176

Fragile
Posted on August 15, 2024 by David M Willis

176 thoughts on “Fragile”

  1. IntangibleMatter

    SAVED BY THE PENIS JOKE

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      Wouldn’t be the first time.

    2. Reltzik

      It can go the other way just as easily. An ill-timed penis joke can really cock it up.

      1. Lokitsu

        And make you look like a huge dick.

        1. M!a

          /me cues up “Sober” by Tool on the hacked Muzak

        2. Dante

          Oh dong. Yeah, that would’ve made things harder isn’t it

        3. Kat

          It’s just a penis joke. I don’t understand why everyone had to get so stiff about it.

        4. Nothri

          Basically you don’t want to just whip one out, cause that can cause disgust and awkwardness. But if you make sure your company is in the right mood it can be delightful for everyone involved when you insert it.

          Inserting the joke into the conversation of course. What else would I mean?

      2. Jamie

        You, too, can relieve tension with a prick.

    3. Xronium

      a buzzer beater! or penis beater wait no

    4. DJTsurugi

      penis jokes to defeat trauma ~<3

    5. Ana Chronistic

      No wenis jokes? I AM DISAPPOINT

      (I am also not regularly posting since general loss of concern plus I guess Firefox shat itself and lost all my settings and I’ve been struggling with just putting everything back where it was to care about not-“FIRST”-FIRSTing)

      1. Deanatay

        1) It’s spelled ‘weenus’.

        2) ‘Weenus’ is more Walky’s joke.

        3) This wouldn’t be the first time Joe has fixed something with his penis.

        wait

        1. Ana Chronistic

          https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/wenis/

    6. Decidedly Orthogonal

      The Penis (joke) mightier! than the sword.

  2. Sirksome

    Hehe. Penis.

    1. Felian

      Pe-ness.

  3. Dara

    oh no

    it’s spreading

    xD

    1. True Survivor

      Ha!

    2. Doctor_Who

      I don’t know what you meanis.

    3. Rose by Any other Name

      Not yet she isn’t.
      Maybe soon?

      1. Lee

        [spit take] thank you I needed a 4.30am laugh

    4. Deanatay

      Is Joe Patient Zero of the dreaded PENIS DISEASE??

      Nah, doesn’t have the same ring to it as BUTTS DISEASE.

      DING DONG DISEASE?

      PENID-19?

  4. NGPZ

    Aaaawwweeee

    (hee hee)

  5. StClair

    It’s good that they broke the tension, but they also need to finish having this conversation.
    Without Mary around.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Her presence just enhances Psychic Damage, huh.

    2. anonymsly

      I think they will, but this little tension break is a solid hint to the comic-viewing audience that we’re not headed for a breakup here. (Not that the consensus didn’t already seem to be ‘this is an important conversation that will strengthen the ship’.)

    3. RassilonTDavros

      Yeah. There are pros and cons to this resolution.

      1. Reltzik

        This isn’t a resolution. It’s just a penis joke. This will come up again.

        1. Needfuldoer

          Yeah, they need a real talk but without the “you lied to me” tension.

        2. Reltzik

          Strangely enough, just a few strips ago Joyce was okay with him lying. She called it bliss.

          … also, I think that counted as Joe pressuring her.

    4. Kimi

      The penis joke might chase Mary away for them to continue the conversation without her, or to move to a more private area.

      1. Kimi

        I now realize that they could continue along with the word jokes by talking about going to a private area. It wasn’t initially intentional, but I still find the idea amusing.

      2. Reltzik

        It might not drive her off, though. Maybe she’ll eavesdrop for some reason. Like she thinks it will, oh, I dunno…. nethersomeblackmailmaterial.

      3. Needfuldoer

        Ha-HA! “Private area”.

  6. Switchchris

    Hopefully this event has made this relationship less fragile, good on joe for properly communicating, even if its a bit late.

    1. Kimi

      He may not have thought that it was going to be a problem until she started drinking. I wouldn’t expect him to be that great at foresight at his age. Then you get into whether he can have the conversation while she is drinking and all that jazz. I am really glad that he is being open about his vulnerabilities and concerns and everyone is talking things out.

      1. Bogeywoman

        Oh yeah, this is one of those things you only learn to do (eg communicate expectations around inebriation) after you cock up. That kinda goes for the vast majority of the comic, kids learning what to do or not to do through their cockups.

        1. Nathan

          They’re dumbing of age

  7. anonymsly

    I mean, he is also afraid he’s going to ruin it with his penis, so….

