268

Twain
Posted on March 10, 2023 by David M Willis

268 thoughts on “Twain”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “I had completely forgotten about that bc it was like a zephyr across my chin”

    “I don’t know what that is but maybe get it looked at”

    1. Ana Chronistic

      “Just don’t call me late for lunch!!”

    2. hastur

      For some reason, I initially parsed that as “zeppelin across my chin,” which I have to say made for a pretty entertaining image.

    3. Thag Simmons

      Huh, “Zephyr” is specifically a soft gentle breeze. Didn’t know that. I always associated it with faster and sharper winds.

      I blame video games

      1. Kazuma Taichi

        same

    4. Yotomoe

      Well Walky does have Black Arms so I’d describe him as a Zephyr.

      One Piece.

      1. RassilonTDavros

        Black Arms, you say? Was Walky created on the Space Colony Ark?

        1. Schpoonman

          LIVE AND LEA

          Oh wait, Black Arms were in Shadow the Hedgehog.

          Look, nothing bops like Live and Learn from that game’s soundtrack, someone says “Space Colony Ark” and I Am (All of Me) certainly doesn’t spring to mind.

        2. nobodybasically

          All Hail Walky! Heroes rise again! Sucker-punching every jerk who dates your friend!

        3. Schpoonman

          *furious headbanging*

    5. Reltzik

      “Maybe you forgot it because I hit so hard you got concussed?”

      “No. Definitely no.”

  2. Doctor_Who

    Asher forgot being punched? Does it happen to him a lot, or…ah, I see. The real reason he’s hanging out with Jennifer and Raidah: blunt force head trauma.

    Tomorrow’s strip a flowerpot hits him on the head and he’s all “Where am I? Where’s Sal? Hey, aren’t you that guy who punched me? Where are my drape runners?!“

    1. True Survivor

      That would explain a lot, actually.

    2. Vukodlak

      I still remember when a classmate punched me in the back of the head two decades ago after I called him a big jerk.

      1. Decidedly Orthogonal

        Ain’t nothing like responding to someone’s words by proving them right eh? High school? Sorry that happened to you. On the bright side, you know you’ve got a good read on people.

    3. anon

      given the stuff he got up to in his ‘teen years’ a punch from a random disgrunted brother probably isn’t a big deal esp since it’s not like his ass was kicked rather than one hit

    4. cbwroses

      What is a drape runner?

      1. Doctor_Who

        Sorry, I just rewatched Twin Peaks, I couldn’t help making a reference, it’s on my mind.

        1. Clif

          I choose to believe that in certain parts of Canada and Indiana that it’s illegal to import drapes, so that if you want drapes for your house you have to turn to drape runners.

        2. cbwroses

          Lately, they’ve had their routes threatened by the Curtain Cartel.

        3. motorfirebox

          HE SAY YOU UNDER ARREST! HE SAY YOU DRAPE RUNNAH!

        4. 0kami

          “Tell him I’m eating”

    5. Liliet

      I assume it happens to him A LOT a lot.

    6. Archieve

      I can’t tell if Asher is being serious or if he’s trying to tell Walky to drop the subject without raising eyebrows.

      1. Vukodlak

        Or he’s telling him no sweat.

        1. SailorCakes

          I’m with you on this one considering Asher was partly responsible for everyone getting kidnapped but they don’t know that 😛

      2. DudeMyDadOwnsADealership

        No a related note: I hope Raidah’s sole purpose of fake befriending Jennifer and Walky in order to get into their parents’ network circle isn’t just to get Sarah expelled.

        Seriously, I don’t see of the other law students (who come from money) or even her professors (see sounds like she keeps a very low profile in class) wanting to be around her, on terms she expects, long enough to even give her the benefit of a doubt network-wise….

        So given that she gets Linda Walkerton’s and/or the Dean’s ear or any given period of time, it should be toward that high-paying firm job she’d want, because someone on the fringes of society in denial about it is STILL someone on the fringes of society.

  3. BBCC

    Well, he wouldn’t have if you hadn’t BROUGHT IT UP, Walky XD

  4. Caro

    walky stop flirting with jennifer’s boyfriend. you’ve upset her enough today, one more thing and i think she might just bite u

    1. Yumi

      Walky, continue flirting with Jennifer’s boyfriend. Incorporate her biting of you into whatever comes next.

