147

Read on
Posted on December 30, 2024 by David M Willis

147 thoughts on “Read on”

  1. Sirksome

    Joyce also brings out the gay in everyone.

    1. NGPZ

      is her superpower ^^

    2. Stephen Nedland

      In everyone, but herself. Step out of that closet, young lady, everything is going to be just fine.

  2. DailyBrad

    Part of me wants to be defensive of Joe here, but she knew him for years in a very… proto- state. It’s going to take time for her to get to see his growth.

    1. AK

      I think she sees his growth somewhat, but it’s also gonna take time for her to trust it, not to mention unlearn associating him with the kinds of ick that he used to give her. Which like. Valid.

      1. DailyBrad

        I do think that, yeah, she has noticed changes, but yeah, it’s going to take time and consistency for her to become a believer. She also has just not seen as much as some of the others have with him, like Dina and Becky, Joyce obviously, Danny, and to an extent Sal and probably Amber.

        1. Charles Phipps

          Dorothy also may know Joe has grown but still hate him because she doesn’t like him.

          It’s not a crime after all.

        2. Needfuldoer

          True, but Jocelyn doesn’t know Dorothy’s a biased source.

        3. thejeff

          I wouldn’t even say she’s biased. She has good reason to distrust Joe.

        4. GreyICE

          “He used to be very vocal about objectifying women. But I think he got better.”

          “When did he get better?”

          “After he got caught…”

        5. DailyBrad

          It’s not, but Dorothy is very low on the list of the cast who would want to have a grudge over incomplete or flawed information. That’s anathema to Dorothy.

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Dorothy seeing Joe’s “growth” may or may not lead to interesting feelings from Joyce, and a hell of a NSFW comic.

      1. Michael Steamweed

        There’s an AO3 on that. 🙂

        1. Miri

          Rule 34 means “of course there is” ?

        2. Michael Steamweed

          Really should be “Law 34”.

        3. Freezer

          No Joe/Dorothy that I could find (yet). Plenty of Joe/Joyce and Dorothy/Joyce, though.

        4. thejeff

          Someone here wrote a very cute Joe/Joyce/Dorothy story a little while back.

    3. Mark

      That’s certainly fair. Joe himself is surprised to find that there’s more to him than his past behavior, and unable to fully believe it.

    4. Michael Steamweed

      Plus Dorothy is slightly competitive about having Joyce. Yeah, Dotty is a bit biased.

  3. darkoneko

    For now.

    1. Dara

      Yeah I was gonna say. “For now.“

  4. Icalasari

    Ooo I hope this doesn’t lead to bad things

  5. Nono

    Look let my dreams of Bi Joe stay alive okay

    1. Freemage

      I choose to read this in your avatar’s voice.

      1. Da Boy

        Asher wants to monopolize all the tall bad boys

    2. Andy

      They can still be, just interpret Dorothy’s Joyce brings out the best in them as bi-Joe.

    3. Disastroid

      B I Joe, A Real American Hero

  6. Thag Simmons

    This is very diplomatic of Dorothy.

  7. HueSatLight

    Dorothy’s going to try to kiss Jocelyne before the weekend’s over.

    1. Sirksome

      It’s what she deserves.

      1. ktbear

        Who is “she” in this sentence?

        1. Thag Simmons

          Dealer’s choice

        2. Taffy

          Why make a distinction at all?

        3. NGPZ

          Right? both of them have had it rough and could use some sugar T_T <3

        4. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Because of the Ambiguous reference. But indeed it does not really matter.

        5. JA

          Yes.

  8. Cattleprod

    Ha, I totally forgot that could be her biggest concern about Joe.

  9. BBCC

    Men are our of his purview so FAR!

  10. jeffepp

    Dottie’s totally not jelling. or anything.

    1. Thag Simmons

      She also just independently has a prickly relationship with Joe. If this was about his relationship to someone other than Joyce she’d probably be more aggressive about his worse qualities, not less.

      1. thejeff

        Well, she’s more protective of Joyce than of most others, so maybe not.

        1. Random832

          oops accidentally reported

          it’d be really nice if there was, like, a confirmation popup or something

        2. Thag Simmons

          It requires multiple flags to actually trip, so an accidental report isn’t really an issue

  11. JessWitt

    Ah, so Jocelyne remembers Ethan.

    I vaguely recall Sarah warned Joyce that Dorothy would lose faith in her if she learned she tried to “fix” him while they dated. Is this shoe about to drop?