  8. shadowcell

    big me-ness energy

  9. Jo_cubstar

    Oh Joyce. Too cute

  10. Red

    I love these two idiots

    1. Vanessa

      Seconded. Such adorkableness.

  11. pickonecard

    That went about as well as it possibly could have 🙂

  12. Nono

    If you share it, Me-ness becomes a Weenus.

    1. Proxiehunter

      The weenis is a dance. Everybody is a genius, who knows it in advance. Everybody do the weenis.

    2. Michael Steamweed

      An excellent marketing idea for the Wii that was, sadly, rejected in-committee.

    3. VicMortimer

      Better get some of that Arden Weenus Meat Softener.
      (It’s cadmium enriched.)

  13. Blume

    I love them so much. That’s kinda all I have to say. Also, haha me-ness

  14. JessWitt

    What a couple of dingdongs.

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      I see what you did there.

      1. Michael Steamweed

        Joyce has seen it, too.
        (the miracle of biology, that is)

  15. Dave Van Domelen

    It’s like kintsugi, but with penis jokes instead of gold.

    1. butts

      cocksugi, if you will

      1. Michael Steamweed

        dicksugi?

        1. Kintrex

          Chinsugi

  16. Queezle

    Well done communication for the win.

    1. Lee

      Yes! I was ???

  17. Thing2

    This is exactly what I expected to hear from him. And the derailing is kinda so sweet and Joyceish. Full marks to them for honesty and to Willis for knowing when to make penis jokes.

  18. DailyBrad

    Sometimes, you need something to cut the tension. I am glad they’re talking about all of this.

  19. TheKelliestKelly

    We all remember Joyce’s trauma. But does anyone remember Joe’s experience with Liz?

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-12/01-sister-christian/ruined/

    This is definitely informing Joe’s behaviors and fears

    1. anon

      i’m not a guy but i feel like something like that would give me ED /’performance anxiety’ the next time i tried being intimate withsomeone/what i expected to happen if joyce had attempted to grope him/do more while she was drunk versus joe just being hesitant /avoiding sex

      1. Michael Steamweed

        I am a guy, and I’ve been in a very similar situation. When I was much younger, and it did not go great. Many women friends (and a few man friends) tried to tell me it wasn’t that bad, that I was overreacting, but I still remember it today in that negative way. And, yeah, it can cause anxiety in several ways.

    2. Dante

      And he never told Joyce about that episode because

      1- of course he hasn’t, the SHAME of that experience reached existential levels.
      2- it’s a surprise tool Willis will help himself to later.

      Joyce kind of introduced them. Feels like it would affect their relationship (on top of already making Joe feel like shit, that’s it.)

      1. HueSatLight

        “I was going to fuck her so I could get over you,” probably will be rough. Along with “I had a sexual encounter with Dorothy to see if it would change how I felt about you.” Maybe they balance each other out.

    3. Jerach

      I forgot just how heavy that moment hit Joe holy shit. While I don’t have really the same history as him I can honestly relate to the terrifying fear that my sexual interest in somebody is dangerous and potentially harmful, even if I’m trying my best to be respectful.

    4. RoyanRannedos

      Yeah, before you know it…HOMPK!

  20. Gin

    They’re going to be fine ?

  21. Newlland(Henryvolt)

    …That’s a good way of saying “I love you” without actually saying it.

  22. Taffy

    Oh yeah, just simply have more faith in yourself. It’s like a switch, right? Just on/off at will?

    1. Inahc

      duh, it’s the one second from the bottom on the left thigh. *everyone* knows about the faith/more-faith switch. ?

      1. Dante

        Is there a faith-no-more fuse?

        1. TGS

          When it working, the Faith No More fuse just blasts the Angel Dust album at maximum volume – which can be a cathartic album to sit through when you need to revel in some uncomfortable beauty. Sometimes, though, if that fuse blows, then you have to deal with Mike Patton throwing goldfish at a piano while singing Italian.

  23. raker

    why is she making this so hard?

    1. anon

      That’s what she said 8D;

      “Difficult but worth it” is how i’m sure some ppl would describe befriending/dating joyce

    2. Dara

      lol why is she making J…

      y’know, I’m not. I’m just not.

      1. Dara

        It’s TOO EASY

        JUST LIKE JOE

        (used to be)

        xD

    3. Taffy

      She’s not.

    4. AGV/Ruby

      She’s actually making this super easy

      1. Agemegos

        … barely an inconvenience.

