186

Exude
Posted on April 4, 2024 by David M Willis

186 thoughts on “Exude”

  1. NGPZ

    *plays “Smoke on the Water” on hacked muzak*

    1. Van Jealous

      How appropriate! Just in time for the newly remixed/remastered re-release of Deep Purple’s Machine Head!!!!

      1. David DeLaney

        i see who u wer thar

    2. Needfuldoer

      Unfortunately, that song is about the only time you’ll hear Frank Zappa on the radio.

      1. Dang Fool

        Who you jivin’ with that Cosmik Debris? Radio is only for when you are too impatient to get the Bluetooth working.

        1. NGPZ

          I NEED to have that patience, given this autista basically LIVES in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones ;-;

      2. Van Jealous

        Unless you live in Scandinavia, anyway.

      3. Ed Rhodes

        Unless you listen to Doctor Demento, and he plays; “Vampire Beavers!”

  2. Ana Chronistic

    “The smoke means the shirt is HOT!” — Home-Schooled Brand Hot Chick™

    (not that a smoky shirt as valid ID for buying liquor really passes the sniff test lolololol)

    1. Cholma

      Sal’s shirt smelling of smoke surprised me. I thought she didn’t actually smoke; she just liked to have the cig dangling from her lip? Or did she say something like that because she was in a no-smoking area at the time?

      1. ghastlyGrenadine

        I thought that it was a little bit of both? She was in a non-smoking area so she couldn’t actually smoke, but having a cigarette in her mouth made her more comfortable anyway.

    2. AlexaSpuds

      Showing a lot of nice cleavage can act as an ID if the bartender or nightclub bouncer are horndogs (which is over 90% of them).
      If I had a pair as nice as Joyce’s you would NEVER see me paying for drinks at bars, despite the fact I’m a lesbian.

  3. Sirksome

    So is milf energy the vibe Joyce is going for?

    1. Yotomoe

      I think I’d use the term “Cougar”. Implies age without the prerequisite of having a child.

      1. ValdVin

        As a guy who was catch-and-rwlease cougar bait (until the time I was caught!), I also suggest “cougae”.

      2. zee

        The difference between milf and cougar isn’t a child. They’re actually the same class, just active/passive variants. Milf is passive, cougar is active. Milf is an energy, nothing to do with actual parenthood. A cute 23 year old with a baby isn’t a milf, that’s just a hot young woman. You have to be like, late 30s minimum

        1. Gigafreak

          Jesse_What_The_Fuck_Are_You_Talking_About.png

        2. Taffy

          They’re right, though.

        3. David DeLaney

          MILF is what you see when you’re looking at them.
          Cougar is what you see, sometimes too late, when they’re looking at you.

          –Dave, *plays ‘Man-Eater’ on the hacked Muzak*

        4. Ana Chronistic

          “MILF” is not a self-identification, cougar can be

        5. spriteless aunty

          Is this a homestuck class dichotomy? Is there a MILF of Little Cubes and Tea?

    2. anon

      lol well i’m sure she would fit the aesthetic tho i don’t think sal would be too milf-y tho it does remind me of those posts where ppl put on ‘granny’ makeup during the pandemic to buy alcohol/not get carded

  4. IntangibleMatter

    a href=”https://www.dumbingofage.com/2024/comic/book-14/03-trystin-in-the-wind/raid-2/#comment-1786645″> Holy shit I called this yesterday. Kind of.

    Anyways yeah Dorothy I’m not even out of high school yet and I have the same problem of appearing as a grad student.

    1. IntangibleMatter

      Ah shit, Formatted the link wrong.

  5. Doopyboop

    I think it’s a hot shirt and I’m not homeschooled. Checkmate, atheist!

    1. clif

      But it would be even hotter with Head Alien.

  6. Nono

    Is Dexter still known as the Head Alien as a cartoon character?

    1. HueSatLight

      yes

    2. Needfuldoer

      His name is Dexter, and “The Head Alien” is his title.

  7. Aura

    Smoke scented shirt logic checks out for me. Clearly someone has already verified the age of this shirt’s wearer because they’ve seen fit to give them cigarettes. There’s no need to check again.