      1. pope suburban

        The Daisy avatar really makes this comment. Superb.

      2. True Survivor

        I don’t know. Asher may be “absolute sex” and some wet holes maybe good for that – but a gapping lesion into the jugular vein is not one of them.

        1. True Survivor

          Just so you know: I’m not trying to degrade your comment, I just like making overly complex puns. It doesn’t always go right, but its all I’ve got left.

    2. UrsulaDavina

      That might be motivation for Walky to continue to do.

    3. TulipKitten

      Ooh kinky ?

  5. Stephen Bierce

    Back to that Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! theme.

  6. Sol

    Lucy and Walky *are* delightful!

  7. Yotomoe

    Walky, are you hitting on Asher? Not that I disapprove but Lucy is RIGHT there. So y’know. At least run it by her first.

    1. Doctor_Who

      If you just assume that he woke up today to find “Troll Jennifer” on his to-do list, all his behavior makes sense.

      1. darkgloomie

        Pretty sure he didn’t waie up wishing to troll Jennifer. But she’s the one who chose violence

      2. Freemage

        Eh, smokey-eyed Walky in Panel 4 is ABSOLUTELY there solely for the purposes of inciting Walksher (or would it be Ashky?) fans, really. I don’t think he flirted that hard with Dotty or Amber, honestly.

    2. Thag Simmons

      For the banter, y’know. Better than talking about how Asher got his sister arrested that one time

    3. Liliet

      It’s pretty hard to run spontaneous banter by someone, and Walky doing it while she’s there rather than when she’s not is if anything a point in his favor.

      We’ll see how Lucy feels about it, but I just get the impression,

  8. Jenniffniff

    Walky’s cocksure charisma has its limits ?

    1. Liliet

      Really? If so, they sure weren’t reached in this strip.

  9. Sirksome

    Just bang Asher already! Please just do it!

    1. Sirksome

      The best retaliation would be Asher and Walky banging. Just saying. It would be revenge cause Asher would ruin sex for Walky with all other partners!

      1. Throwatron

        How can you be sure it’s not the other way around?

    2. Yotomoe

      Right here actually. In front of everyone.

  10. Taffy

    Goddamn, I love this boy right now. He’s so immune to this bullshit.

  11. RassilonTDavros

    Damn, Panel 5 Walky’s just flat-out putting on the moves. Obviously not his actual goal (in the short term anyway) but it is bugging the hell out of Jennifer and I am living for it.

  12. newlland(Henryvolt)

    It’s not like he has to sleep with one eye open right? ….Right Asher?

    1. Yotomoe

      No, it’s not like that at all. He has to sleep with BOTH eyes open.

    2. Tan

      Asher did say at the time that he’d let that one go.

      …IF Walky walked away without another word. Which he did not. (he said 41 more words and then ran away)

  13. JD

    if walky never gets back together with dorothy i would almost be just as fine with him having a bisexual little… Thing with asher

    1. Reltzik

      Jennifer would be less fine with it.

      … my headcanon has five straight panels of Jennifer freakout face in reaction to Asher suggesting a threesome with Walky.

      1. Liliet

        Foursome, don’t forget Lucy.

      2. Mr D phone posting

        2 panels of freakout, one panel of :thunk: and another 2 panel soft freakout.

      3. GholaHalleck

        Sal still sitting on the stairs wondering why the dogs are howling.

  14. Caro

    raidah’s had the biggest glow up since debut btw

    1. Schpoonman

      …In what regard?

      1. bob

        she’s not just a conga anymore

        1. Opus the Poet

          Nope, she’s half a pair of bongos.

    2. SailorCakes

      Please explain yourself….

      1. DudeMyDadOwnsADealership

        They’re being sarcastic?

        1. SailorCakes

          I sure hope so :/

  15. shrub

    Walky is heading for a major fall and I can’t wait for it to happen

    1. Sirksome

      The only fall Walky will see is if he accidentally trips down some stairs. Except for dating Lucy, but we can’t be sure that won’t pivot into something good yet either.

    2. Bryy

      He’s expertly deflected all this group’s bullshit so far.

      1. The Wellerman

        Yeah, a real champion!!! Go Walky!!!