    5. Jerach

      Given how recent the trauma still is this is honestly pretty good. The fact that she hasn’t just completely run away from this situation and is able to hold this conversation right now is pretty good.

  24. Anon A Mouse

    “I’m not fragile” she says clutching her hand after freaking out at someone not being drunk around her when she was. Not trying to be mean, but she’s not making a great case.

    1. Taffy

      Here we go. All forms of vulnerability are fragility. If you can break at all, you’ll break at the drop of a hat.

      1. Dday

        Wellll the way she’s been trying to use alcohol to bypass that vulnerability… I can’t exactly blame Joe for reacting with caution. I do think Joyce is made of sterner stuff than most people realize, even herself.

    2. AGV/Ruby

      That’s not fair considering that this is one of her worst traumas. She’s been having recurring nightmares about this kind of situation ffs.

    3. Regret

      Freaking out and controlling it is how you get stronger, and may even lead to healing. Pretending you’re not freaking out as if you don’t have trauma isn’t being strong, that’s pretending to be strong.

      1. Throwatron

        holy shit preach

    4. Lee

      She’s having a trauma/ptsd response. Joyce has been through a lot and telling herself that her trauma =/= fragility is so very important.

    5. Wereg

      You are succeeding in being mean. It’s a fresh and very scary trauma.

    6. Amós Batista

      That’s a mixed signal. Like Joyce didn’t give a full green flag.

    7. Michael Steamweed

      Trouble is, Joe sees this. He knows what she went through. He knows he is terrified of making her feel that way, or even have any flashback to that time. Joe does not want her to go there, and he is second-guessing and third-guessing himself about it. Dick jokes aside, he needs Joyce to understand how very concerned he is. And a simple “I’m not fragile” is not going to assuage his worries one bit.

      1. Anon A Mouse

        Thank you for being the only one to see my point.

  25. anon

    aw, cute

    well, it’d be nice if more guys evne cared half as much about these thigns as joe does

  26. staszu13

    Joyce! Never so glad to see a Joyce Face in my life ❤️

  27. Proxiehunter

    Me-ness sound like penis and FFFFFT sounds like she’s making a fart noise with her mouth.

  28. JA

    Penis to the rescue!

  29. audkitten

    I’m 44 and my partner is 56 and this is how we have serious conversations (especially the last part)

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Being a 40s, 50s, or older adult just means we have more authority to exchange body part jokes. 🙂

  30. Bruno

    Getting this comments section to see a relationship conflict while also understanding that they’re not gonna break up over this is legitimately a feat of storytelling.

    1. Rotunda

      Yes, ’tis most excellent.

    2. Schpoonman

      I really thought after Walky and Lucy left the church that they were going to be fine going forward.

      I was very wrong.

  31. AGV/Ruby

    And this is why they’re the OTP

    1. Rabbit

      Astronaut 1: They’re OTP

      Me in an astronaut suit holding It’s Walky/Roomies: Always has been

    2. DorJoJo

      Don’t think I could handle them breaking up

  32. M!a

    Sometimes, life is suddenly about when *not* to hold back with that dick joke

  33. Amelie Wikström

    Come on Joe, turn that me-ness into we-ness. Hehe weenus

  34. Bryy

    The lack of Mary here concerns me.

  35. AbacusWizard

    tee hee

  36. Dante

    Sorry, I’m incredibly ill and my sole input tonight is apparently horrible puns. Anyway yeah they’re so cute I can only wish they didn’t have this conversation right in the middle of the hallway .

    I live for drama but there’s better ways :’DD

  37. Jammy

    Phew. Serious discussion avoided….

  38. staszu13

    It’s ok Joe. She could have caught you in the midst of an orgy with 6 other women – oh wait

    1. Michael Steamweed

      He did say that he has never had a three-some. But he did not specifically say he has never had a four-some, five-some, six-some, or beyond. Just that he has never done any three-some-ing.

      1. Schpoonman

        Fuckin’ band camp.

  39. Warmth

    Yiur me-ness is hard on yourself…. I don’t know where I was going with that one…

  40. shrub

    These guys have great chemistry together and, more importantly, can communicate with each other

    Good to see

    1. Lee

      I had some excellent potential!

  41. chuckroast

    Yessssssss. This is so good to see. I love them.

  42. DashWallkick

    And just like that, fight: over!

    1. thejeff

      Fight postponed. Underlying issues successfully not dealt with.

      Which might still be a good thing.