    1. Thag Simmons

      That shoe dropped a while ago, but it somewhat predictably wasn’t nearly as bad as Sarah projected it to be.

      1. thejeff

        At least partly because it dropped after they broke up

        1. Thag Simmons

          To be pedantic it dropped while they were in the process of breaking up

    2. DailyBrad

      There’s a non-zero chance Ethan and Jocelyn talk still, though I dunno if Ethan just keeps abreast of her writing. At the very least, yeah, they are acquainted and in a way that’d likely stick with both of them, not the least of which reason being they had what seemed to be mutual attraction.

      1. Charles Phipps

        Ethan has forgotten Joyce ever existed.

        “We dated?”

        “Huh? I’m sorry, I don’t remember that.”

        “You can remember what Soundwave’s cassettes are named but not me.”

        “Okay, that’s just common knowledge.”

      2. Thag Simmons

        My assumption would be that they were mutuals on social media but Ethan hadn’t really engaged with her after Mike died

  12. IntangibleMatter

    How many months in-universe has it been since his ratings list got leaked? I feel like it hasn’t actually been that long

    1. Clif

      It was so last semester.

      1. Leorale

        Plus Dorothy knew him through highschool, as he was Danny’s bestie. Dorothy is being super cool, given how many years she had to tolerate proto-Joe.

        1. Leorale

          — that wasn’t really what you asked, I got a bit distracted

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      September¹ 2010, to January² 2024. So ¿fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiìiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive? months?

      [1] coincidentally

      [2] also coincidentally

    3. Tan

      The Do List was outed in early October (specifically Book 7 Chapter 4, aptly titled “The Do List”). It is currently the end of January, so roughly 4 months

      1. HueSatLight

        Oct 9th and Jan 27th, “un”-officially. https://walkypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Dumbing_of_Age_Timeline

  13. Charles Phipps

    Dorothy: I hate Joe with the fiber of my being and am being supportive. None of this is influenced by jealousy toward Joyce.

    Jocelyn: Uh huh.

  14. Taffy

    This is reconning Joe’s original sleazy behavior and I’m going to tell everyone. ?

    1. Taffy

      Retconning*. Retroactive continuity. Joe used to be sleaze, now he’s certified Good Boys™

      1. Ike

        What? This is very clearly Dorothy trying not to say bad things about Joe even though she really wants to.

        1. Taffy

          Nope. Telling everyone.

      2. Shade

        That’s not a retcon, a retcon would be pretending he was always the way he is now. Which isn’t happening here just because Dotty is choosing her words diplomatically. It’s painfully obvious she’s trying her best to not spill the truth without outright lying.

        1. Taffy

          It’s fine, actually.

      3. Da Boy

        Are you familiar with the term Character Development?

        1. Taffy

          Are you familiar with oxygen?

    2. StClair

      Nah, he was pretty bad (and Dorothy knew him during that time) and now he’s trying to be good (and mostly succeeding), and that’s almost entirely due to Joyce.

    3. Scruffy looking nerfherder

      Retconning is not when a character does not mention the prior shitty behavior of somebody who is trying to better himself for somebody else as not to discredit him in front of said person’s sibling. That’s called being tactful, nothing has changed about the way Joe was prior, it was just not mentioned.

      1. Taffy

        No.

        1. Icalasari

          Just because you say no doesn’t mean you’re right. His behaviour isn’t being retconned

        2. Taffy

          We will disagree, whether you agree to or not. You don’t have a choice.

        3. Regret

          It is indeed true that other people can’t change what you think, even if you’re wrong. That you feel the need to say that is worrying though, do you often think about controlling the thoughts of others?

        4. Taffy

          Are the thoughts of others in the room with us right now? ?

        5. Doopyboop

          My head is empty and my butt is thicc.

        6. Taffy

          Probably better than the opposite, long term.

        7. Shade

          Correct, but that’s the only thing you’re correct about in this thread.

        8. Regret

          Yes.

        9. SailorCakes

          Double yes

    4. Jeremiah

      Poe’s law strikes again.

      1. Taffy

        The fucked up thing is, I actually put in the tiniest amount of effort to make it read as a joke this time. “I’m gonna tell everyone. ?” Like who the hell is everyone? I only post anything here and on Nextdoor, so it’s not like I have a following. But it’s apparently Very Important™ not to use a TV Tropes word incorrectly.

