Line #173 Webcomic/ForestHill


1	[[quoteright:272:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/foresthill14d036f4_3955.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:272:Hunter takes things [[LiteralMinded literally]].]]
3
4	->''"... I was naive, Benni, just like you are right now. I didn't realize the danger I put myself into, nor did I understand the consequences of what I was doing, but that's a part of being young and growing up."''
5	-->-- '''Flora'''
6
7
8	Started in January 2012, ''Forest Hill'' is a SliceOfLife Dramedy written and drawn by Tim Rodriguez that follows the lives of three friends and their families as they deal with growing up, as well as a school bully who has been raised in less-than-ideal circumstances.
9
10	The cast includes Tanya, a [[SpoiledBrat spoiled]] [[CunningLikeAFox fox]] who [[DaddysGirl has her dad wrapped around her finger]], Kaleb, a [[EverythingsBetterWithBunnies rabbit]] whose mother is struggling to get by, and Munch, a [[CoolCat cat]] who pays more attention to the T.V. than anything else.
11
12	Plot arcs have included [[TimeToMove moving to the eponymous city]], [[NewTransferStudent fitting in at school]], a hospital stay, a [[SlumberParty sleepover]], [[CerebusSyndrome and the rescue of a bully from his abusive father, which leads to the uncovering of a child prostitution ring.]] [[FromBadToWorse It gets worse.]]
13
14	Most of the strips are in short-form NewspaperComic format, with early strips in black and white or grayscale, and later strips in full color, although recent strips have switched back to black and white. Occasionally, a half-page SundayStrip would be posted as well to keep with its newspaper feel.
15
16	The comic is notable for currently being one of the only comics to have [[https://www.badwebcomicswiki.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Forest_Hill a positive review]] on the [[CausticCritic Bad Webcomics Wiki.]]
17
18	'''WARNING: This comic discusses topics of child sexuality and abuse, and thus contains disturbing scenes of child sexual abuse and full-frontal nudity, including of underage characters. Viewer discretion advised.'''
19
20	The comic is hosted [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/ here]].
21
22	!!''Forest Hill'' contains the following tropes:
23
24	* AbusiveParents:
25	** Benni's father is both a physically and sexually abusive parent. His crimes include breaking Benni's arm, raping him, and forcing him to work as a prostitute.
26	** [[spoiler:Talitha]]'s father seems like a nice guy, but he is also sexually abusing her and grooming her to enjoy it.
27	* AgonyOfTheFeet: [[spoiler:Tanya]] gets stabbed in the foot with a knife by [[spoiler:the older kids she provoked for hurting Kaleb.]]
28	* AngerBornOfWorry: When Flora finds out Colin let the boys get naked in his house and got naked with them, she slaps him and gives him a verbal lashing, [[MistakenForPedophile pointing out that it could easily be taken the wrong way]] if the wrong person heard about it.
29	* AnimalIsTheNewMan: The webcomic takes place in a distant future resembling the 1990's. Humans disappeared in the distant past and took much of their technology with them — various religions have formed around the expectation that humanity will return.
30	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Hunter, to Tanya, and Paz to Munch.
31	* ArtEvolution: The comic's artwork has significantly improved since its beginning. [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/another-day-in-the-office-updated/ Compare the original first page with the redone version and see how much better the artist has gotten.]]
32	* BarefootCartoonAnimal: The entire cast.
33	* BathsAreFun: Flora finds a way to [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d001/ make bathtime fun]] for Hunter.
34	* BerserkButton: After going through his CharacterDevelopment, hurting Kaleb and Tanya is the best way to piss Benni off. [[spoiler: Jestan learned that the hard way.]]
35	* BigBallOfViolence: Happens on [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d054/ this page]] between Paz and Munch.
36	* BigBrotherInstinct: When Benni [[spoiler: stumbles across [[KidsAreCruel Laroy and Jestan]] assaulting Kaleb and Tanya, his first thought is to make them pay. For [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Jestan]], [[MurderIsTheBestSolution however...]]]] He actually calls Kaleb his little brother when he is about to throw the first punch.
37	* BigDamnHeroes: When [[spoiler: Kaleb and Tanya are ambushed by the older kids Tanya provoked into a fight]] it's [[BigBrotherInstinct Benni]] that comes to their rescue.
38	* BigWhat: Flora does this when Benni implies that he thinks Flora had sex with Colin and Colin's daughter Tanya.
