223

Bozo
Posted on July 20, 2024 by David M Willis

223 thoughts on “Bozo”

  1. darkoneko

    Joe “looks like I’m the designated sober person tonight”

    1. Doctor_Who

      That’s generally me, so I have the utmost sympathy.

      Plus side, you also get to be the group’s documentarian, which can be amusing. I have friends whose kids are getting some hilarious footage of their parents in their 20s when the time is right.

      1. darkoneko

        ooh better save those in several backups, never can be too careful

      2. Frith Ra

        Ooh, i should have done rhat with my little brother (the sodden sot) when he was in his 20’s. And gave them to his kids when the eldest turned 15.

      3. Jesse

        Noice.

        1. Jesse

          (@Doctor_Who)

      4. FlyingFish

        I inadvertently found myself in that role my own freshman year in college, when a quartet of sloshed individuals wandered into the dorm commons and were very silly for several minutes. I didn’t have a camera handy (this predated smartphones), but I still like telling their tale even today. (Names anonymized, of course… I actually don’t remember most of their real names at this point anyway, it’s been so long.)

      5. Oz

        I was the designated sober person until I turned 40. I have soo much dirt on my siblings it’s almost frightening!

    2. Ray

      Looks like Joe might also be designated no-hanky-panky, too…..

  2. NGPZ

    *plays “Close to You” by The Carpenters on hacked muzak*

    1. True Survivor

      That is a fantastic song. One of my favorites.

    2. Puppeteer Nessus

      They are very cute in those panels

      1. Michael Steamweed

        Clearly I need more coffee, because my muzzy just-woke brain read that as “They are very cute in those panties.” And yeah my mind went to that visual. But perhaps I’m projecting forward to a next-week comic. 🙂

    3. DaveM

      Obligatory XKCD reference: https://xkcd.com/348/

      Cues up Shonen Knife’s thrash pop version of ‘Top of the world’ to follow (Richard Carpenter is on record as saying that Karen would have adored this version).

    4. Shadowsnail

      Dexter prefers Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft.

  3. Thag Simmons

    Joyce I don’t know if Dorothy was saying you were jealous of her

    1. Grimey

      Yeah I clocked that too. Between that and ‘whatever’ we are going down a road…

      1. Doctor_Who

        I think the thought of Whatever sent her into a moment of Unconscious Gay Panic, which is why she is now demanding Heterosexual Makeouts.

        1. ian livs

          So… the term “gay panic” refers to a legal defense generally used when queer people get murdered, to say the violence was “justified” bc they were gay. I know it gets thrown around a lot as slang, but the real meaning is really fucked up

        2. Jo_cubstar

          Yikes I did not know that. :/

        3. Doctor_Who

          Oops, sorry, I was only familiar with the slang usage, didn’t realize it was a loaded term.

        4. Freemage

          Slightly more specifically, it refers to situations where the assailant claims that the victim of the assault/homicide was, in some fashion, attempting to seduce or rape the assailant, generally based on nothing more than the fact that they were gay and therefore had to be sexual predators. (Ie, there’s no actual claim of self-defense, merely the idea that it’s reasonable for a straight man to assume that a gay man is going to rape him, and therefore to react with violence to the perceived threat.)

          This is, of course, a massive case of projection–straight men, knowing how straight men have treated women over the entire course of human history, assume that gay men will treat straight men the same way if given an opportunity to do so.

          Yes, it’s deeply and profoundly disgusting.

        5. thejeff

          Or it just made her think about sex, which also leads to her demanding makeouts.

          It’s certainly possible and Willis is definitely teasing it here, but this isn’t a case where there’s no possible heterosexual reason.

    2. Rose by Any Other Name

      I’m absolutely certain that Dorothy meant Joyce was jealous of Walky.
      Time to let those bi flags fly!

      1. Davus

        I would agree with your analysis, because that is what happened. Joyce was jealous that Dorothy was spending all her times with Walky, except it is entirely possible that Joyce is straight but has a queer-platonic relationship with Dorothy.

        1. Akane

          Joyce isn’t straight, in my opinion.

      2. Reltzik

        No, you don’t understand. Joyce isn’t jealous of Walky getting romance (and/or sex) from Dorothy. Joyce is just jealous of him getting her TIME.

        In other words, Joyce just wants to be able to be a friend of Dorothy. A gal pal. That’s all!

        1. Meagan

          co-sign on this interpretation, regardless of what unfolds in the future. It’s very possible to be jealous of a boyfriend taking a friend’s time, without romantic attraction.

        2. Reltzik

          …. maybe I need to be less subtle.

        3. tyersome

          Yes, your failure to use a rainbow font for “friend of Dorothy” was a terrible mistake — I’m hope someone will come up with a suitable punishment

        4. GholaHalleck

          Oh my god. If the is was a set up for a Friends of Dorothy joke I’m going to have to finally forgive Leslie Bean…

        5. John Campbell

          That ship sailed a long time ago.