        *plays “Elite Battle” from Pokemon Kanto CD on hacked muzak*

      2. Archieve

        I especially love how radiah tried to trap him into the social obligation to answer her question about giving special understanding for mourning with an agreement or risk looking like a jerk…. only to just completely flip topics back to Carl’s invisibility. Night guy, able to leap conversation topics in a single bound!

        1. shrub

          As much as Walky annoys me he handled that really well.

          I’d like to see more of that and less of his normal behaviour

        2. Yarrr

          Agreed, its fun to see him challenged in this way. Turns out he’s a match for it.

    3. GeekyWarrior

      It’s going to be him or Jennifer.
      I can see Walky buying into Raidah’s version of the story and then making a bad joke. But I can also see Walky and Lucy talking about the Dana situation and Walky joking that Raidah’s full of crap so something must be up.

      However, if Walky runs into a broken Dotty is a different story all together.

      1. Archieve

        Either way walkys indicated it wouldn’t be a deal breaker for Sarah as a friend because he still values her bluntness. Would be nice for him to get the full story though since the journalism major doesn’t want to help.

  16. Grimey

    I’m confused about Jennifer right now. She doesn’t want Walky to call her Billie anymore…But she deems it not okay for people for people to call him David? What?

    1. Yumi

      Her rulebook clearly states that only she is allowed to change.

      1. Yotomoe

        That’s gonna bite her in the ass if she has a baby and needs to decide who’s doing the diapers.
        “Sorry honey, I’d handle it but you said you’re the only one allowed to change”

        Did I…Did I reach too far for that joke?

        1. Yumi

          Honestly got stuck on being terrified of her having a baby, can’t evaluate how the joke landed.

      2. James

        She is the sole arbiter of names.

        1. Kyoulkoa

          A Wielder of Names if you will

    2. Yotomoe

      Honestly I think it’s because, while she might not admit it, Walky has a lot of emotional meaning to her as a nickname. In the same way my mom calls me [dacted] for short out of affection. It was ok for her to change HER name because that’s her being more “grown up” but Walky changing his name feels like severing that bond. And she hasn’t really realized the hypocrisy of that.

      Alternatively maybe she sees going by her Gov’ment name a sign OF her maturation and doesn’t want Walky to do the same cuz it feels like it makes her “growth” feel less special if Walky just falls ass backwards into it.

      1. Archieve

        Also Jennifer is probably aware on some level that radiah doesn’t actually like her as her last reaction hinted so she’s letting some of her resentment slip through in a “back atcha” mentality.

      2. Clif

        As long as your mom doesn’t call you her little tomato it’s all good. For the rest, I think you’ve got it perfectly.

    3. newlland(Henryvolt)

      Well he’s on the record for saying he prefers Walky multiple times. That time when Asher strait up asked him and that other time Dorothy called him David and it weirded him out.

      1. Vanessa

        Well, Jennifer is also on record telling Raidah and the frenemies many times to call her Billie! She took her to task about it even. Before she had what looked like a religious epiphany and a rebirth into a “mature adult” I guess.

        I did check the tags to make she he’s still not officially David, lol. I’m still worried Walky will let Lucy talk him into joining this little cult.

        1. Tan

          Notice how specifically Walky avoids anything that could be construed as enjoying Raidah’s company too. I don’t think he’s in much danger of getting sucked in.

        2. Archieve

          Nope, he came to this breakfast very much inspite of Radiah and its great how he waits for the socially appropriate times to drop cues like right now that spell out ” I tolerate you out of politeness” without being outright rude (no room for radiah to act outraged).

        3. temperaryobsessor

          Yea that was a great passive aggressive response to Raidah. Instead of doing the socially acceptable thing and returning the compliment he simply accepts it.
          Also he makes it clear he prefers Walky while not outright fighting her on it.

        4. SailorCakes

          Looking back at the situation it looks like Billie corrected Raidah the first time. Then Raidah went and introduced her to the friend group as Jennifer not Billie. But it looks like after the introduction she didn’t correct them as she had with Raidah and they been calling her Jennifer ever since I presume. As seen here
          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/05-this-was-halloween/realestate/

        5. thejeff

          And somewhere along the line, either actively or passively decided she wanted to be called Jennifer by everyone, rather than just accepting it from Raidah’s clique.

        6. SailorCakes

          Exactly!