39	* BitchInSheepsClothing: Unlike Benni's ObviouslyEvil father, [[spoiler:Ray Verost]] seems like a nice guy and a good father, before his child abusing is revealed.
40	* BlendedFamilyDrama: Since Colin and Flora have started dating and helping take care of each other's kids, they on the way to becoming a blended family. Things are complicated by the fact that several of the characters have experienced sexual abuse.
41	%%* BrattyHalfPint: Tanya, in spades.
42	* BreadEggsBreadedEggs:
43	** Kaleb mishears the statement that mankind loved the animals, sacrificed themselves for them, and provided their food as "Man sacrificed us for his food out of love." Well, considering real-life animal-human relations he's not precisely ''wrong''...
44	** He also mishears "rape kit" as "grape kit" and asks for one.
45	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Benni does this [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d028/ here]].
46	* BreakoutCharacter: Benni was [[WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants originally not supposed to be]] one of the main characters of the comic.
47	* BreakTheCutie:
48	** Benni initially [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d032/ rejects]] Hunter's affection.
49	** Happens to Hunter again when he is [[spoiler: sexually assaulted by Talitha.]]
50	* BrilliantButLazy: [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13s001/ Munch]] will do anything to watch T.V.
51	* BrotherSisterIncest: Beth-Anne implies that her brother Jestan rapes her on a regular basis.
52	* TheBully: Benni is considered the top bully at the school.
53	* BullyBrutality: Benni almost kills Kaleb by performing a suplex on him. [[spoiler:Tanya]] later becomes the victim of a different group of bullies who [[spoiler:tie her up and stab her in the foot with a knife, and one of them even rapes her]].
54	* BullyingADragon: Tanya picks a fight with some older kids because they caused Kaleb to have a seizure and then ran away, thinking that she is tough enough to take them. She doesn't suspect that these older kids do not fight fairly or how far they will go in retaliation.
55	* CameraObscurer: As a child, Flora would often get a few photographs taken by a transient hippy named Whistlestop just to finish a roll of film. He would develop the film, only for the pictures he took to turn out so bad, they were often trashed. [[spoiler: It turns out that he had obfuscated them on purpose to hide that he was making perfectly fine duplicate pictures to add to his PornStash of young children.]]
56	* CantHoldHisLiquor: Flora is shown to be rather tipsy after only having a couple of glasses of wine [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/15d024/ on this page.]]
57	* CassandraTruth: According to Beth-Anne, her parents think she's making things up when she tells them that Jestan hits her and rapes her.
58	* CatsAreMean: Jestan when he shoves Kaleb off a bench and causes him to suffer a seizure. [[spoiler: Later he proves he's [[BullyBrutality worse]] than mean. Much, ''much'' worse.]]
59	* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: A variant; Flora catches Benni not during the act but after and knows what he's been doing because he apparently left some...evidence behind. She tells him it's fine as long as he keeps in his room.
60	* CheerfulChild: [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d031/ Hunter]] seems to find the positive in everything. Talitha also seems to be a normal cheerful child, [[spoiler: until she sexually assaults Hunter, and later is shown casually talking about porn with Benni. Her cheerful attitude only breaks when she tries to molest Hunter again and he fights back.]]
61	* TheChurch: Kaleb and Flora's religion [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/12s017/ has]] [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/14d008/ many]] [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/14d009/ similarities]] to Catholicism.
62	* ConditionedToAcceptHorror:
63	** Benni thinks that it is normal for children to have sex with adults or even other children as a result of his father's abuse.
64	** [[spoiler:Talitha]] has been groomed by her pedophile father to enjoy sex and pornography despite her disturbingly young age.
65	* {{Confessional}}: Flora is seen going to confessional [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/14d009/ on this page]]
66	* ContentWarnings: Due to the focus of the comic becoming more focused on the subject of child sexual abuse, including depictions of nudity and some disturbing imagery, the author has added a warning to the website that the comic should not be read by children without permission from a parent.
67	* ConvulsiveSeizures: Kaleb suffers from seizures due to his head injury, although the first seizure he has is an absence seizure.
68	* CorruptionOfAMinor: Benni and [[spoiler:Talitha]]'s AbusiveParents have raped them, forced them to have sex with each other and other kids, and done other horrible things to them. As a result, Benni is a bully with [[HairTriggerTemper serious anger issues]] and possibly would have raped Tanya if Kaleb hadn't stopped him, and [[spoiler:Talitha]] actually does rape [[spoiler:Hunter]], [[ObliviouslyEvil because she doesn’t understand that sexual assault is not an appropriate way to show affection to someone you like.]]
