635

Oath
Posted on August 24, 2017 by David M Willis

635 thoughts on “Oath”

  1. King Daniel

    Dating roulette: better or worse than grav roulette?

    1. Sev

      Speaking of grav roulette . . .

      1. Nobody

        You have our sympathy

        1. Clif

          But not as much as if you had gotten Mary or Rachael.

        2. Dragon_Nataku

          Oh no, are there new gravs? Does that mean I’m no longer Marcie?! (yes, I’m only posting to check if my grav changed)

        3. Dragon_Nataku

          Ah goddammit of course I get this guy. This might be the one thing that actually makes me “Get a Gravatar” now. ^T__T^

        4. SgtWadeyWilson

          The good news is Gravatars are fun.

        5. truk2

          Or are they

        6. Rosstifer

          Oh, dear. Who have I got then?

        7. Rosstifer

          Marcie. Sweet.

        8. OctopusGardener

          Who do I have now?

        9. OctopusGardener

          I… totally haven’t forgotten this guy, but, purely for the benefit of others, can somebody say who this is?

        10. Lingo

          Sayid.
          …He says as an excuse to check his own avatar….

      2. Mr D

        Change the capitalization of your Email to change your gravatar.
        Like, say, your Email is sev@sev.sev
        Capitalize it sEv@sev.sev
        That’ll force the grav-roulette to spin again.

        1. Mr D

          Like this

        2. Mr D

          Or this.
          All you gotta do is change which letters in your email are capitalized and Voila.

        3. Blackbird

          That’s a great tip. Thank you.

        4. Booyahman

          Don’t mind me, just grav-checkin’

        5. Booyahman

          Yup, still got it

        6. Mr. Random

          I wonder who I got.

        7. ANeM

          Alternatively go back a decade and set a custom avatar on this new fangled “gravatar” thing and then promptly forget how to change it. Thereby completely sidestepping the whole gravroulette problem entirely.

        8. bluebirdy

          Ok plz let this work this is the first time I’ve seen it explained

        9. bluebirdy

          YASSSS ALL SHALL BOW FOR THE MIGHTY GALASSO!!!

        10. 4shizzle

          Do you get grav roulette if you changed your Name but kept the email the same?

      3. Terry

        HAHA Even the avatar looks upset to be Peter

    2. Kinoko

      Grav roulette, go!

      1. Kinoko

        ?

        1. Kinoko

          Yes. Good.

        2. Zee

          *throws the grav dice*

        3. Zee

          Yessssss

      2. Kryss LaBryn

        Go go gadguette!

        1. Kryss LaBryn

          Sierra! Yeah, that’s pretty good. I can live with that. 😀

        2. Emperor Norton II

          As someone who got Sierra right away, I must agree with you. She’s pretty good!

        3. Khno

          gaguette?

      3. jpic89

        Big money, big money, no Mary, no Mary, STOP!

        1. jpic89

          Again!

        2. jpic89

          Once more.

        3. jpic89

          I’ll take it! lol

        4. Roborat

          I find that wall of Sierras very disturbing.

      4. kelticat

        Hmm?

      5. weirderthanweird

        I’m feeling lucky!

        1. weirderthanweird

          Who is this?

        2. Lingo

          One of the guys from the LBGTQ meeting, can’t remember his name.

    3. NelC

      Less messy than gravy roulette.

      1. Emily

        I’d love some gravy

      2. Zer0

        Or Russian roulette for that matter.

        1. Zer0

          Ew. maybe I’ll try that again.

    4. Moose

      I definitely lucked out this time. Went from one of Sarah’s former friends (can’t remember her name) to a badass biker chick/former convict.

  2. Ana Chronistic

    petition to create a new level of Hell just for those two

    I’m sure there are others who’d fit there but they can have it

    1. Doctor_Who

      I think the demons would be happy to let them have a private area, since that means they don’t have to watch these two.

      1. Andrew_C

        Talking of couples who would make demons uncomfortable, is Wen going to show up in DOA, I wonder?

    2. Doribi

      But there is already a circle, well a part of a circle anyways (is way too big of a geek at times) devoted to Hypocrites, maybe we can take a part of that circle and have them crucified there on opposite sides, so they are marched over by the legions of hypocrites forever, and since they are separated it is even more torture as they can never be together again, oh and there is the extra punishment of having to share that Bolgia (the name for the part I am refering to in Italian) with the Pharisee that pushed the crucifixion of Jesus. (Sorry, had to channel my inner classic literature geek)

      1. Proxiehunter

        Praying isn’t the only thing Mary and Peter are doing on the street corners as the hypocrites do.

    3. KSClaw

      Isn’t there a special circle of hell for those two morons according to Dante’s inferno?

      1. Doribi

        again, I think they would go to the Bolgia for hypocrites, either as being chained and wearing the gilded lead robes or crucified on opposing sides, still forced to wear the robes and being trodden on for eternity.

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      She should go to a place that seems just like Heaven is supposed to be, except that all the wrong people are there and none of the right ones are.

      1. Kamino Neko

        So…actual Heaven, then.

        1. ditrysia

          That falls nicely into my theory that Heaven and Hell are actually the same place, but which one it is depends on the person. So Heaven for Carla would be Hell for Mary and so on.

        2. Rowen Morland

          George Bernard Shaw’s play, Man and Superman had a good bit about that. It was quite a fun read, especially if you considered it a product of its time.

        3. RoseDragon71

          This is the first time I’ve ever felt the need to comment… Your theory about heaven and hell being the same place is kind of how I feel about being on Earth. It’s all in what you make of it…

        4. Kryss LaBryn

          I am reminded of a story I came across somewhere or other:

          A guy is being taken on a tour of Hell, and there’s a bunch of people sitting at a table. Now, the table is full of food (sushi); but the people around it are skinny to the point of starvation and grumpy as hell, and the guy asks, “Why is everyone so hungry when there’s all that food there?”

          And someone replies, “Because you can only pick the food up with the chopsticks, and all the chopsticks are five feet long! So none of us can eat anything!”

          So next the guy is taken up to Heaven, where, same thing, table full of sushi; but here, everyone is happy and laughing and well-fed.

          “Oh, so the chopsticks are the normal length here, then?” he asks.

          “No,” someone replies, “Here in Heaven the chopsticks are still five feet long. The difference is, here we feed each other.”

        5. Socks

          Huh, I heard that story but people’s elbows were locked, and this was coming from temple. Which made me question why the people didn’t just like, shove their faces into their plates, and also, why this Rabbi who told us jews don’t believe in hell was trying to tell us some story about hell. My elementary school kind of sucked.

        6. durhamtyler

          I Heard a version with foot long spoons in One Hundred Years of Solitude

        7. Ed Rhodes

          They did that on “Night Gallery” where a hippie (John Astin, of all people) is condemned to Hell as a hypocrite. Hell, for him, is a room with a farmer discussing crop futures, a couple showing their slide show of their trip to Hawaii and a stack of 45s of big band music. BAD big band music. When he finally get Satan’s attention, Satan tells him; “This is it. This is what you get for eternity. You know what the funny part is? This exact room is ‘Up There.’ “

        8. NelC

          That one haunted me for years. Not so much the circumstances, as it got me thinking about eternity. I think it was being locked in anywhere forever that really got to me.

        9. Sean Murphy

          “Hell is other people”
          No Exit, 1944, Jean-Paul Sartre

        10. Stella

          Anyone else watch “The Good Place”? Gotten to the end of Season 1 yet?

      2. Bruceski

        You might like The Good Place.

      3. Deanatay

        So, like Heaven, except all the milk containers in the fridge are empty?

    5. Aeron

      I did some digging. It turns out Satan has a Patreon.

  3. AnvilPro

    I smell a double date!

    1. AnvilPro

      And what is this new icon?

      1. Sergei Andropov

        Maybe Bloodrose will finally make an appearance?

        1. Sergei Andropov

          In fact, maybe she’s already in this very strip, just barely off-panel.

      2. Wheelpath

        Yeah, Willis? Ours aren’t on that list you posted to twitter..

      3. ellernock

        image address indicates it’s bloodrose. and god, i wonder who i’m gonna get. i got used to walky.

        1. ellernock

          well it could be? worse? let’s try the capitals trick.

        2. Benjamin Geiger

          Eh. Was Mary last time. Let’s see what I get now.

    2. Sev

      Well that’s a horrifying thought.

      I can’t even bring myself to imagine going on a double date with Mary and Peter.

      1. Sev

        That’d be almost as bad as getting Peter in the grav roulette =/

        (At least that facial expression is perfect for like, every comment).

  4. tim gueguen

    I wonder if Peter is legitimately an awful Christian like Mary, or if he’s playing her.

    1. tim gueguen

      And I see the bossman has introduced some new avatars.

    2. Ravian

      Given that Joe seems to recognize him, I think he may just be Male Mary, but you never know

    3. Cephalo the Pod

      I’ve said it before, if Peter & Mary are based off of a couple from Willis’s own college residence wing, Peter might be faking it right now but eventually convert for real.

      1. Puckish Rogue

        We just need Paul to show up and its all on

        1. Eyebrow

          I hear his last name completes the trio. It’s Peter Paul, and Mary.

        2. Emperor Norton II

          And then Peter and Paul have to remember the Golden Rule.

      2. bryy

        If Peter goes from Fake Christlover with a shitty attitude to Real Christlover with a good attitude, that would be so sweet.

    4. Smiling Cat

      Why not both?

      1. Puckish Rogue

        Why not Zoidberg? (Sorry)

  5. Wheelpath

    Good old ship clashing with garbage trash garbage trash garbage.

  6. Stu

    At a guess – Mary’s feeling guilty about being as harsh as she was on Ruth. Maybe not TOO guilty, but just a bit.

    1. Cephalo the Pod

      You mean Rachel, right?

    2. showler

      I will assume you meant Rachel.

    3. Stu

      Er yeah, Rachel. I think Mary’s incapable of guilt.

  7. AkerSama

    That 5th panel makes me wonder if Rachel was applying that same “redemption isn’t real” speech to herself as well.

    1. Mara

      I had the same thought. What’s weighing down her soul?

      1. Pablo360

        Besides that her speech made Mary happy, that is.

  8. Shadowypenguin

    So Joe recognizes Peter. He is the male Mary after all.

  9. Fart Captor

    That’s the wrong hand, Joe! >:[

    Otherwise, very well done

    1. David M Willis

      pretty dang sure that’s his right hand

      1. David M Willis

        (and, yes, joe’s left-handed, but it’s still done with the right hand, regardless, I CHECKED)

        1. Fart Captor

          Oh, derp. I was 100% certain it was supposed to be with the left, but you’re right. I must’ve been thinking of the handshake

        2. Gesc

          Scouts use their left hand for handshakes, as it’s the hand closer to the heart.

        3. Zer0

          Do they only shake with the left for official scout business or is that something that sticks with people? Only asking because I have never actually seen anyone shake hands with their left.

