278

Hectic
Posted on December 9, 2014 by David M Willis
Thanks to everyone who came to see me at Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy's Webcomic Rampage in Austin this last weekend!  As always, super fun was had.

278 thoughts on “Hectic”

  1. Jen Aside

    dat greener grass

    AND WHO DON’T LIKE NEKKID FOUNTAINS COME ON

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Naked peeing Cupids are the high class.

      1. Jen Aside

        I found the best one in DC, it’s got this drapey cloth thing to it, but the dude’s face is like, “are you srsly peeking behind this to see if I got my dick out”

        1. TrueVCU

          Is that the one in front of Union Station?

        2. nightsbridge

          Thank you greece, for giving our otherwise prudish culture the ability to make some nudes that society is cool with.

    2. potatoaddict

      Bless the fine art of naked sculptures & the diversity of relationships that form in secular colleges!

      And their eventual downfall with imposed turtleneck modesty & relational complications!

    3. MrSirk

      That foutain should be ashamed! Always out late drinking with it’s other foutain buddies, giving it up for free to any fish that walks by, and the blatant exibitionism!

      1. Ubuntu4Ever

        If it bothers joyce so much, she could get it “yarn bombed”. Yes, it’s a thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing

      2. Mollyscribbles

        And never being charged for public urination!

    4. newllend

      She wouldn’t be complaining about it if it was a naked dude, she would just walk by it awkwardly in a fast rate and pretend she was looking somewhere else.

      1. Shadlyn

        If it was a naked dude, he might already have a very tasteful turtleneck.

        1. Charlie Spencer

          I’m sure he’d have a ‘turtleneck sweater’. Did you ever try circumcising marble?

        2. Historyman68

          You’d need a JackhamMoyle.

        3. TheCerpent

          Jesus and Biff tried that once. It didn’t work too well, and the Romans weren’t amused.

        4. Deanatay

          So, he’d be sweater-cocking?

    5. Ed Rhodes

      Apparently Joyce. I am curious as to what Becky’s been doing that keeping her so busy… I can’t imagine the college life there is THAT hectic.

      1. Clif

        She’s been busy being not there.

        1. Ed Rhodes

          I actually hadn’t thought of that until I started reading the other
          comments!

    6. Daibhid C

      Is there an urn? If there are urns that makes it Art and that’s okay.

    7. Ellen

      Has anyone pointed out that the fountain in question was shown in-comic? Complete with clam and fish-spouts!

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

  2. liahansen

    But no pants Joyce? SHAME

    1. Dreadhawk177

      Shipped?

      1. potatoaddict

        Shipped together like an expedition in the days of Columbus.

    2. Yotomoe

      It’s a knee length sweater.

      1. liahansen

        Hoodie dress’d be better.

        Speaking of which, that must have been the shortest fad ever.

        1. Ed Rhodes

          You missed the T-shirt dress fad of the late 70’s.
          It litterly (sp) was a dress made of t-shirt material, you could even
          get iron ons for it.
          My wife had a black one with an ice blue Superman logo on it!

    3. Kennerly

      You misspelled long dress.

  3. otusasio451

    Venus de Modesty.

    1. Gigafreak

      Somewhat relevant.
      http://itsfanart.com/gallery3/index.php/walky/adv

  4. Shadic

    Sounds like Becky is thinking about moving.

    The logistics of which may be weird because I’m not sure time actually passes in this comic, and that’d have to be something you would do between terms.

    1. Raine

      I think maybe Becky dropped out or something. Who knows.

      1. Jen Aside

        It’s three buildings and a sidewalk. Someone coulda huffed and puffed and blown it down.

      2. TSB

        Sounds about right. My freshman dorm had a That One Kid Who Dropped Out First Week. Hopefully Becky has a viable non-college plan or is just transferring, though.

      3. Joe

        I think maybe Becky dropped out ran away or something.

        1. Joe

          HTML fail!

      4. Matt

        Yeah, some kids just can’t cut it at school. Plus Becky seems anxious to avoid talking about Anderson. Maybe it’s not because she doesn’t like Anderson, but because she doesn’t want to dwell on previous failures.

        1. marr

          I’m thinking that Becky may not be as deep into this whole religious thing as Joyce.

      5. Halloween Jack

        I don’t think that she dropped out; I think that she realized something about herself that conflicts with certain rules and principles of her current school, and is desperately (if quietly) looking for a rationalization for transferring.

    2. Tan

      Time does pass, very, very, very slowly. Figure maybe 5-6 more years to finish the semester.

  5. MrSirk

    Anderson is on fire or something horrible isn’t it?

    1. TheOthin

      Nah. Notice the context – Joyce is excited about Anderson being affirming. Becky, who likes girls, does not find the same appeal in its teachings.

      1. timemonkey

        Becky linking girls is pure fanon so far.

        1. Mr k

          Linking girls. Does that mean she likes dressing girls up in Green Tunics and giving them swords?

        2. Charles

          <..>

          …YES.

        3. Disloyal Subject

          If it’s ‘girls’ in the plural, shouldn’t she branch out with some blue & red tunics? I seem to recall something involving four Links.

        4. Ryan

          I don’t think that was fanon before you defined it, but I’m pretty sure it is now.

        5. Durandal_1707

          It means she likes to post things from their Tumblr pages on her Facebook profile.