    1. Sirksome

      It’s funny that this comic has run so long the law’s have changed to the point where they could legally buy smokes and not liquor at one point or another. The age in the US is 21 in most states now but it wasn’t always.

      1. Aura

        Huh, I didn’t know that! Honestly I’m always a little taken aback by the contextual ages of majority in the US, here it’s pretty much 18 and you’re a legal adult and can do most things. The only exceptions I can think of is you can start work earlier and the driving license is kind of a gradual process from a learner’s permit which you can get at 16 to a probationary license from 18 (which has a couple of stages itself) and then eventually a full license after a few more years of that.

        1. Kimi

          I was in Canada for my undergrad and the drinking age is younger there. Was sort of interesting.

      2. sultryglebe

        When I was in high school (class of ’90) in Oregon, you could buy cigarettes at 16, but drinking age was 21.

    2. HueSatLight

      maybe it still smells that way since before 20 Dec 2019, when 18 year olds could buy cigarettes.

      1. Aura

        I’m not sure whether to be surprised by 18 year olds not being able to buy cigarettes now or the smoking and drinking legal ages being different previously -_-

        1. HueSatLight

          What baffles me is the drinking age is done round-a-bout, by making interstate highway money dependent on the state/territory setting it to 21. Because of federalism.
          But the smoking age, that was just tacked onto the federal budget.

        2. John Campbell

          Smoking was 16 in Vermont, until recently enough that some of the kids who could smoke before still can’t.

    3. anon

      i wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t wash it or didn’t include it with her usual batch of laundry so the smoke doesn’t accidentally spread to her main clothes. or sal just drops off some ‘spare’ clothes for joyce now and then

  8. audkitten

    Okay but in Joyce’s defense that’s exactly the type of shirt I wear when I’m trying to dress sexy

    1. Rose by Any Other Name

      Same.
      I dunno what Dotty’s talking about – that’s a sexy shirt. The only thing that might be better is if it had a bit of greecian drape.

      1. Mark

        I think this is backwards — Joyce is making that shirt look great!

    2. Bash

      It’s certainly a good look for Joyce, but I don’t know if it’s drastic enough for this plan.

  9. Dante

    Dorothy babe you’re complaining too much for someone who seems aware of how much cleavage the shirt is showing.

    Plus Sal doesn’t femme it up for the club, and it does her better than fine anyway.

    1. Coatl

      Well, yes, what she says sounds very contradictory, but since she is beginning to really learn to relax, her opinion can be ignored.

      Just one question, since when has Joyce kept that shirt?

      1. BBCC

        Sal did say Joyce could borrow whatever clothes she wanted iirc.

        1. Coatl

          True, I already remembered

  10. Segnosaur

    Wait a sec .. is this the first time Joyce has shown any cleavage at all in the strip?

    1. Masumi

      I think so?

      I like how confident she looks wearing it! Just a little while back that would probably have freaked her out.

      1. Coatl

        Yes, it’s the first time she’s wearing something daring.

    2. Confuzor

      No, the dress she wore when she first went on the single date with Joe (tagalong Mike) showed some cleavage.

    3. Needfuldoer

      That might be the lowest neckline she’s worn where it’s specifically been the focus of the strip, but it’s not the first time.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/fresh-2/

      1. Li

        I wouldn’t count that as something Joyce did on purpose tbf, but it’s also what I was thinking of.

  11. thakoru

    I mean… it’s not NOT a hot shirt. Sometimes hotness is about more than how much skin you can show.

    1. thakoru

      (That being said, at the risk of running afoul of posting rule #8, I am very much looking forward to Dorothy’s proposed alternative.)

    2. anon

      can’t go wrong with black lol, maybe she should go on a full on goth look but other than ‘going through something’ like ethan, depending on the makeup that might make her look even younger/like some edgy teen/tween going through their first goth phase

    3. Needfuldoer

      That sort of look does it for me. ?

  12. True Survivor

    So the plan is show uncomfortable amounts of cleavage to strangers via a shirt stained by carcinogens in order to buy nerve suppressant poison for a first time drinker and a girl struggling with depression.

    I know Joyce is trying to be more responsible and grow up, but I think this is more Dumbing of Age than Coming of Age – hence the grand title of the opus.

