133

Atrium
Posted on February 22, 2024 by David M Willis

133 thoughts on “Atrium”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    WHU OH ALREADY A NEW FLASHBACK

    (it’s definitely extra)

    1. anon

      ttbf most kids act extra by default

    2. Needfuldoer

      Two flashbacks in one chapter?

      What a time to be alive…

    3. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Careful past Joyce. First it’s bearing false witness, next thing you know you’re riding a washing machine and holding hands with a girl.

      1. Steamweed

        And after _that_, it’s just a fast slippery slope to watching a guy sleep in your bed! For eight hours!!

        Oh, where will this all end??

        1. JA

          Who knows. Next she might reach out to touch his chest.

  2. NGPZ

    Re: Alt-Text dammit now i want burger king

    1. Dara

      the burger kingdom of god, one presumes, is always… uh… yeah I got nothin’ i just wanted to type the burger kingdom of god xD

      1. BarerMender

        The Burger Kingdom of God has real gold crowns. Also, the fries are always fresh.

        1. Dara

          we need biblically accurate burger king

        2. Schpoonman

          Oh fuck no.

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      In the name of the father, the son, and the way you want it most.

      1. NGPZ

        flame-broiled with grilled onions and mustard, ketchup is optional :9

      2. Dara

        choir of biblically accurate Burger Monks changing

        HOLD THE PICK-LLLLLES

        HOLD THE LET-TUUUUUS

        SPECIAL ORDERS DON’T UPSET UUUUUUUUUUUUUS

  3. Rose by Any Other Name

    Oh thank goodness.
    … I… um… think?

    Out of the uncomfortable frying pan, into the uncomfortable fire.

    1. NGPZ

      ?

    2. Thag Simmons

      Is a frying pan usually comfortable?

      1. ThomasQuinn

        Well, if it’s a) not being heated right now b) there’s no fat in it and, crucially, c) you happen to be a cat, then yes, absolutely.

        1. Taffy

          I’m autistic, that’s close enough to being a cat. I’ll have to try out this frying pan situation.

        2. a/snow/mous/e

          Given that cats can typically fit in smaller spaces than humans; I think to use it for the same purpose, you’d need that frying pan to be an oversized comedy prop.

    3. Queezle

      I was warming up to the Carla Charlie thing. I like seeing them interact.
      I like Carla better when interacting with Charlie, it seems as if she is more herself then and less of the overconfident act she is playing.

  4. Nono

    Ceiling Joyce is watching you pray to God.

    (She also sees you sneaking glances at your phone.)

    1. Bryy

      ….. oh wow.

    2. JA

      Now there’s a reference I haven’t seen in a long time.

  5. Thag Simmons

    I mean, I’d believe that. Good lie from kid!Joyce here.

    1. Doctor_Who

      And attending the second service should earn her enough JesusPoints to make up for the lie she told!

      This plan is foolproof.

  6. Kyrik Michalowski

    Oh boy, is this where where we get see Becky being disappointed after she realizes Joyce is staying for Tristan, and not her?

    1. Hoboturtle

      Considering Becky didn’t think Joyce was straight at the beginning of Freshmen year I think Becky being obvious to little Joyce’s crush will be more likely.

      1. Hoboturtle

        oblivious*

      2. GholaHalleck

        Joyce’s vehement denial of ‘liking’ Tristan went so hard it convinced Becky that Joyce was gay.

      3. HueSatLight

        At the time Becky kissed Joyce, she thought Joyce’s attraction to boys had been a ruse. It’s something she convinced herself of. And in a bonus strip, she’s shown aware of Joyce’s apparent attraction to Tristan.

  7. DarkoNeko

    that’s not creepy at all for Tristan, who of course has never ever noticed it or you talking aloud about him

  8. Dante

    I’ve never even been religious and evangelism is a distant nightmare to me. But you know Becky is sinner-coded in comparison to Joyce when you realize her arms are bare, gasp.

    (Poor girls fff)

    1. Coatl

      It seems like we’ll see more details about this couple’s past, but I don’t know, but I feel like things between Joyce and Becky haven’t been resolved yet.

      1. Dante

        Yeah, no. The thing with them wasn’t even “let’s agree to disagree”, it was more like “let’s not mention it again”. I don’t feel like that’s conductive to true peace dslgkjsd :’33

    2. Holly

      She also has *gasp* red hair, which is a whole thing in the history of religious art

      1. crow

        Well she didn’t have red hair back then, so she must’ve dyed it after going to college. Which would maybe be symbolic of a change in that time.

        1. Mark

          She’s also become less blue.

        2. Dante

          A woman’s hair is her glory, how dare she dye her beautiful blue

        3. MacareuxMoine

          No, Becky is a natural redhead – never dyed. You can’t tell from the blueish flashbacks, but she was the same shade of red in the very first comic and in the old photos of the trip to the carnival (don’t ask me in which strip those appeared)

      2. Dante

        +1, you’re super right. That should’ve been my first inkling o.o

    3. Uly

      Her clothes are also just generally more casual-appearing – there’s no collar either.

