183

Bubbling
Posted on April 24, 2015 by David M Willis

183 thoughts on “Bubbling”

  1. Jen Aside

    “so what about, like, backrubs and hairbrushing”

    …

    “I need to know for reasons”

    1. Jen Aside

      BUTT PLUGS wait what

      1. MeghanTheWorldEater

        Well yeah.
        Just as long as they’re not too big.

        1. Jen Aside

          “BUT HOW DOES POOP COME OUT IF PLUGGED”

        2. MeghanTheWorldEater

          Well I know back in the olden days they were a real commitment cause they were a one time thing, but we’ve improved we have the technology to remove.
          -takes a step back and looks at what she just wrote- Who are you Meghan??

        3. Rycan

          *crickets*

        4. Someone

          You have to fart really hard to remove it

        5. Lord foul

          Your image makes it awesome,
          Espically if you imagine an Excalibur voice to go with it

        6. fogel

          Ask Walky…

      2. David Alexander McDonald

        Time for a conversion.

        BRING OUT THE BABY JESUS BUTTPLUG AND THE MALLET, MARTHA!

      3. Doctor_Who

        Someone somewhere is not aware of the alt text, and thinks you were just startled by a, actual butt plug.

        Which, fair enough, can be a bit startling if it’s unexpected.

        1. modernpython

          That person is me.

        2. Tan

          Thank goodness we’ve found you. We need you to save the world.

        3. a snow ʍousɐ

          EVERYONE FROM HERE UP GETS A +1 (at least)

        4. Lord foul

          HOW DO YOU ACCESS THE ALT TEXT ON MOBILE, I FOUND IT ONCE BUT CAN NO LONGER REMEMBER HOW
          TEEEEEEEAAAAACCHH ME

      4. LeslieBean4Shizzle

        Butt plugs are better than fine.

      5. Freemage

        Okay, so, would a butt hug be:

        A: Hugging someone else at butt-height, so either your face is using the cheeks as a pillow, or your hands are pushing on their cheeks to have your face buried against their crotch, or;

        B: Hugging someone WITH your butt, which would suggest either a very targeted hug on a sufficiently diminutive appendage, OR a very, very large posterior?

        1. Doctor_Lantern

          I, too, feel this needs clearing up… we need more speculation on this topic.

        2. Rycan

          Or C: placing your posterior against the posterior of another, and bringing your arms behind your back to give them a reverse hug.

    2. DarkoNeko

      hairbrushing HAS to be fine, else how would she brush Sal’s river of chocolate ?

      1. Dreadhawk177

        Still nothing compared to Sal…

      2. cesium133

        Butt plugs and “river of chocolate”… Now that’s an unfortunate juxtaposition.

        1. DarkoNeko

          ..nooo.

  2. DarkoNeko

    *Melts into a puddle from the sadness*
    ~~^~^~~~~~~~~

    Alright people, you know the drill :
    -chocolate, coffee, strawberry & vanilla ice cream are on the left side
    -fruit sorbet on the right side

    Unlimited boxes of tissues are available in the middle of the room.

    1. TrueVCU

      Becky is going to offer these things to Joyce and we’ll be like “Can’t tell if legitimate friend comfort

      or Lesbian seduction”

      1. Doctor_Who

        Depends on whether or not the background music is a smoky saxophone solo.

        1. Opus the Poet

          Nope, lesbians use clarinet solos for seductions… :p

        2. BarGamer

          There was this one time at band camp, I stuck my flute up my butt.

        3. Plasma Mongoose

          Did you use that old “I accidently fell on it” line at the hospital?

        4. Rycan

          Repeat after me: “Flutes are not dildos”

        5. Plasma Mongoose

          Butt kazoos are…

        6. Leadsynth

          What if it’s a skin flute?

        7. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          The line was “And this one time, at band camp, I stuck a flute in my pussy!”

          And I feel sad for still remembering that line perfectly 16 years on from the original movie it appeared in. xD Although I did have the hots for Alyson Hannigan, so that may explain it… 😉

        8. Rich

          I wouldn’t worry about it. Compared to the average Monty Python or Rocky Horror fan, you’ve got an extremely mild case of Movie Quote Syndrome.