    1. Jeremiah

      I don’t get the “uncomfortable amount of cleavage” part? That seems like a perfectly average amount of it honestly.

      1. Needfuldoer

        It’s more Jennifer-esque than Joyce typically goes, so it could be out of her usual comfort zone.

      2. zee

        That is the average amount of cleavage you’ll show on a daily basis if you have big tits and don’t actively try to combat it. I’ve had more cleavage at family gatherings. Maybe its an uncomfortable amount for Joyce specifically

        Also trying to look conventionally hot to get liquor while underage is classic coming of age movie stuff

      3. Li

        The entire phrase (“uncomfortable amounts of cleavage to strangers”) sounds veeeeey judgey, even before all the deliberate Worst Way to Phrase Anything that follows, tbh. Now I guess we are subjecting non consenting people to our bodies by daring to exist in public.

        1. thejeff

          It does, though if you take it as “uncomfortable for Joyce” it’s not so bad.

        2. True Survivor

          That was the angle I was going for, I am worried she is going further outside of her comfort zone than she would want for the sake of her friend.

        3. Li

          Thank you for the clarification!

    2. Coatl

      Joyce said that she completely trusted Dorothy if something happened, but yes, this is an extremely stupid plan, noble in intentions, but stupid.

      1. Bash

        I dunno, I think Joyce taking the lead and pushing boundaries is shaking up their dynamic in a good way.

        1. Coatl

          They should at least have a third member here, better safe than sorry.

      2. Gigafreak

        > noble in intentions, but stupid

        Ah, the classic combination. Big of heart but dumb of ass.

  13. Francoinblanco

    Dorothy, you are better than using stupid logic “I look beautiful TODAY? so I don’t usually look beautiful?”

    1. Daibhid C

      I read that as much more “Oh, right, Joyce thinks I’m perfect in every way, which is one more responsibility I’m not sure I can handle.”

      1. David DeLaney

        you know who ELSE was practically perfect in every wa–

        *is dragged off stage by parrot-headed umbrella handle*

      2. Li

        +1

  14. Yotomoe

    I mean…that shirt is kinda hot. Black is very slimming and it draws your eye to her cleavage due to the contrast. Jennifer’s definitely caught my attention wearing the same basic type of shirt.

    1. Armadillo

      Agreed, it’s definitely got appeal.

    2. Bash

      Oh, she looks hot it in for sure.

    3. Needfuldoer

      Yup.

      *Drinks Alamo*

      1. Schpoonman

        Mmhmm.

    4. Dara

      Agreed. She does look pretty hot in that.

      Might look hotter in Dorothy’s arms, of course, but, well, baby steps. xD

    5. Amós Batista

      I don’t know. White clothes are hotter to me than black clothes.

      1. HueSatLight

        old and new avatar both work with this

  15. BBCC

    Eh, if Joyce isn’t satisfied with that one, I’m sure Sal has other shirts that are more what you have in mind, Dorothy.

    1. Segnosaur

      Does she? Sal may be a “bad girl” but that doesn’t mean she wears revealing clothes.

      1. BBCC

        When it was warmer out, most of the time she was wearing tank tops and some of them showed her midriff. Granted, they were usually covered by her jacket but still.

        Case in point, her first storyline: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/02-uphill-from-here/seats/

      2. zee

        Here’s when she met Danny with basically half her coochie out
        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-4/01-the-only-dope-for-me-is-you/sally/

        Granted she never really dresses like this again, it was probably for shock value for Danny and maybe amber. But the precedent is there. We’ve never seen her in hot weather so who knows

        1. Taffy

          “Coochie” is such a funny word.

          Those are nice panties she’s got on, though.

        2. zee

          I love the word coochie. And its a cute thong

          Also bc I remember you find it funny, oh nooo I accidentally reported your comment. I shall say 40 hail Marys and sacrifice a portion to tonight’s dinner at the hearth to repent for my grave sin

        3. BBCC

          I’m sure it being the day after she dressed up “like a frigging princess” for her parents had something to do with it.

          But yeah, early days Sal tended to stick with either t-shirts or tank tops (sometimes with a midriff). Nothing super duper revealing but midriff and a shoulder strap down might be closer to what Dorothy had in mind.