        6. Rutee

          Mein Gott in Himmel, speculation on a known unknown isn’t ‘fanon’. You complain far too much about this shit.

        7. Thomas64

          *Mein Gott im Himmel

        8. Clif

          Pretty sure Gott can be in Himmel if she wants to be.

          (Himmel, Texas anyway. Dunno about furin parts.)

        9. Cynthia

          MEIN GOTT IN HIMMELSDORF! 😀

        10. Rutee

          Alack, I don’t actually speak German, it’s my wife who does and I never thought to check. Curse my laziness.

        11. drs

          Speculation isn’t bald statements. “Becky, who likes girls” sounds like a statement of fact, which it is not yet, not like speculation, which is valid.

        12. Rutee

          No matter how cautiously you phrase it, “Becky likes girls” can only be phrased as either a fact, or an opinion about a fact (“I think Becky likes girls”).

        13. TheOthin

          It is unconfirmed but a safe bet.

        14. Kennerly

          We’ve been through this before. Becky isn’t a lesbian, she’s transgender.

        15. tinfoil theory

          She’s a Destron Second Variety Cylon model T-X sent into the Matrix by the Forbin Project.

        16. Clif

          Sh.

        17. la6uɐ mous

          “She”? So MtF?

        18. Cynthia

          MtFs are shes, dummy.

        19. Cynthia

          Edit: commented on the wrong pst, sorry.

        20. Cynthia

          Are TSs not allowed to be lesbian?

        21. Rutee

          Well, if Becky is transgendered, the odds are that either Becky isn’t in the binary, or is a guy (There’s a chance that Becky is in fact a trans woman and Joyce never knew, ofc; I’m familiar iwth at least one similar case).

          If Becky’s not a trans woman, then… no, Becky can’t be a lesbian.

        22. Cynthia

          I’m confused by this.

        23. Halloween Jack

          Becky liking girls is pure fanonawesome so far.

      2. MrSirk

        But that means Anderson is probably a horrible place to go to school and Becky is most likely miserable there almost every day. That’s just as sad. 🙁

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Precisely. Willis comic, after all.

        2. Clif

          I’m doubting she been miserable there much, mostly because I’m guessing she hasn’t been there much.

      3. Kodra

        Interestingly enough, the actual Anderson University has made (at least surface level) attempts to welcome LGBT students, and will tell you so on their website. I don’t know what this looks like in practice. (I’m guessing not great)

        1. Clif

          Oh ye of little faith…

          and much healthy sceptisism.

        2. Kodra

          y’know, I just did a bit more research. There may be some groups forming, but their charter still outlines homosexuality as not an acceptable lifestyle … so IDK seems like an awful place. (or at least it did in 2010 when a panel was convened there to discuss the topic)

      4. Killjoy

        Sorry, I must have missed where that was shown in the comic.

    2. Mr k

      Becky burnt down the school. That’s why she’s here. She’s a fugitive from the law.

    3. Cephalo the Pod

      Like, constantly on fire?

      That’s be a pretty cool school, actually. I mean, if the fire’s perpetual then they probably have safety measures implemented by now, so there’s no actual danger.

      1. Durandal_1707

        It’d be pretty hot actually, not cool at all.

      2. Leorale

        It burns, and yet, it is not consumed

    4. Yotomoe

      Literally, Becky burned it to the ground and that’s why she’s visiting Joyce.

      1. newllend

        I can Imagine Joyce turning on the TV and seeing the news broadcast a wanted search for a girl that looks just like Becky for burning down a local institution , then turns around to see Becky just fucking gone.

    5. Dragon_Nataku

      The plot of Legion/Dominion is happening there.

      Angels coming down to murder humans != affirming

      1. Clif

        Depends a bit on whether you’re an angel.

    6. Jenny Islander

      …the college has become worldly enough to try to reform their curriculum to qualify for accreditation gasp pearlclutch so Becky was informed by her parents that she was withdrawing, infighting in the administration led to some of the richer donors flouncing away to fund New Awesomest Holy College Not Staffed Solely By Folks Who Got Kicked Out of That Other Place Nuh-Uh, their annual guest speaker on purity was photographed in Cabo with three nubile college-aged persons of various sexes and a box of toys…

      1. Badtux

        Anderson is already accredited, and from all accounts is not a bad school in its limited areas of specialization. But the fact that the biggest building on campus is the “Church of God Ministry Center” probably is a Clue(tm)…

  6. Khantalas

    That beat panel, though.

    TELL ME YOUR SECRETS BECKY

    1. Kernanator

      Well, this one time in Bible Study…

      1. Razzmatazz MacKenzie

        Your avatar pic makes this amazing.

    2. Ninja Ned

      How can Anderson be real if Becky isn’t real?

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        It’s not Anderson, it’s Neo! 😛

        1. Kennerly

          If there is no spoon, how do you eat cereal?

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          You don’t because there is no cereal either. 😀

        3. Gigafreak

          What good is a cereal bowl when you have no mouth to eat with?

        4. Flailing

          Then how do the machines know the taste of oatmeal?

        5. Hollister Dixon

          who

          THE FUCK

          ATE ALL THE CEREAL

        6. AustKyzor

          There is no fuck

        7. gwalla

          BUT WHO WAS PHONE

    3. Thomas64

      Forget about the beat panel. What about panel two? “Yeah it’s been pretty hectic”? There’s something wrong there. She isn’t volunteering anything about just what exactly has been keeping her so busy, and when Joyce tries to ask about that, Becky steers the conversation away from that topic.