        9. The Master

          NI!

        10. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Fair enough. Although I can’t remember loads of quotes, I *do* have a massive DVD collection. Like, enough to open my own medium-sized high-street rental store. xD

        11. Screwball

          IT seems we have 1 of the Knights Who Say Ni here. It isn’t everyday you see something like that here…

        12. Rycan

          You mean I picked the instrument that only seduces women who aren’t interested in me? What was my 11-year-old self thinking?

        13. Rich

          I don’t know about you, but I was thinking “Goddamnit, Mom, if I agree to take lessons on this stupid thing will you just shut up about it already?”

          Must admit that Opus’ post makes me rethink the many, many times I called it a “fucking clarinet” though.

        14. Lord foul

          It’s a good thing that those are two of the three instruments I know how to play
          I mean I would only be able to really watch and provide the background music in the lesbian hypothetical, given that I myself am of the testicular variety, but that’s ok with me if it’s ok with them

      2. Church

        *definition of life

    2. DarkoNeko

      She’s smiling in the last panel, sorta, but it’s really breaking my heart ;_;

      1. Tbone Jenkins

        And Becky’s own crumpling smile. ALL OF THE BREAKING HEARTS.

    3. Tacos

      Who even eats strawberry ice cream? If they have a choice in the matter anyways.

      1. Doctor_Who

        Just watched this movie last night. Best joke.

        1. Tacos

          I was thinking of that scene when I was writing.

      2. StClair

        I love strawberries. In all forms.

      3. Plasma Mongoose

        The only pink ice cream I will eat is Musk flavour.
        https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/508945152_640.jpg

        1. Deanatay

          Oo0 They make Elon Musk-flavored ice cream?? Is it as smart as he is?

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          I should have said musk as in musk flowers not people. ^_^

      4. Torechwen

        That depends. Strawberry-flavored, or made with real strawberries?

      5. Leadsynth

        Strawberry ice cream eaters be like “Look, strawberry is a fruit. Fruit is good for you. so I’m being…healthy? Yeah.@

        1. das-g

          Because we all know one healthy ingredient is sufficient to make a product healthy as a whole. 😀

    4. boomwolf

      – takes a bu5t ton of chocolate ice cream- (something about that sentence…) I’mma just take this… for reasons… youcanthaveanykthanksbye.

    5. Rycan

      *looks at puddle of Neko, melting ice cream, sorbet, and disintegrating tissue paper*

      I don’t think that worked very well. Maybe if we put into a cat-shaped mold, and stuck it in the freezer…

      1. Tacos

        Then we’d have created Ice Cream Kitty.

        1. DarkoNeko

          The new superhero DoA carves, but not the one it needs right now.

  3. Azmi

    Got here on time

    1. Azmi

      The suspense was killin’ me!

  4. Cadevan

    Hugs will always find a way

    1. The Kojie

      “Butt” hugs. They find their way -sniff-

      1. DarkoNeko

        I wouldn’t sniff too hard if I were you.

      2. Yet_One_More_Idiot

        Becky: But Joyce, you have such a huggable butt! :3

        *Gives Joyce hugz*

      3. nibblrrr

        GIMME DAT CHRISTIAN BUTT HUG

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      I wouldn’t recommend Becky use bear hugs let alone bare hugs.

    3. Jackson

      I know it’s hard to see the past and still believe, but hugs will surely find a way.

      Amy Grant? Anyone? Just me? Okay.

  5. Regalli

    YES. Hugs would be very very nice right now I think.

    Possibly group hugs? Big group hugs?

    1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

      Big group butt hugs?

  6. Kernanator

    Thank goodness we’ll always have hugs.

  7. HeinousActsZX

    Is the alt text teasing the next Slipshine?
    Because I might have to finally break out the wallet for that one.

  8. otusasio451

    This…this was WAY better then I thought I would be. Sooooooooo, when’s the fallout going to hit?

    1. MeghanTheWorldEater

      Based on the preview panes probably starting about May 7th continuing until early July.

      1. Solenoid

        There isn’t enough ice cream in the world for the comments section to comfort itself for an entire month. We may have to spread out to additional flavors of ice cream.