    2. M!a

      Well, Sal *did* have a half a closet fulla school uniforms. It takes very little defacement to turn “school uniform” into “schoolgirl costume”.

      Maybe Yoto can help us with a visual aid…? ?

      1. BBCC

        True enough.

  16. HueSatLight

    Joyce is bi, but she’s into Sal, she’s just been unintentionally flirty with Dorothy.

    1. HueSatLight

      And Dorothy’s words are saying, “that’s not sexy” but her face is saying “Joyce, someone finding you sexually attractive is an extremely low bar to clear.“

    2. RassilonTDavros

      The shippers are eating good today.

  17. ian livs

    My fundie mom would never let me wear black because she was scared it would turn me into an “emu.” (Yes, she meant “emo,” but she said “emu.” Repeatedly.) The one time I had to get a black shirt–similar to this one, actually–for a choir thing in HS, she said it looked “scary” and I was only allowed to wear it that one time.

    All this to say, I’m predicting Joyce turns into a flightless bird posthaste. /s

    1. True Survivor

      That would make for an emutional chapter.

    2. Doopyboop

      Same energy as the time I got skull earrings and forgot to take them out before my fundie grandma and her friend came to visit. When they noticed the skulls, they took me aside to ask if I had become “a goth”.

    3. eh, whatever

      The cassowaries are the black ones!

  18. JA

    Sorry Dorothy, she’s exuding quite a lot of Hot energy right now.

  19. drs

    the eyes in panel 2, what

  20. DailyBrad

    The cleavage isn’t hurting the case of this being a hot shirt, but I think the issue with Dorothy here is it isn’t like she has a lot of stuff she’d consider sultry in her dresser, either.

    Also, I wonder if Joyce asked Sal first here or not. Presumably not.

    1. Masumi

      Sal once offered Joyce to borrow whatever she likes, I assume that deal is still on.

  21. Blume

    Julie Grey arc?

  22. Kimi

    I don’t think I ever exuded grad student energy even when I was a grad student. I am 34 and people still think that I am young twenties or even a teenager. I guess that it is a good thing that I don’t like alcohol because I would probably get asked for two forms of ID all the time because of that. They say that it is a compliment to “look young” but it makes me wonder what they think of my maturity level that they instantly think undergrad or high school.

    1. Needfuldoer

      It’s a blessing and a curse, isn’t it.

      I’m a couple years older than you, and I occasionally still get carded if I buy chemicals or paint. (I don’t really drink, and the packie I go to doesn’t ask for ID when you buy NA beer.) The average guess I get is “25?”. No, I just don’t go outside much. Behaviorally I’ve been 40 since I was in high school, so maybe that bumps the average guess up a little?

      1. Kimi

        I have been told by an elementary school teacher that I must have been born 30. I guess that is what makes it rub the most. When you have always been more mature than others for your age but people always guess younger due to looks. I am not one to talk about guessing though. I know that I am bad at it so I don’t normally even try. Sometimes I do a general assumption based on topics of conversations around them (aka if they have kids and how old or what school, if they are going to school, etc). If someone has kids that are in their 20s, there is a good guess that they are probably at the minimum around 40, though younger is possible. My mom is good with guessing the age of babies because she has education in early childhood development and experience in childcare. Me, on the other hand, just looks and says it is either a baby or a toddler depending on walking/running/talking capability. Anything more than that and I know that I am out of my depth.

  23. John Campbell

    Don’t lie, Dorothy. You’re totally staring at that cleavage.

  24. sdrainbow

    OH MY GOD YES

    YES

    THIS IS IT IT’S HAPPENING

    SOMEONE HIT THE BUTTON

    1. Amós Batista

      Sorry , I’ve reported you . You didn’t tell me what button I should hit! ?

      1. David DeLaney

        OH NO
        SDRAINBOW HAS HIT ONE OF MY BUTTONS
        IN THEIR FLAILING
        I MAY NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONSEQUENCEEES

  25. Icalasari

    That

    Actually is smart thinking – The cig smell may actually help sell the idea of her being older

    Also, JOYCE STOP NO

    1. Icalasari

      Becky Avatar, no, that is the OPPOSITE face for this!

