagonist Faye.

    Hair, glasses et al, she’s exactly what Amber is going to look like when she’s 26.

    Alas, we’ll never know. Nobody ages in either strip.

  55. Drain

    Oh no

  56. Vulcanodon

    +++ Becky’s recognition that Dina needs disconnect time.

  57. Felian

    Those three words.
    I have decided i won’t let them force me into “saying them back“. When i hear them and i know saying them back would feel like a reaction rather than an expression of myself, then i focus on the feeling of being happy to hear them.
    I’ll try to say something a bit more romantic than “cool”, try to let them know i really appreciate it, but i don’t say them if i don’t mean them, and i don’t date people who make a drama “because i don’t say it back”. Luckily, i only date people who are very wary of Hollywood romance at any rate 🙂

    1. Felian

      Also, i have resolved not to say I love you within the first year. I don’t want to mix up love (a stable, deep feeling) with New Relationship Energy (a fleeting biochemical obsession) which i don’t mean as negative as it sounds. it feels amazing and i enjoy it a lot! but it isn’t the same as a deep, lasting, and meaningful feeling. i don’t want to say “i love you“ when what’s actually happening is “omg the sex was hot“ or something like that.

  58. AC

    oof…ouch…..

  59. Matt

    I’m not religious, and I identify prettty strongly with Walky (and Dina), but I just can’t really get what the appeal of Walky (to Lucy is).

    One of their first engagements was him calling her “a Jesus freak” (well, calling Joyce a Jesus freak but def implying they had that in common), after denigrating church as “things my grandma made me do when I was five”

    Just seems like she should have a bit more respect for her beliefs and a desire for that respect (if not fundamental similarities) from a partner.

    1. Adept

      Honestly Lucy is a teenager and she thinks Walky is incredibly hot.

      Anything beyond that is infatuation and seeing what she wants to see in him.

    2. Uly

      She thinks he’s hot. She’s kinda horny. She is having a hard time separating sex and infatuation from love.

  60. Proto

    I know Lucy’s both lovestruck and thirsty as hell but I feel like Walky is being kind of low-key an asshole in the past few strips? Like yeah he doesn’t like going to church (relationships between believers and heathens non-believers frequently work fine out a lot in my experience) but to keep going on about it like he’s doing seems jerk-ish.

    1. Taffy

      It’s been like two minutes, tops.

      1. Hambone Jones

        This. The comic strip is an interesting medium for what otherwise is at least a novella. Sometimes we readers move slooooow through scenes.

        1. Taffy

          To be fair, every single time Lucy and Walky are together on-screen, I kinda get this “Oh my god, are they still on this?” reaction deep in my eyes, so I do understand the feeling.

      2. seeprybyrun

        Yeah, but he made the point already, and it does feel unusual for him to make it again. It’s not necessarily wrong, but it emphasizes how uncomfortable he actually is, that he keeps making the point.

  61. Yeet

    Seems like Lucy may have passed her scrutiny check
    This isn’t gonna be pretty

    1. seeprybyrun

      I don’t get that from the last panel. Her expression reads to me more like “strongly hinting.” She still seems so infatuated that she’ll still keep waiting for him unless the point is made to her exceptionally bluntly.

      1. Yeet

        she wouldn’t have to hint at it if she didn’t realise he was avoiding saying it though

  62. Hoboturtle

    Oh. Honestly didn’t expect this plot point to actually come up again.

  63. PedanticJerkass

    It bears remembering that the only reason this relationship between Walky and Lucy even started in the first place was because Dorothy said “You should ask her out,” to which Walky replied “Ask out Lucy? Does she even like me?” And also “Am I even good enough for Lucy? What’s wrong with her that she things I am?“

    1. PedanticJerkass

      *thinks

    2. seeprybyrun

      the only reason … was *that Dorothy said …

  64. Adept

    Honestly I hope this ends quickly, because nothing good will come from such lopsided attraction. Walky likes her, but not to the level she hopes.

  65. Wendy

    Lucy 🙁

    I love her, but despite being a smug bastard Booster was right that she’s too good for Walky, IMO.

    I kind of wonder if she wouldn’t be good with Jacob. Jacob did like Joyce, and Lucy and Joyce are very similar…

    1. Blume

      At this point I think she should find something for herself. Dunno, starting to feel weird about her mingling with this group just because someone else told them to- or someone similar worked with them. I’m sad that she just doesn’t seem to fit in with anyone.

    2. YordleJay

      They’ve been on THREE DATES

  66. Leadsynth

    Someone here is definitely trying so hard, and it’s not Walky.

    1. Mym

      Too hard

  67. CardinalFan

    “I love you.” “I also love juice!”

  68. Rabisch

    I really like Lucy. She’s so sweet.

  69. Mr. Random

    A far difference from how he reacted when Dotty told him.
    Also, these kids fall into love FAST.

    1. Mym

      Right?! Like, calm down, you got four years

    2. anon

      well maybe it’s youth but things tend to be intense as a teen/first experiences, tho walky ended up answering in a snarky way (well, the way he answered wasn’t snarky but his explanation on him ‘gaming the system’ was unnecessarily smart-ass-ish)

  70. Axel

    Honestly I don’t think this is that bad. He’s making sure he doesn’t repeat the mistake of saying he loves her when she doesn’t, but he’s also not ignoring her saying it or anything. It’s not the best route by any means (actually talking about their feelings would probably be it), but it’s not the worst.

    1. Axel

      *when HE doesn’t

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