  9. Kris

    “it just keep bubbling up to the surface.” -Joyce. More innocence lost.

  10. Evaryont

    So I missed some comics or I’m just dumb. What is going on? Anyone have a link to refresh me?

    1. Mr k

      Earlier on, Joyce went to a party, and was drugged and almost raped by someone claiming to be a “preacher’s son”. She’s been shy about having sex since then, for obvious reasons. Becky kissed her without her consent and no warning, although she didn’t know it was wrong.

      1. Cory

        IIRC Ryan is a pastor’s son.

        1. Bill

          He originally claimed to be “the son of a pastor” here.  Then, after Joyce smashes the glass across his face and accuses him of lying about being a pastor’s son, he states that “that part was true”.

          However, even pastors themselves are not immune from engaging in some non-pastoral conduct from time to time.  Look at Aimee Semple McPherson back in the early 1900s; Rev. Sun Myung Moon (founder of the ‘Moonies’) in the 1960s and 1970s; Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker in the 1980s and 1990s; and our newest poster child for religious excess, Creflo Dollar, who is currently trying to tell his followers that he needs a $65 million executive jet in order to spread his message

      2. Rycan

        Joyce has been quite adverse to “premarital hanky-panky” anyways. But what changed in that regard is that the rapist has invaded her fantasies, making them traumatic instead. On top of that, Joyce now sees every male stranger as a potential threat, and has been avoiding leaving the dorm or classroom without an escort of some sort. Hell, she even needs an escort to lunch. If there’s no escort, she stays put. And Joyce hates all of this.

        In other words, Joyce has PTSD stemming from that one party.

        1. Rycan

          Oh, and it becomes a big reason as to why Joyce began dating a gay man. Before she knew he was gay, she was drawn to him because she felt safe around him. And by ‘safe’, I mean ‘he wasn’t attracted to her’.

        2. Historyman68

          Oh yeah I forgot that that was part of the reason she dated Ethan! Makes it somewhat more understandable.

    2. Catullus

      Sarah’s just told Becky about Ryan the almost-rapist.

      1. Paradoxius

        Let’s be honest, he probably was already a rapist before that. 🙁

        1. Rich

          Certainly was awfully well prepared if that was his first attempt at it.

          Wish Sarah had hit him a little harder. Or Amazi-Girl was a little better at detective work. Or the police had been notified. Finding a guy who had to make an ER visit for a severe facial laceration, some broken ribs, and at least a mild concussion should be easy, especially if that parson’s son thing wasn’t a complete lie.

        2. Lin

          Yeah, but this is is sadly representative of most people who are raped – the vast majority of our attackers will never the a police interview, a courtroom, or a jail cell.

        3. Rich

          Too true. Flawed justice system and a societal tendency toward victim shaming combine to make a truly awful situation. OTOH, real life rapists don’t have to worry about being tracked down by a vigilante super-hero, which is a Thing That Could Happen in DoA.

  11. Wendy

    OKAY GOOD. Good Becky. Good. She’s becoming a better human being. Yay character development!

    It’s interesting how Joyce and Becky come from such similar backgrounds, and both came into this new environment with some really sticky issues they need to work on – but their issues are very very different, haha.

    1. DarkoNeko

      She always was.

      1. Wendy

        Always was what? Good?

        Practically molesting your friend and constantly making sexual comments to them after they say they’re not comfortable with it is pretty shitty, to be honest. (Joyce turned out to not be super perturbed by it, which is good for Joyce – but speaking from personal experience, that could’ve gone VERY differently; having a friend you only have platonic feelings for abruptly force a kiss on you is, in real life, pretty jarring and not in a good way.)

        I’m not saying she was horrible – but she was certainly ignorant and that ignorance manifested in borderline predatory behavior, so I’m really really glad it seems like she’s recognized this and will hopefully be better and more careful from here on out about respecting people’s physical and emotional boundaries.

