Joyce: “Who the heck is that supposed to be? Why don’t her eyes have proper pupils? And her grin is just some weird triangle? Man, you need this class.”
Also, re:alt-text – Bad Willis! We do not reference the Folgers incest commercial this early! Like all Christmas traditions, it’ll engulf autumn if we let it.
You know, they could’ve avoided Uncomfortable Meme Status if they’d just set up “Hey sis!” and “Mom and Dad are asleep” in the dialog really really early.
I mean, I would have just not included the stage direction ‘Give each other constant smoldering looks’, but I am not a professional director so what do I know.
West Africa doesn’t really have an arabica-friendly environment, so any locally grown coffee is robusta (not that this is bad, just not a flavor profile most Westerners like, since it’s earthier and more bitter). East and Central Africa are where most African arabica grows, and a huge amount of it gets exported to Western nations (and Japan) for roasting.
There was an interview done a couple years back about it the commercial, and according to the brother’s actor he hasn’t seen the sister’s actress since they filmed it, but she’s still acting from what i can see, mostly bit parts though
Hopefully the hearts will help her realise he means anxiety in that he e really cares about her feelings and doesn’t know how to handle that..? And she isn’t going to decide he’s mocking her happy-sunny ways here… 😬 This could either go really wrong or really well..!
He totally went for it! What a man. No circling around it with five years of beating around the bush, prevarications, and sit-com misunderstandings like, “well there is this girl that I like that I’m afraid to ask out.” Beautiful!
This is a good point. However, with the most common style of 8-wheeler I’ve seen/been in, 6 of those wheels are on the truck itself, with the other 2 being at the rear of the trailer. A truck can drive without a trailer, but the trailer isn’t getting far without the truck.
Although since each 4-set of Carla’s wheels are on an individual skate, she’s almost closer to a pair of cars, now that I think about it.
I definitely didn’t do that with my spouse (except less going off and more just running away) and also definitely didn’t ask them out a couple weeks later when I sorted my feelings out >_>
So… there’s hope hahaha
speaking from personal experience, having intense anxiety-inducing crushes is awful as fuck, so im very happy that he just went for it !!! good for him !!!
Joe! My man! This is so brave, and so cute! And god, he just left no doubt what he actually means with his picture. Joyce all smiley at the world and a little him in the background hearting at her. Just being emotional, with none of the ‘grossness’ she expects and would use to shut him down hard.
I hope that if she does shut him down, she’s gentle. He’s probably super fragile in this moment.
Eek I’m dreading tomorrow’s strip. As heartwarming as this is if I were in Joyce’s shoes I’d 100% assume he was messing with me. (That said, I have history here, having assumed someone was playing a joke on me when they just straight up asked me out, so maybe I’m not exactly representative here.)
the funny part about that is even tho ppl use it in an ‘exciting/excited’ context, the original scene was them freaking out about a fire versus “yayy ship time”
tho i suppose depending on how joyce reacts it could go either way
well hopefully even the more hard core joyce/dorothy shippers or any other ship would be polite about it, at this point i’d imagine joyce being the most likely getting mad or dismissive like “stop messing with me”/not believing him or internally freaking out, or getting flustered and indirectly rejecting him unintentionally
hope it doesn’t make their friendship too awkward. people clown on the “i wish i could date/had someone LIKE you, but not you specifically” kinda texts/screenshots but i can get why they’d want someone similar but not date their friend because they like them as just friends, or if they date and it doesn’t work out sometimes it’s hard to go back to just being friends depending on how bad the break up is
Joe is so brave and in love ♡, but I can’t see this end well. Joyce will probably be scared by this or not believe him. She could even step up and walk away in total awkwardness. It’s just too much to accept or to believe. This could be the end of their friendship.
Yeah I’m totally shocked and worried about the same thing. Right thing, wrong time?? Maybe? But I’ve also been totally off with my predictions about this whole thing last couple pages so….. Maybe it could go great!
WARNING! WARNING!
THE CAN OF WORMS HAS BEEN OPEN!
THE CAN OF WORMS HAS BEEN OPEN!
THIS ISN’T AN EXERCISE! THE LID CAN NOT BE PUT BACK!