        6. Clif

          Yes, yes. Be less subtle.

          But more ambiguous.

        7. Adam Black

          Woof-Woof. thats what Bluesky is for

        8. Marianne

          Perhaps, in time, they could become roommates!

        9. Shadowsnail

          Roomies, even.

        10. Clif

          Personally I keep waiting for the science fiction element as we transition into It’s Dorothy!

        11. Adam Black

          or segue into Dorothys Transition

        12. Needfuldoer

          *Gasp*

          Roommates?

        13. Michael Steamweed

          Future archaeologists and historians will agree on this interpretation.

        14. thejeff

          What complicates it, is that whatever else is going on between these two, Joyce actually was jealous of the Dorothy time. If she’s actually romantically/sexually jealous as well, that’s still below the surface.

  4. shadowcell

    when you saw only one set of hickeys…

    1. Adam Black

      was it jesus ?

  5. Doopyboop

    Is ‘whatever’ code for a foursome? Where Joyce covers her eyes so she can only see Joe and Dorothy?

    1. Rose by Any Other Name

      Next year on Slipshine…

      1. NGPZ

        I mean we probably getting *something* on Slipshine really soon.

        Like, why else would Willis advertise the Summer Sale? XD

        1. Reltzik

          Because he just did a slipshine earlier this book, with Danny and Sal?

        2. Nymph

          Yes. Why would (someone who makes money from slipshine) advertise a summer sale… on slipshine?

          It’s a mystery, truly.

        3. Clif

          Personally I blame the military/industrial/pornlord complex.

        4. Adam Black

          ( Thinks Hard) Some New Model Dinobot is coming out ?

    2. Adam Black

      oh, Joyce will look, but will hold up a picture of Dorothy so she doesnt see walks face.

  6. cbwroses

    Double date whatevers? Ok, I think it’s hard for anyone to not be onboard with the idea of Dorothy growing bisexuality.

    1. Jammy

      Do double-dates usually end in foursomes? I’ve had really vanilla double-dates, evidently. And I’m kinda ok with that.

      1. Yumi

        Well, it can be awkward when they end in threesomes, unless everyone was onboard with that going into the date.

        1. Reltzik

          …. can three-part polycules go on double dates with other three-part polycules?

        2. Yumi

          The only thing stopping them is whether or not a six-top is available at the restaurant.

        3. Meagan

          Would that technically be a double date or…something else? And if so, what?

        4. Miri

          A night out? A group date? I wanna joke and say “Wednesday?” but would be worried the fact I’m joking wouldn’t be clear and there’d be follow-up questions and I’m very monogamous (demisexual) and would not feel qualified to answer…

        5. Shadowsnail

          I would reply to that joke and say that it sounds like season 2 of Wednesday has gone in a different direction.

        6. Michael Steamweed

          But not unexpectedly. The polycule fanfic on her parents and _their_ kinks/lifestyle is prodigious.

        7. Adam Black

          this is pretty good Joyce Dialogue

        8. thejeff

          It seems like it would be a double date. The “double” refers to two dates going on together, not to the number of people on each date.

        9. Adam Black

          If its the Polycule Coop Contract ,

          Tree Law is s .. Ethical Slut Contract law is serious business.

      2. Yak

        I’ve been on like twenty and no they generally don’t.

    2. Amós Batista

      I’m aware and I want to proceed.

  7. Dara

    Hey, they found a way to date and pretend it’s het!

    …I’m not gonna say good job because I’m not, buuuuuut it’s a step

    1. Nono

      A beard date?

      1. Dara

        …Joyce generating (and retracting) stubble from others is this strip’s one superpower…

        1. Adam Black

          Are we just forgetting Magical Autistic Girl Teleporting ?

        2. Dara

          …if I also can do that in real life, can I consider it a superpower in real life?

          please say yes xD

    2. Miri

      Isn’t that where “straight” girls make out with other “straight” girls “to turn on and attract the attention of straight guys”..? Like, at parties and stuff?

    3. Michael Steamweed

      Their second date! Woo!

  8. Nono

    This is actually Joe’s reflex knowing that Sarah is in the room, with a bat, and possibly drunk enough to inflict lasting damage on anyone trying to mack on her little sister.

    1. Radiance

      Well, RIP Dorothy then.

      1. Michael Steamweed

        Oh, no, no; Dorothy will be fine. Sarah knows that Dorothy and Joyce are just good friends. Maybe roommates one day. Historically speaking. 😀

        1. Mturtle7

          Sarah specifically called out Dorothy in the past for having a “weird gay thing” with Joyce! However, she not only permitted, but actively encouraged this, because she viewed Dorothy as the lesser of two evils when compared to Joe. I doubt that her attitude has changed all that much since then.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Pals, even!

