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New game! BOLTED 
Barb O. Saur 
She is loyal.
Aw. Billie is a decent person!
Huh, you’d think Joyce would be a little more skeptical as to why Sarah just punched a girl that, as far as she knows, is nice enough.
Maybe she automatically trusts her big sister after the events of the previous Saturday?
Sarah has probably gained a ton of leeway with Joyce after the party incident, though I suspect she will demand an explanation for this one.
As far as she knew Joe was nice enough, but there came a point where she decided otherwise. As far as she knew the priests son was nice enough, then he showed himself to be otherwise.
I think we’re looking at a combination of the fact that she doesn’t make that big a deal of violence in general and that her experiences here are causing her to develop a certain level of distrust or skepticism towards the kindness of strangers. I do imagine she’ll ask Sarah what was up with this when this is over though.
It would be kind of cool if Joyce and Sarah developed a bit of a Batman and Superman dynamic, where Joyce trusts in Sarah’s ability to accurately spot the dangerous or negative aspects of people while Sarah trusts Joyce’s ability to spot the positives that she’s missing.
The Joe incident was disturbing. Repeatedly punching a guy for being sexually open/brusque?
I agree with you – Joyce doesn’t seem to make a big deal out of violence.
“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you!”
Ezekiel 25:17.
See? God’s cool with the smiting, and thus so is Joyce.
I seem to recall she was so down with it that she assisted with the smiting.
She also didn’t remember what happened the next day, so she probably didn’t realize how violent the situation really got, and during the incident she was drugged. But I do get the feeling she’s down with the smiting.
She might not remember glassing the dude in the face but I bet she remembers pummeling Joe.
Oh wait, she totally remembers glassing the dude in the face.
http://twitter.com/Joyce_Brown/status/124686445402267648
“Down with the smiting” sounds like a particularly horrendous health condition.
“Seen Joyce lately?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? She came down with the smiting.”
“Yeesh!”
“You’re telling me! She’s, like, *lived* on the toilet the past two days.”
Would bring a whole new meaning to ‘being smitten.’
This I agree with.
Also, am I the only one who would like a Mike/Sarah pairing sometime in the future?
Sure it wouldn’t last but I bet it would be spectacular, as they’re literal opposites:
Like God and the Devil or Matter and Anti-Matter.
Wow…Joyce going with Sarah after that…I love her much more…just for not turning on her like I was afraid she would.
So how soon until people take the last panel out of context for some hot BillieXRaidah slash fic? Oh what, it’s already happened?
yes…by you.
You created what you had gone back in time to prevent!
Rule 34 man, rule 34
Billie stop it and just start stabbing everthing. I hear going around the bend relieves a lot of stress.
Mike relieved stress by bending your mom for a nickel
Swing and a foul ball.
Your mom relieves stress by bending around Mike for a nickel
fixed it*
And its entertaining, too! You can spend months convinced your a lemon and jumping in and out of a gin and tonic, or talking to trees.
I’m going slightly mad.
I’m going slightly mad.
It finally happened.
It finally happened.
It finally happened.
I’m slightly mad.
I AM NOT MAD …. just very very Angry!
I have a sudden craving for tomatoes of a homicidal nature…
They’re coming to take me away, haha,
They’re coming to take me away, hoho, hehe, haha,
To the funny farm where life is beautiful ALL the time
And I’ll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats
And they’re coming to take me away, haha!
Yay! Queen reference!
He said “round the bend”, not “round the blend.” Although, with a good enough gin and tonic…
Does that mean that Billie will singlehandedly be responsible for the evolved shape of what will someday be the giraffe?
It’s only a matter of time before we are introduced to the new character Eddie. (He’s in the space-time continuum.)
And this is his sofa, is it?
This whole situation can still be summarized by “Well. Fuck.”
Interestingly, the current Shortpacked! storyline can be described that way too!
Glad Joyce didn’t turn over to the dark side at least.
Sarah just got a 400 gold bounty added from Whiterun.
Yeah, but they’re an Imperial town; once the Stormcloaks take over it won’t matter anymore.
(actually not sure about that since I’ve never incurred a bounty like that)
Bah, just put on the Cowl of the Nocturnal…oh wait.
Raidah used to be an adventurer like Sarah til she took an arrow in the knee.
There completely destroyed her femur, it was tragic.
