217

Tarp
Posted on April 4, 2023 by David M Willis

217 thoughts on “Tarp”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    wait, where’s the dumbing

    I was promised dumbing

    (aww!)

    1. Lumino

      This is surprisingly sweet. I really hope Walky delays Dorothy long enough so she doesn’t show up and blow it all to hell.

      1. ANeM

        I mean the best possible outcome is she is already there standing right behind Joe, heard all of that and has had second thoughts about being awful.

        That is pretty much guaranteed to be the case though.

        1. ANeM

          Guaranteed NOT to be the case, dammit.

        2. Bryy

          Yeah, she’s gonna walk in on them kissing.

        3. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Could be worse, they could be holding hands. Although having slept on it, this looks like a perfect setup for Joe to catch Joyce falling out of the tree, and holding her up like Jennifer Grey.

      2. Freezer

        Counterpoint: The longer Dorothy is delayed, the longer it takes for Joyce to finally tell her to fall the hell back.

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      How about:

      “Come on down Joyce. There’s much better wood for you to sit on.”

    3. UrsulaDavina

      There is the possibility that Dotty will come in not hearing any of this and go on a rant to guilt Joyce but instead makes Joe spiral or even worse she hears this and still tries to guilt Joyce. That’s the dumbing that could happen. Hopping it doesn’t tbough.

    4. Amós Batista

      One day, the young will be smarty and will stop dumbing.
      In this day, we will miss them…

  2. NGPZ

    ?? Awe. I love this.

    *a passing car’s radio plays “Close to You” by The Carpenters*

    1. True Survivor

      Me too, also that song – it is very sweet. Into my favorites list it goes.

    2. Kaiyalai

      Seconded!

      Loving this moment of them both being their best selves.

  3. DailyBrad

    They are rubbing off on each other on the path to rubbing up on each other.

  4. Alongcameaspider

    Aww this is such a sweet moment

    Shame about the Dorothy shaped missle en route to ruin it

    1. Doctor_Who

      A sweet-seeking missile?

      …Wait, that should be Robin’s nickname.

    2. Archieve

      I’m hoping not but I too fear this will be the set up for Dorothy to either jump to the wrong conclusion or threaten Joe again to stay away not realizing Joyce is in the tree.

  5. CMasta1992

    And she wants to see you more inside her

    1. Yotomoe

      And more of herself inside of him?

      1. Just an Armadillo

        More of her teeth in dat ass.

    2. Amós Batista

      hahaha woa, calm down

      1. Taffy

        Hold on, let ’em cook.

  6. NGPZ

    Get messy? Make mistakes?

    HELL YEAH!!!! ✌?

    SEATBELTS EVERYONE!!!! ?

    1. cbwroses

      I think one needs to at least be in hs for this particular field trip.
      So it’s a good thing these two are in college.

    2. True Survivor

      Come on not everything is innuendo. They are just talking about coming of age together.

      … Dammit, no not like that!

      1. NGPZ

        check the alt-text 😉

        1. True Survivor

          Ohhhh. I thought that was just about Joes past, but I guess you can’t make a mistake without a Miss – a Ms. Brown in this situation.

    3. Taffy

      If a mistake isn’t sexy, it’s not worth making.

  7. StClair

    now, will Dorothy hear any of this?
    and if she does, will she actually listen?

    1. Meagan

      My prediction has been that she would overhear this and change her attitude about Joe.

      1. Decidedly Orthogonal

        How does one go about being such a perpetually optimistic sweetheart? (serious, not sarcastic)

        1. Meagan

          Wait, are you referring to me? Just based on this one comment? I don’t know if that is an accurate description (at least not the perpetually part), more like genre-savvy. This can go one of two ways – Dorothy has an attitude shift, or she comes in and tries to interfere. It seems like we’ve already had a fair amount of interference, and I got the sense we were getting cues that things are going to change. It’s a trope for someone to overhear a conversation and shift their bad attitude.

    2. The Oracle

      She’s a smart kid. She’ll understand.

