Shouldn’t
Posted on September 7, 2025 by David M Willis


Tags: dorothy, joyce

292 thoughts on “Shouldn’t”

  1. Dot

    Do you want to bone your girlfriend or not Dorothy

    1. Elf grrl

      For some reason it feels wrong for them to do anything in the place where Becky lives and could happen upon them mid act.

      1. nadamás

        The wrongeness is what makes it hot

        1. Rose by Any other Name

          … it’s Dorothy’s room.
          Dorothy has every right to bone in her own room.
          The timing isn’t great, but the location is fine and not wrong at all, in either the naughty or not naughty sense.

        2. Dot

          Yeah as long as she follows proper etiquette (sock on the door, etc) absolutely nothing wrong with fucking in the dorm. Dorothy is just contriving reasons why it’s still wrong and impossible for her and Joyce to be physical with each other because she on a fundamental level doesn’t know how to deal with success and self-sabotages in order to avoid having to deal with it.

          Let’s be honest, on a real level Becky is not actually a factor. She would probably be furious if she knew that two ladies were REFRAINING from having sex on her behalf. Becky is an excuse. The real issue is that Dorothy has gotten what she always wanted and she doesn’t know how to deal with it.

        3. GholaHalleck

          She hasn’t had time to read even one Wikipedia entry about cunnilingus! She is woefully under prepared for this!

        4. Nono

          I mean she could be the receiver.

        5. GholaHalleck

          The last time I said something about Dotty being a pillow princess, I was told by the slipshiners I was wrong.

        6. QueenofSodor

          dorothy is 1000% joyce’s pillow princess but she’ll never cop to it unless joyce calls her an elected title instead

        7. Donovan

          pillow parlimentarian

        8. Adam Black

          Could be wrong but I think Dorothy is having misgivings about Amber.

        9. Ado

          I assume they’re implying that the place is wrong because of the timing, because they haven’t told Becky yet.

          To that end, Joyce and Dorothy seem to disagree with you that there’s no wrongness here.

        10. Clif

          Becky’s bed is the optimal place for her to find them.

          Also Joyce knows exactly the effect she is having and is enjoying it enormously.

        11. anon

          i mean i like becky but that’d be a helluva way to flex/come out by having sex and some ppl walking in

        12. deliverything

          Well, Becky did it first.

        13. morleuca

          Did we ever find out what has happened to/with Kaitlin since?

      2. reddslym

        It better not be on the dino plushie either, Dina would maul them

        1. Rose by Any other Name

          … pretty sure the plushy is in Dina’s room, not Becky’s.

      3. Sirksome

        I honestly think Becky would take the idea two girls can’t bang in her room because of her as a personal insult.

        1. Needfuldoer

          Any other two ladies, maybe.

          But Dorothy and Joyce specifically?

      4. GholaHalleck

        Think of the intermission joke we could get though! Becky dressed up as a popcorn. Dina dressed as a drink.

        “Lets go off the lobbby lets all go ot the loooby…”

      5. cheese

        It would make for an interesting parallel for both Becky and Joyce to get busted making out with a girl because they forgot to lock the damn door.

        1. Finep

          And I suddenly thought it could be exactly what she would be mad about. Like, “Did you even listen to me at the most vulnerable moment of my life?”

        2. Steamweed

          “Have you learned nothing from my examples?!?!”

      6. Rowen Morland

        If Dorothy had to do it again… she would definitely lock the door first.

    2. Thag Simmons

      Yes but I think she wants to not get killed by her roommate more

    3. Dara

      BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE????!

      1. Jeff K!

        Stupid, stupid rat creatures!

    4. YourCousinJay

      Probably not while Becky’s presumidly on her way there right now.

  2. Sirksome

    Don’t trust indoors.

  3. Animedingo

    As little kuriboh said

    JUST FUCK ALREADY

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      I mean, who can argue with Little Kuriboh, really?

    2. anon

      love how eager she is . well she sorta was with joe briefly

      1. Animedingo

        Its a matter of perspective

  4. thakoru

    I mean, it is your room. This is the second best place to do it.

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      I mean, yeah.
      Becky’s an adult woman. They can hang a sock on the door and fuck if they want to. The “not here” is entirely silly.
      Now, a “not right now when we are literally waiting on Becky” might have worked better.

      1. MisterJinKC

        It’s about respect. Becky has had a huge crush on Joyce since childhood. Saying “not here” is a way of not rubbing her face in it. It’s literally the only decent thing these two pieces of shit have done this whole arc.

      2. Vanessa

        This is Dorothy’s room and Becky is an adult woman probably off having sex again with her girlfriend. She doesn’t have any ownership over Joyce just because she kissed her out of the blue once and had a crush on her. And frankly she hasn’t earned any consideration from Dorothy with her constant rudeness, they aren’t friends.

    2. True Survivor

      However, it is also Becky’s bedroom and the one room on campus she can’t be locked out of due to having the key. Therefore, I feel this is a far second. Well in terms of places that Joyce would want to Becky to catch her getting it on with her sort of kind of archrival. In terms of drama for the audience it is the best place in the universe.

      1. Rose by Any other Name

        Sock on door.
        Becky wouldn’t want to see Dorothy bone Walky. She understands the meaning of the sock.

        1. YourCousinJay

          Still might not wanna tempt that while Becky is presumedly still in the dark about the whole cheating fiasco due to her being at church all morning.

          Be a pretty rough way to break the news via door sock

        2. Jon

          She’d just assume Dorothy’s with Walky, though, no?

        3. Lumino

          Until Willis makes her run into Walky.

        4. Thag Simmons

          Odds that she’s seen the paper are decent, so maybe not

      2. HueSatLight

        Presumably, they also can’t lock the laundry room door.

