240

Bounty
Posted on December 14, 2022 by David M Willis

240 thoughts on “Bounty”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    my guess is there is too little space in that tiny booth bc Joe is fucking MASSIVE and has no other place to put his arm, idk

    1. BowlerHatGuy

      He is a wall
      Or so Ive heard

      1. Clif

        None the less he is trolling Dorothy in the third panel. Whether his arm is now surrounding Joyce is not completely clear.

        1. David Alexander McDonald

          It’s along the back of the booth, not touching Joyce. I’ve had to do that to be comfortable in a small space like that.

          But, yeah, in the third panel he’s definitely trolling Dorothy with it.

        2. Leorale

          I’m not sure it’s exactly trolling, since he does sincerely want to put his arm around Joyce. It’s a bonus that he can demonstrate that Joyce is glad about this development, and that Dorothy isn’t the boss of them.

        3. GholaHalleck

          Also that Joyce COULD have sat on Dorothy’s side of the table but did not.

      2. Mark

        He claims to be a door.

    2. ValdVin

      Joe has barely put his arm around her.

      Then again I remember the last time that happened

  2. King Daniel

    How the arguments in the comment section have been increasingly looking to me over the past few days in particular.

    (Consider watching Amphibia, it’s great)

    1. True Survivor

      I like that the one frog uses a brick to smash his way into a store to loot it …. for more bricks.

    2. milu

      So, “like an internet message board but irl”, but online?

      Very true.

    3. Paradox

      Been watching “The Owl House” instead of “Amphibia”, but definitely want to give it a try

      I’ve actually been trying to watch less TV altogether, but they keep making shows I want to watch

    4. Uly

      IDK, I didn’t like that last episode of Amphibia at all, and in general, I thought Season 3 was a little too harsh on judging pre-season 1 SPOILER. I mean, okay, technically she could’ve warned you all about the music box before opening it… but you were all old enough, including her, to know that music boxes aren’t magic and yet also young enough to do some really dumb things. If SPOILER had told her friends “This music box is a portal to another world” they would’ve still opened it and I kinda feel like nobody ever admits that.

      1. Yoder of Kansas

        The early episodes are kinda rough to get thru.
        Spoilers:

        She didn’t warn the others that the box could open a portal because she wanted the box to open a portal and trap them there so she wouldn’t be seperated. Her plan with the king was to “accidentally” send them to another world instead of Earth to keep the adventure going.

        End Spoilers

        1. King Daniel

          Detailed spoilers, rot13:

          Lrnu, gur jubyr qrny jvgu Znepl gung unq gur bguref (rfcrpvnyyl Fnfun) gnxr vffhr jvgu jnf gung rira nsgre vg’q unccrarq naq gurl’q orra genafcbegrq gb Nzcuvovn, fur qvqa’g jnag gur guerr bs gurz gb or noyr gb erghea gb Rnegu (naq fb fur arvgure pnzr pyrna nobhg ubj fur xarj sebz gur fgneg gung gurl jrer genccrq va Nzcuvovn orpnhfr bs ure qner, abe gung vs fur unq ure jnl, gurl’q arire or noyr gb tb onpx ubzr). Ol gur unysjnl cbvag bs Frnfba 2 ng gur yngrfg, fur shyyl xarj ubj gur obk jbexrq (nf frra ol ure bcrengvat gur obk ba ure bja va gur F2 svanyr) ohg fur jnf fgvyy npgviryl naq pbiregyl jbexvat gb cerirag gurz sebz yrnivat naq xrrc gur guerr bs gurz nyy gbtrgure jvgu ure va “naljurer-ohg-Rnegu”—frr sbe rknzcyr, ure vafvfgrapr gung gurl erghea gb Arjgbcvn naq Xvat Naqevnf jvgu gur zhfvp obk nsgre shyyl-punetvat vg engure guna hfr vg vzzrqvngryl gb erghea ubzr, be ure ercrngrq vafvfgrapr gung Naar cynl avpr jvgu Fnfun ba zhygvcyr bppnfvbaf, hc gb naq vapyhqvat rira nf Fnfun jnf npgviryl orgenlvat Naar ntnva (Fnfun’f bja wbhearl gb erqrzcgvba jbhyq hygvzngryl unccra, ohg jbhyqa’g phyzvangr hagvy Frnfba 3—nsgre gur riragf eryrinag gb qvfphffvba urer). Ergheavat ubzr gb yvir bhg gurve yvirf onpx ba Rnegu jbhyq frr gurz frcnengrq sebz rnpu bgure, naq gung jnf fbzrguvat Znepl qrfcrengryl jnagrq gb nibvq—gb gur cbvag bs cybggvat jvgu Xvat Naqevnf oruvaq Naar’f onpx gb rafher gung gung jbhyq or fb.

          Vg’f jbegu abgvat gung obgu Naar naq Fnfun hygvzngryl sbetnir Znepl, ohg jung fur qvq va gur svefg cynpr vfa’g fbzrguvat gung’f arprffnevyl rnfl gb sbetvir.

        2. King Daniel

          In short: yeah, they were all young and foolish, and she had empathetic reasons for why she did what she did—this is in fact a contributing factor to why her personal story had the ending it did—but her actions were still a lot more complex and messed up than simply “didn’t tell the others beforehand that the music box was actually a magic portal-generator”.

  3. DarkoNeko

    Subtle.

  4. Doctor_Who

    No scene where Joe and Dorothy each try to lure Joyce to their side of the table with treats and squeaky toys?

    1. The Wellerman

      ha ha very funny -_-

      1. King Daniel

        Hey, do not underestimate the power of treats and squeaky toys!

    2. Lumino

      There was plenty of room on both sides. Hell, there was likely MORE room on Dorothy’s size due to how big Joe is.

      And she made her choice, much to Dorothy’s chagrin.

      1. DarkoNeko

        But she likes facing Dorothy ! To have a better look at her~

        1. Kazuma Taichi

          Dorothy for the looks, Joe for the warmth

    3. huesatlight

      with increasingly homogeneous food.

    4. BowlerHatGuy

      Only if the squeaky toy emits asmr audio when squeezed

  5. Stephen Bierce

    “Out of the darkness of the oven–the slain BEANS!” “We live another day.” (q.v. the commercial for COMIX ZONE)

  6. Arcee

    The casual arm over the booth seat, very smooth lol

    1. Sirksome

      Is that a move? I do that all the time cause I’m like 6’7 and they don’t make booths for guys my size. You gotta stretch your arms out sometimes cause they cramp.