ALL SAFETY ARE OFF!
yes!!!! this is such a huge moment of vulnerability for Joe that he can never play off all cool; it is real and it is bare and i’m so f*ing proud of him! 💕🤟
Proud of you Joe! I think this really shows that Joe cares a great deal about what Joyce thinks of him. He put his feelings out there, in a pretty public setting and at the risk of possibly being rejected because he didn’t want Joyce to think of him that way. He even went to Amber after Dina touching him because Joyce saw and that made him anxious.
This is why I like fluff better than smut. Look how cute this is! Gives me the stomach butterflies and the throat frog. So good! No matter how this plays out, I’m so proud of Joe! But gosh I really want these two together! If Danny and Sal can have a cute relationship, Joe and Joyce can start one too, right?
I’m a (usually) sex-repulsed ace, so smut isn’t normally something I’m after. Fluffy smut is valid stuff, but I still think that the most passionate scenes happen in fluff.
been reading for 5 years or so and have commented only once before but this strip: this is a celebration and peak of my favourite character’s character development!!
also hi, fellow commenters and readers 👋
I don’t think this is Willis’ style but what I’d like to see is-
Joyce looks at the drawing. Joe is anxious. Joyce looks at Joe. Joe is more anxious. Joe turns the drawing back to him and doodles more. Turns it back around for Joyce to see. He added more hearts and darkened them all for emphasis.
wow joe just threw down
of course, this just means there will be hilarious exasperating cutesy strum und Drang for like 6 months before twue wove happens
Dorothy kills people with fire axes while she rambles about Hewey Lewis and the News, and I guess we’re just gonna forget about the time she nearly broke into tears over the mere possibility of not getting a table at the restaurant she wanted.
I’m super excited for this turn in Joe’s character.
I’m NOT super excited for this turn in how every view’s Joyce’s every possible reaction with the absolute least charitable interpretation. No, a bad reaction is not excused by Joyce’s past or her current situation. But yes, she is allowed to learn and grow from it. She’s a college student learning about the world and she should and is learning from new experiences and new situations. It does not excuse any pain she may cause, but it doesn’t make her evil for not knowing how to react to novel situations, either.
If you’re raised in toxic masculinity (raises hand) then vulnerability is almost unthinkable. Most guys would rather do public speaking on an airplane in flight while standing in a bucket of tarantulas than show vulnerability.
Of course that means he’s really got it bad for her and she’s in a position to unthinkingly squash his heart. If the last two strips were any indication…
I’m hoping that the previous two strips are her knowing when he’s masking and being tired of it, which implies that she’d also be able to tell when he’s NOT masking.
And now that I think of it, this might be one of the super-rare occasions where Becky might ACTUALLY be helpful instead of awful. She, after all, is in a position to know that Joe’s cared a lot about Joyce and her feelings for quite a while.
THIS IS PEAK ADORABLE!! This works on so many levels! It shows Joe’s growth where he is finally learning to trust Joyce fully and how much he has learned and how much better he is at communicating now. Its so wholesome and shows he gets her and I really hope she reacts well. I could actually see Joyce being super into this despite her change she is still really a romantic at heart so I think she would find this really heartwarming.
As adorable as this is, it’s too soon for anything good to come of it. Even aside from Joyce being cranky and a life drawing class being an incredibly awkward setting for a love confession, Joyce isn’t ready to open her heart to Joe. She’s still in too much emotional turmoil. For them to work, she’s going to have to develop feelings for him independently.
So she’s going to either think this is another joke or realize he’s serious. In the former scenario, she’d get pissed, but it would at least give Joe the option of pretending to laugh it off. In the latter, it’d be much worse, since Joyce doesn’t seem to believe Joe is capable of romantic feelings. Instead, it’d seem to her that he’s appealing to her romantic side to try getting into her pants, which could recontextualize every pleasant interaction between them as his playing the long game instead of actually being her friend, torpedoing their relationship.
For the sake of the ship, I really hope she doesn’t take him seriously. Love ya, Joe. Sorry.
BTW, I’d be happy to be wrong about this. I’m looking forward to the day 37 years in the future or whatever when we get cute strips about them cuddling on a beanbag and watching cartoons.
is anyone else having trouble with the RSS feed? mine jumped from ‘friends’ (oct 22) to ‘hyde’ (november 2), and it seems to update in bursts, even though it’s set to update every day and my other feeds are updating regularly.