  5. IntangibleMatter

    I can’t tell if Joyce starts out by doing this on purpose or not.

    At the end it definitely is, though. Joyce looks positively delighted to be evil there.

    1. Summer

      And this is why “cheating is evil and makes me like Joyce/Dorothy more” was objectively the best answer to the last poll.

      1. Clif

        I know. Right?

      2. Rowen Morland

        Technically now that Joyce isn’t cheating on Joe because he is geren lighting a continue or quit, she IS cheating on Dorothy by not telling her that she is still seeing Joe. (granted its a busy day, but not so busy she can’t cram in some ‘evil” temptress cheaty stuff) 😀

        1. Dot

          I would say Joyce is firmly in a grey area, neither cheating nor not cheating on Joe. Schrödinger’s Infidelity.

        2. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          That depends on whether she’s decided to stick with Joe as well, or if she’s already decided that they are, in fact, broken up. Personally I don’t think she’s given it a second thought either way just yet, but I can imagine that when she does, it will be to be broken up with Joe and be monogamously with Dotty.

    2. Amós Batista

      It sounds bad, but this kind of malice is what I’m always looking for.

    3. MisterJinKC

      Her entire character from the beginning is selfish and focused on others adapting to her desires. It was acceptable before because she was a fundamentally decent person who was trying to avoid hurting others. But she’s been a piece of shit this whole arc. Hell, she was downright hateful and mean when she grabbed Dorothy from Walky and rubbed it in hit face in such a way as to cause maximum hurt. She deserves every bad thing that is going to come of this, and the only reason I’m continuing to read is to see it happen.

    4. Vanessa

      She’s not being evil, she’s just enjoying her girlfriend having the hots for her.

  6. darkoneko

    …… Girls. NO.

    1. nadamás

      Girls yes!

      1. John Campbell

        Girls yes… ha ha ha.. YES!

        1. Rose by Any other Name

          **confused Kool Aid Man**

        2. Shadowsnail

          Da Vinci?

        3. Rowen Morland

          The avatar? Looks like one of the more wicked inclined John Allison characters, maybe from Steeple.

        4. NickG

          John Campbell’s avatar is the selkie daddy from Bad Machinery ‘The Case Of The Fire Inside’. Nice Coyote by the way.

        5. John Campbell

          Warlock Brian wears glasses, which I don’t, so. As NickG says, it’s the Selkie Daddy from “Fire Inside”. Specifically the panel where he’s hoisting Mildred and Sasha by the scruffs of the neck.

      2. zee

        Girls do something

    2. anon

      i mean their bfs now (well i guess walky is ex status now?) so becky is more of a courtesy really

      1. Jay

        Walky thinks he’s an ex.

        Dorothy should probably talk with him about that, hey? And think about whether he’s okay with being used for his perfect caramel abs – Garbage Roof rules don’t work for Dorothy, she’s not garbage

        1. Needfuldoer

          You sure about that?

        2. TerribleTransit

          Walky is an ex. Both he and Dorothy are in agreement about that. But. Once the shoe drops that Joe is NOT Joyce’s ex and poly is on the table, Dorothy might resent that fact (especially because Joyce essentially broke up with him on her behalf without fully informing either of them what the whole situation was!) so it wouldn’t surprise me to see her try and walk it back.

        3. Dot

          G-d I really hope she does that and it’s what finally gets Walky to snap a bit about this push and pull bullshit she’s subjected him to all year

        4. anon

          i guess joyce did pull her away quickly and her going “dorothy is mine suck it i win” implies that she wants dorothy to leave him even with joe being ok with being ‘open’ lol

          but walkys prolly better off just trying to be who he is alone

  7. shadowcell

    the languid saxophone solo you hear is just a coincidence

    1. GholaHalleck

      “What? Can’t Two friends listen to Endless Love in the dark!?”

    2. Annaphylaxis

      The saxophone solo I hear is from Thumpasaurus, and is in no way languid.

  8. Fahed

    The face in the last panel would make Jocyelyn so proud as it’s so shit stirring

  9. Dot

    With how insecure and unsure Dorothy feels in this relationship I can’t imagine the conversation about Joe wanting to try poly is going to go well

    1. Erica

      What if Joyce just never brings it up to Dorothy and just keeps accidentally giving Joe blowjobs. That could work

      1. Dot

        Joyce’s internal monologue, i didn’t know you were in the comment section!

      2. Thag Simmons

        She’s definitely tempted to try that. Just live in the uncertainty for as long as possible and never initiate an awkward conversation

        1. Dot

          As long as she stalls on bringing up, she gets to have both of them without having to have any difficult talks!

        2. Alongcameaspider

          I see no possible way this plan can backfire!

        3. Clif

          What could go wrong?

      3. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

        Flawless plan. Can’t talk to Dorothy with a mouthful of her either, and she might temporarily forget anything she’d been meaning to bring up. Joyce’s totally got this.

        (If Joyce’s jaw gives out, she still avoids talking. Flawless.)

      4. Needfuldoer

        Dorothy, without a hint of irony, when she finds out: “You’re cheating on me with Joe?!”

        1. John Campbell

          Dorothy has already established that she’s not allowed to complain about Joyce cheating on her with Joe until Joe has tagged out and she’s tagged in. So all Joyce has to do is keep avoiding actually tagging Joe out, and she’s in the clear. And, y’know, distracting Dorothy with sex any time she brings the topic up.

    2. Cassie

      especially given how possessive Joyce is of her. Dorothy didn’t get the chance to talk it out with Wally before Joyce literally swooped in and claimed her.

    3. Kyulen

      Maybe not, but it’s a conversation they really should have soon.