      1. DrunkenNordmann

        Yeah, it’s probably more a case of Joe getting his arm out of the way so that Joyce can actually have some more space.

        1. thejeff

          And yet there is no way he’s not aware of the “almost embrace” nature of it.

      2. Mark

        It can be both!

    2. Amós Batista

      It’s almost an “embracing the girl”, but it’s not, because you’re really not touching her.
      It’s like: I won’t advance that so much, but it’s a signal, I’m getting closer.

      Kinda sounds awkward and romantic at same time.

    3. BowlerHatGuy

      Joes a big dude. Getting his arm up frees up a good foot of space on the seat

  7. Sirksome

    Awkward silence isn’t so bad especially when the alternative is eating Taco Bell.

    1. Yotomoe

      How can awkward silence even compete with the ensuing awkward diarrhea.

      1. The Wellerman

        Wrong fast food joint. You’re thinking of Chipotle ?

        1. Yotomoe

          Naw with Chipotle you just gotta get some Chipotlaway to clean the blood stains out of your underwear.

        2. Joy

          Do you two have food allergies?

        3. King Daniel

          Nah, definitely Taco Bell—even Walky, Taco Bell Aficionado Extraordinaire, has admitted cold Taco Bell doesn’t qualify as “food” anymore. 😛

        4. Needfuldoer

          Gotta devour it quick before it sets, like McFries or boxed mac and cheese.

        5. spriteless aunty

          I always gotta skip the beans there.

      2. Doctor_Who

        Yeah, the hard part is maintaining the awkward silence, when your digestive system wishes to vocalize several complaints.

        1. Decidedly Orthogonal

          It’s a compliment to the chef!

        2. Liara

          That’s a weird spelling of “complaint”

      3. Yotomoe

        By the way I just wanna say how proud of myself I am that I somehow managed to spell Diarrhea correctly the first try.

        1. Marianne

          It’s even harder for us Brits. Diarrhoea. Like estrogen vs oestrogen, we find a way to cram another vowel in there!

        2. Yotomoe

          There’s so many letters in that word I could already argue aren’t doing anything so why not just add an O for no reason.

        3. Clif

          Your logic is impeocaoble

        4. King Daniel

          It’s either that, or go with a variant the “translating Ancient Egyptian into modern English” rule (namely, using “E” when you don’t know what vowel goes there—as Ancient Egyptian didn’t write its vowels, what relatively-few names we do know the vowels for were ones preserved in Coptic texts), and just use the letter E in all the slots

          This is a big reason why so many Egyptian gods’ names have “E” in their names, btw

        5. milu

          Oooh I did not know that. Although I think ancient Egyptian is a Semitic language right? So it makers sense that they would treat vowels (at least short ones) as secondary to consonants as is the case in Semitic scripts today (Arabic and Hebrew).

        6. Nova

          The Brits didn’t add an O actually, the words are originally Greek so “oe” is a common spelling. In the US, however, certain words began to be spelled differently to save money on telegrams and other printed media because they charged by the letter. So “o” got dropped, aluminium became aluminum, etc.

        7. eh, whatever

          No, it’s because Noah Webster got fed up with all the unpronounced silliness and cut it out in his dictionary.

          He actually tried to go further (giv, hav…), but that was too much for the conservative Americans and didn’t catch on.

          Aluminium was actually first “alumium” because that chemist didn’t know Greek. Then it was half-corrected to “aluminum”. Then someone pointed out how Greek really works and turned it into “aluminium”, but that was too late for the Americans, who had gotten used to “aluminum”, and it was even too late for the Brits, who somehow managed to keep the pronunciation of “aluminum” despite changing the spelling.

          The rest of the world actually says “ah-loo-MEE-nee-oom”.

        8. Mark

          But, but…”oe” and “ue” are not cases of unpronounced “e”. They are sounds that don’t occur in English, only in loanwords.

        9. Hof1991

          Melvl Dui tried simplified spelling too. Along with the Dewey Decimal System.

        10. Nova

          British people definitely say “al-yoo-min-ee-um” and not “al-oo-min-um”, I currently live in England and I’ve never heard them pronounce it the American way at all.

          Otherwise, I’m skeptical of your explanation since I’ve heard the other one over and over. I would love a source, because I genuinely would prefer to spread correct information rather than something I’m not certain of. And at this point I’m not certain of either answer.

          Mark is correct, though, that “oe” and “ou” (as in colour) aren’t unpronounced letters, they are spellings from loan words (greek and french respectively).

        11. Uly

          Aluminum is the original spelling and pronunciation. The Brits are the ones using a newer spelling and pronunciation.

        12. Taffy

          I don’t think British people have ever taken words somebody else made and then repurposed them. That doesn’t for their MO at all.

  8. EpochFlame

    well this is fantastic

  9. Yotomoe

    Joyce you’re atheist now. You’re supposed to say “Itadakimasu!!!”

    1. The Wellerman

      ☺☺☺

    2. Amós Batista

      hahaha
      It’s funny, because I’ve training in a cultural institute, and there, we aways thanks before any meal, saying ‘Itadakimasu’. So, sometimes, I said something like this, before eat.

    3. Jamie

      Break off a crumb and drop it on the ground like a normal person, geez.

      1. Decidedly Orthogonal

        You want ants Lana? Because that is how you get ants!

        1. anonymsly

          Yuuuup! Yay!

  10. Yotomoe

    I know it’s not intended to be but god dammit if this doesn’t read like a POWER MOVE from Joe.

    1. shrub

      I know right, it looks like it’s a totally in Dorothy’s face move.

      Which is a good thing from Joe because he wants to do the right thing and Joyce believes in him to do the right thing so I’m glad he hasn’t backed off and he’s sent Dorothy a none too subtle message as well

      Good stuff from Joe here

    2. huesatlight

      You can see it in Dorothy’s eyes. Things will be said, understandably. I think what she said yesterday was a threat. And regrets will be had.

      1. shrub

        A threat is meaningless without the means to back it up.

        What exactly can Dorothy do to Joe except give him a stink face look

    3. DailyBrad

      I honestly don’t know that it’s not intended. Like, it may be just because he’s built like a brick shithouse, like in-between Ethan pre-Crisis and Jacob (Joyce has a type), and this just gives her more room, but I also don’t think it’s impossible he’s kind of demonstrating a point right now about Joyce being comfortable with him. Difficult to say for sure.