      1. artemi

        Yeah, I agree. That’s the important panel, I think. She’s just playing along with Joyce, trying to lie by omission in a way that she can’t be called out on later once Joyce figures it out (whatever IT is, anyway). Once we get to panel 4, its clear that didn’t work and she has to manually steer this ship, but before then she’s more then happy to let Joyce do all the work at coming up with excuses.

  7. John

    Hey, Becky got Joyce in bed with her!

    Becky’s panel 4 face seems suspicious, in some way I can’t exactly pin down. She sure seems into the naked chick with the clam and the fish, though.

    1. fogel

      Not that there’s anything wrong with that

      Mary delenda est

      1. a4lbish

        [muffled seinfield theme playing in the distance]

  8. Plasma Mongoose

    Give it an orange turtleneck, a short skirt and square glasses and we have a Velma de Milo.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      …
      Indiana students, take note of this comment and MAKE IT FUCKING SO.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        That’s the spirit!

      2. Leorale

        I’m not an Indiana student, but I’ve just been waiting for something to make into a gravatar… let’s see how this one looks. Joyce’s wish is my command.

        1. Leorale

          dangit! It was supposed to be that fountain but with an orange sweater dress on.

    2. JWLM

      Yeah, no. That wouldn’t work with Showalter Fountain. (Yes, it’s real. Yes, goggling at it was a rite of passage for new first years.)

    3. Lanval

      It was drawn for you though (not by me): http://c-willey.deviantart.com/art/Velma-de-Milo-499389416

  9. newllend

    What the matter Joyce Real world to much for you ?

  10. Mr. Random

    Nope, nothing wrong going on in Becky’s life. It’s completely normal.

  11. Dean

    I can tell that panel 4 is significant, but not how. Does Becky just miss Joyce? Or is something else going on?

    1. rhelmot

      Becky wants to kiss Joyce in very secular ways. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

      1. tinfoil theory

        And here I though she wanted to know her in a rather biblical way.

  12. shoeboxjeddy

    Ooo drama. Either Christian College isn’t working out well for Becky or Christianity ITSELF is the thing that’s not working out.

    Or she could just be failing at the school part. WHO KNOWS?!?

    1. Annie

      This is what I’m wondering.

      My first thought is that she’s losing, or has lost her faith.
      I can’t imagine how awful enough it would be to have to come to terms with atheism, when you were raised in a Fundie cocoon. But then to go through the emotional and mental upheaval that happens when you finally start to accept that you just don’t believe any of the stuff they told you is real while at a super Fundie Evangelical Christian college? Oi. That would be awful.

      It was bad enough for me coming to terms with it in college when I went to a very secular college in an area that’s something like 58% Catholic, 41% Evangelical Fundie Baptist or similar and just 1% for every thing else, most of which are some other Bible-Literalist Evangelical flavor of Christian.

      If this is what Becky is going through, then poor Becky. I hope she can get out of Anderson soon.

    2. Thomas64

      Only a few weeks in, it’s a bit early for anyone to get the feeling that they are failing academically… But suddenly being away from living in a suffocating, overbearing, micro-managing family, now that can be a shock to the system, especially if you find yourself in the company of people who are used to more freedom than you are. I don’t know anything about Anderson, but I bet that even a “Christian University” has a fair number of students who weren’t raised by home-schooling fundamentalists.

  13. i know you all hate me

    I don’t know why, but I just really don’t like Becky. I don’t like her and Walky together, either… when they’re together it feels like they’re in fourth grade or something.

    1. StrawGirl

      Agreed. They are more socially stunted than my friend circle. That’s saying a lot when you realize that they’re not just D&D geeks, but we play variations of D&D (such as Pathfinder) as well. My friends and I are total dorks, but even my most annoying roommate is………… Wait. I just realized that my most annoying roommate is basically a more intelligent Walky. WTF. I wasn’t ready for that.

  14. HMRC4EVR

    Methinks Becky is not telling the whole truth here…

  15. liahansen

    Okay i just noticed that Joyce is looking right at us in that last panel and its really creeping me out

  16. Cattleprod

    Becky is clearly 100% satisfied with her Anderson experience, there is nothing remotely suspicious going on here, no sir.

  17. Stephen Bierce

    TURTLE POWER!

  18. M-M

    the plot thickens!!! (ooh ooh ooh gotta love a plot that’s thick in all the right places!)

    1. fogel

      Thick in the middle, thin at both ends (A. Elk)

  19. JessWitt

    Something’s fishy here – and no, not the fountain.

  20. Ray Radlein

    Becky really likes the naked girl’s clam.

  21. Rosicrucian

    Yesterday, two girls in bed.

    Today, two girls in bed.

    Smooth transition, Willis.

    1. newllend

      Dorothy and Amazi-girl were in bed together!? Damnit did I miss something ?

      1. Mr k

        I wish. Hey, maybe with Danny now having a crush on Ethan, Amazi-Girl can now date Dorothy!

        1. Benjy

          I approve of this sentiment.

        2. newllend

          No no they’ll all probably have a 4-way and Joyce will walk in and she’ll be like, “Why didn’t you guys ask me to join ?