        1. Regina Phalange

          See, I agree her actions before were terrible (but unless you’re referring to something I don’t recall, I wouldn’t call kissing “practically molesting”), but this isn’t a change in her character. She’s just realizing she behaved badly before because now she has additional context. Realizing one particular behavior was inappropriate doesn’t make you a better person, but recognizing the inappropriateness does signify that she was *always* a good person, at least in that regard (I’m not the biggest fan of Becky because the way she treated Dorothy at first rubbed me the wrong way, but that is neither here nor there).

        2. DarkoNeko

          Thanks, wouldn’t have formulated that better.

  12. VashM16

    im so sad damn you willis

  13. Mr k

    Maybe kissing your best friend out of nowhere was a bad idea. Even if Joyce was into girls, she already has a hot blonde chick as a friend, and wouldn’t want to leave her.

  14. IJ

    Making a joke about anal in the hoverover text for a strip about sexual assault and the casualties thereof seems in poor taste, imo.

    Glad to see a good side of Becky starting to show. She’s being really sweet here.

    1. Barf Ninjason

      I think the joke is more about Joyce considering, uh, the insertion of butt plugs to be on par with hugging as a gesture of platonic affection. This would be, y’know, completely insane; thus it is funny.

      1. IJ

        My comment is now irrelevant, given that he changed it.

        I understand why it would be funny, but I feel as though in the past Willis has used sexual assault/harassment as a punchline in the past (mostly in his other comics), so the “butt plugs are fine” joke fell flat with me. Especially given his attempts to show the seriousness of the issue elsewhere in his work

    2. Tacos

      The alt text got changed now. Evidently there was a misspelling.

      1. IJ

        Yeah. It originally said something like “Butt plugs are ok” and now it says “butt hugs are not ok”, which is both funnier and better than the original.

  15. Katie

    Aw, Becky did good here. The apology is good, as is the realization that she could have inadvertently triggered Joyce and realizing what a big deal that would be.

  16. Archivist

    Awwwww~– *reads alt text* –No.

    1. Wheatley

      what was the original alt text?

      1. Catullus

        “butt plugs” instead of “butt hugs”

        1. DarkoNeko

          …oh, it was changed.

  17. Barf Ninjason

    “I mean, don’t make out with me anymore, but, y’know. It’s okay.” That dialogue is almost as naturalistic as it is hilarious.

  18. Orbit Junkie

    I started tearing up as I read this comic.

    Then the hovertext happened.

  19. That Damn Rat

    So, next Slipshine – just 12 pages of Joyce and Becky hugging?

    1. Emily

      Shut up and take my money!

    2. Barf Ninjason

      I’m sure it’s *someone’s* fetish. Plus Becky farts on page 8; that’s someone else’s fetish.

      1. DarkoNeko

        That’s where the butt plug comes in ?

    3. Bagge

      Or a patron bonus? I’d buy that

    4. Halloween Jack

      Throw in Becky doing karaoke of Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You” and it’s a deal.

  20. Architex

    HUGZ foreverz!!!1!!!
    Insert kawaii emoticon here

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Take your pick:
      d=(´▽｀)=b
      ٩꒰ ˘ ³˘꒱۶ⒽⓤⒼ♥♡̷♡
      (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
      (>^_^)><(^o^<)

      1. DarkoNeko

        ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ contract ?

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          (⊙_☉)

      2. fogel

        Those came out of a pouch on your Plasma Utility Belt (T), right? 🙂

  21. Cerberus

    This is everything i hoped it would be and more. Given that Becky is Joyce’s bestest friend, I really hoped she would be the one she finally opened up to about this so she didn’t have to carry the PTSD alone and I really did think that a lot of Becky’s missteps had to do with her not knowing the full story and she’d react a lot differently if she did know. And I really hoped we would have a moment like this.

    And it’s just… powerful and I’m really glad the story went here.

    … though the petty part of my brain also wants to shove this moment in the face of all the Becky haters who thought she was a selfish dingbat who wasn’t a worthy and supportive friend.

    1. heavvymetalqueen

      thank you for expressing everything I wanted to, especially the rubbing in the face of the Becky haters, better than I could.

      1. DarkoNeko

        There, there.

  22. Synnerman

    I have something in my eye…

    1. Doctor_Who

      Hopefully it is not a butt plug.

      1. Tacos

        Methinks it’s a retina.

        1. Rich

          Vitreous humor?