    4. Tan

      I’d call it more of a power move by Joyce actually

      1. Decidedly Orthogonal

        Bing bing bing! There *are* two sides of the table for her to sit at. And she selected the crowded side.

        1. Ed Callahan

          Yeah. This is partly about Joyce exercising some agency without all the internalized external judgments.

        2. Archieve

          I have to wonder if what we’re seeing isn’t the result of Becky turning Joyce’s friendship into a competition? Dorothy is ‘used’ to Becky but now there’s someone else Joyce wants to spend time with besides Sarah and it’s bothering her more then she wants to admit.

  11. poofdepoof

    I know that Dorothy is pissed as heck but my shipper heart is just toooo happy to care right now

  12. RacingTurtle

    I’m sorry I can no longer focus on the interpersonal drama because LOOK AT HOW CUTE THEY ARE

    1. Rose by Any Other Name

      Joe’s eyes after Joyce sits down are particularly cute.

      1. True Survivor

        They are big and wet like nose of a happy puppy. It is indeed very cute.

    2. Carla's #2 Fan

      I had to stim a bit cause it’s so cute, you’re not alone!

  13. Yotomoe

    Offhand but even when I was “christian” I hated saying Grace. It felt like…”I gotta say this EVERY TIME?”. I’m sure God, in his omnipotence is privvy to the universal thankfulness I feel for being able to eat at any given time. I don’t really get why I gotta say it out loud. Hell my mom cooked the damn thing and I didn’t say some long poem about how thankful I am for that. I just said “Thanks mom.” and maybe “Love ya”

    I say that to say, I should be allowed to say “Thanks god” or even “Shout out to the G-man” and it all be acceptable prayer. He knows what I mean.

    1. The Wellerman

      Yeah apparently the all knowing christian god can read your mind to know how sinful you are but not so much for how thankful you are.

      If it’s hella convoluted and confusing, then what can I say so’s one of the world’s largest religions ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    2. thakoru

      I honestly enjoyed the ritual of it – it was a way to clearly mark the start of the meal, to switch my brain away from whatever it was doing into “family dinner” mode. (Also my family had a rule that we weren’t allowed to sing at the table – we are a very musical family, which becomes a problem when everyone has a different song going in their head – and grace was the exception.)

      1. thejeff

        I think some people just like that kind of formalized ritual and some don’t. Admittedly, I wasn’t brought up with it, but it’s always felt weird and awkward to me, even when I was trying to make it work.

    3. Amós Batista

      Thanking whoever made the food is way better. It sounds ridiculous, but freeing myself from pray before meal is is a great relief.
      Now, I’ve learned to thank the restaurant workers, that is way better.

    4. anon

      yeah feels like it should be lead in like a group dinner with a priest or at a celebration as opposed to every time. Or just going “grace” and being done with it lol

    5. Jamie

      The doctrine of omniscience is really, really weird when it comes to praying in general. I never figured out how to reconcile that as a kid. Like, why do I have to ask God stuff? Doesn’t He already know, and know exactly how sincere I am and exactly what it is I actually need?

      1. Yotomoe

        Yeah and it sorta gives me this vibe that he just wants to hear me say it? Like I dunno there’s this weird vibe where God wants constant validation and it just feels weird. I’d like to imagine God isn’t quite so needy.

        1. Taffy

          Maybe God has a praise kink. We don’t judge here.

        2. Schpoonman

          Yeah, that bastard’s got a monopoly on worship like the state has a monopoly on violence.

        3. Leorale

          It’s supposed to be for you, not for God.

          Jewish before-meal prayers are different based on where the food comes from (such as, there’s one for bread, one for other grains, for fruit from a tree, for things grown on a vine, for things grown underground, etc.) I don’t believe anyone is listening to my prayers but I like imagining the original form of each ingredient, and how it grew, and its process to get to my plate, and everyone who helped it get there. It’s a nice moment even when it’s just for me.

      2. Sean Smith

        I always found it to be a helpful way to organize my own thoughts and find peace through communion. Prayer isn’t just about asking for stuff.

      3. Mark

        A: “You know I love you.”
        B: “Yes, but I like to hear you say it.”

    6. Dinajoyce

      My favorite mealtime prayers have always been “yum yum, thanks for the grub, amen!” Or “God’s neat, let’s eat!” Growing up, those were definitely the most heartfelt versions of “Grace” we ever prayed. My parents generally preferred something a midge longer, but if we were really hungry, the short ones summed up the thanks best and were appreciated all around.

    7. milu

      What I think was missing from my (and by the looks of it, many people’s) spiritual upbringing, but i’ve kinda figured out now, and im not saying i would not still have turned out an atheist but these are some obvious-ass questions that grown-ups didn’t take seriously enough to try to find an answer to, is the simple fact that religion is about the human community way more than its about god. Private prayer is a way to find in a transcendent relationship the strength to do good by the rules of the tribe, and rituals like saying grace are about celebrating and strengthening togetherness.

      I mean, i assume. It just makes much more sense to me that way, and i think deep down, believers know this, or at least they feel it even if they think the feeling is somehow divine. Basically, we (as humans) are so intensely social that i think probably like 90% of spirituality ever can be explained by our need for connection to others, be they real (human community), or metaphorical (god, nature, “the universe”).

    8. Mark

      I have a problem with formula prayer. It’s too easy to just rattle it off without being engaged.

      1. Schpoonman

        My grandmother was catholic, and my mother was raised the same, so before she (grandma) passed whenever we visited before every meal they’d do one of their prayers, but it was always so fast and in-rhythm that it just sounded like song lyrics, i.e. xkcd 1538.

        Kinda like that fat run-on sentence above, but with more handholding.

    9. Dandi Andi

      Well, if you ask 10 Christians you’ll get 12 answers and none of them are fully compatible. But when I was still as believer, I didn’t see the prayer over a meal as just articulating gratitude. It’s more of a little ritual that helps keep God and Christianity at the center of your life. It’s like a little communion. Actual communion practices tend to be more formal and literal (take and eat the body of Christ and all that), but dinner is still a gathering of Christians (usually) and so we begin that gathering with remembrance and gratitude for Christ. I have no idea whether or not the practice of saying grace over a meal actually drives from communion, but that’s how I always viewed it within my own practice.

      1. thejeff

        That makes sense. It’s not actually about telling God, it’s about reminding you.

      2. Schpoonman

        Did that ever bother you when you were still of faith? The fact that all those different doctrines had little-to-no evidential basis but people were still willing to kill over it?