69	* CuteLittleFangs: [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/14d036s/ Hunter]], and by extension, [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/12d085/ Tanya]].
70	* DaddysGirl: [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13s011/ Tanya]] is spoiled by her father.
71	* DadTheVeteran: Flora's father is an Army veteran turned hippy farmer who is [[PapaWolf fiercely protective]] of his children when he needs to be.
72	* DeepSouth: The story is set in the southern Appalachian mountains.
73	* DirtyKid:
74	** Benni, due to his upbringing, is very open about sexual things and has sexual knowledge most kids his age wouldn't have. He even admits he likes sex, as long as it isn't rough or forced, and after offering himself to Colin [[note]] out of a misguided attempt to protect Kaleb and Hunter, because he thinks Colin is going to molest him[[/note]], he says he wouldn't have minded because he was starting to like Colin.
75	** Talitha forces Hunter to have sex with her because [[ObliviouslyEvil she doesn't understand that this isn't the right way to show affection]]. She also enjoys watching porn and masturbating.
76	** [[spoiler:Flora]] fell in love with a pedophile when she was a child and didn't realize anything was wrong with this until she discovered that her lover was also abusing her brothers.
77	** Jestan and Laroy are the worst of them, they tie up and torture [[spoiler:Tanya]] with the intent to rape her.
78	** Colin is also disturbed when he finds out that Tanya has tried fingering herself and is also worried about how Hunter enjoys being naked a little bit too much. Flora assures him that none of this is out of the ordinary.
79	* DisappearedDad: Kaleb's father was a soldier who died in combat.
80	* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Benni's father takes his belt off to punish Benni [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d074/ on this page,]] although it is heavily implied that he actually did so to rape Benni.
81	* EasilyForgiven: Flora becomes Benni's foster mother, and Kaleb is okay with this despite the fact that Benni almost killed him. Kaleb's friends, however, take longer to accept Benni.
82	* ElmuhFuddSyndwome: Hunter talks like this. It's very cute.
83	* ExtremelyShortTimespan: The comic took 189 strips over 7 chapters over 4 years to finish covering the events of a single day, starting with "Overheard" on September 26, 2016 and finally finishing with "Night Aware" on October 12, 2020.
84	* FictionalCurrency: The monetary system in the comic is represented by a triangle with two diagonal lines, as seen [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13s011/ here]]. They are called Prims.
85	* FishEyes: Hunter makes friends with a boy who has strabismus.
86	* FourthWallMailSlot: Has a Q&A where readers can ask questions to the author or the characters.
87	* FosterKid: Flora [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/14d052/ agrees]] to take in the school bully, Benni.
88	* FreeRangeChildren: Flora, growing up in the hippy commune.
89	* GoodCopBadCop: Ray is subjected to this by a pair of detectives who are trying to determine whether he [[spoiler: is [[ParentalIncest molesting Talitha.]]]]
90	* HandicappedBadass: Having a broken arm in a cast doesn't dissuade Benni from [[spoiler: coming to Kaleb and Tanya's rescue when they are ambushed by the [[KidsAreCruel sixth-graders.]]]]
91	* HappilyAdopted: Well, ''fostered'' in Benni's case. Being a part of Flora and Kaleb's family proves to be a stabilizing influence in his life and is slowly bringing out the best in him.
92	* HarmfulToMinors: Benni, [[spoiler:Talitha]], [[spoiler:Hunter]], [[spoiler:Flora and her brothers when they were kids]] and [[spoiler: Beth-Anne]] have all been exposed to sexuality at a young age.
93	* HateSink: Benni and [[spoiler:Talitha]]'s [[AbusiveParents sexually abusive fathers]]. Also, [[KidsAreCruel the big kids that Tanya made the mistake of provoking.]] These characters get a lot of hate in the comments.
94	* HeadbuttOfLove: Flora shows affection to Colin with a headbutt. The author actually has pet rabbits and says that they do this sometimes.
95	* HippieParents: Flora grew up in a hippy commune. Her parents let her run around naked and only made her wear shorts outside of the commune. They also let chose a new name for herself.