        2. fogel

          In Schlemm’ s canal.

  23. Captain Batson

    This is touching

  24. Architex

    INB4 everyone notices alt-text change

    1. Catullus

      I was wondering why everyone was going on about butt plugs…

      1. fogel

        They just like them…

    2. Tacos

      So I’m not the only one who saw that. Thought I was going crazy and imagining things.

    3. MeghanTheWorldEater

      Oh…that makes more sense…

    4. Urukak

      My mind parses butt hugs as two butts hugging and is now struggling with interpreting the logistics of such a maneuver. Also I didn’t see the old alt text.

  25. dailybrad

    Joyce and Becky will be stronger friends for this, and they both need that.

    1. JessWitt

      Best friend strength for the hurdles ahead!

  26. JessWitt

    Let there be hugs! Hug-le-luuuu-iah!

  27. Cheryl

    AWWWWWWWWWWW *heart S plodes*

  28. caesaria82

    I love love love this. Finally they’re talking about this and their friendship comes out intact and stronger in the end. Bless these ladies and their awesome friendship.

    1. Fish

      Yes! 100% agree!

      I am so happy. Becky wants to be a good friend, and now she knows what she needs to know to be a good friend to Joyce. Joyce isn’t going to let the trauma take away from her stuff that really really matters to her, like hugs.

      oooh good job Becky, you are best Becky. Good job Joyce, you are best Joyce. So proud of you both.

  29. boomwolf

    Usually, I ain’t one for physical displays of affection. But even I have to agree that a hug from a loved one is one of the best feelings ever.

    1. MeghanTheWorldEater

      You wouldn’t even need those hugs if you’d gotten the soft serve. I’d like to apologize for the complications.

      1. boomwolf

        While the hugs may have helped me cope, that soft serve would’ve decreased the time it took for me to recover. I’ll see you in court.

        1. MeghanTheWorldEater

          If you can find me. -evil laugh-

        2. boomwolf

          Oh I’ll find you… and when I do, there’ll be no more soft serve for you! Or hugs!!

        3. Rycan

          *ahem* We’ll see.

  30. N

    D’aww. Becky is the best.

  31. Rich

    That went better than expected. Joyce didn’t blow up at anyone, didn’t break down, and didn’t completely refuse to talk. Becky was compassionate and understanding and didn’t do anything cringeworthy. Progress has been made.

  32. BobaFett2

    I want to hug Joyce until the pain goes away, even though it probably never will.

  33. Jans

    Oh d’awwwwwww! What a great scene.

  34. Bagge

    Hugs are always fine, I’m with you there Joyce

    Wow, that’s very self aware of Joyce. And I’m so glad they are talking and to learn that Becky’s kiss was not a trigger. Becky is still Becky, a best friend to confide in and be safe with. Now healing can begin. Hugs are fine

    I have waited for this moment since Becky first showed up at IU.

  35. HeySo

    Butt hugs are totally fine.
    Just bury your face into that soft yet firm warmth and exhale your stress away.

    And hope it doesn’t then turn into a fart joke.

    1. DarkoNeko

      Ah, but fart jokes (and the urge to sing the lion sleeps tonight) are always only a whim away, a whim away, a whim away…

      1. Reaver

        IN THE JUNGLE! THE MIGHTY JUNGLE! THE LION SLEEPS TONIIIIGHT!

    2. Freemage

      We’re talkin’ Becky, here. The only way to increase the odds of a fart joke coming up at that point would be to have Walky involved.

      1. DarkoNeko

        Well, he’s bored of studying and may come to that floor any second now~

  36. Very Good Karma

    I searched the page and couldn’t find a single “Secret Butt Fun” joke. C’mon, guys. This is low-hanging fruit.

  37. Rycan

    Speech bubbles are a little wonky in the last panel – looks like Joyce answers a question before Becky asks that question.

    1. Rycan

      Ehh, nevermind. Missed the ‘but’

  38. TheLurkerAbove

    But butt hugs are fine with me!

  39. Idon'tcarenomore

    I’m glad the hover text was changed, went from tastless to funny.