        1. Jeremiah

          Many do frequently misused retcons as a cheap way to complain about literally anything they don’t like in a story and they are very annoying, so I guess it’s understandable in some way.

        2. Taffy

          Like when Sal retconned Amazi-Girl getting hit by that truck during the car chase.

        3. Scruffy looking nerfherder

          Exactly this, I thought it was a little too absurd of a complaint to be a genuine one, but Poe’s Law is Poe’s Law for a reason, fandom especially I’ve found there’s no depths to what agenda people will genuinely push if they REALLY hate a character.

        4. Taffy

          Well, RIP to those weirdos, but I’m better than that.

        5. Mturtle7

          If it makes you feel better, I laughed pretty hard at this whole thread.

  15. Charles Phipps

    We now have new candidates for who leaked the Do List like Incelerator.

    1. 3oranges

      Why would the Incelerator have leaked the list, in a way that women found out about in no less?

      1. Charles Phipps

        To share it with as many men as possible.

        Those who shared the list certainly didn’t benefit any women by doing so. It just subjected a large number of them to humiliation.

    2. Thag Simmons

      I don’t know if he would have and I certainly don’t think he could have, he did not seem particularly bright

      1. Taffy

        Calling an incel “not particularly bright” is exactly the same as commenting on the intelligence of cinder block.

        1. Needfuldoer

          You’ll get a smarter rebuttal out of the cinder block.

        2. Michael Steamweed

          Cinder blocks are terrible with computers. They’re always bricking them.

        3. Thag Simmons

          I’m loathe to admit it but there’s plenty of people with incredibly shitty attitudes towards women who are intelligent enough to do very complicated computer science.

          I think specifically that Mr Dumbest-Guy-On-The-Football-Team isn’t.

      2. thejeff

        He could have if Joe had given him the password to the RSS feed, which he certainly would have if asked.

        There’s no reason to think that Paul and Joe ever met though, so that’s unlikely.

    3. Jon

      I always thought Danny leaked the list based on a few of his reactions during that storyline.

      In any case I have an extremely hard time seeing any reason for the Incelerator to be involved in it. The leaking was less the point than the list itself.

      1. Charles Phipps

        Other Rachel didn’t and gave reasons for why.

        So I think its a mystery worth solving.

      2. Sirksome

        Yes! I always thought this as well! It’s the theory that makes the most sense. He had the skills, easiest access to the list, never approved of the list or Joe’s misogyny especially around the content of the list like Joe immediately ranking Dorothy as soon as they broke up. Plus Danny visually panics when Rachel mentions the list is like a cheat sheet for sex offenders and there’s an active rapist on campus. Danny was also the first person there when the list leaked, hanging out with Joe all day to support his buddy like he expected the hit. The one suggesting free donuts for women day. (Which Joe should do every semester.)

        It doesn’t matter anymore if it ever did, but I too think it was Danny. We’ll likely never find out who it was,

        1. Sirksome

          Also just looked back and the very first strip of “The Do List” storyline shows Danny using a phone. As if possible leaking a Do List at that very moment.

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/04-the-do-list/mornin/

          Now I’m not saying that proves anything or that it was Willis’ intent, but immediately showing the culprit in the act at the start in a manner no one would think twice about, would be incredibly clever and cheeky.

        2. BBCC

          I think it’s either Danny or nobody “leaked” it so much as Joe went around telling people the password or getting them to subscribe to his RSS feed and finally some guy went ‘Uh, this is gross and rude to a friend of mine, I’m gonna let her know to avoid this guy’ and then it snowballed from there.

        3. thejeff

          I still think it was Raidah

        4. HueSatLight

          I’m liking this theory now.

      3. Mark

        I thought the list leaked because the access control was rubbish.

  16. Bryy

    Dorothy, that’s not a con.

  17. All-Purpose Guru

    How is she talking wih the straw in her mouth?

    1. NGPZ

      she made that statement before she started sippin XD

    2. Taffy

      Straws are narrower than the typical human mouth. It’s not plugging her entire orifice, damn.

    3. TheFlamingonator

      She is obviously talking through the straw like you would an empty roll of paper towels

    4. Mark

      Same way every 1950s movie character talks with a cigarette in his mouth?

      1. Michael Steamweed

        Back in the 60s and 70s, a friend’s Dad, a theatre prof, used to give undergrads a cig (unlit) to put in their mouth and practice talking clearly. I think he switched to candy cigs in the 80s.