    4. True Survivor

      I think Billie is desperate to come across as the cool one – she’s been trying to become the Queen Bee again for most of the school year (largely I think because she’s not very comfortable with who she is or at least has no idea who that is). Now Walky, who has been the slacker, dork, and goofball all her life, is suddenly surpassing her in popularity in her own friend group. I think she is desperate to push him down so she doesn’t feel like she failed.

      1. Archieve

        Also I think she resents how radiah has been favoring walky over her since breakfast began and this is Jennifer’s way of going ‘I’m not your minion” she wants to be an Alpha bongo and getting owned by walky while radish tells her to keep quite is completely at odds with that image.

        1. True Survivor

          Good point.

    5. Sporky

      Jennifer prefers her real name, and she’s aware that Walky prefers his nickname. I don’t think she’s being inconsistent at all.

      1. Vanessa

        Jennifer reminded Raidah at least three times to call her Billie before that first lunch.

        1. miz

          huh. i didn’t remember that happening at all, so i checked through the jennifer+raidah tag and the only thing i could find was this comic, where billie simply corrects her once in a fairly neutral way. was there some other incident? https://www.dumbingofage.com/deserve/

        2. thejeff

          And that was a while back. Now she’s using Jennifer, while Walky’s shown no sign of wanting to be called David. I don’t think we need any other explanation here on the surface.

          That said, there’s probably a bit more going on. This is the first time we’ve seen Jennifer really push back at Raidah, which is interesting. Though it may still be aimed at Walky, if she’s trying to emphasize his childishness to Raidah.

    6. Bryy

      Jennifer, it seems, is trying to reconcile her Alpha Bongo status with some harsh truths about her new “friends”.

      1. Liliet

        That’s what I’m seeing too. Billie is slowly losing her shit about Raidah’s bullshit, and this is her first real pushback.

        1. Archieve

          Looking back I think the only thing Radiah and Jennifer ever had to bond over was making jokes about Sarah nor having friends. Their friendship Is already flimsy and I think this is the first step towards a fight.

    7. Reltzik

      I think her *fingerquotes* logic */fingerquotes* is less “call people what they want” and more “given names only, no nicknames”.

    8. Tan

      Jennifer’s renaming was a rite marking her acceptance to The Group and also becoming a ‘mature adult’. She is not okay with Walky being accepted into The Group nor as a ‘mature adult’.

      The result of which is that she correctly asserts to call Walky by his chosen name, for literally all the wrong reasons.

    9. Dot

      Let me clarify things for you: Billie is up her own ass.

      1. Clif

        Who else were you expecting to find?

    10. GholaHalleck

      “*I* made Walky better. *I* am the cool one, how *DARE* he try and undo my blessing on his paltry soul.”

      Jennifer is still the “I am the savior of your mediocre lives, worship me peasants” when it comes to people like walky and lucy.

  17. Yotomoe

    I’ve always sorta liked the idea of going by different names to different people. I go by [redacted] in real life. My family calls me [dacted]. My old online friends call me Tomoe, My more recent fans call me Yoto, and some people call me Yotomoe. And they all prounounce it differently.

    The idea of your name being sorta this fluid thing by social group is something I kinda wanna play around with in a comic I’ve been threatening to write for over a decade.

    1. KM

      Isn’t this a very normal thing to do? My childhood friends call me by my nickname, my old colleagues from my first job call me by another nickname, people I interact with professionally since then call me by my last name or initials…

      1. Yotomoe

        Oh I didn’t mean to imply it wasn’t normal. In fact I am reveling in how common it is. I’m just saying I like it.

      2. Yumi

        I currently have three names on the day-to-day, maybe a couple others in special settings.

    2. huesatlight

      I remember a conversation about people who had a first name for a last name or a last name for a first name, and I’d forgotten that I had a first name for a first name because I’d gone by my last name for so long.

    3. Keulen

      My family calls me a shortened version of my first name, my coworkers usually call me by my full first name, and online I go by a few variants of this username.

    4. GeekyWarrior

      Permission to refer to you as redacted from now on? I don’t know why but I found that funny.

      “Hey Redacted, what’s good?”

      “I can’t wait to see redacted’s new artwork!”

      1. Clif

        Now wait a minute. If I say I want to see more redacted artwork, I don’t want to be misunderstood.