        1. Yotomoe

          That seems like a mighty pointed question. I will say that my counterpoint is that I think money is only conceptual and not actually a tangible thing and people kill over that too. People seem to just like killing, they just want an excuse.
          Religion seems to be used more to JUSTIFY their shitty behaviors than actually push them. Which is why every religious person seems to pick and choose which part of the bible they follow.

          But y’know, that’s just my radical opinion.

        2. Sean Smith

          Took the words out of my mouth Yotomoe.

        3. Leorale

          Strongly agree. All the religious texts I’ve read basically have everything. A hateful person will find ways to support their hatred. A kind and loving person will find ways to support their loving kindness.

      3. Mark

        Cf. _Jesus Christ Superstar_: “If you would remember me when you eat and drink….”

    10. Hof1991

      Gratitude is a good practice. As is recognizing that you may not be in charge. Grace also works as a binding community ritual.

    11. Joy

      Is that not normal? I grew up with liberal Christians saying thank you to the G man and stuff like that so the idea that it’s not acceptable is a new concept for me.

  14. Carms

    this is KILLING ME.
    fukin.
    and Joe’s little stressy happy eyes.

  15. BowlerHatGuy

    Tubba dub dub thanks for the grub, yay god!

    Ah, all the awkwardness faded away.
    Taco Bell diarrhea PLUS beans??????
    Good god, Joyce. Youre going to be in such agony

    1. Yotomoe

      “How very inappropriate, thank you.”

    2. The Wellerman

      Huh. Does Taco Bell really give humans diarrhea? ?

      1. Taffy

        Only the ones with inferior bean genes.

      2. Nerrin

        I’ve no idea how much is sincere and how much is memeing because I’ve never really known someone IRL who has had digestive issues with it. Just sits perfectly silently for me.

        1. The Wellerman

          Me too. But mind you I’m also an alien parasite with the power to *lose* weight every thanksgiving ?

      3. BowlerHatGuy

        Shit yeah!

      4. Cholma

        Not me. I’ve never understood the joke about that. A play on “Montezuma’s Revenge”? (supposedly what happens when us white boys eat native Mexican food?)

        1. not someone else

          Yeah it’s uh

          Well partly it’s because fast food is often cooked funny and very greasy. And it’s partly because beans do cause gas and stuff. But a lot of the harshness on Taco Bell specifically is based on some vaguely racist stereotypes about Mexican food. Sort of like how people will make fun of Chinese food for having MSG in it and That’s Bad for reasons they aren’t entirely conscious of and which were blown way the hell out of proportion in the 80s.

          The idea that “Mexican food will explode your digestive system” is based on certain groups of white folks in like the 50s and 60s going down to actual Mexico and getting issues, not because of the food, but because of different stuff in the water, and they weren’t really that widespread even at the time much less do they apply to eating Americanized Mexican food in Indiana decades later.

        2. The Wellerman

          Totes with you on all this bruh. Have an upvote ?

        3. Yotomoe

          I’ve always just assumed it’s cuz Tacobell is pretty low quality food in general.

      5. Amós Batista

        I don’t want to remember if it’s true or not. I went to Taco Bell once 5 years ago, and I didn’t like it so much…And I love Mexican food.

        1. BowlerHatGuy

          Taco Bell is to Mexican food like
          …
          (Recorder Titanic Meme starts playing)
          …
          Yeah.. just like that

      6. TheHorseCouncil

        When i was a kid it was never an issue for me.
        But as an adult it is.

        The thing is its not just taco bell its all fast food
        And sometimes even home made food

        So im usually not quick to blame the food so much as my own body.

        1. Nova

          Little food for thought: All the food that has given you stomach troubles as an adult – don’t suppose they all included dairy?

          I only ask because I was never lactose intolerant until suddenly, one day, I was. I thought I just had a weak stomach, that maybe I was sick, that I had just gone off certain foods… nope! Turns out if I avoid dairy I can eat things just fine.

        2. ischemgeek

          I am not lactose intolerant but food allergies can have a similar effect. I have a food allergy that has only GI symptoms. I end up feeling like I have a stomach bug from hell for a couple days. It’s a delayed reaction too so I might eat a lot of my allergen before I realized that I have been hit by it, and the severity of reaction is about proportional to how much I ate.

        3. Nova

          I’m sorry, that sounds like a pain to deal with. I appreciate you mentioning food allergies as well, since that’s a definite possibility!

        4. Joy

          Same here

  16. Siddlaw

    That forth panel of them is adorable. Let me just crop Dorothy out.

  17. Joe M.

    Please just give me the continuation of panel three where Joyce just leans back and melts into Joe and they sit there being cozy eating their Taco Bell.

    1. Yotomoe

      It’d be nice if she stopped the world and melted with him.

      1. BowlerHatGuy

        You’ve seen the difference

        1. Yotomoe

          I have. And it’s getting better all the time.

        2. BowlerHatGuy

          The authorities are concerned there’s nothing you and I won’t do

  18. Laura

    OK, so I’m confused. What happened?
    It looked to me like Joe tried to put his arm over Joyce’s shoulder and she squirmed away, like, “Eww, a boy! Keep your arms to YOURSELF!” but in a smiling kind of way. And it’s not clear to me what happened to Joe’s arm after that — just kind of disappeared.

    …Did I totally read this wrong? Body cue readers, help me!

    1. JD

      he’s just moving it to rest on the back of the seats – you can see it behind Joyce in the second to last panel.

    2. StClair

      He lifted his arm out of the way (of her shoulders) to allow her to sit down (butt first, and then swing her legs in under the table).

    3. The Wellerman

      Nah Joe’s arm is resting on the booth seat in the second to last panel, I think that’s what he was originally intending.

    4. Yotomoe

      She teched his throw attempt and now Joe is -7. Joyce has frame advantage and Joe has to be ready for the 50/50 punish.

      1. Laura

        Huh?

        1. StClair

          It’s deeply, deeply nerdy technical stuff about the mechanics of fighting games (Street Fighter et al).

        2. Yotomoe

          It’s funny how fighting game jargon is basically a 2nd language. I’m not fluent but I dabble in it.

        3. Laura

          Fun!

        4. Yotomoe

          Y’know what for fun I’ll translate my joke.