        3. Michael Steamweed

          Just gals being pals!

  9. Kyrik Michalowski

    Welp, I had a feeling that Joe was going to be uncomfortable with Drunken Joyce, and looks where we are now.

    Joe can’t get drunk and have sex with her; he would feel like it is taking advantage of her and the drinking doesn’t excuse it. He can’t stay sober and have sex with her while she is drunk, he’ll still feel like it is taking advantage of her.

    The only way these two are going to have sex, is if a sober Joyce says she wants to, and Joe can get past his own worries of hurting her.

    1. Jammy

      This seems healthy and welcome. I guess we’re going to have Asher show up with Ethan and have Billie catch them in the act. You know, just to balance out growth with drama.
      Or, Malaya’s iguana with the profane name gives someone a weird infection.

      1. Kyrik Michalowski

        Asher and Ethan are already there, but I know what you mean. I guess it depends on if anyone invited Jennifer to the party or if she has the same power as Asher and Sal to just appear at parties.

        1. Mark

          “I heard Lucy was over here, and…whoah, is this a party?”

    2. Vanessa

      I agree, but this is good mature thinking. They can make out and go further down that road when they are both sober and of sound mind — and after Sarah and Dorothy have seen and acknowledged Joe’s lack of “taking advantage” and Joyce’s wholehearted consent. Joe wants to continue to make friends and get respect. And to keep his femurs.

    3. Felian

      Yeah, and it’s lovely to see that Joe is this kind of guy (to my knowledge tho, he’s always been big on consent, so i don’t think he’s been taking advantage of drunk women before…?).

      1. Nymph

        Who knows? We only have what he’s said before to go off of, and while he’s said a lot of pro-consent things, he has also said things like this:

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/theplural/

        I’m not sure why people are bending themselves into pretzels to forget that he started off as a total asshole. A misogynist who didn’t like to be told “no”, thought he could fix Joyce with his penis, and rated every woman on campus, but I’d be here all day if I responded to every comment like yours.

        1. HueSatLight

          Joe was a total asshole, even on their date he was leering at other women. But even though he agreed with “fix her with his penis,” he never pressured anyone into a sexual encounter in order to fix them. He’s not the character who has done that.

        2. Nymph

          Again, by his own admission, he’s fine having sex with drunk people that they would not have consented to otherwise.

          I am not interested in arguing facts just because you personally don’t like what they say about his previous attitude towards women. I am, however, glad he changed.

      2. Kyrik Michalowski

        Possible he was more ok with having sex with a women even if she is drunk, but now has changed his mind as he’s trying to be a better person.
        Or he has just never had a drunk girl as his date.

        1. thejeff

          Well he’s never had a girlfriend whose feelings he’s actually cared about before, so this situation is completely different for him.

  10. jeffepp

    Hey, Joe! Where you goin’ with that girl in your lap?

    1. Hacksaw

      I’m gonna shoot my… self if I hurt this girl who makes me happy but has been… you know…

  11. Icalasari

    Aww, Joe is worried about Joyce’s past trauma coming up, it seems

  12. Bootshivers

    Joe, who remembers the last time Joyce was at a party and the massive amount of trust being put in his hands because drunk means it isn’t consent? What an excellent dude, I’m proud of him!

    1. Kyrik Michalowski

      Something I have always wondered. How drunk do you have to be for it to no longer be consent? And what if both parties are drunk? Does it count as rape if they both willingly do the deed, but one party was more sober than the other? Does the law only protect women because of “penetration” being so important in so many cases? Do they have to sign a form so they can get drunk, and have sex without worrying about breaking tne law?

      1. aelfwine

        Treating drunkenness as unable to give consent is a very good rule that’s meant to avoid disaster – just like drink-and-driving drunken consent may lead to consequences that neither party is unhappy with afterwards, and so who cares, but if one person is unhappy about the choice they made while drunk — disaster.

        I’m saying this to argue that I feel you’re approaching it from a wrongheaded legalistic point of view, rather from the point of view of “what minimizes the chance for disaster”? Established couples that frequently have sex with each other getting sloshed together and then having sex for the 20th time – unlikely to cause disaster any more than any other time they fucked unless they forgot birth control.
        But someone getting drunk and having sex for the first time in that state – whether her partner is also drunk or not, this is highly inadvisable.

        1. Vanessa

          Very good explanation. It’s more about showing respect and restraint, self-control. It’s about not doing something someone will regret. You want your partner to remember your encounter fondly and seek you out for more. Not to be miserable and avoid you.

          Things are far more fraught with someone new to you and especially with someone new to sex!

        2. Felian

          A very good take!