    5. zee

      Its Fun yeah. To everyone online, including my partner I’m zee. I don’t think I’ve heard him use my real name once, to the point he forgets zee isn’t my real name.
      Irl friends and family I’m zoë, to my classmates I’m Zo, bc i can’t always add the dots so they keep reading it like how you’d read Moe. Which i used to hate but it’s growing on me

      I’ve reached a point where i prefer zee way over my real name. It means sea in dutch, which I’m learning, so it has a nice meaning too

  18. Abdomino

    Jennifer is just being completely unreasonable. I don’t understand people who’ve been coming to her defense since the group met up. She’s been combative, rude, borderline abusive and all around toxic whenever Walky pipes ip, and it seems that the most people can say for her is that “Walky should know what he’s doing is annoying her/He’s doing this on purpose.” And “Walky should be the bigger person and bridge the gap”, leaving out that Jennifer made that gap in the first place, and has equal agency in closing it again.

    I dunno, hits a bit close to home with sibling dynamics I had for a while. Gets old.

    1. UrsulaDavina

      I suppose we have the benefit of complete information on the whole situation we know Jenifer is being exploited and it kind of males us feel bad for her

      Also Walky and Jenifer have a sibling dynamic which causes them to act diffrently. What might be considered little barbs or inconsequential actions or statements have a much broader impact on those in that sort of dynamic. My sisters teasing me may cause me to blow up or act out far more then if someone else did. So I get where Jenifer is coming from. She is being a butt though.

      1. Abdomino

        Nah, see, that doesn’t hold water for me. I’ve got a sibling too. I know what you’re saying about seemingly innocuous statements actually being used to annoy a sibling.

        This ain’t that. Walky has all but refused to engage with her. He ordered a burger. He gets along with her friends. He didn’t feed her blow-up when he ordered an aforementioned burger. Now she’s upset that other people are calling him David because it’s not the nickname she gave him? While refusing to be called Billie?

        There’s nothing approaching fairness here. Jennifer wants to be seen as maturing and above the childish mistakes of her past? She should act like it.

        1. UrsulaDavina

          Maybe she is mad beacuse he is ignoring her also having also having your siblings intrude on your social group can be a trigger the fear of being embarrassed could end up triggering said embarrassing behavoir. Also Jenifer may feel like she has more to lose she was broken up with and choose to abandon her old social group for this one she fears being ostracized from this group will make her outcast, something that she fears alot.
          So yeah Jenifers behavoir makes sense it’s not right but it makes sense.

          Also back to the fact why Jenifer is being defended the audience knows that she is being exploited and she is loathed by her so called friends, whom she had abandoned her previous friend group for she is engaged in another sunk cost fallacy but this time she doesn’t know it she doesn’t know that she is. It’s dramatic irony and some folks don’t see it as funny but rather as sad so they defend her actions.

        2. UrsulaDavina

          The previous sunk cost fallacy being her relationship with Ruth I consider it a sunk cost fallacy but it may not be the case.

        3. Abdomino

          So, again, Jennifer is afraid, Jennifer is nervous, Jennifer is feeling.

          What about Walky? He’s just trying to be friendly. He’s been polite. The closest he got to being snarky was when he read the dang menu.

          Jennifer has agency. She’s being toxic. That’s not on Walky to fix, especially when she keeps cutting him off.

        4. Mark

          Walky is being slyly friendly and aggressively polite. And he’s deflecting Jennifer’s sallies the same way he’s doing with Raidah and Carl. I think that’s beginning to unsettle her, because (I think) she’s begun to have doubts about her new “friends” and being put in the same boat with them is becoming…uncomfortable?

          Yes, she’s been awful, and needs to be shaken up a bit. But it’s interesting to speculate on what is fuelling the awfulness.

        5. Clif

          “The closest to being snarky was when he read the dang menu.”

          What? He took Dorothy’s advice and leaned into it. The entire first panel of this strip is pure Walky snark.

        6. thejeff

          Not sure I agree so much on her being wrong for being upset about Raidah calling him David. It’s not entirely clear why she’s jumping on it now, but she’s known him for a long time and she knows he prefers it and doesn’t like being called David.

          Even stranger to think she can’t defend his choice to use a nickname because she doesn’t want to use hers anymore.