  8. Joyfulldreams

    THIS IS ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING

    I didn’t think that a character would just come out and SAY why I ship the fuck out of them but here you go this is it this is why jojo is so compelling.

    I’m just going to be over here screaming in a corner.

  9. cbwroses

    Aww…

  10. Jo_cubstar

    Awwwwwww omaigosh this is so darned adorable! I hope Dorothy overhears this exchange

  11. Dday

    This relationship will be Joe’s chance to remove the big tarp he threw over his own humanity.

    Also, a very sweet way to reveal that Joe sees himself as a mistake… Can’t wait to see THAT one unpacked.

  12. Dana

    Cue Dorothy to warn Joyce of mistakes.

  13. Yotomoe

    I want them to make babies.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Totally babies.

  14. jeffepp

    Listens to Fiona Apple sing about wanting to make a mistake.

  15. Vukodlak

    This is beautiful, now where’s Dorothy to spoil the moment.

    1. Icalasari

      Waiting until the most tender moment. That’s the best time to strike, it’s when the flavour is the most succulent

    2. GholaHalleck

      I am eagerly looking forward to the train wreck of her getting rejected by Walky AND Joyce in the same day.

  16. UrsulaDavina

    I had a shitty day and this made me smile and reminds why I have kept reading this for 12 years.

  17. RacingTurtle

    The way they see the best in each other while being totally aware of each other’s humanity and flaws is just so lovely

    1. Joyfulldreams

      This is a good comment.

      1. RacingTurtle

        Thanks!

  18. Steelbright

    Aaaufh, it’s so fucking adorable it demands an expletive

  19. RassilonTDavros

    Attempts to write comment describing how much this is making me cry, fails miserably and instead plays “Love Like You” on the hacked Muzak

    …also, because I forgot yesterday, Happy Birthday Willis!

    1. Regalli

      Oh, yeah, happy belated birthday!

    2. Kim

      *Joins in on the playing* =)

    3. Smallmoon

      starts crying at “What makes you think I’m so special“, full on sobbing at “Love me, like you”

      There’s a reason I don’t listen to this song, damnit!!

  20. Mehe

    This is truly beautiful.

  21. Caro

    god i love them so much

  22. P!enapple

    Awww <3 this resonates with me, as i had a best friend where we felt this way about each other.

  23. Regalli

    No words, just squee. I can’t even allcaps squee. I all lowercased squee over on Tumblr because I was just so squee.

    So many years and strips of buildup and this is so very very perfectly worth it.

    I expect the other shoe to drop momentarily, of course, but. Aaaaah!

    1. NGPZ

      I concur! SQUEEEEEEE!!!!

      Also you got a tumblr? Fantastic!

      Also, major support for you this month Regalli, Autism Awareness month can be dreadful. Or are you celebrating Autism Acceptance month as a counter-attack?

      1. Regalli

        More of the second than the first. And more “returned to Tumblr after years away,” which reminds me I’ve got your game in my drafts. Really should fix that.

        1. NGPZ

          ? *another squee of joy commences*

          ? Thank you so much for the support!!!

  24. P!enapple

    Happy belated birthday!

  25. Yotomoe

    My hot take. I think removing someone’s humanity is dangerous both ways. I think when people do atrocious things we tend to dehumanize them. But I think when we do that we are building a separation between “Them” and “Us.” and I think it can often times blind us to our biases and bad behavior.

    “That guy was a monster. As long as I’m not as bad as him, I’m fine” might not be a specific thought but it’s a subconscious effect of this line of thinking. But a lotta people still bring those biases, or those toxic behaviors, or the indoctrination you may have internalized. I think it’s important to realize we all have the capabilities of being evil. Which is the scariest thing about humans.

    1. Just an Armadillo

      This ain’t a hot take. This is just straight facts.

    2. jflb96

      If you treat humanity not as an intrinsic status, but as a condition that can be lost and regained, that might be a better way to think about it

      1. Taffy

        If it can be lost and regained, it can be taken away. It’s just rephrasing the same problem.