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Joyce: “Who the heck is that supposed to be? Why don’t her eyes have proper pupils? And her grin is just some weird triangle? Man, you need this class.”
Also, re:alt-text – Bad Willis! We do not reference the Folgers incest commercial this early! Like all Christmas traditions, it’ll engulf autumn if we let it.
No incest before Thanksgiving!
“No incest before Thanksgiving” wasn’t a sentence I thought I would read with my very own eye holes but here we are.
and I had *almost* stopped laughing at “load-bearing fire”, too 🤣
Thu wha? Is this some freaky florida tradition?
Behold! The most uncomfortable commercial of all time! A holiday classic!
You know, they could’ve avoided Uncomfortable Meme Status if they’d just set up “Hey sis!” and “Mom and Dad are asleep” in the dialog really really early.
I mean, I would have just not included the stage direction ‘Give each other constant smoldering looks’, but I am not a professional director so what do I know.
That would have simply reinforced the incest.
And the extended version…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhfcWTZeP1k
Sis is up
Bro is here
She says he’s
Her gift this year
Simply having
Incestuous Folger’s brew
Simply having
Incestuous Folgers brew
I still can’t believe this guy couldn’t get “real coffee” in West Africa WTF 😅
And his idea of Real Coffee is cheap-as-dirt Folgers.
I love the vaguesness of that.
“How was North Asia?”
“Great, except I couldn’t get any Earl Grey”.
Do you think the writers had heard of “South Africa” and assumed that the continent was made up of just 4 countries?
West Africa doesn’t really have an arabica-friendly environment, so any locally grown coffee is robusta (not that this is bad, just not a flavor profile most Westerners like, since it’s earthier and more bitter). East and Central Africa are where most African arabica grows, and a huge amount of it gets exported to Western nations (and Japan) for roasting.
He probably forgot to bless the rains before making coffee with them.
That was ….creepy. On a side note, is the brother the guy that plays Axel in Netflix’s Van Helsing? It sure looks like him.
i wonder if those actors ever reunited or their friends constantly make references to that lol
There was an interview done a couple years back about it the commercial, and according to the brother’s actor he hasn’t seen the sister’s actress since they filmed it, but she’s still acting from what i can see, mostly bit parts though
There’s precedent for out of season jokes about that.
I had not heard about the folgers incest commercial until now. I’m not sure if I’m happy with knowing it now but I learned something.
“And what’s with her hands? why are her palms facing out like that? Oh, don’t tell me. You drew the thumbs on backwards didn’t you? Amateur move.
I don’t know about drawing, but the palms facing that way is the standard anatomical pose
Joe did get the nose right.
Awww.
THE HEARTS.
The hearts are killing me so good.
Killing me softly with has art. Killing me softly. With his art.
Drawing my pain with his fingers. 🎶
Sketching my life with his pencil 🎶
Ah, I see you are a man of culture as well.
It’s happening!!! 😍 Go Joe!!! 🥰
*plays “Mystery Kindaichi Band” on hacked muzak*
That’s going up on the wall in their house someday.
THERE ARE HEARTS!!!!!
thats so cute im gonna cry.
something about joe who has been so Joe this whole series just. wholesomely admitting a normal-ass crush. sfdlgkfnkhgsljg aaaaaaaa
“okay, but why are you showing me a picture of Ruth?“
Nah, can’t be her. She’s smiling.
The Leafs just won the cup.
It’s fantasy artwork, obviously.
Look, there’s fantasy, and then there’s being delusional.
I also mistook that drawing for Ruth at first. Something about the way Joe drew the bangs, I think? Took me half a second to process.
On one hand, that’s cute as hell.
On the other hand I’m ready to cringe all the way back into my own spleen.
Precisely.
Yes, both of these emotions, in bulk please.
IT’S HAPPENING
OMG IT’S REALLY HAPPENING
Dumbing of Age Book 13: You’re My Anxiety
Oh. Oh, yeah. That works terrific.
And now you’ve jinxed it.
a powerful line!! short and sweet 👌
NOPE
Willis titles do NOT get to be short and sweet!!
I am your density… I mean your destiny
Awwwww
OH HEY!!!! I WAS NOT EXCPECTING THIS, LETS GOOOOO!!!!!