    2. TulipKitten

      Also… What is Walky really doing here? It feels like a no-win situation to me. I mean, what could Walky really have done not to piss Jennifer off?

      He’s being cheeky here but… what option did Jennifer really give him? Like, Walky’s gonna diffuse the tension. That’s what he does. And Jennifer is giving a lot of tension here. He’s stirring the pot a little, but… He pissed her off for the grand crime of…

      Wait for it…

      Ordering a burger for breakfast. That’s what caused this. She snapped at him for ordering a friggin’ burger. When nobody else actually cared what he ordered.

      1. Mano308gts

        Oh, the burger was like the third or fourth thing she snapped at him for; she’s been coming at him (and losing every round) since the invitation to breakfast first happened…

    3. Vanessa

      Hmmm. I think Jennifer well deserves today’s payback for the years of locker-stuffing, insults, and bullying she’s done of both Walky and Lucy. I would get annoyed with Walky if he keeps this up at his other friends though. I like dorky Walky that we see in the last panel here.

      1. Schpoonman

        This take keeps throwing me, that he’s been an out-of-the-ordinary asshole today. He’s always been a little sarcastic, but he also reflects back what he’s given. He trades barbs with Joyce, he joked with Dorothy, the second he met Becky they were trading quips (often about Joyce).

        If he were to go around constantly throwing people’s comments back in their face like he’s done with Jennifer that would be problematic, but he’s only done that to Jennifer this morning. He’s been trading jokes with Asher and kinda expertly deflecting Raidah’s superficially polite sniffing. Jennifer’s the only one so far who’s (openly and directly) antagonized him, so she gets the barbs and comments turned on their head.

    4. Liliet

      Jennifer is absolutely a bongo to Walky, and it’s sad/annoying to see (funny for this breakfast because Walky’s been stunting on her the entire time, but still a little sad).

      I also like her and hope she gets better.

  19. Mr. Random

    You can only call people by the name *I* give them.

    1. Clif

      But if you go back to the flashback, Walky was the one who came up with the names Walky and Billie as plays on their last names. Jennifer remembers what she wants to remember.

      As do we all.

      1. thejeff

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/04-dont-stop-billie-ving/names/

        He called her a silly name, she took Billie in response to the other Jennifer’s teasing and he backed her up taking Walky in support.
        They each named themselves.

        1. Clif

          Well, obviously you’re right and I had remembered what I wanted to remember, which was Walky had responded to the teasing by naming them both.

  20. Scruffy looking nerfherder

    No heterosexual explanation for what’s happening in the fourth panel. Walky is just trying to take everything from Jennifer today, huh?

    Also it’s a shame she’s a paragon of deceit and lies because Raidah in panel 2 is hitting just right.

    1. Nono

      It’s actually much easier to be confident and jokey-flirting with someone when you have absolutely no sexual interest in them. Walky’s so secure in his heterosexuality that he has no problem making gay jokes at his own expense.

      1. Liliet

        Walky was at the gay meetup. He’s at least bicurious.

        1. Nono

          He went for free pizza.

        2. Liliet

          And he said he wouldn’t mind going down on a dude for free pizza. There’s Vibes ™

        3. Mark

          He said.

        4. milu

          it’s a bit sad that straight masculinity is so fragile that the mere fact of offhandedly joking about giving head to a guy counts as bi vibes.

          and yet………

        5. milu

          more pristine Walkiness for the perusing.

          (this is the gay pizza quip. the next strip is even more priceless. which is confusing because how can you compare two priceless things? and yet.)

          (this is currently my catchphrase, i’m afraid. you may find it tiresome. and yet!)

      2. Segnosaur

        Walky is sort of all over the place with his hetrosexuality.

        Yes, he went to the LGBTQ pizza meeting, and once joked to Ethan about “grabbing his butt”. On the other hand, he’s also a guy who only had one pair of shoes because “that’s all that men have”.

        1. Clif

          Yeah, you’d think he’d know that real men keep a good pair for Sundays and funerals.

        2. milu

          it’s possible to be a bi dude and also kind of insecure in your masculinity?

          in fact i’d say it’s… extremely common

        3. milu

          (also, factor in the snark. the real reason Walky onws a single pair of shoes has probably less to do with his manhood, and more to do with his general lack of fucks.)

