I bought my husband that Gimli action figure from Fellowship. He came with a couple of axes, and one of them was breakable, and a Council table (pedestal?) with the ring in the middle of it, and, like, kung fu grip or something so he could smash the axe down and it would fly apart. Got it for his birthday that year and was totally psyched to play with the thing, and then he refused to take it out of the box. And then he lost it.
At least I now have my Hijinks Ensue “And my axe!” T-shirt. That thing is awesome.
Daniel the Human has a slight habit of getting 2 of some things, 1 to collect & 1 to play with like an overgrown man child. I thought it was silly, till he showed my his transformers. It’s weird yet amusing to hold the guys who used to shoot at you in 1 hand, & the guy you ditched in the other…
And if Becky were to suddenly get her wish such that Joyce was into girls, I think she’d have to be extremely worried that Joyce would look straight past her and go after Dorothy instead.
And, man, it’s weird seeing my posts come up with Sarah after all these months with Billie. I thought for a second that someone had ninja’d me with exactly what I was going to say.
I started disliking her when she threw a fit at Joyce for checking the Bible about her beliefs. Joyce has clearly been trying to support Becky as best she can but she has a lot of adjusting to do. Also, it bothers me how she seems to have the goal of upsetting Joyce as often as possible. She just comes off as very childish and not very empathetic.
She kind of stepped over the line there. I’m cutting her slack bc she’s clearly dealing with 18 years of issues, but that was a completely unnecessary and unjustified insult. Don’t be a dick, Becky.
Also, Joyce, don’t distribute photos of people without their knowledge/permission, especially photos of butts etc. It’s creepy.
Do not know why. They wrote fiction too, and I would bet they discussed over the characters’ character as well. You know, I am pretty sure they were human 😉
And despite Galasso I am saying this in a calm casual way.
Didn’t the Greeks think that human bodies contained four fluids that corresponded to the classical elements and their levels determined personality? I wouldn’t put too much stock into their standards for intelligence.
I get that she came from a horrible repressive place, I get that she’s now in a place where she has a lot more freedom that she has ever had before. But, I kinda just want to take her to the side and say “While there’s nothing wrong with being who you are, having some consideration for the people who are willing to stand by you and help you might be a good idea.”
Not to mention she’s a guest there. At the schools I’ve been to, guests HAD to be accompanied by their host at all times. They absolutely could not just wander around a dormitory on their own. It’s a security risk, and this whole time I’ve just been hoping Becky doesn’t get Joyce into trouble.
Huh, in my university guests just had to be signed in if they were going to be around after 8pm. And preferably not naked in the halls, although no one really cared that much.
Oh, Scotland, land of freedom. In my university accommodation is very far away from the faculty, campus doesn’t exist and it’s better to be hosted in town anyway
In my dorm, guests were supposed to be escorted, but as long as you were the correct gender, you could pretty much wander around wherever as long as you didn’t bother people.
In my dorm the only rules with guests are make sure your roommate is cool with it and they can’t stay for more than three days (and with that it’s still kind of like, who’s gonna know?)
Same. And I’ve been in two different colleges on two different parts of the country. I knew someone who had a friend that had to live with her a lot, her roommate was also friends with the person so it was cool.
Becky’s showing the effects of being homeschooled all those years. Joyce was probably her only friend,msg she didn’t get much practice about what is ok to say to people you’ve just met. She probably mock-insulted Joyce a lot, but Joyce knew she didn’t really mean it. So she doesn’t really realize that she’s coming across as a total jerk.
I’ve never met a homeschooled kid who thought it was okay to insult people. Admittedly, I haven’t met that many homeschooled kids. But I suspect Becky is coming more from a position of “for the first time in my life, I feel free to openly be myself, and realize that repressing my true self is bad,” and thus hasn’t learned the difference between repression and politeness.
Yep, homeschooling doesn’t mean social ineptitude. One would think that she would have been taught manners and learned how to act around others regardless.
With the help of Leslie, who has ALREADY been sleeping with Becky unbeknownst to anyone, and Jason and Penny, who are unfalteringly loyal to Leslie? (for some reason despite not actually being her TAs)
Previously on How to Get Away with Dumbing of Age…
Both Becky and Walky enjoy tormenting Joyce just to see the reaction. I’m hoping that Walky will see this exchange and realize that it’s immature and kind of cruel.
Agreed. I don’t think she qualifies as bony… although she may inspire a few poindexters to sprout a few bones, if you catch my drift, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.
Actually considering how quickly she clung to Billy and her dislike of Dorothy’s slim physique I’d say Becky likes a girl with a little extra curve. She’d probably love Amber.
I hear that. I wouldn’t date me, either. Who wants a balding 30-something who works retail and waits up until almost midnight to be among the first comments on an internet comic?
Still wouldn’t work, the watches only function in a short radius around Ted’s home town because of the magic overload around the area. Remember what the whale said?
(And people that don’t read EGS are going to be so confused about that statement.)
Apparently Ninja Rick was based on an actual person, & is unlikely to be in the comic because of it, so maybe he’s ninja’d his way into the comments instead… 😛
In concepts Dorothy is definitely slightly thinner than Joyce. I haven’t seen Becky concepts, but she’s probably closer to Joyce than Dotty. I think that’s what she’s trying to riff of. It’s not super noticeable, especially given how sometimes the camera zooms out and proportions are less striking than height differences.
Wasn’t it the drummer and the bassist who split off to form The Brony Poindexters a few years ago? Did metal covers of a bunch of the songs from the show?
I liked their cover of “A True, True Friend” the best, I think.
Google says the only known reference to “Bony Poindexters” on the Internet is your comment. So unless they somehow managed to never get a gig reviewed on line or advertised via Facebook I call brilliant pun.
Even the most basic necessities are now a scarce resource for her. Joyce does not have the money or the means to support her indefinitely, despite her best efforts. To waste money on a haircut right now seems incredibly irresponsible to me.
Becky probably hasn’t even thought about the lengths Joyce is going through to protect her or the stresses she’s putting on herself. She’s not bound or obligated to Joyce, but she’s not being a very considerate person since… well, since she’s arrived.
Becky is sheltered, ignorant of her impact upon others, optimistic to a fault – basically a lesbian version of Joyce. And like Joyce, she has a LOT to learn about the world outside of her church community.
But unlike Joyce, she’s completely unmoored from her family and community, and will have to start learning fast.
That was pretty much my read of it as well. Becky has been so sheltered in a crazy fundie family and church that she is a total fish out of water. She has absolutely NO idea how the outside world works. It’s going to get super rough on her.
Lots of kids have bank accounts, I certainly had one when I entered college. The question is if her parents are on the account too, and if they’re dickish enough to cut her off from her money.
Though on a side note, I’d see a haircut as an investment in employment at this point. I’m sure there are plenty on places where such a bangin’ cut would be a plus. I mean, hair cuts are kind of a necessity and she didn’t exactly break the bank with this one…
Given that she’s working off a high school diploma from home schooling, at this point, her best job prospects are at the local mall. With this particular haircut, I’d recommend starting at Spencer’s Gifts and Hot Topic, or if the mall is one of the few with a video/music store left, that would go well, too.
I still like Becky well enough, but the fact that a significant part of her treatment of Joyce as a friend is ‘torment her!’ does worry me a little. I’d worry less or not at all if Joyce ribbed back, but so far she’s just looked sad/upset or bluescreened.
The way I read Becky she is scarily good at putting on a good front (that full day of pretending everything was normal while building up to kissing Joyce while not batting an eye was a good indication). I don’t think she’s trying to put on a front here, but I think she easily could.
Maybe not that long when she kissed Joyce she said she didn’t realize she’d wanted to do it her whole life till she was without her for a week. Sometimes people don’t realize when they’re like ten…I know I didn’t, though I was kinda in what we in the business call “insanely unbelievable denial.”
Well, much as I hate to say it, Joyce is enabling Becky by keeping her afloat. I suspect that it hasn’t fully sunk in yet that she’s now homeless and penniless.
A bit early to say that she’s enabling though? She’s only found out about Becky’s homelessness the night before – there’s not much she could have done up till now.
I do think the pacing issue is affecting people’s interpretations of these comics. It’s been less than 48 hours since Becky was kicked off the other campus. Yes, she’s going to have to come to grips with her situation, fast, but it’s not shocking that she’s trying to establish a ‘new normal’ from which to work.
I’m kind of surprised at how many people see Becky acting inappropriate once, and suddenly turn against her. Do you think there’s even one character in this comic who hasn’t, at some point, been an asshole? Because I can make a list.
Danny: Moralizes at Joe all the time, was overly clingy to Dorothy, tried to sabotage her new relationship to prove a point to himself.
Dorothy: Too much of a coward to end things with Danny before he followed her to the same college then got pissy at him because he dared to speak to another woman, got super demanding towards Walky because he wore pajama jeans, tried to rob Danny for her own convenience.
Walky: Constantly insults Joyce’s beliefs for his own amusement.
Amber: Abandoned Ethan after the summer because she “needed a break” from supporting him against his asshole parents.
Sal: Acted like a dismissive asshole to Joyce, Walky and Billie whenever they tried to speak to her.
Ruth: Terrorized the students under her care and repeatedly harassed Billie out of a misguided grudge.
Ethan: Used Joyce to pretend he was straight.
And so many more. The only reason I’m not touching on Joyce is because we’ve been discussing her problems since the start of the comic,but I think I’ve made my point. They’re kids repeatedly thrown into chaotic situations that they have to navigate as best as they can. It’s unrealistic to expect them to *never* act in a while you find objectionable. Sometimes I am an asshole, sometimes you are an asshole, and sometimes people we really like are assholes, and that’s fine. It happens, and those brief moments aren’t the sum total of who we are.
Daniel the Human calls himself a “Gentleman-Asshole”, He’ll torment you like Becky/Walky sometimes, drops plenty of bad jokes (defintely bad jokes, knowing they’re bad too… -_-) but he’ll stand by you when you need him. I guess he is teaching me Human stuff, even if he does keep throwing magnets at me. Why do I have to be magnetic, it feels weird…
I would be surprised if Joyce knew any better – her first instinct is to help people. A smarter move would have been to pressure Becky into finding a job and demand that she feed herself.
Ohhhhh, boy. Becky, don’t go down that road. Joyce schooled her parents for slighting Dorothy less than a week ago. Soon as she boots up again, she’s gonna need to give you a brief talking-to.
Oh, also, Dorothy’s boyfriend is right there. Dang. Well, at least your hair is cute.
And for not shaking Dorothy’s hand. How’s she gonna leave our girl Dottie hanging like that? The comment would have seemed more jokey if she hadn’t also ignored the outreach . . .
Mind you, there’s been a couple moments like this now: the look on her face (echoed again here) when she told Billie she couldn’t like girls and boys… I can get being unaware that that is a thing, but to frown like that while you say it, instead of, say, looking uncertain about it (like Danny just about 100% will when he finds out that bi/poly is a thing) is–well, I can get that she’s dealing with a huge amount of stress and the first taste of real freedom in ever, but, Becky, honey, that doesn’t mean you should verbalize every damned thought that pops into your head, cute haircut or not.
As someone who does the same thing myself all too often, listen to Joyce and shut the hell up for a bit, yes?
I think Danny knows Bisexuals are a thing. I just don’t think he’s quite figured out where he fits sexually, since the whole into boys thing is so new. For that matter, perhaps Ethan is his “exception?” could be he’s never had any interest in boys till that moment, which would explain why it’s messing with him as much as it is.
We need to give Danny the Jacob test. His reaction to that would be telling (the Jacob test consists of watching Jacob do Bicep Curls with his shirt off. If you like guys in general, that’s probably gonna do something)
To Becky’s credit, she’s either not realized or is actively suppressing the fact that she has no home, no income, and no support system; without all that clogging things up haircuts are a good choice I guess? I woulda got lunch myself, an apple a day keeps harsh realities away!
No, it’s a house built on thixotropic clay. Perfectly stable until an earthquake sweeps by. And it just so happens that Becky is using dynamite near a fault line that’s already in danger of slipping!
I’m told by Daniel the Human some group called Scouts greet with shaking left hands, apparently it’s an African thing. Or maybe it was a screw-up Willis missed, originally meant to be Dorothy on the other side but it screwed up the flow of the scene?
I’m left-handed, but I still use the right for shaking hands. I suppose some might not though.
And yes, I was reading some travel tip article just the other day that was talking about how you should avoid doing anything with your left hand in some middle eastern countries. Apparently that’s the hand that is reserved for “body hygiene.” Oh, the crazy things you learn on the interwebs…
Yep. I remember a tip from a teacher in high school: In one of those countries, when you go out to dinner, try sitting on your left hand. Eating with your left hand would gross everyone out.
How do these people accomplish anything with one hand? I got my fingertips frostbitten on my right (dominant) hand recently, and let me tell you, it’s damn near impossible.
Varies by culture. Born/raised in the US I haven’t really seen anybody care which hand you use but being Arab it’s considered rude to use your left hand, but that’s probably got more to do with Islam and EVERYTHING being improper if you use your left hand/side. Eating, serving, greeting, sleeping etc.
Interesting – I’ve never had anyone try and shake hands with me using their left hand, American or otherwise, and that’s having done business in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle-East. Using your left is very unusual, although clearly in the case that someone has a disability that rule wouldn’t be applied by most people.
In the old days, the left hand was the bum-wiping hand, so when you offer your left hand to shake, you can understand why people considered it an insult…
It has nothing to do with butts, and (probably) everything to do with weapons.
The most likely reason for the development of the handshake was as a sign of non-aggression – holding out your dominant hand to prove there’s no weapon in it.
I usually do that (though generally not with a book under my arm). Some people look a little surprised, but my social world has not collapsed yet. In fact, it often leads to a pleasant conversation about handedness.
Should someone in the southpaw conspiracy tell them how easy it is to shake hands and stab them with the left hand? Na, not today.
Seriously, it’s not just table tennis where us lefties may get some advantage. There are actual theories (with diagrams!) about that 🙂
Not in the U.S.A., it is rude in some cultures to offer the left hand to shake hands with due to the left hand being used for hygienic purposes which leaves it seen as ‘filthy’ and therefore insulting to offer to someone.
However, in the United States, no one cares which hand you offer, it is just more common for people to offer the right because that is the most commonly dominant hand.
Bony Poindexters? Ouch. Though I’m glad to see Becky expected and was hoping to get the Blue Screen of Joyce.
I’m hoping she dials it down a bit in future, though I do still find her charming. Down to moderately fizzy soda instead of OMG THERE IS NOTHING BUT BUBBLES.
You know, you could just SAVE a dina avatar to your PC, then upload it to your Gravatar profile, right? That way, it would always be Dina and never change.
Well I did that eventually. But I kinda wanted to be assigned a random Dinatar. It’s kinda like winning the lottery, but with a lot less money involved.
This is always a major bonus. I shall take much better care with my grammar, until such time as I am someone else. (Unless said someone else is Jason.)
There’s only so many times I can say “Becky casually makes offensive remarks that she fails to realize are hurtful due to her repressive upbringing” before I kind of get tired of it.
Pretty much. I get the feeling the backlash we’re seeing is mostly because “When Somebody Loved Me” was all about portraying Becky both as Joyce’s loveable foil and a tragic victim of her father’s bigotry. We’ve never actually seen multiple facets of her personality until her last few appearances.
I never really got the impression that she was too perfect, but then again it’s not like we had any time to delve into her flaws during the last story arc.
I still like Becky a lot and I think this will help some more. A good character is likeable, but a great character sometimes pisses me off.
Those were more or less my thoughts as well. We had only just known her; of course we haven’t seen everything we need too. She’s witty and has an undeterrable, cheerful sureness of who she is. It’s kinda refreshing in a cast so occupied with fumbling about uncertainly in their identities to see someone blazing hot and bright. Even if they DO get abrasive, and even if that sureness DOES lead to misunderstandings.
I wonder if Becky isn’t basing her behaviour on some sitcom character from some show, or even just an episode, she managed to watch while her parents weren’t paying attention. We already know she got in trouble for watching Seinfeld. Unfortunately sitcom characters don’t often make the best role models.
I love Becky, I really do, but…that was just mean. “Rude” would have been calling her a poindexter and leaving it there. But implying that if Joyce was interested in her then she has terrible taste, and then insulting Dorothy’s body type? I really want someone to call her out for this.
Upon reflection, I would adore it if Walky was the one to get defensive about it. I can’t picture how/if he would do it, but…please. It would be so cute.
Becky is making an ass out of herself. Hopefully she thinks she’s being playful funny and can simply adjust as she comes to understand the concept of boundries and acceptable jabs at people you just met.
The “people you just met” thing is part that I didn’t really consider before. But yes, she was educated in a ‘homeschool group’. It’s quite likely that she hasn’t had to meet a new peer-level person for the 10 years prior to college. Long-time friendships usually have different boundaries, and it may not have sunk in to her that this is not how it goes in the general world–especially if, during her time at Christofascist U., she was pretty much immediately into galboning her roomie.
For a while I excused Becky’s thoughtlessness and boundary-crossing with the understanding that she came out <24 hrs ago and is still in that Embracing My Queerness Is Awesome phase (we've all been there). But now I'm convinced that she's honestly kind of a dick and future character-development will probably address that fact.