My feels exactly but now i am VERY WORRIED
I did not see that one coming.
Kind of cute through. I think.
HOLY SHIT
Woah Nelly.
Oh my GOD.
I have no idea whether to squeal over the cuteness, or flinch for Joyce’s reaction, or maybe some mixture of the two.
This is almost verbatim what I was thinking of commenting, so I’m just going to second all of that.
Hopefully the hearts will help her realise he means anxiety in that he e really cares about her feelings and doesn’t know how to handle that..? And she isn’t going to decide he’s mocking her happy-sunny ways here… 😬 This could either go really wrong or really well..!
Third!
FINALLY
Ahhhhhhhh
Joyce isn’t going to take this seriously for a second, is she?
I don’t think so.
She’s gon’ break his big ol’ dumb heart.
If she bothers to look at his soft, anxious, worried face she will. Fingers crossed she isn’t too cranky to look at him.
I’m already warming up the popcorn for tomorrow when she rolls her eyes at what she thinks is a joke and the comments section explodes.
Your warming up the popcorn for tomorrow when we cut back to Robin and Leslie and the comment section explodes.
Fixed that for you.
Nope, blurry preview of tomorrow’s comic is more Joyce/Joe unless robin and Leslie did a quick costume change!
the ultimate “Damn you, Willis”!
If she blows Joe off and am forming r/f*ckjoycebrown by 12:30 tomorrow night.
“I am”…
Why wait? It’ll always be appropriate for something.
This is going to be ALL AMBER’S FAULT
Never any doubt.
Gonna bet “no”.
He didn’t draw breasts, it’s anyone’s ballgame
I’m here on time for once, and for the most anticipated event of the season! Anticipating some choice cute antics.
This is genuinely cute but i cant not think about how this is probably happening mere feet away from a nude model
HE WENT FOR IT????
He totally went for it! What a man. No circling around it with five years of beating around the bush, prevarications, and sit-com misunderstandings like, “well there is this girl that I like that I’m afraid to ask out.” Beautiful!
Well… the comic when their first date started was in 2011 so….
To be true, Joe has grown a lot since then.
It’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for him
OH MY GOD HE FUCKING DID IT
I BRACED MYSELF FOR THE SLOWEST OF BURNS, BUT THE MAN DID A DIRECT COMMUNICATION RE: HIS FEELINGS?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!
He been listening to Danny.
oh my goodness finally
bless your heart, joe
Awwwwwwwww
Aww. Even got her triangle mouth correctly.
Do you think the naked lady on the stage right in front of them is getting annoyed about all this.
Naked Lady thinking to herself: now kiss, you annoying strangers!
yep, this would be me if this happened in a class i was modelling in
It can’t possibly happen, but if Naked Lady = Carla, that would sure warp the minds of a number of easily-confused freshmen in that class.
As well as being a hilarious Rule 34.
I’m not sure I understand what you mean here? Why would naked Carla warp minds and be rule 34?
Unless you think she’s secretly still a car. O_O
“Secretly”? Girl’s got wheels and everything.
Hmm, you’re making sense here.
Counterpoint: she has eight wheel which really pushes her into truck territory rather than car, surely?
This is a good point. However, with the most common style of 8-wheeler I’ve seen/been in, 6 of those wheels are on the truck itself, with the other 2 being at the rear of the trailer. A truck can drive without a trailer, but the trailer isn’t getting far without the truck.
Although since each 4-set of Carla’s wheels are on an individual skate, she’s almost closer to a pair of cars, now that I think about it.
Carsla is cannon now.
If I’ve learned anything from Shortpacked! that means the model is Lucy.
https://www.shortpacked.com/comic/magic-2
I mean, she might be glad that she can finally drop her pose for a second if attention is being diverted elsewhere.
“God damn, can you take this cute shit elsewhere? Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay in this pose while listening to your flirting?”
That was not what I expected. Now the question is: Will Joyce talk to Joe about this? Or will she assume he is making fun of her and leave?
ACK! Feels whiplash!
You or Joyce?
Yes.
Wow. This is a *tremendous* level of vulnerability.
Proud of you, Joe, win, lose, or draw.
Agree, this is a personal win for him — just being so frank — and I hope it goes well.
This pun was excellent, thank you.
Why, thank you.