        3. Disloyal Subject

          PRE-MARITAL HANKY- oooh, that’s hot…

        4. DSL

          Not before Ethan and Amber, and Danny and Amazi-Girl, double-date.

  22. Plasma Mongoose

    2 girls, 1 bed.

  23. Luzahn

    I mean, the not answering calls this should tip us off that something else is up. I mean, the way it sounds she’s been calling school phones and not Becky’s cell phone; maybe she’s not allowed one at an Evangelical place?

    If Becky hasn’t been there for the past week, it would explain this quite nicely.

    1. Clif

      It’s been established that Becky’s parents won’t allow her a phone. It’s why she was so anxious to get her hands on Joyce’s and Angry Birds.

  24. Bob

    Can we permanently switch Becky for Joyce? Becky is more relaxed and down-to-Earth and non-judgmental. I like her better then Joyce.

    1. timemonkey

      How do you know? The only thing Becky’s dealt with is Joyce and fart jokes. Joyce’s parents seemed wonderful at first too, until they had to dal with someone who didn’t share their beliefs.

      1. Bob

        Based on how Becky seems to actually enjoy Walky’s company rather then how Joyce seems to only hang out with him to be around Dorothy, as well as the fact that Becky doesn’t seem to base her acceptance of others on her religious beliefs, yet Joyce judges all the time, even going as far as to try and turn a gay man straight because its against “gods” will.

        1. timemonkey

          Joyce hates Walky because he’s rude and insulting to her and has been the entire time. Becky likes Walky because he hasn’t insulted her intelligence and goals.

    2. Kelly

      That is not ok, Joyce is great (oddly enough I say this as a liberal atheist with little tolerance for religion).

      I do hope Becky moves here and becomes part of the main cast though.

      1. Lanval

        It’s perfectly okay to prefer one comic character over another and want to trade them out.

        Joyce means well, but it’s hard to deny that she can be awful. That’s part of being 18. Or a teenager/young adult in general.

        Good news is that she looks like she’s growing into a more moderate and happier person, though being neutoric is a part of who she is.

        Becky is probably horrible too (but more in a Walky style “I am awkward in serious moments” and maybe “I repress and talk about nothing but smile a lot”) but we haven’t see that yet and for the most part she seems like 200% happier as a person and lower maintenance.

      2. Thomas64

        I like Joyce better, too, and it’s because even though I disagree with her on lots of things, I like that she speaks her mind. With Joyce, you know who you’re dealing with. Becky, on the other hand, is hiding things. She isn’t who she pretends to be.
        So: more Becky please! I want to find out what the hell is going on with her.

        1. fogel

          Um, joyce drew dongs on all the whiteboards in the dead of night:
          not exactly what you see is what you get

        2. timemonkey

          She had a panic attack and eventually admitted it.

    3. artemi

      We can’t do that. How would Willis troll us, then?

  25. beege

    I have a suspicion that Joyce and Becky are having inverted college experiences – the unwilling broadening of her horizons that Joyce is experiencing is the very thing Becky was hoping to get from college and didn’t. Or possibly the insularity of the experience is actually having the same effect on Becky that Joyce’s college experience is having on her, but through a different process.

    I love Joyce’s expression in the last panel.

  26. Emoroffle

    Some people have niche kinks. Get used to it Joyce.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Turtleneck? Sounds like she’s well on the road. Sweaters are awesome.

  27. advancecasette

    that troubled pause is so pregnant with meaning that it is lactating

    1. Leorale

      Somebody call a midwife for it

  28. Yotomoe

    Speaking of naked ladies in clams, have you seen that Billie girl anywhere?

    1. newllend

      …you lost me what the clam supposed to be Ruth’s cleavage ? That makes since actually they’re soft and warm on the inside but at the same time they’re probably crushing your head.

      1. Yotomoe

        Clams are slang for a lady’s reproductive organ. Namely the Vagoo.

        1. Leorale

          Please never call it a vagoo again. I imagined Mr. Magoo covered in goo and a labia. Auugh.

        2. Khantalas

          What, you are not familiar with the “jam it in!” comic?

        3. Ancestral Hamster

          ROTFLMAO!

        4. newllend

          What do you have like an encyclopedia of sexual phrases or something like that?

        5. Disloyal Subject

          It’s a relatively common term. Bearded Clam is less ambiguous.
          He might, though. (This is the internet; I’m sure many sites serve such a role.)

        6. Clif

          Newllend, see. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Sexual_slang

        7. Rutee

          That’s a pretty common one. There are many fish metaphors for ladyparts. Technically a clam is not a fish, but that is nto the point.

        8. WeezerLuvr3030

          “Making the clam smile” is a masturbation metaphor. A horrible one, but it might contain a pearl of wisdom.

        9. tyersome

          I salute you on this little ‘gem’ of yours – it was rubbing me the wrong way initially … but then, from deep in the nether regions (of what passes for my mind), up popped the impulse to google “polishing the pearl” … being an eager beaver, I did so … and my lips certainly parted in a smile!

        10. Peruhain

          http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=clam

        11. Lanval

          I love how every time I see someone who has a euphemism go over there head, I’m like “D’aww, innocence on the internet. We should preserve this.”

          Only to refresh/return to the page ten minutes later and there’s like half a sex ed page posted.

        12. Opus the Poet

          Only half? You should see it now.