My guess is it’s upbringing. Christian folks get away with a lot of horrible social interaction because…I dunno, Jesus, or whatever. Trust me, it peeves me off too, because they don’t realize how judgmental they sound.
BTW, coming from a christian who DOES realize he is judgmental and is working on that but damn my people make it hard.
Her getting a haircut and being happy about coming out qualifies her being a dick? This isn’t about Joyce. Joyce is being unfair to make it about her. If someone is mad that their friend is happy when they think they should be miserable, they’re not much of a friend.
Becky’s being very rude to Joyce’s friends and has spent every opportunity possible making Joyce extremely uncomfortable. Including deliberately hitting on her even though she both acknowledged Joyce was into her and promised not to do it anymore the previous night.
Yeah. There is a difference between responding in kind, and just opening up the conversation with hostile behavior.
She does seem to be intentionally bothering Joyce. “Just the reaction I was hoping for”. Not sure if she’s intentionally pushing others away too, or just that badly socialized.
The thing is when we meet Becky, she was being integrated from guest character to main character, so to help the transition Willis made us fall in love with her very quickly, but now that he’s officially a main character she can’t be perfect so he needs to put a big emphasis on her flaws. Once her introduction blows over she’ll probably turn into a regular human being with ups and downs just like the other characters.
Yes, Becky. You have told your friends you are a lesbian. This does not require you to assess the bangability of each of your old friend’s new college friends. You are not being asked to become Joe’s female doppleganger.
I think Becky has just been waiting for a chance to meet Dorothy and diss her. Just because her crush turned out to be straight doesn’t mean she won’t suddenly stop feeling a little jealous of her new best girl friend.
Oh yes! BECKY is Joyce’s best friend, not Dorothy. Someone is jeeeeelous. (I don’t know how Dorothy will react, but I do know that Walky sees straight through it.)
And Becky….I think she’s trying to be funny. Or maybe while getting a haircut she suffered a head injury that made her forget other people can hear her when she speaks?
I found Jacob pretty darn hot before we saw him with glasses. And I rank Ethan well above Joe. The stubbly look doesn’t do it for me; Joe’s self-assessment is possibly a little optimistic.
(expecting to get a Jacob avatar to go with this comment, lol)
Think there was some line about it at some point. Might’ve been Amber who said he wasn’t a good looking child, but then puberty hit him like a pile of bricks late in highschool. Still hasn’t wrapped his head around it, and this is his first time being in a community that has only ever known him in his present state.
Plus he’s probably not accustomed to his girlfriend showing off the goods. Amber, I’m sure she was flattering enough in one on one interactions but with her social anxieties it probably didn’t extend too far beyond that.
I… don’t think she’s trying to be funny, here. When she was joshing Sal in math class for being poor at math and therefore “not perfect,” she said it with a grin, like most of the other things she’s said on her visit.
However, with ragging on Billie for liking girls and boys (“that isn’t even a thing!”) and again here, she’s had a very unpleasant, sour expression.
I don’t think she’s kidding. Can’t say if it’s jealousy (very well could be) but I really, really doubt she’s kidding.
Which means she should have kept her damned comments to herself. Sheesh.
So, first thought: Becky is decompressing. Everything she’s been repressing? She’s just letting it alllll float out of her mouth, off the cuff and straight from her brain, without minding her P’s and Q’s.
She’s in full rebellion mode. Just putting herself out there and telling the world to deal with it.
Yeah, I’ve been wondering for a while if her constant messing with Joyce was a form of lashing out at her old lifestyle channelled at the only target available.
I think you might be onto something. Joyce is presumably the only real connection Becky has to her old church circle. Even if it’s not lashing out in the traditional sense, it could easily be some unconscious passive-aggressive kind of test. “Let’s see how much shit Joyce will tolerate to reaffirm that she won’t turn on me.”
I believe that. Both Joyce and Becky make the mistake of believing their friend is the same as for weeks ago. Joyce is rapidly learning how wrong she is, but Becky hasn’t really understood it yet.
Yes. She’s consistently drawn as skinny, and at some point (though I don’t remember when) Willis mentioned that he always had to fight the temptation to draw her curvier.
Wait… wait… wait.. Joyce doesnt like Walky who turns out is the atheist version of her best friend. Joyce is pretty much the overly religious version of Dorothy who is an atheist…. well played Willis
Don’t worry guys, I’m sure Becky will get called out for this. Insults to Dorothy override all of Joyce’s other instincts, and I’m sure she’ll snap out of it and get Becky to behave.
I think Joyce has to come to Becky with a problem (or have a problem in Becky’s proximity) and get blown off with mockery and an angry rant about ten times in a row before Becky is comparable to Joe.
Becky’s just acting out, seeing how outrageous and interesting she can be now that she’s not hiding or (directly) under attack at this moment. I think she’ll pretty quickly realize that being out of the closet isn’t an invitation to just insult or harass other people to their face, but I don’t think this is ruinous for her future likability or anything.
Joyce’s horrible date with Joe was much more annoying than this for example, and she is a very relatable character these days.
But Joe is an asshole, so there was a feeling of satisfaction at seeing him in an unpleasant situation. But Joyce had had good moments, too.
Dorothy is likeable and sweet and is trying to be nice to Joyce’s friend. And Becky has been acting pretty obnoxious since she showed up.
Becky’s going to be so upset when she finds out (tomorrow, according to Walky’s prediction) that Joyce really is gay for the bony poindexter and not for her.
Would like the excuses for Becky’s behavior to stop, I know she’s going through a lot, but that gives you no right to treat other people like that…I mean she’s been WILLINGLY squidging Joyce out (I almost think to make her feel bad for not accepting her declaration of love) Has been foolish with money she’s received, and NOW she’s insulting people to their face.
Don’t care what she’s going through, she is being an ass.
Going out on a limb here and saying Becky’s dad is probably such an asshole that she doesn’t even know it’s not normal to treat people this way 100% all the time everywhere.
Not that I’d know anything about what that’s like, ah hah hah… heh… hrmm…
Awesome Joyce-face: Achieved. I love that Becky knows how Joyce works.
I also love that Walky is still in completely passive mode, even when Becky is joking around. He knows there are emotions going on, so he is careful not to get involved.
Well it wasn’t that long ago he thought he fucked up so bad that Dotty was gonna break up with him.
Although this time inaction might be the way to fuck up.
Becky… Becky no. I get that you’ve been casually/playfully insulting Joyce all your life and have been delighting in making her uncomfortable, but not everyone’s gonna handle it as well as she does.
I suspect that this is the role that Becky’s played her entire life–not just with Joyce, but with their entire “homeschool group”. As we’ve seen from Joyce and Roz already, adjusting behavior you’ve ingrained over 12 years is tough. It’s even tougher if that behavior was learned in an insular group like the aforementioned homeschool. Becky’s not just sure how other groups work, she’s genuinely unaware that there are other social dynamics to work in.
This doesn’t get her a ‘pass’, though–she needs to be set straight, in a fashion that sinks in. Hopefully, that process starts when Joyce starts succumbing the urge to shield Dorothy from any sort of criticism whatsoever.
Why is Dorothy offering to shake with her left hand? That’s even the hand she’s using to hold her books, so there’s even less of a reason to shake with that hand.
I’m extremely left dominant; I usually have to think about it to offer my right hand for shaking. I have a hard time suppressing the instinct to lead with my left.
Remember when Joyce and Walky were arguing earlier this morning? If Sal hadn’t kindly interrupted things, Joyce’s next words would have been “your girlfriend.” Which might have shut Walky up about as effectively as Sal did.
Also, Becky may still have some residual anger and disappointment that Joyce is straight. So things will probably not shake out in a relaxing fashion right now.
Because Beckys Kiss surprised her, in that she mistakenly thought
being gay was a “temptation” .
Not feeling it for Becky taught her that she was heterosexual , and Beckys kiss couldnt change her.
That also taught her she wasnt going to convert Ethan either
Woah, unnecessarily sharp…
Has Joyce talked about Dorothy? I BET she has. And now Becky feels threatened by this new best friend figure in Joyce’s life. TEAR HER DOWN! JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY!
I don’t think she should worry. Dorothy’s friendship might have challenged Joyce’s anti-atheism, but Becky’s the one she’s done a full 180 for. No agonising over what to do, just, it’s Becky.
I think Joyce has conspicuously avoided talking to Becky about Dorothy any more than absolutely necessary. Yesterday she even hustled Becky out of the cafeteria without ice cream to prevent her from meeting Dorothy.
Yeah, but you have to remember that Becky doesn’t have a phone. Email is kinda the next best thing unless she was going to straight up mail a picture of Ethan’s butt via USPS… (Which I think would actually be an extremely humorous thing to witness.)
Man, e-mail would have actually been better. Sending someone a butt pic over e-mail in this day and age is simply absurd. Snail mail is extra absurd, which makes it cool again.
One thing going through my mind:
When Becky first came out to Joyce, she thought Joyce was gay too (assuming that all her talk about boys was an act). Yet in an earlier comic she was giggling when she called Becky from church because she was holding hands with Ethan. Now we found out that Becky was sent a picture of Ethan`s butt.
So with all that, how could Becky assume Joyce was gay?
Well, first Joyce told Becky to avoid anything with a Y chromosome at all costs, and that boys in general were stupid despite having been boy crazy her whole life. After that she introduced her to Billie, and casually mentioned her lesbian encounters before simply writing it off as a thing that happens, no big deal. After that Becky starts flirting with Walky, which infuriates Joyce to no end, almost like she’s jealous (which was actually Becky’s reason for doing it in the first place).
So from what I can tell about Becky…. Alot of the stuff she does for the reactions of her friends, the hair and like maybe some of the things she was saying outloud just to confuse Joyce more…. BUT She uses this to avoid talking or thinking about things that could be bothering her like what she’s going to do with her current situation or how half the things Joyce was thinking as she ran back to her dorm.
I’m not sure what hit me first?
Becky being a total asshat to everyone in a mile radius, or “Joyce sent a picture of Ethan’s butt to…”
I could be wrong here, people are way different……but…I am not the most sociable person in the world. I probably didn’t say more that 100 words to my peers in 4 years of HS. A bit shy but more that I simply saw no reason to talk to most people.
Based on the fact that I’m not all that socially ‘ept’, I have a bit of common sense. I know that if I call some an unflattering name, especially someone I don’t know, that will either hurt their feelings or piss ’em off.
I can’t believe that ‘homeschooled’ means she’s incapable of knowing when she is being a real puke.
I’ve known a few home schooled people as acquaintances and they may not be up on lastest band, slang, movies and all. They may be a bit much to take in the ‘holier than thou’ speeches. But they all knew when they were insulting and most of them were like anyone else in that respect, they were not thoughtlessly rude.
Becky is pushing the envelope here. My first thought with the new haircut yesterday was, do you know Joyce isn’t eating for you to eat? followed by is that in preparation for getting a job?
Becky is jealous of Dorothy I agree. Don’t know her excuse for Ethan unless is the same, jealous.
Last: I’m not a fan of Joyce but she has layers, she is trying, and in some cases succeeding in growing as a person.
And Becky has been an real jerk toward her since day one. Came on to her, and scared the tar out of her. Becky has harassed her constantly, just to embarrass her. I kinda think enough is enough Becky.
Oh well, when Mom arrives we can all feel sorry for Becky again, maybe.
disregarding that, I love how Becky’s and Joyce relationship as of now is Joyce trying to be supportive and then Becky just being so flamboyant that Joyce goes into a babbling mess because she cant deal with this level of gay yet
I can just see a sitcom now, theyre both sharing a flat, Becky comes home with two wimmins or some other lesbian shenanigans, and theres Joyce trying not to let her brain explode. (THATS TOO MUCH BECKY) *laughtrack*
I love that Joyce’s feelings towards Becky are such a strong parallel to a significant portion of the comments section’s feelings towards her.
“What? She’s not fitting the image of the perfect sympathetic victim I made up in my head? She changed her hair from the way I liked it? She’s dealing with her feelings about being a lesbian in a way that I don’t like?”
Like, yes, obviously this is not an okay way to behave at all, but it’s been less than 24 hours since Becky found out it was possible for her to simultaneously be (a) out of the closet and (b) not starving in the gutter, and she’s trying to celebrate that while still coping with being romantically rejected, disowned by her family, and her abusive upbringing in general. You don’t have to like her but it is the case that she is still riding out the most stressful experience of her life and she does not have the knowledge or skills to cope with it. This is not Becky’s everyday behavior. Becky does not know what her everyday behavior is anymore. She is figuring it out, and acting like an asshole (for a span of almost a whole day now! oh my god, I take it all back, burn her at the stake) is part of that. Seriously: you don’t have to like her, but her behavior at this time is not a long-term recurring pattern, it is a response to a rollercoaster of extreme emotion. If she’s still in Super Butthole Insulting Strangers mode after a few days, then sure, I’ll grant you that being a stranger-insulting super butthole is a consistent character trait.
I can’t speak for everyone, but a lot of times we’re reacting to the individual actions of the day’s comic, not to the character or situation as a whole.
So I think it’s less “burn her at the stake”, and more “whap her upside the head and tell her to be polite, before trying to formulate a game plan to keep her fed and sheltered and safe”.
This is all true. I also think the nature of the comment section tends to encourage it – if it were a separate forum, there’d be more long-running discussions and nuance over time. This way, every time a new comic is posted the discussion reboots around the latest panels and the previous day’s commentary disappears and is largely forgotten. This can be both a good and a bad thing.
Also +1 for the response. Becky follows an understandable dynamic in her context, but so do we.
fI’d also like to add that her attitude is pretty much Joyce hav in the beginning of the comic, but with uncalibrated snark in large amounts. Compare how they both started to tag along with Billie in similar fashion
Yeah, she’s been sheltered for years, kept on a much shorter leash than Joyce the one month she’s been out from her parents, finally gets a taste of freedom and responds with TOTAL OTHER DIRECTION.
I know I’m dense, but… Is Becky implying that Joyce has a habit of liking the wrong subset of skinny smart people?
I’ve endured worse insults from people who had no excuses for their actions. Becky is being dumb, but then, that’s practically the name of the comic. Everyone in it is frequently dumb. Unless this behavior continues for years in the comic, I’m going to assume that Becky is just still trying to sort out the difference between “expressing the true inner me” and “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” That’s distinction is not always that easy.
So after a quick perusal of the comments, it appears that almost everybody thinks that what I thought was a funny, snarky introduction makes Becky an instant monster and a jackass.
But maybe we like making extreme, context-free character judgments based on a single strip! Did you ever stop to consider that? Huh? HUH?!
Joking aside, I’d read Becky’s intro as a sassy ice-breaker if she was giving Dorothy any indication of that – a wink/smile or something, even just looking at her instead of sizing her up and talking about her to Joyce as if she wasn’t standing right there. As it is, I think she’s being plain rude (probably unintentionally, cf ‘best socialised’; but then, unlike Joyce, we haven’t really seen any indication that Becky gets upset if she offends someone).
Nobody’s calling her a monster, though I may understand if an overwhelming negative response may look that way. We’re calling her a jackass though, because that’s how she’s acting, popped collar and all.
*shrug* maybe it’s because I tend to be attracted by blunt and abrasive women and surround myself in them irl, but I really don’t see reason to instantly reject a character (like many are doing…) for being a bit snarky towards the person everybody has hyped up over and over she’s supposed to be jealous of.
Speaking only for myself, I still like Becky on the whole but find her behavior lately to be worryingly full of jerkitude. This comes basically from the fact that she has thus far been shown and proudly/loudly claims to get off on psychologically tormenting the best friend who is literally clothing her (those are Joyce’s clothes Becky’s wearing, remember), sheltering her in her dorm in direct defiance of the rules, and skipping meals to make sure she has food. (And also as I said, I would be less disturbed/worried if Joyce responded to Becky by rolling her eyes or ribbing back, which would make this a fun game between friends. Joyce’s reactions have been to be sad/upset or to bluescreen, though, which means this is not a fun game.)
That basic level of jerkitude is now being raised by the fact that she’s just categorically insulted someone she hasn’t previously met, for no actual reason.
I don’t think Becky’s bad. I think she needs to chill out a lot, and as quickly as possible, because she’s going to need all the goodwill and support she can get not just from Joyce but from the larger world in general.
but I guess it’s still better than rejecting her on the basis of her having an undercut like a bunch of people did yesterday! I was just surprised by the instant, violent backlash against something that didn’t read all that jackassy to me, just a funny punchline.
Beeecky be nice… >_<
At least this is a step back from making commentary about what about Joyce appeals to her physically.
…not gonna lie 99% of the reason I'm commenting is I'm curious as to what my new Gravatar will be. I had Sarah before, so hopefully I get someone at least as cool.
Feeling compassion for Becky’s situation, but still wishing she wasn’t so intent on just saying whatever comes to mind, particularly upsetting Joyce. Then again, this is coming from someone who has a personality much close to Joyce’s who can only really have low-dose Becky friends rather than best-friend Becky friends because the constant teasing and airing things I’d rather the world not know about me (or voicing negative comments about people I love in front of me) is a GIANT. STRESS. and also makes me so anxious and sad that I can’t be around them very long. Sooooo. There’s that.