      2. Lexi

        Scout oaths are done with the left hand, always. For both Boy Scout and Girl Scout movements.

        1. David M Willis

          are you sure

          https://www.google.com/search?q=scout+oath+hand&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwja_Zv5gO_VAhVJWCYKHaCTAkAQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=950

        2. David M Willis

          there’s just an awful lot of scouts here using the right hand, you see

        3. Ryek Hvek

          that’s from the Mirror Universe, where I was a Scout

        4. Bagge

          Instead of helping old ladies cross the street you helped them cross the street the other way

        5. OnyxIdol

          No no, they helped roads cross young men.

        6. Bagge

          How many roads?

        7. King Daniel

          Why did the road cross the chicken? So it could stay on the same side.

        8. 3-I

          Mirror Scout is somewhere between Bloodpact Scout and Eternal Scout, right?

        9. Bagge

          Welcome to Night Vale.

        10. Kinoko

          Right hand is correct for the three-finger salute!

          Source: was a Girl Guide in the UK for quite a few years. It’s the same internationally, except for the Cub Scouts, who get a two-finger salute.
          Either way, it’s always the right hand.

        11. vlademir1

          The two finger Cub Scout salute isn’t absolutely universal. Some packs, the one I was in for example, allow the three finger as well. That’s typically a thing where the given pack has close direct ties with a specific boyscout troop.

        12. Lexi

          And this is where my brain apparently backfires on me. My scouting and guiding troops always empathized using the left hand to *shake* which apparently crossed wires in my brain as the hand you use to salute.

          Probably doesn’t help that I can be really bad at telling left from right.

        13. vlademir1

          Sorry, but unless that’s changed since I was part of Scouts in the ’80s it’s right hand (just dug out my old handbooks to check). Wikipedia agrees on this subject, which normally I wouldn’t take as significant but I know most of the big Scouting organizations have taken pains to make sure the info there is accurate, as does the plethora of official imagery and various photos associated with the movement which Google image search turns up for both “scout oath” and “scout half salute”.

          That said, I’d doubt Joe was in Scouts anyway, or else his troop was significantly less formal than the one I was part of, because outside the hand issue that is one sloppy salute. Mind you, I live in an area with tons of military and retiree locals so bias and all that.

        14. Fart Captor

          Yeah, I so did I. My brain clearly misfired. I even tried it with my left hand and it felt totally wrong.

        15. Doom Shepherd

          Eagle Scout here – never made the sign with the left hand.

    2. Jed!

      Not a scout, but it’d be weird if it were done with the left anyway, considering the weird stigma in the West about the left hand. Specifically, it’s seen as ungodly, and also associated with witches. In other countries, it’s just because the left hand is the one you clean yourself with.

      1. Andy

        It’s understandable, really. The left hand tends to be the more sinister of the two.

        1. OnyxIdol

          Get out.

        2. butting

          Then there’s the old legionnaires’ marching cadence: “Sinister! Sinister! Sinister, dexter, sinister!”

    3. CJ

      Hm, we weren’t into scout’s oaths in Germany, but I distinctly remember that scout’s greeting was with the right hand up and shaking hands with the left.

      (Which I found strange once I learned the left hand was deemed inappropriate for handshakes in cultures not using a water toilet…)

  10. shadowcell

    it’s like faz and wen were radicalized

    1. Doctor_Who

      Don’t put the thought of Fundie Faz in my head, I need to get sleep tonight.

      1. Aletheia

        But Faz is a fundie of the Church of Charts. 😛

        1. SgtWadeyWilson

          “The great Faz even has a chart that shows exactly how much more fundamental the Church of Charts is as compared to all your boring churches.”
          “…what?”

  11. butts

    “We all have to live with our mistakes.”

    …between that and her whole thing about Ruth, it sure sounds like Rachel’s got some serious shit we haven’t heard yet.

    1. Kas

      Yeah, I’m getting more and more curious what she’s got going on

    2. Reltzik

      It’s either that or she’s saying, “No, Joe, I’m not forgiving you, because live with your mistakes.” I’m leaning towards it being Rachel’s mistake, but I’m not yet sure.

      1. Gwen

        It might very well be both.

        1. Gwen

          What? Mary? Nooooooo! Time to change my capitalization.

        2. JaneDoe

          Yeah, that one’s much better 😛

          Of course, couldn’t really get any worse than Mary…

          (Watch as I also get Mary)

        3. JaneDoe

          Yeah, I’m fine with this one 😛

      2. Dellaran

        From the expression on Rachel’s face, I think she’s talking about her own mistakes.

      3. Kryss LaBryn

        I think if she was telling Joe *he* needed to live with *his* mistakes, she’d be looking (glaring?) at him.

        The glance down and to the side seems more reflective to me; I bet you a thousand Internet points that she’s thinking of her own mistakes.

    3. Goblin Scribe

      Ooh, what mistake do I get to live with?

      1. Goblin Scribe

        Oh, wow, I got Billie! So cool—she’s one of my favorite characters. I sure lucked out this time.

        1. Goblin Scribe

          Whoops, I meant to reply to the grav check thread. Sorry to crash this one! At least I got Billie as my avatar, and not some GIANT CHICKEN, because that would be stupid.

        2. EvilMidnightLurker

          Billie’s a chicken I tell ya, a giant chicken!

        3. Goblin Scribe

          That Lurker’s just nuts! How dare they disrespect Billie in this way!

    4. hof1991

      As a sophomore, she has a full year of what Joe and the gang are two months into. Yes, she has a back story from hell. Just like Sarah. The sunny happy frosh seem like a lifetime ago.

  12. Larkle

    So, I guess that Peter was the Mary of the boys’ wing.

    1. Larkle

      Oh, I have a new avatar! I can’t remember who she is though… was she one of Raidah’s friends?

      1. Sara Hysaro

        Nash, according to the image address. Doesn’t seem to have appeared in DoA yet, assuming I didn’t mess up the tags.

        1. RacingTurtle

          Sara wins grav roulette. Danny+Ukulele OTP! 🙂

        2. Larkle

          Ah, thanks. 🙂

    2. BP

      I kind of wonder now if there’s a trans man in the boys’ wing who got bullied by Peter like Carla was by Mary.

      HOW DEEP DOES THE RABBIT HOLE GOOOOO~?

  13. Cheshrin

    Ooh, ooh, what’s my new avatar I gotta know!

    1. Cheshrin

      Yeeeeessssssssss I’m Sal now!

    2. jeffepp

      Official avatar check thread.

      1. wwwhhattt

        hai

      2. Sophran

        Please be a good facial expression…

        1. Sophran

          ohoho. An improvement in character for sure.

      3. Jess

        I wanna see mine!

        1. TheGrammarLegionary

          I was Dina before, hard to improve on that (I know, cliché, but I just love her enthusiasm once she gets onto dinosaurs).

        2. TheGrammarLegionary

          Ooh, but I’m definitely cool with Joyce and her enthusiasm for pretty much everything!

      4. Bonnie

        Nyello?

      5. nobilis

        Who am I now?

        1. nobilis

          Next try…

        2. nobilis

          And another one …
          I had Joyce for a long time and was happy, but all things must pass.

        3. nobilis

          No, no, no, I don’t want to be Eric, Joe or Daisy!

      6. Dean

        wat I got

        1. Dean

          Nice!

      7. Chered

        Grav roulette spin spin spin

        Not that I comment but every year or so

      8. Xenocide

        Who do I get…

        1. Xenocide

          Eh, could be worse than Meredith, but let’s see….

        2. Xenocide

          An amusing picture of Sarah, but I’ll probably stick with Meredith

      9. Rian

        Hit me with it.

      10. Chris Phoenix

        Checking… hoping I’m still Dorothy…

        1. Chris Phoenix

          Oh well, Ruth is cool in some ways too. Let’s see what happens if I capitalize the X…

      11. MM

        Uh oh.

      12. Hilzabub

        I’m just curious what happens if I change the capitalization and already hava a gravatar

      13. Bauble

        well now i’m curious to see what i have…

      14. Paradox

        Is that the case? Well how about this!

        1. Paradox

          We are extremely pleased.

      15. LynziGraye

        Testing for Gravatar…

        1. LynziGraye

          Ryu? Feh.

        2. LynziGraye

          Better, but maybe one more?

        3. LynziGraye

          Perfect!!

      16. Kit

        Check

      17. Liliet

        Let’s see…

        1. Liliet

          oh my god please no

        2. Liliet

          oh this one’s nice but I have no idea who this is so let’s try one more time

        3. Liliet

          on one hand this is wonderful on the other I THINK I’LL STICK TO THE STRANGE REDHEAD

    3. TheHorseCouncil

      Lets see here……

      1. TheHorseCouncil

        Maybe one more time.

        1. TheHorseCouncil

          Yes this is good.

        2. Minotaur

          So does everybody change?

        3. Kamino Neko

          Everybody who doesn’t have a set gravatar…unless the algorithm happens to randomly assign the same one, which is possible, if unlikely.

        4. 3-I

          Dagnabbit, and I was hoping for a new chocolate fairy sculpture.

        5. Needfuldoer

          The default generic ones got re-rolled, but if you set one up through the “Get a Gravatar” link you keep it.

        6. KingoHrts

          I of course remain a generic playing card. But I was not ready to abdicate anyway.

    4. Dusk Rain

      Ooh am I finally not Joe any more?

      1. Dusk Rain

        Nice but idk who that is.

        1. Dusk Rain

          Adorable. Keep spinning…

        2. Dusk Rain

          I’ll stick with walky unless this is Joyce.

    5. AndieStardust

      checking mine!! :0
      I had Ruth before, I think

      1. AndieStardust

        Her face foods my worry irl buuuuut I’m curious. change the caps right?

        1. AndieStardust

          drat, I meant fits! ugh auto correct/swype =the worst

        2. Zer0

          That autocorrect was just channeling the Walky grav. He was thinking about chicken nuggets when you were typing.

  14. Fox

    Interesting sentiment coming from Rachel given her condemnation of Ruth. Good for Joe, I hope he succeeds. Mary and Peter make me want to bleach my soul to remove the taint of their nauseating self righteousness. Theirbbehavior is so gross.

    1. Fox

      *their behavior, stupid tablet keyboard

    2. Kamino Neko

      I don’t think Rachel here is inconsistent with her treatment of Ruth. It’s a softer phrasing, certainly, but seem to me to be the same attitude.

      1. Fox

        Living with them isn’t the same as being eternally punished for them and never being able to change though. Also, if she really holds such harsh views as universal then she’s either as big as Mary on condemnation or she’s projecting, neither of which is healthy.

  15. Rambling Idiot

    I have a feeling Rachel or someone she knew wasn’t forgiven.

    1. Rambling Idiot

      Actually, judging by her people don’t change thing she may not forgive herself. Also, eww I’m Malaya.

      1. Michael Chandra

        Jealous… I miss her angry bongo face.