96	* HomeNudist: Benni and Hunter both enjoy being naked. Flora gives Benni permission to be naked at home with Kaleb as long as he doesn't do anything sexual with him after he confesses to [[SleepsInTheNude sleeping naked]] with Kaleb. Flora also advises Colin to let Hunter be naked at home since he prefers it. When Benni and Kaleb stay at Colin's house with Hunter and Colin, they all have dinner together naked.
97	* HonestJohnsDealership: Ray Verost works as a salesman at a suspiciously named car dealership.
98	* HumanitysWake: The story is implied to take place long after the fall of man.
99	* INeedToGoIronMyDog: In one comic, Kaleb asks his mother if he has to be gay when he grows up because he thinks that girls are gross. She makes the excuse that she needs to go get more coffee, but leaves her cup behind, so she can step out of the room to laugh.
100	* ImStandingRightHere: Benni has this reaction when Munch tries to tell Kaleb that he and Benni can't live together because of what Benni did to him, while Benni is only a few feet away.
101	* InnocentlyInsensitive: [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/12d104/ Tanya makes an oblivious comment]] when Flora says that they would be eating mac n cheese if Colin hadn't paid for dinner, saying that mac n cheese is what poor people eat.
102	* InterspeciesRomance: Several characters are attracted to characters outside of their species.
103	** Flora becomes attracted to Colin. They eventually have sex after coming home from a night out with their kids.
104	** Paz has an unrequited crush on Tanya, who has one on Kaleb.
105	** Talitha has a crush on Hunter.
106	* IWasBeatenByAGirl: Munch's brother, Paz, is the best Wall-Ball player at school until Tanya comes along. He loses gracefully, and vows that the only way to get as good as she is, is to get to know her better, which leads to...
107	* KidAnova: Averted: Paz makes moves on Tanya, and [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d053/ fails miserably]] each time.
108	* KidsAreCruel: Tanya makes the mistake of picking a fight with some older kids - Jestan, Laroy and Beth-Anne, not realizing what they are capable of. [[spoiler: They respond with torture, and [[BigBrotherInstinct Benni]] ends up being cruel right back at them.]]
109	* KnightOfCerebus: The comic becomes much darker with Benni's first appearance as he nearly causes the death of a character when the comic had previously been relatively lighthearted. In his second appearance he is no longer a villain, but it begins a story arc that deals with very adult themes.
110	* KnightTemplarBigBrother: And ''ironically'' Benni [[TookALevelInKindness evolves]] into one for Kaleb when [[spoiler: he deals with the bullies that assault him and Tanya, referring to him as his 'little brother' before throwing the first punch at Laroy.]]
111	* LeanAndMean: Benni is a violent and destructive bully, despite being [[NothingButSkinAndBones thin enough to have visible ribs.]]
112	* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Kaleb remains unaware that Benni has been sexually abused despite all the obvious clues, and later when [[spoiler:he and Tanya are attacked and Tanya gets raped]], he doesn't fully comprehend what has happened. None of the adults have explained either to him. It is likely that he doesn't even know what rape is.
113	* LostTechnology: Humans in the distant past became technologically advanced enough to [[UpliftedAnimal Uplift Animals]], but since their disappearance all or most of their technology was lost and the world is currently back to about the level of technology of the 1990s.
114	* LoveTriangle: Paz wants Tanya who wants Kaleb. Tanya violently rejects Paz while Kaleb does not return Tanya's affections.
115	* MaleFrontalNudity: The comic used to avoid showing genitals but no longer does and has shown male characters including underage ones fully nude with visible genitals. This resulted in the author taking the comic off of Smackjeeves and moving it to a different host.
116	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Tanya, the aggressive, sports-loving fox is attracted to Kaleb the kind pacifist rabbit since he rescued her from Benni. Kaleb however doesn't really like Tanya very much but is too nice to tell her that.
117	* MeaningfulRename: Flora's legal name is actually Beetrice. Her parents allowed her and her siblings to choose new names for themselves and she chose the name 'Flora' because of her love for flowers.
118	* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: A school bully repeatedly running away from home, and what at first seems to be an unrelated incident of [[spoiler:a 5-year-old girl sexually assaulting a boy]] lead to the uncovering of [[spoiler:a conspiracy of pedophile parents.]]
119	* MissedHimByThatMuch: When [[spoiler:Ray Verost]] is driving to pick up [[spoiler:Talitha]], he drives right past her in another car going the other direction, and she sees him, but he doesn't see her.