C’mon, Becky. You could be nicer to a friend of someone who you really care about, someone who is TAKING YOU IN WHEN YOUR FAMILY THREW YOU OUT. Someone who changed her beliefs because she loves you. That ought to merit some kindness!
Umm… she’s a freshman dropout who is supposedly running away from family. How is it she has ‘free money? And what does she mean by “free money”, anyway? There’s another shoe to drop here.
Joyce needs to start answering her phone, and see if there’s more (or less) to the story Becky’s been telling.
Trashing Joyce’s other best friend (to her face, no less) isn’t helping matters either.
Free money – remember when she tried to get Billie to talk to her/date her/be friends with her? Then Billie gave her $20 to go away? In The Middle of Nowhere, you can probably get a decent haircut for $20.
No, I suspect the story is pretty much exactly what Becky says it is, but Joyce not answering her phone is going to be a problem potentially, yeah. She might have missed the “Joyce we are on our way” call.
Why should their parents drive to her college now? They may know that Becky is gone and perhaps suspect that she is with Joyce but what do they think to accomplish with that? They should have realized by now that Joyce has a mind of her own.
Although all these “YOU WASTED YOUR MONEY ON A HAIRCUT YOU’RE POOR WHAT AN IDIOT” comments are kinda frustrating to me. Like…Becky isn’t allowed to spend any money at all on herself, on making herself feel more at home in her body after repressing all body things for 18 years? Come on. It’s similar to the “how DARE a poor person not spend every cent they come across on things I deem important for them! How DARE they buy anything ever that just makes them feel good!” arguments I hear from conservatives, and it’s just…bleh.
I think people are just upset because she’s not thinking about her future and just going around with no real care. I think people are worried Becky will end up taking advantage of Joyce by using her meal plan and staying in the dorm, because Joyce won’t want her to be homeless.
I’m willing to forgive it (her actual actions of presenting a poor personality are much better reasons to take issue with her), but it’s a valid thing to be worried about. In fact, as a homeless runaway with no means of her own in place, something like an unnecessary haircut does in fact become frivolous. Though Becky has never been in the situation she’s in before, and is in a weird place right now (the somewhat manic state of finally not repressing something) so her not thinking that through is rather forgivable. Had she spent a week on the street first or something, it might be a bit different.
Totally agree with you! Sometimes a luxury during a hard time can bea lifesaver! I always feel guilty when I spend any money on myself- and is because of the privileged and judgemental attitude that if you are poor, all your money should be going to stop being poor.
This isn’t a “YOU NEED TO STOP BEING POOR BECKY” It’s “You need to try and realize you’re leaning on someone really heavy,a nd should TRY to ease the weight”
Joyce is going to skip MEALS to help her for fucks sake.
Fantastic, now nobody can call me an idiot if I describe Becky’s current behavior as being very DUDEBRO.
LADYDUDEBRO.
This is like when socially awkward/misaligned straight dudes start talking like early-seasons Barney from How I Met Your Mother once they get to college because they think that’s the only way to be a cool, sexually-active dude.
It could also be spelled ‘Grrlbro’ but somehow I feel like ‘gurlbro’ and ‘grrlbro’ are two different things. (I cannot articulate that difference though.)
STAGES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT:
CHILDHOOD – Person trusts and relies upon perceived authority to define right/wrong, constantly seeking support and approval from such. Meek, polite, trusting.
BETRAYAL – Series of events that demonstrate to individual that perceived authority is flawed, shatters illusion of trust (traumatic)
ADOLESCENCE – Individual rebels against perceived authority, begins to seek elements to construct their own moral code. Often behaves abrasively and selfishly.
ADULTHOOD – Individual constructs own moral code, learns to live by their own rules. Results may vary, but many exchange politeness for true kindness, and meekness for true humility.
Becky has just gone through a rather severe Betrayal, and is diving headfirst into Adolescent rebellion. She’s not going to be a very nice person for a while, as she figures out what her new rules are. She will need her friends more than ever – like in physical development, Adolescence is a dangerous time, and many don’t survive it unscathed.
Problem is (and I’ve seen this firsthand) your second adolescence doesn’t mean you can’t go over certain lines. A friend of a friend got kicked out after being taken in after coming out. Which sounds harsh, but in all honesty, they deserved it. Not going to turn a webcomic discussion blog into a personal forum, but I’ll say this: once you threaten somebody’s 10 year old kid physically in a serious way, you should not be surprised you have just worn out your welcome no matter what you are going through.
Obviously Becky is nowhere near that level of Bongo, (we need a bongo rating and I don’t know enough about music to categorize the tiers appropriately, perhaps top tier is Buttface Bongo Fiesta?) but she wouldn’t be the first person in a bad place to say or do something you just can’t take back. And part of the problem here is that other then Joyce, these people AREN’T her friends. And if she presents herself as a jerk right off, they won’t want to be.
See, the thing is, I don’t really think Becky’s changed at all. She’s just applying her enthusiasm for worship to another idea, like any socially-stunted try-hard would. Also, I bet Joyce has always been too nice for her own good, & never pointed out to her best friend that she can come across as a douchenozzle.
Experiencing that, I believe, is the true benefit of a college lifestyle, because then you actually start to learn from yourself, good friends & course material, instead of acting like a know-it-all. At least, that used to be the case.
Lotsa hatin’ on Becky and none of it deserved. She is just following Joyce’s lead. Earlier today (last month), Joyce was walking down the floor introducing Becky to people with exactly the same flippant and dismissive language that Becky is using. They share the same background and have the same skills and lack thereof.
I find this pitch perfect and recursive too. Bless you Willis.
Yup. Peas of a pod. Each “what the hecky, Becky” moment we get is just a reminder how similar Joyce and Becky are. We have grown used to Joyce over a long time, but we get ALL OF BECKY in one dose.
But to be fair, Joyce tend to get called out for that behavior in the comment section as well.
I’m amused at how Dorothy has gone from being “blonde amber” to being described by characters in the comic as “bony”, while Amber is often referred to as being rather large. At the start I thought they looked kinda similar, but I guess maybe it was just the artstyle at the time.
I personally think it’s a combination of the straw that broke the camel’s back (too much change too quickly) and whiplash due to Joyce’s expectation that Becky would be alone and upset after their earlier sort-of-fight.
Joyce has had to adjust to a lot super quickly in the past couple of days, plus right this minute she’s also coming directly off a panic attack. Grace under pressure, thy name is not Joyce right now.
In my circles, hair is a BIG deal. It’s the glory of a woman, after all, and we should keep it long enough to wash the feet of Jesus! And not be all modern-like, because that’s REBELLION and rebellion is as the sin of WITCHCRAFT.
I JUST realized the disturbing implication that Becky couldn’t imagine why Joyce would hang out with Dorothy unless she was straight, otherwise if Joyce was a lesbian she’d only hang out with Dorothy unless she wanted to get some fuck.
Okay, now that my initial shock at Becky’s dickishness has worn off, I’m no longer sure this has to end in loud recriminations. Sometimes these moments can be defused with a little reciprocal snark, which is Walky’s department if he’s willing to step up. He and Becky already enjoy being smartasses together, and he can be surprisingly adept at coming up with the right thing to say under pressure, as shown by his talk with Joyce’s terrifying mom. I don’t know as how Willis would let him pull the same thing off twice in the same storyline, but can now maintain a little hope for a low-drama resolution.
Absolutely. Walky may very well rise to the occasion. I also have high hopes for Dorothy. She has shown before to have a level head in the face of snark (her interaction with Billie in their early days of journalism is a good example), she knows a bit of where Becky is coming from and she knows just how stressed out Joyce is (something that Becky doesn’t seem to have caught up on).
Man, skimming the comments there’s a lot of anger at Becky, and I really feel like she needs some slack to learn here. Yes, that was a really rude comment, and it sucks as a first impression to Dorothy, but she’s still riding high on freedom and actually being able to say what she’s thinking. She still needs to learn to have some self control, but this is the first day in her entire life that she can actually say things out loud that she’s been learning to keep to herself.
Especially opinions regarding the relative attractiveness of other women.
She just cranked her internal-to-external filters from 100% to 0%, give her some time to fine tune it a little. I hope someone does tell her that’s not an okay thing to say, and I hope she learns from it, but still learning doesn’t make her awful or mean.
I kind of get the feeling Becky has always been exactly like this, but now there’s just an extra level of “Hey, I’m a lesbian!” to add to it. Her goal the entire day? two days? she’s been here has been to freak out Joyce as much as possible without regard for how Joyce feels beyond being freaked out. I dislike Becky because so far, she’s proven to be a pretty inconsiderate friend regardless of whatever freedom she suddenly has. Eventually she’ll have to learn that you can’t say whatever you want whenever you want, and if you intentionally bug people there will be a limit.
Becky’s not trying to freak Joyce out at all. Rile her up a bit for giggles, sure, but she’s not trying to be malicious towards her best friend.
Since her introduction Becky’s shown to have a flimsy brain to mouth filter, and that was when he was lying about why she visited and working up to confessing her feelings. Now that she’s out of the closet, with the implicit support of her best friend, I think it’s more that she’s so excited that things might actually turn out okay that she’s not really considering what she’s saying and just shooting off the first thing that comes to mind. When I get like that I tend to do the same thing.
Becky absolutely is trying to get Joyce to freak out. In this very strip, her reaction to Joyce being literally too freaked out to think is basically ‘WOO that’s what I’m talking about!’
And before, her reaction to Joyce being upset and worried for her safety boils down to ‘ahahahaha I love doing this to you!!’
And these examples don’t cover how she said she’d respect Joyce and stop hitting on her, then promptly proceeded to double down on hitting-on-Joyce just because ‘ahahahaha I love doing this to you!!’
Becky may not think she’s being malicious, but she loudly/proudly claims to get off on psychologically tormenting her alleged best friend. She intends to upset Joyce in a real way, therefore I see malice, whatever Becky thinks is actually going on.
You might be right, but I’m wondering if maybe if it boils down to Becky wanting to make Joyce have to choose between what’s more important to her: Becky or the church. By making Joyce incredibly uncomfortable, Becky is intentionally or not, making Joyce have to come to a decision between which one is more important to her, especially after the conversation they had not that long ago. It’s testing boundaries in a way that is risky, and probably unhealthy for their friendship.
It’s one thing if pranking is reciprocal, but Joyce isn’t the pranking type and obviously doesn’t have fun being uncomfortable (which Becky delights in making her feel).
This may be a bit extreme, but Becky is really treading the line of being a bit of a bully. Pranking is only pranking if both parties like it and find it funny. Otherwise, it’s just mean.
This is pretty much why I haven’t liked Becky from the very beginning. She enjoys pushing Joyce’s buttons too much and that just leaves me thinking that, even though she’s been a friend for many years, she probably hasn’t been a particularly ideal one. I could even go as far as to say she’s one of those “toxic” friends and probably has been been since long before the whole lesbian angle came in to the picture.
yeah, last time i saw becky i didn’t like her too much..
now i straight up dislike her. yeah, she’s mirroring joyce from the beginning of the comic, but even then joyce never said things that were so blatantly rude. calling someone a bony poindexter? come on becky.. your parents raise you better than that.
I think this comic is actually very true to life. It illustrates that when we finally embrace something about ourselves that we’ve been struggling with all our lives, our friends and family have a lot of catching up to do.
Becky talks big, now. I’m curious how she will react when daddy comes to take her home, considering that ever happens. Will she stand up for herself with the abrasive confidence she is exhibiting towards Dorothy, or will she crack like an egg? This is a new feeling for her and it’s changing her in more ways than one. I really hope she doesn’t turn into another Mary.
Nah, it hasn’t really changed since she started wearing the shirt. Bigger boobs = more cleavage than the same shirt in the same size by someone with smaller breasts.
Tvtropes. It’s like a bullet point list of work of fiction, dissecting them into generally occurring components. It’s a great place but very, VERY addictive.
Here is the dumbing of age page. The trope Spencer mentioned is under the YMMV page which is where we put stuff that people tend to argue about.
I’m annoyed by the Dorothy-dig, I don’t mind the money spending so much. It’s not the best choice given her lack of resources, but I can see why she might want to make a point of full-swing identifying as herself, including looks.
I’m also posting to see my new gravatar. I’ve been Sarah forever.
Its a fine line from brassy , to just crass and rude.
Becky just crossed it.
This is the worst ( or second worse) thing anybody in-comic has ever said to Dorothy.
( Dannys causal dismissal of her Presidential ambitions is the other one. )
I wonder how the fandom and Dortothys boosters in-comic ( Joyce, Walky ) will take it.
Becky is just lucky joyce loves her. That was a redline.
( and she probably crossed it on purpose to get a reaction )
Man, I was expecting the commenters to have already pinpointed (about two dozen times) exactly at what point in the storyline Joyce could have obtained a photo of Ethan’s butt. For once, you have disappointed me, internet.
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Whovians have the Face of Boe
Ethan has the Butt of IU
Becky collecting WTFs like they’re going out of style
IKR?!
She’s got 20 from me alone.
Oh hells to the no! Now she’s my grav???!! I may have to stop commenting entirely . . .
This is why I set my own.
Rini with a moustache? It’s adorable!!! 😀
For a minute there, i thought Chibiusa wasnt…then i remembered that episode….
Indeed!
Or change name?
Or e-mail?
No, you need to comment more.
Much more.
Trade me for your Sarah, and you’ve got a deal! 😀
so I guess I’m not Dina anymore? 🙁
Time to see who I am today~
oh awesome, I’m Marcie now. I was slightly terrified I’d be Joe like over at IW redux. I like Marcie~
Finding out for myself..
….sigh. Danny. :/
spinning the wheel!
I have no idea who that is, but that face is perfect. Huzzah!
@Ghola: That’s Grace.
http://www.dumbingofage.com/tag/grace/
Gravatar iiissss?
shmid: Your grav is Daisy.
Hahaha! I mean… my heartfelt apologies. RIP your previous Grav
May as well check what my new one is as well….
Not my favorite, but she’ll do. Still in my top 10. 🙂 Ethan was an okay grav, but far from my favorite character.
RAAAAAAGE! >:(
Someone needs to shop Kamina glasses on that avatar. <3
This is entirely too much Becky…
Still not enough Becky. Just like Dakka.
And they are both secretly Jack Harkness.
Everyone’s a little bit Hark-NESS….
And you beat me to this comment. I applaud you, sir.
So now we have a Doctor Who AND a Doctor Lantern. Interesting…
Doctor Whoooooo (HEY)
Doctor Who, Doctor Whooooo (HEY)
the TARDIS…
Actually I’ve been around for well over a year… I only just made a gravatar though. Before that I was Billy, and before Billy I was Jason.
And Tolkienites have MY AXE!
Not the axe that was broken when he tried to strike the ring. Another axe.
A good dwarf can never have too many axes.
Some to swing. Some to grind.
^This.
Heck yeah.
Hatchets, guitars, or both?
Both of course…
Combine that shit…and make a guitar that doubles as an Ax!!!
That would be better… 🙂
You know, I honestly didn’t remember that the thing not only wasn’t destructible, but that it actually shattered other things that tried to break it.
I bought my husband that Gimli action figure from Fellowship. He came with a couple of axes, and one of them was breakable, and a Council table (pedestal?) with the ring in the middle of it, and, like, kung fu grip or something so he could smash the axe down and it would fly apart. Got it for his birthday that year and was totally psyched to play with the thing, and then he refused to take it out of the box. And then he lost it.
At least I now have my Hijinks Ensue “And my axe!” T-shirt. That thing is awesome.
What’s the point of an action figure that stays in the package? Gah!!!!
A whole episode of The Big bang Theory was produced just to explain how important it is that the action figure stays in the package!
See 107 “The Transporter Malfunction”
Daniel the Human has a slight habit of getting 2 of some things, 1 to collect & 1 to play with like an overgrown man child. I thought it was silly, till he showed my his transformers. It’s weird yet amusing to hold the guys who used to shoot at you in 1 hand, & the guy you ditched in the other…
Did you want to kick his axe for losing it?
That was just sky-high Jackson’s BS.
Pitty. I liked my Billie gravatar, also I never do comments (or anything else) in angry or aggressive mood.
No, they have CREBAIN FROM DUNLAND
Remind me again why I can’t like this comment…
Because there is no like button, but you can link to pics, like these…
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h252/ShadowStalkerWA/Emoticons/11002499_10200107599568248_3854489698682705222_n_zps1xumqvea.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h252/ShadowStalkerWA/Emoticons/10991126_10152720292836964_5184033247997279021_n_zpsi5ctrfei.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h252/ShadowStalkerWA/Emoticons/10552470_766670070046334_891603406824244991_n_zps2948e72a.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h252/ShadowStalkerWA/Emoticons/10514570_301006546738502_5523246498594758949_n_zps30bea625.jpg
😛
I think she has great taste in bony poindexters.
Seconded
Dorothy is wonderful!
Fourthed? Dorothy is awesome!
And if Becky were to suddenly get her wish such that Joyce was into girls, I think she’d have to be extremely worried that Joyce would look straight past her and go after Dorothy instead.
Fifthed. If I had to marry anyone in the Dumbiverse, it would be Dorothy.
Sal is still #1 on my list for a one-night stand, though.
Amen to that!
Gravatar synchronicity level: Perfection.