          I also think *getting drunk with an established partner* is absolutely a valid, reasonably safe thing. But you don’t want your first time with someone to be forgotten and overshadowed by a hangover. Not that i put super big emphasis on first times (they are usually not as good as a bit later when you know each other’s and your own preferences a bit more), but it is still something you want to be consciously present for.
          And the less experienced someone is with sex, the harder to know and voice your boundaries.

        3. Felian

          Oh, direct comparison i forgot to make:
          Dina and Shirtless Becky are also drunk and doing shirtless things. I did not worry about them for a second. They are also still kinda new to sex, but they already established some conversations about sex, so i trust them much more to communicate about it even when drunk.

      2. Bootshivers

        Asking the hard-hitting questions in the webcomic comments section, the true medium of societal philosophy

        But generally if you were both drunk it’s just a potentially awkward conversation later

      3. MisterJinKC

        In theory there’s no way to know both peoples blood alcohol level at the time. In theory both could be prosecuted for it. Now, the reality is that if both are equally drunk only the man would be arrested and prosecuted. Convicted is a crap shoot. But I’ve never seen a time a guy was able to say they were assaulted due to being drunk and have the woman prosecuted, especially if both had been drinking. It may very well have happened, but I’ve never seen it in the news kr heard of it happening.

        1. thejeff

          IANAL, but as I understand it the legal standard for unable to give consent due to drunkenness is a very high one. Not quite to passed out, but very close to that level. Not at the “my judgement is impaired”, but the incoherent and not really aware of what’s going on level.
          And if both are at that stage of drunkenness, it’s not really possible to have sex, so there’s no real risk of mutual rape charges.
          Now the moral concern definitely starts at a lower level, but is also more nuanced. The point here as aelfwine said above is to minimize the chance of one party having serious regrets afterwards and that’s something that’s very situational.

      4. Kimi

        In my opinion, if you have to be drunk or tipsy to be able to ask for sex from people, aka loosen the nerves or whatever, that is a psychological thing that you should probably fix or is just a bad idea in general. In that sense, I would vote for never having sex with someone who is drunk. I also can’t imagine that impaired senses and coordination really help with having a good time if you are inexperienced either. If you are really worried about your nerves, be honest with your partner about that and go slowly. If it is the right person for you, they will work with you on it without using alcohol to impare your judgment and emotions.
        Reminds me of thr people that say that they don’t actually trust someone until they have a drink with them. Seriously, if you need alcohol to get someone to open up and be honest with you, I think there is something wrong there, either with society or your social interactions.
        Guys being assaulted is really something that should be talked about more and gets downplayed all to often when it happens IMO.

        1. Regret

          “if you need alcohol to … I think there is something wrong there”
          well yes, obviously. But you’re saying as if it is unusual for there to be something wrong with people. We’re all broken messes. I haven’t met a perfectly undamaged person in my life.

        2. Kimi

          Well, I think it is pretty obvious that nobody is perfect. I also don’t think that alcohol should be the thing society normalizes as how you overcome your insecurities. I did not mean to make it sound as if I thought that it was unusual for something to be wrong with people. It was more of a critique on how alcohol is viewed as a “cheap” solution and how we as a society don’t focus on improving mental health care and making it more affordable. You also can get that with medications, and wanting an easy fix over long term change.

        3. thejeff

          The thing about not actually trusting someone until they have a drink with them isn’t about you needing alcohol to get someone to open up and be honest with you, but a test to be sure that they really are. Some people are good at hiding things, but that generally loosens and slips with alcohol.

        4. Kimi

          Perhaps, but generally it involves everyone inbibing alcohol, in which case I am not sure that I would trust anyone’s judgement on what was actually let slip or not. It could also be something that they are working on and normally wouldn’t lose control, like anger management, but then they get drunk and lose that control. It could just be my thoughts from my personal experience, as a woman possibly on the spectrum. Society is often very odd to me.

        5. Mark

          My rule for me: if I have to be drunk to think that X is a good idea, X is not a good idea for me at this time.

      5. Yak

        The law has basically nothing to do with this. You have to be so drunk that you’re completely unable to respond to questions before the law will even care.

        As for how drunk is too drunk… it’s a really gray area. Like personally I don’t consider my decisions made while drunk/high/tripping to be any less my informed decisions than when I’m in any other state. The idea of a singular conscious mind is a sham anyway. But not everyone sees it that way, and unless you know someone very well it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.

        1. thejeff

          Basically. And the law kind of has to be that way. It’s hard to envision writing it any other way without leading to really bad outcomes if two drunk people have sex.

          For more moral concerns, it’s very situational. The intent should be to minimize the chances of serious regrets afterwards, but without blocking things the people want to do.

      6. Vigil247

        I have this fun little picture book all about consent and while I think it’s a LITTLE over simplified and sometimes a little too demanding about very specific kinds of verbiage used to acquire consent, it’s doing so to present the absolute safest and most communicative setting. It’s also still nuanced enough to present the idea that intoxication isn’t exactly a one size fits all things and it explains that the important thing is for the intoxicated party, or parties, to still be cognizant and coherent to make their own decisions. BUT it critically cautions that if you are more sober than your partner and for even a second you doubt their ability to make that decision coherently that you have the responsibility to extract yourself.