    4. Li

      I dunno, I think she’s just nervous because this is new sexual territory. If I were her, I’d be worried I was gonna be bad in bed, especially because I would worry Joyce would expect me to know what I was doing.

    5. anon

      isn’t also b/c becky and dorothy are roommates and she knows how important joyce is to her

  10. reed

    joyce…

  11. Dot

    September 7 is my birthday. I am now 30 years old. When this strip began I was just shy of three years younger than its protagonists. Now I’m 12 years older. Oy gevalt.

    1. Thag Simmons

      comic time is wild ain’t it

    2. Kyulen

      Happy Birthday. Welcome to the over-30 club.

    3. Li

      Happy early birthday! In my time zone.

    4. AbacusWizard

      I’ve now been reading these comics long enough that if the characters aged in real time they wouldn’t have been born yet when I started.

    5. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

      You might still qualify as a whippersnapper around these parts. Hope you have a nice birthday (and date!)

    6. Amós Batista

      Happy birthday, have a great day, today.

    7. Spacie

      Yep when this strip started I only had a 20 month old toddler. Now she is a teenager and a big sister.

    8. Spacie

      And happy birthday. Treat yourself to some birthday donuts.

    9. Dot

      Birthday update: went out and bought myself a crapload of comics on my way home from my walk.

    10. NGPZ

      Happy birthday to you!

      The world is a zoo!

      We wish you a great party!

      And some sweet comics too!

      ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

  12. The 25th

    They could just put a sock on the door and as far as Becky would know she’s just in there with Walky.

    1. Dot

      “Huh, guess Dotty’s busy bonin’ her boytoy. Better go kill time by taking a big sip of coffee and readin’ the newspaper!”

      1. deliverything

        Alternatively, she busies herself on her phone and, while she’s distracted, Walky shows up and asks her why she’s waiting outside her room. She replies that it’s because he and Dorothy are having sex in there, before realising that doesn’t make sense.

  13. Kyulen

    Joyce still hasn’t properly broken up with Joe, or told Dorothy about Joe’s suggestion of them trying a poly relationship. She’s still being shitty and only thinking about herself.

    1. Dot

      Moralizing aside, this is probably the time to be telling Dorothy about that.

    2. Amara

      They literally just walked in the door. I know every second she does something besides immediately confess her entire list of sins is like, unforgivable or some shit, but can you give her some time? I’m sure she’ll bring it up at an appropriate point.

      1. Dot

        So remember what I said a few days ago about assuming good faith and not jumping down people’s throats

      2. GholaHalleck

        Right? I’m sure it’ll come up between the third and fourth orgasm. Anything past that is just trashy.

      3. Jon

        Frankly, Joyce has had more than enough time to have that conversation by now.

        At first she needed to go grab Dorothy and confront Daisy about the paper. Sure, that’s urgent. But now they’re at their leisure, they don’t have anywhere to be or anything to do for right now. It’s shitty to keep doing romantic things when something big like Joe’s “offer” (idk what to call it) is still on the table.

        If I was in Dorothy’s position, I would want to know the score before Joyce started kissing me again. And given how Joyce deflected about “our EX-boyfriends” when they were confronting Daisy, I think it’s clear she’s actively avoiding talking about it.

        1. Dot

          Right, I find “they’ll get to it when they get to it” very weak as an argument. Dorothy deserves to know what’s on the table and Joe deserves an answer, and it’s not fair to either of them for Joyce to keep kicking the can down the road. Obviously if there are matters of immediate urgency like the newspaper they should deal with that first, but now they’re back in Dorothy’s room with time to kill. There’s no reason they can’t have a serious conversation about what Joe said right now.

        2. thejeff

          Except that the newspaper urgency sort of fizzled out as well. I guess they grabbed the local copies so Becky wouldn’t find out, but then they ran all the way over to the newspaper office and didn’t even ask for anything. Just complained about it.

        3. Dot

          Well I was trying to be generous lol. This part of the arc has really felt like a sputtering engine to me but I’m trying to give the best possible interpretation.

        4. ESB_Stringfellow

          I can give you one good reason why they can’t have that serious conversation:

          Joyce’s a chicken.

      4. HueSatLight

        There are a lot of moments between all the moments we see in the strips. Not even saying I agree with Kyulen, just not sure they deserve the reaction the fictional version of them in your mind deserves.

    3. Seralyna

      I just kinda disagree that you owe your partner instant access to things you are considering about a relationship before you have even decided it. She told joe she was breaking up with him, he offered her something that she ran away from. If she decides to go through with that, she can tell dorothy then, until then, she can do other things while she thinks.

      1. Dot

        I don’t think it’s fair to characterize her as running away from it. An urgent matter came up and she left to deal with it while promising to circle back to the conversation.

      2. thejeff

        Normally I’d mostly agree, but in this case she’s kind of leading Dorothy to the wrong conclusion that she’s definitely broken up with Joe. That seems more of a problem than just having some thoughts you haven’t worked through yet.

    4. eh, whatever

      She’s not thinking about herself. She isn’t thinking at all.

      Have a few in-comic hours more patience.

    5. JWK

      Hasn’t properly broken up? She told him they were through, and when he suggested she keep seeing him AND Dorthy, she ignored him completely and ran off. I think that is properly broken up.

      1. Dot

        That is NOT what happened. She had a kneejerk reaction then realized the severity of the newspaper situation and left to deal with it, promising to talk more about it later. She said she HAD TO break up with him, but she never actually said she and Joe ARE broken up because he hit her with a curveball. It’s a definite grey area.

        1. Amara

          It’s a yesn’t type situation type of gray area imo. If they’re broken up, they will have been broken up all along. If they’re gonna end up in poly, they’ll have never broken up.