Am I weird for being seemingly the only person using an actual photo (of myself, come to that) for my gravatar? xD
Yet_One_More_Idiot: Yeah, pretty much. 😀
Yet_One_More_Idiot; Possibly. I don’t use 1 cause I don’t want my old boss to find me…
Becky…you’re walking a thin line here…
Yeah, she’s actually reminding me a lot of early Joyce with all these casually abrasive remarks.
I’m so glad I started disliking Becky early on and avoided the rush.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who’s been disliking Becky for a while!
Oh, new gravatar. … Who is she? o.o;
I wanna say…Jocelyn? But idk for sure.
Your gravatar is Malaya, one of Sal’s “friends”.
I thought she was asking about Very Good Karma’s avatar.
That’s Mandy, Grace’s roommate/girlfriend.
And, man, it’s weird seeing my posts come up with Sarah after all these months with Billie. I thought for a second that someone had ninja’d me with exactly what I was going to say.
That’s Malaya. She’s one of Sal’s associates.
Dang, went from being smiling Jacob to scowling Malaya. 🙁
I’ve been Mike for like a year….
…..until now 🙂
Wait, am I still Jason, then?
Huh, apparently not. It’s a shame, I preferred him to stubbley-eyebrow-cocked Joe.
Well, I had Ros for longer than I can remember. I hope I’ve upgraded.
…somebody help me? I’m at a loss.
WAIT! I REMEMBER! Galasso’s wife!
Hey, anything’s better than Mary.
So this is the thread for checking my new gravitar?
And the gravatar is…
Never mind me, just checkin’ my face.
switching bout oh man
No Mary no Mary no Mary no Mary…
So who does that make me?
I am …
Hell yeah got carla! Much more appropriate for me than freaking Joe. <3
Interesting. Gravatar check!
so im new to the comment section of this comic. i have nothing witty to say and i figured this would be a good place to see my gravatar
Sarah. Yeah that sounds about right. I was just hoping for no mary.
I wonder who am I now.
Boarding this train.
Oh, I´m now Galasso´s wife? I liked my Ruth gravatar a lot more.
Drumroll … who am I ??
(Presumably this reshuffle is to add a new Becky avatar?)
Well, I had two different Joyces for the last two changes, so who is it this time?
Grav check!
Let’s see…
I too must know. I’m too lazy to create my own so please be nice to me.
Identity Crisis!
I miss my amber grav
I wanna see mine too! (i’ve never commented before)
aww, dang. I forgot entirely that i had one set up =P
I started disliking her when she threw a fit at Joyce for checking the Bible about her beliefs. Joyce has clearly been trying to support Becky as best she can but she has a lot of adjusting to do. Also, it bothers me how she seems to have the goal of upsetting Joyce as often as possible. She just comes off as very childish and not very empathetic.
Of course! She hasn’t started the process of growing up until just now. What would you expect?
yea but when “upsetting joyce” includes getting a new haircut.
How can you fault someone for that.
Hear hear.
Same, tbh.
amen to that
Becky is abnoxious and has no boundaries at all for what is OK and not OK to say to people.
@ActsZX
My thoughts exactly
She kind of stepped over the line there. I’m cutting her slack bc she’s clearly dealing with 18 years of issues, but that was a completely unnecessary and unjustified insult. Don’t be a dick, Becky.
Also, Joyce, don’t distribute photos of people without their knowledge/permission, especially photos of butts etc. It’s creepy.
Haha, I love how we’re constantly assessing the moral actions of these characters.
Do we like them or not???
We like them one comic and hate them the next.
Okay I’ll bite. Who’s your grav this time?
Princess Kenny from The Stick of Truth, a South Park RPG, you can find out more by clicking on my handle.
And if I didn’t have my own gravs, I would be triangular mouthed Joyce.
Shit, that’s Princess Kenny? I may have to readjust my worldview a bit.
Yeah, that’s pretty much how Princess Kenny would look.
this reminds me of the part of the show where Kenny became a magical girl.
Good thing they’re dead, or the Ancient Greeks would’ve called us all idiots.
Do not know why. They wrote fiction too, and I would bet they discussed over the characters’ character as well. You know, I am pretty sure they were human 😉
And despite Galasso I am saying this in a calm casual way.
Didn’t the Greeks think that human bodies contained four fluids that corresponded to the classical elements and their levels determined personality? I wouldn’t put too much stock into their standards for intelligence.
Judging the morality of characters is fun 😀
Although a character’s morality often has little to do with whether I like them or not.
Any good character has redeeming qualities and very unlikable flaws.
And has been since she got here.
I get that she came from a horrible repressive place, I get that she’s now in a place where she has a lot more freedom that she has ever had before. But, I kinda just want to take her to the side and say “While there’s nothing wrong with being who you are, having some consideration for the people who are willing to stand by you and help you might be a good idea.”
Not to mention she’s a guest there. At the schools I’ve been to, guests HAD to be accompanied by their host at all times. They absolutely could not just wander around a dormitory on their own. It’s a security risk, and this whole time I’ve just been hoping Becky doesn’t get Joyce into trouble.
Huh, in my university guests just had to be signed in if they were going to be around after 8pm. And preferably not naked in the halls, although no one really cared that much.
Then again, it was Scotland.
Oh, Scotland, land of freedom. In my university accommodation is very far away from the faculty, campus doesn’t exist and it’s better to be hosted in town anyway
In my dorm, guests were supposed to be escorted, but as long as you were the correct gender, you could pretty much wander around wherever as long as you didn’t bother people.
In my dorm the only rules with guests are make sure your roommate is cool with it and they can’t stay for more than three days (and with that it’s still kind of like, who’s gonna know?)
Same. And I’ve been in two different colleges on two different parts of the country. I knew someone who had a friend that had to live with her a lot, her roommate was also friends with the person so it was cool.
maybe she thinks now that she is out of the closet she must be an ass with everybody around her beacause the evil society repressed her all that time
Becky’s showing the effects of being homeschooled all those years. Joyce was probably her only friend,msg she didn’t get much practice about what is ok to say to people you’ve just met. She probably mock-insulted Joyce a lot, but Joyce knew she didn’t really mean it. So she doesn’t really realize that she’s coming across as a total jerk.
I’ve never met a homeschooled kid who thought it was okay to insult people. Admittedly, I haven’t met that many homeschooled kids. But I suspect Becky is coming more from a position of “for the first time in my life, I feel free to openly be myself, and realize that repressing my true self is bad,” and thus hasn’t learned the difference between repression and politeness.
Yep, homeschooling doesn’t mean social ineptitude. One would think that she would have been taught manners and learned how to act around others regardless.
Her father is Ross Babies McIntyre, alias Toedad. Do you think she’d have learned proper manners from him?
Aaaand sympathy for Becky drying up…. now. 😛
It’s all about Joyce, everyone is inferior to Joyce, Becky’y one true love
Maybe. No excuse for being an asshole, though
She certainly is. One does not simply diss the Dorothy.
NOT ON MY WATCH Ò_Ó
And then Dorothy killed Becky.
Dumbing of Age makes a huge tone shift and becomes a grizzly cover up drama as the four of them take this secret to their graves.
With the help of Leslie, who has ALREADY been sleeping with Becky unbeknownst to anyone, and Jason and Penny, who are unfalteringly loyal to Leslie? (for some reason despite not actually being her TAs)
Previously on How to Get Away with Dumbing of Age…
Maybe she’ll kiss her. I mean, she’s already dating one inconsiderate asshole, why not two?
I assume by “one inconsiderate asshole” you mean Walky. I’d argue he’s more of a dumbass than inconsiderate.
Both Becky and Walky enjoy tormenting Joyce just to see the reaction. I’m hoping that Walky will see this exchange and realize that it’s immature and kind of cruel.
I’m hoping he decides to pull a Sal. It would be delicious.
What would that entail? Being dismissive? Robbing a gas station with a knife?
No, yanking her aside and explaining in very small words that that just isn’t nice. At least in this context.
Although now that I think about it, a more typical response would be: “Hey, that’s MY bony poindexter you’re insulting”
Climbing out the window? Getting on a motorcycle? Wearing leathers? Tolerating Malaya?
Having his hair explode.
Dottie won’t kill Becky. She’s too sweet. I hope Joyce steps in and says something to Becky about her horrible attitude
Ooo Im Jacob with glasses? Me likey!
joyce has stopped responding and must be shut down. would you like to send a crash report?
Just turn her off then on again.
How do you turn her on? Maybe get Billie to take off her shirt.
No no, you turn her on by letting her ride Sal’s bike.
Just point her at Ethan for a minute.
I think we’ve confirmed that Ethan taking off his shirt might do the trick. Of course, there’s a question of what that might cost Joyce afterwards.
Something she can’t ever get back. (Unless Ethan stops her.)
A picture of Ethan’s butt works. She has plenty apparently. Although how ….
Oh, Myyyy
George Takei?! When did you start reading the works of David Willis?
Just like it says in the manual.
Pray/Retry/Fail?
I know the first option is usually abort, but Joyce is not in favor of abortions.
Ooooh, BURN!
Who would get the crash report? God?
Willis posted a picture on his Tumblr of a discarded alternate punchline for yesterday’s strip which references the BSoD.
LOL blue eyes, blue screen of doom. Somewhat appropriate…
Joyce has the weirdest lady-boner right now.
Wow. Rude Becky.
Rude and factually suspect….
You know you’re being rude when YOU say you are being rude.
Yep!
So Becky, Amber, and Dorothy walk into a bar…
OUCH they all say…
Don’t think Amber would get described as “Bony”. She’s a poindexter with a pleasant amount of meat on her bones.
I don’t think she’s chubby, It’s probably muscle.
It can be both.
It can be neither.
Agreed. I don’t think she qualifies as bony… although she may inspire a few poindexters to sprout a few bones, if you catch my drift, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.
Actually considering how quickly she clung to Billy and her dislike of Dorothy’s slim physique I’d say Becky likes a girl with a little extra curve. She’d probably love Amber.
it’s less of her being described as bony, and more of the fact that amber and dorothy were compared before. They are like a chain of people
She does have a very lovely and defined collar-bone; perhaps that’s what Becky is referring to?
I fine that attractive, myself.
–Looking back at the strip, I guess everyone has them, but I notice Dorothy’s more, myself.
But yeah, not bony.
I really never thought of Dorothy as “bony” either.
I just realized that we’re one girl from the main short of having BADASS.
Maybe Alice? Becky-Amber-Dorothy-Alice-Sarah-Sal.
Amazi-Girl!
“So Becky, Amber, and Dorothy walk into a bar…” Mike laughs at all of them.
A booty email instead of a booty call, then?
Butts disease probably doesn’t spread by computer virus
Sure it does. Where do you think Pintsize in QC got it from?
:: thinks about it ::
:: wishes hadn’t thought about it ::
You realise you probably didn’t get it right first time.
And you, Sir, win this round.
But looking for pictures of butts is often how you get a computer virus.
You’re one to talk, Skinny McGinger.
Sneakers O’Tool?
Patty O’Furniture
Hairdo MacCarpetmunch.
Lesbian McCharacterDevelopment
Freckles Vanderdyke?
Phillip McKrack
wait actually that would be if she were straight…
http://cdn1.images.videobash.com/thumbs/000/058/509/320×240/320x240_14.jpg
Well you never know. Maybe Becky isn’t Becky’s type either. I certainly wouldn’t date ME.
I hear that. I wouldn’t date me, either. Who wants a balding 30-something who works retail and waits up until almost midnight to be among the first comments on an internet comic?
Ahhahah…aww…now I made myself sad.
Most people wouldn’t date themselves, but if I had a clone who was hit with a V5 setting on the TF Gun maybe…
Let’s phone Tedd and ask if he’ll make us some watches!
If only… ^_^
Still wouldn’t work, the watches only function in a short radius around Ted’s home town because of the magic overload around the area. Remember what the whale said?
(And people that don’t read EGS are going to be so confused about that statement.)
Oh right, the magic overload. Forgot about that. Only one thing to do, then.
(Alice starts planning a trip to Moperville, then remembers it doesn’t actually exist.)
I’m very glad I just spent the last two days binging on that, so that I understand these references.
Well, “glad” might be a misnomer.
Wait, who is that in my alt avatar?
Opus the Poet: You new ava is Grace if I recall correctly.
I would fuck me. I’m perfect for each other.
Are… Are you secretly Ninja Rick?
Apparently Ninja Rick was based on an actual person, & is unlikely to be in the comic because of it, so maybe he’s ninja’d his way into the comments instead… 😛
I wouldn’d date me
And the first thing I think of is a G-rated edit of that Buffalo Bill scene in “Silence of the Lambs.”
Good Lord no I wouldn’t date me, I’m a terrible girlfriend.
And now I am instantly reminded of the scene from Clerks II with Jay outside the restaurant. Ech!
I MIGHT date me, if I were attracted to people like me. I’m pretty strongly hetero. With a T5 gun… probably.
Bony Poindexers ?
First time reading that in comic, swore read: brony pondexters
Poindexter is a term for nerd.
In concepts Dorothy is definitely slightly thinner than Joyce. I haven’t seen Becky concepts, but she’s probably closer to Joyce than Dotty. I think that’s what she’s trying to riff of. It’s not super noticeable, especially given how sometimes the camera zooms out and proportions are less striking than height differences.
I used to play bass for Bony Poindexters.
I used to play for the pointy bonedexters. Although we were less of a band and more of an illegal public display.
The Bony Poindexters were a Buster Poindexter cover band, but with all the lyrics changed to raise awareness about eating disorders.
You’re making that up.
Naw. It’s all true yo. I read it on the Internet >.>
Word. Everyone knows that the Internet is a bastion of honesty and human decency.
and cat videos.
I remember them!
Wasn’t it the drummer and the bassist who split off to form The Brony Poindexters a few years ago? Did metal covers of a bunch of the songs from the show?
I liked their cover of “A True, True Friend” the best, I think.
Google says the only known reference to “Bony Poindexters” on the Internet is your comment. So unless they somehow managed to never get a gig reviewed on line or advertised via Facebook I call brilliant pun.
That seems like a very irresponsible way to spend free money given her current situation.
Does she even have a bank account…?
Even the most basic necessities are now a scarce resource for her. Joyce does not have the money or the means to support her indefinitely, despite her best efforts. To waste money on a haircut right now seems incredibly irresponsible to me.
Becky probably hasn’t even thought about the lengths Joyce is going through to protect her or the stresses she’s putting on herself. She’s not bound or obligated to Joyce, but she’s not being a very considerate person since… well, since she’s arrived.
Becky is sheltered, ignorant of her impact upon others, optimistic to a fault – basically a lesbian version of Joyce. And like Joyce, she has a LOT to learn about the world outside of her church community.
But unlike Joyce, she’s completely unmoored from her family and community, and will have to start learning fast.
That was pretty much my read of it as well. Becky has been so sheltered in a crazy fundie family and church that she is a total fish out of water. She has absolutely NO idea how the outside world works. It’s going to get super rough on her.
Well Joyce did say she was the most socialised out of her fundie group and looking how Becky has been acting, I’m starting to believe that.
Lots of kids have bank accounts, I certainly had one when I entered college. The question is if her parents are on the account too, and if they’re dickish enough to cut her off from her money.
Though on a side note, I’d see a haircut as an investment in employment at this point. I’m sure there are plenty on places where such a bangin’ cut would be a plus. I mean, hair cuts are kind of a necessity and she didn’t exactly break the bank with this one…
Given that she’s working off a high school diploma from home schooling, at this point, her best job prospects are at the local mall. With this particular haircut, I’d recommend starting at Spencer’s Gifts and Hot Topic, or if the mall is one of the few with a video/music store left, that would go well, too.
If Becky was down here in Adelaide, she could always work in JB HiFi, pretty much every employee in those places have some kind of indie/hipster look.
Yeah, good few JB Hifi staff to the West like that too…
How much of this is Becky’s real personality and how much is her putting up a really good front?
She’s kind of riding a high of Joyce-shock and Ariel-esque wonder at her new found world, so…66.6667% real and 33.33% cover?
I’d say 50/50, but weird and worrisome that she puts thought into “How much will this bug Joyce?” before she does anything
We’ve seen this stuff, albeit more mild, from Becky before, too.
I still like Becky well enough, but the fact that a significant part of her treatment of Joyce as a friend is ‘torment her!’ does worry me a little. I’d worry less or not at all if Joyce ribbed back, but so far she’s just looked sad/upset or bluescreened.
I think we may have to face the reality, that Becky is a natural born troll.
Yeah, and I hated it then too.
Guessing down to the fourth significant figure? Huh.
The way I read Becky she is scarily good at putting on a good front (that full day of pretending everything was normal while building up to kissing Joyce while not batting an eye was a good indication). I don’t think she’s trying to put on a front here, but I think she easily could.
Wild guess from someone who’s straight, but I think maybe she’s been putting up a front for years in order to hide her sexuality.
Maybe not that long when she kissed Joyce she said she didn’t realize she’d wanted to do it her whole life till she was without her for a week. Sometimes people don’t realize when they’re like ten…I know I didn’t, though I was kinda in what we in the business call “insanely unbelievable denial.”
Though now that I think of it (seconds after hitting post) denial is kinda like a front to yourself isn’t it?
Has no job and no place to stay; Gets a haircut
Come on, Becks :\
Hey when’d I stop being Joe? 🙁
More random gravatars likely added to the pool caused more reshuffling.