  16. Passchendaele

    The only question is if Mary’s luck in the dumbiverse will parallel hers in the walkyverse. If so…*evil laugh*

    1. Passchendaele

      I’m also apparently Becky now, and I am 100% okay with this.

      1. Bagge

        You are Rad!

    2. Nono

      Well we wouldn’t see the ramifications of that for a few in-universe months so…. wait a couple years then.

    3. boop

      if by that you mean ‘punished for her sin by getting pregnant’ . . um, ew, no. nobody needs a reinforcement of the narrative that ‘only bad girls get pregnant’ or ‘having unmarried sex ought to ‘ruin’ your life’ or any other variant of ‘pregnancy = comeuppance’

      1. Passchendaele

        Nope, it’s more of Mary ending up divorced and remarried a lot. I absolutely hate Mary and Peter as a couple (and separately, too), and would love to see them broken up, hopefully with a little heartbreak involved. Pregnancy doesn’t have anything to do with this.

        1. Nono

          Is that paid content? Because the last I remember of Mary it was her telling her husband to report Sal.

  17. Chrissy

    Hah! I love hating on Mary and Paul. They’re both so awful, I can’t even tell if they deserve each other or not.

    1. Chrissy

      Erm… who is this lovely character?

      1. JessWitt

        Spencer. She hasn’t appeared yet.

        1. segnosaur

          So what you’re saying is that she’s a time traveler.

  18. Puckish Rogue

    Panel 6 is so wrong but so funny I can’t stop smiling while reading it because its so devilishly over the top

    I half expect them to start twirling their waxed moustaches

  19. TheAmazingKMan

    Talk about a match made in the darkest, deepest pits of the ninth level of hell…

    1. TheAmazingKMan

      But on a brighter topic, I’m really proud of Joe in this strip. He really does seem to be trying after what Joyce said to him.

      Although… what IS he doing in the woman’s wing in the first place?

      1. Reltzik

        Not the normal.

      2. Nono

        If I had to wager a guess, going to apologize to Dorothy (since she didn’t come for doughnuts and Joe probably figured he should say sorry for putting her in a foul mood last week).

      3. DrWattson

        I assume Joe was there seeking out Rachel specifically to apologize.

      4. Lone Wolf

        He might be on his way out of the wing after having escorted Joyce back to her room.

      5. wwwhhattt

        Looking at his phone, maybe going through the list to apologise to each person in person.
        (heh)

        1. wwwhhattt

          That was supposed to be a question… never let it be said I sounded sure about anything

        2. ValdVin

          I’m with you.

          He could well be doing an apology to everyone who didn’t get a donut. That might be a few people on this wing.

          Wonder if he knows many other women on other wings of the hall?

    2. (((Mkvenner)))

      I doubt hell is this creative.

    3. Minotaur

      Not that I like Mary or anything, but how would she belong in the traitor’s department of Hell? I mean having her frozen in ice would be fine by me, but treachery is not the first thing that comes to mind with Mary…

      1. Frederic Garber

        I’d mark her for A Sower of Discord. She gets to be hacked and mutilated by a demon with a giant sword. But Dante tended to categorize people according to what his story or personal feelings mandated, not necessarily about a consistent logical or theological framework.

  20. Irredentist

    I knew it, Joe and Rachel are totes gonna bang.

  21. BBCC

    Anti life justifies my hate. Anti Life SO justifies my hate…

    1. BBCC

      EW. FUCK not for that icon.

      1. thejeff

        But it went so well with the Anti-life bit.

    2. Kernanator

      Good ol’ “No Subtlety” Kirby.

    3. durhamtyler

      Man, the last time I heard that one it was an earlkier episode of Stop The Fourth Wall. That takes me back….

  22. Nono

    I’m dreading the Mary/Peter slipshine.

    1. Reltzik

      But they’re a canon pairi-…

      …. oh, wait, that’s Spiderman.

      1. 3-I

        Not since the intervention of the devil!

    2. Andy

      Dammit now I’m imagining it.

      And I can’t decide if it would be super boring vanilla sex with them being smug about how they’re forgiven afterwards, or if it would just be pages of them making out and talking about how they’re better than all the sinners because they’re not having sex.

      1. Kamino Neko

        Nah. Lots of anal, with them being super smug about how it doesn’t count.

        1. Eyebrow

          That was my guess too. Like the Garfunkel and Oates song.
          .

        2. Eyebrow

          Oooh, can I not say “Brownbacking”?

    3. Blackbird

      Me too. Especially when all the spiders crawl out of Mary’s vagina on page 4.

      1. Kryss LaBryn

        Haha my friend has a four-year-old who decided he was super into Spiderman before he had a clue about who Spiderman actually was (just liked the toys, I think).

        In his version Spiderman is a good guy who can control spiders, so he beats up bad guys and then all his spiders tie them up in their webs and crawl all over their faces until they promise to be good and not steal stuff anymore.

        You have no idea how much I want that to be canon, haha. It would probably work REALLY WELL.

      2. Woobie

        ew

    4. Rei

      That is the worst thing that can happen for slipshine oh god

  23. Amias

    “Neder issar” = a traditional Hebrew vow of prohibition or deprivation. (Had to look it up, glad to learn.)

    1. JessWitt

      I though it was Hebrew, but couldn’t be bothered to look it up. Tnx.

    2. Joy

      (me too! this conversion-considerer knows a lil more than she did before :3 )

      1. Leorale

        If you do decide to convert, you’ll surely end up knowing more than the vast majority of other Jews. It’s a thing. Good luck with whatever you choose. ^^

    3. Jamie

      Me, too. I had no idea there were explicit laws around what does and doesn’t count as a vow, but it makes sense.

    4. Sunny

      Speaking of Hebrew vows, are jews allowed in the scouts? They’re a christian organisation afaik, aren’t they?

      And I wonder who I will be now.

      1. Fart Captor

        The BSA is a secular organization. Some level of religious overtones tend to be present, but it can vary wildly from troop to troop. Some troops are VERY religiously-oriented, though I don’t know if any actually require you to belong to any particular religion to join.

        The main reason for the religious bullshit like excluding gay scouts until only a few years ago and their continued exclusion of trans scouts is largely due to a large part of their funding coming from religious organizations.

        As I understand it, troops like mine that are secular and not creepily militaristic have gotten rarer in the last decade or so. Hopefully there are other more inclusive organizations taking their place rather than them simply going away

        1. Scar Man!!!

          They’re not new, but there is the Coed “Venture Scouts”

      2. thejeff

        Yeah, Jews are allowed by the Boy Scouts. (Though many troops are directly supported by churches and I suspect some would discriminate.)

        Belief in God is part of the scouting rules. Officially atheists can not be members, but those of any religion can be (probably some wiggle room on exactly what qualifies). Again, how strictly this is enforced likely varies from group to group.

  24. Grethelwveir

    Huh. New pics?

    1. Grethelwveir

      Hmm…

    2. Briny

      Might be.

  25. Grethelwveir

    Pfft… Okay, no.

    1. Grethelwveir

      Maybe…

      1. Grethelwveir

        Ooh! Okay.

        1. Michael Chandra

          How do you do that? ?

        2. Michael Chandra

          Just different caps and software fixes it?

        3. Michael ChandrA

          Test1234? Does this work?

        4. Michael Chandra

          Drat.

        5. Michael Chandra

          Better this time?

        6. Michael Chandra

          Damn you Willis! Okay that last one with cOm wasn’t bad but still.

        7. Michael Chandra

          I hate spamming but I want a nicer pic. =/ So going to try a few more capitalizations of my Email.

        8. Michael Chandra

          I can live with that one. =)

        9. Blackbird

          Using your thread to test a couple

        10. Blackbird

          And I got Mary… that’s what I get for thread stealing

        11. Grethelwveir

          Lol. It’s okay. This can be the “find your gravatar” thread.

        12. nobilis

          And I am still trying to get Dina …

        13. nobilis

          Jacob isn’t bad, but let’s try again

        14. BP

          A find your Gravatar thread? Hooray, now I can stop spamming the bottom!

        15. BP

          Danny’s better…

    2. BP

      Eh, not a Meredith fan since SP!

      1. BP

        Perfect! 😀

  26. Cattleprod

    Mary and Peter, since you’re okay with dying now, I have some good news about what the rest of the dorm thinks about you.

    1. Fox

      I think that sentiment applies to most if not all of the readership too.

      1. Averien

        Not all. If she was raised in a household with ideals such as she displays, then I feel pity for her. She’s been taught that hate is humanity’s province and duty, has never been shown actual love, and has thus been quietly abused her entire life. Others have it worse, but she is the product of hate. For that, I do not hate her (however much I hate her behavior and even philosophy); I pity her, and wish not for her eternal torment, but for her enlightenment and an ease to a wretched suffering she does not even know she is enduring.

        1. King Daniel

          According to Willis IIRC, Mary’s parents are probably alright people who’re unable to really understand why she turned out the way she did.

          She’s kind of like the opposite of Joyce in that respect.

        2. Fox

          I’ve read that too, hence my dislike of Mary, she’s awful just because that’s who she is, not because of how she was raised.

        3. Kamino Neko

          The ‘opposite of Joyce’ aspect comes up in pretty much every element of her personality, except for the ‘devout Christian’ part.

        4. Woobie

          That probably happens to lots of parents.

        5. Fox

          Even if she were a product of her environment, which Willis has said she is not, that doesn’t make me hate her less. She’s not ignorantly bigoted and unaware of the harm she does, she actively enjoys tormenting and hurting other people for her own personal amusement. She is a type of nasty that lives in the same realm as the things that drive the “Ryan’s” of the world. She revels in hurting others and having power over them, all while justifying it to herself as they are not “real” people. She’s an awful human being.

        6. Minotaur

          Not that I like Mary or anything, but what makes you think she doesn’t believe other people are “real”? Did I miss something?

        7. Minotaur

          Oh, wait, that’s actually a very accurate way of describing how Mary doesn’t see Carla as female… Though I’m still not sure how it would fit her conviction that “regular sinners” are going to hell… (Like Joyce for instance)

        8. Fox

          That’s the thing though, she sees anyone who isn’t like her as “sinners”, she strips them of all humanity and views them as nothing more than their ” misdeeds.” She then uses that as an excuse to torment people. With Carla, she doesn’t just not see her as female, she doesn’t see her as a person at all, she treats her as subhuman.

        9. Fox

          Sorry, I took so long to reply, my comments haven’t been wanting to go through.

  27. Shiro

    Okay, points for Joe. That was a genuine apology.

    No points for Mary or Peter. Punches for Mary and Peter.

    Also, I’m wondering what Rachel has to live with.

    1. Fox

      Seconded on all points.

    2. Reltzik

      Among other things, she has to live with Mary and Peter.

      …..

      …..

      Come and knock on our doooooor…..

      1. Fox

        No, dear gods no, three’s company with Mary and Peter is a punishment only someone as bad as “Ryan” deserves.