She needed that to live.
I’m assuming Joyce is sticking to what she knows, which is that Sarah may be prickly, but she’s a good person at heart. And I guess she’s waiting for the whole story before passing judgement.
My god, it’s like she’s being…MATURE about this!
Let’s be fair, despite her very sheltered upbringing and fundie background Joyce has always been shown to be essentially good hearted, during the Church arc she even expressed her distaste for some of the more hardcore evangelical churches and their teachings. Hell considering her background she’s amazingly open minded already and seeming becoming more so as time goes on.
Oh, I know. I’m quite fond of Joyce. She has quite a bit to learn and she’s definately naive, but she’s a sweet kid with a very kind heart.
Well, it’s not as if Joyce is opposed to using sudden violence against people who say or think things that offend her.
And as long as you need someone punched, Mike will always be there.
For a nickle.
To do your mom later on.
Is anyone else getting a “lesbian” feel from Char? Or am I just a terrible person? O.o
I got a best friend vibe from her. I can’t imagine Char being the kind of person tolerant enough to handle such emotions.
I agree that it’s probably just a best friend thing, but I take issue with the other statement. Being a member of one discriminated minority isn’t a vaccine against finding someone “beneath you” from another discriminated minority to sneer at.
She could always be a hypocrite.
It’s sad how true this is.
I can understand that. I only say this because Char immediately struck me as the kind of person that was unafraid to say and do what she felt like, and instead of punching Sarah back like I thought she would, she just wrapped her arms around Raidah in a protective stance rather than an aggressive response. But thanks
Char only likes little girls.
Good for Joyce, and Billie. I agree that it looks as though Joyce is going to give Sarah a chance to explain what just happened.
Billie may have done better to hand the money to Joyce to pay for her clothes, and stayed around the sharks to gain points seeing as how she wants them so badly for friends.
I think waving money under their noses is a big mistake.
As a broke college student I need a Billie for a best friend.
A number of the readers here could benefit from a friend like Billie, just as long as it is in $AUS dollars.
Panel 2…so many emotions…It’s too much…my heart….
Poke a dog with a stick long enough and it will bite you. Doesn’t mean it’s got rabies.
Then again, some dogs is just dicks.
I’m pretty sure a dog bite hurts regardless of rabies. I’d want to avoid it either way.
It also hurts despite the size of the dog. I got bit by a chihuahua once. It sucked.
‘Poke’ a bunch of hookers long enough and the crabs will bite you.
Sheathe Your Sword: It’s not just for video games anymore!
Okay so I’m just gonna assume Sarah got THIS protective because her old roommate started out just fine before meeting some of the other people on campus and was eventually “corrupted” into the druggie she was described as.
She may also just genuinely like Joyce, as much as she might have difficulty showing it in constructive ways.
But DECONSTRUCTIVE, she can do.
So Sarah takes Derrida out a whole new door?
Silly Billie, a twenty buys you a blowjob, you need at least a fifty for a black eye.
Who pays for black eyes in this day and age?
People hoping to settle out of court.
I am told there is a group of Peas who need Black Eyes for their work.
Boom! Boom!! POW!!!
Has there been an explanation in previous strips about what is happening here? Because I am lost. I can tell that serious “shit got real” has or is happening in Sarah’s head. And Raidah’s face …
Okay, let’s connect the dots.
1) Sarah’s former roommate was a party-girl and druggie who antics nearly cost Sarah her scholarship because she couldn’t study.
2) Raidah and her friends hate Sarah because Sarah got their friend kicked out of school. They periodically harass her over it.
3) Sarah likes Joyce since she’s a good kid and has developed a protective streak towards her and her innocence.
4) Sarah is also afraid of having another roommate turn into a party-girl. That’s part of why she doesn’t really like Billie and why she came along to prevent Billie from being a “bad influence.”
5) Sarah had a fresh confrontation with Raidah.
6) While her back was turned, Billie dressed up Joyce like a girl in more revealing clothes, and Joyce was about to befriend her nemesis, who may or may not have approached Joyce knowing whose roommate she is.
7) The shock of seeing Joyce in a few minutes turn into a potential embodiment of her nightmares made Sarah snap. She freaks out, turns possessive, and punches Raidah.
8) Sarah realizes that she just screwed up big-time and is mortified.