        1. jflb96

          No, no, you can only lose your own. It’s like falling to the Dark Side; you can’t make someone do it, just set them up so that it’s really likely that they choose to.

        2. Yotomoe

          Humanity isn’t something to be gained or lost. Humanity is not morality. The worst atrocities can and have been committed by humans. The greatest acts of benevolence can and have been committed by humans. We are all capable of great evil and great deeds. That’s part of being human.

        3. Taffy

          This exactly.

          That said, I’m personally guilty of removing humanity from the worst actors, because I’m a flawed person who wishes severe harm on them and it’s easier to do that if they’re not people.

        4. milu

          agree with Yoto, and further, granting or removing “human” status to people depending on whether you like them or not is kind of like calling people you don’t like unamerican. it’s just a different kind of patriotism.

        5. Taffy

          Like a sort of species-wide nationalism, yeah. It turns the baseline of existence into something lesser, and we’re all worse off for it.

        6. milu

          i’m not sure what you mean?

          for me it’s that being human is a boring fact, not good or bad in itself.

          i would rather judge beings based on what agency they have, and what they do with that agency. “human pride” is just this mystification serving to obscure more straightforward discussion of right and wrong.

          some humans i think deserve to live less than some trees, because i care about the trees either personally (i like to sit under their shade) or more abstractly (they produce oxygen and regulate weather), while the humans do a lot of harm to people and places that i care about. so i would rather see them dead, notwithstanding the, again, neutral fact that we belong to the same species.

          other humans have either a lot less agency or do good things with their agency, and i feel and try to practice solidarity with those humans.

          (now obviously people are being “dehumanized” in order to discriminate against them or kill them. so you can’t make that argument against someone who insists on their humanity being recognized, that would be completely ghoulish)

        7. Taffy

          I’m basically agreeing with you. Humanity isn’t attached to morality, were just meat like all the other animals. The removal of humanity (dehumanisation) is an illusion built for people who want to diminish others, and it’s inherently unkind to do it. A person can be worth less than dirt (eugenicists, racists, rapists, etc.), but calling them non-human is a convenient lie for the one doing it.

        8. Dday

          Very well said. I’d actually take it a step further. Recognizing the humanity in those you oppose makes it much easier to comprehend their motivations, which in turn could go a long way towards either working something out, mitigating the potential destruction they could cause, or even getting through to someone you think is wobbling down a similar path before things get worse.
          Universal empathy isn’t something that people should do because it’s abstractly moral. It’s a fundamental part of understanding the world around you and operating in it effectively.

    3. milu

      my slightly (tangential) hot take: the words “we/us” are really treacherous. of anyone including you in an “us”, ask yourself who this excludes, and in whose company this places you.

      this comes up a lot in discussions of global warming for instance: people will say things like “we humans have been using up our resources in the pursuit of our comfort” and, already it assumes that you have more in common with oil barons and conservative politicians than with the plants and animals in your garden; it assumes that starving people, children, refugees and so on, the innocent victims of the climate crisis, are part of the same abstract “problem” for the planet as affluent first-world citizens.

      “we” can be powerfully disruptive when chosen, but very dangerous when unchallenged.

  26. Nik

    I appreciate that this is the first strip where we actually see Joyce up in the tree. There were some nice comments made in the last few, for but this very tender moment between them, we get to see Joyce how Joe sees her: up above him, but smiling down at him, with genuine kindness and understanding. The switch to first-person pov for this comic really helps to drive home how Joe has come to feel about her.

    And for that matter, we also get a glimpse of what Joe brings up: how Joyce sees him. For all the talk about how soul-meltingly hot Joyce finds Joe physically, there’s a lot of attention on Joe’s expressions and emotions here. She clearly sees him in a way that nobody else does, except *maybe* for Danny. It’s really sweet to see how both have changed in their views of the other so, so much, and to actually have a taste of it from a first-person perspective.

    1. Vanessa

      Very nice. Yes, it’s lovely.