      1. DashWallkick

        IMO this wasn’t much of a fight — it’s just reiterating that Joe is scared of turning into his dad and Joyce needs to be more sensitive to that going forward, which includes alcohol. It’s hard to really resent your partner when the central issue is mutual fears you both are aware of and working to resolve. It’d be much, much, much worse if either of them were Jennifer-ing the issue and pretending it didn’t exist.

      2. TerribleTransit

        The “fight” was already transmuting into an honest discussion of their feelings with signs of it continuing into dealing with those issues. The tension release of a good dick joke only makes it more likely for the conversation to continue that way without turning into a full-fledged fight. I think it’s much more likely to be “fight averted” than “postponed”.

  43. CianM1301

    And the comments section breathed a collective sigh of relief.

    1. NGPZ

      Willis makin us feel like JoeJoy feel, like a frickin roller coaster

      WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! ^^ <3

    2. Fussypupy

      hahaha yes exactly xD

    3. Michael Steamweed

      Ssshhh, don’t say that loudly! Willis will hear you! And he’ll put them through a quick argument and breakup and reconcile with hot steamy slipshine sex the very next day, but in our world that will take like three years! I don’t have that kind of patience! :O

      1. NGPZ

        From the Doylist perspective, surely advancing the story does not really entail breaking up couples out of nowhere?

  44. darkoneko

    pffffffhahahahhahahahahahahha

    1. Jeremiah

      Dammit Cross! (This is a reference to a one piece fanfic)

  45. Steelbright

    Is this the only time “penis” has actually solved an argument?

    1. Mano308gts

      Was the Joe gravatar fortuitous or intended… we will never know… xD

  46. GUIGUI

    Biggus Weegus!

    1. Michael Steamweed

      *urge to snicker in roman-centurion intensifies

  47. Throwatron

    oh no they’re cute i’m losing it send help

  48. DorJoJo

    Oh thank god, we were taking on water for a minute there

  49. VolticEXE

    Glad the tension’s broken a bit. Can’t blame Joe for doing what he did originally, but lying can be a big deal depending on the partner & their life experience.

    Thankfully Joyce recognizes Joe didn’t do it maliciously & because he’s extremely worried. That said, I hope they do get the Serious Dicsussion out of the way sooner rather than later, its clear its gonna be needed before it gets more intimate.

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Can’t tell if “dic-sussion” is intentional joke or happy accidental joke.

      My headcanon posits the intention. 🙂

    2. Mark

      I get the impression that Rational Joyce understood from the start, but this is a case of “I don’t want to walk away but my legs are doing it anyway, give me a minute or ten.”

  50. Acher4

    A dick joke saves the day? 😛

  51. Josh Spicer

    God these two really are a shared brain cell at times.

  52. Da Boy

    Good thing she is at Kaguya’s level of comedy development.

  53. Michael Steamweed

    “I’m not fragile”, she insists while holding her wrist and hand, clearly thinking of a time (and boy) long ago.

    1. Jeremiah

      That doesn’t mean she is fragile ffs. Having trauma responses doesn’t mean you break down at the slightest sign of trouble. This was a very specific situation.

    2. JD

      wasn’t aware that only a few months at best was long enough to get over the trauma of getting roofied, threatened, and nearly sexually assaulted. it’s so crazy how how she’s still impacted by something that often takes people years to get over and she’s able to like, stand her ground and actually explain herself. weird, right. it’s almost like you don’t understand the difference between vulnerability and fragility. that’s so wild.

      1. thejeff

        It’s the word Joyce used. I’m not sure she’s making a nuanced distinction between fragile and vulnerable here. She’s using it to say “You don’t have to worry about ruining this because I’m not fragile”. You can’t counter that with “She’s vulnerable to this, but not actually fragile, so don’t worry about it.”

        1. Jeremiah

          Okay, could you clarify who you are responding to because I actually confused about what you are trying to say here.

        2. JD

          expressing vulnerability is not the same as being fragile – in other words, just because she is reacting strongly to a triggering situation does not mean she will shatter to pieces or is incapable of having a discussion about these things when they’re relevant or before they’re relevant. but that’s not really the point and you know it’s not.

  54. :0

    Goals, honestly.
    This is probably the healthiest relationship in the whole webcomic so far

    1. Jeremiah

      They have tough competition with Dina/Becky and Danny/Sal.

  55. Adept

    Saved by the accidental dick joke.

  56. egon

    now kith

  57. BorkBorkBork

    We’ve come full circle, folks.

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

  58. wakeangel2001

    this is one of the few times where subbing the word “penis” into the sentence actually DOES make it funnier

  59. Jeremiah

    Healthy communication (and dick jokes) to the rescue!