  28. Irredentist

    Also, who the hell is my avatar, and why do they look like a laughing demon?

    1. JessWitt

      Nash, a new upcoming character. Little known about her.

    2. Sporky

      I think it’s a new character we haven’t seen yet!

      1. Irredentist

        A Muslim one, apparently. I was beginning to think that Asma was the only one in all of Indiana. Good to see some more religious diversity.

        1. Fart Captor

          There’s also Raidah

        2. Irredentist

          I didn’t know Raidah was Muslim. Huh.

        3. Gwen

          She and Jacob spent a lot of time discussing religion.

  29. MonkeyMadness

    I REALLY hope that Mike ends up seducing and hatef***ing either Mary or Paul . . . or BOTH . . .

    And if it does happen I hope it happens like this:

    http://www.shortpacked.com/blog/comic/book-7/05-pedostache/a-89/

    1. Needfuldoer

      Coming soon to a Slipshine near you: “Mary x Mike: Evil is Coming” – A Dumbing of Age pornographique by David “Damn You” Willis.

      1. Grethelwveir

        I’m laughing so hard. This is the best thing I’ve read in a while. You just made my night. Thank you.

      2. Woobie

        I HATE Coke in my nose, thanks! 🙂

  30. JessWitt

    Tease us with Stacy yesterday and then *blip* scene change to the dorms. Figures.

    Let’s see what Gravatar roulette has for me, a former Sal.

    1. JessWitt

      Yay! Sierra is pretty cool, like the embodiment of positivity. But I won’t bear feet.

      1. Dellaran

        But do your feet bear you?

        1. butting

          I dunno how they could stand for that.

        2. Abel Undercity

          Sometimes you just have to toe the line.

    2. TheGrammarLegionary

      So, here’s my theory… Walky and Jason are also in that bar (the stubbly guy mentioned in yesterday’s alt-text is in both scenes). Then they cut away to give Leslie a chance to show up, and also tease us with Stacy. Now they’ve cut away again. My guess is that Willis hasn’t loaded the chamber to its critical mass yet; at least one more person is going to show up in that bar. And who is this, you might ask?

      Well, that’s where I ran out of ideas. Any guesses as to who creates the most drama possible in that building? (And remember, Walky and Sal can both get in there no problem, so I’m assuming the bouncers don’t really care.)

  31. Rosicrucian

    Only a matter of time before Mary’s pregnant from pre-marital hanky-panky.

    1. Mollyscribbles

      She’ll claim case precedent to deny sinning.

  32. Justin Time

    So nobody told these two idiots that Pride is one of the bigger sins, huh?

    1. JessWitt

      IKR, Geez you’d think they know that.

    2. Mollyscribbles

      I find that most “Christians” who mention the rapture come across that way; they view the Rapture (at least the version they are convinced will be a thing that has little to do with the actual Bible) as the ultimate chance to go “Nyah nyah, told you so!”

    3. Reltzik

      I’m sure hundreds of people have told them that, but these two know God’s will better than those sinners.

      1. DrunkenNordmann

        If you think you know God’s will – you probably don’t. :/

        1. StClair

          or the God you follow must be a really small god, if a mere mortal like yourself is able to comprehend their plan.

        2. CJ

          Yessss!

        3. fogel

          Ineffability, right!

        4. Mephron

          “Puny god.”

        5. durhamtyler

          Don’t diss small gods, it’s one of Terry Pratchet’s best books.
          Seriously, it’s a great book. If you haven’t read it check it out.

    4. Vulcanodon

      It’s like telling them that public prayers are spiritually dubious according to Matthew 6; they just rationalize it away.

    5. Falcon

      It’s impossible to be righteous without having some significant measure of pride. If one believes they are encouraged by God Himself to be righteous even when they’re not all that wise about His teachings, well…..

  33. Reltzik

    ………

    Grav Roulette.

    I always knew this day would come.

    You have returned.

    You have returned and you have taken my Walky.

    In his place you have given me Dorothy, who is so awesome in so many ways that she can never represent me. You would doom me to forever live in the shadow of my own grav.

    This cannot stand.

    So once more I spin unto your breach, dear frenemy. Let our bottles be coined.

    1. BBCC

      Ah, grav roulette is fun~

      1. BBCC

        Now, see, I said that and it did THIS to me.

        1. BBCC

          …Okay, yeah, I love Carla. I can work with this for tonight.

  34. newllend(henryvolt)

    So they’ve met, ok.

    On that note I wonder how this will end. Maybe the two of them will realize something about the other person and start to be completely repulsed by each other and brake things off.

  35. @zombieundergrnd

    Somebody should take a fire extinguisher to those two.

    1. John

      Spray or bludgeon?

      1. Mephron

        Halon.

        It binds to the oxygen in the air, making combustion no longer possible. You can imagine what it does to humans…. or even Mary.

    2. Kryss LaBryn

      I think a bucket of cold water or a garden hose is more traditional.

      But hey, at least, while they’re still nauseating, they’re both distracted with each other and not actively planning out ways to hurt the people around them.

      “I’m a hundred times more humble than thou art,” I could live with, when the alternative is blackmail, misgendering, and trying their damnedest to murder by suicide.

      Yeah, Mary, you guys are so totally holy. Gee, I sure wish I could be as holy as you and get into Heaven (oh no wait I’m aiming for Asgard so no I don’t).

      Hey, I heard someone in the lobby thinks they’re holier than thou art. Go make out over there.

      1. Kryss LaBryn

        Or, hah, someone could film them making out (or actually having sex) and upload it to the same porn site Roz used, which would piss off the Dean and possibly get him to throw them both out. Hey, Roz is perfectly positioned to both film them having sex and to upload it to the same site! Well, well.

        1. TemperaryObsessor

          If done without their consent I am pretty sure that would ultimately get Roz in more trouble.

  36. brasca1

    Who is a more repulsive couple Peter and Mary or Faz and Wen?

    1. Tacos

      I’d say Peter and Mary because how shitty they are with their form of religion.

    2. BenRG

      I always thought that there was something irrepressibly cute about Faz and Wen from their complete lack of self-awareness combined with total innocence. You could never really take offence at them without appearing heartless (sort of like kicking an incontinent Labrador puppy for repeatedly taking a whiz on your rug).

      1. Socks

        Yeah, Faz on his own was a terrible infliction on Amber and everyone else at the store. Faz and Wen are basically neutralized, and I kind of admired their persistent positivity in the face of both clearly being insane.

  37. Irredentist

    My new avatar looks a lot like a girl I know from work. And it reminds me, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you guys, because this seems like a strangely appropriate place for it. My friend is a devout Muslim girl, a lot like Joyce in many ways. She is friendly and likeable, and I have a fairly close working relationship with her. Recently she has expressed to me her distaste for LGBT people, and that she does not view gay or trans people as being real or legitimate identities. What is the appropriate response to this?

    1. Fox

      I find the best response is, “That’s your choice to make, I disagree”. It makes the point without starting a fight and if they try to convince you a simple “I will not change my mind, let’s agree to disagree” is usually enough.

      1. Irredentist

        I want it to be that simple. But it’s gonna dig at me.

        1. Fox

          I can get that, I tend to get very passionate as a dfab man when people are anti-lgbt, but I’ve personally found that confrontation can sometimes be the impetus for people to double down and be more vocally ant-lgbt, so I suggest caution especially being lgbt youself. If you feel comfortable outing yourself you could say do you see me as real?

        2. Irredentist

          I’ve considered doing just that. I’m a little hesitant at what her reaction might be though.

        3. Fox

          Whatever you decide to do stay safe and remember you will have to work together so don’t let yourself get pulled into a fight, just speak your piece calmly and rationally.

        4. Irredentist

          I will, and thank you for your advice.

        5. Fox

          You’re very welcome. Good luck.

    2. Fart Captor

      You could start by telling you that you disagree if you haven’t already. Pointing out that people don’t choose to be LGBT, and they just want to be allowed to live.

      If she’s expressing this distaste in the workplace, discouraging that seems like a good target, if you can’t change her mind. If you’ve got any LGBT coworkers (closeted or no), they shouldn’t have to listen to that.

      1. Irredentist

        I think she knows that I disagree, though I haven’t stated it quite so directly. I’ve been treating her opinion of gay people as something of a joke, which I can get away with because like I said, we’re close. Thing is, I’m actually one of those closeted coworkers, though not out of fear, I just don’t really talk about it, and I don’t generally come across as being queer. It’s an interesting situation to be in.

        1. Gwen

          My experience working with a lot of conservative religious organizations as a community organizer is that I was just myself. I didn’t go out of my way to either mention or hide my sexuality, and over a few years, most of the people who assumed I’d been mentioning the type of girlfriend with whom you get a mani-pedi realized I meant the type of girlfriend with whom I shared a one-bedroom apartment. They figured it out when they were ready, and when they already had a good relationship with me. My two cents, your mileage may vary, etc.

        2. Irredentist

          Yeah that’s pretty much how it works for me too.

        3. Fart Captor

          Shit. I really have much experience in this area. I was able to set my brother straight after he expressed the opinion that transgender people were just being “trendy”, but he didn’t really have that strong of an opinion on the matter, so it didn’t take much.

          If she’s not extremely harsh about it, gentle push-back like you’re doing might be the way to go. You could try being slightly more firm by moving from “haha, you can’t be serious” to “this again? you’re being ridiculous”, with some eye-rolling, and see how that goes.

          It might nudge her towards re-evaluating a little faster, but it’s easy to roll back if she seems to respond badly.

        4. Irredentist

          Yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking is the way to go. It just seems so strange to me. I’m used to the bigots in my life being people like Mary. Not Joyce.

      2. Fox

        I agree with your points far captor, but you do have to be careful getting too confrontational about it, especially in the workplace and some people respond very badly to having you try to change their mind.

    3. Grethelwveir

      If you trust her to remain civil and friendly, low-pressure questioning and debate geared towards mutual understanding, if not agreement, shouldn’t hurt. Asking “Why do you hold your current views?” and phrasing arguments as “This is why I hold my current views.” is a more gentle way to butt heads in the case that you actually want to do that. If you don’t want to, or don’t think it would be a good idea, you have every right to pick your battles. Hell knows I do.

      1. Irredentist

        I definitely want to talk about it at some point. Not sure how it’s gonna come up though, because I don’t really want to start the conversation myself haha

        1. Grethelwveir

          Ha! Yeah, I feel that.

      2. Kryss LaBryn

        I like that you’re using the phrase “current views”; it makes it sound more like something that might change, and that’s fine, rather than being something both immutable and wrong. 🙂

    4. Kryss LaBryn

      I have some Muslim friends who are absolutely allies of LGBTQ+ folks. They say the Koran actually supports it (or at least doesn’t contradict it, I don’t remember which offhand). Let me ask them and see if they can give you any tips. 🙂

      1. Irredentist

        I appreciate it, thanks

  38. Sugnez

    Shitty personalities aside, Mary and Peter look really good in that last panel.