      2. thejeff

        Whether she’s broken up with Joe or not is something of a gray area. She has however informed him that she plans on kissing Dorothy again. The question here is whether or not she’ll also be kissing Joe. I’d say that as far as cheating on Joe goes, she’s in the clear.

        She really should let Dorothy know how the “breaking up with Joe” thing went soon though.

  14. StClair

    What other reason could one have to take off a layer?

    1. AbacusWizard

      *theatrically fans self*

      Goodness, it certainly is hot in here!

      1. Spacie

        Plays “Hot in herre” by Nelly on the muzak.

  15. Bryy

    Dorothy what the fuck
    why the fuck is that literally your first response

    i was joking when i said they should fuck in becky’s room
    it was a joke

    1. Thag Simmons

      cursed with foresight

      1. GholaHalleck

        Apollo’s Dodge-ball rarely comes lubed… or something.

      2. Pappenheimer

        “Look, wall, big wooden horse, don’t bring the horse inside the wall or bad things happen!”

        “Oh, that’s just Cassandra, don’t listen to her, she’s always on about something….”

    2. Kyulen

      At this point I really wouldn’t be surprised if Becky walks in on them doing sexy stuff.

    3. Jeff K!

      Becky is Dorothy’s roommate.
      This is Dorothy’s room, where Dorothy’s bed is.

      1. Rose by Any other Name

        **points at Jeff K**
        This. What they said.

      2. Taffy

        A trivial detail.

    4. Jon

      It’s also Dorothy’s room.

  16. Shakes

    Joyce Performs an Indoors.

  17. John Campbell

    Panel 8:
    JOYCE: “Wow, it’s hot in here. I’d better take off my flannel too.”

  18. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    LOCK
    THE
    DOOR
    FIRST
    !

    1. Throwatron

      Becky taught you ONE THING about this exact situation, Joyce!

    2. True Survivor

      …but Becky has a key, right? Isn’t this her room?

      1. GholaHalleck

        She picked out the very rug they’re going to munch on!

    3. Rose by Any other Name

      Correction.
      SOCK the door first.

      1. Effie

        lock em sock em

  19. Suet

    Pavlov. Paging Pavlov.

    Oh, you cad… At this point, they’re gonna go past second base before the holidays

  20. YourCousinJay

    Okay I guess we’re just skipping past Joyce talking about Dot In a way we’ve been told she’s insecure about cuz the girl is just too damn horny..

    1. YourCousinJay

      Also I know we’ve been knowing since Walky but forreal, dang Dot’s horny.

    2. nadamás

      I actually have no idea what you are referring to.

      1. YourCousinJay

        Basically ever since she tried to run as RA people have used Dot’s perfection as an insult to the point where it became a point of insecurity for her. Jennifer especially teases her with it a lot.

        In the same sorta way Joyce doesn’t appreciate being coddled and infantilized, Dot can’t really stand being put on a pedestal and often corrects people or simply gets annoyed when people imply she never makes mistakes, has flaws, etc.

        Cuz of all that and the previous page I figured today’s page was gonna go into that. With Joyce and Dot maybe getting into a small spat or even just having a talk with each other about the versions they have of each other in their heads.

        But then dot got horny and forgot all about that I guess

        1. zee

          this is something that got a huge magnifying glass on it during her extended crashout

        2. Seralyna

          well it’s because joyce was obviously making a facetious joke.

  21. Ray Radlein

    Joyce is enjoying yanking the unflappable Dorothy’s chain probably a bit more than she would if she knew just how flappable Dorothy has actually been lately

    1. GholaHalleck

      Name of the next slipshine: A Flapping Good Time. Sponsored by Arby’s.

      1. deliverything

        Hopefully Willis’ll find an excuse to have both of them dressed as flappers, then.

  22. Ado

    sickos stay winning

    1. zee

      i thought the sickos wanted drama man, thats what i signed up for when i sided with them!

      1. deliverything

        This’s why I shifted my allegience to the trash goblins.

        1. Tan

          A subtle but important distinction.

      2. Seralyna

        sickos are definined by people watching from the sidelines going “YES!! YES!!” which is a pretty broad category

  23. Sirksome

    I am so tired of the bullshit. I think Becky would cry if she knew she was the reason two girls wouldn’t have sex with each other. I hope they fuck and this is exactly how Becky finds out! I hope she walks in on Joyce tongue deep in Dorothy’s cooch and then turns into a pillar of sand from the sheer force of sapphic sin she witnessed!

    1. Thag Simmons

      There are two specific girls that Becky has actively tried to keep from having sex with each other, so no I don’t think she would cry about that. She does have higher standards than “are they both ladies?” for a couple

    2. Effie

      I know it won’t happen but I want Becky to walk in on them and then join them. With their permission of course.

      1. deliverything

        Really, even just their reaction to her asking would be great.

        1. Tan

          First Becky texts Dina, gets a reply, *then* asks to join.

        2. deliverything

          They’d still have to wait for Dina to come and take notes, though.
          “Remember, kids, the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.” — Adam Savage.

      2. Xujhan

        Now I kinda want that to happen, because my inner trash goblin wants to see how the commentariat would react to Becky cheating on notorious fan-favourite Dina.

  24. Poot-pootington

    this is either gonna crush Becky and she’ll pretend to be ok with it, or she’s going to be a total wreck. She’s been through too much already, I’m glad Dina happened at least.

    1. Amara

      Or she’ll be thrilled for more lesbians and girl loving. Joyce simply didn’t love her back. Ouch, but , like. She already grieved that relationship possibility. And she has Dina. I don’t actually think Becky is going to be destroyed by this nearly as much as the girls think she might be

      1. Dot

        Dina is not a magical bandaid that fixes all of Becky’s hangups vis a vis Joyce. We can absolutely expect her to still have complicated feelings there, to say nothing of Becky’s ongoing existential crisis about the fluidity of sexuality.