  27. goggleman64

    Aaaaaaah, so heartwarming <3 I friggin' love these two

  28. Francoinblanco

    Joe you are not an anime

    1. Taffy

      Maybe more people should be an anime. Anime has Major Motoko Kusanagi, Michiko Malandro, and Android 18.

      1. Francoinblanco

        For every Motoko Kusanagi there are one or even more ugly bastard

        1. Taffy

          That’s just a tag on porn sites. I assume. Especially in doujins. Probably.

        2. Keulen

          Sadly some of those sites don’t have an ugly bastard tag. I wish they did.

        3. Taffy

          So you could block it? Yeah, I understand that impulse.

  29. miz

    yes…yesss…now that they’ve communicated, tomorrow she’ll climb down out of the tree, but because of the lack of lower branches she has to jump the last bit. joe says something poetic about catching her, joyce says something poetic about trusting him to do so, and she lands safely in his arms…they stare into each other’s eyes…they lean in….and then…………dorothy catches up.

    i’ve got 5 dollars on it, let’s go.

    1. Sol

      Alternatively, she jumps, and just at that moment Dorothy walks into the trajectory, and is flattened.

      Cue walk to the infirmary.

      1. shrub

        I’d be OK with that

      2. miz

        a bird flies between them at the exact instant of the leap and gets squished. the moment is ruined and joyce spends her next class picking feathers out of her zipper.

    2. justin8448

      I think they’re gonna hug it out and it will be super cute. Then Joyce is going to blush by the end of it or maybe grab Joe’s butt. Enter Dorothy.

      1. miz

        you know, i said they go for the kiss just because it’s the most dramatic moment for dorothy to walk in on. actually, i think what would be the most appropriate for these two would be if joe asked joyce if she wanted to get pizza sometime. a chance to try again.

    3. Alongcameaspider

      Nah I think Joyce is gonna stay in the tree for long enough for Dorothy to catch up and start laying into Joe without realizing Joyce is right there

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

    And then they shared a sweet, gentle kiss, just as Dorothy came into view.

  31. Mano308gts

    Man, the SS JoJo is operating at full steam, unfurled mainsails, and topsails hoisted. Heck, for good measure they’re powering up the turbines, too!

    But seriously, this is the longest the story has stuck to a single drama thread without a cut to a funny gag or side story in a while

  32. shrub

    Joe probably doesn’t even realise that his honesty is, probably, turning Joyce on big time

  33. Jaime

    *SQUEEEE!*

    That is all. ?

  34. HueSatLight

    Glad I was wrong to be pessimistic yesterday. I also like how we can see Joyce now, I think it represents them making a human connection.

  35. Taffy

    I’m too emotionally numb to squee at anything that doesn’t involve a roegadyn, but just know that if I were capable, I’d join in.

    1. anonymsly

      FFXIV reference? (If so, woot! If not, sorry I hope I was not offensive!)

      1. Taffy

        Where did you get the idea that I’ve ever been interested in FFXIV?

        1. anonymsly

          Roegadyn is a playable race there. Sorry for offending.

        2. Taffy

          Goddamn it, my Gravatar didn’t refresh in time. This would have been really funny if it had.

        3. Taffy

          Since this didn’t read at all, my grav is supposed to be fanart of my FFXIV character, right next to a comment of me denying any interest in the game.

    2. miz

      hey, you got a bigger picture of your character somewhere? i might like to draw her sometime. gotta show appreciation for my fellow roe when i see them out in the wild ^^

      1. Taffy

        I finally got around to making a purely FFXIV-oriented Tweeter account for them, yeah. Plenty of pics on backlog, including unmarked spoilers and NSFW, so browse at thine own peril.

  36. ian livs

    This is so sweet. My cheeks hurt from smiling over how cute this is. I’m already bracing myself for disaster just because… *gestures to what comic this is* …but I’m really glad we’ve been able to see them learn and grow like they have.

  37. Nerrin

    I just want them to be happy with themselves and it sounds like they’re good and supportive for each other on achieving that.

  38. AbacusWizard

    Joe: “It’s the rain…”

    Joyce: “What rain? It’s not raining.”