          “She teched his throw”
          In most fighting games, grabs are a balanced way of breaking through people who are guarding too much. Your opponent has to be really close to pull it off so it’s meant to punish you for not interacting. However if the blocking opponent hits the grab button (or another input depending on the game) in time with the person grabbing them, their grab will fail. This is referred to as “Teching a throw”

          “Joe is -7”
          In fighting games moves take a certain amount of frames to activate. Plus frames refer to you being able to move quickly after an interaction while Negative frames refer to the time it takes for you to be able to move after an interaction. If Joe is -7 it means that it will take 7 frames of animation for him to be able to move again.

          “Joyce has Frame Advantage”
          Building off the previous section, Frame advantage refers to Joyce being able to act out of the interaction faster. Since she’s the one who broke the grab attempt in this scenario, the frame advantage is her “reward” for breaking it.

          “Joe has to be ready for the 50/50 Punish”
          A “punish” is exactly what it sounds like. If your opponent does an unsafe move that leaves them at a frame disadvantage, or leaves them open in some way, a counter attack is referred to as a “punish”

          “50/50”
          Now a 50/50 is a bit more advanced. In most games there are Low, Mid, and High attacks. High and Mid attacks can be blocked while standing. In most games (except Tekken) You can block Low AND mid attacks by blocking low (or turtling as it is affectionately called) and this stance also makes you low enough to the ground that high attacks go over your head. However there are also “Overhead” high attacks. High attacks that either come out of a jump or just have a downward arc to them, that will hit you if you’re crouch blocking. Because Joe is at frame disadvantage in this scenario, he has no time to do anything but block. However he also doesn’t have enough time to see what move is coming and he has to guess. Will Joyce strike low and hit his legs first? or will she hit him over the head? Because he has to “guess” it is called a “50/50”. In so much that he has two choices, and if he chooses wrong he may get hit with a devastating combo or a Powerful Super move.

          So the full idea is “Joyce broke out of Joe’s grab attempt so now Joe cannot act for 7 frames of animation. Joyce however can move much faster and Joe has to guess whether or not she’s gonna hit him low or high as retaliation.”

        5. Laura

          Oh, wow, thank you!

    5. Laura

      While we’re at it, wanna help me read the faces?

      Here’s my best guess so far:

      Panel 1: Joyce: pleased with herself and proud
      Panel 2: Joyce: excited, confident; Joe: bemused (teasing?); Dorothy: nervous, putting on a brave/excited face
      Panel 3: Dorothy: confused, nonplussed, putting on a brave/excited face; Joe: nervous, excited, affectionate?; Joyce: ???
      Panel 4: Joyce: uncertain; Joe: nervous, putting on a brave face; Dorothy: angry, worried
      Panel 5: Joyce: anxious, uncertain, loss of self-confidence

      …I dunno, that’s just me. Anyone else read anything into these faces?

      1. Yotomoe

        Joyce Panels 1-4 “Oh hey it’s my friends, time for luuuuunch.

        Joe Panels 2-4 “Oh it’s that girl I like. I’m contented by her presence.

        Dorothy Panel 2: “Hey it’s Joyce. I’m gonna switch gears from mama bear mode to being open and friendly with her.”
        Dorothy Panel 3: “Oh jeez is he really about to do what I think he’s gonna do?”
        Dorothy Panel 4: “My mortal enemy, that skunk Joe Rosenthal has made a move on Joyce despite my warning. Clearly he doesn’t respect my telling him to back off”

      2. The Wellerman

        i dunno. panel 5 reads less like anxiety, more like “huh, that’s interesting. was that always there?” But don’t take my word for it, I’m not too good at reading cues like this either ?

    6. shrub

      I’m not saying your wrong but to me it looks like Joyce moved to give Joe space to put his arm there and because no words were spoken it subtly shows how in sync these two really are

      Of course I also really want these two to work so maybe I’m reading it wrong

    7. Laura

      OK, cool, thank you everybody for helping me read it all! Social sonar UNLOCKED! 😀

    8. Mark

      I didn’t get that at all. But if she did refuse a half-embrace, I think the message is more like “not yet.”

    9. a/snow/mous/e

      I assumed he was about to put his arm around her and then caught Dorothy staring at him, so he decided to put it on the booth instead. Could be wrong though.

  19. BowlerHatGuy

    Hang on.
    Dorothy literally just said
    “Thank you for this bounty”
    Grace achievement unlocked

    1. anon

      wonder if it’s ever been done in an ironic way like it being said right before someone is murdered/positioned lol

  20. RassilonTDavros

    Inside me are two wolves. One ships Joeyce, the other ships Joyrothy. Not sure which one’s gonna win but I’m too entertained by the fighting to care.

    1. Yotomoe

      Inside me are two wolves. They’re ballroom dancing.

      1. King Daniel

        Inside me there are two wolves. I ate one of them for dinner, then the other kept calling me “grandma” and asking why my ears were so small, my teeth so short, etc. So I ate that one too.

        1. milu

          Inside me are two wolves. One of them is a goood boi and deserves to have his tummy-tum rubbed. The other is a perfect lovey dovey booboo kawaii behbeh puppy pup and gets her widdle belly rubbed too, who’s a good girl? You are. Oh, yes you are

      2. BowlerHatGuy

        Inside me are two wolves. Those two fuckers are 3 months behind on rent

      3. StClair

        Yotomoe, I love this response and image, thank you.

      4. DailyBrad

        And the wolf in the back said, “Everyone attack”
        And it turned into a ballroom blitz
        And the wolf in the corner said, “Wolf, I want to warn you,
        It’ll turn into a ballroom blitz”
        Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz

    2. Nerrin

      Allow your wolves to start a pack and work together. Joyce has two hands, after all.

      1. RassilonTDavros

        True, but according to Becky in this scene, Joyce has yet to discover hands. But my two wolves may yet turn out to be Fans of that approach!

    3. miri

      literal same hat.

  21. Grayfinity

    Heh. I see how it is. Good on ya, Joe!

    How many strips until Dorothy flips?

  22. Florence

    *old wizards steps out of the shadows*

    “It is because you are the chosen one Joyce. All your awkwardness is because of your special magic power that we call blupblop. I am Damus and I will show you a wonderful world of magic. Also Joe and Dorothy were secretly my students this whole time.”

    *magical of age begins*

    1. BowlerHatGuy

      Id read it

  23. Taffy

    I like his casual attitude here. Dorothy may be pissy about it, but he doesn’t need her approval to feel his feelings or even act on them. Joyce is, of course, adorably oblivious to the tension, and seems to have even defused some of it for him.