Explains why I’m no longer Joyce ;-;
Be glad for the second reshuffle, otherwise, you’d still be Mary.
Fair point. Although, I’m not sure if I prefer Jason over Mary.
Yeah I was very confused when I logged in today and was Carla instead of Danny.
Aw man, Joe’s eyebrows enhanced any conversation. Lets see what I roll now!
I got a “FFFFFFFFFF-” Face. I’m okay with this.
Well, much as I hate to say it, Joyce is enabling Becky by keeping her afloat. I suspect that it hasn’t fully sunk in yet that she’s now homeless and penniless.
A bit early to say that she’s enabling though? She’s only found out about Becky’s homelessness the night before – there’s not much she could have done up till now.
I do think the pacing issue is affecting people’s interpretations of these comics. It’s been less than 48 hours since Becky was kicked off the other campus. Yes, she’s going to have to come to grips with her situation, fast, but it’s not shocking that she’s trying to establish a ‘new normal’ from which to work.
I’m kind of surprised at how many people see Becky acting inappropriate once, and suddenly turn against her. Do you think there’s even one character in this comic who hasn’t, at some point, been an asshole? Because I can make a list.
Danny: Moralizes at Joe all the time, was overly clingy to Dorothy, tried to sabotage her new relationship to prove a point to himself.
Dorothy: Too much of a coward to end things with Danny before he followed her to the same college then got pissy at him because he dared to speak to another woman, got super demanding towards Walky because he wore pajama jeans, tried to rob Danny for her own convenience.
Walky: Constantly insults Joyce’s beliefs for his own amusement.
Amber: Abandoned Ethan after the summer because she “needed a break” from supporting him against his asshole parents.
Sal: Acted like a dismissive asshole to Joyce, Walky and Billie whenever they tried to speak to her.
Ruth: Terrorized the students under her care and repeatedly harassed Billie out of a misguided grudge.
Ethan: Used Joyce to pretend he was straight.
And so many more. The only reason I’m not touching on Joyce is because we’ve been discussing her problems since the start of the comic,but I think I’ve made my point. They’re kids repeatedly thrown into chaotic situations that they have to navigate as best as they can. It’s unrealistic to expect them to *never* act in a while you find objectionable. Sometimes I am an asshole, sometimes you are an asshole, and sometimes people we really like are assholes, and that’s fine. It happens, and those brief moments aren’t the sum total of who we are.
goddammit this was not supposed to be a reply
Daniel the Human calls himself a “Gentleman-Asshole”, He’ll torment you like Becky/Walky sometimes, drops plenty of bad jokes (defintely bad jokes, knowing they’re bad too… -_-) but he’ll stand by you when you need him. I guess he is teaching me Human stuff, even if he does keep throwing magnets at me. Why do I have to be magnetic, it feels weird…
I would be surprised if Joyce knew any better – her first instinct is to help people. A smarter move would have been to pressure Becky into finding a job and demand that she feed herself.
That is the opposite of a smarter move.
Becky is making many new friends.
More like frienemies.
…with benefits?
So true…
You bring up an interesting point…
Ethan’s butt now has it’s own facebook page with half a million followers.
I got a new gravatar? No idea how that happened.
More default gravatars were added (Arnold, Penny, Becky…) so everyone with one of the defaults got shuffled around.
He updated the Gravatars last night. Was waiting to release them until Becky’s new haircut was revealed.
Technically he updated them twice because he forgot to use Alpha/Transparent background versions of them.
It also has phone service and makes booty calls.
And I laughed at that. Nice.
Did Jacques Butt’s Disease spread its way over here again?
“Again”? Had it gone into remission?
For a while yes it did.
I am told it is 1 thing you can never be truly cured of…
lol, butts
Becky, if Joyce weren’t straight, you wouldn’t be having a conversation at all because your tongues would be in each other’s mouths.
Or maybe you would have it, but both of you would sound like “Blbfghlpf”.
Are you suggesting that Joyce is already tonguing an invisible wo/man?
I’m pretty sure Reed Richards would kill her for that.
Ah, one of Amazi-Girl’s lesser known allies, The InvisiBi.
Ironically her goal is to increase bi visibility.
That sounds like a side-effect of living near a Hellmouth…
Ohhhhh, boy. Becky, don’t go down that road. Joyce schooled her parents for slighting Dorothy less than a week ago. Soon as she boots up again, she’s gonna need to give you a brief talking-to.
Oh, also, Dorothy’s boyfriend is right there. Dang. Well, at least your hair is cute.
Aaaand that was supposed to be a new comment and not a reply. Ah, well.
If Joyce weren’t straight she would have suffocated in Billie’s cleavage weeks ago.
Although, not for a lack of trying!
Nah. I think even in the Gay Joyce world, Becky would be friendzoned. She doesn’t seem Joyce’s type at all.
Mike must have been giving her asshole lessons while she was having her hair done.
Maybe she met Malaya.
Nah. Probably Roz. Not exactly sure how she could get to Becky before Joyce, but it was Roz.
Nah, this is nowhere near Mike level. This is clueless buttitude, not laser-guided assholery.
^LASER-GUIDED INSECURITY TARGETING ASSAULTS not a hypocritical remark on appearance
I had to reread your comment a few times before I understood “Lessons on being an asshole” and not “Lessons for her asshole” >.<
Yeah no. I think Lessons for assholes are for males. Females… I don’t know and I really don’t think I wanna!
I’m starting to dislike Becky for that comment :I
Trust me…You are not the only one. 🙁
And for not shaking Dorothy’s hand. How’s she gonna leave our girl Dottie hanging like that? The comment would have seemed more jokey if she hadn’t also ignored the outreach . . .
Yeah Becky, I’m not having any of that Rude ‘tude!!!
Yeah; that’s kind of a dick thing to say.
Mind you, there’s been a couple moments like this now: the look on her face (echoed again here) when she told Billie she couldn’t like girls and boys… I can get being unaware that that is a thing, but to frown like that while you say it, instead of, say, looking uncertain about it (like Danny just about 100% will when he finds out that bi/poly is a thing) is–well, I can get that she’s dealing with a huge amount of stress and the first taste of real freedom in ever, but, Becky, honey, that doesn’t mean you should verbalize every damned thought that pops into your head, cute haircut or not.
As someone who does the same thing myself all too often, listen to Joyce and shut the hell up for a bit, yes?
I think Danny knows Bisexuals are a thing. I just don’t think he’s quite figured out where he fits sexually, since the whole into boys thing is so new. For that matter, perhaps Ethan is his “exception?” could be he’s never had any interest in boys till that moment, which would explain why it’s messing with him as much as it is.
We need to give Danny the Jacob test. His reaction to that would be telling (the Jacob test consists of watching Jacob do Bicep Curls with his shirt off. If you like guys in general, that’s probably gonna do something)
We’d use the Joe test, but Danny’s spent so long with him, he’s immune. The results would be negative either way.
Though he did seem a bit thrown when Joe started undressing in front of him, something he’s seen countless times already.
“Free money”?
Billie gave her money to stop talking to her
Billie gave her 20 bucks to go away.
Chehkov’s twenty. That said, hey person who doesn’t really have a stable home… maybe you should start saving that money?
Annoying Billie is a renewable resource! Like a third of this comic is powered by it.
naaah, she can just keep sponging off people! while annoying them! I see no problems with this whatsoever!
Translate as “I’m a bit of a moron!”
To Becky’s credit, she’s either not realized or is actively suppressing the fact that she has no home, no income, and no support system; without all that clogging things up haircuts are a good choice I guess? I woulda got lunch myself, an apple a day keeps harsh realities away!
My take exactly. Joyce’s support is also helping keep that reality at bay – and making it easier to ignore 😐
And Joyce has no idea how to change the situation for the better.
It’s a house built on sand.
No, it’s a house built on thixotropic clay. Perfectly stable until an earthquake sweeps by. And it just so happens that Becky is using dynamite near a fault line that’s already in danger of slipping!
This is why we don’t let actual geologists create our proverbs. 😉
She’s 18, terribly sheltered, and an idiot. But I repeat myself.
The best kind of money.
who is your gravitar?
That’s Agatha, who also happens to be you now.
thanks
Isn’t it considered rude to offer to shake someone’s hand with the left hand?
It is in many eastern countries at least.
Dorothy’s left-handed, so it probably just felt natural. But then again, a future president ought to be aware of such things…
Mayhap the real reason for the awkward look in panel 4?
Many presidents were also left-handed, so there is that…
I’m told by Daniel the Human some group called Scouts greet with shaking left hands, apparently it’s an African thing. Or maybe it was a screw-up Willis missed, originally meant to be Dorothy on the other side but it screwed up the flow of the scene?
I’m left-handed, but I still use the right for shaking hands. I suppose some might not though.
And yes, I was reading some travel tip article just the other day that was talking about how you should avoid doing anything with your left hand in some middle eastern countries. Apparently that’s the hand that is reserved for “body hygiene.” Oh, the crazy things you learn on the interwebs…
Yep. I remember a tip from a teacher in high school: In one of those countries, when you go out to dinner, try sitting on your left hand. Eating with your left hand would gross everyone out.
How do these people accomplish anything with one hand? I got my fingertips frostbitten on my right (dominant) hand recently, and let me tell you, it’s damn near impossible.
I was just thinking that. Also, I feel like Ethan’s supposed to be saying, “Wait, what?”
It took your reply to make me realize he wasn’t saying that.
That WAS what it said, right? Because either Willis fixed that real fast or I’m just going insane.
I saw it too and just thought Ethan was so confused he had to ask what twice.
Varies by culture. Born/raised in the US I haven’t really seen anybody care which hand you use but being Arab it’s considered rude to use your left hand, but that’s probably got more to do with Islam and EVERYTHING being improper if you use your left hand/side. Eating, serving, greeting, sleeping etc.
Wait, how do you sleep with your left side / hand? Also, who, besides Santa, is judging me while I’m sleeping?
Santa ain’t judging. Santa’s just a creep who needs to be deported to the Arctic.
Sarah, on the other hand, is judging the fuck outta you all.
Damn right.
Interesting – I’ve never had anyone try and shake hands with me using their left hand, American or otherwise, and that’s having done business in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle-East. Using your left is very unusual, although clearly in the case that someone has a disability that rule wouldn’t be applied by most people.
Is it?
I always thought it was like a sign of trustworthiness cause the heart is on the left side or something.
In the old days, the left hand was the bum-wiping hand, so when you offer your left hand to shake, you can understand why people considered it an insult…
I have literally never even attempted to use my left hand to wipe my bum. Then again I guess I’m not that old.
It has nothing to do with butts, and (probably) everything to do with weapons.
The most likely reason for the development of the handshake was as a sign of non-aggression – holding out your dominant hand to prove there’s no weapon in it.
Not quite as rude as trying to shake hands with your right foot.
At the very least it would be a weird handshake considering she has her book in her arm. Not much leeway for arm movement.
I usually do that (though generally not with a book under my arm). Some people look a little surprised, but my social world has not collapsed yet. In fact, it often leads to a pleasant conversation about handedness.
Should someone in the southpaw conspiracy tell them how easy it is to shake hands and stab them with the left hand? Na, not today.
Seriously, it’s not just table tennis where us lefties may get some advantage. There are actual theories (with diagrams!) about that 🙂
I knew there was something… sinister about you lefties!
Did Faz draw them?
Not in the U.S.A., it is rude in some cultures to offer the left hand to shake hands with due to the left hand being used for hygienic purposes which leaves it seen as ‘filthy’ and therefore insulting to offer to someone.
However, in the United States, no one cares which hand you offer, it is just more common for people to offer the right because that is the most commonly dominant hand.
Wow, she’s just really putting her best fut forward isn’t she?
Yep…right into her mouth!
Why is Dorothy offering a left hand, there?
She’s demonstrating that she doesn’t have a weapon in her sinister primary hand.
Damn, someone already spoilt it.
Trust me: never trust a leftie like me.
But do I trust you when you say not to trust you?
To shake hands with?
As far as bony poindexters go, Dorothy is one of the best around.
Still reading brony…
Go watch some magical small horse cartoons Spliced, get it out of your system.
Don’t worry Becky, her other crush should wow you plenty.
Bony Poindexters? Ouch. Though I’m glad to see Becky expected and was hoping to get the Blue Screen of Joyce.
I’m hoping she dials it down a bit in future, though I do still find her charming. Down to moderately fizzy soda instead of OMG THERE IS NOTHING BUT BUBBLES.
And I’m Penny now! I don’t know if this is a woot! but I think I’m leaning that way.
You’re probably not going to get who you’re trying to be. Trust me, I made numerous accounts trying to be Dina. Willis, do you have any idea how many?
Many?
I’m happy with Penny! If I really want something else, I can make/get a permanent Gravatar, nbd.
You know, you could just SAVE a dina avatar to your PC, then upload it to your Gravatar profile, right? That way, it would always be Dina and never change.
Well I did that eventually. But I kinda wanted to be assigned a random Dinatar. It’s kinda like winning the lottery, but with a lot less money involved.
On the plus side, the Penny gravatar instantly makes your comment have a british accent.
This is always a major bonus. I shall take much better care with my grammar, until such time as I am someone else. (Unless said someone else is Jason.)
Since you didn’t specify what type of British accent, I choose the kind you hear in Guy Ritchie movies.
Well she’s got ethan, who’s a Jojo-esque beefcake and Billie, a very fleshy poindexter. I think she’s fine.
Oh, Billie would kill you for that comment. No one dares call Billie a poindexter!
Or “very fleshy”. 😛
LMAO. Becky’s new haircut has upped her sass-factor by approximately 795%.
Sass reactors reaching critical sass!
So much sass Dotty might just knock her on her ass! (wanted to make a pun… this is the best I came up with…I’m sorry.)
That’s not sass, that’s what we like to call “Rude”
Oh hey. I’m Leslie now. This is rad.
As if Joyce doesn’t have THE BEST taste I bony pointdexters :3
Man, and to think I was just getting ready to like Becky again.
Wow. Thanks Becky.
There’s only so many times I can say “Becky casually makes offensive remarks that she fails to realize are hurtful due to her repressive upbringing” before I kind of get tired of it.
Well, she’s got to have at least one flaw, eh? For real though, I find it annoying as well.
Has she had much positives to balance it out? So far we’ve got ‘fairly witty’ and ‘isn’t Mary’.
“Isn’t Mary” goes a long way towards balancing out being annoying..
I see that more like saying a mosquito bite is better then poision oak. True but not a good reason to like mosquito bites.
Pretty much. I get the feeling the backlash we’re seeing is mostly because “When Somebody Loved Me” was all about portraying Becky both as Joyce’s loveable foil and a tragic victim of her father’s bigotry. We’ve never actually seen multiple facets of her personality until her last few appearances.
Remember when Becky first came and everyone was saying that Willis had made a too-perfect creator favorite?
They need only have waited. I still like Becky though.
I never really got the impression that she was too perfect, but then again it’s not like we had any time to delve into her flaws during the last story arc.
I still like Becky a lot and I think this will help some more. A good character is likeable, but a great character sometimes pisses me off.
Those were more or less my thoughts as well. We had only just known her; of course we haven’t seen everything we need too. She’s witty and has an undeterrable, cheerful sureness of who she is. It’s kinda refreshing in a cast so occupied with fumbling about uncertainly in their identities to see someone blazing hot and bright. Even if they DO get abrasive, and even if that sureness DOES lead to misunderstandings.
Guess my default gravatar is billie now? I can dig it.
Well Joyce did say she was the best socialized from their homeschool group.
I wonder if Becky isn’t basing her behaviour on some sitcom character from some show, or even just an episode, she managed to watch while her parents weren’t paying attention. We already know she got in trouble for watching Seinfeld. Unfortunately sitcom characters don’t often make the best role models.
I thougt that too. Maybe she thinks this is how liberal/secular people talk to each other.
Umm… Could someone please tell me who I got in the random Gravatar shuffling? I don’t recognize this guy.
That’s Arnold. He was a minor character in Shortpacked!, and has barely been in DoA at all.
Thank you. The tag link is also much appreciated.
“best socialized” was my thought, too.
I love Becky, I really do, but…that was just mean. “Rude” would have been calling her a poindexter and leaving it there. But implying that if Joyce was interested in her then she has terrible taste, and then insulting Dorothy’s body type? I really want someone to call her out for this.
Upon reflection, I would adore it if Walky was the one to get defensive about it. I can’t picture how/if he would do it, but…please. It would be so cute.
That’s why I’m hoping he pulls a Sal. It needs to happen.
Completely agree. Can’t just dismiss this as being cluelessly rude, if you ask me.
And Becky crashes through this group of Joyce’s friends like a bull in a china shop..
After her crass, biphobic (or at least ignorant) self-introduction to Billie, I wish I could say I expected better.
Okay… so can someone tell me wtf is going on?
Becky is making an ass out of herself. Hopefully she thinks she’s being playful funny and can simply adjust as she comes to understand the concept of boundries and acceptable jabs at people you just met.
That would be nice. I hope it happens soon.
Bonus if Mike delivers the lesson.