  9. RassilonTDavros

    Oh good I was worried those first few strips were all we were gonna get of this Tristan person in this storyline kinda-sorta-named after him. I want all the juicy deets.

    Also Joyce with braces is adorable omg

    1. Aura

      Oh wow how did I not pick up on that?

      1. BarerMender

        Me either. I thought it had something to do with gaps in her teeth.

        1. Aura

          Oh whoops that was ambiguous, it was the Tristan/Trystin’ wordplay that flew by me 😛

        2. Daibhid C

          Also a TMBG reference.

          She doesn’t have to have her Young Fresh Fellows Rich Mullins tapes back now…

    2. Dante

      Isn’t her dad a dentist?

  10. Sirksome

    I swear if this is about that loser Tristan I irrationally hate I will flip.

    1. drs

      have you noticed the chapter title

      Trystin’ in the Wind

    2. Thag Simmons

      I recommend getting it over with ahead of time.

    3. HueSatLight

      Surprise Charlie and Booster flashback, since they live in the same county.

    4. Devin

      Whoa.

      Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna take a step back. Or two. Or fifteen.

      1. NGPZ

        Don’t worry, I think this is just sarcasm?

        Earthling humor is weird sometimes 😮

        1. clif

          Sometimes?

    5. HueSatLight

      how very Christ-like. (joke for everyone in a Christian hegemony)

  11. Suet

    Staying for 5 hrs? Why didn’t they just attend the second service then…

    *ironically sings Unholy by Sam Smith*

  12. Schpoonman

    I’m missing the Burger King reference.

    1. NGPZ

      The comments section trying to figure out that reference:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PSueHOY-Jk

    2. Taffy

      Burger King has the same kind of glass thingy they’re sitting in.

      1. Thag Simmons

        Yeah that sort of curved glass is not uncommon at fast food places in my experience

        1. Schpoonman

          Got it, I recognize it now.

        2. Mark

          Many Wendy’s of a certain age have it too.

        3. Thag Simmons

          A few Tim Hortons’ in my area have it to. Or had it, at least

    3. HueSatLight

      Church in a converted Burger King. The king statue converted into an icon.

      1. AbacusWizard

        Burger King Of Kings

        1. NGPZ

          Look upon yee almighty flame-grilled patties, and DESPAIR XD

        2. Taffy

          Nothing unfried remains.

        3. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Mound the tray
          with that caloric wreck. Taking your chair,
          The only healthy chance sprints far away.

      2. Dante

        Buddy Christ don’t stand a chance

      3. Mark

        Converted?

    4. C.T. Phipps

      It really does look like a Burger King.

    5. Tan

      See the alt-text of https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/burgerking/

      1. HueSatLight

        [salutes]

  13. Sirksome

    Cute to see young Becky crushing which is what she must be doing cause I can’t imagine even the holiest kid volunteering to stick around for more church instead of doing nearly anything else.

    1. Zero

      Especially if there’s that much time between them.

      Then again, Becky’s the one who called it “first service,” which does kind of imply that she might do both…

    2. Bash

      Cute except that Joyce is clearly on the lookout for her own crush.

    3. Raen

      The impression I’m getting is that Becky has already got a crush, but hasn’t totally realized she’s got a crush; she just thinks she wants to hug her bestie maybe a little more than usual.

  14. Joe Moose

    Meanwhile…

  15. Lightweight Baybee

    if joyce ever watches moral orel she will esplode

  16. HueSatLight

    no Sunday School between services?

    1. anon

      well, she was homeschooled so maybe her parents thought the regular service was enough

    2. Mark

      Some churches do Sunday School in parallel with the services. You can attend one of each and there’s no gap.

    3. Bittersweet

      Most churches I’ve been to had service or Sunday School. You could be in Sunday School like the little kids or in service like an adult, no in between.

    4. HueSatLight

      hm. We had early service (more elderly people there). Then Sunday School for kids of all ages, separated by age group. And several Bible study groups for adults at the same time. Then “regular” service, which ran longer than early service, and included a children’s sermon where like little kids would go up to the front and someone would do a version of the/a sermon tailored to them and their attention spans. Real little kids would be in the nursery.

      I was aware Sunday School was sometimes done differently, but I guess I still have no idea the relative frequencies.

      1. HueSatLight

        only church in my browser history is the one Becky’s church is modeled off of lol. They have “Discipleship Hour” between services: classes for all ages and stages in faith.

  17. BBCC

    That must be true because she’s so drawn to this place. For gospel reasons.

  18. Taffy

    She has short hair, that’s Satan’s influence corrupting her into sin. Or whatever those people believe, idk it all sounds a little far-fetched to me.

    1. HueSatLight

      Far-fetched, the delicious pokemon.

      1. Taffy

        Motherfucker comes with its own seasoning, what a legend

  19. John Campbell

    You’re full of something, Li’l Joyce, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the Holy Spirit.