        1. Jon

          I agree, but I feel like it’s been a long while — several years at this point — since we had a strip show Becky still having feelings for Joyce, even repressed ones. Was it the “hurt itself in its confusion” strip? How long ago was that?

          Right when Becky/Dina started, there were SEVERAL moments where characters (especially Sarah) mused about Dina being her rebound from her crush on Joyce. And even fear that she would drop Dina if Joyce became available.

          I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I wonder if that was ever meant to be a bigger plot line. It feels like it kind of faded away in the intervening years.

        2. John Campbell

          This was six days ago.

          This was five.

        3. John Campbell

          Dammit, the spam filter ate my post. Anyways, without links:

          Six days ago Becky literally pulled Dorothy out of Joyce’s arms and shoved her off-panel. Five days ago, Becky glared at Dorothy for having the temerity to go out with Joyce for dranks. She’s been dating Dina for like five months. She’s been in love with Joyce for years.

        4. HueSatLight

          Monday
          Tuesday

          Becky’s whole anxiety about fluid sexuality.

        5. HueSatLight

          oops, posted too slow

        6. Alongcameaspider

          Even if she’s fully over Joyce I think it’s going to hit her more recent insecurity over sexuality not being a fixed thing but something that can change over time

          I feel like the comments have forgotten she’s been on the edge of a full blown crisis over that for multiple storyline now

        7. Spacie

          True although I can see Becky brag about how Dina is the much better girlfriend and end with. “And unlike you she would never cheat on me.” Atleast when Becky learned this kiss was before the “breakup”

      2. Amara

        Actually, now that I think of it some more. Becky’s biggest issue for the past couple years has been her fear of change, her fear of fluidity (due to her fear of losing people close to her). If anything might cause her to freak out, it would be that same topic but now applied to two girls she believed had been exactly hetero.

        1. Summer

          Bingo, I think that’s the obvious thing to be coming from Becky in relation to this situation.

      3. Thag Simmons

        Becky has actively tried to sabotage the relationship between Jennifer and Ruth because she thinks they’re bad for each other, so she is not an uncritical supporter of a couple just because they’re queer ladies

  25. Madock345

    I’m not even into women but these two are still highly adorable together

  26. Pappenheimer

    Joyce may have years of pent-up coquette in her. I’d say to cut her some slack, but this whole Becky’s room situation is wrong/bad/no. Dorothy may need a rolled-up newspaper at some point.

    Ok, to clarify: a bap on the nose, people.

    In other, less fraught circumstances, you can put your minds back in the gutter.

    1. Taffy

      Only Becky lives in that room. She doesn’t have a roommate.

      1. thejeff

        And once they’ve talked to Becky that’ll be fine.

        I’m very much on the “They shouldn’t be more worried about telling Becky than the boyfriends they cheated on” side, but they are and that clashes with “It’s Dorothy’s room too, so go on and have sex there and hope Becky doesn’t walk in”.

  27. HueSatLight

    Is this hallowed ground, and Becky a vengeful god?

  28. C.T Phipps

    I really hope Becky doesn’t give a shit because it would make the trifecta of Joe, Walky, and her handling it well be awesome.

    But also completely leave them forced to confront what happened to Amber and Jocelyne.

    1. YourCousinJay

      Joe is clearly still self-sabotaging as he has been doing even before this relationship started to the point of entirely ignoring this clear breach of trust fully seperate from the idea of them going Poly, something Joyce already stated she isn’t fully comfortable with. Meanwhile Walky is eating his feeling away in a more destructive way he’s than he’s ever done.

      What do you mean handling it well?

      1. Dot

        I think it’s less “Joyce isn’t comfortable” and more “Joyce had never considered this as an actual possibility and had a kneejerk reaction”

        1. HueSatLight

          This strip makes me think she could be comfortable with it, but also that she’s pretty cavalier with both Joe and Dorothy’s feelings.

      2. Embe13

        whelp once more i dive into this argument!
        joe – is hurt but is not self sabotaging, he is learning, both how to love and what it means to love. if viewedfrom joes perpective based on his actions and what we have seen regarding his motivations and thoughts, there is no selfsabotage, he simply has fallen for a girl so hard that he just wants her to be happy, and has taken steps to actively make her happier. if you think doing so is being self sabotaging, i do not get it. he isnt doing this at the expense of his own health, he isnt getting in the way of his own happyness (he states seeing her happy is what makes him happiest, which strongly implies that he understands that if he was to try to keep joyce for himself, she wouldnt be happy, and then neither would he. if you love something let it go.
        walky – there is real emotional intlligence and strength in that man, he knows that anger is not going to help, it doesnt help, what will help is doing the thing s that make him feel good, and those are lots of nuggets and videogames/cartoons. it would not surprise me in the least to see him bringing those nuggets to amber and dinas room as payment for video game time (we have precidence that snacks are currency for the payment of). when i went through school and in the teaching passed to me by my family, this would be the textbook example of how to handle and process this.

        honestly both of these men read to me as the type for whom anger is an emotion that is not held onto, not a state that is sought out, and not viewed as a healthy method of coping/proccesing. i would say they will (and we have seen both do it) absolutely feel and use anger when in the defence of others, and so do I (see ytdys comment from me). just because it can feel good to get angry doesnt mean its good to get angry, i will say again in this absolute shithole hellscape of a life i’ve lived (and i KNOW I”VE HAD A BLESSED LIFE COMPARED TO 85% OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON EARTH, but that doesnt mean it has been easy nor without hardship and lot of being treated as shit like shit and shit on) i’ve never experienced anger having a positive effect on mine or my loved ones lives, it has always lead to worse outcomes….. ALWAYS

    2. Thag Simmons

      I think I’ll be frustrated if this resolves with complete anticlimax, but that does seem decently likely

      1. Dot

        Dorothy certainly seems opposed to this ending in any kind of climax at the moment!