    This ongoing scene that’s still happening sure is interesting.

    1. thejeff

      Though Joyce is definitely picking up the tension by the end. She just doesn’t know what it’s about.

  24. Dave Van Domelen

    Hooray for homogenous paste!

  25. Amós Batista

    The stool is above Joyce’s height. It allows Joe put his arms around, even not necessarily touch her.

  26. BBCC

    Life is awkward, honey, but in this case, no, that is not why. 😛

    1. milu

      Life is awkwardness. Whoever tells you different is selling something

  27. MisterJinKC

    I’ve defended Dorothy in the path, especially when it comes to Joyce (not a fan of her behavior) but she’s been way out of line throughout this situation. I’m still bugged that a couple of panels ago she told Joe to “Find different prey.” like he’s a sexual predator. He’s a horndog, but he’s essentially the opposite of a sexual predator. No means no and he doesn’t retaliate when he’s turned down. I have a really strong feeling that before this story is over she’s going to alienate Joyce and possibly a bunch of their mutual friends because of her unreasonable hatred of Joe.

    This level of hatred for Joe has never been hinted at. Maybe Dorothy will explode in frustration and accidentally reveal that she’s in an unrequited love situation with Joyce. That’s the only thing that I can imagine would elicit this level of vitriol from her.

    1. BowlerHatGuy

      Sarah pegged Joe as some kind of sex monster just watching him a couple of weeks. She challenged him, though not as harshly as dorothy.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/03-men-are-from-beck-women-are-from-clark/penis/

      Dorothy dated Joes best friend Danny for 4 years, so Dorothy probably saw the worst of Joe.
      And Dorothy broke up with danny first day of college, and danny and joe are best friends, so dorothy would probably not spend much time around either of them to provide an opportunity to show shes angry with him.

      1. The Wellerman

        OK. Again with that one strip. How many times does this make now?

        1. Bryy

          Ten or twelve, give or take.

        2. Taffy

          It’s the only other strip on the website, wym?

    2. Clif

      As his arm goes over, Joe places his hand in the form of a claw as an inaudible answer to Dorothy’s command to find other prey.

    3. not someone else

      The vast majority of what anyone, in universe or out of universe, knows about Joe’s actual sex life is an informed attribute. It’s mostly not based on actually seeing him in relationships- those have all been brief, and it’s been sort of half good half bad in that way.

      We now know that that’s because Joe does not, in fact, really HAVE much of a sex life- which is kind of like not being a predator, but given the number of people in that situation who have decided to resort to violence, not necessarily a preventative against it.

      1. thejeff

        Do we know he doesn’t have much of a sex life? We know he was exaggerating – at least about the threesomes, but we don’t know how much.
        I was assuming that it was almost all exaggeration for a while, but when Danny got kicked out during the Liz Incident, he commented about it being common, so that pushed me back to the “Joe is having plenty of off-panel sex” theory.

    4. Liara

      Admittedly, that wasn’t in a context Dorothy could hear, but Joe did say he was gonna “fix” Joyce “with his penis” just a couple months ago in-universe. He also famously ranked all the women he knew based on how fuckable they are. Joe deserves all the scrutiny he gets-

      1. Mr.Morningstar

        Oh no dorothy has every right to scrutinize him, and even be wary or his intention absolutely

        but joyce was equally as aware of those things about him and still invited him along and wants to be in his company which dorothy has no say over

        1. Blume

          Agreed! Just don’t think Dorothy should be looked at funny for hating Joe, it’s not like she doesn’t have a reason, literally every girl on campus has a reason. Including Joyce. But Joyce doesn’t hate him, and has given him a chance. Dorothy doesn’t really seem to respect that chance she gave him though, which sucks. She doesn’t really trust Joyce’s judgement all that much, but her wariness would make sense.

        2. Taffy

          I do think it’s important to note that Joyce wants his company. She knows his whole Deal already (having personally gone on a bad date with him, no less!), and hers is the only opinion that really matters here. Dorothy can huff and pout all she wants (yes I know she’s not privy, yadda yadda), but the consequences are just gonna be that she dislikes the situation and that’s as far as it goes for her.

      2. Joy

        Agreed.

    5. Yeet

      Ehhhh, he’s definitely deliberately talked like a predator and acted like even more of a horndog than he actually is. I can’t really blame someone for being aggressive at such a person. Plus these are all, like, ten second interactions. She hasn’t had a chance to talk to Joyce yet. Maybe we’ll get another “girls like to talk in the bathroom” moment soon.

      1. Schpoonman

        Yes and no. While I’m sure it was subconciously, Dorothy has given no consideration to the fact that Joe’s presence there is entirely because Joyce wants him to be there. Dorothy is not on the same page as the rest of the group.

        Readers can hyperbolize all they want but this lunch (and Joyce and Joe’s potential romance) is not as desperate as a lion stalking an unwitting tourist. Dorothy does not have a responsibility to remove Joyce from what she percieves as danger, and if she truly thinks the situation is that desperate than she’s even more removed from what’s actually happening than she thinks. Her lines yesterday encapsulate that, where she removed all agency from Joyce’s hands and made the entire situation about Joe. There’s well-meaning buried there, but Dorothy has been on auto-pilot since Joe showed up for lunch and if she doesn’t want to burn bridges with Joyce (who is already chafing from her friends trying to keep her in a box) she needs to take a step back, retake concious control, and at least talk to Joyce before she decides to gatekeep who Joyce can and cannot date.

        1. thejeff

          But she doesn’t know how much Joyce knows about Joe, so for all she knows Joe could just be putting smooth moves on her without Joyce being aware of his intent.
          She’s wrong of course. Joyce knows more about what’s going on with Joe than she does, but from her point of view her reaction is reasonable. Yes, it’s likely going to cause drama, but given the data she’s working with, she’s not doing anything bad.

        2. Schpoonman

          Yes, she is. Joyce is not immediately in danger. Her drink is not roofied, Joe hasn’t spent the last ten minutes rubbing his hands together like he’s Snidely Whiplash at the thought of how he’s going to “corrupt” her. Dorothy saw that her friend invited a mutual acquaintence (obviously a lot more for Joyce than Dorothy) and IMMEDIATELY said “No, neither of you are allowed to do what you want to do, you must run your life plans by me.” This is textbook controlling behavior and it reminds me of Linda, and the way Sal wasn’t “allowed” to be friends with Marcy.