  29. Yoohoo

    I’m guessing Becky’s realizing she’s not as secular as she thought/wants to be. Or she may have always known. Either way she’s out of her parents house and rule so she’s experiencing a little freedom. Free thinking. Dabbling in new things..

    Or she’s closeted lesbian >_> In either case I’m guessing she’s gonna really like Dorothy when she finally meets her. (I’m usually wrong with these but here’s hoping)

    1. Disloyal Subject

      secular [sek-yuh-ler], adjective
      1. of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests.

      2. not pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to sacred ):
      secular music.

      1. WeezerLuvr3030

        Sectarian?

        1. Killjoy

          “Sectarian” refers to issues dealing with different or conflicting sects.

          Thus a sectarian conflict between different sects of Islam, or the (in part) sectarian conflict of Northern Ireland.

    2. Rutee

      Wait, you’re getting *THAT* message out of her changing the subject? She’d probably console Joyce and agree if that were the case, no?

      1. Thomas64

        Not necessarily. Maybe they are both finding themselves in places where they are experiencing greater freedom than what they were used to at home, and Joyce is resisting that freedom and the temptations and sticking to her beliefs, while Becky is embracing it.

      2. gwalla

        I think Yoohoo may be under the impression that “secular” means “religious” instead of the opposite.

        1. Yoohoo

          Nah I just went in another direction and didn’t bother to reread while I was deleting paragraphs. My bad guys! If I could go back and edit I would – that’s a simple yet embarrassing mistake on my part.

          Tell me I’m not the only one who writes a bunch and then deletes half of what they say… I am? Well okay.

  30. S'toon

    I knew it. Becky’s not “just visiting.” She’s running away.

    1. Leorale

      I scrolled down just to see if anybody else was thinking the same thing.

      1. Clif

        Fair chance you guys are right. The question is why.

        1. Swerve

          I think the answer is obvious: Becky probably grew tired of the insular environment in her Christian college. She wants to experience the world, and is jealous of Joyce.

          Personally, I think the odds are favorable that Becky has run away or been kicked out. If she has been kicked out, she’s decided to run away and hang with Joyce, rather than face her parents back at home.

  31. Boomwolf

    Ok, thats it, Becky is now my favorite character in this comic, just because of that last panel.

  32. Whittier

    Ah, Showalter Fountain. Do the dolphins still get stolen from time to time?

  33. Em

    Don’t show Joyce any classic art.

  34. Rabid Rabbit

    Okay, at this point Willis is clearly just trolling us. I’m switching my vote back to Becky being straight.

    1. takashid

      on the other hand I’m going to double down on m bet that Becky is less then entirely straight.

      1. Lanval

        My money is that it is always implied but never revealed. Up to and including in the Slipshine called “Becky and Joyce perform a Bundling”

  35. JessWitt

    Maybe Anderson is actually a cult and Becky’s a runaway refugee.

    1. Mr k

      Nah, Willis would be sued for putting a cult in the comic.

      1. JessWitt

        Yeah, true that. Maybe she got involved in something cult-ish, not associated with Anderson?

      2. Rutee

        …Wait, what? By whom?

      3. Rabid Rabbit

        Only if it was a real one.

    2. gwalla

      Anderson University is a real school.

  36. Psyme

    I would imagine the statue in a Maid outfit.

    This is my fetish.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Meh. The Velma cosplay is that which my loins demand. Misty from Pokemon would be good too, what with the water theme, but I suppose a meido getup would be more universally recognizable.
      It’s a pity we’ve already passed Halloween.

      1. WeezerLuvr3030

        Squirtle in a maid’s outfit.

      2. Psyme

        Those are equally as good.

        I am fine with any clothes on a naked statue.

        1. la6uɐ mous

          Does it matter if the clothes are part of the statue?

  37. Cypherfox

    Calling it; Becky got booted from Anderson after she was caught playing Angry Birds during bible studies class. Yep, that’s it.

    “I love everyone there, but the Christianity can be stressful. Going to a secular college must be so much more affirming… Often I wish my parents had let me go here.”

    …

    “Y’know, Joyce, I…guess I’d hoped you hadn’t listened to me, about the whole ‘don’t let anyone change you’ thing…”

  38. takashid

    you know, not only the pause, but the way Becky IMMEDIATELY changes the subject is pretty worrying. Can’t wait to find out what her deal is

  39. David Alexander McDonald

    “So, Becky, say more about this interest in…ladies and their clams.”

  40. Brie

    I imagine Becky’s experiencing a more dramatic version of what I went through in college. I was kind of half-assedly-Christian-but-pretty-much-agnostic(?) and ended up going to a local baptist college. The more I interacted with the incredibly pro-Christian lifestyle the more I became a not-half-assed-at-all-atheist. Something about learning and discovering more about yourself and having that starkly contrast with the bullshit being flung at you and well-meaning(???) people telling you that you seem like a nice person and they don’t want you to go to Hell because you haven’t accepted Jesus kinda makes you realize that you don’t want any part of the whole shebang. Plus, the more you actually study things like psychology, literature, science, LIFE IN GENERAL the more you realize that maybe the world isn’t like you thought? And let me tell you: Liberal Arts where they teach you to study text critically paired with people telling you the bible is right because it’s the bible end of story? Yeah….