120	* MissingMom: Tanya and Hunter's mother died of ovarian cancer.
121	* MistakenForPedophile:
122	** An unusual inversion happens when Flora has a chance encounter at the grocery store with a young raccoon named Talitha [[spoiler: and her pedophile father, Ray, who mistakes Flora for being a pedophile as well since Benni, who is one of Ray's victims, was with her.]]
123	** Benni has been raised to think that all adults are pedophiles and Flora and Colin have difficulty convincing him that this isn't true. Flora finds out just how badly Benni has been abused when Benni mistakenly thinks that she and Colin were having sex with Tanya. And when Colin gives the boys permission to be naked at his house, Benni thinks that Colin is going to have sex with them and tries to protect Kaleb and Hunter by offering himself to Colin.
124	* MoralityChain: After being fostered, Benni sees Flora and Kaleb like family, ''especially'' Kaleb. And ''nobody'' messes with his little brother.
125	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: In one comic, Hunter answers the door with no clothes on before Colin can stop him.
126	* NakedPeopleTrappedOutside: Flora and Kaleb find Benni [[spoiler:[[SleepsInTheNude sleeping naked]] outside in a pile of garbage]].
127	* NearDeathExperience: Kaleb has one [[spoiler: as a result of a serious head injury given to him by Benni.]]
128	* NightmareFuelColoringBook: Benni makes a disturbing drawing while staying at Flora's, which she turns in as evidence that he is being abused.
129	* NightmareSequence: Kaleb [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/12d034/ has]] a [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/12d087/ couple]] [[spoiler: due to his head injury.]]
130	* TheNineties: The story is set in a similar time period. It actually takes place in the distant future.
131	* NothingButSkinAndBones: In one comic where Benni is seen naked he has visible ribs, likely from being starved by his abusive father.
132	* ObliviouslyEvil: [[spoiler: Talitha sexually assaults Hunter, and she has no idea that she did anything wrong, because she is being raised by a pedophile. She seems to think that forced sex is an appropriate way to show affection.]]
133	* OffingTheOffspring: It is implied that Benni's father was planning to do this after dealing with his son running away too many times when he picks up a shotgun. The police arrive to arrest him before he can go looking for Benni.
134	* OhCrap:
135	** Ray has this reaction when [[spoiler:[[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/18d004/ the detectives interviewing him mention that he’s been screwing an otter kit]]]], although he uses a stronger word and doesn’t say it out loud.
136	** [[KidsAreCruel Laroy]] when he realizes[[spoiler: [[BigBrotherInstinct Benni]] is friends with Kaleb and Tanya, the same kids he and the other sixth-graders ambushed. [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere He promptly bolts for it.]] Jestan has an even bigger one, and when he tries to get away he doesn't get very far.]]
137	* OneDialogueTwoConversations: This happens twice to Flora. When she and Benni run into Mr. Verost, [[spoiler: who is a paedophile in an incestuous relationship with his daughter, he assumes that she is in on the secret, and]] she doesn't realize what he is talking about. Later when she is talking with Benni, she does not immediately realize that Benni is actually talking about [[spoiler:having sex with]] Mr. Verost and Talitha due to him using an UnusualEuphemism, until he makes it very obvious that he thinks [[spoiler: Flora and Colin were having sex with Colin's daughter.]] This makes Flora suspicious of Benni's [[spoiler: pedophilic]] relationship with [[spoiler: all the men he knows]].
138	* OurProductSucks: While driving to their new home, the Locket family stops at a fast food restaurant called Wurst's, and the guy at the register says, "Welcome to Wurst's, where our food is always the worst." Colin orders two Wurst kid's meals and a Wurst burger combo. Tanya mentions the terrible logic of the name while eating her food.
139	* OutOfClothesExperience: Happens to Kaleb while in his coma [[spoiler: where he finds himself naked on a brick road in the middle of a white void.]]
140	* OpenMindedParent: Flora is fairly permissive with Kaleb and Benni and seems unphased when discussing sexual issues with Benni and Tanya. It helps that she was raised by HippieParents.
141	* OvenLogic: Tayna does this when attempting to make dinner [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/16d013/ on this page.]]
142	* {{Pacifist}}: Kaleb, of the conditional variety. He doesn't like seeing anyone fighting, but will step in to help if he believes another to be in danger. He tries to prevent Tanya from taking revenge on a group of kids who pushed him off a table and then ran away when he started to have a seizure.
