Rag doll
Posted on July 22, 2016 by David M Willis

333 thoughts on “Rag doll”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    Carla: human* book title generator

    *not that she chooses to be

    **human, that is

    1. Reltzik

      Yup. Also, next book’s titled “Like a Friggin’ Rag Doll”. Cover features Amazi-girl with a Sal voodoo doll.

      1. David

        I have a hard time imagining why Amazigirl would employ voodoo in order to get Sal friggin. Joyce I could understand.

        1. Sageress

          Because she’s fucking crazy, for one

        2. Disloyal Subject

          Sanity IS FOR THE WEAK.

        3. Mr Ak

          Don’t worry! At least one person got the joke.

        4. David

          Hooray. I’m so glad we don’t have vote counts here. Nothing like returning to your most sparkling ingenious quips and wordplays and seeing +0 or -1 scores. Or weeks afterwards finally a reply, along the lines of “click here for herbal cures to ransomware”.

        5. Clif

          “Your Secret Secret Love is Dumb and Nobody Cares” Yeah, I’d buy that for a dollar.

    2. a snow mous e

      tbh most of the good stuff is incredibly spoilery

      1. LS

        Yeah, I’ve got some friends who only read the comic each year when I lend them the new book. The most recent book’s title was disappointingly spoilery.

        1. a snow mous e

          Really? I just meant the potential titles taken straight from Carla. I don’t actually know what the title of the most recent book is.

        2. Ana Chronistic

          Isn’t it “Guess what? I’m a Lesbian!”?

    3. John

      Given her ability to hoist Billie up in the air and carry her around the floor like that, I’m not so sure about the “human” part.

      I think she’s still a robot former car; she just got her parents to install round speech balloons in her so she could pass as human. Gonna be a third arm popping out of her chest and flipping everyone birds here any minute now.

      1. David

        Uh, she already had an arm popping out of her chest. I mean, a chest is a box, right?

      2. Aquatus

        I…should really skim through the Walkyverse.

      3. Mollyscribbles

        Nah, her parents decided to ensure her body was human-ish enough to pass casual inspection, to minimize awkwardness in passing (since, after all, Carla wished to be viewed as human) so no extra limbs.

    4. Historyman68

      I thought “YOUR STUPID SECRET LOVE IS DUMB AND NOBODY CARES!” was the title line. That’s the joke, right?

      1. a snow mous e

        I think so? It sort of reveals that somebody finds out/is told about Ruth and Billie, though.
        And it can’t be Mary because she definitely cares.

        So it’s kinda spoilery imo

      2. Historyman68

        I’d say the fact that another title already starts with “Your” probably disqualifies it more. I don’t think “and nobody cares” has to imply a spoiler. That’s a thing people say all the time to mean “and I don’t care.”

    5. davidbreslin101

      Three out of six sentences would do perfectly well as a title. While deadlifting a former cheerleader, yet.

      1. doubleW

        More of a clean press than a deadlift, really

        1. thejeff

          Except even with a clean press, you keep the weight pretty much in line with your body. You don’t stop half way up with arms bent and extended.

          And then walk down the hall as the weight wiggles and kicks.

  2. Doctor_Who

    Billie: “YOU MEAN I CAN HAVE THE REST OF THE COOKIES?!” *nyoom*

    1. Emperor Norton II

      OK, you are the fricking worst!

      Except I’m even worse, because I laughed at that. Hard. Really hard.

      Let’s be the worst together!

      1. Uncertainty Moth

        I think “let’s be the worst together” were the terms of Ruth and Billie’s relationship.

        1. Emperor Norton II

          OK, can we be the worst together, but without the suicide pact, please?

        2. NoRAd

          Wanting to die is not the same thing as wanting to kill yourself. I know it’s not a super obvious distinction, but it is there.

        3. HMH

          Deffo, I want to die a lot, but I wouldn’t hurt the people I care about that way. There’s tons of good things in my life, they just don’t always make me feel good and that’s just my biology.

        4. davidbreslin101

          “No, see, I don’t necessarily want to KILL myself… I just want to become dead somehow. Ssssshhhh… it’s okay. Life is meaningless anyway.”
          From the epic “Depression Part 2” blog post on Hyperbole and a Half, which is the most bullshit-free thing I’ve ever read on the subject.

        5. Peny

          Despite the fact that Hyperbole and a Half is a collection of comedic stories crudely drawn like a 5 year old, it is the best explanation of depression I have ever seen.

        6. Betty Anne

          I bought a copy of the book, because Allie’s explanations of depression are so on point.

        7. Ana Chronistic

          I saw this late, but it’s not that Allie can’t draw–she does super good dogs, for instance–but that she’s using MS Paint with a mouse. “Crude” is about anyone with less than infinite patience can do with that.

          (just a for-the-record)

        8. ErisDyscordia

          It might not be a super obvious distinction, but it is a really important one! I wish more people understood that.

        9. Willoughby Chase

          Ronnie Wood came up with “Let’s be the worst together” after a 3 day drug and alcohol fueled bender but Keef made him re-write it until he had “Let’s spend the night together.”

    2. a snow mous e

      MUST GET COOKIES

    3. Jay Eff

      “COOOOOOOOOOOKIES!!! om-nom-nom–”

      “Oh, hi, Ruth. Me no see you there.
      You want Cookie??”

      1. Reltzik

        Sorry, Cookie Monster. Siri says you are sad because there are no cookies.

    4. Foxhack

      That WAS my first thought, too.

      1. Orion Fury

        I think a good chunk of the commenters had that for their first thought.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          I didn’t. Do I have to surrender my Terrible Person card?

        2. Orion Fury

          I didn’t say everyone.

        3. TachyonCode

          Indeed! Uniformity is hardly defining of terrible people 🙂

    5. Bagge

      *Slowclap*

    6. TheAnonymousGuy

      Doctor, we got a serious situation to solve. panels 1&2 how is Carla holding billie?

      1. Doctor_Who

        Little known fact, Billie has titanium bra-straps. She uses her natural bustiness to conceal liquor in her cleavage, but a regular brassiere can’t reliably support both her chest and a fifth of vodka.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          That, or Carla gripped her by the ribcage? Those things are robust.

      2. Dean

        Billie is actually a possessed ventriloquist’s dummy, so she’s fairly easy to carry.

      3. Cerberus

        I’m pretty sure she’s stabilizing with a hand on her butt and using the shirt to get her off balance so she can lift her up as well as choking up on the shirt for extra leverage. It’d take some strength, but it’d be doable for holding up a person of Billie’s proportions assuming she’s at least as strong as Billie was (because of the bottom of the cheer pyramid thing).

        1. Cerberus

          Also, I love that it’s a very non-violent hold.

        2. thejeff

          It’d take more than “some strength”. You might be able to lift someone that way, but you’d never be able to walk or even hold them.
          That’s all arm strength. At least with the bottom of the cheer pyramid thing you’re using your legs and back.
          Where’s their center of mass? And with Billie struggling and moving around?

          Far from the least realistic thing we’ve seen in the comic and it doesn’t bother me, but if I was taking it literally I’d say it was strong evidence in favor of Carla being a robot here too.

        3. davidbreslin101

          Momentum might help- if Carla is striding forwards at a rate of knots, the panel 2 position is plausible. I’ve seen ballet dancers pull off similar moves, though only with someone who’s co-operating!

        4. Cerberus

          I guess, I got the impression that Billie didn’t really struggle until Panel 4 and once she struggled she got out of the hold instantly. And yeah, that she was using the momentum as well.

          But I would agree with thejeff that this means Carla has crazy good upper arm strength.

        5. Cerberus

          And also that it’s a really shaky hold in panel 2 owing to the strain on Carla’s arms, hence why there’s the motion lines around Billie.

  3. AnvilPro

    I think the secret will be out when Billie starts screwing Ruth with the door open after getting the attention of the entire floor

    1. Reltzik

      More likely a long comforting cuddle with some crying.

    2. TheAnonymousGuy

      Pick the day. Enjoy it – to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come… The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present – and I don’t want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future. (Audrey Hepburn)

    3. Disloyal Subject

      That’s one way for the narrative to get the floor to side with Ruth over Mary. And possibly get Mary’s phone destroyed when she tries recording it.

  4. Taigan

    Cookies are serious business

    1. magicallady

      oatmeal raisin > snickerdoodle

      1. Reltzik

        Oh.

        You did not just.

        It is on.

        …. not from me, I agree with you, but the haters are going to hate.

        1. magicallady

          i totally did! and i do not feel bad about it at all!

      2. Kernanator

        Oatmeal raisin is trash, snickerdoodle is superior.

        1. magicallady

          then you have not had good oatmeal raisin cookies!

        2. Anorak

          such a thing does not exist. Snickerdoodles for life.

        3. magicallady

          oatmeal raisin cookies are far better than snickerdoodles

        4. Brotato

          Raisins disgust me. Chocolate chip is best.

      3. Orion Fury

        I’d say it depends on one’s mood. Both have their points.

      4. EvilMidnightLurker

        oatmeal raisin is the Anticookie, sent to bring about the Grandmacalypse.

        1. magicallady

          how dare you insult oatmeal raisin cookies!

      5. Disloyal Subject

        Chocolate chip or bust.

        1. Willoughby Chase

          Chocolate chip cookie: the only true cookies.

          Accept no substitutes.

        2. magicallady

          that sounds like a donald trump platform

      6. Sushi

        Oatmeal Pecan>Oatmeal Raisin (Always favored nuts to dried fruit in my baked goods)

  5. miados

    eating can seem like to much effort when you are that low

  6. a snow mous e

    WHAT?! SHE NEVER ATE THEM?! RUN BILLIE

    1. a snow mous e

      YOU CAN STILL EAT THEM

  7. Kensou

    Oooh, Scandal. I approve.

    1. Doctor_Who

      The world needs more Scandal Savage.

      1. Orion Fury

        She’d probably fit right in.

  8. Some1

    And now for the 7th Dumbing of age Tournament battle

    Announcer: Amber O’ Malley vs. Jacob Williams!

    Danny: Jacob is going to lose.

    Dorothy: How do you know?

    Danny: Trust me here, I know Amber.

    Dorothy: right.

    Jacob: This should be a fun fight.

    Amazi-Girl: I feel bad punching someone who isn’t a filthy criminal, but I suppose it can’t be helped.

    Jacob: Do you spend a lot of time punching criminals Ms. O’ Malley.

    Amazi-Girl: You’d be surprised.

    Jacob (thinking): What’s this power radiating from her? It’s way higher, than it should be!

    Danny (thinking): C’mon Jacob, if Amber reaches Sal…

    Amazi-Girl does multiple backflips and aims a kick at Jacob’s head. Jacob manages to block at the last second but is pushed back. Amazi-Girl proceeds to attack him from multiple angles almost at once, almost like she’s more than one person.

    Jacob jumps out of the way, and skids backwards, wiping blood from his mouth.

    Jacob (thinking): What’s with this girl? She outclasses me in everyway! Amber spends most of her time playing MMORPGS, how can she be this powerful!?

    Amazi-Girl: Grappling hook!

    Jacob: Oh…and she has a grappling hook…

    Jacob manages to dodge the grappling hook, and it attaches two the edge of the stadium. He looks up to see Amber sailing towards him.

    Jacob: Shit…

    Amazi-Girl’s foot connects with his stomach, as he’s sent hurling out of the ring.

    The winner is Amazi-Girl/Amber!

  9. Corseus

    “She didn’t eat those cookies? They’ll go stale!”

    1. a snow mous e

      Hurry Billie! You can still save the cookies! Put them in the refrigerator/your mouth!

      1. Reltzik

        Noooooo!

        COOKIES DON’T GO IN THE FRIDGE! The fridge dries out cookies in no time!

        ….. okay, maybe you can put them in the freezer if they’re chocolate-dipped, but that’s IT.

  10. Shiro

    “NOPE, DONE WITH THIS, GO KISS YOUR GF”

    Carla is the hero we need.

    1. Emperor Norton II

      -And- the hero we deserve. Or possibly better than we deserve.

  11. Nono

    Oh hey it’s Mary. She’ll probably follow Billie.

    Can we see some righteous defense of Ruth with some thunder thighs soon?

    1. David

      She won’t get very far. Carla’s arms are free now and she’s in no-bullshit mode.

      1. Cybersnark

        Also, Joyce and Becky are one their way back.

        No guesses as to how they’ll react to this tableau in their current mood.

    2. Sageress

      Defense of Ruth for what?

  12. magicallady

    run billie! run like wally west!

    1. Doctor_Who

      If only she had his vibrational powers, Ruth would never be depressed again.

      1. inqntrol

        She can take some lessons from Walkyverse Walky.

        1. Orion Fury

          For those of you reading this from in the future.

      2. 4th Dimension

        Relevant Shortpacked comic: http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=2020

        1. Darkoneko

          And then, there’s today’s It’s Walky http://www.itswalky.com/comic/walkerton-settle-down/

        2. Orion Fury

          I guess I wasn’t obvious with my link.

  13. Rosicrucian

    …just had to put Mary in the last panel.

    1. J. A. J.

      I saw Mary and thought to myself, “Oh, what the FUCK is she gonna do NOW, Willis!?” The answer could be “not much,” but not likely.

      1. Reltzik

        It looks like she’s going to Sunday Evening Bible Study. Surely she doesn’t think that ruining lives and sucking out souls is more important than that?

        1. Rosicrucian

          See, all you have to do is word it differently.

          Like “Exposing the wicked in His name.”

        2. J. A. J.

          Yeah, right?

          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/02-that-perfect-girl/cashin/ – Now who left this link lying around?

        3. David

          Sometimes you want to sink your teeth into flesh and blood that has not been transsubstantiated.

        4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Or be the sinkee. What is she hiding under that turtleneck?

        5. Tan

          More likely just getting back from church. It’s still late morning/early afternoon (probably leaning more toward the latter by now). If it were past 2pm, Becky and Joyce would’ve shown up already

        6. butting

          What’s the geography and the timezones here? Joyce, Becky and Hank just left the early service at their church shortly after it started, so it seems plausible[1] that it’s around 10 am and Mary was on her way out.

          Was. Until all the ruckus started, which she wouldn’t even have known about if it’d just waited another two minutes.

          DYW.

          [1] apart from how all the students (other’n Ruth and Billie) are up and out of bed, which, what? Though this seems to be fairly soon after Carla leaving breakfast out for Ruth, and after Danny barely being out of bed when Dina dropped by.

        7. Random832

          La Porte is in Central time, and Bloomington is in Eastern Time, so they lose an hour. The distance is about 200 miles and the driving time is 3 hours 45 minutes according to Google Maps.

        8. Amazi-Stool

          This driving time was already stated as four hours in the comic.

          Although that was a friday, so it might be a bit faster on a sunday, if there is less traffic.

    2. David

      She’s a godsent. If anything can cheer Ruth up now, it’s Mary’s head on a platter.

      1. Solenoid

        something something john the baptist something

        1. Kryss LaBryn

          something something oglaf something

  14. Some1

    Are we sure Carla doesnt have secret abuductee powers?

    1. Doctor_Who

      Amber was able to lift Billie too. She may have put on some pounds recently, but maybe she’s still fairly light overall.

      1. Dean

        Amber has crazy parkour skills, so he’s probably pretty strong. Maybe it is just Billie’s fate to be carried around like an indignant cat.

        1. David

          It’s a cheerleader power.

        2. thejeff

          Amber also got properly underneath her. It was a weird hold, but mechanically far better. Lift with your legs.

      2. Orion Fury

        I’m going to lean towards the secret powers. One can assume that Billie’s squirming, and given the angle and placement of Carla’s arms, to my knowledge that’s impossible by normal human standards.

        1. Needfuldoer

          Looks like Carla had her by the bra straps and waistband. Adrenaline might have let her pull that off briefly.

        2. thejeff

          Yeah, but it wasn’t briefly. You could probably lift someone like that, if you were strong and with some adrenaline helping out. But she’s walked out of the room and down the hall.
          No way you keep them there. Bring them in closer, get your back and legs into it.
          It’s hard to hold a toddler like that for any extended period, much less a full grown girl. And Billie shouldn’t be particularly light.

          And that’s completely ignoring the structural integrity of the bra strap and waistband. 🙂

        3. David

          This appears like a mechanical problem solved by fisting (providing fixation and/or a stabilization of angular momentum). Now somone needs to buy Billie new pants.

      3. Sageress

        Amber struggled like fuck tho. Carla does that shit all cas.

    2. KRVeale

      I think it’s covered by the fact that Carla is a welder and an engineer.

      Welders and fabbers get built as fuck – anyone doing physical labour for extended periods, particularly if it involves gripping/carrying weighty objects and holding them in *precise positions* as you work.

      1. Needfuldoer

        Life Hack #376: Repeatedly lifting heavy stuff makes you better at lifting heavy stuff.

  15. Stephen R. Bierce

    *plays Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell” on the hacked Muzak*

    1. Stephen R. Bierce

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKgOe1Rl8YY <- Is there anybody in the audience who's PARANOID?

      1. AGV

        I was thinking of this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z0XiGtIYrCI

      2. Willoughby Chase

        Roadrunner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd_41tM6H2Y

  16. Sageress

    Carla, the only sensible character in the entire fucking universe.

    And as the only fan of Mary as a character, I am pleased as punch to see her return.

    1. Chief_of_Staves

      Yes, I too might be pleased to punch Mary. Or did I misunderstand?

      1. Sageress

        I am legitimately happy to see her back. She only leads to fun things happening.

        1. Orion Fury

          Is it bad that I think the outfit that she’s wearing looks nice?

        2. Sageress

          Not at all. Mary is a good looking person. You can’t be faulted for finding finding her aesthetically pleasing.

          Evil is sexy, after all.

        3. Orion Fury

          Aesthetically Pleasing? I like it.

        4. Sageress

          That’s the point yeah :Y

        5. StClair

          Says someone with a Penny av. 🙂

        6. Willoughby Chase

          It’s her Mathew Hopkin outfit.

        7. Jason

          I would also like to see her back…as she runs away and never returns.

  17. Nono

    Also Carla’s ridiculously strong. Is she lifting all of Billie up just by her shirt?

    1. magicallady

      yeah

    2. Cerberus

      And that’s all manner of badass, because trans women are typically heavily discouraged from being buff or showing off physical strength because of weird “girl = weak” ideas. So this is yet again, an example of how little fucks Carla gives about “passing”.

    3. Cybersnark

      When you look back and see only one set of footprints, know that those are the places Carla had to fuckin’ carry you.

  18. Chief_of_Staves

    There has indeed been a great breach I. The laws of causality: The. Cookies. Are. Uneaten.

    The only reason we know the end is NOT nigh is the great word of Willis, the Damned God, has decreed it. All Hail.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Now I want to filk “Will the Cookies Be Uneaten?”

  19. Emoroffle

    It’s nice when Ruth And Billie show they care for each other like this. Hopefully this means they will finally try to move towards a positive relationship after this.

  20. Icalasari

    I hope Mary does try some shit, only for the entire floor to basically go, “Nah she’s a lying fuck” and basically ostracize her for being an asshole

    1. Rukduk

      If Mary tries anything right now, Carla will be having none of her shit. She is not in mood to just settle for a prank when a depressed person’s life is in danger.

      1. Regalli

        Yeah, I think the fact that it’ll quickly become evident (and Carla and Billie could conceivably lie their way to “We as friends/person who talked to her yesterday noticed she was worryingly depressed and needed someone checking in on her” if they’re clever enough) that Ruth is in a REALLY bad way and actually does need someone keeping an eye on her 24/7 will keep Mary from being able to pull any shit, at least not successfully. Because no one in the hall likes Ruthless, but I’m pretty damn sure they don’t want her to attempt suicide and they like Mary just as little if not less.

        1. David

          It is God’s work when the enemies of our Lord’s laws are culled from our midst and the skulls of their children are smashed upon the rocks (Psalm 137:9).

        2. Some1

          Wait, does anyone else having any idea who Mary is?

        3. Cerberus

          Yeah, this is gonna humanize Ruth a lot to the hall at a very crucial time. Ruth might come out of this with the Queer Underground that’s protecting Becky also getting her back as well.

    2. Sageress

      To be fair Mary is many things… but a liar she is not.

      If anything, it’s more likely everyone would just already know because fuck it’s obvious

      1. thejeff

        Know what? That’s Mary’s an asshole? Sure, that’s obvious.

        That Ruth and Billie are/were a couple? Obvious to us. No indication that anyone else in the comic was aware of it. Strike that, one of the girls (maybe a Rachel?) has a theory, but she got laughed down.

        1. Cerberus

          It was Grace:
          http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/familiar/

          And given that Grace is in the comic seeing this all go down, I’d say she just won a long-standing bet with her girlfriend.

    3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      She could try a fake compassionate schtick: “Ms. Lessik cannot be expected to continue the RA duties during her time of difficulty here. The stresses of trying to control all these terrible sinners has done enough damage to her mental and spiritual health already.”

      1. Sageress

        What sucks is she’d be doing a good thing getting Ruth out of there. But it’d feel soooo bad.

        1. Rutee

          No, she wouldn’t be doing a good thing getting Ruth out /when her actual problem is that Ruth doesn’t like her massive hate for gays and trans people/.

        2. Sageress

          I mean, Ruth is a pretty horrible RA. She should be removed from the position, and could even get some help if she doesn’t have to pretend to be good at her job anymore.

  21. Reltzik

    I choose to interpret this strip as Ruth not eating the cookies being what kicks Billie into gear.

    …. and, skimming upward, so do a lot of other commentators. I am unoriginal.

    1. inqntrol

      Not eating cookies is like commiting a crime. Billie just wants to bring Ruth on the right path.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      I thought that was pretty obviously the case. Where I believe the comments differ from Billie’a motivation is the focus on the cookies over focusing on Ruth being so down she hasn’t even eaten the cookies.

  22. Bea

    “Your stupid secret love is dumb and nobody cares”–the title of book 6

    1. Emperor Norton II

      How many titles does that book have by now?

      And should we combine them into one megatitle?

    2. SHARKPEOPLE

      More like Secret SIX love.

    3. Tan

      Or possibly just “Love is Dumb and Nobody Cares”

      1. Anorak

        about love or the fact that it is dumb?

        1. Tan

          Yes.

        2. Darkoneko

          Totally

  23. DinaWho

    Huh, looking at panel two it looks like Carla isn’t the tallest girl on the floor. Even slouching, Grace looks the same height as her.

    Also, did Billie punch Carla by accident in panel four in her rush to get down?

    1. DinaWho

      And how did I make this comment without wondering about how the heck Carla is supporting Billie in panel two? If she was holding her by her shirt like she was in panel one, her shirt would be riding up, not making a line at her waist. But it’s not really clear where Carla’s hands are supposed to be either. Holding her up by the waist under her shirt?

      And all this is pointless rambling, I realise.

      1. JetstreamGW

        Hands gripping shirt and pants in equal measure?

      2. Darkoneko

        Hand to shirt foe stabilization, the other hand is on Billie’s arse supporting most of the weight

    2. John

      Tall Grace is tall.

      I don’t think she punched her so much as just used her face to push off as she launched.

  24. Rukduk

    Damn. Carla’s strong. Also, seems like a lot of this could have been avoided by mentioning the cookies sooner as apparently cookies make everything more important. I’m personally more of a pumpkin bread kind man myself.

  25. chris73

    Just strong is Carla? I mean Billie looks around 60-65kgs to me and is struggling so that’s a decent amount of weight to be lifting

  26. Cyrus

    How… is Carla carrying Billie? Her arms aren’t around her waist or under her arms or really anywhere that makes sense. It looks like maybe she hoisted Billie by the back of her shirt, but in the second panel, the shirt doesn’t look like it’s being pulled at all? I am seriously confused.

    1. Foxhack

      Left hand is holding her butt?

    2. Reltzik

      I think she grabbed the waistband of her shorts and twisted the back of her shirt. In panel 2 the shirt doesn’t look held because it’s being pulled down rather than up.

    3. miz

      I was wondering this too…after staring at the first two panels for way too long, I think I have figured out that the right hand is the one yanking Billie up by the shirt while the left hand is scooping her up under the thigh/butt. In the second panel the left hand is still holding her by the butt while the right hand is on her back, stabilizing her. The shirt has fallen back down since it’s no longer being grabbed.

      Which means Carla is literally carrying Billie with one hand, fully ready to present her to Ruth as though on a platter. I…

      1. Cerberus

        Which is doable, but your arm is gonna shake like crazy and drop her after about 10 seconds… not that I’m speaking from personal experience here… okay, I’ve had partners who are turned on by feats of strength before. Damn grateful we were on soft carpet when I tried that one.

    4. JessWitt

      It kinda looks like Carla is playing basketball with Billie as the ball.

  27. Emperor Norton II

    Fi-na-lly, it sinks into Billie’s head.

    And yes, obviously it was the cookies that did it. Or rather, it was what the cookies represented: The continued connection between Billie and Ruth through messengers. If even that disappears…

    Also, can someone please* grab Mary and put her in a dark room without any opportunities to spy and be a complete bigot arsehole, please.

    *Not Carla. Carla is too good for Mary to be touched by.

    1. Solenoid

      Also worth noting that this means that Ruth has not eaten anything since she disappeared into her room, and may not have even had any water.

      Left to her own devices, she could starve or go thirsty. Mercifully, she is not left to her own devices.

  28. Tenzhi

    Pfft… Alt-tag… it should really be RA’s All Ghoulish

    1. Gecko

      Yeah, you win 😀

  29. -Sentinel-

    Huh, apparently it’s been over a year since Grace’s previous appearance.

  30. motorfirebox

    So if tomorrow’s strip is named “Scandal Savage”… does that mean Billie and Ruth are the Lamentation Baes?

  31. Regalli

    The fact that she apparently hasn’t eaten in like a day even with food RIGHT THERE NEXT TO HER and/or BROUGHT TO HER is in fact a worrying sign, yeah.

    1. Reltzik

      She’s got morning sickness! BILLIE SHOULD HAVE USED PROTECTION!

      ….. wait, not that kind of sign? Huh.

      (Yeah, I know, serious topic. Shutting up now.)

      1. Regalli

        “Howard, you REALLY need decent sex ed.”

    2. Sageress

      Maybe she hates cookies? Like that could be it?

      1. Emily

        That is even MORE worrying.

    3. Mindlink

      Cookies aren’t FOOD. I have cookies that haven’t been eaten in a week, I still ate food.

  32. miz

    okay I know it is kind of against the rules to detract from the strip by objectifying the characters, but…I-I want Carla to bench press me…she……strong………

    1. Some1

      We objectify the characters all the time! I drew a piece of fan art a few days ago with Dina’s head between Amber and Becky’s butts, and that wasn’t enough to get me in trouble! Not to mention the shear amount of Yotomoe stuff, and all of the Sal is so hot comments.

      Also, I would be more interested in Walkyverse Joyce bench pressing me, given that she could life both me, and the bench.

      1. miz

        Maybe Walkyverse Joyce could bench press Carla WHILE Carla bench presses me…yeah, that would be good…

  33. Plasma Mongoose

    Did Carla lift Billie by her boobs?

    1. Schpoonman

      …Kinda?

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Sounds jolly painful.

  34. YBCZ

    Pff, what does Scandal Savage have to do with tragic lesbians?

    1. Spencer

      Nothin’, yo. Scandal went to hell to save Knockout and then married Liana too.

      Girl’s game is so strong it survived a universe reboot.

  35. Rodimiss

    Life as one of the minor characters on this floor must be very odd. Regular, everyday life, punctuated by these odd moments of something bizarre that we, the readers, know the context of, but in-universe…

    Do you think some of the girls will see a few of the main cast together and go “oh no, not them again, what’s happening now”? (Probably not, actually. Most of the plot stays out of the hallway, except for Carla.)

    1. David

      I take it you never lived in a student dorm?

      1. Cerberus

        Yeah, my first thought was “yeah, that’s dorm life all right”. Weird shit and drama tends to become the norm pretty quick.

        1. ischemgeek

          Weird shit that happened to me in dorms in case people don’t believe this:

          *The time a dude face-planted into the concrete wall outside my bedroom at 3AM on a Friday (long story short: business students had Fridays off so they all started getting drunk on Thursday) and I had to give first aid to a concussed belligerent drunk who wanted to fight the wall for his broken jaw until the ambulance arrived because our RA saw the blood, passed out, and then we had two people with concussions to give first aid to.

          *The time I woke up and my roommate and her boyfriend were nude in bed together and the room smelled like sex (I am glad I’m a heavy sleeper).

          *The time someone set the kitchenette on fire at 4AM, prompting a hall meeting about how you should call for a pizza delivery if you need drunk food rather than trying to cook something because fires are expensive. It was -35C out that night, and I was too “ARGH LOUD NOISE MUST GET OUTSIDE TOO LOUD TOO LOUD” to remember to grab my jacket, and after 45 minutes security managed to convince the uni to open up the SUB for us to wait in because I wasn’t the only one (the unluckiest of us had scrambled outside without even their shoes on).

          *The time that a guy down the hall woke everyone up at one AM screaming about how he’ll “fucking kill” whoever did that to him… “That” being taking a shit on his chair.

          *I could go on.

    2. Tan

      Main characters are not immune to this.

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/whatthe/

    3. Bagge

      I used to joke around Agatha having a normal, sligthly boring time in college with all this drama going on around her.

      That was before I knew she was a leading figure in la resistance.
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/02-that-perfect-girl/steplightly/

    4. Peter

      The people on the sidelines are sometimes surprisingly clued-in, yet clueless…

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/familiar/

    5. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      They need some sort of social media alert deal. “Current hall conditions: Extreme drama with a chance of scattered screaming fits. Use the window.”

  36. Peny

    So Billie will not find out that Sal is NOT actually Amazi-Girl?

    Not sure how I feel about that…it’s both a good laugh and a good cringe.

    1. David

      Obviously Carla is Amazigirl.

      1. Bagge

        I thought she was Spider car. THE TWIST!!!

        1. Neeks

          Technically she was, in a past life.

  37. Jesse

    Carla’s ventriloquist act is off to a good start (There’s your DC character title for tomorrow, Willis).

  38. Amber

    Fuck, I spy Mary

    1. JessWitt

      Yep, time to worry. And not just about Ruth’s life.

  39. Apostate

    Holy fuck she’s strong.

  40. JessWitt

    Oh geez, oh geez, this is going to be the chapter to end all chapters, isn’t it?

    1. Reltzik

      Not if Willis wants to feed his kids it isn’t.

      1. JessWitt

        Oh you know I don’t literally mean it’s the last chapter. I mean, it’s like a gamechanger, a status quo shift.

        1. Sageress

          Which is weird considering it’s been like not even a full month in universe yet.

        2. JessWitt

          Good point. It’s just the current chapter’s ominous title giving me the willies.

        3. Anorak

          the Willises?

        4. JessWitt

          Pun-time! Have a cookie

        5. DinaWho

          Actually it has. Comic started in late August, and it is now October 3.

        6. Sageress

          Yeah but weekends don’t count everyone knows that gosh

        7. Reltzik

          Uh…. almost this entire book has been one weekend.

  41. altalemur

    she really wants those cookies. and i strongly think Carla should join the roller derby. wow.

  42. TheAnonymousGuy

    Honestly, the fear of losing someone you truly hold dear – in my opinion – is greater than any other you could face.

    1. Sageress

      Have you ever seen like a really big bee

      1. Jason

        Hahahahahhahaha

  43. KingOfGreyfell

    I am sensing in the aether that Mary will have some Lofwyr-level vengeance coming her way.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Huh, the sammy must be rubbing off on me. That name didn’t used to give me chills.

    2. KingOfGreyfell

      Never cut a deal with a dragon, never piss off a Ruthless.

  44. Reltzik

    Huh.

    Yesterday I was Grace, and today I am Mandy. And Grace is apparently in today’s comic. But not Mandy.

    That’s gotta be a coincidence. Maybe? Kinda? …. okay, what are you REALLY trying to tell me, Grav Roulette?

    I’m curious how Grace and Mandy got to be a couple in the same dorm room. Did they hook up on Week 1? Did they sign up to have a dorm room together because they had a long-standing relationship? Are they sophomores or later, and hooked up in an earlier year?

    A shared dorm room is a huge commitment. It’s very hard to move out if the relationship fails. You’re basically committed to be there for the term, at least. MAYBE you can find someone to trade with you, if the college allows it, but that’s not reliable. It’s not AS bad as getting a house together, but it is harder than signing a 6mo lease on an apartment. You can at least break the lease and move elsewhere, but you’re a bit trapped in a dorm. Either they’re very committed to each other, or they’re behaving recklessly. Or both.

    Ah, to be young and in love….

    …. is to be stupid. Not for BEING in love, but because love usually makes young people stupid. (Not us old folk, though. We’re immune to those side effects. *cough*)

    Also, this gravatar’s outdated. Mandy gave up red hair for a pale blue. As a natural redhead, I don’t get that. I love my hair color. I hate the fact that my ghoulishly pale skin (coupled with my cavedweller lifestyle) makes me burn in three seconds flat, but I love my hair. The only way I would ever dye it is if I could keep some of the original color. Like, maybe brush, mottle, stripe, highlight, or sponge in some statue-of-liberty green to get a brushed copper patina effect. But then I also don’t get piercings and tattoos. I guess I just don’t get customizing my appearance, period.

    Given a choice between Mandy or Grace for a grav, I’d go with this old-hair Mandy because it’s like my hair. Otherwise…. I don’t have a preference between them.

    1. trlkly

      Yeah. I was gonna ask “who the heck are you?” Until you spelled it out.

      Still curious how you do the grav roulette thing. Not sure if you don’t want to answer or just don’t see the question, so I’m asking early this time. Different email, like taking advantage of the fact that, name@gmail.com and name+word@gmail.com go to the same email address?

      That’s what I wanted to do, but my only gmail is my main account that I don’t like giving out.

      1. Reltzik

        Doing something else. If it was name@gmail.com, you can enter in Name@gmail.com, nAme@gmail.com, name@gmaIl.com, and NamE@gmAil.coM and so on and get different gravs each time. …. well, there are some repetitions, but still.

      2. thejeff

        Sort of the same email, taking advantage of the fact that email isn’t case sensitive but grav assignment it.
        name@gmail.com & Name@gmail.com get you different avatars, but the same email. Same for any email account.

        1. Reltzik

          Yes, exactly that, only with more examples that get my post moderated.

    2. Bagge

      Isn’t it obvious what the roulette wants to tell you? You can’t have Mandy without Grace. If you have Grace, Mandy will follow soon after.

      I like both explanations for why they are a couple and share a dorm. Their exact story might never be known, but whatever it is I’m sure it’s equal parts epic, stupid and sometimes sickenly sweet.

    3. Cerberus

      I’m pretty sure the story is they were assigned a room together as incoming freshmen and they quickly developed chemistry and started forming a sexual and romantic relationship very early on.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        But did they lock the door?

        1. Cerberus

          And that’s the secret of their success that Becky wasn’t able to replicate. Also, not coming from a deeply homophobic religion and a school prone to calling in dads when spotting girl makeouts.

        2. Reltzik

          You could even say that locking the door was…

          *sunglasses*

          … key.

          Especially right before they take a….

          *second pair of sunglasses on top of the first*

          … tumbler.

        3. Reltzik

          *puts on a third pair of sunglasses and bolts*

  45. tim gueguen

    I hope Carla didn’t step on Billie’s glasses.

    1. tim gueguen

      For that matter I hope that Billie didn’t break Carla’s glasses with her palm strike in panel 4.

      1. magicallady

        a slap like that shouldnt be able to break glasses

        1. Orion Fury

          Quality, angle, force. It’s possible.

    2. foamy

      The fact that Billie just kept going after she lost her glasses is, honestly, the strongest testament to how worried she is in this strip.

    3. Disloyal Subject

      She seems more like a D.Va or maybe Tracer than a Reaper player.

  46. Bagge

    NO RACIST COOKIE MUST BU UNEATEN!!!!!!

    …and Carla blasted Ruth’s and Billie’s closet open with almost Becky-like efficiency. Really, really nongood. 🙁

    1. Cerberus

      Carla and Becky: Closetbusters

  47. Prinnyramza

    Oh look, Carla’s me.

  48. Some1

    You know, I’m starting to think that the reason I want to see Mary change isn’t because of hope in my fellow man, or dreams that people are inherently good.

    It’s because I want to start making Vegeta comparisons.

    1. Orion Fury

      I could get behind that. So who’s Kakarot?

      1. Some1

        Joyce is Goku

        Dina is Gohan

        Becky is Krillin

        Sarah is Piccolo

        Danny is Yamcha

        1. Orion Fury

          I agree. And laughed on Yamcha.

        2. Some1

          Joyce: Mary…

          Pastor: Well it’s about time, Church girls tend to linger like a bad odor.

          Joyce: goodbye Mary, you’re not as cold hearted as you believed yourself to be a heart of stone can’t shed tears like you did, you must have been holding them back your whole life.

          I’m the only one left

          I think I understand you now, you weren’t grieving over your own death, or because our church was destroyed. You were grieving because he turned you into what he wanted you to be, you never had a chance to be anything else. Well I still respect you, I know you made a lot of mistakes, but now I see that it wasn’t all your fault. You had the fiery will of a fundamentalist, please share that with me now…cause I need it.

          Thank you for saving Dina’s life and for buying enough time for me to recoperate. I’ll do my best to Carry out your wish.

          It’s true Mary’s right, you have no honor. For her and for everyone else you’ve destroyed..I am going to finish you.

        3. Carolyn

          “I do not know what this Yamcha is, but it sounds disappointing.”

      2. trlkly

        Whoever wins the tournament is Kakarot/Goku.

      3. Rutee

        Why do nerds insist on this? He’s goku. What does he call himself? Goku. Well then, problem solved, question over. Vegeta’s an asshole who doesn’t recognize the life he actually lived.

        And yes, this actually matters.

        1. Orion Fury

          And yes, it actually sucks when you go by a new, or your true, name, and others from when you were younger call you by the name you were given at birth, which they know you as. It’s a joke for it’s viewed from said asshole’s perspective. I typically call him Goku.

    2. trlkly

      What does fake cheese have to do with it.

      ..Oh. Vegeta. As in, for your DB(Z) parodies. Gotcha. Didn’t realized it was you, due to the different grav.

      1. Some1

        That honestly has nothing to do with it, I already know how the tournament is going to end. Besides, I’m trying to parody shonen touraments in general HUNTERXHUNTER, Naruto etc. rather than just Dragonball.

        1. trlkly

          Well, then, I don’t get what comparisons you could make. I mean, sure, he’s the closest DBZ character (assuming she reforms). But they’re still not that much alike.

          Vegeta didn’t think he was the good guy fighting against evil, but a total jerk while doing it. He just thought he was strong and that strength was the most important thing. And he bands together with the good guys to fight a much bigger foe (a DBZ theme, really), and reluctantly learns they aren’t so bad. They fight his oppressive regime and grant him freedom, so he grows to like them.

          Or, at least, that’s how I interpreted it. I admit it’s been a while.

  49. Orion Fury

    Just Panel 4: Shove. I’ve commented above on Carla being able to carry Billie. It takes finding out the representation of her love for Ruth to not be enough to give her the strength to break out and do something, Mary be damned.

    1. Orion Fury

      Oh, and in panel 1.5, Carla had Billie’s legs breaking through the border. She’s warming up for the fourth wall.

    2. DonDueed

      Mary be damned, indeed.

  50. brasca1

    Considering that Carla just picked Billie up and carried her halfway down the hall she might want to change who she wrongly thinks is Amazi-Girl.

  51. Teddae

    oh no mary

  52. BenRG

    Upon hearing that Ruth really is seriously in trouble, Billie realised that Mary can pleasure herself with a wooden furniture leg for all she cares about her opinion.

    1. David

      It wasn’t Billie who broke up on behalf of Mary blackmailing Ruth.

  53. thumb

    *Carla will remember this*

  54. espanolbot

    Hm, considering the reveal of what happened/nearly happened to Becky’s mum, I wonder if Mary is going to say something unpleasant about Ruth’s suicidal behaviour right when Becky shows up again.

    1. Mr.Morningstar

      I don’t think Mary knows about that?

      1. Carolyn

        I think espanolbot means that Mary will say something nasty about suicide in regards to Ruth, and Becky will hear and get pissed.

  55. RuckBogers

    I see your endgame, Willis. You wanna have every character to appear in Secret Six as a strip name.

    1. Spencer

      In the subsequent strips Danny adopts a bunch of cats, Carla makes a really good pool shot, and Mary is referred to as the bane of the dorm.

  56. Cerberus

    I think ischemgeek from yesterday was on to something regarding Carla being extra sensitive to issues of suicidal ideation due to being trans. Cause being trans, you either know fellow trans folks that didn’t quite make it personally or you at least know of the staggering suicide rates of the community as a whole.

    And I think we’re seeing the lengths she’s willing to go to to prevent losing someone else in the general queer community. Consequences be damned.

  57. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions:

    Carla is so stronk.

    Panel 1: I love that Carla starts freaked out and doesn’t let the meandering conversations distract her from that panic state and her engineer-like methods of trying to solve it. Like, yeah yeah, Amazi-girl and closets, but suicidal woman that you put me in charge of, so boom, we’re gonna go actually handle that now.

    And now that she knows that Billie knew that she was suicidal when she asked her to check up on her, she’s got zero patience for being drawn into the complex web of secrets and half-truths. She’s done with the beating around the bush if it can help save the life of someone put into her charge.

    Panel 2: Oh, Bob, poor Billie :'( She’s so terrified in that panel and looks so small as she tries to beg for what she thinks is right to best protect Ruth. After all, Ruth’s last request of her was to prioritize keeping the secret, staying away, and making sure Mary couldn’t beat them by outing them. And Billie has good reason to believe that Ruth will be massively fucked over if their secret becomes public knowledge.

    And that small font, wavering speech lines, constant trailing off. It’s just tragic, because she needs to communicate to Carla that it isn’t just some fear of being out about the relationship in general, but that there’s real reasons why the closet is critical for her and Ruth.

    Panel 3: And I like that it seems like Carla gets it. She doesn’t say anything about their dating while now more publicly in the hall. She just states the facts of what caused her to panic and run over to her in the first place. That Ruth is catatonic, that she can’t even manage to keep the cookies on the bed, much less eat them, that she’s in a bad bad place.

    And it gets at the heart of why Carla is being so firm. She may have been slow to recognize it (or is recognizing that Ruth isn’t the only one depressed and stewing in inaction because of it), but she’s not going to just ignore the suicidal ideation in the room and assume it’ll all work itself out. And poor Billie, you can see how deep that resonates and frightens her too.

    And I think it really fits into the whole baby tranarchist thing Carla’s got going on. Where she’s plugged in and political and knows just how bad the stats are for queer folks when it comes to suicide. And she’s determined to fight it in this small way if she can. No matter what.

    And that’s pretty kickass.

    Panel 4: And it’s go time for Billie as well.

    Panel 5: Uh oh, Mary is noticing. But Billie no longer cares if others find out. Despite it being unhealthy in many ways, and despite the origins of the relationship being really toxic and awful, Billie loves Ruth and even though she’s trying to live by Ruth’s last request. She also knows that Ruth uses any excuse to push away the last of her support network away in order to create an excuse to die.

    It’s probably going to be really tragic in the long-run as Mary plots her next moves, but in the short-term. We have a woman rushing to try and support the woman that she loves and keep her alive.

    And that’s kinda beautiful.

    1. bhtooefr

      Of course, a solution immediately becomes apparent to the problem brewing in panel 5.

      Mary is taller than Billie, but probably slimmer, too. Probably about the same weight, maybe a bit lighter unless there’s a lot of muscle there.

      Carla is right behind Billie, probably hasn’t made it to Mary’s door yet.

      Carla is demonstrably able to pick up and carry Billie-sized objects places, and Ruth has refused to enforce rules for anything Carla does to Mary.

      And, Mary could use a ride to church, it looks like.

    2. zoelogical

      ENGINEERS GET SHIT DONE

      1. StClair

        “Ah solve practical problems.”

      2. Jhon

        Engineers! Fix problems!

  58. Edward Starsmith

    “Cookies on the floor” belongs in a Heavy Metal song.

    1. motorfirebox

      I’m thinking black metal.

      COOKIES ON THE FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOR
      NOT ON MY PLATE ANYMOOOOOOOOOOOORE
      ‘CAUSE I BUMPED INTO THE DOOOOOOOOOOOR
      BE PALS WITH SATAN

    2. CianM1301

      *whisper* Left the cookies on the floor, left the cookies on the floor, left the cookies on the floor, left the cookies on the-
      *cymbal crash*
      FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOR

      1. Silly Name

        Dammit, you beat me to it.

    3. Willoughby chase

      I was thinking country and western

      “I left my cookies on the FLOoOOOOR”

      1. Roborat

        You have to work in your pickup truck breaking, your best dog dying, and your girl leaving you.

        1. Willoughby Chase

          As she walked out the door
          I dropped my cookies on the floor
          My dog choked on the crumbs
          And my pickup’s blown it’s end.

    4. Willoughby Chase

      Blues: “Woke up this morning, tossed my cookies on the floor/Drunk another whisky, just couldn’t take any more.”

      Classical: “My tiny cooooookies are frooooozen, I cannot feel the cruuuumbs.”

      1. davidbreslin101

        Operetta:
        “She’s spurning my cookies / I’m not getting nookie / I’ll just take a look-see / Make sure she’s not dead….”

        1. Willoughby Chase

          Bravo!!

  59. Crumplepunch

    I’m sure this will only go to good places.

  60. foducool

    next page : *crunch munch munch* oh thank god they’re not stale

    1. Spencer

      Hey Ruth do you want any?

      …

      oh right

  61. avistel

    Carla must have some wicked core/bicep strength to lift her like that and stay upright. Id test the realism of this, but feisty Asian girls that don’t mind being used for curls are in short supply

    1. Cerberus

      I’ve done the one-arm thing before, but it is really really hard to keep sustained for anything more than a few seconds and required doing a two hand-lift to get into position.

  62. rasmodeus

    Carla activates Mega-Strength!
    It’s Super Effective!

    1. Sageress

      You could have just used Strength you know. That’s an actual move.

  63. miados

    carla is way strong! I wonder if she can pick me up for some reason now.

    1. Larkle

      I was just thinking that. Seriously, that’s a difficult angle to lift someone up from and she’s making it look so easy.

  64. Aquatus

    Actually, all jokes aside, I do wonder how Mary would react to knowing she created a situation that was effectively torturing Ruth to death.
    I know she has gone out of her way to look like a typical bigot, but is she really so far gone that she would feel guilt at that? She seems more like the talk-the-talk. but never experienced the results of walk-the-walk type of hate-monger.
    Might this be one of those eye0opening moments for her?

    1. Larkle

      I have an uncomfortable sense her reaction would be: She should suffer for her sins.

      1. zoelogical

        like this onion article: http://www.theonion.com/article/gay-conversion-therapists-claim-most-patients-full-38406

        warning: suicide mention, gay therapy

    2. Cerberus

      Content Warning: Victim blaming for suicide, bigotry

      From my experience, bigots rarely take home any real messages from exacerbating mental health issues or even driving someone to suicide. Usually, they find some way to blame it on the victim’s weakness or use it as proof that they were right to target the victim because “look how crazy and unhealthy that lifestyle was”.

      And others will straight up celebrate the death and wear it as a mark of pride*.

      I gather Mary would be more the “her sin pushed her out of the favor of the lord and her unnatural lusts drove her to such a state of unhappiness, she should have accepted Jesus, so it’s not my fault” type rather than the straight up celebrating the death type.

      1. Silly Name

        Though I 100% agree, I would be happy if this situation might drive Mary to reconsider how she affects other people. It’d lead to a better situation for all.

        *re-reads last period.*
        *remembers this is Dumbing of Age*
        *breaks down in hysterical laughter/cry*

      2. Aquatus

        Dunno. Full-blown bigots, sure, but Mary is just a college student, and college students, from my experience, aren’t always as locked in as their parents wish they were. Heck, that’s why a lot of these parents are afraid of sending their kids to college in the first place; out of fear that they’ll change.
        Don’t know if I’m ready just yet to lump Mary in with all the rest. She is still young, and young people do stupid things, but they also learn, and sometimes, they even improve themselves. Joyce did, after all, and she was all about the condemnation of pre-marital hanky-panky, once upon a time.

        1. Cerberus

          Yeah, young people can make permanent mistakes though. And I probably used the wrong word above, because it’s not just bigots that wash their hands of the dead they make and find justifications to not change their minds. It’s bullies in general and Mary is very much a bully in addition to being prejudiced and, in my mind, a bigot.

          And bullies don’t just go, holy shit, I helped heap on shit on someone going through a lot and drove them to suicide, what’s wrong with me, because that’s going against their mental image of their self. So they find a way to push that back on the victim.

          See also harassment victims in general and how their harassers find anyway to blame them for all the shit they throw at their victims and then use that as justification that their victim is such a lying manipulator to make up all these fake attacks against themselves, it justifies even worse abuse.

          Basically, I’m thinking of the stuff cited here (CONTENT WARNING: ALL THE AWFUL): http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/07/kiwi-farms-the-webs-biggest-community-of-stalkers.html

        2. thejeff

          Redemption is always possible, but Mary & Joyce were very different from the start. Similar churches. Similar teachings. Very different attitudes towards people. The religion certainly feeds into it, but Mary enjoys it. I get the feeling she’d be a nasty piece of work without religion as well. Just in a different direction.

        3. Rutee

          Mary’s just as much part of it as the older folks. They are all equally capable of change. Being capable of change does not change how much you prop up bigotry in the here and now. If in the future, you prop it up less, that is good. If you prop it up much less, so much the better.

        4. Heavensrun

          The general assumption here seems to be that Mary is simply misguided by her religion, but honestly, she gives me the sense of someone who is just using her religion as a way to stroke her own ego and feel superior to others.

          She isn’t a terrible person because she’s religious, she’s a terrible person because she’s a terrible person, and religion is just her favorite tool for being awful.

      3. Charles Phipps

        Ironically, Mary had little to do with this since Ruth wanted to commit suicide before. I’d love for Mary to reconsider you know, being a decent person, because I used to be a fundamentalist piece of shit like her. A vision of God telling me not to be an asshole (plus also meeting queer people and not having the heart/insanity to be mean to them–because why would I? It makes no damn sense if I’m trying to be good) saved me from becoming even more Mary but I’d love to see her turn away from the Dark Theocratic Side. I understand if very very few individuals like her do, though.

        1. Charles Phipps

          Weird, there’s a part missing between the first two sentences.

          Ironically, Mary had little to do with this since Ruth wanted to commit suicide before. That doesn’t mean she isn’t responsible for absolutely APPALLING and outright evil behavior. I’d love for Mary to reconsider you know, being a decent person, because I used to be a fundamentalist piece of shit like her. A vision of God telling me not to be an asshole (plus also meeting queer people and not having the heart/insanity to be mean to them–because why would I? It makes no damn sense if I’m trying to be good) saved me from becoming even more Mary but I’d love to see her turn away from the Dark Theocratic Side. I understand if very very few individuals like her do, though.

        2. Cerberus

          Well, the part of that is that yes, Ruth wanted to kill herself before, but then Mary decided to blackmail her, set up a feeling that she has no options and escape, and that it was a risk to continue using her coping strategy.

          It’s like throwing away an asthmatic’s inhaler. Yeah, that might not necessarily kill the person depending on how things go and technically it’s not you killing them, it’s their illness that was in existence from before hand, but the asshole still made it unnecessarily harder for them to survive and would bear some major responsibility for creating the conditions that eventually consumed their target for harassment.

          It’s why bullying suicidal folks is a really dangerous game (hell, why bullying anyone is a dangerous “game”).

          That all said, yeah, I’d be down for Mary to be redeemed. I feel that she offers too much narratively as a foil for it to happen anytime soon, but I’m always a fan of folks realizing how shitty they’ve been and using it to improve themselves. I feel we’re seeing that in droves with Joyce and Hank’s arcs at the moment.

    3. Spencer

      The sticking point for me is that Mary knows Becky is hiding in the dorm and for some reason is not going to tell anyone that she’s there, because to do so means kicking Becky out of the main setting of the series.

      I guess it’s possible, even more likely, that this ultimately was just about taking power over Ruth and she doesn’t actually care enough to say anything, though.

  65. AngryBamboo

    Are…are we SURE that Carla isn’t a robot in this universe? because i’m pretty strong and i know a lot of other strong people and i don’t know that any of us could do what she’s so effortlessly doing

  66. exilon1

    Is that Mary in the last panel? Almost missed her in my surge of emotion from seeing Billie just take off like that.

    1. a snow ʍousɐ

      Yup. Hopefully she doesn’t get out a camera to photograph Billie going into Ruth’s room, then either use that as further blackmail material or send it to Ruth’s supervisors

  67. Laurens Blei

    Holy shit, Carla is strong.

  68. Roborat

    All this and nobody is concerned about Billy’s missing glasses? I hope they didn’t get stepped on.

  69. Darkoneko

    Billie’s glasses fell between panel 2&3, I hope no one will accidentally walk on them.

  70. Kater

    DaaaaaaAAAAMMMNnn Carla!
    Way to lift!

  71. George Wiman

    After seeing Carla do that lift, Mary should think twice before going all fundie-sabotage on Billie and Ruth.

  72. JepMZ

    I hope Bloody Mary had a heart and let them be

  73. Aquatus

    I’m also a bit worried that Mary seems to be holding a bible.

    1. Spencer

      Don’t worry, she hasn’t whipped any candles for spare hearts so she won’t be able to use it to attack anybody.

      1. Rutee

        I mean, we’re in the post SotN age. She has her own independent MP pool. Aquatus’ worries are valid.

        1. Rutee

          Heck, we’re in the post castlevania age. Good thing Bloodstained looks pretty good (And Igarashi has historically been a producer so he knows how to /actually/ get shit done)

        2. Spencer

          Ha. Hopefully Bloodstained doesn’t make us cry like anime fans on prom night.

      2. Aquatus

        I’m…so old…

  74. Luchucholo

    Augh, I know that feeling, Billie.

  75. adam

    I predict a Book Title:
    “Your stupid secret love is dumb and nobody cares”

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