    Joe: “Oh… I don’t know; it just seemed like something I should say. Not sure why.”

    1. StClair

      I almost referenced this further up the page. Thank you for doing it.

    2. Matthew Davis

      I have to say that this version of that moment is much better, though. I think it’s because while I have a soft spot for the Walkyverse for these sorts of things the the groundedness of Dumbing of Age works better. Also the twenty years of emotional growth on Willis’ part as a creator and my part as a reader, I guess. Not that the latter changes anything — it just means I appreciate the slow build and quiet profundity here more.

  39. Suet

    From the vicious opposite of motorboating... To Jungle Book?

    Oh oobee doo?

  40. anonymsly

    God, so adorable! They feel so good for each other, so much genuine affection and respect, and I dig the honesty.

  41. Joy

    I ship it.

  42. Just an Armadillo

    This is very sweet and it makes me happy. I have a happiness deficit in my life so I’m appreciating the heck out of it.

  43. Erica

    Oh my heart

  44. mrnoidea

    …I like this comic. I got nothing funny today.
    Even if things don’t work out between Joe and Joyce, this strip shows just how much they care about each other regardless.

    …And Dorothy is going to intervene thinking she’s the one who “knows” what caring is, isn’t she? Maybe we’ll get another plot twist.

  45. Queezle

    Awwww… I think?

  46. BBCC

    Holy fuck that’s adorable. <33333

    You can be a libido with a face and a people, it's all about time, place, audience and word choice. Random women on the street getting random boner updates from you is not it, but during tushy biting times with a girl who likes you might be into it. XD

  47. Reincarnivorous

    Oh man.
    The feels.

  48. anon

    aww

  49. sdrainbow

    I AM GOING TO DIE OF CUTE

    DOROTHY I S2G IF YOU RUIN THIS

    1. The Oracle

      Even the all-powerful Dorothy, crusher of dreams and sniper of Presidents couldn’t ruin this one.

  50. rachel

    awwwwwwwwwwwww but like awwwwwwwwwww

    1. Zaxares

      More like “AWWWWWWWWW!!! :D”

  51. June Gloom

    omg my heart.

  52. PB

    Oh man oh man it’s happening Willis if you wreck this we will scream

    1. Mark

      Hush! Don’t encourage.

  53. LaGrosseLegume

    Really cute. Keep going

  54. Acher4

    This is just so much cute and wholesome!

  55. Mr.Morningstar

    That’s sounding cuuute

  56. Keulen

    I get the feeling Dorothy is gonna show up very soon, having heard none of what Joyce and Joe just said, and ruin this adorable moment.

  57. milu

    Oh the filth
    Oh the depravity

    1. True Survivor

      Hey Milu. I know this unrelated to your comment, but I just wanted to thank you, as, if you recall, a while ago you took the time to ask me what my dreams where. I never responded as I did not see that comment in time and there is no reason to bore you with them, but it was very nice of you to ask – it really made my day.

      1. milu

        oh hey, that’s a really sweet thing to say <3

        and i'm still curious if you want to share. it wouldn't bore me.

  58. AGV

    This almost reads like a musical, which the Steven Universe nerd in me really likes

  59. milu

    Least realistic strip ever. Unfollowed

    1. milu

      It’s like hey what if: the straights were okay???

      1. milu

        What’s next, not systematically generalizing any specific gripe you have with the other person to their entire gender?? Mass-hysteria-cats-and-dogs shit

      2. Amós Batista

        yeah

      3. Amós Batista

        I just not convinced about “libido with a face”, you know? Like, what guy could be sad to be called like it? A handsome man like him.

        Peharps it can be because she have threw all Joe’s efforts to be a better man. All his process, since the Do List, to left his filthy jock past behind. But still ..

        And I still not convinced about Joyce needing to be all apologizy yesterday.

        Anyway, I think Joe won her heart today, so, what we can do??

        1. milu

          “what guy could be sad to be called like it?”

          it’s super reductive!