    1. WeezerLuvr3030

      Well, to be fair, my liberal arts undergrad and grad degrees are from a secular institution, and they taught me a deep, abiding respect for the Bible itself and its contents. Especially political theory courses where we read several of the books, and a couple of courses on the history of apocalyptic movements and literature. The Bible is richer for me as a source text full of extremely complicated and thoughtful economics, politics, and critical philosophies.

      But yeah, that is from an entirely secular experience reading it and reading and talking about it.

      1. Lanval

        I went to a Catholic Highschool, left after a year as an Atheist. Those suckers left Camus in their library and that settled things for me.

        Went to a secular university and I’ve come out with a good bit of respect for what the Bible is/was. I’m doing a Philosophy Masters and I’d have a hard time guessing whether more of my favourite philosophers were Christian or not (William James, Pascal, Kierkegaard v. Nietzsche, Camus, Parfit).

        There is a decent number of people who think that secular schools weaken faith, but I think that definitely depends on person. Having one view pushed so long to the exclusion of others will make some people want to question it and having it presented on its merits and flaws will sometimes draw people to it.

    2. Mitsukara

      I got an experience kind of like that just by going to church with my parents as a teenager. It all started to seem so fake when I saw other people doing it, like some sort of stage show.

      Of course, it was one of those slightly creepy chuches with the speaking in tongues and stuff, and dudes laying down on the floor because they were having some sort of spiritual visitation or something, so those theatrics probably made it worse.

      And, well, good old internet social exposure (which I was supposed to be forbidden from… heh heh) gave me a broad range of exposure to people with many different beliefs. Once you meet your own Dorothys and Ethans, it all starts to add up.

      I’d consider myself technically agnostic, but with a very heavy atheist lean. There are certain beliefs I’d consider very likely to be incorrect, but I am willing to consider improbable possibilities, just as long as I’m not putting undue emphasis on their apparent likelyhood.

  41. zmm

    Shesh she really needs to switch unis XD

    assuming she didn’t just run away

    1. Clif

      And who’s going to pay for it. Not her parents I’m thinking.

      1. JWLM

        This. OTOH, she’s in-state and would be eligible for a lot of financial aid, so IU might not be totally unreachable.

  42. Idon'tcarenomore

    Becky wasn’t around when Joyce called because she was not there. Likely hasn’t been for awhile from the way she’s acting.
    It will be interesting if she’s waiting for transcript transfers.
    Pretty obvious she is not interested in Anderson: has a low opinion of it and doesn’t want to discuss it.

    None of this proves she’s interested in Joyce or other girls in a sexual way.

    Because of the way she gets along with Walky and handles the DS or Tablet in her hand, she is not cut from the same cloth as Joyce. Apparently she is much more socialized.

    None of this proves anything. But it does look like she is not happy and Anderson and may well have left. I expect we will find out soon enough.

    I also wonder if and when she starts school with the group just how long she will hang around with Joyce. They may be best friends and she may care a lot for her, but she’s changed. She didn’t seem to be overly happy when she stated ‘same old Joyce’, not unhappy maybe…but she’s noted that Joyce has not grown.

    Joyce was sent to public college as the most social of her peer group. She has done some life explorations recently. She stood up to her parents in Dorothy’s defense. But, basically she is still Joyce and quite ridged.

    1. John

      Ridged for her pleasure?

  43. Potatamoto

    When I first looked at Panel Four I lost at least 15 minutes as the howling of the Void serenaded me into a fearful fugue state. The more Becky becomes part of this continuity, the more Reality itself shudders in unknowing terror at the threat she represents. Stare into her eyes too long and you begin to give in to the bleak despair that whispers of the end of all things. All is lost.

    1. Clif

      Embrace it. You know you want to.

  44. la6ue mous snow angel

    SECOND-TO-LOWEST

    1. la6uɐ mous

      (and then instead of having them in fursuits it just shows them as literal furries)

      1. la6uɐ mous

        Whoops self-reply fail
        OH WELL you know where it goes

  45. Orangey

    BECKY PLEASE MOVE HERE. STAY WITH US foreverrr

  46. LeslieBean4Shizzle

    A day late, but I just read the new Slipshine and while I quite enjoyed it, one thing bothered me.
    Why has Billie shaved her pubic hair to look like the ghosts from Pac-Man?

    1. Gigafreak

      Well it is above her pink(y)

      1. artemi

        It shows where Ms Pacman needs to start eating.

        1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          **slowclap**

  47. zebrathinker

    hmm it’s possible Becky likes girls, but I think I’m definitely seeing the main reason for her visit. Please transfer Becky I voted you as greatest character for a REASON.

    also I hope Joyce doesn’t uh… have some kind of meltdown when she realizes Becky might not be religious anymore.

    Also having Becky be a Christian-turned-Atheist would be a new thing for Joyce to deal with right? I don’t…. think anyone is like that. I mean Billie is kinda low-key but still believes in God or s/t right? I think I’m remembering that right anyhow.

  48. Adam Black

    lesbian or bi

  49. Jess

    I know so many people are saying that Joyce and Becky should be a couple, but the idea in my head is kinda nagging at me.
    Mainly being that Becky fell for a preacher or someone in the church, got pregnant, and didn’t answer Joyce’s phone because she was getting rid of the baby when he left her.
    Until proven otherwise, that’s the story I’m sticking to. lolz

    1. Vangeln

      Perfect avatar.