        1. zee

          i feel more edged than these disaster bisexuals

      2. Lumino

        Same. If Sarah is the only protagonist that calls them out on their behavior, I’m gonna be pretty miffed.

    3. zee

      Phipps, my man….beyond the simple fact that neither Joe nor Walky is handling this well….that’s literally the most boring possible option you just laid out. Someone needs to freak the fuck out

    4. profnekko

      considering Dina’s sour mood at Dorothy part of me thinks Becky isn’t happy since the only time Dina gets upset is if you hurt her friends or you get dinosaur facts wrong

    5. Astariel

      What happened to Jocelyne? Last we heard she’s fine.

      1. C.T Phipps

        She’s possibly been outed.

  29. Haz

    Maybe it’s got be the laundry room?

  30. Throwatron

    oh come on girls

  31. Rabid Rabbit

    I’ve been thinking it would be funny if this all went south (as it were) because when it came down to it (as it were), Joyce discovered she was freaked out by other people’s downstairs fancy places. But now I’m suddenly imagining that it’s Dorothy who has the freak-out, and somehow it’s a hundred times funnier.

    …no, Roz, I’m not saying that direct genital contact is necessary for people to do things together. I’m just saying these two would assume it.

    1. Theozilla

      Well as we’ve seen from Joyce enjoying being fingered by Joe, and giving Joe hand and blow jobs, I don’t think she is freaked out by touching other’s people’s genitals and/or having other people touch her genitals. Though I suppose she might have a complex specifically about genital-to-genital sexual contact.

      1. Rabid Rabbit

        Sorry, by “downstairs fancy places” I specifically meant lady-bits (stealing the term from Becky). Sort of a “Oh God I like touching my own but I don’t have to look at it these things are weird!”

        But then sometimes I am easily amused.

      2. Rabid Rabbit

        On reflection, I may have just been remembering a Garfunkel & Oates song.

  32. Fuzzy

    This strip is unnecessary, nothing happened in it at all. And like, lots of strips aren’t strictly necessary and are there just cuz, but there have been SO MANY unnecessary strips since this arc started and it’s really compounding how much this is dragging on for me.

    1. Shakes

      It’s been 15 years…

      1. Big Z

        Honestly, that’s part of WHY it feels so badly paced. These two are the most telegraphed will-they-or-won’t they duo in the comic, they finally hooked up at a moment with potential for drama in two ways (the protest, the cheating) and now that it’s hit we’ve had what feels like an abrupt pacing change where we just linger on these two dorks doing basically nothing.

        All that potential and tension snapped, but so far no real followup that makes it worth it (unless you happen to be a Dorothy and Joyce shipper, I guess, but even if I were one of those I’d be annoyed at the fact they are moving like molasses in January).

        These two were a hundred times more interesting when they had any tension at all. Since the kiss, though, every time they DO have any tension, it immediately dissipates into “oh hey let’s smooch aren’t we such a great couple”. Yes, this COULD be setting up some of that tension to finally get realized, but at this point I’m expecting someone else to barge in (probably Becky) and be like “hay guise I knew this was gonna happen and I have nothing but positive feelings about it” and/or “hey I’m going to be mildly annoyed and then you’ll dismiss me like you did to Sarah”.

        Storyline STILL feels like the gif of the truck never quite hitting the bollard.

        1. Donovan

          I am so with you, brother. (brother, right?)

        2. Big Z

          Yup, still so masc I distort the gender perceptions of people around me (which drives my enby partner insane because proximity to me causes everyone to misgender them as she/her even when they are wearing their they/them button).

    2. Jon

      I mean I don’t LOVE this update, just because I’m dying for faster progression of this plot, but it definitely has a point. Slowing the action down and showing how Dorothy has reservations while Joyce has none. Thats good seed-planting for future drama.

      1. Fuzzy

        The shower scene and a bunch of other scenes already established that. Dorothy could have changed her mind since then, cuz they did the boyfriend break-ups, but we could re-establish that it’s still the case in a single panel. Maybe two. No need to slow the action down.

    3. Embe13

      until tomorrows strip uses this one to A) make one hell of a punchline the makes the strip worthit as the set up.
      B) make Beckys’ trauma and chaos of her finding out that so many are clamouring for even more satisfying of a payoff
      C) to call all the readers out for complaining about pacing even madder

      1. thejeff

        Maybe, but we’ve had lots of potential for “tomorrow’s strip” to do that already and none of them have.

        1. Donovan

          any day now.

    4. Seralyna

      I think if that is your perspective, I would genuinley reccomend reading this in batches instead of daily. Once a month, or even once a year is a good way to do it.

      I genuinley think the slow pace of comics like this can dampen the experience for some people (and I have pretty universally enjoyed them more as an experience I read all in a row instead of day by day)

      All that said, small inconsequential strips like this are great and i love them, but reading day by day isn’t the best way to appreciate them

      1. zee

        Small fluff strips like this in the day to day are great- when we haven’t spent a month getting edged with real drama just to be met with the fuckin moral orel

        (God i panic a little every time I try to do html even tho im just copypasting from w3schools)

      2. Fuzzy

        I did for a little bit. Before the protest kiss, when I could see the writing on the wall, I stopped reading for two weeks or so. It didn’t improve my opinion of the scene. (It was the right decision anyway, because it did condense the amount of times I was mad over those two weeks.)