    1. Schpoonman

      This would have been more my comment’s direction if the alt-text hadn’t completely thrown me.

    2. Bash

      I ready Horny Spirit at first.

      1. Suet

        In the name of the Daddy, the Buns and the Horny Spirit.

  20. brionl

    Does this mean the Carla/Charlie bit is part of Joyce’s dream?

    1. Mark

      I think this chapter is going to cut back and forth between Joyce’s memory and current events, until something ties the two threads together and we see the connection.

  21. C.T. Phipps

    Poor Becky assumed this was their first date.

    1. drs

      At least they’re leaving room for Jesus.

  22. Marvelman

    These flashbacks are cute. I hope nothing traumatic happens.

    1. anon

      I imagine it can’t be too bad, or tristan was nice about letting her down or oblivious or she wouldn’t have been so eager in college when she had an opportunity to go on a date with joe the very first time lol

      1. Mark

        I’m probably forgetting something again, but my guess is that to this day Tristan doesn’t know.

    2. Tan

      That’s our secret. It’s all trauma.

      1. Needfuldoer

        Oops! ALL Traumatic Flashbacks!

  23. Raen

    Is that a decade-younger Toedad in the first panel?

    1. Needfuldoer

      I don’t think so. At this point he didn’t look much different.

      Besides, he would’ve been tagged. Toe tagged.

    2. Taffy

      Nah, just some random pervert.

    3. HueSatLight

      Probably the guy from this panel 2. Phillip DePues

      1. Taffy

        Oh, like “fill up the pews”, because it’s a church and he’s a pervert.

  24. Anon A Mouse

    Did Becky and Joyce hold hands while watching Trystin? Was the Charlie/Carla thing a setup to show this scene? Does Becky’s first female/female touching experience happen with Joyce? Am I speculating too much but making you think “Hmm… but what if…?”

    1. Mark

      Story at 11.

  25. Adam Black

    is this a converted Burger King?

  26. Amós Batista

    “I’m just feel so full of Holy Spirit right now”
    Cringest excuse from a christian, ever.

    1. Adam Black

      whats if its not. What if shes been reinterpreting horniness as spirit the whole time?

      1. morleuca

        “I’ve got that loving spirit down in my loins!”
        “Where?”
        “Down in my loins!”
        “Where?”
        “Down in my loins! To staaaaaaay!”

  27. Sombrero

    What would be the atrium of a Burger King? A parking lot?

    1. Taffy

      It would be the atrium.

      1. Sombrero

        Oh, I see, atrium is a word used not just for church buildings. Thanks for the clarification!

        1. Daibhid C

          Yep, an atrium is basically the porch of a public building. As a non-churchgoer, I mostly associate them with banks, where it’s somewhere to put the cash machines so you can use them when the bank’s closed without being rained on and with less chance of being mugged. I think it originally meant the courtyard at the centre of a Roman villa.

        2. Daibhid C

          Oh, and libraries, where it’s somewhere to put the book deposit bin, only then you lock the main doors whenever you’re closed anyway, so what’s the point?

          (That might be one specific library.)

        3. Schpoonman

          Most of my local libraries have drive-up/walk-up deposits for returning stuff after hours.

        4. HueSatLight

          I believe it has to do with the high percentage of windows in the ceiling / walls of the area.

        5. Mark

          I would say specifically the skylight, and the wide open-ness. An atrium ought to be an interior space, though, tall, with a skylight or open to the sky. This is more like a conservatory: a glassed-in room at the edge of the building meant for keeping lots of plants.

          Anyway, this space is light and airy and meant for informal conversation.

  28. thumb

    Does… does Joyce associate getting horny with religious fervor?
    Imagine how much soul searching could have been bypassed if she’d figured out masturbation earlier.
    Kinda sucks that the *religious fervor* gets in the way of that, huh?

    1. C.T. Phipps

      Eh, religion and ecstasy have long been associated by many cultures.

      1. Sombrero

        Mystic Joyce.

    2. Sam

      I mean… a lot of churches do try to tell you that ‘feeling’ you have is God, when you are literally a child listening to singing or getting to dance. Which in Joyce’s case, we know was restricted at home. So it isn’t unknown to try to say feeling good or simply joy is feeling ‘God’.

    3. Rotunda

      It seems more like Joyce can talk about religious feeling, but not about sexual attraction. I don’t think she thinks they’re the same thing. Also, he sexual stuff is new to her in early adolescence and the religious stuff goes back to early childhood, so she’s going with familiar vocabulary and subject matter.

  29. egg egg

    Man I miss when Burger Kings had atriums. Now they’re just boxes.

    1. MK15

      Wendy’s too! They might have called it a “garden room” at one point? I recall little planters with live ferns and stuff…

  30. Woof McGee

    Plot twist: Joyce dozes off in the atrium. When she wakes up, it is revealed that the entire comic up to this point has been a dream.

    1. Anon A Mouse

      All of the blue comics have been the ACTUAL timeline.

      1. Woof McGee

        Yes!

  31. Rabisch

    They were adorables

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