      1. Jess

        XP
        Yes.
        Wow.
        Anyway, the idea in my head has plot bombs and isn’t as predictable as Becky being a lesbian (which could still be the case, because reasons).

  50. Albinogoth

    I’m guessing Becky doesn’t want to break the news that she’s no longer a Christian… perhaps even atheist.

    1. Em

      Ooo I like this theory!

  51. TheZachariah

    It’s cool how they can talk openly about anything beck’s keeping secret right now.

    1. Clif

      Well, Joyce can anyway.

  52. waterbuffalo

    Guys. I think Becky might be an atheist now! It just occurred to me she’s only been shown as disturbed or concerned when Joyce talks about faith with her and how much she loves that she’s a “fellow Christian”!

    1. Malchus

      That’s what you’re being led to believe, but no–she’d found her one true faith.

      As a Jaffa in service to the Goa’uld.

      1. Clif

        Or considering that this is a less sf universe and Becky is partially parallellng the early Sal, she may have run away and been recruited to fight the Russian Mob.

      2. la6uɐ mous

        Hopefully it’s therianism. ;3

        1. la6uɐ mous

          “Becky and Joyce perform a yiff!”

  53. Aeron

    The tech nerd in me is pretty certain that Becky is rocking a Lumia.

    Which is almost serendipitous, because an atheist friend of mine with Christian parents was given a Windows Phone solely because both Google and Apple openly support the LGBT community.

    I’m pretty sure Microsoft does too, but they don’t seem to want to make as much noise about it.

    1. Gwendir

      Isn’t that Joyce’s phone? At least this strip would indicate that Becky doesn’t own a cellphone.

      1. Aeron

        Ah, you’re probably right. My anecdote still stands on solid ground. :3

    2. JWLM

      Um, yeah. You should check your sources before making claims like that — Microsoft is incredibly LGBTQ-friendly, both internally and externally. Hell, when I left, our VP of HR was a lesbian who’d led the fight for same-sex adoption (back when it was politically risky for MSFT to be tied to the movement to end that particular bit of discrimination.)

      1. Aeron

        I did a cursory google search before posting and the first piece of news regarding Microsoft was how they backpedaled LGBT support in response to opposition from conservatives a few years back.

        To quote myself “I’m pretty sure Microsoft does too”. But they are clearly not as gung-ho about it as Google and Apple.

  54. Bagge

    Becky, Becky, Becky, what are you hiding? You come out from nowhere and present yourself to the readers as the awesomest thing since Walky on toast and you give us all these HINTS.

  55. Regalli

    Yep, Becky’s still hiding something.

    And yep, I’m still thinking she’s either been disowned or knows she’s probably going to be in the near future.

    *Waits for this plot twist enthusiastically*

  56. Neonix

    Oh, the fountain! I thought she was talking about Sal.

  57. Pat Myers

    Freshman year feels.

  58. Johnny Z

    Well, someone got sexually assaulted at their college.

  59. Animal

    I think Becky secretly harbors bukkake fantasies.

  60. Jeremy

    She has either left Anderson, lost her faith or both.

  61. grantimusmaximus

    I read the entirety of this comic in two days and now I’m all caught up and THE TENSION IS KILLING ME HOW DO YOU ALL DO IT.

    Anyways, I will gladly trade statues with the one at my college. Ours has a statue featuring a couple of naked dudes wrestling a gigantic horse.

    1. Leorale

      That sounds amazing. What college? I wanna see pics of naked horse wrestling. …that came out wrong.

      1. grantimusmaximus

        Texas State University. Trust me, it leaves quite the impression.

      2. grantimusmaximus

        Here’s the picture link. 2 nude dudes, 2 horses, all amazing. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4123/4933819422_62f62f7804.jpg

        1. Leorale

          Glorious!

        2. Bagge

          Truly epic!

        3. Bagge

          At most universities where I worked or studied the students have an age old tradition of mocking statues in different ways. If I were at Texas State University I would just scratch my head and say “I got nothing”

        4. grantimusmaximus

          It is the go-to site for student protests, believe it or not. It’s pretty good for visibility!

        5. Bagge

          That’s awesome!

    2. Itama

      yeah, that just sounds much cooler than the naked lady statue.
      but then i did jujitsu in high school, so i might be a *bit* biased.

    3. SDGlyph

      Heh, nice. Mine had a statue of ‘Archimedes rising from his bath’ that the students dubbed Old Man Achieving Orgasm In Bathtub…
      http://bit.ly/1x0dWwJ

      Every now and then he’d lose his nose and look like Voldemort.

      1. Bagge

        THANKS for the image of orgasming Voldemort

  62. Angel

    wait, her parents, who think atheists are AUTOMATICALLY bad, didn’t LET her go to the Christian college? Besides, isn’t nudity part of tons of christian artwork? Why would the mermaid statue be too much?

    1. Regalli

      They were alumni (as is Jocelyne, so it’s clearly a family thing) and she’s the “best socialized” of her homeschool group so they thought she’d get along well in a public education setting. And the fountain clearly isn’t a problem for her parents, just extremely-terrified-of-all-hints-of-sexuality Joyce.