  26. Mollyscribbles

    my experience in not getting carded (as an adult who has been mistaken for a teenager at times): your energy must be “fuck it, I need a drink.” or “glad I remembered to pick up some wine before the dinner party tomorrow, didn’t want to make a separate trip.” You are not excited to be there. You’re not looking for a good time. And if they ask for your ID, you will be mildly annoyed at needing to go to the car for it.

    1. HueSatLight

      My experience being carded as an adult was for them to think it was fake, and I couldn’t buy alcohol with my groceries.

    2. Mr D

      My experience being carded was-
      I’ve never gotten carded. Mind you, I don’t drink! But my old man did send me quite a few times for a beer run because he was busy.

      When I was around 15 or so.

  27. Freezer

    ♫♫ Born to be miiiild! ♫♫

  28. Bryy

    Willis is giving us ALL a birthday present with this arc.

  29. Bobcat

    I did not wake up this morning expecting a The Mask reference but here we are. Good job Willis.

    1. Dara

      wait i haven’t seen that in forever, what is the reference?

    2. Dara

      OH it’s in the alt-text never mind lol

  30. june gloom

    Joyce in a black shirt is doing it for me I think.

  31. Bogeywoman

    I hadn’t read the last couple of days so when I opened the page I was REALLY confused about what was happening. Straight up thought they were gaying down

  32. Dara

    when they look back like 20 years later and realise this was basically they’re first date it’s going to be hilarious xD

  33. nightshade

    lol this is waay to planned out for “random hijinks “

  34. AGV

    The unstoppable optimist vs the unmovable cynical

  35. Reltzik

    Huh.

    The plan has stopped getting actively worse with every update.

    I think that means we’re saving up for a really big disaster.

    1. Bryy

      In a bit of irony, Jennifer is going to be the one trying to “cure” Joyce’s bisexuality.

  36. zims

    “Hey, that shirt is plenty hot.” -Me, a person who was home schooled for 11 years

  37. Dara

    just remembering the old days xD

  38. Farmer_10

    That’s a very Hetero thing to say Joyce.

  39. clif

    You know. I no longer have any idea where we are headed with this, so I’m just enjoying the ride.

    1. Agemegos

      I think this has to lead to Joyce discovering either Jocelyne’s gender or the reason the the Browns don’t talk about Jordan (is it Jordan?). But I have noidea how it gets there.

      1. Pinkie

        Or multiple people realizing they’re bi.

  40. Taffy

    Aliens are hot. Lean into it, I say.

  41. Chris

    Wait until Joe gets an eyeful…

  42. Ray

    Dorothy is such a game of “Is she ACTUALLY straight and this clueless, is she straight with a disappointing and manipulative amount of clue, or is she just her own specific kind of autistic like half cast in general and being a dick and repressed?” Love that for her. Can’t wait to see where that goes.

    Tight black v-neck t-shirt is the first babyfaced trick to stop getting harassed for ID. It’s not an outfit or A Lazy Hot Outfit, though. She needs a few more steps, and it’s certainly not At The Club on her, but by god is it a first step. I had endless tricks until the wrinkles started, because I’d get ID’d for things that don’t actually legally need ID, and needed to be taken seriously in basic adult life.

    1. Taffy

      What on Earth would someone ID you for if it doesn’t legally require that? What consequences could there be of you didn’t comply, anyhow?

      1. John Campbell

        I had lunch at an Applebee’s with an ex-girlfriend one time. She would’ve been 23 at the time, I guess, and me 26. She ordered a beer. I ordered a Sprite. I got carded. She didn’t.

        1. Taffy

          Well, Sprite is different though. That’s reasonable to card for.

      2. Yumi

        I’ve gotten ID’d to sit in a bar with my parents and not drink alcohol before.

      3. Ray

        Energy drinks, lighters, teen-rated video games. Smallish churchy zones in particular can be weird, most of all if people don’t know you.

        1. Ray

          (The energy drinks thing does not apply in most zones I’ve lived by now, but it wasn’t a thing when it was happening to me most.)