143	* PaedoHunt:
144	** We find out just how bad Benni's father is when it is revealed that he has not only been sexually abusing him, but also prostituting him to other pedophiles. Benni's father finally gets arrested when Flora finds evidence of Benni's abuse, and another is caught after Benni starts talking. And there are likely more out there.
145	** The hippy commune that [[spoiler:Flora]]'s family was part of ended up falling apart because the actions of a pedophile caused the neighbors in the commune to no longer trust each other.
146	* PapaWolf: [[spoiler: When Flora's father found out that Flora and her brothers were being abused by a pedophile, he confronted the pedophile, beat him up, and dragged him unconscious to the local sheriff.]]
147	* ParentalIncest: Mr. Verost with his daughter, [[RapeByProxy using Benni as a proxy]], because he can't fit his privates into her. Benni has also been raped by his father. The most disturbing thing is that both Benni and [[spoiler:Talitha]] think that all parents do this with their kids.
148	* ParentalSexualitySquick: Flora is disturbed by her mother casually talking about sex.
149	* PastExperienceNightmare: Tanya has one about her rape at Jestan's hands during her stay at Flora's.
150	* ThePlace: Forest Hill is the title of the comic and where the story is set.
151	* PlayingDoctor: [[spoiler: Talitha forces Hunter to "play house" with her, which involves forcing him to take off his clothes and touching his privates, leaving him mildly traumatized.]]
152	* PlayingSick: Tanya tries this so that she can [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/12d085/ skip school]] and go with Kaleb to his therapy.
153	* PlotTumor: The character of Benni and the topic of child sexual abuse have taken over a large part of the comic. Benni first appears as an unsympathetic bully who sends Kaleb to the hospital, but he later reappears and it is revealed that he is being sexually abused by his father. This ends up taking over much of the comic as Benni becomes a main character and Flora decides to become his foster parent. [[spoiler: And then Hunter gets sexually assaulted by a girl who is then revealed to be a friend of Benni's who is also being abused, and Benni reveals that there is a whole conspiracy of pedophiles in the town.]] [[WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants The author of the comic has said that he never originally planned for the comic to go in this direction.]]
154	* PrivacyByDistraction: Colin uses a videotape of a [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney-like]] character to distract Hunter so that he can talk to Tanya about [[spoiler: Hunter being molested at school.]]
155	* PottyDance: [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d057/ Hunter]] almost loses the battle because Benni is taking a shower [[spoiler: until Flora tells Hunter it's okay to enter since Benni is also a boy.]]
156	* PredatorTurnedProtector: Benni starts as TheBully and a potential rapist who attacks Tanya and severely injures Kaleb. When it is discovered that he is being abused by his father, Kaleb's mother takes him as a foster son and he becomes an [[BigBrotherInstinct extremely protective brother]] to Kaleb and friend of Tanya.
157	* TheRant: Most of the recent comics have a rant of the form "In todays comic..." or "Today's comic..." that either explains what happens in the comic, or makes a pun about it.
158	* RapeDiscretionShot: Happens when it is implied Benni's abusive father punishes Benni for running away by raping him. Happens again when [[spoiler: Hunter is sexually assaulted by Talitha.]] Averted when [[spoiler: Flora]] talks about her past with Benni.
159	* RighteousRabbit: Kaleb and Flora are both incredibly nice people. Kaleb heroically tries to protect Tanya from Benni even though she makes him uncomfortable and gets nearly killed by Benni. Neither Flora nor Kaleb show any real anger towards Benni for hurting Kaleb and Flora ends up helping to save Benni from his abusive father and agrees to become his foster parent. Kaleb is later willing to stand up for Benni against his own best friend.
160	* TheRunaway: Benni. [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13d050/ Multiple times.]]
161	* SacredScripture: Kaleb and Flora's religion has the [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/12s017/ Hominae]].
162	* SexSlave: Benni is forced to have sex for money by his abusive father.
163	* SkinnyDipping: Benni thinks about going skinny dipping in one comic.
164	* SpitTake: So far, [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/14d035/ here]], [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/14d001/ here]], [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/16d012/ here]] and [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13s011/ here]].
165	* SuckECheeses: The Dingo Roo's restaurant has shades of this.
166	* SuplexFinisher: Benni did this to Kaleb, which sent him to the hospital, and caused him to suffer from seizures afterwards.