      1. JWLM

        Becky just told us something huge about Joyce: Joyce wasn’t terrified-of-all-sex before she came to IU. Now, I wonder what might have happened to change that…

  63. Ogredjinn

    I actually went to Anderson, and I’m finding the mentions of it in the strip pretty funny. While it does have a Seminary school, their school of nursing is actually bigger. I graduated with a degree in Computer Science, myself. It may be a Christian school, and there are a larger than normal number of fundies than most schools, but its a lot more “loose” than most folks seem to think.

    Despite rules against smoking and drinking on campus every dorm has an unofficial smoking area just off-campus, and the dumpster outside the dorm had an unusual amount of glass bottles in them come Monday. The alcohol prohibition supposedly extended to off-campus, but every bar in town had a college night.

    Like most everything else, Anderson has two sides: What is presented as a part of the official PR, and what works with reality on a daily basis. The only real difference between Anderson and other small colleges is the mandatory chapel twice a week, and I managed to get out of those by working in the student labs.

    PS- There’s actually five buildings and a sidewalk, not counting the auditorium or dorms. Oh, and an eternal flame that kept blowing out, and a statue we used to call the giant green cheeto. :p

    1. Rutee

      I think the ‘three buildings’ thing is a joke, since she’s saying that IU is just three buildings too XD

    2. The_Master

      It’s sounding like Becky is having a much different time than Joyce is thinking. My favorite popular theory is that Joyce has girlfriend.
      I’ve known very devout Christians who are absolutely off the chain. Not everyone is goody two shoes as some imagine. And most Christians are just normal people anyway (imagine that!) with normal people problems and desires.

  64. Em

    I like the lesbian theory but somehow…I don’t buy it. Too obvious! Remember when we thought Jocelyn was gay, and it turned out completely different? Somehow, I think this is the same situation! (well not the EXACT SAME situation)

    My new theories:
    -No longer a Christian.
    -Had sex and feels guilty, maybe wants to see if Joyce is doing the same.
    -Dropped out of school and ran away out of fear of her parents.
    -Assaulted in some form.
    -Fell in love with a teacher/mentor/RA.

    I’ll keep the lesbian or transgender theories in the back of my mind, but they seem to obvious to me!

    1. Em

      *too

      there, now you don’t have to whoop my ass with your grammar knowledge.

    2. Asurasur

      I wouldn’t say obvious, but been done. If that’s the ‘twist’ then we’re just recycling story lines.

      Digging your list.

    3. StrawGirl

      I vote for all of the above. Now, THAT would be some drama. (Sorry, fictional character. Suffering is a necessity for drama.)

      1. Em

        That would be the most intense story line ever created. Are we ready for it? The answer is yes. But if so, she is also pregnant.

    4. Aris Katsaris

      “turned out completely different?”

      Eh, you’re somewhat exaggerating. Jocelyn’s issue was still GLBT-related — which at least in America means that she’d face pretty much the same opposition as if she was gay instead, and the same allies too; for pretty much the same reasons. Different yes, but not a completely unrelated issue.

      1. Em

        Fair enough.

  65. Vree

    Now you need to make a chapter about Becky’s college too. Is it some sort of den of decadence? Is it a holy terror where Becky is the Sister Act character?

  66. Halloween Jack

    That’s me in the corner
    That’s me in the spotlight
    Losing my religion
    Trying to keep up with you
    And I don’t know if I can do it
    Oh no I’ve said too much
    I haven’t said enough

    1. la6uɐ mous

      Consider this–
      consider this, amidst?
      all the centuries–consider this:
      It’s you
      who’s brought me to my knees; what if
      all these violent fantasies come
      flailing around? Now I’ve said
      too much
      I

  67. Allykins

    suspicion alert. suSPICION ALERT. SUSPICION ALERT.

  68. Kugai

    Hmmmmm

    Methinks there are things that Becky ISN’T saying going by that look in Panel 4

  69. chris73

    I gravitate betweein different feelings for Joyce, in the fifth panel I feel so sad for her that she can’t even appreciate the artisitic merits (or otherwise) of a fountain and can only focus on what she considers to be rude

    1. Em

      It shocks me a little how sex focused she is. Is this a fundie thing in general?

  70. Bagge

    Fun game: Add your own text to the last three panels. What does Becky say, all calm and collected, that gives us that epic Joyce face in panel 6?

    1. Jen Aside

      “MY inaugural poop was a literal BUTTSPLOSION.”

      “I REFUSE TO POOP.”

  71. potatoaddict

    Becky: “Well, with the kind of great atmosphere here, I can see why there are so many different kinds of relationships happening.”

    “Hell, maybe I’ll try something different myself.”

    Joyce: “This is what Cain felt like.”

  72. Matt

    Everyone being all like “she’s a lesbian”. Here I’m sitting thinking “she’s walky in a school full of mary”. Can you imagine the crappiness? Don’t need to have gender/sexuality issues to suffer dysphoria, eh? And seeing as Willis is already doing the “forbidden gayness” arc with Billy, Ruth, and Mary I doubt he’d do a carbon copy of it with Joyce and becky… That’s just my opinion on the matter.

  73. Rheios

    If its a unique statue rendition of the birth of Aphrodite then I’m not sure you can really shame her as she’s a newborn. I would totally shame Aphrodite for other stuff though. Like freakin’ cheating on poor Hephaestus. He was like one of the more decent Greek gods and she TOTALLY cheat son him with friggin’ ARES. God of War and Douchebags.

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