          The consequences include “I’m not gonna make a stink and lose someone working minimum wage customer service their job for refusing to run a transaction for a lighter through, so I guess I’ll just pull ID out.” But it was an annoyance and an unneeded slowdown involving squinting at someone in confusion for way too long, usually at a hurried part of my day, when I wasn’t expecting it.

    2. Jeremiah

      The last one except the being a dick and repressed part. Don’t know where that come from.

  43. DarkoNeko

    Dunno, I think the shirt looks very good on ya. But Sal know you… have it, right ?

  44. Amós Batista

    oh my ?

  45. Nick Piers

    CLEAVAGE!

    Er, I mean, hello! How are you? Why are you holding that fire hose in front of me?

    1. David DeLaney

      if they’re already holding your fire hose
      then it’s going rather well, in my experience

  46. Charles Phipps

    I don’t know what home school kids you know…

  47. Kyrros

    Remove the (con)text from that first frame, and it suddenly becomes the opening of a long-requested Slipshine…

  48. Arianod

    Don’t listen to her, Joyce, that shirt is PLENTY hot ?

  49. Stephen Nedland

    Tying that shirt, upfront, as close to her boobs as possible, without showing her bra, will guaranteed make both the shirt, and Joyce, “hot”. The tease of underboob, without actually having/showing underboob, is Joyce’s best option, because taking her bra off would be, “too sexy”, and make her feel uncomfortable.

  50. Alan in DC

    I wish I could do with my eyes IRL what Dorothy is doing in Frame 2.

    I’d scare the living piss out of every neighborhood kid on my block, then do it again to the lady that runs the eye-test machine.

    And dont get me started on my driver license photo…

    1. David DeLaney

      this is apparently the Mask reference from above? Dorothy’s eyebrow has Had It and has dragged her eye three inches above her glasses…

      this is her finding there are deeper levels than just ‘exasperated’ and ‘sardonic’ and that combnations ARE possible

  51. Da Boy

    The way Dotty is looking away… she is doing nothing to beat those Bisexual allegations.

    1. Mr D

      Looking away? Where?

      1. Da Boy

        Her eye is aimed at the viewer and away from Joyce, at least that’s how I interpret it.

        1. Mr D

          I mean, I think that’s a matter of perspective due to the two dimensionality of comics, but I see how you could interpret that.

          But also, wouldn’t looking *at* her as she changes make more sense if you’re arguing about her being bi?

        2. Da Boy

          I see it as “Oh no, she is hot, I better turn my lustful eyes away not to be disrespectful.” but that’s the shipper in me talking.

        3. Mr D

          Aight but, like, if a close friend is changing clothes in front of me? I’d avert my eyes too because *awkward* lol.

          Actually, even if it wasn’t a close friend, mind you.

  52. Yeet

    easiest way to avoid being asked for ID is to grow a full beard actually but I don’t think these two can manage that in time, even if they got the appropriate hormones

    1. Da Boy

      They should get fake beards, claim they are dwarves and say that preventing them from consuming alcohol is cultural discrimination.

    2. David DeLaney

      That’s easy, Joe can act as a full beard for BOTH of them

      –Dave, and have enough stubble left over for himself to boot

  53. Suet

    That shirt is a good base, but it could still need some more things just in case.

    Cause right now, she looks like she’s dressed to flirt Danny Zuko.

  54. thumb

    Joyce, it’s not the shirt. It’s not the shirt, Joyce.
    Joyce…

  55. TGS

    How did I never pick up on the “Friends of Dorothy” easter egg until now? What clue, staring us straight in the face the whole time.

    1. Adept

      Amazi-girl used it directly earlier. To Joyce, if I recall.

      1. Schpoonman

        Other way around, Joyce described herself as a “friend of Dorothy”.

        1. John Campbell

          Amazi-Girl used it first, but Joyce enthusiastically agreed.

          JOYCE: [frantic protestations of Dorothy’s innocence]

          AMAZI-GIRL: “A Friend of Dorothy, huh?”

          SIERRA: “Oh, the biggest.”

          JOYCE: “If you look up ‘Friend of Dorothy’ in the dictionary, you’d find my picture!”