And finally, Billie is just Billie. : )
It almost cost her the scholarship because if the roommate was caught, Sarah would be in trouble as well. Any disrupted studying is a secondary consequence.
What an excellent overview, thank you! I am not lost anymore! You were so thorough that it robbed me of my chance to connect some of those dots on my own.
Damn you!!!! For giving me what I wanted!!!!
I think Sarah has some sharp knuckles. Raidah looks like she just got cut.
Her glasses probably scratched her before flying off of her face.
No but seriously why on earth are any of those people acting like it’s even a little okay to grab someone by the arm and tell them where to go and then violently assault someone else for intervening, holy shit?
Because it’s a comic, the normal rules of real life don’t apply, and the plot calls for it. Seriously. That is the only answer that will ever stand up to scrutiny for any question you will ever have for any comic you ever read. Even then, it doesn’t always stand up to close scrutiny.
I’m not seeing much wrong with grabbing somebody by the arm and telling them where to go, myself. (And Sarah just *did* get called out for the punch, by Char.)
Billie, you can’t solve all your problems with Twenties. That’s what Hundreds are for.
“The large one, seeing a challenger for control of the herd, initiates a dominance display. Sensing an opening, the large one lashes a forelimb out at the newcomer, catching her utterly by surprise. Her dominance maintained, she leads her herd away, leaving her former challenger to nurse her wounds.”
“Crikey! And that’s about as close as it gets!”
Is that from anything besides Freeman’s Mind?
I mean, I know it is sort of Steve Irwin-ish, and/or related Australian stereotype, but I don’t know that that is an exact phrase from anywhere else.
*Applause*
Don’t forget the Alpha also gets the career in chartered accountancy!
The student has surpassed the master…
Damn, inflation’s even hitting the hookers hard.
Well done. Some people deserved to be punched. And some people can only take so much bullshit before they can’t take anymore.
I don’t think interacting with a mutual friend is enough bullshit TO PUNCH SOMEONE IN THE FACE.
Look, I know Sarah’s not necessarily in her right mind. I know these girls have been bothering her, and possibly have been doing so more than we’ve seen. But that doesn’t excuse a goddamn thing. Sarah still doesn’t have the right to punch anyone, not even if they “deserve to be punched,” not even if she “can’t take anymore [bullshit].” No one has the right to just up and punch another person, unless in self-defense. Which this wasn’t. This was a response to people she didn’t like, people who’d been bothering her, talking to someone she did like.
In these last three strips, there is nothing redeeming, justifying, or vindicating Sarah. Raidah hasn’t even said to her anything since earlier. Sarah, on the other hand, has walked up and tried to physically pull someone she calls a friend away with no explanation why other than “I said so.” Y’know, the explanation a parent gives a child when the parent doesn’t feel like coming up with a better reason. Sarah’s clearly been taking a lot of bullshit, because right now? She’s full of it.
Yeah. Sarah’s got some explaining to do.
She should have punched the other one too.
Right in mid sentence in the first panel would have been hilarious.
“And then, in order to fit in as one of the herd, I struck the one who called me a retard repeatedly about the head and shoulders.”
That would have been cool, that or gnawing on her leg. Maybe it’s the hat but I picture Dina as a biter.
You rang, Billie?
All I can say is…. good thing she left the bat at the dorm!!
SHE DIDN’T!!!! SHE BROUGHT IT WITH HER!!! DON’T YOU REMEMBER???!!!!!!
RIGHT HERE!!!!!!
That was supposed to have a link on it.
It does…in your name.
Anyone else getting really pissed at these girls?
If by “these girls” you mean “Sarah,” then yes. Yes, I am.
I know, how dare they be upset with someone for punching one of their number in the face.
Which girls? Dina?
Yeah, she really enrages me too.
Dina makes me make a face that looks like this. Rrr!
Damn. If only Raidah was a mother then Billie could’ve saved herself a lot of money and just offered a nickel.
Speaking as a victim of long-term bullying my natural inclination is to side with Sarah. Punching Raidah wasn’t the right thing to do but how many time I wished I’d been able to defend myself like that. Sarah’s afraid and lashing out in this moment at fear that could be better explained through talking but I sense that with the prolonged taunting Raidah and her friends have put Sarah through this has been a long time coming. Seeing them possibly attempting to steal away her only friend was the last straw.
I can only hope this doesn’t backfire too horribly on Sarah.