<3
Surprised joe just said it, no hiding, no evasion. He's one of my fave characters because he continues to be unexpected, and such a marshmallow
yes, i have a soft spot for the unexpected marshmallow kind of character 💓
AHHH 😀 😀 😀
Long way from La Porte
I’m worried she’s going to interpret this as him making fun of her and go off on him
I definitely didn’t do that with my spouse (except less going off and more just running away) and also definitely didn’t ask them out a couple weeks later when I sorted my feelings out >_>
So… there’s hope hahaha
*plays Picture Of You by Boyzone behind the easel*
Mr. Rosenthal, Ruth isn’t the model for today—
He shoot his shot?!
SCREAMING THROWING UP HEAD SPINNING I’M GONNA COMBUST
This is too cute for Joe. I love it!
Growth.
This is so adorable! I love it!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
MY HEART
Look at that big dumb face! He did it! Fingers crossed she actually takes a second to look at him! That face is just so vulnerable, so hopeful.
This so sweet my emotions now have diabetes.
Please let this not be a daydream, a wishful fantasy.
Not a trick! Not a dream! Joe shoots his shot!!
Oh whoops I commented this twice! But it’s exciting! Exclamation point!
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!
oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god OH MY GOD
Coming back 14 hours later and I’m still losing my shit aaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!
OH MY FUCKING GOD I’M GONNA DIE OF SQUEE
this is too cute to be allowed wtf
-insert Michael scott stay calm it’s happening gif-
exactly what came to mind as soon as i read the last panel!!
lol that’d be sweet but outta context if someone random heard that , that’d be ca concern lol
When words fail, take action.
WHAT
THE
FUCK
I was not prepared for this to be a “Cut The Bullshit” strip.
we were all so unprepared yesterday 🤯 (except our dear Patreon readers)
I was NOT prepared for how cute this would be!!!!!
Joe’s anxiety were THE FRIENDS WE MADE ALONG THE WAY!
I think’s its more likely to be the fact that apparently Joyce is missing fingers.
speaking from personal experience, having intense anxiety-inducing crushes is awful as fuck, so im very happy that he just went for it !!! good for him !!!
also !!! forgot to mention this but the way his face is drawn on that last panel is aces !!!
agreed!! one of favourite Joe expressions ever 🥰
OH???
Don’t let this be another Willis givith, and Willis taketh away moment. JUST LET US BE HAPPY THIS ONE TIME?!
Joyce: But Joe…I won’t stand in your way for loving Dorothy!
thats so cute ;_;
Yes. Yes it is.
Oh… OH! I didn’t think he was gonna say it yet. I thought it was gonna be drawn out a little more. Omigosh. My goodness.
Must… resist… Patreon. I don’t use it enough. Would… be wasteful.
But it *was* drawn out! Just now!
But you can still look at Patreon and tell us what Robin is up to tomorrow.
Reads the alt text. Is that folgers commercial joke?
Absolutely.
Joe is shooting his shot from half-court!
Is this real or is it happening only inside Joe’s head?
Not a trick! Not a dream! Joe is shooting his shot!!
Never thought the day would come when Joe would make me go “dawwwww”….. never thought THAT sentence would make me go “dawwwwww”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
studio audience: “Ooooooooooooh!”
Joe! My man! This is so brave, and so cute! And god, he just left no doubt what he actually means with his picture. Joyce all smiley at the world and a little him in the background hearting at her. Just being emotional, with none of the ‘grossness’ she expects and would use to shut him down hard.
I hope that if she does shut him down, she’s gentle. He’s probably super fragile in this moment.
ITS HAPPENING! Also nice hand drawing Joe
WHOOP THERE IT IIIS!!!!
If I was in Joyce’s pants, not knowing how to deal with social cues, she won’t take this seriously at all. Oh Joe, you poor man.
The absolute madlad
hes cringe but hes free!!!!!!
ANYWAY AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Eek I’m dreading tomorrow’s strip. As heartwarming as this is if I were in Joyce’s shoes I’d 100% assume he was messing with me. (That said, I have history here, having assumed someone was playing a joke on me when they just straight up asked me out, so maybe I’m not exactly representative here.)
He didn’t draw her boobs particularly large.
That is the face of a scared man knowing he has only one chance.