The “people you just met” thing is part that I didn’t really consider before. But yes, she was educated in a ‘homeschool group’. It’s quite likely that she hasn’t had to meet a new peer-level person for the 10 years prior to college. Long-time friendships usually have different boundaries, and it may not have sunk in to her that this is not how it goes in the general world–especially if, during her time at Christofascist U., she was pretty much immediately into galboning her roomie.
Becky’s a bit jealous of Dorothy?
Or she’s trying to make a funny and failing. I’m guessing jealous.
For a while I excused Becky’s thoughtlessness and boundary-crossing with the understanding that she came out <24 hrs ago and is still in that Embracing My Queerness Is Awesome phase (we've all been there). But now I'm convinced that she's honestly kind of a dick and future character-development will probably address that fact.
But really tho, c'mon Becky
The question is, does she know she’s kind of a dick or is she just really that badly socialised?
My guess is it’s upbringing. Christian folks get away with a lot of horrible social interaction because…I dunno, Jesus, or whatever. Trust me, it peeves me off too, because they don’t realize how judgmental they sound.
BTW, coming from a christian who DOES realize he is judgmental and is working on that but damn my people make it hard.
Well that’s slightly a relief, I always thought that was just my mom being terrible.
Her getting a haircut and being happy about coming out qualifies her being a dick? This isn’t about Joyce. Joyce is being unfair to make it about her. If someone is mad that their friend is happy when they think they should be miserable, they’re not much of a friend.
Becky is being very rude to Dorothy, that is what is qualifies her for “being a dick”
Becky’s being very rude to Joyce’s friends and has spent every opportunity possible making Joyce extremely uncomfortable. Including deliberately hitting on her even though she both acknowledged Joyce was into her and promised not to do it anymore the previous night.
Joyce is skipping breakfasts just so she can feed her, and when she got some extra money she blew it on a haircut.
Wow, Becky, way to put your best foot forward, open your mouth real wide, and stuff it in.
Is this some idk…staking her territory as Joyce’s best friend shit?
That was…. remarkably fast avatar creation if it was yours to pick
Nope! This is one of the randomly generated ones. Not that I’m disappointed with it.
It looks like we got some sweet new random gravatars
So uh..Can I have one?
Quick, Becky, give Dorothy the name of your hairdresser so she can be rad too!
Nah, Dorothy is rad just the way she is!
Becky wears her heart on her sleeve, I see. Not that Joyce has much of a filter, either.
Becky’s comments seem mean, though… More so than the comments that Joyce has ignorantly made…
Jupp, Becky is in many ways a Sassy Joyce.
You say sass, I say jerkass. (Yes, I believe there’s a difference, mostly relating to levels of hostility. Becky’s being hostile.)
Yeah. There is a difference between responding in kind, and just opening up the conversation with hostile behavior.
She does seem to be intentionally bothering Joyce. “Just the reaction I was hoping for”. Not sure if she’s intentionally pushing others away too, or just that badly socialized.
There is a musical sketch from The Benny Hill Show that I wish I could cite. I’m going to have to table the thought till I can find it, though.
I still have faith in becky.
The thing is when we meet Becky, she was being integrated from guest character to main character, so to help the transition Willis made us fall in love with her very quickly, but now that he’s officially a main character she can’t be perfect so he needs to put a big emphasis on her flaws. Once her introduction blows over she’ll probably turn into a regular human being with ups and downs just like the other characters.
That’s a good analysis.
Preach, Becky
Yes, Becky. You have told your friends you are a lesbian. This does not require you to assess the bangability of each of your old friend’s new college friends. You are not being asked to become Joe’s female doppleganger.
“Not being asked to” is not the same as “doesn’t want to”
Fair enough.
It’s more of a calling.
Grrr. Don’t be a bongo to Dorothy.
I didn’t know that was a bleep-able curse word… sorry 🙁
Don’t worry about it, the *itch gets auto-corrected now.
To be fair, she shouldn’t be a drum to Dorothy either.
Dorothy wouldn’t like getting banged by Becky.
But I can imagine Walky would enjoy the show, especially with audience participation…
I think Becky has just been waiting for a chance to meet Dorothy and diss her. Just because her crush turned out to be straight doesn’t mean she won’t suddenly stop feeling a little jealous of her new best girl friend.
Jealousy is my read on this too (possibly as a combination of crush jealousy and friend jealousy).
Oh yes! BECKY is Joyce’s best friend, not Dorothy. Someone is jeeeeelous. (I don’t know how Dorothy will react, but I do know that Walky sees straight through it.)
Did anybody else see Becky’s nose in panel 4 as both her nouse and her mouth?
Don’t be so surprised Ethan, you know you’re hot.
And Becky….I think she’s trying to be funny. Or maybe while getting a haircut she suffered a head injury that made her forget other people can hear her when she speaks?
I’m not sure Ethan actually grasps the level of his attractiveness. Self-esteem does a lot to counter that. Plus he’s rooming with Jacob, so…
I’m anticipating some kind of hot-off between Jacob/Ethan/Joe sometime in the far future amongs the girls.
I’d say Joe edges out Ethan a bit. So I guess that puts Jacob at a distant third? I’ve just never seen what’s supposed to make Jacob that hot.
I think it’s the combination of musculature, glasses, and possibly body hair? Plus his apparent prostensity for working out.
I found Jacob pretty darn hot before we saw him with glasses. And I rank Ethan well above Joe. The stubbly look doesn’t do it for me; Joe’s self-assessment is possibly a little optimistic.
(expecting to get a Jacob avatar to go with this comment, lol)
Ah, the subjectivity of attractiveness! I would rank Joe well above Ethan in hotness, because confidence. Jacob is still number 1 though.
On the flipside, we’ve seen Jacob in workout shorts, Joe in underwear, Ethan in just a towel.
Think there was some line about it at some point. Might’ve been Amber who said he wasn’t a good looking child, but then puberty hit him like a pile of bricks late in highschool. Still hasn’t wrapped his head around it, and this is his first time being in a community that has only ever known him in his present state.
Plus he’s probably not accustomed to his girlfriend showing off the goods. Amber, I’m sure she was flattering enough in one on one interactions but with her social anxieties it probably didn’t extend too far beyond that.
I’m pretty sure his surprise is more about someone like Joyce sending pictures of butts. Or someone like Joyce even noticing butts.
I… don’t think she’s trying to be funny, here. When she was joshing Sal in math class for being poor at math and therefore “not perfect,” she said it with a grin, like most of the other things she’s said on her visit.
However, with ragging on Billie for liking girls and boys (“that isn’t even a thing!”) and again here, she’s had a very unpleasant, sour expression.
I don’t think she’s kidding. Can’t say if it’s jealousy (very well could be) but I really, really doubt she’s kidding.
Which means she should have kept her damned comments to herself. Sheesh.
Becky’s hair broke Joyce so bad she now and forever speaks in Cthulhuian.
Oh yay, I leveled up from Mike to Sal. How many possible gravatars are there now?
I spotted at least 21 so far.
No handmade avatar today? Was that out of curiosity for the new DoA avatars?
Oh wait, I see your new avatar now. Slow internet speed.
I just wanted to quickly see what I would have been assigned if I didn’t have my own gravs cos the last time, it was Jason.
over NINE THOUSAAA just kiddin’.
*R’lyehian
Ah, that’s the language? Thanks for the correction – I’m new to Lovecraft.
I’m not sure if Joyce will ever reboot properly.
(Eeee, what avatar did I get?)
Danny to Penny, that’s a heckuva change.
“Gasp – Danny you are… you are BRITISH now”
Damn it, I should have made a reboot joke.
You’ll have other chances to make the joke, Hex.
New gravatar? Luck be a lady tonight…
I GOT THE BEST ONE
BOW, PEASANTS
“Bow down bongos.”
*grabs a pair of bango drums, hold them level*
*dips the top forward, then upright again…*
We are not worthy, oh Lady of Lords.
Oh, rad. This one is way better than yesterday’s.
Out of curiosity who’d you get yesterday?
(Also love how half these comments are people talking about their new gravs)
So, first thought: Becky is decompressing. Everything she’s been repressing? She’s just letting it alllll float out of her mouth, off the cuff and straight from her brain, without minding her P’s and Q’s.
She’s in full rebellion mode. Just putting herself out there and telling the world to deal with it.
Yeah, I’ve been wondering for a while if her constant messing with Joyce was a form of lashing out at her old lifestyle channelled at the only target available.
I think you might be onto something. Joyce is presumably the only real connection Becky has to her old church circle. Even if it’s not lashing out in the traditional sense, it could easily be some unconscious passive-aggressive kind of test. “Let’s see how much shit Joyce will tolerate to reaffirm that she won’t turn on me.”
I believe that. Both Joyce and Becky make the mistake of believing their friend is the same as for weeks ago. Joyce is rapidly learning how wrong she is, but Becky hasn’t really understood it yet.
o.o well that was a bit rood of you becky..
It was even a bit ruth of you, becky!
Bony insult aside, is Dotty actually quite skinny?
Isn’t that what the FAQ is for?
(and by “FAQ” I mean Slipshine)
Yes. She’s consistently drawn as skinny, and at some point (though I don’t remember when) Willis mentioned that he always had to fight the temptation to draw her curvier.
Dorothy’s not even notably skinny, is she?
Guess Becky likes ’em thick. Sounds like Joyce wouldn’t even be her type if it weren’t for the lifetime of bonding they have together.
Daisy’s an even bonier poindexter. Might be a no go. Though now I wanna see them wingwomaning for eachother.
Oh good, I’m Walky again! But better. This one’s cooler.
Really? Joyce always looked pretty squishy to me. Not as curvy as Billie, but definitely not as thin as a lot of other characters.
I don’t think she’s significantly less bony than Dorothy though, if we’re using her as the benchmark.
“Unattractively skinny” for Becky seems to be a pretty broad category. Seems to
With her clothes off, it’s certainly notable.
Because of Willis’ artstyle, I have a very hard time picturing anyone in this comic as ‘bony’. They all seem so soft and cuddly to me.
No hovertext?
The hovertext is more Joyce babbling.
Wait… wait… wait.. Joyce doesnt like Walky who turns out is the atheist version of her best friend. Joyce is pretty much the overly religious version of Dorothy who is an atheist…. well played Willis
Heh, nice observation.
Don’t worry guys, I’m sure Becky will get called out for this. Insults to Dorothy override all of Joyce’s other instincts, and I’m sure she’ll snap out of it and get Becky to behave.
Although, I have to say, everything sounds disingenuous coming out of Carla’s mouth.
Yep, Becky seems to be into curvy ladies.
Seems like she’s forgiven Joyce for their earlier conversation. Hope Joyce reboots in time for the next strip. 😛
Becky wanders into Ruth and Billie’s room. Slipshines ensue.
*watches Becky’s popularity plummet*
She’s like a female Joe.
Joe nooooo ~ .
Joe’s better at taking no for an answer. (Granted, we don’t know of his having any loves or crushes.) And maybe at not insulting complete strangers.
I think Joyce has to come to Becky with a problem (or have a problem in Becky’s proximity) and get blown off with mockery and an angry rant about ten times in a row before Becky is comparable to Joe.
Joe’s nicer.
Choose Joyce, choose between Becky and Dorothy. At the rate this is going, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that way.
Becky’s just acting out, seeing how outrageous and interesting she can be now that she’s not hiding or (directly) under attack at this moment. I think she’ll pretty quickly realize that being out of the closet isn’t an invitation to just insult or harass other people to their face, but I don’t think this is ruinous for her future likability or anything.
Joyce’s horrible date with Joe was much more annoying than this for example, and she is a very relatable character these days.
But Joe is an asshole, so there was a feeling of satisfaction at seeing him in an unpleasant situation. But Joyce had had good moments, too.
Dorothy is likeable and sweet and is trying to be nice to Joyce’s friend. And Becky has been acting pretty obnoxious since she showed up.
Oh no, are Becky and Dorothy not going to get along?
How else could Willis justify a Slipshine catfight?
Becky’s going to be so upset when she finds out (tomorrow, according to Walky’s prediction) that Joyce really is gay for the bony poindexter and not for her.
Whoah Becky, tone it down a bit, huh?
Dorothy’s looking way better than the bony poindexter that got Becky kicked out of school…
Sick buuuuuurn.
Walky, time to step up for your girl!
Would like the excuses for Becky’s behavior to stop, I know she’s going through a lot, but that gives you no right to treat other people like that…I mean she’s been WILLINGLY squidging Joyce out (I almost think to make her feel bad for not accepting her declaration of love) Has been foolish with money she’s received, and NOW she’s insulting people to their face.
Don’t care what she’s going through, she is being an ass.
Hear, Hear!
Absolutely
Ok so I was Billie but who am I now?
Raidah? Sarah’s old roommate’s friends?
You are now Raidah.
Yep. There’s a limit to what I’m willing to excuse, and Becky has blown past that with her treatment of Dorothy.
Going out on a limb here and saying Becky’s dad is probably such an asshole that she doesn’t even know it’s not normal to treat people this way 100% all the time everywhere.
Not that I’d know anything about what that’s like, ah hah hah… heh… hrmm…
Congrats! You win the “making this more depressing” contest!
So……Just gonna start calling her The Becky. If you get the reference….T_T Thank you so much! If you don’t….T_T Thank you so much!
Awesome Joyce-face: Achieved. I love that Becky knows how Joyce works.
I also love that Walky is still in completely passive mode, even when Becky is joking around. He knows there are emotions going on, so he is careful not to get involved.
Well it wasn’t that long ago he thought he fucked up so bad that Dotty was gonna break up with him.
Although this time inaction might be the way to fuck up.
Also not long ago Sal threatened to break him. I think he got the right idea in this siutation.
Maybe he should take a note from Joyce in go into blue screen mode.
I wrote in instead of and
-feels great shame for many generations-
On the other hand your gravatar is so REBEL that it cancels out gramatical errors.
Becky… Becky no. I get that you’ve been casually/playfully insulting Joyce all your life and have been delighting in making her uncomfortable, but not everyone’s gonna handle it as well as she does.
I suspect that this is the role that Becky’s played her entire life–not just with Joyce, but with their entire “homeschool group”. As we’ve seen from Joyce and Roz already, adjusting behavior you’ve ingrained over 12 years is tough. It’s even tougher if that behavior was learned in an insular group like the aforementioned homeschool. Becky’s not just sure how other groups work, she’s genuinely unaware that there are other social dynamics to work in.
This doesn’t get her a ‘pass’, though–she needs to be set straight, in a fashion that sinks in. Hopefully, that process starts when Joyce starts succumbing the urge to shield Dorothy from any sort of criticism whatsoever.
Why is Dorothy offering to shake with her left hand? That’s even the hand she’s using to hold her books, so there’s even less of a reason to shake with that hand.
Dorothy is left-handed. Probably instinct to try to use your dominant hand.
Not in this left-hander’s experience. Though I’m not totally left-dominant: I write and fork with my left, but juggled better with my right.
I’m extremely left dominant; I usually have to think about it to offer my right hand for shaking. I have a hard time suppressing the instinct to lead with my left.
Becky: Time to offend everyone you know, now.
Remember when Joyce and Walky were arguing earlier this morning? If Sal hadn’t kindly interrupted things, Joyce’s next words would have been “your girlfriend.” Which might have shut Walky up about as effectively as Sal did.
Also, Becky may still have some residual anger and disappointment that Joyce is straight. So things will probably not shake out in a relaxing fashion right now.
I think Joyce was going to say “Becky”.
And if she had said “Dorothy”, I don’t think it would’ve fazed Walky in the least, because he’s been the foremost proponent of that theory all along. He’s predicted that Joyce is going to openly admit it tomorrow.
Why would she say Becky? Walky was suggesting she was a lesbian for Becky…or at least that’s how I read it, so she woulda had to say someone else.
Because Beckys Kiss surprised her, in that she mistakenly thought
being gay was a “temptation” .
Not feeling it for Becky taught her that she was heterosexual , and Beckys kiss couldnt change her.
That also taught her she wasnt going to convert Ethan either
‘Cause Becky’s the one she’d just discovered she’s definitely not gay for.
Oh. Drat. That makes perfect sense.
#shotsfired
Yeah, that’s fuckin’ hilarious. Reminds me of that time some lunatic took a shotgun on campus and blew a freshman’s brains out.
Okay, yeah, that haircut suits her. She’s kinda being a cheese bag, though.
At least Joe didn’t rate her to her face…
Just to his RSS feed. Full of class, both of them.
And what happened here, there were 281 comments in less than an hour.
About half are comments about their new avatars, new random ones got thrown in the mix, so they all got shuffled.
What a douchey thing to say. I’m liking Becky less and less.
What a douchey thing to say. I’m liking Becky less and less.
Way to make a good first impression, Becks. A plus job all around.
Eyyyyy, I’m Ruth now! Good, cuz I basically am her. Especially after a night of crying into a bottle of booze, lol.
*sob*
:C
Becky, be nice.
She doesn’t have to! She can do whatever she wants now! She’s a LLLESSBIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAN!
Woah, unnecessarily sharp…
Has Joyce talked about Dorothy? I BET she has. And now Becky feels threatened by this new best friend figure in Joyce’s life. TEAR HER DOWN! JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY!
I don’t think she should worry. Dorothy’s friendship might have challenged Joyce’s anti-atheism, but Becky’s the one she’s done a full 180 for. No agonising over what to do, just, it’s Becky.