    1. John

      We can see your face, Peter.

  39. DailyBrad

    I see Mary hasn’t been denying Peter any. 😛

    1. Abel Undercity

      I saw what you did there.

  40. Vinny

    These two need to be eaten by an Allosaurus.
    Check with Jeph Jacques – he may know where to find a hungry one.

    1. Tacos

      Why an Allosaurus? Why not a Suchimimus or an Afrovenator?

      1. Mephron

        Or a swarm of Compsognathiuses?

  41. Urukak

    I had to do a double take on Mary in the last panel, because between her arm position and the shadows, it almost looked like she wasn’t wearing anything under her sweater. Was her top that low-cut when we saw it before?

    1. Kamino Neko

      Yep.

  42. Ryek Hvek

    “Take my Peter, please”

    1. Malicious Taffy

      Your Gravatar makes that creepier than it needs to be.

  43. Miri

    Is ‘we all have to live with our mistakes’ an improvement on ‘redemption is a story… you will always be the thing you were before’?

    Because acknowledging our mistakes, taking responsibility for them, understanding why we made them and working on the root causes, and trying not to repeat those mistakes (or let the same maladaptive source thoughts/beliefs lead us to making similar mistakes) is how we move past those things and grow as people and improve ourselves.

    Also I really like Joe’s apology. He owns how wrong he was (without disclosing anything that could make Joyce feel uncomfortable) and1 that he thought he was being funny and is now aware he was not, and he intends to stop acting like that. Starting by calling Rachel by her proper name is a pretty good beginning. And also shows he bothered to learn it rather than actually mentally completely reducing her to the sum of her component body parts, personality not required…

    Also I’m not sure other people taste of religious symbolic cleansing? Unless they’re making a case for Peter’s tongue (I am going with tongue. I am staying with tongue) being made of Jesus’s flesh and his saliva (again, saliva, not any other bodily fluids, be they freely swapped or not) being Jesus’s blood… but pretty certain a Christian would find that quite blasphemous, and now I just have mental images of Mary devouring him praying mantis-style because cannibalism is next to godliness so long as you eat the right people for the right reasons…

    On the plus side it may reassure Amber that other people are messed up too? On the negative, it’s 5:30 am and I don’t think I can sleep with that mental image…

    1. Fox

      I like your assessment here, very well thought out.

    2. Carms

      I skimmed that last panel before actually reading an dOH GOD I was so concerned about taste like JEEZ

    3. OnyxIdol

      Aaannd your mentioning of Mary eating Peter mantis-style gave me a Franken-Fran flashback.

      1. Kamino Neko

        ‘I’m sorry, are you OK?’

    4. BenRG

      FWIW, I suspect that Rachel is talking about herself here… and I also think she may have been talking about herself for most of her tirade at Ruth. It is a conclusion that I draw from her expression in panel 5 and it worries me.

  44. Tacos

    I really want to know what’s up with Rachel’s, “We all have to live with our mistakes”? Like what happened in her past?

    On another note, I see the grav pool has been updated and now I won’t remember who’s who anymore D:

  45. Rikunda

    Man those two facing God’s judgement… They are showing so much PRIDE. If only there was say… a deadly sin there. Hmm.

  46. pjeseb

    So, I looked up what “neder issar” was. Is it similar to Lent, except a lifelong promise instead of a once-a-year type thing?

    1. Stevecharb

      No, not at all. It’s a legalistic classification of promises made in general, any day of the year, for any valid reason. All promises are divided into several categories, to which different rules apply.
      In this case, it’s a promise of denial–– meaning that, as a halakhic rule, one who promises not to do something can be called out by other people at any time and must immediately stop doing it without objection.

  47. Bagge

    Looki at that! A proper apology. No passive aggressive bullshit, no doubling down, just a proper acknowledgement of what he did wrong and a promise to do better.

    Didn’t even need a doughnut.

  48. Moonlord

    I feel like Joe says he’s stopping fairly often.

    1. Pigeon Pollyx

      I mean…we’ve already kind of seen how he acts normally. This is like the first time he’s actually said he’s stopping.

  49. Badgermole

    Joe was a boy scout. Joe going camping, learning different knots, earning his helping old people badge (sorry, I don’t know what boy scouts do). Think about this head canon for a bit.

    1. anonymsly

      It honestly makes a lot of sense to me. My dad and brother were both really enthusiastic about scouting, my brother even worked as a leader at Scout camp in early adulthood and my dad still grabs opportunities to teach scouts. (Any Scouts; he’s getting ready to teach my girlfriend’s Girl Scout troop Dutch oven cooking, his old specialty.)

      They’re both very logical and structured engineer personalities (seriously, both engineers) and I see a lot of that in Joe too.

  50. Gesc

    BLOWJOB CAT

    1. Gesc

      More on topic, at least those two aren’t being as horrible as they usually are, even if the trade off is being subjected to their constant condescension and face sucking.

      But dangit, I don’t dig bj cat

      1. Eldritch Gentleman

        Someone call the Human Centipede guy so he can sew their lips together. Everyone will be happy.

        1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          I thought that was a dwarven thing.

      2. Oruncrest

        It’s the teeth.

        It makes BJ Cat look like it plans to chew before it swallows.

        (And speaking of scary avatars, the last time I used this email, I got stuck with Mary. Almost ANYTHING would be an improvement.)

  51. Pigeon Pollyx

    “We all have to live with our mistakes”, huh? Looks like Rachel’s changed quite a bit since 3 days ago.

    1. Pigeon Pollyx

      Nope, not gonna be chloe thank youuu

      1. Blackbird

        I’ve gotten Peter, Arnold, and Mary so far. I would KILL for Chloe at this point.

        1. Blackbird

          I can deal with Walky though

    2. CJ

      She sounds like you have to carry your mistakes around and remember them daily or something…
      Did she make a mistake that’s impossible to forgive (she herself at least) because the results was so bitter?

    3. BenRG

      I’m pretty sure that she’s talking about herself here and may have been talking about herself when she was rejecting Ruth’s apology too.

  52. JohnnyO

    I really want to know where Rachel’s inability to forgive things and complete lack of faith in people comes from. She’s so opposed to the idea that people can change, there’s almost certainly a backstory there.

  53. Parzival

    Mary is one of the only fictional characters I hate, and I believe the only one who I hate more than Dolores Umbridge. Joffrey Baratheon comes third.

    1. adjudicus

      Wait, book Joffrey or show Joffrey?

      1. Pl0x

        Is there a difference between the two versions?

        1. Pl0x

          Ok no, not Raidah…

        2. Eldritch Gentleman

          From what I heard quite a few dumb actions by Cersei were done by Joffrey in the show.

      2. Pl0x

        Is there a difference between the two versions?

        Also I’ve found out that if I reply to my own comment that’s still awaiting moderation, both comments disappear.

        1. adjudicus

          I mean, both were pretty similar in the fact that both were still horrible, whiny, cowardly, bullying, spoiled little shits, but book Joffrey has no empathy at all, and does what he does mainly to show to everyone that he’s decisive and strong, while show Joffrey’s actions have an undercurrent of sexual malice. Plus, show Joffrey tortured and killed prostitutes and ordered all of Robert Baratheon’s bastards killed.

        2. adjudicus

          So, in short, not much difference, but I think show Joffrey is worse

    2. Madock345

      Hate her more than Umbridge? I mean, they share the core trait of way-too-real sanctimonious moralizing and sense of superiority in their evil, but at least Mary isn’t also a huge racist nazi with a bent for torture.

      1. Eldritch Gentleman

        Welp, hate is not scalable based on how many horrible traits someone has. It’s all a case of personal opinion. And frankly I think that Mary just didn’t get an opportunity to be racist yet.

        Also this reminds me that one post I read about how Umbridge is more hateable than Voldemort. Basically Voldemort is a fantasy evil we are Extremely unlikely to encounter while Umbridge is a much more real-life kind of evil. Same thing probably applies here. Someone like Mary has a somewhat higher chance to pop up in our lives than someone like Umbridge.

      2. Mephron

        Self-hating racist nazi, remember. Umbridge is a halfblood.

        1. Scar Man!!!

          Ooooo, really? I didn’t know that

        2. Mephron

          https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/dolores-umbridge

          If it’s from JK herself, I think it’s as definitive as it gets.

        3. Scar Man!!!

          Wasn’t disbelieving, just surprised. Does kinda tie into the “worst bigots are self-hating oppressed people” myth, but we still have the malfous and their ilk

        4. Scar Man!!!

          Malfoys

        5. Mephron

          Sorry if it came off like that. When people do the “I didn’t know that”, I like to refer them to the source directly, so that they have it if someone drops a challenge on them. It’s only polite.

        6. StClair

          Often the most zealous. They have to prove to everyone (including themselves) that they’re fully committed to the cause, despite the “unfortunate circumstances” from which they come.

        7. Eldritch Gentleman

          Reminds me an aunt of mine. Back during communist times she was super dedicated to that cause. Now? If the priest told her to jump she’d ask “How high?”

        8. Roborat

          Not seeing much difference there.

        9. Eldritch Gentleman

          Except for the whole, complete 180 on her previous believes. You just can’t get more opposite than a dedicated commie and dedicated catholic.

  54. Peter Huppertz

    And here’s me thinking that the name Peter had died out when my generation grew up…

  55. Luke74

    I think this might be the first time I’ve ever truly liked Joe.

  56. Pl0x

    Encouragement for Joe!

    1. Eldritch Gentleman

      Sorry for offtopic but… damn, Jacob in a suit? The universe really is testing Ethan.

      1. Pl0x

        It’s for church. In the full character model he’s holding a bible.

        1. Pl0x

          I lied when I said last grav roulette round further down.

        2. Eldritch Gentleman

          He might really need it to fight off all the people who want a piece of him.

      2. StClair

        and then he takes off the glasses and pulls open his shirt with both hands…

        1. Eldritch Gentleman

          And Pillar Men theme starts to play.

        2. Scar Man!!!

          Ai yai yai, indeed…

  57. Eldritch Gentleman

    I almost wish they would die right now and get Kenny from South Park treatment

  58. OnyxIdol

    So I’m guessing Rachel considers herself to be irredeemable as well?

  59. Dev

    Joe’s growth in this makes my heart sing. ♥

  60. Pl0x

    Dat da da. I’m sorry that I have nothing to say here.

    1. Pl0x

      Wuh-oh. Definitely not. I don’t need more reminders of the similar stupidities of Walky and me.

      1. Pl0x

        Eh. Livable but not awesome.

        1. Pl0x

          Ken, the default brunt of the joke

        2. Pl0x

          And his employer.

        3. Pl0x

          How long I am gonna do this for

        4. Pl0x

          Goodness

        5. Pl0x

          I mean, I like her but let’s try for something else.

        6. Pl0x

          Ok, last one for today.

  61. ADLegend21

    Alright, what did she do?