        From a legal standpoint, SA is also a crime of liability so if you’re too intoxicated to understand that they are too intoxicated to consent then you can still be held liable if the other party felt forced but the same can be said about you. But it’s really more about the morality than the legality

        1. thejeff

          It gets really weird with alcohol because 1) there are no hard and fast measures you can use and 2) it can be a drunk person making the moves

    2. Nono

      I mean the last time Joyce was at a party she wasn’t drunk, since it was in Joyce’s room.

      But yes, the FIRST time she was at a college party, she was drugged.

  13. True Survivor

    Prediction: the trend of parodying a bible verse in each alt-text during this party arc shall continue. Reaching a just but relationship straining zenith with Exodus 3:2

    1. Clif

      I was hoping for tomorrow’s being “And Joe saw that it was good.”

  14. Jay

    He’s trying so hard to not look like he’s taking advantage of her ??????

    I love new Joe so so much

    1. Coatl

      He has shown real effort.

  15. VolticEXE

    Man, I feel so bad for Joe. He’s really trying to reign himself in & be good, something that’s been such a huge deal for him since he was texting Joyce, but Joyce just wants to let it all loose & go out like she never has before.

    & while I completely get as someone who was in a similar position, she’s definitely missing that Joe is also trying to change, but to be more ‘like’ her.

    1. Vanessa

      Perhaps she trusts him and appreciates how respectful he is of her. She can let loose because he has the experience to be in control of himself. He’s had plenty of sex already, he wants something deeper now. I want so much for this to work out for them!

  16. egon

    just kiss who cares

    1. Doopyboop

      Joe cares.

    2. Francoinblanco

      Sarah is here

    3. Lia

      i care

    4. Bash

      Wait have they kissed before?

      1. Taffy

        No. ? There definitely isn’t a panel of Joyce and Joe kissing in this or a similar pose.

  17. Carter

    This night is ending with a drunk Joyce asking Joe to have sex with her and a sober Joe – smartly, rightfully – telling her no.

    1. Davus

      And it will be great, and a good learning experience for both of them.

  18. Radiance

    At this rate, next comic is going to be Dorothy offering to supply makeouts in Joe’s stead.

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Joe: “I cannot in good conscience take advantage of this inebriated woman.”
      Dorothy: “I can.”
      Joe: “Well then.”

    2. Shadowsnail

      Mary Jane does the Spider-Man kiss. Emma Frost does the Spider-Man kiss. Skip the middle(spider)man?

  19. IntangibleMatter

    This storyline is feeling pretty silly right now!

    Every strip where things aren’t going wrong makes me more nervous.

    1. Vanessa

      Thank goodness the attention has moved on from the drama magnets… perhaps we won’t get the seemingly inevitable complete disaster? No one invite Jennifer!

    2. Jeremiah

      Like the last one where everyone thought Joyce and Dorothy going out for under age drinking was gonna end horribly and it turned out completely fine and nice.

  20. RacingTurtle

    WHY AM I NOT BEING SMOOCHED UPON

    the eternal human question

    1. NGPZ

      Book 14 Title? XD

    2. MisterJinKC

      “Because every straight woman in the room, and possibly the gay ones, think I’m a sexual predator, even though I’ve never done anything even sketchy. Not worth the risk.”

      1. Nymph

        “Never done anything even sketchy” here meaning “have had threesomes with women I think consented easier because they were drunk” and “was a massive misogynist for most of my life”

        Okay then!

        Source for the threesomes comment: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/theplural/

        Like, he’s changing and that’s great, but it doesn’t mean people aren’t right to be wary of a man who has previously given them plenty of reasons to be.

        1. bemisawa

          This doesn’t change your point much, but if I’m remembering correctly, I believe he later confessed to Danny that he’d never actually had a threesome. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, though.

          But yeah, that only changes “had had threesomes…” to “has claimed to have had threesomes…”, which none of the other guests (other than maybe Joyce) are aware was just talk. And I’d still put under the category of Joe engaging in toxic masculinity in order to ape confidence.

      2. Jeremiah

        Except for you know, the whole keeping a list in which he graded women and make comments about their bodies thing. That would been sketchy even if it didn’t get leaked, the fact he thought that was a normal thing to do in the first place was the problem

        1. thejeff

          And the whole not interacting with women except to hit on them thing.

          A lot of his thing was performative not real, but it’s hard to tell exactly how much. At the very least he was acting like someone who should not be trusted. He was a walking red flag, even if he said that consent was important. Lots of predators say the right things.

      3. HueSatLight

        Did your email get unbanned, or is it more of a “new email, not noticed yet” sort of thing?