I think Joyce has conspicuously avoided talking to Becky about Dorothy any more than absolutely necessary. Yesterday she even hustled Becky out of the cafeteria without ice cream to prevent her from meeting Dorothy.
True, but Joyce stood up to her parents for Dorothy’s sake. That’s pretty big. And Becky has heard Dorothy described as Joyce’s girl-crush.
Joyce has only mentioned Dorothy unintentionally.
It bothers me that my thought was “Email? Joyce, that’s the least appropriate format for sending butt pics imaginable!”
Your profile pic could not possibly fit better for that statement.
Yeah, but you have to remember that Becky doesn’t have a phone. Email is kinda the next best thing unless she was going to straight up mail a picture of Ethan’s butt via USPS… (Which I think would actually be an extremely humorous thing to witness.)
Man, e-mail would have actually been better. Sending someone a butt pic over e-mail in this day and age is simply absurd. Snail mail is extra absurd, which makes it cool again.
One thing going through my mind:
When Becky first came out to Joyce, she thought Joyce was gay too (assuming that all her talk about boys was an act). Yet in an earlier comic she was giggling when she called Becky from church because she was holding hands with Ethan. Now we found out that Becky was sent a picture of Ethan`s butt.
So with all that, how could Becky assume Joyce was gay?
Confirmation bias is a helluva drug
Plus wishful thinking
Well, first Joyce told Becky to avoid anything with a Y chromosome at all costs, and that boys in general were stupid despite having been boy crazy her whole life. After that she introduced her to Billie, and casually mentioned her lesbian encounters before simply writing it off as a thing that happens, no big deal. After that Becky starts flirting with Walky, which infuriates Joyce to no end, almost like she’s jealous (which was actually Becky’s reason for doing it in the first place).
I mean really can you blame her?
All valid points. Thanks for the perspective.
Becky’s becoming an asshole.
Becoming?
Ok fine is an asshole. There’s that better?
It’s the hair I tells ya!
Becky is so awesome! As is Dor’y’s face ^^
Becky, scathing comments and all, still has a huge place in my heart. And that new haircut is really working for me in my little queer brain.
Seriously Becky?
Blonde, pale, and skinny isn’t my type either, but it takes all kinds. And it’s no fucking reason to be personally insulting.
For your information, Becky, this bony poindexter is an animal in the sack!
Ahahahaha we Jacob now
This has nothing to do with the comic, but wow, Gravatar revamp confused me for a second
Well played, Becky. Blue-screen Joyce before you insult her girl-crush, and you may survive.
So from what I can tell about Becky…. Alot of the stuff she does for the reactions of her friends, the hair and like maybe some of the things she was saying outloud just to confuse Joyce more…. BUT She uses this to avoid talking or thinking about things that could be bothering her like what she’s going to do with her current situation or how half the things Joyce was thinking as she ran back to her dorm.
Becky is a troll and my fav character at the moment.
I want to see Becky becoming a sidekick of Amazing Girl.
I’m not sure what hit me first?
Becky being a total asshat to everyone in a mile radius, or “Joyce sent a picture of Ethan’s butt to…”
I could be wrong here, people are way different……but…I am not the most sociable person in the world. I probably didn’t say more that 100 words to my peers in 4 years of HS. A bit shy but more that I simply saw no reason to talk to most people.
Based on the fact that I’m not all that socially ‘ept’, I have a bit of common sense. I know that if I call some an unflattering name, especially someone I don’t know, that will either hurt their feelings or piss ’em off.
I can’t believe that ‘homeschooled’ means she’s incapable of knowing when she is being a real puke.
I’ve known a few home schooled people as acquaintances and they may not be up on lastest band, slang, movies and all. They may be a bit much to take in the ‘holier than thou’ speeches. But they all knew when they were insulting and most of them were like anyone else in that respect, they were not thoughtlessly rude.
Becky is pushing the envelope here. My first thought with the new haircut yesterday was, do you know Joyce isn’t eating for you to eat? followed by is that in preparation for getting a job?
Becky is jealous of Dorothy I agree. Don’t know her excuse for Ethan unless is the same, jealous.
Last: I’m not a fan of Joyce but she has layers, she is trying, and in some cases succeeding in growing as a person.
And Becky has been an real jerk toward her since day one. Came on to her, and scared the tar out of her. Becky has harassed her constantly, just to embarrass her. I kinda think enough is enough Becky.
Oh well, when Mom arrives we can all feel sorry for Becky again, maybe.
I’m still hoping for a Mike Saves The Day arch.
I just wonder how that would even go down…
In flames, of course.
Pure, beautiful flames… <3
Okay, I might have issues.
Yep, definitely having a hard time relating to Becky now.
Oh that sounds SOOOO messed up with that character’s smile!
wow Becky ruuuuude.
disregarding that, I love how Becky’s and Joyce relationship as of now is Joyce trying to be supportive and then Becky just being so flamboyant that Joyce goes into a babbling mess because she cant deal with this level of gay yet
I can just see a sitcom now, theyre both sharing a flat, Becky comes home with two wimmins or some other lesbian shenanigans, and theres Joyce trying not to let her brain explode. (THATS TOO MUCH BECKY) *laughtrack*
I love that Joyce’s feelings towards Becky are such a strong parallel to a significant portion of the comments section’s feelings towards her.
“What? She’s not fitting the image of the perfect sympathetic victim I made up in my head? She changed her hair from the way I liked it? She’s dealing with her feelings about being a lesbian in a way that I don’t like?”
Like, yes, obviously this is not an okay way to behave at all, but it’s been less than 24 hours since Becky found out it was possible for her to simultaneously be (a) out of the closet and (b) not starving in the gutter, and she’s trying to celebrate that while still coping with being romantically rejected, disowned by her family, and her abusive upbringing in general. You don’t have to like her but it is the case that she is still riding out the most stressful experience of her life and she does not have the knowledge or skills to cope with it. This is not Becky’s everyday behavior. Becky does not know what her everyday behavior is anymore. She is figuring it out, and acting like an asshole (for a span of almost a whole day now! oh my god, I take it all back, burn her at the stake) is part of that. Seriously: you don’t have to like her, but her behavior at this time is not a long-term recurring pattern, it is a response to a rollercoaster of extreme emotion. If she’s still in Super Butthole Insulting Strangers mode after a few days, then sure, I’ll grant you that being a stranger-insulting super butthole is a consistent character trait.
I can’t speak for everyone, but a lot of times we’re reacting to the individual actions of the day’s comic, not to the character or situation as a whole.
So I think it’s less “burn her at the stake”, and more “whap her upside the head and tell her to be polite, before trying to formulate a game plan to keep her fed and sheltered and safe”.
This is all true. I also think the nature of the comment section tends to encourage it – if it were a separate forum, there’d be more long-running discussions and nuance over time. This way, every time a new comic is posted the discussion reboots around the latest panels and the previous day’s commentary disappears and is largely forgotten. This can be both a good and a bad thing.
Yeah, but people’s first impressions of her are now as a stranger-insulting super butthole. Both in comic and to a certain extent here.
Hear, hear.
Also +1 for the response. Becky follows an understandable dynamic in her context, but so do we.
fI’d also like to add that her attitude is pretty much Joyce hav in the beginning of the comic, but with uncalibrated snark in large amounts. Compare how they both started to tag along with Billie in similar fashion
Yeah, she’s been sheltered for years, kept on a much shorter leash than Joyce the one month she’s been out from her parents, finally gets a taste of freedom and responds with TOTAL OTHER DIRECTION.
BECKY! That’s NO way to talk to the future President of the United States!
Oh god I remember this phase. Poor Becky’s friends, it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.
Oh boy… Becky come on dont be rude. I like ya, but I need you not to insult everyone so bluntly.
Dorothy is fine. her body is nice and she isnt too pretty
TL;DR: Ethan’s butt, Becky’s an ass.
Way to ignore the problems at hand, Becky.
that’s really rude, becky. like what the hell.
Becky, Becky, Becky…
I love you, but with a chin like yours, I wouldn’t be throwing around insults like “bony”. You could put an eye out with that thing.
I love you, but
with a chin like yours,I wouldn’t be throwing around insultslike “bony”. You could put an eye out with that thing.😉
I know I’m dense, but… Is Becky implying that Joyce has a habit of liking the wrong subset of skinny smart people?
I’ve endured worse insults from people who had no excuses for their actions. Becky is being dumb, but then, that’s practically the name of the comic. Everyone in it is frequently dumb. Unless this behavior continues for years in the comic, I’m going to assume that Becky is just still trying to sort out the difference between “expressing the true inner me” and “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” That’s distinction is not always that easy.
That’s the first thing Becky has said that’s made me sad.
Welp, I think I finally figured out exactly which of the major relationships “Three’s A Crowd” is referring to.
The bluntness of a Becky.
LORD GALASSO DEMANDS TO KNOW WHY HIS GRAVATAR WON’T CHANGE TO THE IMAGE HE UPLOADED
Well, you know Galasso is irreplaceable.
+1 for both of you, so.. +2?
So after a quick perusal of the comments, it appears that almost everybody thinks that what I thought was a funny, snarky introduction makes Becky an instant monster and a jackass.
Okaaaaaaay.
But maybe we like making extreme, context-free character judgments based on a single strip! Did you ever stop to consider that? Huh? HUH?!
Joking aside, I’d read Becky’s intro as a sassy ice-breaker if she was giving Dorothy any indication of that – a wink/smile or something, even just looking at her instead of sizing her up and talking about her to Joyce as if she wasn’t standing right there. As it is, I think she’s being plain rude (probably unintentionally, cf ‘best socialised’; but then, unlike Joyce, we haven’t really seen any indication that Becky gets upset if she offends someone).
Even if that was her intent, though, it’s a high-risk strategy at best.
Nobody’s calling her a monster, though I may understand if an overwhelming negative response may look that way. We’re calling her a jackass though, because that’s how she’s acting, popped collar and all.
Popped collar make people douche’s, it’s a known fact
Only a rare few can pull it off and be cool!
*shrug* maybe it’s because I tend to be attracted by blunt and abrasive women and surround myself in them irl, but I really don’t see reason to instantly reject a character (like many are doing…) for being a bit snarky towards the person everybody has hyped up over and over she’s supposed to be jealous of.
Speaking only for myself, I still like Becky on the whole but find her behavior lately to be worryingly full of jerkitude. This comes basically from the fact that she has thus far been shown and proudly/loudly claims to get off on psychologically tormenting the best friend who is literally clothing her (those are Joyce’s clothes Becky’s wearing, remember), sheltering her in her dorm in direct defiance of the rules, and skipping meals to make sure she has food. (And also as I said, I would be less disturbed/worried if Joyce responded to Becky by rolling her eyes or ribbing back, which would make this a fun game between friends. Joyce’s reactions have been to be sad/upset or to bluescreen, though, which means this is not a fun game.)
That basic level of jerkitude is now being raised by the fact that she’s just categorically insulted someone she hasn’t previously met, for no actual reason.
I don’t think Becky’s bad. I think she needs to chill out a lot, and as quickly as possible, because she’s going to need all the goodwill and support she can get not just from Joyce but from the larger world in general.
There is “Snarky” and then theres “I’m gonna talk like you aren’t here and also ignore you, and your hand extended in greeting”
but I guess it’s still better than rejecting her on the basis of her having an undercut like a bunch of people did yesterday! I was just surprised by the instant, violent backlash against something that didn’t read all that jackassy to me, just a funny punchline.
I rejected Becky long before the haircut.
I already thought Becky was a jerk, so… *shrug*
I love becky.
WILLIS! Question: Will Dina ever use her trademark rope-traps? I’m going through the old It’s Walky! archives, and I found those beautiful gems
She may have used one to snare Faz so he could be returned whence he came.
Either way Im going to say “clever girl” now to beat the crowd.
Mike would probs appriciate some… Ahem… Rope tricks…
Beeecky be nice… >_<
At least this is a step back from making commentary about what about Joyce appeals to her physically.
…not gonna lie 99% of the reason I'm commenting is I'm curious as to what my new Gravatar will be. I had Sarah before, so hopefully I get someone at least as cool.
Oooh Raidah… really not a fan. Guess I’ll be putting in my own avatar at some point.
Becky’s like the old hermit in the Monty Python’s Life Of Brian – “I’ve kept my vote of silence for 18 years, I DON’T WANNA SHUT UP!”
Ahahaha, imagine her dancing about, though.
Yesterday, I said in a comment that I like Becky
…I’m gonna be having to take back that statment as I am not a fan of her rudeness featured in today’s comic. 🙁
Sooo, when they said Joyce were the best socialized, they weren’t lying.
Ruth avatar? Eh, I’ll take it.
You’ll take it and like it.
Apparently not, no.
Oh my, it looks like she’ll strike a few nerves before the whole cavalry comes in with a bit “STFU”
I got Ruth as well?
Huh, well how about that.
There’s a lot of Ruth going around today.
… which is odd when you think about it, since the comments are being petty and …. ruthless (as usual) …
I like Becky. She’s BRILLIANT!
Je suis rosbif maintenant? Sacre-bleu!
Girl, that was hella rude.
This is basically “let it go” with less ice and more Girl Power. She’s kind of high on the freedom.
Aw, man, so rude. (Also, just need to see what my new gravatar is. I was Jacob…)
Wait, gravatar switch? Does this mean I’m not Mary anymore? HALLE-FUCKING-LUJAH
ooh hey jocelyn! she’s cute :3
How rude
Gravatar switch? Cool beans.
Rachel? I’m okay with this.
Who am I
Awww hell yeah
Feeling compassion for Becky’s situation, but still wishing she wasn’t so intent on just saying whatever comes to mind, particularly upsetting Joyce. Then again, this is coming from someone who has a personality much close to Joyce’s who can only really have low-dose Becky friends rather than best-friend Becky friends because the constant teasing and airing things I’d rather the world not know about me (or voicing negative comments about people I love in front of me) is a GIANT. STRESS. and also makes me so anxious and sad that I can’t be around them very long. Sooooo. There’s that.
C’mon, Becky. You could be nicer to a friend of someone who you really care about, someone who is TAKING YOU IN WHEN YOUR FAMILY THREW YOU OUT. Someone who changed her beliefs because she loves you. That ought to merit some kindness!
“I had free money and a few hours to myself…”
Umm… she’s a freshman dropout who is supposedly running away from family. How is it she has ‘free money? And what does she mean by “free money”, anyway? There’s another shoe to drop here.
Joyce needs to start answering her phone, and see if there’s more (or less) to the story Becky’s been telling.
Trashing Joyce’s other best friend (to her face, no less) isn’t helping matters either.
Free money – remember when she tried to get Billie to talk to her/date her/be friends with her? Then Billie gave her $20 to go away? In The Middle of Nowhere, you can probably get a decent haircut for $20.
Presumably she used the “go away” money Billie gave her some strips back.
No, I suspect the story is pretty much exactly what Becky says it is, but Joyce not answering her phone is going to be a problem potentially, yeah. She might have missed the “Joyce we are on our way” call.
Why should their parents drive to her college now? They may know that Becky is gone and perhaps suspect that she is with Joyce but what do they think to accomplish with that? They should have realized by now that Joyce has a mind of her own.
Believe you me, it takes a *lot* for these types to realize their kids have minds of their own. :-/
In this scenario, Becky’s parents might be with them.
Also since they presumably pay for Joyce’s college, that’d be a lot of leverage.
Although all these “YOU WASTED YOUR MONEY ON A HAIRCUT YOU’RE POOR WHAT AN IDIOT” comments are kinda frustrating to me. Like…Becky isn’t allowed to spend any money at all on herself, on making herself feel more at home in her body after repressing all body things for 18 years? Come on. It’s similar to the “how DARE a poor person not spend every cent they come across on things I deem important for them! How DARE they buy anything ever that just makes them feel good!” arguments I hear from conservatives, and it’s just…bleh.
Pff, it’s not like they’re really poor. Did you know 98% of them own refrigerators? Those accursed liberal, welfare parasites.
It just occurred to me that no matter how sarcastic I wanted that to be, there are people actually arguing that.
How depressing is that. 😐 Sigh.
I think people are just upset because she’s not thinking about her future and just going around with no real care. I think people are worried Becky will end up taking advantage of Joyce by using her meal plan and staying in the dorm, because Joyce won’t want her to be homeless.
I’m willing to forgive it (her actual actions of presenting a poor personality are much better reasons to take issue with her), but it’s a valid thing to be worried about. In fact, as a homeless runaway with no means of her own in place, something like an unnecessary haircut does in fact become frivolous. Though Becky has never been in the situation she’s in before, and is in a weird place right now (the somewhat manic state of finally not repressing something) so her not thinking that through is rather forgivable. Had she spent a week on the street first or something, it might be a bit different.
Totally agree with you! Sometimes a luxury during a hard time can bea lifesaver! I always feel guilty when I spend any money on myself- and is because of the privileged and judgemental attitude that if you are poor, all your money should be going to stop being poor.
This isn’t a “YOU NEED TO STOP BEING POOR BECKY” It’s “You need to try and realize you’re leaning on someone really heavy,a nd should TRY to ease the weight”
Joyce is going to skip MEALS to help her for fucks sake.
It’s even more awkward than I ever dreamed! This is beautiful!
Ooh, new grav is perfection.
At this point, this is too much Becky.