    Also, Whomst is going to punch Mary and Mary’s boyfriend???

    1. ADLegend21

      aww nice I got Joe this time!

      1. Danni

        better than getting mary

    2. Eldritch Gentleman

      Personally I hope that residents of their dorm wings get together, vote and decide that they should have a private room. In the dumpster.

  62. Danni

    peter sounds like a huge dick

    1. Danni

      NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

      1. Shariku

        The worse time for a new avatar.

        1. Danni

          I HATE!

        2. Michael Chandra

          Can be easily changed, trick is at the top of the page. =)

        3. Lingo

          Well at least you’re in character.

    2. Kamino Neko

      >Mary> Sounds like, no. Has, yes.

    3. Zatar

      Now you know my pain.

  63. Remmington Steele

    So who am I now?

    1. Bagge

      Jessica.

      A very common name.

    2. Kamino Neko

      Oh dear…do you have amnesia? You are Remmington Steele, and I’m going to get you to a doctor, OK?

    3. BenRG

      Leslie Bean in “I’m gonna seduce Congresswoman DeSantl” mode.

  64. BenRG

    Rachel’s expression in panel 5 puzzles me. It makes me wonder what mistake she has to live with. It might explain her going way beyond boundaries with Ruth if there is some strong regret in her past that makes her feel both unforgiven and unable to forgive.

    Meanwhile, I’m suspecting that, pretty soon, Peter and Mary will be banned from every church in town. Even the most insufferably self-righteous group has standards and those two would just make them look bad!

    1. BenRG

      BTW, notice their ‘smiling without smiling’, something I noticed that former PM Tony Blair was particularly good at.

      1. zoelogical

        they def. do not have their smize on

        idk it’s interesting because their happiness is very clearly…a performance, for the benefit of the people around them. i have to wonder what they’re like when they’re alone. if this is even something they can maintain while they’re alone

        i kinda doubt it idk

  65. Liz

    Proud of you, Joe.

    I hope Rachel’s okay.

    1. Liz

      World’s grumpiest Sarah grav. Perfect.

      1. BenRG

        Not grumpy; worn down and tired. Joyce probably was in-her-face and über-cheerful at 5am this morning again.

  66. zoelogical

    you know what i didn’t want to think about??? people getting off on the thought of being raptured. like. somehow. the most heavenly orgasm sent straight from god and infused with the glory of being right. which just makes it better, obvs, and you can watch all those suckers below suffering because they weren’t as good as you. EVEN BETTER you can watch them admitting you were right and regretting that they didn’t agree with you sooner and oh, the error of their ways!!!1!!

    like……………………i didn’t want to think about someone getting off on that, but now i kinda have to, because it’s just…it’s there. it’s there. and it’s not leaving.

    thanks i guess?

    1. Roborat

      I have seen video of people like this being pranked with fake rapture setups. The looks on their faces when they think they have been left behind is priceless.

  67. Remmington Steele

    *plays “Je n’ai regrette rien” on the ironic hacked muzak*

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Kvu6Kgp88

  68. Tim

    Huh he updated the gravs. Who am I?

    1. Tim

      Booyah!

      1. nightsbridge

        You are a high quality Ruth, friend!

  69. nightsbridge

    Hm. I’m wondering about Rachel’s reaction. She’s looking really guilty and she’s not taking the ‘redemption is a story’ angle.

    I wonder if maybe she’s feeling kinda bad about Ruth?

  70. ScarvesandCelery

    Hooray! Joe’s internalising what he’s learnt today! And it’s interesting comparing Rachel’s response to Joe’s apology here to her previous response to Ruth’s apology – “you will always be the thing you were before” is a very similar message to “we all have to live with her mistakes”. Seems like part of the reason she can’t forgive Ruth, and has trouble believing that people can become better than they used to be, is because she’s made mistakes she can’t forgive herself for.

    This isn’t to imply that she’s obliged to forgive Ruth, or that she had to accept Joe’s apology – which she doesn’t technically do here, even though she doesn’t respond to Joe with the same anger she did to Ruth. She just sadly states that everyone has to live with their mistakes. And it does make sense that she responds less negatively to Joe’s apology – Ruth’s was a public apology, and while that was understandable, as she wanted to apologise to the whole dorm, Rachel probably perceived it as performative and fake, a way of winning back favour before reverting to type. By contrast, Joe’s apology here is private (unlike his donut apology) – he bumps into Rachel by chance, and takes the moment as a chance to acknowledge the way he was in the wrong, and promise to be better in the future.

    1. ScarvesandCelery

      Oh, look I’m Galasso. KNEEL BEFORE ME, WORTHLESS PEONS!

      1. Bagge

        …If I do, will I have pizza?

        1. StClair

          and subs!

        2. Bagge

          I love this comment section

      2. Emperor Norton II

        As emperor of the internet, We are under no obligation to kneel before you.

        1. Remmington Steele

          Speak for yourself. I want my pizza!

    2. nightsbridge

      Rachel was chewing at the bit to scream at Ruth the whole time. She tried to jump on Ruth and yell at her before she realized her brother was in the room with her. I don’t know if Ruth’s choice to make the apology public changed a thing.

  71. Varangian

    Peter please walk into the sea

    1. Varangian

      Sierra! Aw yiss.

  72. Tolmec Astronaut

    What does “neder issar” mean? Google is failing me.

  73. Bluebird

    Grav roulette works like this???

  74. Guest42

    The only couple that combines PDA with judging others.

    1. podian

      Public Displays of Judgement?

      1. Guest42

        Sounds about right

      2. Vivid Grim

        Public Displays of Faith, or PDF,

        1. Bagge

          It will never change

  75. Tyramisu

    Am I the only one that when The Spawns of Unholy Filth do have sex, Peter goes all “Puritan” on Mary and drops her because she’s a Woman of Sin who Tempted his Male Purity with her Evil Biblical First Sin?

    1. BenRG

      My personal favoured theory is that Peter just wants to be the one to deflower a ‘Christian girl’ and is simply parodying the things that Mary wants to hear (and it’s a shame that she so lacks self-awareness that she literally doesn’t notice that he’s mocking her). Once he has his goal, he’ll drop her and move on to find a new ‘conquest’.

      It’s what happens with Mary then that will determine much about the character and her relationships with those around her.

      1. Vulcanodon

        That’s the vibe I got. Peter reminds me of an episode of Night Court where a sexual predator was telling the naive lawyer whatever she wanted to hear. She was on cloud nine headed toward marriage while he was getting ready to notch his bedpost. The whole thing was stopped by the sleazy guy lawyer spotted the ruse and warned her.

        1. Vulcanodon

          Just realized I could imagine later Ruth talking Mary down off the ledge.

        2. StClair

          Dan Fielding was quite the piece of work, but every now and then he could circle back around to doing the right thing.

      2. Kryss LaBryn

        The only thing is that with Joe’s reaction in the last panel, I’d guess that he really is usually like this. Or like Mary. Because if it was all just an act and he actually wasn’t this annoying on a regular basis, I doubt Joe would care about whether or not the girls kept him.

        1. TemperaryObsessor

          Yea I actually think if Peter was known for using dishonesty to get what he wants like if he was pretending to be Christian to get in Mary’s pants Joe would dislike him but wouldn’t want to inflict him on the girls dorm.

    2. Arioch

      If I remember correctly, and I think it’s been mentioned recently here too, in the other comic, they got pregnant from premarital sex and I am guessing that will happen again. Whether he is just mocking her to get in her pants and will drop her or blame her or what he will do beyond that point – no idea. I do think he seems even douche-ier (is that a word?) this time if possible.
      So, I am thinking that if things do not exactly go like previous incarnations, the change may be that Peter dumps pregnant Mary. Or, like BenRG pointed out this may just be a case of dropping her after he makes his conquest. In which case, there may not be a pregnancy story line. We may get both. Who knows?
      Also… Grav Check… Who did I get?

      1. BenRG

        Dotty!

      2. thejeff

        IIRC, Willis has spoken pretty harshly about his choices in that IW! storyline, so I doubt the pregnancy thing will happen again. If it does, it’ll be because he came up with some better way to do it – making it not punishment for hypocritical permarital sex.

  76. LWS

    At my sister’s college (all-women) there was a group that honestly called themselves the “God Squad” and acted just as obnoxious as Mary and Prick (oops…Peter).

  77. Zoe

    Wanted to make a “Mary/Peter/Paul threesome” joke but based on other comments that joke is probably dead already so I’m basically onky commenting to see if my gravatar is Blowjob Cat.

  78. Sam

    Joe actually used her name, progress.

  79. Vulcanodon

    Panel 5 Rachel is looking reflective. Has she been thinking about her awfulness at the dorm meeting? Or generally some thing she now wants to do differently in the future?

  80. Shmid

    I’m very curious to find out what “mistakes” Rachel is living with that have got her eyes looking so emotional.
    She reminds me of a friend who had an abortion when she was pretty young, so that’s what I’m leaning. Towards in the back of my mind.

  81. Rectilinear Propagation

    Huh.

    So Rachel is rejecting Joe’s apology but she isn’t subjecting him to a huge “you can never change” rant. She also isn’t looking him in the eyes.

    The last time we saw Rachel she was yelling at them for accusing her of leaking the list. So if something has happened with her since then, we didn’t see it.

    I don’t know if it’s just that she sees what Joe did as less bad or that she doesn’t feel like yelling at him again.

    Mary & Peter: There’s something particularly irritating about someone who thinks they’re insulting you when really they’re just going on about something you don’t even agree with and/or care about.

    It’s kind of bizarre really that people like this honestly think that other people would agree that they’re going to heaven. I’d think they’d just roll their eyes at anyone telling them that they aren’t so I don’t know why they think this would work the other way around.

    1. BenRG

      I’ve said this elsewhere but I am getting an “unforgiving and unforgiven” vibe from Rachel. Maybe she’s got a red mark (even if only in her own mind) somewhere in her past and, as she can’t forgive herself, she can’t extend that to anyone else. To me, her avoiding Joe’s eyes was shame that he is attempting to change when she feels herself beyond redemption.

      1. StClair

        Sounds about right to me.

  82. BenRG

    Apologises for SPAM post – Alternate Gravitar test

  83. BenRG

    Alternate Gravitar 2 test

  84. hof1991

    Ugh. Performative Christianity. Like a mirror image of its founder.

    1. Vivid Grim

      …Jesus was performative? I… guess I can see that

  85. Valerie

    Let’s see who I get this time…

    1. Valerie

      OH HELL NO LET’S TRY AGAIN

      1. Valerie

        Ehhhh, a little better, but…

        1. Valerie

          Hmmm…

  86. Valerie

    …….

    1. Valerie

      Sorry for the clutter, everybody, I just really want a good character.

      1. Valerie

        .

        1. Valerie

          ?

        2. Valerie

          ??

        3. Valerie

          ???

        4. Valerie

          ????

        5. Valerie

          I keep getting characters that I don’t know, and it’s making me feel like a terrible fan.