          I don’t understand how so many people here are okay with their friends spiking their own plans because someone is vaguely uneasy about behavior that does not involve them. Dorothy is allowed to be worried about her friends. She’s even allowed to give Joe a “If you do anything to hurt her…” speech. What she is not allowed to do is directly interfere with people’s lives to this extent.

          Dorothy is not Joyce’s owner. She is her friend, and she should be glad that Joe will likely not ask Joyce what the hell Dorothy’s problem is.

        3. thejeff

          How is anything she’s actually done more than a “If you do anything to hurt her…” speech?
          She’s said some words to him, but she hasn’t tried to murder him or drag Joyce away or anything. She said “Find different prey”, but she can’t actually enforce that.
          It’s weird to me that warning sexual predators off is considered to such a horrific abuse of the predators target. It can be bad for the alleged predator, especially when, like here, she’s wrong about him.
          I guess that whisper networks are just “textbook controlling behavior” of the women they’re claiming to warn?

        4. Joy

          I appreciate you so much

    6. Mark

      I’ve begun to think that this is driven by prior history that we don’t know. Like, back in high school, there was a misunderstanding and Joe badly hurt one of Dorothy’s friends.

      1. thejeff

        This kind of ties into what I was saying about Joe yesterday. Given his approach at the start of the semester (and apparently in high school as well), I really can’t imagine that he hasn’t badly hurt people.

    7. Archieve

      Though Joes past behavior doesn’t help her opinion of him Dorothy has shown to cross the line when Joyce tries something outside her normal routine before ( ie tracking Joyce down when skipping class with Sarah and her sister, being possessively angry at Jennifer for helping Joyce without her) I would say she’s atleast partially angry that Joyce has invited another friend she didn’t get any say in. I would say this is a pattern of behavior for Dorothy that isn’t just about Joe himself.

  28. DailyBrad

    Very cute, very much love this. Whether Joe’s doing this to demonstrate Joyce can choose and neither of them need Dorothy’s blessing or permission, or if he’s just being his natural self and Joyce is comfortable and being herself, too, both options are great.

  29. Francoinblanco

    Ok Joyce its all good just dont think about blinking, breathing and that you have tongue in your mouth.
    Oh and for the love of notexisting God dont think what to do with your arms

  30. True Survivor

    Has the website been sorta glitchy for any else lately? For me it keeps being very slow to respond to any input, often takes forever to load, and then responds to nine commands all at once. I don’t know why. Any ideas?

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Yesterday (Tuesday afternoon Eastern US time) the website was down for some hours. I checked and it wasn’t just me.

    2. Koms

      It was down on Monday too for some time

  31. BowlerHatGuy

    High school drama loot package dropping in 3… 2…

  32. Diana Nock

    That’s not an awkward silence. That’s the WHOOSH of a bomb that’s about to be dropped.

    1. Needfuldoer

      Duck and cover!

  33. Megan Rivera

    They’re such a cute couple sitting together I squee’d when I saw the panel the first time.

    I hope they stay together and get married eventually. They’re my favorite ship.

  34. Dr. T

    It’s worth noting that Joe is bulky enough that if he didn’t put his arm across the back of the seat Joyce might not fit on that tiny bench seat. Not that she didn’t opt to squeeze in with him instead of Dorothy, where she’d have fit just fine.

  35. Steelbright

    Joyce’s decision to leave this relationship situation ambiguous is going to slay everybody in the room hahaha. As a polyamorous person ,i find this a terrible idea and strangely similar to some situations you get into when dating multiple people… but it’s also hilarious

  36. LIGHTWEIGHT BAYBEE

    Squeeing for panels 3 and 4 🙂

    1. Blume

      Right??? LOOK AT HOW NATURAL IT WAS!

    2. rjmmbc

      Same.
      So. Stinking. Cute.

  37. Taffy

    It can be the most reasonable thing in the world for Dorothy to have misgivings about this, since (as people are obsessed with pointing out), she’s known Joe for years. I like Dorothy. I enjoy her as a character. Being one of the hotter gals in the cast, I like her quite a lot.

    She has no place in the discussion of Joyce and Joe possibly going out. None. Anyone saying otherwise would be wrong if they said it, which I’m not saying anyone is, but if they did they’d be wrong. I don’t even really understand why it would be a point of contention.

    If Dorothy wants to be mature and vocalise her misgivings to Joyce, there’s nothing wrong with that, but all Joyce has to say is “Oh, I know. He’s way better than that now” and it’s then on Dorothy to trust Joyce, whether she trusts Joe or not.

  38. Hello

    Wondering if Dorothy is going to shove her foot in her mouth in the heat of the moment or smth like saying Joyce can’t actually consent to a relationship/what Joe “really wants” from her given her possible autism (and that kind of a liam seems to be something being explored? It’s not clear yet if that fits under the “well meaning” trying to be supportive ablism that might be developing with Dorothy) which might also have Joe shoving a foot in his mouth about Dina being perfectly capable given recent developments with Becky or Dorothy possibly feeling the need to remind Joyce of what happened with Ryan since she seems to be equating Joe in her mind to a literal rapist and can make a comparison because of their date at the beginning of the comic being an attempt by Joe to get her into bed (lull into sense of security, have their way even if both circumstances are different given one literally drugged her and Joe while misogynistic has, in every instance aside from that date, seems to have only had sex with women interested the same no strings sex as him)

    To be kinda fair to Joe, we’ve also seen with Sarah that he made the pass, she declined, and he had later referenced saying he’s not trying for anything since she’d already made it known she’s not interested. The “her whole demeanor is doing it for me” comment is kinda gross to say with her right there but tbf again it was prompted by Joyce being protective and sounded more like “hey I can be attracted to a girl but if she says no, I’m not going to keep bothering her.”. Either his date with Joyce made him change his approach or that was some serious early installment weirdness. There has been change with Dorothy present but either she can’t see that change because of her years knowing him, there hasn’t been enough of his development that she’s seen, or she just doesn’t think any of it is real or meaningful.

    Idk just thinking, I don’t think Dotty will do either of the above since everyone has been much more mature in how they react and not everyone is table-flipping angry in this comic, but if we’re going to speculate on some bad shit happening and some out of character bungling from Dorothy, I feel like the two flavors above could be plausible but maybe not so direct, like they would connect also with Joe’s comment about having more faith in Joyce.

    1. thejeff

      To be kind of fair to Sarah, she yelled and threatened him before he backed off and he still brought it up again later.
      He was performative about saying he’d drop it, but couldn’t quite keep from continuing to hint that he’s still open.
      And that’s with someone who got openly angry at him about it.