Shit, this is fucking real…
oh no that’s so fucking cutttttte
OH MY GOD??? IS IT HAPPENING?! IS IT HAPPENING?!?!?! WHATS HAPPENING.
HE DREW LITTLE HEARTS 💕 OVER HIS HEAD!!! AHHHHHH I’M SO NERVOUS FOR TOMORROW! JOYCE PLEASE HEAR HIM OUT 🙏😭🤞
such a sweet detail for real!!! 🥹 he’s in deep for our girl
oh no I love it
OH NO! HE DID IT! JOE, I DIDN’T BELIEVE THAT OF YOU
michael scott it’s happening dot gif
the funny part about that is even tho ppl use it in an ‘exciting/excited’ context, the original scene was them freaking out about a fire versus “yayy ship time”
tho i suppose depending on how joyce reacts it could go either way
it wasn’t a fire, it was Pam going into labour
interesting…i’ve never actually watched the office, so i don’t know. let’s go to the fact checkers. [holds finger up to ear] uh-huh…uh-huh…i see.
upon double checking, lily is correct here. the gif in question comes from the fire drill scene: https://youtu.be/gO8N3L_aERg?t=94
Oh dunk, that’s both extremely direct and extremely sweet!
Oh NO that is SO CUTE, Joe oh my god you big dork
Well. I both do and don’t want Joyce to handle this well.
joyce if you dont marry him right now im going to
Joyce Rosenthal would be immediately be called J. R. Is that what you want to happen?
baw gawd she just tore him in half, King
Nah, Joe takes her name. Joe Brown. Why now?
*not
Oh shit.
Man’s just went out and said it.
Fuck yeah bro.
Breakthrough, BREAKTHROUGH! WOOOOOOOOOOO!
That’s cute, Joe.
Well, she did ask. Hopefully nobody gets mad about this.
First day on the Internet?
You’d think so, as often as I express wide eyed optimism.
Every day is someone’s first day on the Internet.
You’re one of today’s lucky 10,000.
I recognize this reference. 🙂
well hopefully even the more hard core joyce/dorothy shippers or any other ship would be polite about it, at this point i’d imagine joyce being the most likely getting mad or dismissive like “stop messing with me”/not believing him or internally freaking out, or getting flustered and indirectly rejecting him unintentionally
hope it doesn’t make their friendship too awkward. people clown on the “i wish i could date/had someone LIKE you, but not you specifically” kinda texts/screenshots but i can get why they’d want someone similar but not date their friend because they like them as just friends, or if they date and it doesn’t work out sometimes it’s hard to go back to just being friends depending on how bad the break up is
sorry, didn’t mean to go off on a tangent
His drawing of Joyce looks a lot like Ruth ca. Roomies!. I think it’s the square glasses and bangs.
Shout-outs to anxiety for being an uninvited guest at every party.
Vibes.
Let’s flippin’ gooooooo.
Though I’m still bracing myself for how this could play out 😬
Welp, there it is. Next panel is the start of Joyce’s embarrassment freakout complete with refusal to be one of his “hussy conquests” or some such.
omgomgomgomg, it happened!! It happened!!!
I so want to see how Joyce will react!
Joe is so brave and in love ♡, but I can’t see this end well. Joyce will probably be scared by this or not believe him. She could even step up and walk away in total awkwardness. It’s just too much to accept or to believe. This could be the end of their friendship.
Yeah I’m totally shocked and worried about the same thing. Right thing, wrong time?? Maybe? But I’ve also been totally off with my predictions about this whole thing last couple pages so….. Maybe it could go great!
I hope not. Joece has been simmering for too long for this to be the final word.
That is the absolute most ADORABLE way Joe could’ve possibly told her that. And I’m really proud of him for just being so straight forward about it.
Yes! I think that’s why Joyce was dismissive yesterday; their story wasn’t going to progress until he could finally drop the mask.
HELLO I DIDN’T EXPECT THIS???? SO SUDDENLY?
WARNING! WARNING!
THE CAN OF WORMS HAS BEEN OPEN!
THE CAN OF WORMS HAS BEEN OPEN!
THIS ISN’T AN EXERCISE! THE LID CAN NOT BE PUT BACK!