        2. The Oracle

          Reductiveness gets results, for better or worse.

        3. milu

          i don’t know, maybe, but can it make you sad? yes. yes it can

    2. NGPZ

      sorry my sarcasm detector is broken again XD

      1. milu

        Well tbf i haven’t yet decided if im being
        a) sarcastic
        b) mostly sarcastic
        c) chaotic neutral
        d) honestly meh’d out

  60. Needfuldoer

    Aww…

    Cue Dorothy in 5… 4… 3…

    1. Lone Duck

      I had the same exact thought!! Mind twins!

      1. Needfuldoer

        Perfect Gravatar for the occasion, too.

  61. Moonlighter

    Well, she did say she wanted to enjoy the view from on top.

  62. Arcee

    Aww make me start to finally ship it why don’t ya

  63. Amós Batista

    “I’m just an idiot who doesn’t know what she’s doing”
    Did she speak right? It isn’t something like: “doesn’t know what I’m doing”?
    Or did I forget something?

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      You’ve got The Joyce and The Anti-Joyce timesharing the same mouth*. Things are bound to get a bit muddled.

      * Which is also probabilisticly knawing on the tushie of Joe/Anti-Joe.

    2. miz

      describing oneself in third-person like that is a pretty common thing. i don’t know if it has a name, but think of it like the descriptor being all one specific thing, a description of a type of person, that you then apply to yourself. so joyce is saying “i’m a [X]” and X in this case is “person who doesn’t know what she’s doing”. so the pronouns stay the same because they are tied specifically to the description.

      1. milu

        it’s a sentence containing two separate clauses, one noun phrase: “I’m just an idiot” (subject: “I”) and a relative clause: “who doesn’t know what she’s doing” (subject: “who”)

        “who” is a relative pronoun, as such the verb in the relative clause has to agree with that pronoun. “who” is a 3rd person pronoun, hence “she”.

    3. HueSatLight

      both ways of saying it are ok

      1. milu

        “i’m just an idiot who doesn’t know what i’m doing”? that sounds ok to you? my own intuition is that it feels wrong, or maybe just clumsy. but i’m curious as to how other people parse it.

        1. HueSatLight

          Yes, they mean the same thing. “They” or “I” seems the most intuitive to me. Then “he” or “she” (but not “he or she”).

        2. a/snow/mous/e

          I feel like “I’m just an idiot who doesn’t know what I’m doing” would imply “Of the idiots who don’t know what Joyce is doing, I’m one of them.” “They” would make sense, but that’s because “they” can be a gender-neutral pronoun, so “they” always works instead of “she” or “he”…

        3. a/snow/mous/e

          Thinking about it more, I’ve changed my mind back to thinking “I’m” is fine. “She’s” is also fine. “They’re” as well, but not any more so than “she’s”, I think.

  64. Plaaaa

    That’s a real panty dropper of a line!

  65. keet

    i love this for them!

  66. DarkoNeko

    That’s… very nice.
    now don’t butty in, Dotty.

  67. AlaninDC

    Wonder if the Muzak has any old schmaltzy Silent-Movie-esque violin tracks, along the lines of “Hearts & Flowers”?
    The stuff that plays when the heroine bats her eyes and the square-jawed male romantic lead unties her from the railroad tracks?
    Oh, and the birdie water-whistle too.

  68. lamppost

    Dorothy incoming in 3… 2…

  69. Schpoonman

    Healing.

    Properties.

    Seriously, these two are like the healing tanks from Dragon Ball Z, just stick me in a box filled with these strips and I’ll pop out in a few days acting like Mr. Rogers.

  70. FadingMemory

    Regardless of whatever happens next, I absolutely love this moment in time.

  71. kgy121

    Good thing they’re already next to a tree. Can blame it for all this sap.

    1. milu

      heyoooo ??

    2. Alan in DC

      Lol! Wish I came up with that!

    3. The Oracle

      You’re grounded for a month.

  72. Chaucer59

    Enter Dorothy: “Ha! Joe! I caught you. Now, stand still while I throw this tarp over you and stake it down.”