        6. Valerie

          .

        7. Valerie

          Okay, Galasso. I can work with that. 😀

        8. Roborat

          Watching these gravatar roulette threads is quite entertaining. Sir Willis should do this every month or so.

        9. podian

          At some point it would have been faster to set up your own gravatar.

  87. shammers

    Just when I thought Mary couldn’t get more obnoxious

  88. Gaia

    Taste?
    This disturbs me greatly.

  89. 0kami

    I’m hoping to see more of our two favorite goofball couple soon.

    Also, curious as to what new gravatar I’ve got…

  90. Josie Brenda

    Kind of cool that he knew the term “neder issar”. If you didn’t go to yeshivah, you likely wouldn’t know it.

  91. Emperor Norton II

    Previously, I have said this of Rachel:

    I think that Rachel blowing up on Ruth was a result of bad phrasing rather than what she truly meant. That what she tried to say was that -quick- redemption is a fake story, something that doesn’t exist. That one apology is supposed to make up for it all. That a promise to be better is all that’s needed… Those are usually the elements in typical redemption stories, and they are also what makes such stories false. True redemption takes a hell of a lot more than that.

    Those were my words, and I am feeling even more confident in them now. Beause now we get to see Rachel when she’s not having the initial (and 100% justified) anger over the whole situation. So when Joe apologised, instead of blowing up on him, we get these words:

    “We all have to live with our mistakes.”

    What mistakes have you done that you have to live with, Rachel? Or what mistakes were done to you personally that whoever did to you basically got away with?

    Because now, Rachel, I think I can see why you don’t believe in quick redemption. I can see you carrying the mistakes that happened in your life with you, every day.

    Whether it was your own mistakes, and your guilt doesn’t allow you to live it down.

    Or whether it was something done to you that whoever did it got away with far too easily, using the quick redemption tropes to get back into the good graces of people. People that should have had your back and denied them the ease of their redemption, making them truly work for it and earn it.

    But at the same time, you’re not having the initial anger that, however justified, could lead you to choose your words poorly like you did with Ruth. You’re still upset with Joe, that much is clear, but you’re also choosing to give him a more gentle reminder that quick redemption is not easily happening. I would not blame you for still shouting at him, but I am proud of you for not doing it.

    And Joe… I remain cautiously optimistic about you.

    Because for one thing, that was an actual apology; and one that you initiated on your own. You did not try to defer any blame in any way. You fully accepted that what you did was not funny. You admitted that your idea of the whole list was a wrong idea.

    It might still look a bit… being disarming rather than regretful, I could say. But that’s part of who you currently are, and at least for those of us who knows about your conversation with Joyce, we are capable of seeing how her words clearly reached you. For now, it’ll do.

    But we’ll be sure to keep you to your promise.

    1. dethtoll

      I think you’re giving Rachel the benefit of the doubt that she isn’t giving Ruth. There’s really no quibbling on her phrasing in that scene, she made it very clear she meant what she said. She had every right to be angry with Ruth, and every right to be distrustful of Ruth’s announcement and promises to improve. But what she said crossed a line from righteous anger to straight-up abuse, and while I maintain that there is no background that would excuse her from what she said, there’s at least a hint that it’s not coming from nowhere.

      1. Emperor Norton II

        “But what she said crossed a line from righteous anger to straight-up abuse”

        I disagree strongly on that. For one thing, what Ruth had been doing to Rachel and the other women in the wing, now -that- was straight-up abuse. Some harsh words about redemption being false doesn’t come anywhere near close to that.

        I mean, from -our- point of view, we know that Ruth’s actually truly regretting all she did. From our point of view, we know that she’s actually trying very hard to be better and to make up for her bad shit. From our point of view, we know that Ruth is under no illusions whatsoever that this will be a quick and painless process. From our point of view, Ruth is attempting to redeem herself the right way.

        But Rachel never had our knowledge, and from where she was standing, it looked suspiciously similar to a “quick redemption story”. And that’s what she reacted to.

        And I don’t blame her for that. I don’t even blame her for not coming across as more nuanced in that moment. I just wish she had the knowledge we readers have.

        1. dethtoll

          Nah fam. I invite you to go back and read that strip.

          While you’re not wrong that Ruth was an abusive bully, it’s also a known fact to the dorm that she’d just gotten out of suicide watch. There are some things you just don’t say to someone who’s a risk for suicide — and telling them that they’ll never ever be a better person is one of them.

          But even outside of that context, it’s a fucked up, abusive thing to say. It’s crossing a line. If you don’t agree that it is, well, I don’t know what to tell you.

        2. Emperor Norton II

          So you don’t think I looked at that strip before I wrote those words, huh? Nice moment of being patronizing there, “fam”.

          I’ll admit that Ruth coming out of suicide watch makes it worse. Quite a lot worse.

          But fucked up outside that context? Sorry, but no. Outside of that context Rachel is giving Ruth an extremely clear message that she’ll no longer tolerate any abuse whatsoever. Because that’s what she expects is going to happen. Because that -is- what often happens in real life.

        3. dethtoll

          There’s a world of difference between “I don’t believe your apology and I don’t trust your motives” and “you will never ever be a good person because redemption isn’t real.” Even without the suicide watch thing — which Rachel KNEW about — it’s not a nice thing to hear.

          I’m sorry you thought I was being patronizing, but to be quite frank I’m not really in the mood to placate your feelings when you’re sitting there telling me what Rachel said was totally okay and not a shitty thing at all.

        4. Emperor Norton II

          “I’m not really in the mood to placate your feelings when you’re sitting there telling me what Rachel said was totally okay and not a shitty thing at all.”

          And now you’re just straight up lying about what I said, because I never said it was totally Ok and not at all shitty.

          So I kindly invite you to just fuck off.

        5. dethtoll

          Fucking off, then.

          Good luck on getting your jimmies unrustled, I hear it’s an outpatient procedure these days.

        6. blergh

          I totally see where you’re coming from, and I get exactly why Rachel reacted the way she did (even without the backstory w’re sure to get that fuels those motives more), but I do think it was tremendously dangerous to respond to someone the day they get back from a psychiatric stay/suicide watch with a speech about how they are bad and will always be that way. I like Rachel and want to see more from her, but it’s hard for me to brush that aside as justified (though obviously the anger is earned and Ruth is owed no forgiveness for her earlier actions).

        7. Emperor Norton II

          True, and that may be why I’m feeling really confident that there is a background of abuse in Rachel’s past. I’m open to her being the abuser, but for now, I think it more likely that she was being abused. Over a long period of time.

          Maybe even to the point of becoming suicidal.

          “But wouldn’t that make her -less- likely to cross the line with Ruth, then?” you might ask.

          Well, here’s the thing: -If- she was abused to the point of being suicidal, that may only have fueled her ire against abusers in general. -Especially- is the abusers got away with it. Heck, I think it’s likely that they promised not to do it again… And then did it again.

          And in the strip before her “redemption is a story” speech, she talks about how Ruth gets to keep her job and her girlfriend, despite abusing both. So then, in Rachel’s mind, the same thing is happening all over again.

          Reliving such a moment, I don’t think she is able to give a damn about Ruth’s situation. If, as I think, she’s basically having her darkest moments relived in that meeting; she’s getting filled with rage about how once again, abused people gets nothing but the shit end of the deal.

          In such a moment of rage, I’d venture that Rachel looks at Ruth and sees the former abuser(s) in her life.

          And I think that she wishes that her former abuser(s) were dead.

          And that’s why she stepped over the line.

        8. Spencer

          I mean if we can forgive Ruth for rampant abuse and actual sexual assault I don’t think it’s impossible to acknowledge that, while badly timed, Rachel lashing out at her is small potatoes.

        9. Emperor Norton II

          I think it is because we actually know Ruth’s full story (or at least enough of it to easily infer the rest without making major mistakes) that we can forgive her.

          Because no matter how you slice it, I am guessing at Rachel right now with my posts. I do think that I am making reasonable guesses, but they are still guesses. And without having anything real to go on as far as Rachel’s background, it’s much harder to see where she’s actually coming from.

        10. blergh

          I wasn’t saying I think Rachel is a huge monster or anything and wasn’t trying to play the degrees game. I feel like a lot of people are able to “forgive” Ruth, or at least move past her past, because we have backstory that feeds into them, she’s accepting of her own faults, and there is a clear will to change and be better. I’m sure we’ll get backstory from Rachel too. I’m not trying to say I think Rachel lashing out was the end of the line for me. I just think it was dangerous/unwise. It also makes me nervous about whatever it is Rachel has gone through…

    2. Scar Man!!!

      Plus, a Nider Issar is pretty serious. He’s vowing to never take enjoyment from objectifying women ever again.

      1. Scar Man!!!

        Neder Issar

    3. TemperaryObsessor

      Change for the better takes time and effort and is not easy. People can often overestimate their own willingness to put in the effort. People can also outright lie about their willingness to put in the effort while putting in a token effort to avoid facing the consequences of their actions both by deceiving those they hurt and getting third parties on their side.
      Also Rachel is not required to disregard where the relationship started because often people can’t see how messed up a relationship they are in is until sometime after it ends that’s part of how abuse works. And faking willingness to change can be an abuse tactic.
      Ruth didn’t lose her position which she used to bully people or her relationship which started with her using her position of authority to pull Billie’s pigtails. I don’t really believe people should require Rachel to play nice with Ruth because of Ruth’s personal issues considering Ruth bullied the entire floor including Rachel, Ruth is likely faking chage, and nobody is giving Rachel a fair chance to leave the situation without major financial loss.
      That being said what Rachel said is not likely to help the situation. Calling Billie an abuse victim with Stockholm syndrome would be more likely to make Billie double down in an abusive relationship. Saying people don’t really change will not encourage Ruth to try to change. Worst of all Ruth was not the only one hurt by what she said Rachel accidently told Billie that she is not able to be better than poison which will drag down anybody but Ruth, Joyce that she was every bit the bigot she started the school year as and would never get better, Amber that she couldn’t learn to control her anger, and Mary that at the end of the day people either are good or they are not. If Rachel meant that she believed that consistently making the decisions needed for positive change was harder than it sounds when you decide to change, or that Ruth is only lying to avoid consequences she really should have been more specific.

  92. Riss

    in what fresh hell did Mary even find Peter

  93. dethtoll

    But why would they want Peter?

    I say just put him in a trebuchet and let God handle the rest.

    1. dethtoll

      … Eh, I can live with Raidah.

      (how DO you change your gravatar anyway)

      1. Kamino Neko

        Do you want to set a gravatar or play gravatar roulette?

        In the former case, the link is to the right of the name field.

        In the latter, you just change the capitalization of your email, which is what gets hashed to determine what you get.

        1. dethtoll

          It was the latter. Thank you!

    2. Emperor Norton II

      Trebuchet? What are you, a complete barbarian?!?!?

      I say we tie them to a log and use a ballista.