  21. Shakes

    When I was a destitute 18 year old I too saw many dinners.

  22. Adam Black

    “whatever?”

    Did they just committ to an orgy? what is whatever ?

    I bet the whole coimment section is on this, like Zaphod

    1. Michael Steamweed

      The “whatever” feels like a “we’ll see what happens”.

  23. staszu13

    Is that anything like harboring perverse sexual lust?

    1. Clif

      To harbor perverse sexual lust is human as the sparks fly upwards.

      Or something like that.

  24. staszu13

    I think I miss Joe the leering finger pistols guy

    1. Reltzik

      I think that was Eric.

    2. eh, whatever

      That was Eric.

  25. BBCC

    SMOOCH UPON HER AND DESPAIR

  26. DailyBrad

    I do think Joe’s not turbo comfortable with drunken Joyce, though it’s at least cute that he seems maybe okay with the double date suggestion. Makes total sense, though, as I think he’s kind of excited to *be* a boyfriend, like he seemed pleasantly nervous about holding her hand prior, for instance. That stuff’s new to him.

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Yep. Seems like he’s committed to doing the right thing, and both (1) isn’t exactly certain of the fine points of doing the right thing, and (2) is warring against his own inner urges. So he _can_ remain mostly confident to let Joyce guide him through it, when he’s uncertain, but if she’s drunk, well, now he can’t rely on her judgement in that case.

  27. DashWallkick

    Joe is trying his best to navigate a tricky social situation, especially since she’s been making hints the whole day that she wants to get dicked down, but he’s not entirely sure if she knows what she wants. But also a huge percentage of it is that he’s projecting some of his unwillingness onto her.

    These are the things that make you miss meaningless hookups!

    1. Meagan

      I notice ‘dicked down’ gets through the swear filters. Cute.

      1. TulipKitten

        I think the only ones that get through the filter are the two gendered slurs that start with B and C.

        1. TulipKitten

          (I mean don’t get through the filter)

        2. Adam Black

          What does C get replaced with ?

        3. TulipKitten

          I think conga.

        4. Michael Steamweed

          Ooh! A conga line!
          (man, that considerably changes the ending scene of beetlejuice-the-first)

        5. TulipKitten

          I don’t know what happens when you try to say other slurs. Probably an insta-ban or your comment doesn’t get published in the first place.

        6. Taffy

          conga

        7. Miri

          I choose to believe you actually just typed “conga” as your comment… But did accidentally report it, sorry (those buttons are close together and my 4 year old is throwing a soft toy at me repeatedly)

        8. Clif

          That means they love you.

          Just ask Walky.

        9. Adam Black

          Not the Soft Cushion,

          ( I looked up & this was changed to Soft Conga … before I hit send.
          These Filters are STRONGA )

      2. Adam Black

        Typing Dicked Up to see what Goes thru

        1. Michael Steamweed

          Dicked up
          Dicked down
          Dicked sideways
          Peened up
          Peened down
          Peened sideways

          This is for science, you understand.

        2. NGPZ

          I think it goes “up”, “down”, “top”, “bottom”, “strange” and “charming” ;p

        3. Mark

          🙂

        4. Clif

          Three quarks for Muster Mark!

        5. Michael Steamweed

          Welp, looks good so far. Science proceeds apace!

  28. Carms

    Poor Joe 🙁
    Struggletown

  29. Meagan

    If Joe was just a little more experienced (in this context) and/or brave he would have told Joyce before all this started that he’s not having sex with her for the first time drunk.

    1. Axel

      with his “it’s not a keg” and (presumably) more experience with alcohol, he might not have expected anyone to get perceptibly tipsy

  30. Jesse

    Coundtown to drunken orgy.

    1. Jesse

      *Countdown. Dammit.

    2. Jesse

      Incidentally, the drunken orgy may be held in Poundtown.

    3. Axel

      misread as “countdown to turning gay”

      1. Miri

        Misread to “countdown to drunken gay orgy in Poundtown”

      2. Michael Steamweed

        I don’t think we will see any binary-option gay-ification, but we might see some spectrum-style queerification.

        (that could might possibly just be me projecting…)

    4. Proxiehunter

      It’s the final coundtown.

      1. Clif

        I’m familiar with cowtowns, but not so much coundtowns.

        Can we agree it’s not her last rodeo?

      2. Michael Steamweed

        *ensues singing by Joey Tempest

  31. Proto

    Joyce thinks she’s being real creative because she never got to see Spider-Man 1 as a kid (then again now with the sliding timescale, that movie is older than she is…)

  32. SDGlyph

    By the end of this party, I’m thinking Joyce will indeed be smooched upon, and not by Joe.