    1. The Jighole Man

      I get the feeling you might be right.
      Hopefully Dorothy just says something dumb and doesn’t try to send a few girls to Joe to prove he’s bad.

      1. Taffy

        That doesn’t sound like something she’d do. Plus, the only girls she knows actively dislike Joe and wouldn’t wanna play along.

  73. Big Z

    This? This comic is pure life fuel.

  74. vulcanodon

    This is absolutely lovely. Heartwarming and I am all here for it

    I mean, of course Dorothy is closing in like a drone strike but

  75. Rabisch

    Awwwwwww♡.

  76. Lysbeth

    They’re so cute.

  77. Lysbeth

    (Dumbing of Age book 13: “Joe, you’re a people”)

  78. NameLips

    And then they kissed, and lived happily ever after.

    1. LovelyMonsters

      THE END quick before they fuck it up

  79. Blue

    Goddamn it who is cutting onions!

  80. ADLegend21

    yay we’re addressing Joe’s self loathing! Wooo~!

  81. Nicoleandmaggie

    They may have to start kissing first.

    1. Nicoleandmaggie

      Oops that was supposed to be a reply to incoming Dorothy in 3 2 1…

  82. Vangeln

    Joyce looks like she’s posing.

  83. Allie_KO

    Jeez Louise, y’all have a complex about dorothy.

    1. Taffy

      The last time we saw her, she got pissy about Joe and Joyce flirting and was about to go after them for undisclosed (but probably scolding-flavored) reasons. It’s not a “complex” to guess that she’s gonna stir up some sort of fuss soon, it’s reading comprehension.

      1. Allie_KO

        No reaction to Dorothy in the comments section has had hinges. Others giving similar issues got waved off or treated like they were being goofy.

        1. Taffy

          You’re being hyperbolic, exaggerating, blowing it out of proportion, making a mountain out of a molehill, getting carried away, and otherwise making people out to be much less rational than they’re being. If you can point out any of these allegedly unhinged reactions and explain even briefly why they’re so hingeless, I’ll happily concede that everyone who mentions Dorothy is a dangerous lunatic with a gun and a manifesto.

        2. Allie_KO

          That sounds like a really good faith ask with extremely static goalposts, but I think I’ll pass. Have fun getting angry about hypothetical things dorothy might do, ig.

        3. Taffy

          Okay, so the “gun and manifesto” part was a little sarcastic. There’s no “goalposts” here though, and I’m certainly not “angry about blah blah blah”. You’re too busy assuming other people’s emotional and mental states to act like a normal person though, so your response probably would have been equally shitty anyhow.

        4. Taffy

          Like, goddamn. You open up with “y’all have a complex” and then expect nobody to question that even a little? Judgemental and self righteous.

        5. The Oracle

          Not to be rude, but who cares? You’re just gonna forget about this interaction when the next strip goes up in six hours. It’s not worth having a reaction over.

        6. Allie_KO

          I genuinely don’t know how to start with this if “people getting angry in anticipation of dorothy doing something vaguely nefarious” is reasonable to you. It’s not, it’s actually not a good thing to invent reasons to be mad. But there actually are some examples if you truly want em:

          – people were alleging or outright accusing dorothy of being a predator for teaching a friend a convenient way to get off as old as tumble dryers.
          – people were saying dorothy was unfair to Joe, someone she’s known for several years and who has given her no reason to trust his intentions, for wanting the known playboy to not play with the feelings of a friend whose attempted rapist tried to murder Dorothy recently.
          – Dorothy has openly and willingly risked her life and reputation for Joyce more than once, people insist it’s some weird control thing.
          – Willis actually commented on his twitter that people on Patreon thought Dorothy’s tribute to Mike was touching and kind, but in the comment section folks thought it was cruel and selfish.
          – people acting like being firm with a friend who needs glasses to either sit closer to the board or to get an eye exam was abuse. Even Becky didn’t have that reaction when she actually talked to Joyce.