ALL SAFETY ARE OFF!
yes!!!! this is such a huge moment of vulnerability for Joe that he can never play off all cool; it is real and it is bare and i’m so f*ing proud of him! 💕🤟
IM SCREAMIN FUKKEN FINALLY YES YES ITS HAPPENING THIS IS NOT A DRILL
Proud of you Joe! I think this really shows that Joe cares a great deal about what Joyce thinks of him. He put his feelings out there, in a pretty public setting and at the risk of possibly being rejected because he didn’t want Joyce to think of him that way. He even went to Amber after Dina touching him because Joyce saw and that made him anxious.
THIS IS NOT A DRILL
HOREY GUACAMOLE JOE YOU SMOOTH CRIMONAL
This is why I like fluff better than smut. Look how cute this is! Gives me the stomach butterflies and the throat frog. So good! No matter how this plays out, I’m so proud of Joe! But gosh I really want these two together! If Danny and Sal can have a cute relationship, Joe and Joyce can start one too, right?
Okay, but what about fluffy smut?
I’m a (usually) sex-repulsed ace, so smut isn’t normally something I’m after. Fluffy smut is valid stuff, but I still think that the most passionate scenes happen in fluff.
Omg Joe you really did it! 😍
Really afraid of Joyce’s reaction tho 😖
Considering the last thing she said to him was calling him “libido with a face”, I don’t see this going well.
Why? This is a convincing refutation of “libido with a face”.
Maybe she’d think he wasn’t being serious or was making fun of her, considering the jokes he was making about breasts just a few seconds ago.
((Checks))
This isn’t Valentine’s Day is it?
Okay – okay.. no need to worry *quite* yet…
Is it too early to worry about next Valentines day?
Watch as Willis cuts away from this scene and we don’t get back to them for four months.
This is a thing that will happen.
Next panel is the entire class looking at them because theyre talking loud as heck
i have never cared about joe until this moment
Dun dun duuuuun
I actually made an audible scream at this strip!! This is not a drill!! I’ve been waiting for this moment for yeeears 😍
HE DID IT! FINALLY! And such a cute way to do it too.
Yeah, that is a pretty clever way to do it. Well done, lad. 🙂 Now the ball’s in Joyce’s court…
Whoof, well there it is. Cards on the table!
Well done Joe.
been reading for 5 years or so and have commented only once before but this strip: this is a celebration and peak of my favourite character’s character development!!
also hi, fellow commenters and readers 👋
You’re doing it right.
Oh, we’re doing this. Ok. Shoot your shot, Joe.
oh Joe. Oh my god, Joe.
I was NOT expecting this. Can’t wait for tomorrow when our shipping hopes and dreams are completely dashed.
😍
I don’t think this is Willis’ style but what I’d like to see is-
Joyce looks at the drawing. Joe is anxious. Joyce looks at Joe. Joe is more anxious. Joe turns the drawing back to him and doodles more. Turns it back around for Joyce to see. He added more hearts and darkened them all for emphasis.
Oh crap, he just came right out with it!
IF OOOOOOOOOOOOOOUR LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE
IS TRAGEDY
WHY ARE YOU MY
*obvious voice cut* anxiety
Love that!
It took me like all my good years to have courage to declare to someone. I’m envying Joe here, even he being a little cringe.
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Well … now everyones anxiety is through the roof … >_<
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GOD.
Eeeeee! He said it! He drew it! There are hearts and not just the ones in my eyes!
She even has a human sized chest in his drawing.
AHHHH
wow joe just threw down
of course, this just means there will be hilarious exasperating cutesy strum und Drang for like 6 months before twue wove happens
How did it happen that Joe and Danny are the most mentally healthy, well-adjusted, mature, and rational people in this comic?
Joe and Danny vs Dorothy? Or Jacob? Let me think about that one.
Dorothy kills people with fire axes while she rambles about Hewey Lewis and the News, and I guess we’re just gonna forget about the time she nearly broke into tears over the mere possibility of not getting a table at the restaurant she wanted.
I’m super excited for this turn in Joe’s character.
I’m NOT super excited for this turn in how every view’s Joyce’s every possible reaction with the absolute least charitable interpretation. No, a bad reaction is not excused by Joyce’s past or her current situation. But yes, she is allowed to learn and grow from it. She’s a college student learning about the world and she should and is learning from new experiences and new situations. It does not excuse any pain she may cause, but it doesn’t make her evil for not knowing how to react to novel situations, either.