  33. Felian

    Joyce……… Walky is *right there*. This goes beyond roasting your friends, this is bullying.
    Even if you have *reasonable concern* that someone isn’t *good* for your friend, talk to your friend in private.
    But Walky isn’t a toxic partner. He’s goofy and in some ways immature (but then again, that’s what being 20 (?) is like for many people, and doesn’t mean it’s all bad. He complements Dorothy who is way too serious often.
    The whole “you’re too good for him“ idea of people being at different “levels“ is crappy. Everyone is different people. Sometimes you aren’t compatible, but whether someone is popular or conventionally attractive doesn’t mean they’re a worse match.

    1. Woop de doop

      I also hate Joyce’s attitude towards Walky. I think it’s partially caused by her jealousy, in fact, in that he takes so much of Dorothy’s time and attention away from her.

      And I think the double date is really a disguise for Joyce and Dorothy hangout time. Like, they say “double date”, but in their subconscious it’s actually “best girl friends date, who may have a romantic crush on each other, but don’t realize it”.

    2. thejeff

      This is fine.
      Joyce and Walky have a thing going on. He said right in the last strip that he heard and cherished the implied “fucking” before his name.

      1. Jeremiah

        No, you can’t say anything remotely resembling something mean to anyone ever, even if they are close friends that don’t mind it because that make you terrible and toxic and anything else I want to call them right now!

        1. Woop de doop

          Are they close friends? Joyce is never nice or kind to Walky. She doesn’t even like him. They are simply in the same social circle, and have been in some classes together. If someone insulted me all the time, I would not consider them a close friend. I think he allows it because he is used to the bullying (from Jennifer and others in high school), and does not have enough of a spine to get angry and stand up for himself.

        2. Jeremiah

          Walky doesn’t need to “stand up for himself” in this situation because he isn’t actually offended by any of this! He take it as a big joke, and he happily deliver it back at her, they have a frienemy dynamic, it’s not that hard to get.

        3. Woop de doop

          Exactly he’s not offended, because he’s used to this kind of treatment from his friends. Friends who bully him.

        4. Jeremiah

          Or, because it’s Joyce and he doesn’t take it seriously. Do you think someone who is being “bullied” fire back with his own comments like he does? It is a mutual thing, they poke each other because they are friends. It’s a thing many friends do.

        5. Woop de doop

          Is it still poking fun when Joyce actually believes what she says? “Walky is a bozo who is beneath Dorothy’s station.” She believes Walky does not deserve Dorothy, because he’s a slob and a silly fool. And Walky agrees, I am sure. However, he does not need that kind of comment from Joyce (comments which she has expressed many times) because it simply doubles down on what he already knows are his faults. He already has a low self-esteem. Anyway, a lot of it is due to jealousy and resentment, but that does not excuse her mean comments.

          Also, I don’t see how this is a mutual poking fun. Walky hasn’t yet said anything mean to Joyce during this interaction. The “fucking Walky” was unprovoked and uncalled for. It’s like she hates Walky just for being around and dating her BFF. (She kind of does)

        6. thejeff

          Walky hasn’t said anything mean to her in this interaction, but he’s said shit in the past.

        7. Jeremiah

          I literally cannot reply anymore, the button doesn’t appear, probably a good thing because arguing with you is exhausting.

        8. Felian

          I’ve had this dynamic with my dad and my sister, we had this kind of deprecating humor towards each other. Nothing really mean was meant by it, we did all love each other, BUT: it still hurt, because there’s always a pinch of truth (or a pinch of what you fear might be true because you are insecure about it) between the jabs. I think there’s been a part in my dad that *really* thought i was less competent in the things he made fun of me for. A small part, but still a part. And that did dig at my self-image. There’s a fine line with *not taking yourself too seriously* and *having a low self-image about something*.
          I ended up standing up for myself and kindly asked the two of them that we stop this kind of humor. I’m doing better now that nobody makes deprecating fun of me.
          I do think that you can lovingly make fun of each other, but there’s a line where it stops being fun, and you both need to be aware of that.
          And i think this is a crucial point: if you ask someone to stop, will they stop? Or is their *fun* more important than my feelings?

    3. John Campbell

      Walky’s 18. His birthday’s April 1st, which is not for a few decades yet at the rate we’re going.

      (It’s my headcanon that Sal is the older twin by just enough that she was born late on March 31st. But the Walkertons have always celebrated on Walky’s birthday.)

      Joyce is also 18, until May, I think, assuming that her birthday’s the same as in the other universe. (Her middle name isn’t, so it might not be.) Dorothy’s 19. I think Dina is too… IIRC she’s actually the oldest of the freshpersons.

      Walky and Joyce are fine. They snipe at each other, then they go have lunch together. They’ve got a whole antagonistic pseudo-sibling dynamic going. It frankly works a lot better for them than the designated OTP thing they had in the other universe.

      1. Jeremiah

        Thanks you!