      1. Clif

        Why yes, I’m a complete barbarian. Also trebuchets are so cool.

        1. Emperor Norton II

          Why, I oughta… No wait, you’re right, trebuchets are cool.

  94. Scar Man!!!

    Damn you Willis and your fundie history. I’m so embarrassed that I, as a Jew with years of Hebrew School and the occasional Talmud session, had no idea about the various “Nidres” and you did. I really need to up my Talmud game, but it’s so boring

    That said, is Joe’s family more observant than they seem? Neither he nor his father seemed the Talmud-studying type, and they sure don’t teach that in Conservative or Reform Hebrew schools pre-Bar Mitzvah (maybe in orthodox day schools.)

    1. RacingTurtle

      Maybe Joe’s mom is more observant?

      1. Scar Man!!!

        That could work. Heck, maybe his dad isn’t even Jewish

    2. Leorale

      Talmud is fascinating and hilarious if you have a good teacher and/or stick to the awesomer stories. Check out Beruriah sometime, the ancient feminist who routinely outsmarts all the male rabbis. She was very probably a real person, and very polarizing, for obvious reasons. There are two kinds of stories about her, suggesting that some rabbis were mad threatened by her scholarly snark and wanted to see her punished, and some thought she was the best ever because they were correct.

  95. Scar Man!!!

    Also, allow me to say: FUCKING GOYIM! Oh, they do give me such headaches

    1. Scar Man!!!

      “Oy” not “Oh”. Damn antisemitic autocorrect

      1. StClair

        Quite the tsuris.

        1. Scar Man!!!

          I learned a new Yiddish word today?

  96. RaisonDetriment

    As a struggling Christian, I wish I lived in this comic for two reasons.

    To be someone Joyce could talk to

    And to dress down that friggin’ monster Mary and her asshat boytoy.

  97. nlips

    I’ve always said that there is somebody out there who’s right for everyone…

    …but sometimes I wish I was wrong. 😛

  98. Regalli

    Thing that just occurred to me – while it’s likely Rachel’s mistakes line is referring to past experience pre-strip, I’m wondering if she also knows Amber was responsible for the stabbing, and if so made the connection between the scared looking girl at the meeting and what happened next. If so that might explain why her stance is somewhat softened.

    1. Spencer

      I feel that if Rachel knew about Amber she wouldn’t have said “redemption is a story” at her since, well, Amber doesn’t need to redeem herself.

      It’s not like Ruth actually doing awful shit and trying to grow out of it. Amber had bad shit done to her and is misguidedly believing it’s her fault.

      1. Regalli

        Yeah, I’m certain if Rachel had been more aware of her audience and their tendencies to internalize that sort of thing (Amber and Joyce both) she would probably have edited herself more. … Though given she gave that speech to someone the day they got out of suicide watch, who knows. (I get that Ruth was an awful RA who had no business keeping the job, but seriously do you WANT someone immediately going back to self-harming on your conscience?)

        But especially since Amber’s past crimes are all a response to abuse and goading (particularly the convenience store stabbing) and she absolutely considers herself Bad because of it, you’d REALLY want to avoid her ending up in the splash damage.

  99. Shariku

    So does the removal of the wrist bands pretty much cancel any theories that were going out there about Mary potentially self-harming herself, or has enough time gone by that these would have essentially healed?

    1. Regalli

      I mean, with Vitamin E and if it were three years ago, maybe… but I think that theory’s sunk, yeah. (I don’t know what the healing rate would be with that kind of self harm scarring, but I’m pretty sure there would still be something there.)

    2. chiscii

      Not to be Like That but the wristbands have been gone for a while. That’s definitely a theory gone down the drain. But on that note, doesn’t it seem like Rachel’s current arc is shaping up to be what Mary’s arc could have been had Willis confirmed that theory? Rachel’s mentality of ‘There is No Redemption’ plus living with your mistakes sounds analogous to Mary’s ‘There is No Divine Forgiveness’ plus living with your own vulnerability, which is how I interpreted the theory. Hm… ?

  100. AgentKeen

    Ew Ew Ew

  101. wakeangel2001

    The comic is totally innocent, but it personally disturbed me because it reminded me of the story of the woman who murdered her children because she was afraid if they lived any longer they might sin and not get into heaven.

    1. Scar Man!!!

      Mental Correlation is a scary game

  102. MightyPinto

    I have nothing helpful or intelligent to say; I just wanna see what my new assigned grav is

    1. AKP

      Same.

    2. Whammy

      I can say good on Joe for starting on being better and that the last panel there makes me shiver a little bit. But otherwise, Same.

  103. Ragingagnostic

    Challenge accepted, Peter and Mary. (cocks gun)

  104. Paul F

    I remember hoping at the beginning of the chapter that Mary had learned her lesson in not being a assbag jerkface. Damn me for wanting to see the best in people.

    1. Kole

      considering Willis’ experience with the hyper religious there’s no way we’d see that transition without some behind the scenes. Also, most christians are unfortunately not Joyce in that they’re never going to stop being elitist pricks.

  105. Amazi-Stool

    Wait! I got it!

    Rachel was the one who introduced Peter to Mary!

  106. V.

    I haven’t commented in a while.. I’m just here to see which new gravatar I got, and to say : fuck Mary and Peter

    1. V.

      eeeeehhh-

      I was really hoping for like, Carla, or Jocelyne.. or y’know, a girl. Any girl

      I’m gonna draw my own again screw it

  107. Phantom

    Don’t mind me, just posting to see my new grav

    1. Phantom

      Dammit! I’m Mary’s boyfriend?! Bongo!

      1. Phantom

        Please be different this time

        1. Phantom

          Crap its even worse! I’m the bongo herself!

        2. autogatos

          This is the most amazing comment thread ever.

        3. autogatos

          Aww I miss being Carla.

        4. autogatos

          But this is an acceptable alternative.

      2. Phantom

        Last try. Luck be my friend.

        1. Phantom

          Better than nothing

  108. Mr.Morningstar

    you names him Peter because Joseph was too on the nose wasnt it?

    1. Leorale

      His last name is Paul. As in Peter Paul & Mary. (Not to mention Mindiana and Les Bean.) Willis is clearly happy to embrace pun names.

  109. Tenn

    God: “THAT CAN BE ARRANGED.” *whisks Peter and Mary away from the mortal realm*

    It turned out that God’s Judgment is just a huge, held-in-for-ten-hours hangover fart. If you’re still standing, you pass.

  110. Scar Man!!!

    Shameless grav roulette post

  111. Aprion

    Go play in a fire, Mary.

  112. Vx

    Joe’s a flawed guy but I don’t think he’s an inherently bad one.

    Kind of stating the obvious here, but, well. Yeah.

    1. Vx

      Not a fan of that gravatar, let’s see.

      1. Vx

        Much better.

    2. Puckish Rogue

      Could probably insert most of the characters names in there and it’d still work

  113. Smooti

    Makes me wonder if Joe was ever a Boy Scout. I’m sure he’d have hated it.

    Also, I know Rachel’s Jewish, but what’s her last name? Was that ever stated in Walkyverse and I just forgot it?

    1. JessWitt

      Her last name is Jackson.

  114. BP

    Rachel’s thing is really interesting me…

    1. BP

      AGH MY BEAUTIFUL JOCELYNE GRAVATAR

      WHERE DID IT GO

      1. BP

        Testing for a new avatar, I would rather not have Mary ew

        1. BP

          Spencer … must be a character who hasn’t appeared yet. Still better than Mary so far. 🙂

    2. BP

      Anyway, as I was saying before I got distracted, I really want to know more about Rachel. She’s so enigmatic and I really wanna know what makes her the way she is about people and forgiveness and redemption.

  115. BP

    Just adding to this as well, Peter and Mary are still a gross couple. But I’m less convinced he’s faking it. Nobody fakes THIS much of their personality for sex. Also, what Joe says cements that Peter’s always been awful.

    1. BP

      Raidah, huh … yeah I think I’ll stick with Spencer.

    2. Regalli

      Agreed, I think he was their wing’s That Guy.

  116. Toes14

    Tonight, Mary finds out that ‘Peter’ tastes slightly salty . . .

  117. t_wanderer

    Testing Avatar, etc. Since I don’t believe in no-content posts: this is seriously one of the best webcomic forums I’ve seen. Most webcomics I read, (about 40 now) I’ve abandoned the comments sections entirely. Everyone here gets +1 internets for being pretty not terrible.

  118. ischemgeek

    I feel really bad for Rachel here. Cuz on one hand yay Joe for finally seeming to start to get it a bit. On the other hand, maybe I’m a cynical bastard but my brain would be going “AAAAAA” or “What’s the catch?” on repeat.

    OTOH, Yay that joe finally seemed to get the hint that he’s being Creeper McCreepazoid.

  119. Puckish Rogue

    I see it a little differently, if we look at the apology Joe is giving compared to the apology Ruth gave there is some differences and that’s why I think this going well for them

    Joe doesn’t just say the words, he looks genuinely apologetic and sincere and what hes saying is also good, he explains what he was doing and understands why it was wrong and I think that Rachel is reacting to that (along with some left over guilt of course)

    Now I’m sure Ruth was sincere as well but it probably came across as forced (not her fault of course) and combined with the raised fists of Billie and the amount of abusing Ruth did (and length of time she did the abusing) I’m not too surprised Rachel didn’t react well to Ruth and that shes reacting well to Joe

    I think Joes doing well here but of course hes not perfect and he’ll regress every now and then but hes well on his way to being a good dude and Rachel…well I now want to know what secrets shes hiding

    Also Mary is looking pretty foxy in that last panel

  120. Spongegirl Circleskirt

    Don’t mind me. Just doing the gravatar gravy dance too…

    1. Spongegirl Circleskirt

      One more

      1. Spongegirl Circleskirt

        🙂

  121. Spongegirl Circleskirt

    Again!!!

  122. Paul

    Yes! Joyce!

  123. Beef

    Why’s Rachel so accepting of this apology but not Ruth’s?

    1. Emperor Norton II

      Very short guess: She’s already had a confrontation with Joe where she got to vent out, and so I believe her anger about him had probably subsided a bit.

      But I think the full reason won’t be known until we hear Rachel’s story.

      1. Beef

        Good point, I hope we get her backstory soon

    2. Beef

      Hey why am I not Dina anymore 🙁

      1. Emperor Norton II

        Willis recently redid the whole “random avatar” thing for everyone who did not have a custom avatar.

  124. Vi

    AS A JEWISH PERSON I AM HERE TO SAY: FRIGGIN GENTILES INDEED THANKS JOE.

    Also what the FUCK is eating Rachel?

    1. Stevecharb

      This passive-aggressive proselytization is a recipe for tsuris. Mary keeps finding new ways to be the worst.

  125. Liliet

    good job Joe!!!

  126. ugh

    Grav roulette, plx ignore

    1. ugh

      asd

  127. ugh

    I guess this will do!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.