  39. Stephen Nedland

    There is an awkward silence, because you bff thinks you are about to be exploited by a sexual predator. And, it will get more awkward, because neither Dorothy, or Joe, will bring it up.

  40. milu

    Meanwhile, i have a question for any of ya’ll who maybe aren’t of purely western culture (or just happen to be versed).

    Im doing a kind of personal project about constellations around the world.

    Do you have any names, stories or other family/cultural tradition around specific stars and constellations that differ from their “common” names? (i.e. western, chiefly greek- and arabic-tradition based)

    An example is how in (ancient) Sámi astronomy Cassiopeia is not a standalone consrellation but just the head of a much larger “Sarva the elk” constellation that includes Perseus.

    (source: the highly excellent app Stellarium, which includes both gorgeous sky maps and detailed and sourced info for other cultures’ (past or present) astronomies).

    (So i do have scholarly sourceson hand, (also i scoured my local public library) but im still fielding anyones specialist and/or familial knowledge on this!

  41. Rabisch

    I know she’s exaggerating, but I admit that I kinda admire Dorothy’s willingness to watch step by step every move Joe wants to make with Joyce. I just hope she doesn’t have a nervous breakdown.

  42. Raen

    Joyce, repeat after me: 頂きます

  43. Nicoleandmaggie

    Ooh she chose to sit with Joe instead of Dorothy. Size suggests the opposite just logistically so this was an actual choice on her part. Cannot blame her.

    1. Hof1991

      A choice but maybe not a conscious one. But one that makes clear who is the third wheel.

  44. Beau Kirin Maysey

    Prediction: This is going to escalate to Joyce blowing up on Dorothy, something like “Are you saying I DONT know how to take care of myself??” and Dorothy will say, “Respectfully, I am pleading the 5th on that one”

    1. alongcameaspider

      I think she’s going to be tactful enough not to escalate it with Joyce a day after Joyce got upset with everyone for not giving her space

      I do think she’s going to go to Becky to vent about this who will do something drastic that will piss off Joyce

      1. thejeff

        Hopefully she does talk to Joyce, but takes a more tactful approach than she did with Joe. Trying to find out what Joyce thinks is going on and what she thinks about Joe, rather than just starting with “You’re not allowed to date him”, like some think she will.

      2. anonymsly

        I do think that both Becky and Dorothyneed to be called out on their current behaviors re: Joyce, and anything short of Joyce screaming at them about it is unlikely to penetrate their built-up habit of ‘oh Joyce you dum-dum’.

  45. Cerusee

    Oh my god what if they displayed unspoken casual physical comfort with each other’s presences

    WHAT THEN

  46. bagge

    Yup, totally the grace thing

  47. Hazel

    Joe looks so happy to be almost but not quite touching Joyce.

  48. Keulen

    I’m not sure if it’s an autistic thing or not, but I can often tell when the situation has become awkward, but have no idea how to make it stop being awkward.

    1. Masumi

      I get that too! I can very clearly tell something is wrong, but no idea how to figure out what without accidentally stepping on someone’s tail…
      Pretty sure an autism thing in my case.

  49. Bathymetheus

    “You have to trample the individual bean pieces out …”

    Willis! Have you been teaching your kids to play with their food?

    If my parents were still alive they would be horrified.

    I, however am amused – in a gross sort of way.

  50. LivingInYourWalls

    I get Dorothy’s gripes with Joe, I do, but dammit Joe being happy with Joyce looks so cute

  51. LivingInYourWalls

    Also, has Joe always worn vests? Theyre both wearing vests :’)

    1. DailyBrad

      Oh wow, I didn’t even notice that. I think this is a first for Joe, aww.

  52. Wendy

    Awww, Joe’s little smile as he puts his arm not EXACTLY around Joyce but close. My heart, it is warmed.

    Dorothy’s is not, of course, but that’s kinda understandable.

  53. Wendy

    In other news, my own autism objects: mushy food like beans? Horrifying. True, little unmashed lumps make it even worse, but beans are just an F-tier food in general. In my own VERY CORRECT and TOTALLY OBJECTIVE opinion.

  54. Sibre

    Joe’s out here soft-launching Joeyce for feedback before the official release.

    1. The Oracle

      After 9 years in development, hopefully it will have been worth the wait.

  55. IniquitousKing

    Justified as I think Dorothy is in being suspicious of Joe’s motives and all, what with not being privy to what we know of him, I’m glad he’s just sort of (Outwardly) ignoring it all and having a good time with Joyce regardless. He really doesn’t have to prove anything to her.

    1. Archieve

      I think Dorothy seriously wanted him to leave right then and there so glad that isn’t the case. Though Joes past actions do give Dorothy some justification for suspicion, the fact that she didn’t like Joyce skipping class with Sarah (someone she trusts) I think is an indicator that Dorothy isn’t just concerned about Joe but anything Joyce does that breaks the mold, an issue that will hopefully be addressed soon.

      1. Axel

        I agree but also I forgot her skipping with Sarah, what part of the story was that?

        1. Archieve

          When Liz , Sarah’s sister came to visit Joyce skipped to have brunch with them. Becky freaked out that Joyce had a new friend and Dorothy was concerned Joyce was skipping class and tracked her down through Liz ‘s posts without telling Joyce.

  56. Shade of Blue

    I like how this is kind of a mirror image of Joe and Joyce’s first “date.”

    The first date was completely artificial as they both approached it with unrealistic and shallow ideals about how it should go, and they were accompanied by Mike, who was out to sabotage it from the get for his own amusement.

    This second outing seems totally natural and clear-eyed, and the chaperone is now Dorothy, who is downright bristling and insecure in her attachment to Joyce.

    Ironically the role of the chaperone is almost the same in both cases, since both want the interaction between Joyce and Joe to fail for their own selfish reasons.

    1. shrub

      Good point, I hadn’t considered that aspect

    2. Axel

      Dorothy’s reason isn’t as selfish as Mike’s at least At least part of it is actually thinking she’s protecting Joyce somehow (badly and in ways I have already complained about). She might even think that’s the entire reason she’s doing it, although it almost certainly isn’t.

  57. Joy

    Joyce is really cute in that last panel!

  58. Joy

    I like Dorothy btw. I feel like she’s being realistic in this scene.

  59. Suet

    With six burritos in tow, you wish you extended your arm around Joyce, Dotty

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