        1. Miri

          It took me way too long to work out why I couldn’t find any candy cigarettes any more…

    5. HueSatLight

      Telepathy

  18. Pocky

    If Joe were the Todd, this comic would be very different.

  19. Throwatron

    im having a problem

    jocelyne faces are even more precious than joyce faces

    h e l p

    1. Taffy

      They’re good faces, Bront.

    2. Woop de doop

      They are faces.

    3. SailorCakes

      Those are called good problems

  20. Shakes

    Dorothy is going to be diplomatic for Joyce’s sake.
    If she was feeling mean she’d simply mention the Rep. DeSanto Sister Sex Tape.

    1. Mark

      Dorothy: [opens bookmark she’s been keeping for just this occasion] “Here, this is Joe.”

      1. Michael Steamweed

        Jocelyne: Yup, I’ve seen that a dozen times (for research). So THAT’s Joe. Huh, I didn’t recognize him out of that context.

  21. Zero

    Oh Jocelyne, that’s silly.

    He wasn’t closeted.

  22. morhek

    “Yeah, Joyce dating gay people. Seems to be a pattern.”

    “Hopefully.”

    “What?”

    “What?”

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Gotta admit, I chortled at this. Have a +1 internet point.

  23. Woop de doop

    Re: panel 5

    Well that’s not true. Not everyone can be charmed by her triangle grin and overwhelming optimism!

  24. Kyulen

    Joe has improved a lot since the beginning of DoA, which in-universe is only a few months, if I remember right. Unfortunately Dorothy hasn’t seen most of Joe’s improvement, but I’m glad she’s being diplomatic about him.

    1. HueSatLight

      She was a lot more tolerant of his bullshit early on. I would expect there’s complicated reasons why she’s more critical now, including that she realizes she was too tolerant of his shitty behavior, but also not realizing she’s down bad for Joyce now.

      1. thejeff

        He wasn’t targeting someone she cared about. Sure, he was generally harassing, but she didn’t see him with anyone who seemed to be taking him as anything more than she knew he was.

        Remember, she completely missed that first date with Joyce

  25. ValdVin

    Joyce didn’t just date one gay guy, wasn’t that guy her first kiss (of a sort)?

    I mean, Jacob was the real first one, but still.

    1. Mark

      A link, or some context, would be welcome. I’m not recalling this other guy.

      1. Needfuldoer

        Ethan.

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/pepsi/

        1. Mark

          Ah, OK, I thought “didn’t just date one gay guy” meant «more than one gay guy», not «more than just date that one guy, she kissed him too.»

          Thanks!

        2. peng

          damn i didnt remember that at all but man the joyce-dorothy psychodrama has been going for a while huh

        3. Proxiehunter

          Isn’t Ethan bi not gay?

        4. Proxiehunter

          Wait no. I’m high and was thinking of DANNY not Ethan.

  26. Rabisch

    Jocelyne found the perfect person for asking that. She’s also very good in understanding people. So if Dorothy really has some romantic interest for Joyce, she will feel that and they could have a very important talk.

  27. Ldritch

    I like how Joe has grown and don’t want Joyce to have a sad break-up, but also I really need Dotty and Joyce to end up together.

    1. Mturtle7

      *all the polyamorous DoA fans have joined the chat*
      “We have a solution, but you might not like it…”

  28. thumb

    Dorothy trying really, really hard not to overstep her bounds. Keep trying, girl. You’ll manage eventually. Maybe even today.

  29. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    Hey, where is our daily array of never-to-be-named incidental characters? Plenty of room for them in panel 1.

  30. Adept

    Dorothy is being very diplomatic, but not willing to lie. In her books the jury is still out on Joe being a ”good guy”.

  31. Charles Phipps

    Hey, anyone have a name of the strip or link where Jocelyn tries to share their name as a child and Hank/JoyceMom use it for their new baby girl?

    1. NickG

      It’s the first Patreon bonus strip for September 2015.

      1. Charles Phipps

        Thanks!

        I’ve been trying to find that for hours.

      2. Axel

        well now I have something to look up. I wasn’t subscribed back then

  32. Arianod

    “But you date *one* gay dude…!”

    1. HueSatLight

      Asher, when his family finds out.

      1. Proxiehunter

        We told you Asher, if you date a dude make sure he’s bi not gay.

  33. DorJoJo

    Yeah buddy that’s what I’m about

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