Now Becky’s just being tactless and rude. Like, maybe she thinks she’s being funny, but it’s stopped being funny.
I think if she was trying to be funny she’d be grinning.
I think she’s being serious, unfortunately. And also a jerk.
Becky’s goal is to make everyone have horrified expressions. So far, we have three out of four.
And a decent chunk of the commentators as well.
I mean – she’s so rad that everyone’s gravatars shuffeld around.
Joyce.exe has encountered an unexpected error and needs to restart.
BECKY LOSES SEVERAL POINTS FOR POOR TASTE IN WOMEN
Also, is it still a misogynistic way to talk about women if the person doing the talking is a lesbian?
Sure, women can uphold misogynic structure just fine.
Fantastic, now nobody can call me an idiot if I describe Becky’s current behavior as being very DUDEBRO.
LADYDUDEBRO.
This is like when socially awkward/misaligned straight dudes start talking like early-seasons Barney from How I Met Your Mother once they get to college because they think that’s the only way to be a cool, sexually-active dude.
“I RATE YOUR ASS A FIVE!”
*SMACK*
“FIVE FINGERS, THAT IS! WOO HAH! LEGEN-WAITFORIT-DARY!”
Man, having a hot glasses dude as my gravatar really serves as an incentive to keep posting.
Ladydudebro doesn’t really roll off the tongue, but is there anything better? Dudettesis sounds even stupider! 🙁
Gurlbro?
Guuuuuuuuurrrrrrlbro? I like the sound of that.
It could also be spelled ‘Grrlbro’ but somehow I feel like ‘gurlbro’ and ‘grrlbro’ are two different things. (I cannot articulate that difference though.)
Grrl has it’s own mess tied to it. I think Gurlbro gets the job done.
Yeah but when they do they only do it 77% as well as a guy would.
*rimshot*
Burn
STAGES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT:
CHILDHOOD – Person trusts and relies upon perceived authority to define right/wrong, constantly seeking support and approval from such. Meek, polite, trusting.
BETRAYAL – Series of events that demonstrate to individual that perceived authority is flawed, shatters illusion of trust (traumatic)
ADOLESCENCE – Individual rebels against perceived authority, begins to seek elements to construct their own moral code. Often behaves abrasively and selfishly.
ADULTHOOD – Individual constructs own moral code, learns to live by their own rules. Results may vary, but many exchange politeness for true kindness, and meekness for true humility.
Becky has just gone through a rather severe Betrayal, and is diving headfirst into Adolescent rebellion. She’s not going to be a very nice person for a while, as she figures out what her new rules are. She will need her friends more than ever – like in physical development, Adolescence is a dangerous time, and many don’t survive it unscathed.
Problem is (and I’ve seen this firsthand) your second adolescence doesn’t mean you can’t go over certain lines. A friend of a friend got kicked out after being taken in after coming out. Which sounds harsh, but in all honesty, they deserved it. Not going to turn a webcomic discussion blog into a personal forum, but I’ll say this: once you threaten somebody’s 10 year old kid physically in a serious way, you should not be surprised you have just worn out your welcome no matter what you are going through.
Obviously Becky is nowhere near that level of Bongo, (we need a bongo rating and I don’t know enough about music to categorize the tiers appropriately, perhaps top tier is Buttface Bongo Fiesta?) but she wouldn’t be the first person in a bad place to say or do something you just can’t take back. And part of the problem here is that other then Joyce, these people AREN’T her friends. And if she presents herself as a jerk right off, they won’t want to be.
Types of percussion instruments? Campana (cowbell), cymbal, bongo, steel drum, timpani? (Only the very worst people are timpani.)
Nah, they all gotta be bongo related. Like, Tier 1 is background percussion, Tier 6 is a Bongo Solo, etc.
See, the thing is, I don’t really think Becky’s changed at all. She’s just applying her enthusiasm for worship to another idea, like any socially-stunted try-hard would. Also, I bet Joyce has always been too nice for her own good, & never pointed out to her best friend that she can come across as a douchenozzle.
Experiencing that, I believe, is the true benefit of a college lifestyle, because then you actually start to learn from yourself, good friends & course material, instead of acting like a know-it-all. At least, that used to be the case.
Broken little Becky is still in transition.
Haven’t commented in months. Need to check my face.
FAAAAACE!!!
sorry
Face check!
I remember when everyone loved Becky and I was kinda “ehhh?” Man, she turned everyone off to her fast, in the comic and the readership.
Turned ‘everyone’ off her, huh?
Lotsa hatin’ on Becky and none of it deserved. She is just following Joyce’s lead. Earlier today (last month), Joyce was walking down the floor introducing Becky to people with exactly the same flippant and dismissive language that Becky is using. They share the same background and have the same skills and lack thereof.
I find this pitch perfect and recursive too. Bless you Willis.
Yup. Peas of a pod. Each “what the hecky, Becky” moment we get is just a reminder how similar Joyce and Becky are. We have grown used to Joyce over a long time, but we get ALL OF BECKY in one dose.
But to be fair, Joyce tend to get called out for that behavior in the comment section as well.
I’m amused at how Dorothy has gone from being “blonde amber” to being described by characters in the comic as “bony”, while Amber is often referred to as being rather large. At the start I thought they looked kinda similar, but I guess maybe it was just the artstyle at the time.
Also the hair/glasses.
I’m puzzled at just how broken Joyce is as a result of the hair change. Is hair a big deal in some American fundamentalist circles?
I personally think it’s a combination of the straw that broke the camel’s back (too much change too quickly) and whiplash due to Joyce’s expectation that Becky would be alone and upset after their earlier sort-of-fight.
Joyce has had to adjust to a lot super quickly in the past couple of days, plus right this minute she’s also coming directly off a panic attack. Grace under pressure, thy name is not Joyce right now.
In my circles, hair is a BIG deal. It’s the glory of a woman, after all, and we should keep it long enough to wash the feet of Jesus! And not be all modern-like, because that’s REBELLION and rebellion is as the sin of WITCHCRAFT.
I JUST realized the disturbing implication that Becky couldn’t imagine why Joyce would hang out with Dorothy unless she was straight, otherwise if Joyce was a lesbian she’d only hang out with Dorothy unless she wanted to get some fuck.
Okay, now that my initial shock at Becky’s dickishness has worn off, I’m no longer sure this has to end in loud recriminations. Sometimes these moments can be defused with a little reciprocal snark, which is Walky’s department if he’s willing to step up. He and Becky already enjoy being smartasses together, and he can be surprisingly adept at coming up with the right thing to say under pressure, as shown by his talk with Joyce’s terrifying mom. I don’t know as how Willis would let him pull the same thing off twice in the same storyline, but can now maintain a little hope for a low-drama resolution.
Absolutely. Walky may very well rise to the occasion. I also have high hopes for Dorothy. She has shown before to have a level head in the face of snark (her interaction with Billie in their early days of journalism is a good example), she knows a bit of where Becky is coming from and she knows just how stressed out Joyce is (something that Becky doesn’t seem to have caught up on).
I was gonna make a comment about the strip but instead:
HOLY NEW GRAVATARS, BATMAN.
Slowly losing admiration for Becky.
Man, skimming the comments there’s a lot of anger at Becky, and I really feel like she needs some slack to learn here. Yes, that was a really rude comment, and it sucks as a first impression to Dorothy, but she’s still riding high on freedom and actually being able to say what she’s thinking. She still needs to learn to have some self control, but this is the first day in her entire life that she can actually say things out loud that she’s been learning to keep to herself.
Especially opinions regarding the relative attractiveness of other women.
She just cranked her internal-to-external filters from 100% to 0%, give her some time to fine tune it a little. I hope someone does tell her that’s not an okay thing to say, and I hope she learns from it, but still learning doesn’t make her awful or mean.
I think most of us get that, we’re just annoyed by her behaviour in this strip, understandable as it may be.
Ha yes my evil plan worked. No more crappy Raidah grav for me.
I kind of get the feeling Becky has always been exactly like this, but now there’s just an extra level of “Hey, I’m a lesbian!” to add to it. Her goal the entire day? two days? she’s been here has been to freak out Joyce as much as possible without regard for how Joyce feels beyond being freaked out. I dislike Becky because so far, she’s proven to be a pretty inconsiderate friend regardless of whatever freedom she suddenly has. Eventually she’ll have to learn that you can’t say whatever you want whenever you want, and if you intentionally bug people there will be a limit.
Lol I’m Sal now. Kinda disappointing because I was Amber before and her picture in the gravatar looked like me. XD
Becky’s not trying to freak Joyce out at all. Rile her up a bit for giggles, sure, but she’s not trying to be malicious towards her best friend.
Since her introduction Becky’s shown to have a flimsy brain to mouth filter, and that was when he was lying about why she visited and working up to confessing her feelings. Now that she’s out of the closet, with the implicit support of her best friend, I think it’s more that she’s so excited that things might actually turn out okay that she’s not really considering what she’s saying and just shooting off the first thing that comes to mind. When I get like that I tend to do the same thing.
Becky absolutely is trying to get Joyce to freak out. In this very strip, her reaction to Joyce being literally too freaked out to think is basically ‘WOO that’s what I’m talking about!’
And before, her reaction to Joyce being upset and worried for her safety boils down to ‘ahahahaha I love doing this to you!!’
And these examples don’t cover how she said she’d respect Joyce and stop hitting on her, then promptly proceeded to double down on hitting-on-Joyce just because ‘ahahahaha I love doing this to you!!’
Becky may not think she’s being malicious, but she loudly/proudly claims to get off on psychologically tormenting her alleged best friend. She intends to upset Joyce in a real way, therefore I see malice, whatever Becky thinks is actually going on.
You might be right, but I’m wondering if maybe if it boils down to Becky wanting to make Joyce have to choose between what’s more important to her: Becky or the church. By making Joyce incredibly uncomfortable, Becky is intentionally or not, making Joyce have to come to a decision between which one is more important to her, especially after the conversation they had not that long ago. It’s testing boundaries in a way that is risky, and probably unhealthy for their friendship.
It’s one thing if pranking is reciprocal, but Joyce isn’t the pranking type and obviously doesn’t have fun being uncomfortable (which Becky delights in making her feel).
This may be a bit extreme, but Becky is really treading the line of being a bit of a bully. Pranking is only pranking if both parties like it and find it funny. Otherwise, it’s just mean.
This is pretty much why I haven’t liked Becky from the very beginning. She enjoys pushing Joyce’s buttons too much and that just leaves me thinking that, even though she’s been a friend for many years, she probably hasn’t been a particularly ideal one. I could even go as far as to say she’s one of those “toxic” friends and probably has been been since long before the whole lesbian angle came in to the picture.
Angry? No. Just annoyed, and hoping she does some of the growing up that everyone in this strip (with the possible exception of Leslie) needs. Soon.
theres so much becky joyce had to reboot
and i got stuck with this gravatar
“Poindexter” means “right fist.”
Foreshadowing?
Yeah, Dorothy’s nice enough to soften the punch a little by using her non-dominant hand.
Yeah! Here’s to hoping that Dorothy lays the smack down on Becky!
Whoah, Becks, boundaries.
Not all of them are bad.
I guess Becky also still has a lot to learn, much like Joyce (or anyone, really). Being queer doesn’t grant you instant wisdom.
If Becky is anything to go by, coming out actually removes lots of wisdom.
That haircut is certainly bangin but I’m not sure it gives you the right to be an asshole, Becky. Nor does being LGBT+
yeah, last time i saw becky i didn’t like her too much..
now i straight up dislike her. yeah, she’s mirroring joyce from the beginning of the comic, but even then joyce never said things that were so blatantly rude. calling someone a bony poindexter? come on becky.. your parents raise you better than that.
i thought becky was nice at the start but now i just dont like her as much
I’m not sure bringing her parents and what they taught her into this is the best way of demonstrating your point.
I think this comic is actually very true to life. It illustrates that when we finally embrace something about ourselves that we’ve been struggling with all our lives, our friends and family have a lot of catching up to do.
Gravatar check.
In today’s strip, Becky continues her descent into ‘worst character’.
If there is a confrontation between Becky and Roz we will have 1500 comments, easily.
A fourway argument between Becky, Roz, Blaine and Becky’s dad? Soggies may rule.
I kind of want to see that now.
Oooh snap.
I literally never comment but screw it, I’ll check. Everyone else is.
…Agatha?
alright then.
I have this headcanon that Agatha has a normal, slightly boring college experience in the midst of all the drama everyone else is involved in.
Like today, her pencil snapped in class and she had to take notes with a pen instead. DRAMA.
May I please, please write a fanfic about this? That is just awesome.
Awesome! I got Roz!
Do it! It would be awesome!
This is so Becky, it’s Becky McIntyre.
Becky just hurt my head… and I the the haircut honestly.
OH HELL NO, GIVE ME BACK MY SAL!!!
No, You will take your Dina gravatar…AND LIKE IT!!!
oh PLEASE! Do you know how many times I tried to get that Grav?!?! YOU ARE LUCKY!
Not sure a reboot is going to help Joyce
Becky talks big, now. I’m curious how she will react when daddy comes to take her home, considering that ever happens. Will she stand up for herself with the abrasive confidence she is exhibiting towards Dorothy, or will she crack like an egg? This is a new feeling for her and it’s changing her in more ways than one. I really hope she doesn’t turn into another Mary.
Something about Becky here reminds me of Joe’s early moments in the comic.
Merciful lords of chaos, I’ve gone from angry Mike to brunette Ann Coulter.
I’ll trade you -.-
Ann Coulter is probably not conservative enough for Mary. I mean, just the way she dresses…
And you seem to have been the only one. How very unlucky! Maybe because you have the word “troll” in your username?
Oh now I’m Amber? Let’s try another one.
Leslie’s the coolest, but what about #3?
OK, Malaya’s rad. But yesterday I was Ruth, Mike, and Daisy. Not sure which is better.
bgrfkjbdfbhdbvjfh ftw
HOLY MOTHER RHEA WHY AM I JOE
Who am I now?
I Ken accept that I suppose.
Gonna go get a nice cuppa Joe now.
I prefer my drinks amber-colored. *sips beer*
Dina’t think I’d get this one.
Thinking about the last couple of strips I’m surprised Joyce isn’t more freaked out by the amount of cleavage Becky is showing than her haircut.
Nah, it hasn’t really changed since she started wearing the shirt. Bigger boobs = more cleavage than the same shirt in the same size by someone with smaller breasts.
Curious…
Well least we are both British … there the similarities die.
Doesn’t it hurt? Jealousy, baby…doesn’t it burn? Jealous…doesn’t it consume your soul? And make you lose control…
Okay which one of you added Becky to the Base Breaker tab on tvtropes? It’s been one day, guys.
…and 700+ comments
Yeah, but a bunch of those are people trying to find out what their new Gravatar is.
BASE BRAKER!!
(sorry, feeling silly today)
One day and how many strips.
Wait… What site is that on? I want to see! 😀 ;D
Tvtropes. It’s like a bullet point list of work of fiction, dissecting them into generally occurring components. It’s a great place but very, VERY addictive.
Here is the dumbing of age page. The trope Spencer mentioned is under the YMMV page which is where we put stuff that people tend to argue about.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Webcomic/DumbingOfAge?from=Main.DumbingOfAge
Seriously, Becky. Negging is bullshit. Just ask her out.
I’ve got a feeling that Becky might have a run in with the journalist chick who really wants to bang her staff.
Part of me hopes I’m wrong because I feel like that can only end badly.
I think most of us are assuming that Becky running into Daisy is inevitable.
Can that happen?….PLEEASE!!!!
They’ll run into each other, but through a series of comedic mishaps fail to realize that the other is also a lesbian.
Avatar win!
Gravitar check please!
I’m annoyed by the Dorothy-dig, I don’t mind the money spending so much. It’s not the best choice given her lack of resources, but I can see why she might want to make a point of full-swing identifying as herself, including looks.
I’m also posting to see my new gravatar. I’ve been Sarah forever.
Aww. 🙁 Why’d she haveta insult Dorothy like that? Actually, it’s probably jealousy. :O
I think you have a misspelling in the alt-text
It really says blbfghlpf not blrfglfbblg
Becky has yet to understand the appeal of glasses girls I see (⌐■‿■)
i think i’m already used to becky’s new hair
BECKY. NO. WRONG.
Becky, why would even say that? 🙁
Well this was a much more cheery end to a reread. Last time I archive binged I ended halfway through Amber/Amazi-girls confrontation her father.
Its a fine line from brassy , to just crass and rude.
Becky just crossed it.
This is the worst ( or second worse) thing anybody in-comic has ever said to Dorothy.
( Dannys causal dismissal of her Presidential ambitions is the other one. )
I wonder how the fandom and Dortothys boosters in-comic ( Joyce, Walky ) will take it.
Becky is just lucky joyce loves her. That was a redline.
( and she probably crossed it on purpose to get a reaction )
Man, I was expecting the commenters to have already pinpointed (about two dozen times) exactly at what point in the storyline Joyce could have obtained a photo of Ethan’s butt. For once, you have disappointed me, internet.
Hmm, she didn’t say his butt was naked….
I agree, we kinda lost track of what’s important there.
This comment is made solely to discover what avatar The Great Willis has chosen to bestow upon me.
Mary. I have been forsaken.
“wait, What?” lolz
fdshfg