167	* SureLetsGoWithThat: Kaleb overhears Flora having sex with Colin, and thinks they were just bouncing on the bed, which she does not deny. Benni is not fooled, but does not say anything, and it is a good thing he didn't, because [[spoiler: he mistakenly believed that they were having sex with Tanya.]]
168	* TheTalk: After Hunter is molested at school, Colin has a discussion with Tanya to explain what molestation and rape are to her, and he is thankful, but annoyed, when he finds out that her aunt has already explained sex to her. Colin isn't able to give an answer when she asks how it is even possible for a penis to enter a vagina because it hurts when she tries to finger herself.
169	* ThankTheMaker: Humanity disappeared in the distant past. The creatures they created now worship humanity.
170	* ThenLetMeBeEvil: Benni decides to bully Munch when Munch keeps insisting that Benni is dangerous. He manages to restrain himself after [[MoralityPet Kaleb suffers another seizure.]]
171	* {{Tomboy}}: Tanya is aggressive and loves to play sports, beating all the guys she plays against.
172	* TookALevelInKindness: Benni is slowly becoming a better person after coming into Flora's care.
173	* TroubledButCute: Benni from is a [[TheBully bully]] with [[HairTriggerTemper serious anger issues]], who possibly would have raped Tanya if Kaleb hadn't stopped him. It later turns out he has a very [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] whom he is terrified of and that he is very protective of those he considers friends.
174	* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: As a result of his father's abuse, Benni thinks that it is normal for parents to have sex with their children. An even worse example is [[spoiler: Talitha, who is even younger than Benni. She molests Hunter at school and also is implied to enjoy watching porn.]]
175	** Talitha [[spoiler: lifting up her skirt to Flora, unaware of how inappropriate this is, is a sign of how the sexual abuse she's been subjected to has warped her perception of sex and nudity.]]
176	** The author of the comic has said that they did not originally plan for Benni to be an abuse victim, but decide to make him one after they realized that just being a big kid was not a sufficient explanation for his sudden temper and violent, possibly sexual, behavior. See the comment section on [[http://foresthill.smackjeeves.com/comics/1806184/its-not-a-chore/ this page at the comic's old host.]]
177	** Colin is also disturbed when he finds out that Tanya has tried fingering herself and is also worried about how Hunter enjoys being naked a little bit too much. Flora assures him that none of this is out of the ordinary.
178	* UnequalPairing:
179	** [[spoiler: Flora reveals to Benni that when she was a child she had a romantic and sexual relationship with an adult. She didn't think anything was wrong with this, thinking it was part of a normal hippy relationship, until she discovered that he had been deceiving her in order to make child pornography and have sex, and that he had also been similarly abusing other children, including her own brothers. Flora tells Benni this to help him understand why children should not have sexual relations with adults.]]
180	** Benni expresses interest in having sex with Colin, who has to firmly refuses the offer.
181	* UpliftedAnimal: The world is populated by intelligent animals that were created by humans in the distant past.
182	* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Tanya takes revenge on anyone who hurts Kaleb, even if Kaleb doesn't want her to. This gets both of them into trouble when she provokes some older kids into fighting her for hurting Kaleb, [[KidsAreCruel not suspecting just how far they will go when provoked]].
183	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: An in-universe example -[[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/11s002/ Tanya gets so caught up]] in her story about a witch who falls in love with a prince and turns into a queen that she forgets about the princess who was locked away by the witch.
184	* WhatTheHellHero: Flora gives Colin one when he reveals that he not only allowed the boys to be naked but got naked himself. Colin, in turn, gives Flora one when he learns she allowed Tanya to masturbate whenever she wants if Tanya helps control Talitha.
185	* WhenYouComingHomeDad: It is [[https://www.foresthillcomic.org/comic/13s003/ implied]] that Colin tends to be out of town on a somewhat consistent basis.
186	* WingdingEyes: Benni's eyes are replaced with spirals after Colin forces him to eat more food than he is used to having (concerned about Benni's weight) and gives him bellyache.
187	* WorkingTheSameCase: A social services worker named Karmen Defay learns from Flora that Benni was being forced to work as a prostitute by his abusive father and made to have sex with other children while she is also investigating [[spoiler:Hunter being sexually assaulted by Talitha, who is one of the kids Benni was forced to rape,]] without being aware of the connection between Benni and [[spoiler:Talitha]].

Context Webcomic / ForestHill