        4. thejeff

          There’s a connection in that guys who are insecure about their masculinity are often very performatively heterosexual, because that’s one thing we’re taught is a signifier of a real man, but they’re not directly linked other than that social pressure. It’s certainly possible for a bi or even a gay dude to also be performatively masculine in other ways. Or even for a straight dude to be so in some ways but still be comfortably joking about homosexuality.

    2. Abdomino

      Nah, there’s plenty of explanation. Nono’s right. It’s a lot easier to be joke flirty when there’s absolutely nothing behind it.

      1. milu

        ???
        Very odd take. Couple reasons.

        1) Watsonically, Walky is a cocky boy, and he’s feeling especially on top of his game today, after having been encouraged to “be himself” by Dorothy. So the fact that he’s confident does not feel like a reason to straightwash this blatantly gay interaction.

        2) Doylistically, there have been hints of Walky’s non-straightness before; and this is a comic where queer awakenings are very much a theme, and it’s looking like Walky is providing a new variation on that. So it’s improbable that Willis wrote this dialogue, after other flirtatious moments (W & A arm in arm and calling each other studly at the beginning of this arc) without meaning to establish a sexual tension.

        1. Liliet

          Yeah, I think it’s jokey but also pretty gay.

          Walky probably assumes Lucy won’t get jealous of a *guy*, and is probably right about that.

        2. thejeff

          OTOH, Walky himself straightwashes it with his next line, so it stays a bit ambiguous.

      2. milu

        oops @abdomino sorry i misread your comment as you stating (very cheekily!) that there was nothing behind it, as opposed to just arguing for the mere possibility of a heterosexual explanation.

        (keep forgetting not to type anything before coffee goddammit)

        i still think the gay explanation is more parsimonious, but ok that wasn’t your point

  21. Nono

    Panel 5 Walky is probably getting some flashbacks to rooming with Mike.

  22. Dana

    You know Billie became Jennifer because Raidah pulled the same “David” crap she’s pulling on Walky. I can’t tell if she’s defending Walky, trying to keep Walky out of the group, or just feeling bongoy from getting up so early for breakfast. I suppose it’s a bit of each, mostly trying to keep Walky away.

    1. Nathan

      Maybe she’s even complaining about the “David” thing because she’s not comfortable being called Jennifer, and it’s easier to defend her view of Walky than admit what she wants.

      1. Liliet

        I suspect this tbh. She’s finally had enough and beginning to push back on Raidah’s bs, and starting with the… less established habit.

    2. Archieve

      I’d say its mostly because every other person still calls him Walky so it just sounds annoying to Jennifer when Radiah tries to pull her ‘grown up names only’ nonsense on him. Also I suspect walkys last comment about being in a group were everyone secretly hates you stung on some level so she’s got alot less patience for Radiahs fake politeness right now.

    3. thejeff

      Might be that seeing Raidah pull this on Walky, she’s recognizing the parallels with when she did it to her.
      Might just be that she’s trying to emphasize Walky’s childishness to Raidah. If so, she failed.

  23. Suet

    “My pronouns are he/him, cause I can never be him”

    PUNCHIES!!

  24. BarerMender

    Don’t exaggerate, Walky. You didn’t deck him, you merely punched him. And hurt your hand. If you’d decked you’d’ve broken your arm.

    1. Reltzik

      It’s decking, so more likely he’d have cut his hand.

      1. milu

        You gotta play the hand you’re dealt, and Walky’s is pretty weak.

        1. Reltzik

          Really not suitable at all.

        2. milu

          worth jack, in fact.

        3. Reltzik

          The only way to get anything for it is to trick whoever you’re selling it to.

  25. AbacusWizard

    Wait, is Raidah a name vampire? Does she steal people’s names? Is that what happened to Billie and what is now happening to Walky? RUN, WALKY! FLEE!

    1. Sajuuk-Khar

      …actually, Raidah being an immortal descendant of Dracula Vlad Tepes makes a disturbing degree of sense

      1. milu

        OMG this explains EVERYTHING
        It explains how mean she is;

        …

        EVERYTHING

      2. Reltzik

        But we’ve seen her out in the sun. Why isn’t she sparkling?

        1. Clif

          Fair point.

        2. darkgloomie

          Dracula never sparkled, the worst sublight made him was drowsy.

        3. Clif

          I choose to believe that Dracula sparkled, but you couldn’t see it for the sunlight.