This is true of (X) character, as well.
I’m thinking that a realistic reaction would be, “I’d like to believe you. Convince me.”
Holy shit
That’s brave
What a relief!… Good for you Joe
If you’re raised in toxic masculinity (raises hand) then vulnerability is almost unthinkable. Most guys would rather do public speaking on an airplane in flight while standing in a bucket of tarantulas than show vulnerability.
Of course that means he’s really got it bad for her and she’s in a position to unthinkingly squash his heart. If the last two strips were any indication…
Yes to ALL of the above -_-;
I’m hoping that the previous two strips are her knowing when he’s masking and being tired of it, which implies that she’d also be able to tell when he’s NOT masking.
And now that I think of it, this might be one of the super-rare occasions where Becky might ACTUALLY be helpful instead of awful. She, after all, is in a position to know that Joe’s cared a lot about Joyce and her feelings for quite a while.
HOLY HELL
BOMBSHELLS BEING DROPPED
FINALLY!
He’s not as good a portraitist as Walky was in It’s Walky, and yet my heart goes thumpa-thumpa just the same~~~
(HOW ADORABLE IS JOE IN THIS?! the blep returns! The nervousness as he shows her the picture! It’s unbearably cute!)
THE BLEP
<33333333333333333333333
i REEEEEEAAAAALLLLLYYYYY hope this doesn’t turn into a “the worst she can say is no” meme.
DAMN time to become a patron to see tomorrows update IMMEDIATELY
I actually did pull the trigger again.
MY JAW DROPPED!
Omg his drawing face
:p
<3 <3 <3
My fingernails really hate cliffhangers.
For 7 dollars a month you can see her reaction!
I am just COMPLETELY blown away that Joe has done this…
Oh dang.
THIS IS NOT A DRILL WE ARE ON CUTIE ALERT 2022
As a slut with feelings, this makes me so anxious for Joe. You go boy, you deserve some real love.
Better not fuck this up Joyce, you are on a mean streak.
Well this is extremely cute.
Joe is like 😍 for Joyce
Oh my gosh, is this really happening??? Joe! Awwwww
Radical honestly from Joe. Did not see that coming <3
Drawing’s pretty good too, and doesn’t even feature boobs. Joe’s got it bad.
AAAAAAAAAA the little joe behind her in the drawing with the hearts and the oh my gosh this is so cute!
This is so cute I’m going to die ♥
Cute, but pretty decent his draw.
Could it be a … cartoonist couple?
THIS IS PEAK ADORABLE!! This works on so many levels! It shows Joe’s growth where he is finally learning to trust Joyce fully and how much he has learned and how much better he is at communicating now. Its so wholesome and shows he gets her and I really hope she reacts well. I could actually see Joyce being super into this despite her change she is still really a romantic at heart so I think she would find this really heartwarming.
As adorable as this is, it’s too soon for anything good to come of it. Even aside from Joyce being cranky and a life drawing class being an incredibly awkward setting for a love confession, Joyce isn’t ready to open her heart to Joe. She’s still in too much emotional turmoil. For them to work, she’s going to have to develop feelings for him independently.
So she’s going to either think this is another joke or realize he’s serious. In the former scenario, she’d get pissed, but it would at least give Joe the option of pretending to laugh it off. In the latter, it’d be much worse, since Joyce doesn’t seem to believe Joe is capable of romantic feelings. Instead, it’d seem to her that he’s appealing to her romantic side to try getting into her pants, which could recontextualize every pleasant interaction between them as his playing the long game instead of actually being her friend, torpedoing their relationship.
For the sake of the ship, I really hope she doesn’t take him seriously. Love ya, Joe. Sorry.
BTW, I’d be happy to be wrong about this. I’m looking forward to the day 37 years in the future or whatever when we get cute strips about them cuddling on a beanbag and watching cartoons.
is anyone else having trouble with the RSS feed? mine jumped from ‘friends’ (oct 22) to ‘hyde’ (november 2), and it seems to update in bursts, even though it’s set to update every day and my other feeds are updating regularly.
oh my god this is happening
Smooth as…butter?
I foresee terrible events in the next … *checks watch* 10 minutes or so.
Hooray!
*refreshing*
XD
OMG HE DID WHAT
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH