629

Forever
Posted on December 19, 2014 by David M Willis

629 thoughts on “Forever”

  1. Dreadhawk177

    Becky needs to move in… permanently..

    1. Jen Aside

      move in, make a move, whichever

      1. liahansen

        Move in, move out, move in, move out, repeat as necessary (ok, this ship has officially sailed, no more of these jokes).

        1. Mercimary

          Nope. The ship may have been sunk by canon fire, but I’m gonna go with it.

        2. bleeters

          We can still cling to the flotsam.

        3. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          Sure you wouldn’t rather go down with it?

        4. Mercimary

          Hm… Yes. That is a better idea.

        5. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          Just because this ship has been sunk, doesn’t mean there’s no chance of it being raised from the depths later on. I’ve read far too many webcomics not to become cynical about sunken ships being resurrected at crucial points later on. 😛

        6. jpic89

          Penny and Aggie much? lol

        7. Kelly

          I like the avatar!

        8. leftwingfox

          “Ship sunk by canon fire.” How have I never heard that formulation before?

        9. Chris

          First time I’ve ever heard it myself. It is, perhaps, the perfect pun/metaphor.

        10. Kirby

          As said the Ruth and Billie naysayers but that ship’s still teetering right on the edge of Niagara Falls because we all know it’s gonna go down and it’s gonna go down hard.

        11. Rutee

          No, we just know there’ll be more storms. She may sink, but I’ll see her through to the end.

        12. Yotsuyasan

          Isn’t that what the most recent Slipshine was about? Ruth and Billie going down hard?

        13. Mitsukara

          I could just be an optimist, but I think they’re more likely to have psychological problems and serious problems with other people (such as Mary, and worst case Ruth’s bosses) than to actually break up for permanent in the end.

          Please note I also say “for permanent”, because getting there might be a rough ride.

        14. Yotsuyasan

          These are my feelings / hopes, as well.

        15. planetnom

          no Kirby if that ship ends Ruth may possibly die AND SHE IS NOT DIEING THIS TIME.

        16. Jonathan S

          Pretty sure the Slipshine showed the ship going down pretty hard… 😉

        17. Reltzik

          We’ll always have the fan-smut.

        18. gigafreak

          My Little Porny: Fan Ship is Tragic

      2. Anne2186

        Okay, here’s my prediction (I know I’m commenting on a very old strip by now, but this is the first time I’ve read this, and I wanted to leave at least one comment!)

        Joyce is going to fall for Becky, breaking up with Ethan, then Danny and Ethan will get together…right? Right? Well, it sounded good…

    2. timemonkey

      Becky will haunt the building long after the others have moved on.

    3. Doctor_Who

      “Sarah, look what I brought home! Can we keep her?”

      1. Talantus

        Only if she’s house trained

        1. Dreadhawk177

          If she doesn’t bite

        2. Ancestral Hamster

          “No! No hippos! They’re dangerous!”

        3. Kelly

          She said she was!

      2. Nitroglycerific

        “I promise to love it and feed it and train it to not make out with me!”

        1. NotPiffany

          That works disturbingly well with your avatar.

    4. Mkvenner

      Second!

    5. Jess_Witt

      The official stowaway of Clark Wing. Or if not that, Becky could sleep in the Student Union building.

      1. astronomifier

        she can borrow Billy’s bed, no-ones using it

  2. Dormagio

    All right! We have kind of acceptance!

    1. Dreadhawk177

      Acceptance: Not Even Once…

  3. AHR

    Sarah talks about Joyce to bond, Joyce talks about Dorothy to bond…FILL THE CIRCLE DOROTHY, TALK ABOUT SARAH!

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Wouldn’t that be a triangle? We’ll need a lot more links to simulate a circle.

      1. Opus the Poet

        Nope, you can define a circle with only 3 points.

        1. Portmanteaust

          You could also define a circle with just two (distinguishable) points. Call one of them the centre and say the other is a point on the circle.

        2. Pope William T Wodium

          Well, if you stipulate that the points you define have to be on the circle, you need three. It’s a rather silly discussion, though.

        3. Thomas64

          Even if you stipulate that the points you specify have to be on the circle, you still only need two: the smallest circle including two given points is uniquely defined.
          Calling geometry silly, sheesh!

        4. John

          As Perry says, you still need a third to define the plane. Even specifying “smallest”, two points defines a set of circles with diameter of the distance between points, and rotated around the axis formed by the line that passes through the points to form a sphere.

        5. xKiv

          The “smallest” circle would have diameter zero, and is the only such circle for a given center. Therefore, a circle can be given uniquely by just one point, if you count the count of points as significant input.

        6. Perry

          Actually, two points isn’t enough unless you also specify the plane in which the circle is to lie – which is tantamount to establishing a third no collider point.

        7. sheikh mabuti

          Three non-collinear points. But I’ll go with Pope William on how this is going. Reminds me of Monty Python.

        8. Kelly

          I came here to have an argument!

        9. Opus the Poet

          No you didn’t.

        10. Opus the Poet

          Even three collinear points define a circle, a circle of infinite radius.

        11. sheikh mabuti

          Huh, what’s that? They define a straight line, and only a family of planes. A “circle of infinite radius” is not a circle, since it never closes, at least not in a flat (Euclidean) plane.

        12. Opus the Poet

          A circle of infinite radius is still by definition a circle, if only because it says it is.

        13. Perry

          Yes, thank you, I meant noncollinear. Stupid autocorrect! Although I had forgotten about circles of infinite radius, which are cool. 🙂

  4. Idon'tcarenomore

    These two actual are very odd, no wonder they are friends.

  5. Emoroffle

    Don’t worry Joyce, just consider her an especially squishy bed warming device.

    1. Yotomoe

      And if you sleep in she’ll wake you up with her tongue. That’d wake ME UP if my best buddy did that.

      1. newllend

        And her cleavage wood make the perfect set of pillows, you could crawl in between them to keep warm.

        1. Yotomoe

          Stop making me want to draw them, damn you.

        2. Emoroffle

          Yeah who would want to draw them all snuggly in bed?

        3. newllend

          I’m nothing more than the influence of your artistic side who have manifested itself in order too point you in the right direction.

        4. Yotomoe

          http://i.imgur.com/vl4MSKx.png
          You win.

        5. newllend

          Palpatine: Yes yes good.

        6. James Rye

          Dayum, does that look good! <3
          When will it be fully finished? 😀

        7. Solenoid

          Okay, that’s good. Cute smile, too.

        8. Thomas64

          Nice!

        9. Kryss LaBryn

          😀

        10. Kelly

          Awesome 🙂

        11. Leorale

          Safe and warm forever.

        12. BanHammor

          Cleavage wood? THAT is kind of a weird mechanic.

        13. gwalla

          Yeah I think it’s just the nipples that get hard.

        14. Opus the Poet

          Well there is erectile tissue in them…

        15. gigafreak

          Knock on wood. Knock on knockers.

        16. Opus the Poet

          For a nickle.

        17. pyrophobia

          “Cleavage *wood*”
          Not-so-hidden boner there.

  6. Rachel Roth

    O.O

    On a less related note, do you know the guy who writes Sluggy? He has the same name as you!

    1. Rachel Roth

      Oh, oops. Never mind, different guy. Could have sworn it said David Wills.

      1. Mkvenner

        How?

        1. Rachel Roth

          I… have no idea. I tried to recreate it, but was unsuccessful. Maybe I moused over something on this tab, then switched, but there was a delay in the crossover, thus, David Wills showed up on the wrong page.

        2. David M Willis

          Additionally, my last name is Willis.

        3. Adam Black

          << That works as your new tag-line

          I endorse its widespread use in as many non-sequator,
          exlamatory, or drop-the-mic moment.

          The next Day: "Babies, Totes my last name is Willis," inaugurates on Tumblr, sparking the latest Tumblr naming convention Fad.

          Willis captures the self-reference appeal dollars , in a Tshirt line, just before it explodes as a political movement on teh twitters . Something about Transformers, probably .

        4. Solenoid

          And then Bruce Willis takes the credit just because.

        5. begbert2

          And your first name is Damnyou.

        6. AgentKeen

          Is that a family name?

        7. Rachel Roth

          The internet has got to change font types. >:( All these hidden ‘i’s and ‘l’s are annoying!

        8. Mitsukara

          That’s why I think all “I”s should have serifs, so they don’t look like ls.

        9. Kryss LaBryn

          The font certain Cisco routers’ interface screens uses for the wifi password field has small “L”‘s almost indistinguishable from 1’s
          (it was completely identical until the latest firmware update). Which means that every time someone calls in to find out what their wifi password is, and it has an l or a 1 in there, I have to copy/paste it into Notepad to be 100% sure.

          So not really a great font choice there, guys.

        10. Kelly

          It was a glitch in the Matrix. Reality was rewritten!

  7. Paul

    Meh. Becky is seeming less realistic.

    1. liahansen

      Really? I was thinking this strip made her seem a little more realistic. It shows she’s still highly sheltered and fundamentalist, she’s just starting to come to terms with her gayness

    2. Birke

      I had that thought as well.

    3. Benjy

      There are Christian gay people, you know.

      (Not me. Totes atheist lesbian.)

      1. TFielding

        The intern at my church (who does a bunch of planning and occasional Sermons) is not only openly a lesbian, but she’s also going to seminary next year. (PCUSA denomination if it matters)

      2. Kelly

        I feel like one of these days I am going to find myself saying “totes” in offline speech, and SP! and DoA will be completely to blame.

        1. Betty Anne

          What are you talking about? I already say “totes” in offline speech, and I *know* SP! and DoA are completely to blame. :p

        2. TheLurkerAbove

          Totes, feels and jelly. I blame you Internet people.

    4. Twirls

      Because she took the rejection well? She’s not a dude, Paul.

      1. gwalla

        I wouldn’t say she took it well (that usually doesn’t involve running out of the room in tears) but she’s bouncing back pretty strong.

        1. Paul

          Yeah, the quick adjustment and resolution just seem too…pat? too Disney? I dunno, look how messed up everyone else in the strip is by stuff that happened a lot longer ago.

        2. bhtooefr

          It wasn’t just the romantic rejection, though, it was everything she had built up on top of her feelings for Joyce.

          Joyce just made it clear that the only rejection she’s doing tonight is of Becky’s feelings for her, not of Becky as a friend, or of Becky’s immediate needs.

  8. Yotomoe

    I kinda wanna draw lewds of Becky and/or Joyce.

    1. Hoboturtle

      Together….

    2. Dreadhawk177

      Too late…

      1. Twilightomens

        It is not too late…we can never have too many lewds.

    3. Tunaro

      Rule 34’s probs way ahead of you already.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Rule34 is like government: only as effective as the people comprising it.

      2. Paul

        If you mean rule34 dot paheal dot net, they don’t have Becky MacIntyre in any of her incarnations yet.

        1. Rutee

          ….No, the site draws it’s title from Rule 34 of the internet. It’s unclear what most of the rules of the internet are, but Rule 34 is “If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions”. Rule 63 I don’t recall the formulation of out of hand, but it’s basically “If it exists, there’s a genderswapped version of it”.

          Neither is strictly true, but hey.

        2. Kamino Neko

          Rule 34 fails me as often as not. I seem to be attracted to unpopular characters a lot. v_v

        3. Rutee

          I’m sure this is totally unrelated to your grava.

          And yeah, pretty much. Obscurity is a pretty clear way to bea n ‘exception’. Now, I’m pretty sure the rule *does* include fanfic that is sufficiently dirty, but even then, well, obscurity.

        4. Paul

          Kamino Neko:Rule 34 fails me as often as not. I seem to be attracted to unpopular characters a lot.

          Rutee:I’m sure this is totally unrelated to your grava.

          Actually, there are quite a few pictures of Claire Augustus on paheal dot net, complete with pre-op anatomy. They were shipping Marten and Claire before it became canon.

        5. Kamino Neko

          EVERYONE was shipping Marten/Claire before it was canon.

        6. Paul

          But were they shipping it with dirty pictures?

          BTW, we seem to have hit the nested reply limit on this thread. Yay!

        7. Rutee

          Hadn’t thought to check, to be honest. Good to know that Claire’s popular though~

        8. Kryss LaBryn

          Rule 34P: If it exists, there’s ponies of it.

        9. Kelly

          The fact that rule 34 is not totally true, just means people are slacking on Rule 35

        10. Betty Anne

          ^ This. Thou Shalt Not Forget Rule 35: “If porn of it cannot be found, make some.”

        11. xKiv

          If it exists, there’s a rule for it. That’s a rule that exists, and is self-ruling.

    4. Paul

      There is a website for that…It’s called paheal dot net. I don’t see Becky there yet, though.

    5. Barf Ninjason

      Draw ALL the lewds

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Now that’s just sick.
        That, or I am for envisioning it.

    6. Yotomoe

      http://i.imgur.com/vl4MSKx.png

    7. Mitsukara

      It’s a big multiverse…

  9. cybik

    Walky’s family is going to talk the college into granting her a scolarship or something.

    Because, well, Walky.

    Damn that Walky.

    1. Bill

      Remember that Walky’s mom was once married to the Dean.  And we already know that the world works on the basis of who you know, not necessarily on what you know. I can see some strings being pulled in the background and Becky gets at least a work/study offer or some other form of partial ride to IU.

      1. Jess_Witt

        I thought that was a joke Linda made (married once to the dean). But then again, she doesn’t seem much for humor.

        1. Kelly

          Uh…no. There was a whole thing about it, go back and read the link, and the next couple strips. Linda, Charles, Walky, Anthony – none of them treat it remotely like a joke.

          Also, there are indirect Walkyverse reasons for that connection. But that isn’t needed to see it is the case.

    2. Adam Black

      Yes, thats brilliant!

    3. AgentKeen

      “Hey, Mom? Can you hook up this girl with a scholarship? Why? Uh, well she’s obviously awesome cus’ she tells fart jokes.

      Yes, I’m still dating Dorothy. Don’t sound so relieved….”

  10. Synnerman

    I’ve had similar reactions on Adam4Adam when I’m honest about my religious inclinations in dating ads.

    Had someone say that if I’d live in Dallas they’d come minister to me before sex and save my soul from the occult.

    1. Dean

      Better before than during, I suppose.

      1. gigafreak

        You mean “Oh God yes” doesn’t count?

    2. Opus the Poet

      dang, if’n you’re in Dallas you can just come to my little Pagan Welcoming church and we don’t care who you love or what plumbing you have, because it ain’t what’s in your pants but what’s in your heart that counts. Atheists welcome too!

      1. Peppercurls

        UU would say that, Mr the Poet.

        1. Opus the Poet

          <snicker> yes I would.

    3. liahansen

      I’d never heard of this site before, but surely it should be Adam&Steve, right?

    4. Paul

      Wait, so someone on a gay dating site was trying to save you from Atheism?

      1. Kennerly

        No, the occult. Like, Witchcraft. Making pacts with demons is totally different from not believing in a high power.

        1. Rutee

          No, not necessarily. That response makes equal amounts of sense if Synnerman (hehe, love that) is atheist, pagan, or satanist. It’s only a bit less sensible with entirely seperate religions. Some hardcore Christians who’ve basically decided Satan is an evil deity will in fact claim that atheism is a successful attempt by Satan/His minions/etc to bewitch the faithful. So they COULD be specifying a pagan grounding when saying that, but they could be saying “I would save you from the demons that make atheism sound like a good idea/force you to be atheist/whatever” as well.

    5. Adam Black

      That is a really weird kink.
      I’m spilt on whether I would indulge it.
      I guess If I was topping it would be ok.

      But I reserve the right to use religious-themed restraints and gag as necessary. I cant have that sactimony killing my boner, but its ironic use is pretty funny. One persons sacrilege is othermans orgasmic ceremony to human actualization.

      1. Solenoid

        And now, a third meaning for “Binding of Isaac”. The religious one, the game, and this.

  11. Stari

    Probably meant to tag this Joyce and Becky, not Joyce and Walky

  12. ChocolateRat

    I’m looking forward to seeing how Becky interacts with all the people of the cast. It’ll be very fun.

    1. Yotomoe

      I hope she and Walky become best friends forever.

      1. ChocolateRat

        You want Walky to steal the spot of Beckys best friend forever from Joyce?

        1. Yotomoe

          He’s already stolen so much from her. What’s one more thing?

        2. Adam Black

          besties , Yotomoe

      2. Bagge

        I think they already are – They burped together, that counts as bonding ceremony.

      3. Adam Black

        This

    2. ChocolateRat

      I wonder if anything could ever happen between Alice and Becky?… I just so badly want to learn more about Alice…

    3. artemi

      Didn’t we already do this bit, though?

      1. ChocolateRat

        She only actually had much of a conversation with Walky and Sarah, everyone else she barely talked to, or didn’t talk to at all.

        1. Adam Black

          Did you mean Walky and Joyce ?

          I dont remember Sarah meeting Alice

        2. ChocolateRat

          No, Artemi responded to my comment about wanting to see how Becky interacts with people, so I meant that Becky only talked to Sarah and Walky, for any other castmembers she only said a word or two.

  13. dr.zeus

    I don’t know if it is due to growing up in Ottawa, or just how I was raised, but the whole “novelty” of atheists is just weird to me even though I know it’s a thing.

    1. -Sentinel-

      Hey cool, I live in Ottawa too!

      1. -Sentinel-

        (didn’t grow up there though)

        1. Clif

          I answered the question for myself somewhere below, but I would have guessed the the dominant religious orientation here was devoted Snark.

      2. dr.zeus

        Go Sens!

      3. LegalSeagull

        Me three!

    2. Dreadhawk177

      So, what is the percentage of atheist vs religious folk who read this comic?

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Apathetic agnostic reporting in. Science can neither prove nor disprove most religions’ platforms, so I keep an open mind and look to Taoism when I feel the need for spiritual direction.

        1. Itama

          same, pretty much.

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          I lean more towards the atheism but a sliver of me still wonders if the supernatural might actually exist.

        3. Clif

          Nice polytheistic Baptist boy with an empericalist bent.

        4. WaytoomanyUIDs

          I’m usually atheist with the occasional moment of agnosticism.

      2. Kelly

        Life-long strong atheist here (technically of course agnostic, since a deity (or more than one) can’t be disproven, but close enough).

        1. Paul

          Most atheists define an atheist as a person who lacks a belief in god (singular or plural). That whole “You must be an agnostic, since god can’t be disproven” thing is a red herring. I cannot disprove the existance of invisible pink unicorns, yet I do not believe in them.

        2. sheikh mabuti

          That’s how I define “atheist” and why I am one. Also don’t believe in other types of “supernatural” beings like angels, devils, wizards, fairies (sorry, Tinker Bell), Santa Claus, Easter Bunny …. The burden of proof for any such is on the believer; I’m not obliged to disprove any of them.

        3. Kelly

          Sure, I even have a IPU sticker on my car 🙂

          But occasionally someone gets the idea that an atheist believes they *know* that god doesn’t exist. I think there are some out there, but they are a small minority from what I can tell. I don’t want any confusion on that front.

          Other ways to say it would be “agnostic [strong] atheist” (vs the certain gnostic atheist), or 6, leaning 7 on Dawkin’s scale.

          Also, I am a rationalist, and have no belief in the supernatural in general. unless it can be proven, in which case it isn’t supernatural, is it?

        4. Rutee

          Oh lord, I despise this semantic jackassery. I am reasonably confident there is no deity, in, as said before, the same way I am reasonably confident there aren’t giants, dragons, or werewolves. It’s an extremely high level of confidence. I would, in fact, say that I ‘know’ none of these exist. If I saw a giant, I would be quickly reassess that opinion.

      3. sun tzu

        Atheist since age 9, from a (more culturally than religiously) Jewish environment.

      4. Rachel Roth

        I’m mostly of the opinion that either there is no “God”, or he’s not what he’s cracked up to be. I do believe in multiple dimensions though, if only to keep my life in order, and that some how, some way, unbeknownst to me at this point, I will gain a superpower, even though this world doesn’t support superpowers. Sooo, ummm… you figure out where I stand.

        1. Adam Black

          Whoa! mostly agree!
          Agnostic Philosophical Panentheist, here

          If there are Gods, ( and i have pretty good demonstration
          from philosophy, and science and thought-experiments that there
          are forms of Gods ) Its not what we think they are at all. They are in-universe they are subject to natural laws , just like us . And they are super-lazy.

          Wayyy to lazy to create a universe by scratch. Either it was automatic, isntant cup-of-universe , or Gods are just the extra crappy marshmellows that get thrown in the package .

          Totes agree on the Multiverse. Dont believe in the Super-natural, but think there may be a Supra-Natural ( from hidden lower dimensions and/or Outside-the-System )

          God thing , in-universe: is just that any sufficiently advanced consciousnesses are indistinguishable from Classical Gods . Humans might seem to be top of the Conscious totem pole on this rock, but surely are not.

          Thats part of Theism’s “Humans are special” fallacy.

          I also think we are part of some type of meta-system. Its purely a personal aesthetic choice to think its divine. Like art.

        2. Rachel Roth

          Yeah, I know that part of my belief isn’t realistic. But if I don’t say stubbornly that I WILL get a super power, then I WILL go insane. Well, more insane. Plus, if I drop that belief, I could be giving up proving everyone else wrong about one of the most amazing things that could happen to me.

          But what exactly do you mean by “meta-system”? Meta in my head is linked to the “meta gene” which gives most superheroes their powers. Oddly enough, none of the main five titans (except MAYBE Starfire, depending on which storyline you go with) have one.

      5. Leorale

        I’m atheist *and* religious. (Reform Jewish.)

      6. Talantus

        I believe in life after death and higher powers but not as me sentient God. What does that make me?

        1. Kelly

          I’d think some type of theist. But the language becomes a little unclear in places like this…

        2. airyu

          I think that makes you spiritual, but not religious?

        3. ahuh

          pantheist? some strains of traditional polytheist religions? a cross between Spinoza and Gersonides(who is probably one of the weirder medieval philosphers I’ve come across)?

        4. Solenoid

          Sounds a bit like an atheist variant of Buddhism, to me. There’s a higher power, but it’s more like a law of nature (karma), and that life after death is another shot at life. Not saying that’s what you believe, but it’s an example of one belief system consistent with what you’ve said.

      7. SDGlyph

        Practising Christian here, of the socially liberal, small-p progressive stripe.

        My general impression (which could be completely off) is that the community here is predominantly atheist/agnostic, left-leaning and socially liberal. Outliers abound, of course, but I’ve mostly found that creators who care about curating their fanbase tend to attract like-minded audiences.

        1. Kodra

          I’m also active in the church, but boy finding a nice church that doesn’t mind if I don’t cleave directly to the doctrine is a lot harder here in the south. That said, I’m more on the agnostic side of Christianity.

          Historical Jesus is by far my favorite depiction of Jesus.

      8. Arianod

        Firm unbeliever.

      9. Opus the Poet

        Long-time Pagan Eclectic Bicyclic Wiccan here, My male deity is Hephaestus, and my female deity is the Lady Ghisallo, a pre-Roman Mountain goddess who had such devoted followers the Catholic church made her a madonna rather that try to wipe out her worship. So basically worshipped continuously for more than 4000 years, which makes her worthy of respect in my book even if she didn’t take on the protection of cyclists in the modern world.

        1. Adam Black

          Im confused.

          Do you mean “bicycle” as some religious term about multiple paths ?
          or about Bikes. or both?

        2. AgentKeen

          Based on the picture and ‘protection of cyclists’, I think bikes.

        3. Opus the Poet

          <vorlon> yes &lt/vorlon>

        4. Opus the Poet

          Whoops, missed a semi-colon there.

      10. 0kami

        Since I was a kid, I knew I’d only start believing in God when he shows up in person and offers irrefutable proof that he is who he is.

      11. Dormagio

        Agnostic Athiest. Never really had religion growing up, and pretty much found my way here.

      12. grantimusmaximus

        Like, actually a legit pastor. But I’m Methodist, so we’re kinda cool, at least on the coasts. Well, at least I am.

        …My mom thinks I’m cool.

        1. Kelly

          “nerdcoretheology”? Reads DoA? Yeah, you’re cool.

        2. grantimusmaximus

          YAY ACCEPTANCE

        3. Peppercurls

          Recovering southern baptist here, currently a-theist excepting the possibility that the connection between all molecules might be god. Read a bit of your blog….that’s the first time in a while I haven’t felt extremely uncomfortable absorbing a sermon. Thanks Grant.

        4. Paul

          currently a-theist excepting the possibility that the connection between all molecules might be god.

          So, the true name of god is Van der Waals? That is the first time I have encountered that particular religious belief.

      13. gwalla

        Hard agnostic (atheism vs. deism cannot be proven, has no relevance anyway, may as well be atheist), secular humanist, culturally WASPy, politically liberal.

      14. Joker Two

        Atheist/areligious/secular humanist.

        Spirituality just doesn’t matter to me at all. I suppose “humanist” is also a good descriptor, but for some reason I go to a religious college (LONG story) and if my beliefs ever come up in conversation it’s not what I think about PEOPLE that they want to know, it’s what I think about their great invisible sky wizard.

        1. Kelly

          > for some reason I go to a religious college (LONG story)

          Huh. I would imagine it would be 😛

          I try to be tolerant, at least as long as religion isn’t being actively harmful, but pretty sure I’d snap within a week if I was going to a religious college somehow.

      15. Nightsbridge

        Atheist reporting in. There is no god rah rah rah

      16. SgtWadeyWilson

        Does anti-hero worship count? Or would I have to start a new church for that?

        All jokes aside, I tend to think all religions could exist, but the older gods are more my style.

        Wait, am I some sort of hethen for believing in some gods more than others, but only quasi-worshipping characters from non-religious stories? That’d be cool! Someting about false idols… right?

        Okay, so maybe not all jokes.

        1. Adam Black

          I suspect that a large percentage of God-worship originally got their start that way.

          You are like the Polytheist Hipster. Bringing Old-time religion back , ironically

        2. Kelly

          If I was going to have some kind of religion, I think I’d go for some mix of certain Buddhist ideas and some Shinto mythology. That’d be flexible and fairly entertaining, anyway.

      17. Simosito

        Practising Christian (and theology geek), definitely on the progressive side of things here 🙂

        1. butting

          That’s THREE of us with Mary gravitars now, we should form a club.

          Antipodean penty, theology leanings, of the when-Paul-said-no-male-or-female-in-Christ-he-MEANT-it stripe and squicked right out by complementarianism. First arrived back around the IW! strip where Joyce decided God was fine with her relationship with Walky, loved it, and it’s only gotten better since.

      18. LegalSeagull

        Pure apatheist, reporting in. Religion doesn’t have any sort of place in my life, and I don’t think that a belief in a higher power would effect my actions even a little bit.

      19. boomchuckpixyniki

        Progressive, liberal Christian, most closely identifying with the Disciples of Christ denomination (known for being liberal and accepting); feminist, social justice shieldmaiden (I think that sounds cooler than SJW, so I choose that moniker), straight LGBTQTI* ally, etc….

        …and I live in the Ozarks of Missouri. Yup. I fit in around here reeeeeally well.

        1. grantimusmaximus

          Yeah! DoC’s are rad. Liberal-ish Methodist here in deep east Texas. YOU CAN DO IT. GET ON WITH YOUR BAD SELF.

        2. TheLurkerAbove

          OMG I’ve got a friend from Missouri, and he tells me a bit about the culture there. If you ever have a hard time just know you’ve got friends here!

      20. Silentasshole

        I’m atheist, but I’m from the Netherlands, and pretty much everyone my age here I know is atheist. Only my dad was raised Christian, but he hasn’t come out very religious.

      21. Betty Anne

        Pagan who was raised atheist/areligious (like Dorothy was). My parents are vaguely agnostic at best, militantly atheist when they’re annoyed by religious people. They let me and my brothers decide our own religious direction, and I moved in the direction of paganism in my senior year of high school, while researching my senior thesis (long story). My brothers remained atheist. 🙂

      22. Solenoid

        Agnostic atheist. More because I refuse to live in a world where logical contradictions are fact and what I had before (unafilliated Protestant, generally liberal) contained enough contradictions to bother me than because of anything else.

      23. Thomas64

        Lifelong atheist. Most definitely not agnostic; given what we know of the origin and laws of the universe, there’s no room for anything supernatural left. I do occasionally envy believers their life-after-death fantasies, but apart from that wishful thinking angle, religion baffles me completely. I get all my ethics from the Golden Rule.

        1. Kelly

          I like Golden + Platinum (treat others as *they* want to be treated). Balance is key.

      24. Doom Shepherd

        Deist on a good day.
        Atheist on a bad day.
        Every other day, I’m an avatar of Coyote.

      25. Felgraf

        Enitrely unsure of what I count as these days (Pratchettist?), but I grew up in the UCC (United Church of Christ), and I’m still pretty damn proud of them (The member church I attended as a child has been open and affirming since… well, I was a child. I recall attending a gay wedding presided by our pastors when I was 5. Mostly, I recall how bored I was, but I do *remember* it!)

        1. Kelly

          > (Pratchettist?)

          Aw yeah! High five!

      26. clodia

        I’m an atheist (but sometimes I still identify as agnostic because they’re hella more laid back than most atheists I know). Raised methodist/presbyterian, didn’t work for me.

      27. sheikh mabuti

        Atheist since old enough to think for myself. As others have pointed out, “agnostic” is my philosophy, since negative proving of all the gods the world has to offer is logically very difficult, and practically a waste of time. If anyone has a good proof of their god, I might change. Not holding my breath.

      28. wwwhhattt

        Christian, probably agnostic. Might work it out eventually, but the whole God thing seems irrelevant to Christianity as I know it (as practiced by christians I know).

      29. OnyxIdol

        Born Catholic, but actually atheist/agnostic my entire life. But very much interested in and fascinated by spirituality.

      30. Animal

        Bokononist.

        1. Opus the Poet

          Nice, nice, very nice…

      31. Kryss LaBryn

        Norse Heathen who takes science very seriously here. The kids get taught “This is what our ancestors thought; this is what we now know actually is happening.”

        There’s room for religion but when it comes into conflict with scientific fact, science wins.

      32. Atlantic Salmon

        Happy atheist/humanist here (raised in a Catholic family) married to a wonderful Christian lady (raised in a Buddhist family).

      33. Emily

        Firm and believing Latter Day Saint (AKA Mormon).

      34. Alschroeder

        Practicing Christian, albeit of a liberal variety. (If anyone’s interested in my reasoning for same, they can click on the link in my name, something I’m doing after doing MINDMISTRESS as a webcomic for ten years, as a sort of “serious” one-year interlude between MINDMISTRESS and my upcoming one, SKILLSET. NOT encouraging it, though, and if you do, suggest you begin at the beginning. It’s a touchy subject–indeed the touchiest one there is.)

        Having said that, anyone who wasn’t touched by Becky’s revelation–and Joyce’s response–isn’t ANYONE I’d like to know.

        One of the best thing Willis has ever written.

    3. timemonkey

      I know right!

    4. Kennerly

      I’m sure for most people reading this comic, the religious fundamentalist is the oddity, not the atheist.

      1. grantimusmaximus

        Given the random sampling of commenters at midnight on a webcomic devoted to alt-universe sex-nanigans, I’d say that’s a spot-on hypothesis.

    5. Bluesnake462

      Atheist for sure

    6. Carriethedragon

      I had this moment in sixth grade (“What do you mean, you don’t know the story of Jesus’ birth?!”) but by high school most of my friends were agnostic.

    7. Zan Thrax

      I don’t think it’s just you. It’s always a little odd reading / watching American fiction where what god characters do or don’t believe is SUPER IMPORTANT to their identity and how they interact with one another.

    8. TheLurkerAbove

      I do think atheists are still a minority. That may change in a few generations, but for now many will take the religions of their parents and it was just a few decades ago that many terrible prejudices that stem from religion were still the predominant school of thought, so yea, this atheist thing is actually fairly new.

      1. Thomas64

        It could swing faster than that, and I think in Western Europe it already has. The tipping point is when a society no longer mandates religion, neither by law nor by the threat of complete social ostracism.
        In most countries in Western Europe, being religious is not an obstacle to being elected to the highest office, but talking about your religion any more than in passing does hurt your chances, because then you cross the line from “religious but sane” to “religious nut job”. Perhaps needless to say, atheist presidents aren’t even remotely newsworthy.
        The U.S. hasn’t reached that stage yet, but I would not be surprised to see it happen in my lifetime. If you had told me, back in the early ’80s, that gay marriage would be legal in dozens of countries and more than half of the U.S., I would have told you you were crazy… Change can happen faster than you think.

    9. SonicBlueRanger

      Christianish. I believe there’s a God but I don’t believe everything ‘ve been told.

      I never understood the hatred for Gay people and I really don’t believe a loving a God would be entirely cool with some of the stuff I see people do and say in is name.

    10. Tenn

      @dr.zeus:
      For me, the novelty of religious people is a thing, so I guess I kind of get what the opposite is like.

  14. Talantus

    Awwww that awesome. I’m glad things are getting better. Somewhat. I’m sure Sarah will be able to help them ^_^

  15. Hannah

    Rejected like totes

    1. Kamino Neko

      Oy! I had that ava first! <_<

    2. Rutee

      Regardless of which of you had it first, I remain completely jealous of her effortless cute :t

  16. winter

    So…

    Joyce Brown: Hufflepuff or Gryffindor?

    Or, we’ll accept arguments for the other houses, if you want to make a case for it.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      I’m gonna go with Gryffindor; courage and loyalty are much more integral parts of her character than dedicated hard work.

      1. winter

        Loyalty was one of the ‘puff traits, iirc. But I think I’m leaning Gryffindor for her too.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          I think they’re both pretty big on it. Maybe I should reread those again this year to check.

        2. madock345

          I’m voting for Hufflepuff, not only because loyalty and work ethic are virtues prized by that ouse, but because in the 1994 song, from Harry’s fourth year, Hufflepuff is described as “Sweet” as opposed to “bold” for Gryffindor. Joyce is very sweet.

    2. liahansen

      Neither, because pagan magic is the work of the devil.

      1. Leorale

        +1, makes the rest of this thread obsolete

      2. Adam Black

        LOL .
        Its all that head-aliens fault! His evil comical plots tricked her into “eastern religion” .

        Once youve gone Monkey-Master, there is no going back

    3. Bluesnake462

      Definitely a Hufflepuff. Shes kind, help full, and a loyal friand. Though she has shown some bravery but most of it is just blind optimism and the other times didn’t come very naturally to her. Maybe shell grow into a Gryffindor like Neville but right now she is way more of a Hufflepuff.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        As I interpret it, those traits aren’t particularly more Hufflepuff-y than Gryffindor-esque, but I do agree that she has a little ways to go before she’s an obvious Gryffindor.

        1. Bluesnake462

          Gryffindors are described as having daring, nerve, and chivalry. Besides the chivalry part she has none of the other traits. Where as Hufflepuffs are specifically linked to trustworthiness, loyalty and being hardworking. the hard working part we haven’t really seen but the other two fit her much better.

        2. Halcyon42

          But that’s not quite right. She has nerve and daring in spades when it matters! She’s willing to stand up to her parents and years of teaching now. See for comparison: Neville Longbottom.

        3. democraticMayonaise

          She also smashed a cup in a rapist’s face.
          Unrelated: I get scared with spelling because of the difference between “rapist” and the thing pronounced “wrap-ist”,as well as scared and scarred.

      2. Benjy

        Cedric Diggory was a brave Hufflepuff, and during the final battle at Hogwarts, Hufflepuffs had the most students stay after Gryffindor.

      3. Plasma Mongoose

        She’s a Hufflepuff for sure, mainly because Hufflepuff sounds like some kind of kinky sex move.

      4. artemi

        I gotta agree with Hufflepuff. She’s strong and brave, but that’s not her, like, defining trait like it seems to be for most Gryffindors.

    4. Benjy

      Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders, and Joyce found Jesus!

      1. Kelly

        He works at a toy store in San Fransisco! Wait, wrong universe…

      2. winter

        +1

    5. John

      She’s a protagonist, therefore Gryffindor.

      1. winter

        lol! Don’t get me started on how fucked up the house system and morality is, as per JK’s manifesto.

    6. Leorale

      She’s totally Hufflepuff, which is House Not-Otherwise-Specified.

      Hufflepuff is also JK Rowling’s favourite, because they can be dependable and brave too but they’re more humble about it. Gryffindor is more like Amber, with a tendency towards grandstanding about their bravery.

    7. Clif

      The real question is “is Mike Slytherin?”

      1. winter

        Probably a Ravenclaw, imho. He’s not particularly ambitious. Clever, if not book smart. Plus half the time I think he stirs up shit just to see what will happen, or to get people to change their perspective on things.

        He does bear more than a passing resemblance to Draco Malfoy in my head tho.

        1. Solenoid

          Or to get people to cause him pain. Remember what happened when Amazi-girl held him to the floor? Yeah, he’s into that.

      2. winter

        Sarah’s the one that’s a Slytherin through and through: huge ambitions towards a law degree and willing to make the tough decisions to get there, cynical, and willing to bash people’s heads in with a bat for the sake of protecting her beloved little sister.

    8. grantimusmaximus

      Gryffindor, all the way.

    9. Peppercurls

      Gryffindor fo sho. She shows bravery to the point of being rude on behalf of her religion, but also on behalf of her friends. Member when she stood up to her parents? It was like her brain was the sorting hat and she CHOSE against her background. Herf derf…brain was like a brain sorting hat was like a brain like a sleeptimenow.

    10. Bill

      The traits most identified with Gryffindor are bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry, while Hufflepuff prizes hard work, patience, loyalty, and fair play.  Joyce would be a perfect fit in Hufflepuff.

      Although as someone else mentioned, Neville Longbottom was a Gryffindor who seemed out of place for the first few years.  It wasn’t until he started to believe in himself that he displayed the traits that got him sorted into Gryffindor — and the same thing might hold for Joyce.  But since the Word of God is that we will probably never even see the second semester, we will most likely never see the full transition of Joyce from timid churchmouse to a bold, self-confident young woman capable of taking on the world on her own terms.

      By the way, just so you know where I am coming from, the Sorting Hat put me in Ravenclaw with their emphasis on intelligence, knowledge, and wit.

  17. Bill

    She’s got a crush on the mechanic from “Dukes of Hazzard”?

    1. John

      She only saw part of one episode and got confused. She thought “Cooter” was the name of the chick in the really short jeans.

  18. Wonder Wig

    Dang, I haven’t heard the word “cooter” since the Clinton administration.

    1. Betty Anne

      The Clinton administration? I think I must have been…five or something the last time I heard it. 😐 The Reagan Administration. :p

    2. NikkyD

      Soooo call me naive/innocent, but I had to google what “cooter” meant. But now that I did that, I still don’t understand how “only cooters” excludes athiests. Someone explain?

      1. Dean

        Becky is implying that liking girls is much less weird than being an atheist.

      2. Paul

        “I’m only weird enough to like genitalia similar to my own; not believing in god is much, much weirder than that.”

        Yeah, it is kind of awkward.

        1. Kelly

          No, it makes perfect sense for a young lesbian who was raised a super-sheltered fundamentalist and who hasn’t abandoned her religion and has only been “out in the world” (if you can call Anderson that) a few weeks – just long enough to figure out she is a lesbian.

          And in meta terms, as a punchline, I got it right away.

        2. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          I’m not sure what “a few weeks” has to do with it (other than her not being exposed to atheists before). It is perfectly possible to be both lesbian and religious. A fairly large number of religions (including many sects of Christianity) fully embrace non-straight individuals.

        3. Kennerly

          I just don’t understand how a person can still be a firm believer in a faith that says their sexuality is evil, and be as comfortable with their sexuality as Becky is.

        4. gwalla

          1) People hold mutually contradictory beliefs all the time, cognitive dissonance only really happens when you dwell on it.

          2) I kinda think in this case Becky is joking.

        5. boomchuckpixyniki

          There are a lot of us who are Christians who interpret those scriptures in context very differently (there are six in the whole Bible, and those that do not seem to apply directly to temple prostitution have questionable translation issues). It’s not really that contradictory, and a good number of professional and amateur theologians (on the left side of things, such as Brian McLaren, Rachel Held Evans… just to name the two whose work I read most often) have really delved into the topic, making a strong case in favor of non-CIS-hetero being perfectly fine in the eyes of God. In fact, I find it much more contradictory to be Christian and homophobic, based on what is known about Jesus. Remember, please, that conservative Christians are nowhere near the entirety of the faith and, on a more worldwide scale, are probably close to being half or less than half of those who call themselves Christian. It’s more of a contradiction if the only version of the faith you’ve ever know is fundamentalist and/or conservative. 🙂

        6. Leorale

          Although that’s true these days, Becky hasn’t encountered those gay-accepting sects. She was clearly raised by a homophobe and then she went straight to homophobe-school.

          Who knows, maybe Sierra can exemplify a more chill version of Christianity for her. But a chill brand of Christianity is going to be significantly different than the only one that Becky has experienced so far.

        7. Paul

          It won’t hurt that Sierra comes across the type who is universally appealing to anyone who likes ladyparts.

        8. The E-man

          The few weeks is because before college it’s unlikely that she had much time and ability to experience the world outside of the very specific bubble she grew up in which had no open LGBT people. It’s pretty clear that Ethan is the first gay person Joyce has met and Becky grew up in the same environment.

          And it seems like in you probs won’t meet many Christian lesbians in a place like Anderson, which has specific rules against homosexuality.

        9. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          Yeah, I don’t think you’re actually understanding my issue. In the comic, Becky is clearly still Christian, but is also clearly lesbian. The post I was replying to could be read to imply that Becky won’t remain Christian in the future because she’s a lesbian (it can also be read other ways, so I’m not anywhere close to 100% sure that’s what Kelly meant). I was merely stating that being gay doesn’t automatically make someone abandon their religious beliefs. The might be connected in Becky’s mind, they might not be – only Becky can answer that. Becky might convert to a more tolerant sect. She might modify her interpretation of her current teachings. She might change religions entirely (that’s how I became Pagan). The point is – we have no way of knowing. The only thing we know is that, right here and now, Becky is both Christian and lesbian. What her future holds, only Willis knows.

        10. Kelly

          Who knows, but at this point I would bet on her staying religious. Joyce, I would bet money on her staying religious.

          A few weeks only means that she hasn’t had much time to find out about the world. Hm… “Out in the world” meant what it said, nothing to do with being “out” as in openly gay.

        11. Paul

          On the other hand, this is just the sort of experience that can lead to a “what else have they been lying to me about?” cascade reaction. Molly Ivins (sp?) once described a similar reaction for people raised in the south who realize they have been lied to about race their whole lives, and end up abandoning the rest of the conservative agenda along with it. I agree that such a cascade is less likely for Joyce, but Becky is ripe for it. I don’t recall much enthusiastic “Rah Rah Jesus” talk coming from her.

        12. Kelly

          I mean, she has only had a few weeks of exposure to things outside her homeschool group and church, and those were all at Anderson, so she probably hasn’t encountered any atheists.

  19. Triniking1234

    Good thing this isn’t anime cuz that “like sisters” line would NEVER stick.

    1. Yotomoe

      Haha, implying Japan doesn’t love the shit out of Imoutoss.

      1. Talantus

        Imouto’s man, imouto

      2. Disloyal Subject

        Great, now I want to watch a Macross spinoff about giant robotic little sisters.

        1. a4lbish

          MY LITTLE SISTER’S A PILOT

        2. Yotsuyasan

          kyuun kyuun kyuun kyuun
          watashi no imouto PAIROTTO!

      3. Hoboturtle

        Baka Joyce Niisan

        1. Talantus

          You mean nee san. NII San is big brother

      4. Rutee

        I keep telling people this as a person who sells erotica – no really, it’s not just Japan that does the gross pseudo-incest thing. At all. It is *huge* in.. well, the english speaking world, at least.

        1. Rutee

          I mean, I don’t know if you think it’s worse or better to be so focused on mom and dad as opposed to brother or sister (Both appear either way, though), but it is basically gross.

        2. timemonkey

          It’s fiction, it doesn’t matter.

        3. Rutee

          Explain the logic underlying that conclusion. Because the love of PI is pretty much an excuse to write in incest (Oh, daddy <3) without actually making it incest (super important for erotica sales, unclear on elsewhere).

          If that's just going to be 'fiction, doesn't matter', well, that's kind of ignoring the fact that fiction can spread harmful ideas (Like the idea that this is healthy ever)

        4. timemonkey

          If you look to fantasy smut for life tips you’re already messed up. As long as something is fiction it’s harmless.

        5. Rutee

          Which is why stupid shit in porn gets repeatedly demanded of actual, living women?

        6. Rutee

          Also, reminder: ‘Birth of a Nation’ is fiction.

        7. timemonkey

          As I said, they’re already idiots, and as such would have done something idiotic anyway, don’t blame the porn.

        8. Rutee

          So you posit that, because they were stupid, they were copying bad ideas that were in media. So the ‘stupid’ are copying ideas in media. You posit that they are ‘stupid’, so one assumes they do not particularly discern. It sounds like, and this is radical, more good ideas might mean they incidentally copy more good ideas.

          Care to try again, or would you prefer to stamp your feet and insist on the sacrosanctity of porn?

        9. Rutee

          Oh wait, that’s what trying again is?

        10. drs

          I own some Victorian erotica. The Yellow Book or something. Totally incest.

  20. Plasma Mongoose

    You would need a whole new level of re-education to wash that dang atheism out of your cooter.

    1. Barf Ninjason

      Please write a play where this is a line in it so I can give you all my money to come watch it

      1. Disloyal Subject

        All your money sounds nice. I present myself as an actor and/or stage technician.

        1. Barf Ninjason

          Getting all my money would be severely underwhelming, I’ll tell you that much

      2. Jess_Witt

        I’m pretty sure the Vagina Monologues can work it into next year’s new act.

    2. SDGlyph

      Who’s today’s grav, Plasma?

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Asuka after a makeover. ^_^

  21. Bluesnake462

    know they have to go Lezley they just have to

    1. newllend

      Naaa better idea ! Hook her up with Daisy she seems kind of lonely.

      1. Bluesnake462

        I could see that going rather well actually now that I think about it.

      2. Rokk

        I was thinking this just yesterday. Leslie would be a good source for information on what to do next, but daisy is prolly closer to Becky’s age and might be able to help with some sort of work study thing too, given her ties to tne campus newspaper…

  22. Emperor Kiva

    Oh boy more Becky…….shit.

    1. John

      I liked Becky before, but your jealousy of her is giving her being around that extra frisson of schadenfreude that makes it really tasty.

      1. Emperor Kiva

        Don’t flatter yourself

        1. Rutee

          snrk.

  23. PureMajora

    Loving it, although the tags are off. Unless that’s really Walky in a Joyce costume.

  24. arank11

    GUYS! Becky and Daisy! Who else ships it?

    1. Opus the Poet

      That totes works for me.

      1. Jess_Witt

        I feel dumb for not thinking that before.

    2. caramelundqueer

      What exactly outside of her also being a lesbian makes her Becky’s type?

    3. Kelly

      Meh. I don’t care about Daisy. I’d rather see Becky with any number of other minor cast members, really.

      But my ship is Jecky, and I am willing to wait at least 4 or 5 years (our time) to see if anything develops.

      (It only makes sense, if Joyce really is bi, she isn’t even admitting it to herself yet, much less to anyone else. It is going to take a pretty good bit of time for her to figure it out and accept it.)

      1. Rutee

        Ehhh… that’s a long time. I’d actually feel super weird if Becky couldn’t move on by then. I mean yeah, Joyce was the love of her life, but 4 or 5 years? That’s about 24% of her life by then, or more. I just can’t see that as anything but Joyce looking to becky when she’s on the rebound and desperate and Becky being like “maybe 3 or 4 years ago, love. Maybe.”

        1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          4 or 5 years OUR time, not theirs. That’s another four or five weeks.

        2. Rutee

          Oh, carry on then.

        3. Kelly

          Yes, thanks 🙂

          Anyway, 4 or 5 years *their* time would be… I dunno, but longer than I expect to live, if the pace stays the same 😛

      2. democraticMayonaise

        i’m shipping ambrecky. yolo mc swaggins.

    4. Arianod

      Called that like, three strips ago ^^

    5. SDGlyph

      Not seeing it, sorry.

    6. Gamaran Sepudomyn

      Not me, I’m shipping Becky/Dina for the amusement value.

    7. Paul

      Is Daisy student or staff? She seems older.

      1. Kelly

        Pretty sure a student, but probably not a freshman.

    8. John

      Nah. I don’t see that they have anything in common except for liking cooters, and Daisy’s desperation is really unattractive. And I suspect it’s one of the unwritten rules of the Dumbiverse that Daisy never gets any.

  25. Luzahn

    Yessss, that normalcy in that last panel.

    All will be well.

    1. Talantus

      +1

    2. Rutee

      In the short term, maybe.

      1. Luzahn

        All will be well!

        1. Paul

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9XqdM3qkc8

          (Safe for everywhere, even church)

  26. Twirls

    I’m really happy with Joyce right now.
    huh.

    1. Leonou

      I’m really happy with this wall strip !
      It is perfect and heartwarming and funny and I love it.
      …. that won’t last, because Willis, but It’s really nice some happiness in this comic 🙂

  27. Frost Magi

    Joyce just be with her already like ffs lady.

  28. Rutee

    I feel like the alt text is aimed at htose of us who read yuri.

    1. Arianod

      So many fond memories XD

  29. John

    Tonight, the role of David Walkerton will be played by Joyce Brown.

    (i.e., Tags are messed up.)

    1. John

      ((And Willis fixed them before I got my comment posted, so I just look insane.))

      1. Frost Magi

        It’s okay, we all have our moments XD

      2. Disloyal Subject

        Sanity is for the weak anyway.

        1. Jess_Witt

          So true strength comes from insanity? That explains…many things.

  30. butting

    If ONLY there was someone living on the same floor keeping their eye out for girl-on-girl hanky panky!

    1. Frost Magi

      Agatha is… and Mary. OH GOD MARY O.O

      1. Jess_Witt

        Female hanky panky is the least of Mary’s concerns regarding Becky when she notices she’s been in the college for a long, long time.

      2. Benjy

        Oh god. Mary’s gonna be the one who ruins everything, isn’t she?

        1. Leorale

          This strikes me as extremely likely. D: Mary’s such a jerk.

        2. SDGlyph

          I know, right?

          (butting – your grav makes the comment.)

        3. Opus the Poet

          Mary will try to raise an alarm and suddenly transfer to another school, more fitting to her temperament…

        4. Solenoid

          … Anderson, and mention some girl named Becky who showed up out of the blue and… OH SHIT. Suddenly toedad.

        5. anonymsly

          Totally off topic and tone-breaking, but Solenoid, I want you to know that ‘Suddenly Toedad’ is now a song to me. Sung to the tune of ‘Suddenly Seymour’.

          Suddenly Toedad
          Is standing beside meeee….

        6. Paul

          What does that mean in this context?

          I don’t see how juicy gossip about someone who left the school you just arrived at is necessarily a deal-breaker.

        7. Betty Anne

          Paul, I think it’s implying that Toedad will figure out where Becky went if Mary transfers to Anderson and starts yakking about this girl who showed up and lived in Joyce’s room. Right now, there’s nothing that says explicitly that Toedad knows where Becky’s at, so she’s relatively safe from him.

        8. SonicBlueRanger

          Of course she will she’s Mary.

  31. Rayrayravona

    I know this is coming from Becky and not Willis, but I still feel obligated to point out the casual cissexism.

    1. Paul

      Not unheardof among lesbians, though.

    2. Leonou

      Say what know ?

      1. Leonou

        I meant “now”. X(

      2. spriteless

        Not all women have cooters. Some are cursed with wee wees.

        1. Arianod

          Don’t break it out to Becky yet, though. One step at a time.

      3. Kelly

        Well, I guess they mean that specifying “cooters” i.e. a biological sex identifier, it is basically transphobic/saying that trans women are not real women.

        I am out of my depth here – and feel free to educate me, but I would think that is isn’t quite accurate, or it is debatable anyway. I mean, if Becky physically is attracted to vaginas, and not penises, well, that is how she is. She could be physically attracted to a trans man who is still female in appearance, theoretically.

        I don’t think it has to imply that she thinks trans women are not women.

        Though of course, she probably isn’t even considering that aspect as she says that. (Of course with her upbringing, it is always a possibility she *is* cissexist. Just saying I am not sure the wording has to imply that. And if she is cissexist, hopefully a meeting with Jocelyne will help her figure it out.)

      4. Paul

        I meant that some lesbians are pretty adamant about how only “women born as women” actually count as women. There was a women-only music festival that had a big kerfuffle over the issue.

    3. IJ

      Since when is it ‘cissexist’ of someone to be attracted to partners with specific genitals?

      1. Tenn

        Seconding this question. I, for one, am generally attracted to people with cooters, whether they be pre-transition men, post-transition women or cis women.

    4. timemonkey

      Not really. There’s nothing indicating she’d still be attracted to a woman with a penis. She named the specific thing she was into.

  32. zmm

    Ah. I wonder how Sarah is going to take this.

    I hope she goes Mother bird on them both

    1. newllend

      Sarah: No! No way I’m taking in another one of you guys in, I draw the line at 1.

      1. Dreadhawk177

        It’s okay. If Becky has any more unwelcome advances, Sarah gets to use her anti-premarital-hankey-pankey-bat.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Someone get her a Nerf bat with that painted on it!

    2. Dean

      You want her to regurgitate into their open mouths? I don’t think this is that kind of comic.

      1. Rachel Roth

        Ummmmm… well, there’s regurgitating into closed mouths, so why not?

        Also “EWWWWW” and “Are you sure?”

      2. John

        I dunno, Becky might be into that. She and Walky are pretty similar, and in the other universe… wait, no, we weren’t ever going to mention that strip again.

        1. Paul

          Now you got to tell me! I haven’t seen the pay-per-view strips.

        2. SDGlyph

          <a href="http://www.itswalky.com/comic/mmm-cheeezy/"Oh, you wish it was that easy to avoid…

        3. SDGlyph

          Gng. My kingdom for an edit button.
          Try this instead.

  33. Frost Magi

    Btw guys, how did you all get different Gravatars that aren’t DoA related? How do you do that?

    1. a4lbish

      I have a gravatar account with an avatar already set.

      1. a4lbish?

        If you don’t have a gravatar acct, it does this, right?

        1. butting

          Yeah. We all get Mary.

      2. Betty Anne

        Same. I set mine up with my WordPress account.

        1. Opus the Poet

          Same here unless I want to be someone else then I use the buddy address capability of Gmail to create a valid additional account that delivers to my inbox and verifies as a real account to get a DoA grav for that particular post. I have 4 gravs that I use depending on my mood for that post. Most serious posts get my standard grav like this one.

        2. Opus the Poet

          This is my snarky grav.

        3. Kelly

          Mike is great for that. Glad I don’t have him as my default anymore though 😛

        4. 0kami

          Your avatar is the best anyway. 🙂

      3. Frost Magi

        Thank you. Btw this is still the FM you all know and love so don’t worry.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      Have you seen the “Get a Gravatar” link next to the ‘Name’ field of the comment post form?

      1. Frost Magi

        Yes, I also had the wrong email and URL put into both places. I figured it out though. Now I have my Tidus mug 😀

        1. Frost Magi

          In case you can’t read the mug, he’s laughing, “Ha ha ha ha”

        2. a4lbi

          I NEED YOUR MUG #LaughingTidus

    3. syd

      THE FORCE required to click on some things and push some keyboards

      Also gravity

  34. Just Here

    Joyce used to really bother me as a character, but a little character development has made her just fine with me.

  35. newllend

    So does that mean Becky’s not going to make a move on Dorothy any time soon?

    1. Clif

      No.

  36. Frost Magi

    There we go yes, new Gravatar activated 😀

  37. Boomwolf

    Joyce is developing in the best of ways. Only time will tell if this goes south. Also, as scarred as I am to ask, what the heck is a cooter?

    1. dailybrad

      Cooter in this context means vaginas.

    2. OnyxIdol

      It’s derived from cooties I think? Because, Y’know, girls have ’em.

  38. caramelundqueer

    So I give it a week before someone notices Becky living illegally in the dorms and they have to look for alternative housing. So that’s what 2-4 years real world time?

  39. dailybrad

    It shouldn’t be legal to laugh as hard as I am right now.

  40. Ailorn

    🙂 I’m glad Becky is sticking around. Also glad that Joyce set a clear boundary with Becky. That way Becky can start healing, and Joyce can continue maturing.

  41. NF

    Wow, so not only is the Joyce/Becky ship officially sunk, so is the Joyce/Dorothy ship.

    Walky will be crushed.

    1. StClair

      I dunno about sinking. Speaking of crushes, Joyce in that last panel admits (or at least does not deny) that she has one.

      1. Benjy

        There’s been a bit of a thing in recent years where straight girls will say they have “girlcrushes” and straight boys will have “boy/bro/dudecrushes”. I guess it means “traits I would find admirable in a mate if I were gay but I’m totally not”? I’m not really sure, it always confused/annoyed me and I’m not the only gay person who finds it mildly insulting.

        1. Carriethedragon

          I think it kinda depends from person to person. I prefer the word “squish” for a platonic infatuation and “girl crush” for “holy shit, I could actually see myself making out with this girl.” But it can also be kind of a “no homo” thing which is totes annoying

        2. Intie

          Is it insultng to you because they are not willing to be gay or what? You can in fact be very fond of someone without having actual sexual affection towards them. That’s what these terms mean. You really like someone of the same gender as you but you wouldn’t do them because they are not the gender you’d do on a regular basis. What the fuck is so difficult and insulting about this.
          And this is coming from the person who’d do anything. Tumblr refers to this as pansexual or whatever.

        3. Rutee

          You were really trying to read that in, weren’t you? You found our secret, well done.

      2. atomiksphinx77

        Walky so called it XD

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

        1. Solenoid

          Well, that’s Walky for you: obnoxious, but right.

    2. Kelly

      Sunk? No. Get back to me in say, 4 years, and we will see if it might be sunk. 😀

  42. Benjy

    *WAILS*

    First Stephen now this!

    1. Paul

      The only “Stephen” I know of in the Walkyverse is a child born to parents who probably won’t be hooking up in Dumbing of Age.

      1. Benjy

        I just watched the Colbert Report’s final episode 20 minutes before reading DOA.

      2. Benjy

        My heart can’t take it.

        1. Benjy

          Or my brain, which I guess is the real feels processor.

      3. John

        It’s Beef’s given name.

        Not that that explains the relevance.

      4. Kelly

        Yeah, I was gonna say…

        1. Benjy

          It wasn’t a reference to Beef it was a reference to Stephen Coblert’s finale just before DOA was posted.

  43. Swoop

    Does this mean she thinks of walky as family?

    1. Paul

      Since Walky and Dorothy are pretty tight, that would make him something analogous to an annoying brother-in-law to Joyce.

    2. John

      He’s her alternate-universe husband and the father of her alternate-universe children, which makes them… um… looks like… carry the one…

      Jean Grey!

      1. Kelly

        sounds about right, given comic continuity

      2. Opus the Poet

        Having read X-Men since the late 60s I had to laugh at that one. It was a good thing I had swallowed the soft drink I was enjoying or I would have been de-sticky-fying my laptop.

    3. Disloyal Subject

      He is pretty good at being an obnoxious sibling/cousin-type fellow, and dropping the banter to attempt helpfulness when life gets serious.

  44. Claire

    Yay! Actually so happy right now. Can Becky be a permanent cast member now?? Pretty please.

    1. David M Willis

      yes

      1. Talantus

        Yes!!!!!

        1. Doctroid

          You realize, of course, Becky’s father comes with the package.

      2. Talantus

        Also, been meanin to say that for a while. Great job on this comic mr, willis

      3. Arianod

        Yay! Christmas! ^o^

      4. Clif

        And there was great rejoycing

        1. Tobias

          rejoycing

          I see what you did there.

      5. Kelly

        YES!

      6. Orangey

        YAY!!! BECKY!!!

      7. acher4

        Really?
        That’s amazing! 😀

      8. Silentasshole

        Seems I joined the fandom at the exact right time, eh? 😀

      9. Regalli

        THANK YOU, WILLIS!

        1. Bagge

          That’s a bit unusual to say…. A, heck with it. Thank you Willis for Becky.

      10. Bagge

        YES, YES, YES!!! I’m so psyched to realize that this wasn’t the last day – it was the first.

        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/classes/

      11. Amazistool

        And she’s back on the cast page as well!

        There now are 18 people on the cast page (used to be 15).

        Marcie and Roz also have been promoted, which means:
        Yay – more Roz soon!

        1. Bagge

          Yay!!! More Roz to the people. She’s been laying low these… past few days or whatever timeframe we are moving in. There’s more activism to be done!

        2. Bagge

          Like “In with Roz, out with Ross” or “Roz is way cool, Ross is a cubistic butthole.”

  45. John

    I like that they can joke around about it already.

    I also like how Joyce didn’t waste time pretending confusion about or denying that Dorothy is her girlcrush.

    1. Bagge

      Maybe she’s just tired of what in her opinion is a stale joke. I’m mean, it’s not like Becky and Walky won’t keep teasing her about that forever or anything.

  46. GoogerGeiger

    Sarah is NOT going to be okay with this.

    1. Benjy

      Why?

      1. Swoop

        She can be a real grump sometimes. She’s not okay with most things.

        1. Benjy

          Yeah, but she’s also a hidden softie when it comes to Joyce.

        2. Kennerly

          She may be willing to masturbate in front of Joyce, but what about Joyce’s lesbian friend?

        3. gwalla

          I think Becky is less likely to try to shame Sarah into not doing it. (I’m pretty sure Joyce is now too, considering how well it worked last time)

      2. Kamino Neko

        Because Sarah is literally the worst person on Earth. She makes Blaine and Ross look like a saint, and wants Joyce to be unhappy, because that’s what she lives on.

        1. takashid

          If you’re serious, i don’t think you’ve been been reading the same comic as the rest of us……… Sarah very much cares about Joyce.

        2. alicemacher

          I’m quite sure Kamino Neko is merely parodying those who continue to hate Sarah. “She makes Blaine and Ross looks like a saint” should be a tip-off there.

        3. Kamino Neko

          What she said.

          Just parodying the people who seem to take Sarah’s misanthropy as malicious, rather than cynical.

      3. TSB

        Because Joyce is moving a stranger into their room, which is a dorm room that is small for two people, without asking permission? Because if it breaks dorm rules Sarah could get in trouble, maybe even kicked out of her housing or have a scholarship problem? Because Sarah is an introverted person who finds meeting new people stressful and Joyce should know by now that it will make her feel uncomfortable in her own room to have a third person there?

        None of this is Becky’s fault and none of this is Joyce’s fault but there are many, many good reasons for Sarah to be very unhappy with this situation. And also several bad reasons, like Sarah will probably feel jealous of Joyce’s closeness with Becky (“around her you act normal?” etc).

        1. Bagge

          Completely true. There are very real fears, problems, compromises and mutually hurt feelings to sort out. Why, we could spend a whole story arc doing just that…

        2. Amazistool

          “Three’s a crowd!”

        3. Clif

          Based on titles, there’s a tenancy to think we know where things are going. There’s also a tendancy to be wrong.

  47. Hoboturtle

    Damnit. My ship was sunk. Not because of incompatible orientation cause Im going to hold on to the belief thay Joyce is hiding deep bisexual feelings, but because Joyce sees Becky as too much of a sister to consider her a romantic partner.

    ….

    I’m still going to go back at the strip where they make out cause that was glorious.

  48. FuryOfFirestorm

    Sisters that don’t make out? What kind of bullshit is this? I DEMAND HOT LESBIAN INCEST!

    1. Mr k

      Look up Frozen Fanfics.

      1. Arianod

        *Retrieves fanfics from freezer*.

    2. Opus the Poet

      “Rule 34 Frozen”, google is your friend.

      1. John

        Wouldn’t that be the exact opposite of “hot”?

        Also, man, that really takes me back. I think last time I saw someone make that demand in a webcomic forum, they were talking about Phoebe and Deirdre Bradley.

        1. gwalla

          Meeeeemories…

  49. Bagge

    Aaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww. That’s the best short-term end of this scene I could have asked for.

  50. Malchus

    Yes, behold the rare atheists in our natural habitat and admire out plumage.

    1. Ancestral Hamster

      “Now I’m going to stick my thumb up its bum to piss it off! CRIKEY! It’s mad now!”

    2. Kelly

      The Norwegian Blue Atheist! Beautiful plumage!

      1. DSL

        Plumage don’t enter into it. … ‘e’s rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible, or ‘e would ‘ave if ‘e believed in it!

  51. brumagem

    That feeling where right after you let something big off your chest, and in the rush of relief you forget what is appropriate to say and totally not appropriate to say.

  52. Frost Magi

    I can’t help but be happy about this outcome as well. I thought it would’ve turned out worse tbh.

  53. Kennerly

    Is it too soon to think about matching up Becky with the editor of the school newspaper?

    1. Arianod

      Too soon? Maybe. But some of us are doing it already ;3

      1. Ailorn

        I’ll hop on that ship 🙂 I think it would be good for both of em. Plus more side character development is awesome.

        1. Nightsbridge

          I dunno, that girl is a bit . . . It’d be a bit like hooking up with a guy who hangs out at a bar and oozes desperation every time a girl comes within ten meters. gotta build chemistry, dammit!

  54. Jesse

    “Cooters”? Is that a thing people say?

    1. newllend

      Thank God I thought I was the only one wondering what the fuck that was.

    2. Kennerly

      The only time I’ve heard a person say cooters, they were telling a dirty limerick and the previous line ended with “hooters”.

    3. chisci

      i read the strip and a bunch of comments thinking becky had said cooties instead of cooters, as in “[five year old boy voice] girls are dumb and have cooties”

      1. Carriethedragon

        For a horrible minute, I was afraid that that’s actually where the word “cooties” comes from. But no, it probably comes from an Austronesian word for a kind of parasitic insect.

      2. Bagge

        That’s what I thought too – and actually I thought it was a pretty cute – if childish – euphemism.

    4. SDGlyph

      Perhaps if they’re the kind of person whose strongest possible epithet is ‘butthole’.

    5. Opus the Poet

      People stuck in the 20th century past say that, yes.

    6. Ninjemys

      It’s another name for freshwater turtles.

  55. Alexx

    HA! Goddamnit Becky, you’re the best character now.

  56. Swoop

    It’s a Midwest thing. It comes up Almost everyday actually. The word has a lot of different meanings. Instead of saying something like “um” or “hmm” we say cooters. someone ask you what time you left the party, you can say “I don’t know… cooters… around 7 I think”

    It’s also another word for corn.

    1. Swoop

      Sorry, that was meant to be a reply to Jesse.

    2. Ancestral Hamster

      So it’s a multi-purpose word like the phrase “da kine” in Hawaii?

      (“da kine” can be a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb depending on context.)

    3. Leorale

      Are you just trying to get Midwest-visitors to say ‘cooters’ all the time?

      1. Swoop

        Absolutely not. No one visits the Midwest.

        1. Nightsbridge

          As a lifelong Missourian, I can say this is the very first time I’ve heard ‘Cooters’ at all. So maybe it’s in some regions, but by no means is it a universal midwestern thing.

        2. skyeribbon

          Maybe it’s more of a southern thing. I hear it Out here in Texas but only the hicks really say it.

        3. Clif

          At this point, let me recomend the book, Night of the Cooters, by my friend Howard Waldrop. http://www.amazon.com/Night-The-Cooters-Howard-Waldrop/dp/0441574734

        4. Rutee

          Maybe, but y’all came up with cow tipping to see City Slickers injured, so my trust is low.

        5. Swoop

          Hey don’t put that on me. I live in a city. If you’re trying to tip over a poor cow, You’re the one who shouldn’t be trusted.

        6. Rutee

          I’m not a city slicker and wouldn’t tip a cow! But it seems like cow tipping was a thing invented to prank on them and make them think a horrible idea was a good one.

    4. la6ue mous snow angel

      hahahaha omg sincerely doubt that but XD great humor

  57. Halloween Jack

    Get on your bad motor cooter and ride!

  58. nothri

    Well, Becky, maybe its time to double down!

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

  59. Yotomoe

    Joyce needs to start changing somewhere else now

    1. nothri

      Not necessarily. She is remarkably quick, after all.

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

      1. Yotomoe

        Haha, yeah, I meant to imply that Becky is ALSO remarkably quick.

    2. LegalSeagull

      >Implying Joyce takes her clothes off to change.

      1. Yotomoe

        She’s wearing 10 weeks worth of sweater vests right now.

  60. QuestionMan

    I’m confused. Who are they referring to in the last panel?

    1. SDGlyph

      Dorothy.

    2. Kelly

      Hm, some girl connected with Joyce who is an atheist… Who could it be???

  61. Orangey

    I’m so happy that these two are gonna stay friends. I mean, my heart is killing for a Becky/Joyce, but I love that they can both joke around with each other, despite it being a REALLY awkward topic. Or at least try to joke around to lighten up the atmosphere a bit.

    Damn it I just love Joyce and Becky. I’m loving that Becky is now a permanent character yayayayayayay

  62. Buli-Buli

    I’m confused. I thought this was a Willis comic. Where’s the soul-crushing drama?

    Also, seriously guys? It’s been less than an hour and a half and we already are in the mid-something 200s range of comments.
    Does everyone on this site have a screwed up internal clock?

    1. Kelly

      Comic posts at 9pm on the US west coast, some people have night shift, some aren’t in any of the US time zones…

      1. Jess

        It posts at 11 here in MN.

        1. SDGlyph

          5am here in the UK.
          … what?

    2. Halloween Jack

      There’s no guarantee that her no-neck dad won’t try to have her kidnapped for anti-gay therapy. Ross still isn’t ahead of Amber’s dad in the Bad Dad Sweepstakes, but that doesn’t mean he’s given up trying.

      1. Paul

        Could the resident lawyer guy with the Jacob gravatar comment on the legality of kidnapping someone for anti-gay therapy? Some states have specifically outlawed the practice, but anti-gay camps continue to operate openly in other states, so they must not have been found illegal on the federal level.

        1. Amazistool

          Here’s that Cracked article, that someone posted some days ago. Has some details.

          Basically: Isf you are under age, it may be perfectly legal for your parents to order you into a boot-camp. And Utah and Montana seem to be the best states to operate such boot-camps.

        2. Halloween Jack

          It’s illegal if the person is an adult and not under someone’s legal conservatorship; there was just something about Ross, though, that made me believe that, for him, it wouldn’t be inconceivable that he’d turn Becky over to people who would coerce into signing something that said that she’d enrolled voluntarily.

  63. Lulu

    I want Becky to stay.

    She has a really good influence on Joyce.

    And I like her sense of humour.

  64. Darnel

    1. Joyce is a good Friend,…. a VERY good friend.
    Thank you for giving her a brain AND keeping her priorities straight.
    2. I only see Joyce having an issue with this.
    Everyone else we’ve met with exception of maybe Mike (Who by Canon shouldn’t care unless it messes with someone’s mind.), will just accept this as just another “thing”.
    3. Has stuff changed now where you can step on campus and “boom” instant student? or are they talking about her just shacking up with the group somehow?

  65. acher4

    My love for Joyce is over 9000! now! 😀 😀 😀

    She is really the best!

  66. Intie

    Wait, how does she know about her girlcrush at all?

    1. Adam Black

      Walky told Becky.
      He even lampshaded Joyce’s Homosociality , to the point that it
      convinced Becky Joyce like girls. Thats how I read it .

      It helped that Joyce just got furious and didnt deny it.
      There was a whole added level, that Walky was accidentally telling Becky exactly what she wanted to hear .

      This entire chapter was very well written. Almost every random occurrence became vital fuel for what happened next, with multiple repercussions. That is either super-excellent plotting or Narratively weaving order-from chaos.

      Either way its superb, Willis.

      You should be proud.

  67. SlarStorm

    Since Becky is officially our lesbian christmas present you should totally dress her up in christmas-y colours. Green, red, (she’s a redhead! Okay, she’s ginger…) white, gold… make her the DOA christmas tree! Her or dina.

    If you don’t you will be visited by three ghosts, from the PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE.

    also i’ll be mildly disappointed with you.

    1. Bagge

      You get adorable christmas lesbian and complain about the wrapping? Maaaan will there be some coal in your coot… SOCK – I MEANT TO SAY SOCK.

  68. Adam Black

    I cant wait till Becky finds out Walky is a churchmouse!

    Willis, you’ve just got to! Joyce needs this. ( Becky too )

    1. Paul

      They said they will pretend that that episode does not exist, but if Walky is enough of a jerk, all bets are probably off.

    2. Bagge

      Hehehehe! That will be just too delicious. You just know that Becky and Joyce crushed on him together when they were kids.

      “Look Joyce, I toots brought my Hymmel tape. Hmmm. Doesn’t the mouse look familiar?”

  69. Trolldrool

    I kinda feel Becky jumped back from the rejection a little, too quickly, at least that’s the impression I got, but I suppose her biggest fear was not having a place to stay where she’d not be shunned. I still think she’s feeling more hurt than she’s letting on.

    1. Pope William T Wodium

      Not letting on what she’s feeling is pretty much her specialty.

    2. kimmibeans

      I think she’s upset but the rejection, but not nearly as much as she is relieved that Joyce didn’t dump her like a hot potato. She is also probably happy that while Joyce may not love her romantically, she still loves her like a sister and wants to help her out. For a girl who has lost almost everything, Joyce rejecting her romantic feelings definitely sucks, but the same person is also the first person to accept her for who she is and give her a fresh start.

      1. Bagge

        That’s absolutely true.

        It’s also true that Becky is scarily good at putting on a happy facade. I think we will only gradually get to see exactly what she’s really thinking about many things, including her feelings for Joyce.

  70. Chris Phoenix

    Becky is so awesome. I’m LOL. While brushing my teeth.

  71. Mary

    In my opinion, it seems Becky shows how she’s feeling in being super forward about her attraction to Joyce. She’s kinda…blunt about it in this strip. “Boundary acknowledged. Still want to make out though”.

    Also, she’s embracing her sexuality after years of not being able to figure it out… there’s definitely that “Welp, now I’m ‘frustrated’ ” element to go along with all the bad stuff that happened to her.

  72. Triniking1234

    Ruth and Wide-Ass elope to Canada and Becky becomes the new Dorm Advisor.

    Everyone wins! (except Canada?)

    1. Shadow12000

      Canada wins doubly so.

      1. timemonkey

        We don’t ant Ruth back…..we’ll take Billie though.

    2. leftwingfox

      Now I have to draw an Asselope.

  73. Omegahugger

    Silly Joyce. You forget that families are fully capable of having romantic couples in them.

    Becky could be a father role and Joyce could be a mother.
    This would also make Sarah an aunt, which is the best role.

    1. Bagge

      I think there will be some level of playing house involved in the next arc – and I’m all for it.

  74. Emperor Kiva

    I’m sorry guys but I will no longer be commenting on the comic. If you enjoyed my Joyce-crush filled comments. I’m sorry

    1. Shadow12000

      I have absolutely no idea who you are.

    2. timemonkey

      Is this a ‘I just don’t have time for it anymore’ or ‘I’m throwing a tantrum because the fictional character didn’t do what I wanted them to do’ moment?

      1. Emperor Kiva

        I don’t have time anymore

        1. takashid

          aww thats a shame. take care then! 🙂

  75. Potatamoto

    Jeez! So they’re like sisters, but Becky *still* wants to make out? Wow Becky, you really need to…

    Let It Go.

    YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!

    1. la6ue mous snow angel

      Because of the sis-kiss?
      Iswydt but it’s really a stretch…

    2. Cynthia

      Don’t you mean *Let it Gay*?

      1. la6ue mous snow angel

        there we go

  76. Yotsuyasan

    So, a thought just occurred to me… Not that I don’t want Becky to stay forever, but what happens if a more permanent solution isn’t found after four days? Looking it up online, that seems to be the IU Residence Hall policy: “Guests may not stay more than four consecutive days in the residence hall, nor more than once per semester. The residence manager of the center must grant any exception to this.”

    As much as I’d like to think otherwise, “My friend is basically homeless and has no place else to go,” doesn’t seem to be a valid reason for an exception, because a school dorm ≠ a homeless shelter.

    So, is there going to be some grand conspiracy to hide Becky? If so, that seems like that could cause major problems for Joyce, Sarah, and anyone else who becomes involved. (Also, given her past roommate issues, would Sarah go along with such a scheme if it risks her own position at the school?)

    In any case, the best case scenario I can think of would be to somehow get her enrolled… But is such a thing possible mid-semester? And even if it is, I should think the process would take longer than four days…

    1. Solenoid

      Transfers happen. They just need to go talk to someone (Leslie, the dean?) yesterday.

    2. thejeff

      I suspect that’s a rule more observed in the breach. I don’t remember what the rules were when I was in college, but guests were much more common than that. I knew a couple of people who couch surfed for various reasons for most of a semester. Against the rules, I’m sure, but they not really enforceable.
      It’s not like the actual college officials will be checking. If they can get Ruthless on their side, which shouldn’t be too hard, they’re golden for awhile at least. Barring active malevolence, by which I mean Mary.

      I’m not even sure how to interpret that rule: No more than 4 days at a time seems clear, but I can’t believe “nor more than once per semester” actually means what it seems to say. No one ever has their boy/girl friend over more than once?

      1. John

        Yeah, it’d be Ruth’s job to deal with it, and Ruth is currently distracted by her sexy lesbian suicide pact, and probably wouldn’t really give a shit as long as Becky didn’t give her any trouble, anyway.

        And Mary complaining would just make it more likely that Ruth would be on Becky’s side.

        MARY: “Some girl has been living in Joyce’s room for like a week! What are you going to do about it? (I think she’s a lesbian.)”
        RUTH: “Well, I was just on my way down there to throw her out the window, but OH HEY LOOK AT THE TIME I have a class.”
        MARY: “You didn’t have a class this time last week.”
        RUTH: “Did I say ‘class’? I meant ‘laundry’. I have to do laundry.”
        MARY: “I thought Billie did your laundry.”
        RUTH: “Yeah, but if I don’t stand right over her she fucks it all up. Colors in with the whites and anyway when I said ‘laundry’ I meant ‘shut your noise hole before I cockslap you again’.”

        In the other universe, Billie got away with living in Danny and Joe’s dorm room for like half a year. Of course, they had Trekkie RA, who was somewhat less authoritarian than Ruth.

        1. thejeff

          It’s not Mary complaining to Ruth I’d worry about, but Mary going over Ruth’s head to get Ruth in trouble. This would be just one more thing to attack her with.
          Ruth is authoritarian, but fundamentally decent. I suspect she’d be sympathetic. But if an official complaint is made to the actual residence manager, there’ll be trouble.

        2. Yotsuyasan

          Yes, indeed. Ruth is good people despite the exterior she often displays. I think in the end, she’d look the other way for Joyce here. The problem would be if someone above Ruth found out, which could happen if Mary decided to be all Mary-like about the situation.

          But anyway, while I doubt knocking on Ruth’s door would be Joyce and Becky’s first stop… just for the comedy of it, I hope that happens soon enough to interrupt Ruth and Billie in their post-coital bliss. 😛

    3. Luzahn

      “The residence manager of the center must grant any exception to this.”

      I could definitely see a sympathetic manager giving Becky an exception, especially if she were using the time she was staying to enroll.

    4. Paul

      That campus has got to be rife with GLBT organizations, and they would know of other organizations not necessarily connected with the school that assist GLBT youth in Becky’s situation.

  77. Tualha

    Joyce’s expression in panel 2 makes me wonder what her cutie mark is. (A cross, no doubt.)

    1. Bill

      A halo.

      1. Cynthia

        Joyce is the ultimate Flood-spawn?

  78. Regalli

    Best found family.

    And best decisionmaking on Joyce’s part. World-changing revelations aside, this is not Joyce’s area of expertise, so time to get Dorothy and Sarah in on this because they know things.

    1. Bagge

      So True! And Joyce does what she really needs to do here – she invites Becky in, she gives her full support and love and is even comfortable enough to tease a bit and allow Becky to tease back.

      In all, she sends one very, very clear message: Becky is wanted, Becky is welcome, Becky is loved, there is a place for Becky here, just the way she is. It’s the exact opposite of the message she got from her school and family.

      Liquid pride again… Who am I kidding, excuse me while I cry a bit.

      1. Regalli

        Right there with ya. *Offers tissues*

  79. Robbzilla

    OK, now THAT was funny!

    To a fundie, what’s worse than being a lesbian?

    Being an atheist, duh! 😀

    1. Bagge

      I agree – also, it’s good characterization. A badly written Becky would have whatever personality she had earlier replaced with “Lesbian”*. Here it shows that she still has her blind spots and misconceptions – just like Joyce.

      *) “I have other attributes” – Leslie Bean

      1. OmegaDez

        Bad writing? I dunno. Doesn’t it happen in real life?

        I knew a girl who was a really complex person… She was funny, creative, geeky, into tons of stuff and every second spent with her was a blast.

        And then she came out, and “Lesbian” became the only word that could describe her, everything she ever did, posted, or talked about being LGBT related, her entire person changed into something else. From an external point of view, at least.

        It took a few years before we became close again. Lesbian became her sexual orientation, not something that defined her entire character, and the old traits that I enjoyed about her came back.

        I guess she needed that phase, and I’m definitely not saying it was wrong of her or anything.

        1. Bagge

          I have written and deleted an answer to your post three times, because everytime I end up saying something like “yeah, it may have really happened but it was unrealistic”.

          So let me try a forth time.

          In the real life case, you say that in hindsight there were a lot of things going on with identity and her own self image. That’s way more complex than a badly written fictive lesbian who basically just replaces one set of characteristics for another.

          A real life human is ALWYAS more complex, but since a story character can be just as badly written as the writer wants we need some cues to figure out what is really going on. If a character goes through the same arc as in your example we would have to see some hints of internal growth and conflict along the way or feel cheated. Not necessarily because of realism but because of narrative convention. Like how we saw hints that Becky were hiding something all along, even if Joyce didn’t pick up on it.

        2. GamaranSepudomyn

          As TV Tropes puts it “Reality is unrealistic”.

        3. Halloween Jack

          I think I get what you’re saying. Yeah, we’ve all seen people who really, really get into something to the point where that’s all they talk about and it seems to consume practically every waking minute… but those people usually aren’t the people we want to hang around, even if we’re into the same thing, only not quite as much. And with stories, it’s much the same way. If Dina’s only distinguishing characteristic was that she was into dinosaurs, she’d be a lot less interesting… but she also has a Data aspect to her in that she doesn’t seem to really get people and is trying to figure them out. (And even then, she’s best in relatively small doses.)

        4. timemonkey

          Sometimes when we first come out we’re overwhelmed by everything we’ve been holding in and it just kind of becomes everything for a while. It usually goes away and things return to normal over time.

    2. Paul

      Yeah, they seem to think it is even worse than being a muslim, go figure.

  80. TSB

    This is so sweet. There’s a zillion logistical and emotional problems coming down the pipeline but Joyce is right. For now, Becky has somewhere to go, and they can take a moment to calm down. Joyce is being such a good friend here. I’m so psyched for Becky joining the cast, she’s such a good character with a lot of potential for interesting storylines and interaction with Joyce.

    1. Bill

      The first rule of damage control is “fix the hole in the boat”.
      We’ll worry about drying out the carpets later.

      1. leftwingfox

        Good rule!

  81. SonicBlueRanger

    Well I for one am pleased Becky’s staying. She’s a joy.

    1. OmegaDez

      We always need more redheads.

  82. Jerden

    That went better than I expected. Awww. The power of (definitely totally nonsexual) friendship triumphs again!

    1. Deanatay

      The power of (definitely totally one-sided-ly sexual) friendship triumphs again!

    2. Perpetual Sighs

      Platonic relationships are important. c:

  83. FinalOwen

    I like how the url says ‘When somebody loved me forever’.

    1. Kelly

      Right? It is perfect!

    2. Bagge

      Forever-and-ever-and-EVER

  84. Darwin

    Greatest Character now regular on DoA! I’m so happy I could plotz!

  85. Tenn

    I think this is my favorite DoA comic ever. 😀

    It’s just so awesome and Joyce is so awesome and Becky is so awesome and everything is just awesome! 😀

  86. Sir Robin

    This is too happy for a Willis comic, what happens to them tomorrow?

    1. Bagge

      Don’t think about that right now.

      (awesome gravatar by the way)

      1. Sir Robin

        But the happier they are now, the worse it is going to be!!!

  87. Perpetual Sighs

    I wonder what this will mean for her relationship with Ethan, now that she accepts Becky.

    1. Bagge

      Probably not that much – they both still get what they want from it.

      1. Sir Robin

        I don’t know, “here is my boyfriend who I am trying to help not be gay” just might not fly the same after this

  88. Paul

    This is a great story developmen, and Becky has the potential to be a great character in this strip, but is there really a basis for calling her the “best character in the strip” already? We have barely seen her.

    For all we know, once she gets settled she could fall in with the “popular crowd” (among lesbians, anyway), turn out to be kind of shallow, and drift away from her “best friend for ever”. Or she could get hit by a radioactive meteorite, team up with Amazigirl, and save the Multiverse in Crisis of Infinite Walkies. It’s too soon to tell.

    Infinite Walkies would be a crisis, though, no doubt about that.

    1. Amazistool

      “Crisis of Infinite Walkies”
      No, you want Crisis on Infinite Walkyverses, because that is the real thing:
      This is the real deal. This has everybody, whether they’re from the Walkyverse, the Dumbiverse, or travelers from beyond either of those. I combed through fifteen years of archives. There’s the Ball State girl Joe shows off in one early Roomies! strip. There’s Phil the Janitor. There’s the aging porn actress who asks Ethan why she shouldn’t shop at Walmart. There are dozens of dimension-hopping SEMME offspring. There’s many Presidents, including Lex Luthor. There’s a floating pooping butt.

      1. Halloween Jack

        I’m pretty sure that that’s Walkyverse-Becky in the very upper left corner.

        1. Paul

          No, that looks like a cheerful version of Ruth. I can understand why she might not be recognizable.

        2. Paul

          In fact, I’m sure of it. Compare her to cranky Ruth with the hockey stick, halfway up near the right edge, just to the left of cheerleader Billie.

        3. CommunistCanada

          Plus all the dumbing of age characters are on the right side of the chasm thing.

  89. Darwin

    Today’s word is “cooters”. C-o-o-t-e-r-s. Can you say “cooters?” Of course you can! Becky still gets best lines.

  90. Timni

    hopefully, Becky can transfer her grades and totally just go into that school. Maybe, if Joyce’s fam is not going to be totally homophobic and stuff, they could be like her guardian or something. Becky might just have to apply without her family and just have a LOT of student loans
    I dunno.
    Hoping for the best (GIVE US THE BEST, DAVID)

    1. Luzahn

      I mean she did only miss what, a month of classes? I wouldn’t think it would be too difficult to make that up somehow, especially if the professor was sympathetic.

      Worst comes to worst, she may have to study a semester longer than four years. Or take some summer classes.

    2. Paul

      Transfer what? She attended an extremely Christian school for less than four weeks. She has no credits to transfer, even if her courses were considered accredited by Indiana University. (Religious schools sometimes get their accreditation from religious accreditation mills, and aren’t always recognized by other schools.) She wouldn’t be transferring so much as applying from scratch–and the school doesn’t have to accept her. Since she was homeschooled, her father is the only one who can produce any evidence that she has received any education at all, and he is not going to be cooperative. Hopefully she got some sort of equivalency diploma somewhere along the line (does anyone know how homeschoolers handle that?), but again, does she have evidence of that? Her father holds her birth certificate, any standardized tests she took, diploma if any, vaccination records, everything. Prying that stuff out of him is likely to be an expensive legal battle, unless some LGBT rights organization feels like doing it pro-bono. If he burned it all in a big “I have no daughter” bonfire, that would be that.

      There are organizations of recovering homeschooled people that might be able to offer her some advice, but escaping from insular religious parents can be a long uphill slog. If you have a strong stomach, google Quiverfull or “stay at home daughter movement”.

      1. Luzahn

        Did we ever have confirmation that Becky was a homeschooler? I can’t think of any specific point where that was mentioned.

        Joyce did say she was the most socialized out of her homeschooling group, and Becky seems more skilled in that regard than her.

        1. thejeff

          She said her pastor said she was the best socialized. It’s been speculated that doesn’t mean what we think it does. That it meant he thought she was the best prepared to resist temptation or secularization. The most brainwashed, essentially.
          I don’t think there’s any direct statement that Becky was homeschooled, but it seems very likely – close friend, same kind of religious parents, etc.

        2. Paul

          Does Becky have a mom? I suppose being the child of a single parent would be one reason she might not have been homeschooled.

        3. Paul

          I looked up Anderson University, and it offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and has several graduate programs. It is highly regarded by the Princeton Review, and has over 2500 students. So, how can it be “three buildings and a sidewalk”? From Becky’s description, I thought it would be someplace more like this:
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Bible_University

          Anyway, a school like that must require some sort of academic records to get in. Whether Becky has access to those records is another matter

        4. Itama

          i go to one of the top art schools in canada, and it’s basically three buildings and a sidewalk. remember, not everyone is attending classes all at once, and as far as big buildings go, a couple thousand isn’t that much.

        5. Luzahn

          Ok, found it. Turns out she is a homeschooler. From the new and improved cast page: “Becky and Joyce were connected at the hip back in home school before college abruptly separated them.”

  91. Rakzo

    Huh, good to know that everything worked at the end.

    Is also good to know I wasn’t the only one who thought “Frozen” once that the incest line appeared.

  92. Vangen

    What about atheist cooters?

  93. Sir Robin

    I was just reading book 3 and at the part where Joyce is having a crisis and trying to call Becky to ask for her advice, and for some reason Becky is unreachable. That is some serious foreshadowing, is this is really how far back Willis had this planned?

    1. showler

      I’d bet fake money that Willis had this planned from Becky’s first appearance. Which was the first strip.

      1. David M Willis

        I would bet real money.

        1. Clif

          Yer on.

          Oh. Uh. No, wait!

  94. Evan Dark

    I like how Joyce doesn’t even try to deny her crush anymore, just moves on to explain it. And is it me, or does Becy’s comment seems a tad bit sarcastic?

  95. Cale Baird

    Today has been a good day for fictional lesbians.

    1. Bagge

      Oh? Are there other fictional lesbians than Becky I should be aware of?

      1. Superdud

        Ever hear of The Legend of Korra? Well, looks like Korra and Asami finally got together for reals. :3

        1. Bagge

          I don’t even know who they are, but SQUEEEEE!!!!

        2. Maveric1984

          Well, considering they both dated the same guy for a while, I’d say they’re bi, if it makes any difference.

  96. Tealjoy Berry

    That last panel

  97. TheGrumpyBear

    *sigh* Limits, Becky. Learn them. -.-

  98. Onion

    “WOW!!!!
    AN A C T U A L ATHEIST!!!!!!”
    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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