          None of those are normal reactions or good faith reads of a character who ultimately has done nothing worse than Danny or Joyce herself. So yes, I say a complex because people will turn the things that happened into something they’re not. And in this case, she literally didn’t do anything to warrant it because she quite literally hasn’t done anything because she’s not here.

        7. Allie_KO

          See also this post from Willis, btw: https://twitter.com/damnyouwillis/status/1178752799884099585

        8. Taffy

          Well, I hate to ruin your narrative of moved goalposts, but this is exactly the sort of reply I was hoping for. If anything, you gave more examples than I’d been expecting. I still don’t think today’s comments in specific have been particularly harsh or “inventing reasons to be mad”, but other than that tiny quibble, I think I understand your point completely now. Overall, Dorothy’s totally been put under a frankly ridiculous amount of scrutiny for no greater crime than being sort of an overachiever, it’s true.

        9. The Oracle

          Idk, it seemed like a reasonable request to me. Taffy’s just kind of weird with their(?) word choices, often in very unhelpful ways, but the basic question was pretty normal. What are these unhinged takes you’re seeing? I’m personally just curious, because I haven’t seen/noticed ,them and other people’s perspectives are fun to read.

        10. Allie_KO

          I’ve given some examples above, hopefully they’re a good read.

        11. Nicoleandmaggie

          There was someone saying they hoped Dorothy would get her comeuppance earlier. Not sure for what and it seems kind of mean spirited given she’s already not having a great time right now.

          That said, Dorothy hasn’t yet learned to stay out of other people’s love lives. I hadn’t yet at 19 either. Something I definitely learned in college!

          And I’m not really looking forward to Dorothy catching up with them but given the heavy foreshadowing…

  84. poyo

    “sometimes it’s easier to throw a bog ol’ tarp over somebody’s humanity” holy shit thats a great quote. holding onto that forever

    1. vulcanodon

      Seconded!

  85. pyrock_mania

    please, please have Dorothy be just out of frame right now so she has CONTEXT because if she shows up much after this it’s going to look real bad to her.

    1. Taffy

      Dorothy and Joe are the same person. Think about it, have you ever seen them in the same place, especially near Joyce? Joyce is obviously so unfathomably gay for Dorothy and is suppressing that gayness so intensely, that she’s created a sort of thought-form of an “ideal” man to help herself hide from her gay thoughts. It’s all there, black and white, clear as crystal! You stole fizzy lifting drinks! You bumped into the ceiling which now has to be washed and sterilized, so you get nothing! You Lose!

  86. Stu

    Welp, we got a new meme template – “Oh Joyce of the Tree, what is your wisdom?”

    1. HueSatLight

      She’s almost in the pose of a Yakshi in an Ashoka tree.

      1. Taffy

        I had to look up what a Yakshi was, but now I have to thank you, because the image results have some fine-ass statues.

        (It’s okay to objectify a literal object, right?)

        1. Schpoonman

          Okay, I also Googled it, but then I remembered where I first heard “Yakshi”: Mass Effect 2.

        2. Taffy

          Thank fuck it’s not just me. I read it and I’m like “…The space succubi?”. Probably not a coincidence, I bet. That game’s names are really on the nose, sometimes.

        3. Schpoonman

          “Ardat” was giving results from the show Supernatural and I thiiiiink an actual Mesopotamian mythological character, so almost certainly not a coincidence.

  87. Rotunda

    The camera moves in closer to Joyce and Joe as the strip proceeds from left to right, so even though neither moves from their initial position, we get a feeling of them drawing closer. This is truly excellent cinematography.

  88. chuckroast

    I’ve said this before, but IT’S HAPPENING

  89. ninja_jesus

    Goddamn it I’m a believer. This is so cute.

  90. brumagem

    Extremely out of character for Joe to say something that legit makes me tear up ;____;

  91. Meagan

    I find myself wondering what specifically Joe is thinking of when he says that Joyce isn’t afraid to make mistakes and learn from them and grow. Any ideas?

  92. Bunny

    Surprisingly Pure.

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