        But the problem is, if I were to regularly do that, I would simply stop reading the comic entirely. Gunnerkrigg’s pacing was dragging on enough that I stopped checking it every day, and now I will have to actually put time aside to reading it if I want to catch up, and it’ll honestly probably be years before I feel like doing that.

        I only have two webcomics I keep up on nowadays, and I don’t want that number to go down to one. This arc is awful, but I’ve been reading this comic for fourteen years. I got through the Supervillain Dad arcs. I got through a bunch of Joyce-is-mad arcs. I’ll probably get through this. This arc is not yet bad enough for me to decide that I’m done reading the comic entirely.

    5. Josh

      I don’t think any other ship in this entire comic’s run has had nearly this much fluff for the sake of fluff. The Willis bias is real.

      1. Fuzzy

        God, I would love a bit more indulging in DannyxWhoever fluff. His fluff is cute af.

    6. zee

      It feels like some fat could’ve been trimmed. Is this what one piece filler feels like?

    7. Astariel

      It’s cute. What’s more necessary than cuteness?

      1. zee

        Imma be real with you chief it’s not cute it’s bland. I need literally anything worth thinking or talking about from this. I need conflict, plot. Or like, another more interesting character

  33. Bobin

    I feel like Becky finding out that she’s the reason for less lesbian sex in the world instead of more would be more traumatic for her than finding out about Joyce/Dorothy’s relationship honestly

  34. zee

    im very confused as to how joyce is being interpreted as initiating right here when she just took off her coat, to reveal like two more layers of clothing. but im guessing its just more allosexual nonsense or something

    1. Mal

      Nah, as an ace person myself, I can see why this may be seen as initiating something given the last few strips. Joyce has been insistently horny since the kiss. Under normal circumstances, she’s removing her coat nothing to see here. Given recent events, narrative tone, and character behavior? I can see why Dorothy thinks this might be a “signal” and why readers might think so too. Whether Joyce actually meant anything by it, or will use Dorothy’s blush as a cue to actually initiate something now, will be seen.

      1. YourCousinJay

        Double nah, as an ace person myself, Joyce is tossing her coat the same way she’s been tossing her coat, pacing off and not even looking Dot’s way while doing it. Not to mention We’ve been seeing Joyce while she’s actively attempting to flirt of be sexy and it almost always spikes her anxiety.

        Peeps are reading into this too hard, Joyce is not the instigator here.

    2. HueSatLight

      this lead to Joyce telling Dorothy it would be easier to have sex with her [than Joe], and them almost making out.

    3. Doopyboop

      I didn’t take it as her initiating, just her removing her jacket, and Dorothy caught up in the moment of checking out her new girlfriend because girl pretty.

      1. Embe13

        look at panel3 again, as was pointed out above, joyce is flipping her hair and tipping her glasses at dotty

        1. deliverything

          I suspect that was in response to Dorothy’s interest; the jacket removal itself was probably intended as non-sexual until Joyce realised it didn’t have to be.

        2. Dot

          Yeah I read that smile as “oh she is INTO me” and running with it.

        3. Doopyboop

          She could also just be adjusting her glasses and looking over her shoulder. Like she is absolutely teasing Dorothy in the last panel but I just don’t feel that she’s intentionally doing anything? Though maybe I’m just too ace for this shit.

    4. yak

      the subtext is: Dorothy is horny

    5. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

      Joyce has knowingly teased Joe in a similar manner, so I figured she was doing the same here. She’s also been acting like she can barely resist ravishing Dorothy right there in public ever since they got together.

    6. Clif

      It’s all in how you do it, and should be interpreted in line with Joyce’s evolving expression as she lies, knowing that Dorothy is knowing that she lies.

    7. Amós Batista

      Look, as a demi, I wish more allosexual nonsense from Joyce. Because I don’t like to be so extreme in the another side.

  35. Claire

    Cue Becky walking in on them making out in 5…4….3…

  36. twiz

    I’m hoping all of this buildup is just for Becky to see them, shrug, and admit she knew from the start, which is why she poked at Dorothy so much.

  37. David Welbourn

    At this rate, Becky’s going to learn just by smelling the pheromones these two are emitting.

  38. Thing 2

    Becky already knows, that is why she is NOT in the shared room???

  39. HueSatLight

    Am I the only one who thinks Joyce is turned on by the possibility of being caught?
    public laundry room
    handy in the floor’s public kitchen
    gazebo horniness
    making out surrounded by cops
    Becky walking in on them here

    1. SarahTerra

      oh damn you’re right

      if that wasn’t a thing for her before, it certainly is by now

      1. NGPZ

        yeah I mean why else this arc called “not-so-smooth criminals” XD

    2. anon

      joyce exibhtionism on the bingo card 8D

      1. Embe13

        all i need is the walky joins the clergy and i get a BONGO!

        1. Cimorene

          Walky would make a decent Dudeist more than a Discordian I think.

        2. Clif

          I am well familiar with the Discordians. Should I be Googling Dudeist?

        3. Embe13

          the dude abides

        4. deliverything

          On the other hand, he might appreciate the lack of effort required to become a Discordian pope.

  40. SarahTerra

    Y’all, this is what the Pile of Lesbos is FOR.

    (The Pile, in a hillbilly accent: “My time to slipshine!”)

    1. SarahTerra

      “Actually it may be a hilljennifer accent now”

  41. Airyu

    Joyce and Jocelyn look so much like each other omg panel 5 joyce <333

  42. Taffy

    Dorothy, as always, needs to chill the fuck out. She’s tuned so tight, she’s playing B7 on her sixth string. Over here actin’ strange in her own bedroom just because Joyce took a coat off indoors, I mean come on.

    1. anon

      well it has bee na lot of sexual tension latel y lol

  43. ReFlex76

    Panel 3: Joyce if flipping her hair. She knows exactly what she’s doing.