    Someone said that Becky kissing Joyce wasn’t exactly an awful thing, but…they were in bed together, it was totally unannounced, and Becky plainly was not planning on stopping at kissing-if Joyce was willing.
    Joyce wasn’t.

    I’m glad it worked out this was in the last 2 days. Fine writing and story telling. Sarah talked to Becky and Becky and Joyce now talking. And both Sahra and Becky are just fine friends.

    And bubbling or no bubbling….talking is what Joyce needs to do.

    1. Kamino Neko

      The ‘if Joyce was willing’ part is a big, big, big thing. She didn’t take away Joyce’s ability to consent or not consent. She stopped the moment that that consent was not given. It was hardly a shining example of Enthusiastic Consent, of course, but it was behaviour that would go uncommented in most other contexts.

      1. Zatar

        No a forced kiss is a forced kiss whether the person stopped or not. The only reason we don’t comment on this kind of thing more often is that the media tends to portray it as romantic. I’m actually really glad that Willis is one of the few creators to at least comment on the problem.

        1. Kamino Neko

          I don’t think we disagree on any substantive point, just the way I worded things was bad.

          I was really responding to the idea that Becky wanting to bang Joyce if she’d responded positively to the (stupid, not appropriate) kiss and agreed to go further is evidence of anything beyond the stupid inappropriateness being guided by hormones.

          It’s nice to be in a place where I’m chided because my ill phrasing tended toward rape apologia, rather than being called a kink shamer for calling a character forcing themself on someone against their protests ‘assault’ just because the victim eventually relented.

        2. Zatar

          Ah. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

        3. Kamino Neko

          Nah, it’s really on my head. I can see how my original phrasing can be read wrong.

  40. B.D

    The sparkly eyes are a nice touch. (Also: aaaawwwww.)

  41. Lieutenant Dan

    Tomorrow’s strip: 4 panels of Joyce and Becky hugging.

    Willis, please do whatever it takes to make this happen.

    1. Bagge

      Yes please, we wanted that already when Becky told Joyce about her situation. We are due.

      1. DarkoNeko

        Ok, next page will be 4 panels of Walky burping loudly. Becky hears that and joins the showdown.

    2. Huttj

      Next on Slipshine: Joyce and Becky Platonicly Hug.

  42. Bagge

    Awwwww. Notice how Becky edges closer. “Hugs? … Hugs? …. Hugs? … HUGS!!!” similar to Joyce here and in following strips.

  43. TheOtherDibbler

    HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGSSS.

  44. theheroesofcrash

    I think EVERYONE wants to hug Joyce, then wrap her in a blanket and give her chicken soup.

    I also think I might have quoted How I Met Your Mother…

  45. Arianod

    Hugs keep the world turning round.

  46. KSClaw

    That’s one bright side, at least, that Ryan didn’t get to touch Joyce in a way that might have made her freak out about casual touches otherwise.

  47. Kenjia

    Becky gets it better than people think. She wasn’t told some things. This is why secrets hurt sometimes.

  48. Dani Kelley

    I really, really appreciate Joyce’s reactions. Like, all of them, regarding her assault. They remind me so much of me right after. I wouldn’t talk about it, wouldn’t name it, even though it consumed me. And having a friend who knew and cared and hugged me was just…that was huge.

  49. Tenn

    I’m really tearing up here. So much emotion. I can’t make any jokes about this. It’s just too perfect.

    *reads hovertext*

    PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF– 😀

  50. DEG1377

    In order to compartmentalize and not be a wreck while reading these past few comics, I have instead focused on something else: This is probably my favorite Joyce outfit.

    Ah, that feels better. Were people talking about something?

  51. GreyTheDefender

    Butt hugs are never fine.

    1. Kamino Neko

      But fine butts deserve hugs.

  52. Yumi

    Well. The first time I read the hover text I read “butt hugs” as “butt plugs.” So.

  53. -JAD-

    Joyce actually brought tears to my eyes with that last line.

    Thank you, Willis.

  54. ░▒▓█│【Walkman】│█▓▒░

    Wait wait…

    Becky isn’t allowed a phone.

    1. David M Willis

      a CELLPHONE

      she can have a friggin landline

      this needs to be in the faq apparently

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