  60. RonF

    Sex with her while she’s drunk – whether he’s drunk or not – is the worst thing that could happen between them right now. No one would believe he hadn’t taken advantage of her for self-gratification. Possibly including her.

    1. Vulcanodon

      Possibly, including himself! He saw this and opted out of that possibility.

    2. thejeff

      If she was actually fine with it after the fact, then I think it would have been fine. It’s her actually not being okay with it that has Joe worried.

      1. RonF

        The first time she actually has sex she’s going to go through an emotional crisis afterwards. Her being casually fine with it after the fact is not something that’s going to happen, I figure.

  61. Skychrono

    I’ll preorder the magnets of those last two panels now, thanks.

  62. zee

    Yeah they’re fine

  63. Nothri

    You know, I keep forgetting that when it comes to having a sincere honest relationship with someone Joe is more or less just as naive and confused as Joyce is. He knows a lot about sex and pleasure, but he’s never had much experience with the rest of it.

    All things considered, he’s doing really well with this whole “sincerity and communication” thing. Not only is he explaining himself, he’s also telling her his personal anxieties and what boundaries he’s struggling with in an evolving relationship. He’s doing well.

    I’d like it if he and Sarah could clear the air here, though. I feel like she made the worst assumption about what he was doing possible and all but accused him of planning something awful.

    1. HueSatLight

      I don’t think that’s necessarily what Sarah was doing. She has a habit of not volunteering to keep other people’s secrets. Maybe she just doesn’t ever want to be on the receiving end of “You knew? why didn’t you tell me?” when nobody even asked her to keep something secret.
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/effin/

    2. Dday

      I’m not a huge fan of the way Joyce was trying to pressure Joe to be drunk and… physically amorous when he was clearly not comfortable with this. I’m more on his side here, though he should have been strong enough to just put his foot down and tell Joyce directly.

      All that said, there was a pretty important falsehood floating between them and its way better in the long run that Sarah popped that bubble before it got any bigger. No stable relationship is built on lies and secrets.

      1. Nymph

        I swear some people here read a different comic than I do.

    3. Amós Batista

      “He knows a lot about sex and pleasure, but he’s never had much experience with the rest of it”
      Is it possible to skip the rest of relationships (even with friends) and jump straight to sex? Not only necessarily talking about alosexuallity, but not having friendship even with same-sex persons, after all…

      1. Nothri

        I can’t recall many relationships Joe has demonstrably been in aside from Danny that were more than one night stands and booty calls. Not many he’s on good terms with.

        1. JR

          Jacob was his “new main man” towards the start of the semester, and they’re still buds with an interest in each others’ love lives.

      2. BorkBorkBork

        Oh, 100%. I grew as a male in the 90s, and early Joe strikes me as a 90s-era dude. In that, the male friends that you have are really glorified acquaintances. You might hang with them, you might have the same interests, root for the same team, go to the same parties, agree that the same girls are 10s and 2s, but have z-e-r-o idea of who they are otherwise and what makes them tick.

        To the above mindset? Men do not share “feelings”. Men do not get “emotional.” Especially not to other men. Men are tough, men are strong, men don’t get “emotional” and cry like little kids.

        Danny is the oddity, because Danny and Joe were friends before Joe threw up those walls. And it’s clear from the early strips that Joe is uncomfortable with that closeness, and that any sharing of personal details is one way from Danny to Joe. He treats Danny more like a liability or nuisance than a friend or confidant.

        And if he didn’t learn actual friendship from his actual friends, where else would he learn it from? Family? Haaaa.

        1. Taffy

          Yeesh, that brand of masculinity sounds lonely and exhausting.

        2. shrub

          Not as exhausting than dealing with everything going on with Joyce and her friends

        3. Nymph

          Okay, so don’t then.

        4. Taffy

          What does that have to do with anything?

  64. Waffliesinyoface

    i! want! them! to! kiss!!!

  65. Doug D

    “These crazy kids are gonna be okay.”

  66. Yumi

    Joyce isn’t fragile, and Joe knows this and her resilience is one of the things he loves about her. But not being fragile doesn’t mean you don’t have triggers or can’t get hurt, and Joe is terrified of hurting her and ruining what they have. When she says she’s not fragile, he doesn’t disagree; it’s that his concern isn’t her fragility. She sees might see his actions as an attempt to coddle her, and that’s not what she wants, and does connect back to her upbringing where decisions were made for her so frequently.

  67. poyo

    god …… i love them so much …..

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