    1. ReFlex76

      *is

  44. ValdVin

    She’s been known to twirl her hair.

    Hair flip? Her power is only growing. Pretty soon she’ll be playing footsie under a table (covered with a tablecloth) (the table, not Joyce).

    1. Taffy

      Joyce canonically doesn’t have feet, though.

  45. Charlotte

    OMG they’re wearing matching plaid shirts. ♥️

    1. Taffy

      Don’t call attention to it, the shippers will use this as evidence of them being queer for each other. ?☕??

  46. Da Boy

    Oh Becky is totally walking in on them making out… maybe more…

  47. Andy

    So their top two most convenient make out spots involve roommates who are actively opposed to recent events. Becky was NOT pleased with their date. Sarah yelled at them. Have at it. Nothing good will come of this.

  48. JWK

    Joyce is a wolf.
    (She acted aggressively in the bedroom with Joe as well.)

  49. Rimwalker55

    Poor Dorothy’s ‘closet’ has very squeeky hinges. Every time her new feeling emerge in real time her first response is “We’re confused”, “We can’t for many reasons”, “We mustn’t until …”, and “Not here”. Gay Panic takes a while to unlearn.

    1. Dot

      It certainly doesn’t help that dororthy doesn’t know what to do with success at the best of times.

    2. Yeet

      …gay panic??? the legal defence for murder???

      1. Rimwalker55

        It has been used that way too, hasn’t it? But in this case I mean the tendency for a person to revert to form in stress situations. And in this culture sexual programming begins extremely early in life. Coming out almost always involves confronting some heavily reinforced propaganda.
        Dina, of course, being the one glorious exception. 🙂

      2. Rimwalker55

        I had forgotten that cynical murder defense. it was extremely distasteful and I’m glad they convicted him. Might have to use a different term, but ‘cognitive startle reflex’ seems a little forced. Sorry if the phrase came across offensive.

  50. Hatman

    But Joyce it’s winter inside as well! Seasons don’t fear the inside.

    Wait that’s not how the song goes.

  51. Steamweed

    Becky (*walks in): No, no, Dotty, yer doin’ that wrong. Ya gotta set those fingers, like so, and put your tongue here, like that. Okay, now yer good.”

  52. Furie

    Been waiting for a return to this:

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/02-threes-a-crowd/cheating/

    1. Arianod

      That’d be neat ^^

  53. Acher4

    At first I was “No…not there.”

    Then I remembered this is Dorothy’s room also.
    “Where else?” <.<

    1. Dot

      There’s Joyce’s room, where Sarah is still mad at them

  54. Heavensrun

    Flip the lights on, guys.

  55. Taffy

    Becky walks in. “Yo Dotty, have you-” She sees Dorothy getting pegged by Joyce. Becky backs out and closes the door gently. She messages Dina and invites her to go see a movie. “It’s an emergency.”

    1. SarahTerra

      “How does this room have such angry eyebrows?”

  56. zee

    I hope they don’t fuck for like five years. If I have to be edged for plot then I want the shippers edged for a slipshine, I’m bitter

    1. Dot

      A slipshine but it’s entirely Dorothy making up increasingly contrived excuses for why it’s still not ok for them to be physical

      1. Taffy

        I ain’t payin’ for that.

      2. zee

        Dotty covering her eyes and sputtering excuses while Joyce strips and does increasingly lewder poses, going completely unseen

        1. Dot

          A shadow of a titty on the wall.

        2. deliverything

          The Plato’s Cave of Slipshines?

    2. Amós Batista

      More 5 years??

  57. nadamás

    Complete change of topic, who else here has been playing silksong non stop since release?

    1. eskimolos

      Me. I am so shit at it too, 90% of today and a chunk of yesterday was devoted to trying to get into and through Hunter’s March. My next goal is to try to find a way into Shellwood.

    2. Big Z

      So is it just me or is this the Super Mario Lost Levels of Hollow Knight sequels? Because holy balls, this game is harder than I remember Hollow Knight being.

      1. nadamás

        And that is just the early game ?

    3. Amós Batista

      Uugh, don’t say it! I need to work and I already have 9 hour played.
      Anyway, I’m loving it.

  58. ADLegend21

    So Dorothy doesn’t want anything in her own room because of respect for Becky, but she let Joyce gloat over Walky and didn’t correct or stop her while disrespecting him.

    1. SarahTerra

      Well, Dorothy did call it…

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/01-not-so-smooth-criminals/handsoff/

  59. The 25th

    I’m just wondering what Dorothy’s reaction to Joyce still being with Joe is going to be.

  60. Pergola

    Tomorrow: Dina brings Amber a box of chicken nuggets.

  61. Zamperla

    I think we’re all forgetting Dorothy is, at her best, a dramatic fussy goofball. With a pretty remarkable history of getting hot for someone and then wildly over-correcting. Remember when Walky had a cute messy haircut so she set him up with another whole ass woman? *Over-correcting*.

    Also for the “but why so much tip-toeing around becky but not Walky’
    1: dorothys always been a lil casual with Walkertons feelings.

    2: yeah I dunno why theyd be slightly more nervous of the feelings of an only relatively recently completely violently orphaned girl who was homeless, in love with joyce, believed it wasnt possible due to joyce being straight, and is already kinda dorothys harmless purposeful rival.

    Ftr, I dont actually think Becky is going to have a big meltdown, I think she will be thrilled this leaves her as Joyces Solo Best Friend, because a girlfriend is Different. I just think dorothy and joyce are big damn goobers for reasons that make sense.

  62. Bagge

    DOROTHY KNEW THAT!

    1. NGPZ

      okay, i believe her

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