    2. David DeLaney

      taken-aback Ruth icon agrees with your comment

  56. Rabisch

    Maybe I’m seeing too much into it, but I seem to notice a strong difference between the intensity with which Dorothy looks at the shirt and what she says. I’m hoping for major misunderstandings from this arc, and maybe even a heartfelt statement. Made under the influence of alcohol or not.

  57. milu

    it’s funny cuz when i was in high school we would just walk into the bar next door when we had an hour off and order beer. we were 15 or 16, it wasn’t legal i don’t think, but no one cared. and lots of kids smoked during breaks, it wasn’t allowed but you didn’t actually get in trouble, if an adult walked by they’d just ask you to throw it away and walk off. (i grew up in france.)

  58. George Simpson

    Oooh, boy.

    My personal theory is that Joyce is generally… romantically attracted to women, but is not actually interested in a sexual relationship with them? I know, not the easiest theory to defend after they did laundry together, but I’m actually inclined to believe Joyce when she said it wasn’t as gay as it seemed. (for HER at least).

    It also seems to me that Dorothy is harboring some lust for Joyce. If both of those things are true, then MAN is it going to set up Dorothy for brutal emotional beat-down if she gets drunk and lonely and Joyce *seems* to be flirting with her.

    1. Adept

      Didn’t Dorothy describe herself as a Kinsey zero? Why would she lie about not being interested in women?

      1. Joyfulldreams

        Dorothy might just not actually have herself all figured out.

      2. David M Willis

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/kinsey/

      3. Bloody Altima

        It should perhaps be emphasized that the entire crux of the current arc is that Dotty doesn’t actually have anything nearly as well figured out as she thought she did.

      4. George

        I don’t think Dorothy was conciously lying, so much as not quite in tune with her sexuality. It’s quite possible she’s convinced herself that she just wants to help Joyce get off so she doesn’t make bad decisions. And that she simply disapproves of *every* one of Joyce’s relationships for reasons other than jealousy. And wants Joyce to show more skin for the sake of the *plan*. I don’t believe it, but maybe Dorothy does.

        They’re both obviously sublimating their desires here. My hot take is that they’re sublimating slightly **different** desires.

        1. David DeLaney

          the resublimated endoconsequences of emotional thiotimoline

      5. John Campbell

        “… I dunno. Probably a zero, best I can tell? I guess that estimate could change,” is not exactly a definitive declaration of unchangeable fact, and I’m not sure why so many people are determined to treat it like it was.

        1. Li

          +20

          I like to think folks are misremembering, but man is it just annoyingly common.

      6. staszu13

        Embarrassing? Maybe the GOP can use it against her someday?

    2. HueSatLight

      I have about the same theory, and their holding hands while masturbating does undercut it, that’s not exactly lady friendship socializing she’d have learned from Becky.
      But. Joyce does tell Dorothy to leave before she cums, and IIRC Dorothy seems surprised by that.

  59. Adept

    Honestly that’s a pretty hot shirt.

  60. Taffy

    “Joyce, my research shows that lesbians have an easier time buying alcohol than straight girls. Here, put this lipstick on and leave a really obvious mark on my neck, and I’ll hastily wipe it off on the way into the store. I should probably also finger you for a few minutes, to get that authentic disheveled vibe.”
    -Dorothy, according to The Shippers™

  61. Dday

    They’re just really good friends that lean in close and pull each other’s clothes off.

  62. pope suburban

    I don’t know why, but I really need Carla to come in and, post-sundress-to-get-Charlie, kick off a hilarious makeover montage. She’s done the work and she’s going to make sure everyone knows it!

  63. Micki

    Oh my god. This just gave me a fucking PTSD flashback because, years ago when I was in college, I had a low-cut black t-shirt (well, really, it was more of a charcoal gray) that I thought about in the exact same way as Joyce does here. I LOVED wearing it — made me feel sophisticated and, well, hot. But every time I wore it I also had like vague feelings of, like, guilt? Like it was so different from many of my usual shirts that I was always kind of anxious that it would like “cause a distraction.” Once I even stopped myself from wearing it to an event where I knew my Catholic in-laws would be in attendance.

    So anyway, I just needed to get that out there. I was never homeschooled, but I’m realizing that maybe I was a little more repressed than I thought.

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