Speaking as someone who had an entire class constantly out to try to piss him off in grade school, I have no sympathy for Sarah. Punching someone for verbal attacks? Stupid in every way. It gets you into more trouble, it tends to make your attackers think they really are better than you (and show them they can get to you), and it makes your friends wonder if you’re going to snap at them.
The assumption here is that Sarah has a perfectly cool head and always makes the most logical choice.
Not that she’s, you know, actually a human.
And how did you learn that? Because I learned that because of responding physically to taunting. It’s a natural inclination. And no it’s not right but seriously it’s very human. There is a reason that we have a word in English that means both very angry and insane. Because if you mishandle your anger you don’t think straight. So I have a lot of sympathy for Sarah. Having sympathy for some one does not require condoning their actions.
Actually, I learned that by knowing that it wasn’t ok to use physical violence. You know, that thing your parents teach you when you’re 2 and literally don’t know any better.The rest I worked out as I got older.
I’m not saying that it’s not understandable why Sarah did what she did. Just that it’s not justifiable, it’s not vindicated, and it’s not excusable.
Billie’s growing up.
I want to hear Dinas’ version of this trip to the mall.
Break-up AND make-up!
Rex Hondo can help with that.
Whoops…that was supposed to be in reply to ixupihunter, right above.
Smooth, Jackson. Real smooth.
Oh man. Raidah is completely in the green to press assault charges on Sarah. Her unwillingness to fight back suggests that she would rather do just that than get even by throwing punches back.
In Indiana, assault that inflicts bodily injury is a class A misdemeanor, which would get Sarah thrown in jail for a year. That would be the best way for her enemies to get even.
So….I’m not sure I get the punchline. Is Billie offering Raidah $20 just to keep her from pressing charges?
No, I took it more as laying groundwork in the hopes that by honoring her promise to Joyce she doesn’t burn the bridge with Raidah. Through bribery.
Billie believes money is friendship – this is merely a payoff (so to speak) of that earlier gag.
SHE IS BUYING HER FRIENDS DERP
I’ve got to say, I like Raidah better than Sarah. Sarah punches Raidah in the face for… not buckling down, and letting the government run roughshod over those who should not be criminals, and not being all smiles and sunshine that her friend is rotting in chains, surrounded by vicious thieves and killers who must see her as a tool with potential to be unlocked by violence? And we’re supposed to be on her side? Why?
Mostly because Radiah has also killed seventeen people, four with her bare hands, six of them children, and one of them a tax accountant. Admittedly these are minor crimes, of the inconsequential, easily overlooked variety, but we wouldn’t want to overlook the fact that these are still considered crimes, and that her associates could get in a certain amount of trouble for failing to report them.
Dah fauq did i just read?
Aaaaaaand there it is.
Who had 8:19 pm in the pool for when somebody would make the ridiculous and dangerous assertion that drug abusers and their enablers are noble, misunderstood victims and that law-abiding citizens are the bad guys?
What? You didn’t know that we really are the bad guys? Seriously, if we didn’t obey the laws, then there wouldn’t be any laws at all and there would be nothing with which to persecute the druggies. Come on, it’s perfectly logical.
Can you see some twenty-something kid named Barack H. Obama II, dead on a cold prison floor, a shiv in his back, like so many youth, especially black youth? He should be, by your logic. That’s where you’ve just told me his festering corpse belongs! Can you smell the decaying flesh of the young man who will never be President, who will never continue this butchery and defend it with a chuckle as rabid dogs like Sarah continue to think themselves holy to bathe in the blood of the innocent?
Can you continue to pontificate to the masses? Can you encourage them to rise up and overthrow their chains? Can you bring about justice and create a society based on love and respect for your fellow man? Can you rouse the rabble and remake the world in a better image?
What’s that? You can’t? You can only comment on a webcomic in such a way that you sound like a raving loony? Well…all right, then. carry on.
Except that we have no evidence that anyone went to jail for any of this?
I find this new aspect of Billie’s personality to be highly likable.
Sarah’s face in the second panel brings back bad memories. I punched my friend in the face once for making stupid comments and hitting me in the shoulder and he burst his lip with his teeth. I actually didn’t get in trouble for it basically at all, but it still kinda haunts me. However, it did stop him acting like I was a weak piece of shit all the time. At least, for most of the time.