  34. Plaaaaaa

    Better question why is Joe not drinking? Catch up man!

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Joe definitely is holding himself back. Probably for concern about first-time sexual interactions with Joyce.

      1. ValdVin

        Yeah, Joe has had hookups before and (probably?) did some drinking at parties. His restraint is not only really cool here, it’s sort of needed.

        Someone’s gotta be the centrifugal governor here.

    2. Da Boy

      Judging by the previous strip he is kind of suspicious of the booze Dina acquired illegally.

    3. Felian

      Drinking is not (or should not be) a contest. The fun of a party is not tied to how much alcohol you drink.

  35. ValdVin

    Joyce is really speedrunning her entire missed adolescence.

    1. Amós Batista

      yeeeah, I feel ya…

  36. Nicoleandmaggie

    Anyone getting Lucy and Dianne vibes? (Really this is just me curious about the EGS overlap…)

    1. Nicoleandmaggie

      *Diane

    2. Akane

      This is totally Lucy and Diane, except there’s legitimate feeling for the cis men they’re both involved with, and, unless Joyce or Dorothy realize they’re gay, I’m pretty sure they’re pan/bi (egs Lucy is gay, as confirmed in the recent comics).

    3. Jeremiah

      Oh I am a egs fan! Would love to see more content from these two comics. One person once mentioned the idea of Joyce and egs Sarah being relatives because they are both have brown as their last names.

  37. GingerMadman

    It is absolutely horrifying how many people have ignored the repeated evidence of Joe being a good guy. The number of “Aww, he’s trying to be good” is insane. The comic has long established him as being sexually promiscuous, but very big on things like enthusiastic consent. I think some folks need to do some work on the idea that “sexually promiscuous ≠ immoral person”

    1. Big Z

      Ginger Madman Johnson is RIGHT! /blazingsaddles

    2. Jeremiah

      He wasn’t judged for being sexually promiscuous. It was for being an asshole about it (whole list thing for example).

      1. DaWombat

        GingerMadman’s point is about “trying to be good” comments in this context. He has always been portrayed as “good” in the context of his partners giving consent.

        1. thejeff

          He’s never been portrayed as a rapist, if that’s what you mean. That’s not quite the same. He’s been portrayed as objectifying women, as not taking no as answer until he’s yelled at or threatened.
          It’s been at least questionable how good he was on consent, partly because we never saw Old Joe’s game in a situation where he didn’t get that hard forceful no. We never saw most of his hookups. We never saw him at the drinking parties it’s implied he’s been to, which is where most college hookups happen and where the most questionable stuff occurs.

          That said, I think “trying to be good” is the wrong framing for Joe here. He’s trying to navigate an actual relationship and he’s desperately afraid of screwing it up and hurting Joyce.

      2. Yeet

        Yeah but I feel like being a real asshole doesn’t necessarily escalate to disregarding consent.
        It’s like… just cause he parked his car across two spaces all the time doesn’t mean he’d be the kind of guy to do a hit and run.

    3. Taffy

      Those rose-colored glasses aren’t doing you any favors.

    4. Yak

      I mean this comments section will rip in to characters essentially just because they’re making emotionally immature and bad decisions (in a webcomic called dumbing of age, no less!), so it’s not surprising that annyoing fuckboy is equated to rapist.

      1. Yumi

        No one was equating him to a rapist, shit.

        1. Yak

          I mean, if worrying about someone’s ability to consent is personal growth, then it’s kind of implied…

        2. Yumi

          He’s doing more to show that he cares about the people around him being comfortable, which isn’t something he was consistent in previously. I don’t think people talking about his personal growth or trying to be “good” are talking about basics of consent. (Though with the enthusiastic consent, it’s not like he was always 100% gangbusters with that.)

  38. Florence

    joes lip bite in the final panel is cute

    Also lmao Joyce and Dorothy sort of/sort of not getting more bold with the hints

  39. Ben

    Joe is being pushed into being the “good guy” he has been, all along. He is free of his father’s toxic influence (because “Joe the womaniser” is an obvious result of being around someone who REALLY IS a selfish womaniser, for most of his childhood and teens)

    He has ALWAYS been clear on the subject of consent

    He KNOWS he can’t win in this situation. He KNOWS that Joyce doesn’t really know what she is (apparently) asking for, and OTHERS in the room know or suspect that. He KNOWS that whoever gets the benefit of the doubt, it won’t be him.

    Joe’s only option is to make sure Joyce wakes up safe, in her own bed (or Dorothy’s, he gets a free pass on THAT one) while he is seen to be somewhere else.

    And he is OK with that

  40. M!a

    STRANGER: “Because you’ll pass out, headbutt him in the junk and the throw up all over his lap…?”

    SARAH: “Wait, who the fuck are you??”

    STRANGER: “Name’s Steve. I was eating cereal nearby and heard the commotion…”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.