    2. zee

      She’s fey oh no

  26. Twig

    It does keep feeling very wrong to hear somecreature call him David.

  27. Bryy

    “I’d forgotten about that” is a huge red flag, actually.

    1. newlland(Henryvolt)

      Is it? But for who?

    2. Sajuuk-Khar

      In the sense that Asher is kind of a himbo?

    3. Schpoonman

      I think it’s less “Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?” forgotten and more “Walky can’t throw a punch and Asher barely felt it” (as confirmed by alt-text) forgotten.

  28. Cmasta1992

    Jennifer honey. Stop wrecking yourself. Please check yourself.

  29. C.T. Phipps

    Billie represents a alcoholic hate-filled failure in life.

    Jennifer represents redemption and a new beginning.

    Walky knows none of this and is confused as hell about it all.

    1. Mano308gts

      Both of those representations are completely imaginary perspectives from Billie’s side; and ‘Billie’ actually represents a nickname given to her by one of her longest-standing friendships- even if she’s been a complete ass to that friend for years.

      1. J.Gawain

        All perspectives are real to the person who holds them, and these ones are based in subjective interpretations. It isn’t like these perspectives run counter to any scientific facts or anything.

        1. Clif

          Out of curiosity, what facts aren’t scientific?

        2. C.T. Phipps

          Science can’t be used for studying any non-material process.

  30. anon

    well that is a valid concern lol

  31. Matticus

    This is 100% going to end with Jennifer banished from Raidah’s group, isn’t it?

    1. Yumi

      Then it’s revealed that this was Dorothy’s plan all along, and we’re all like, “Fuck, she WOULD make a good politician.”

      1. Sombrero

        Oooooh, that would be great!! Better still if it wasn’t Dorothy’s plan but she claims it anyway. That would be presidential.

    2. Yotomoe

      Banished, Face Down with an effect that cannot be negated.

    3. Sajuuk-Khar

      Jennifer has been showing that she is simultaneously the type to join a cult and promise all her worldly possessions to the New Messiah, and then later to question that New Messiah at prayer breakfast with no idea how badly she’s fucked up

    4. Liliet

      I sincerely hope so. They are even more toxic for her than Ruth was.

      1. spriteless aunty

        Differently toxic. Consistently toxic. Less toxic than in the throes of suicide pact. More toxic than the vacation side of things.

  32. Gojira007

    It is DEEPLY fascinating to me how much this whole scenario has ultimately been about Jennifer’s discomfort at how well Walky has handled a situation that she went into certain he would make a mess of. For all that she admonished Dorothy earlier for her Mothering of people like Joyce, it sure feels like Jennifer too has some pretty harsh limits on how much she’s willing to relinquish her control of people she has a relationship with.

    1. Gojira007

      ell oh fucking ell at my getting an asher gravatar for this specific comment, too XD

    2. Schpoonman

      Yes, she is a hypocrite.

  33. Dday

    Hmmm seems like foreshadowing that she’s going back to Billie. Calling it.

  34. bagge

    What’s a little hitting each other between bros?

    1. StClair

      or, for that matter, hitting on each other?

  35. huesatlight

    I don’t understand what’s happening with Lucy’s right hand.

    1. Yumi

      Walky’s arm fell off, and she’s just supporting it as she pops it back into place.

    2. SDRainbow

      I THINK what’s happening is her LEFT hand is under Walky’s forearm, and her RIGHT hand is up near his shoulder.

      It’s the opposite of what I expect looking at her general position but it doesn’t involve any broken wrists.

      1. Sajuuk-Khar

        Yeah, I think it’s like so. I initially didn’t look too close because I assumed she was just hugging his arm, an extremely New Couple (and also Lucy) thing to do.

      2. huesatlight

        I do not understand how her fingers could be up near his shoulders if her wrist is where it’s shown.

        1. milu

          Same.
          No, it’s got to be a visual metaphor for how Lucy is so infatuated that she will damage physical integrity to be close to Walky

          That or she is secretely a shapeshifting alien who sometimes gets confused by human anatomy

        2. Clif

          Or the bottom hand is actually Raidah’s.

          Or we’re seeing more than one instant in time depicted in the same panel as a visual shorthand.

        3. huesatlight

          I think it’s going to be like when M I K E started showing up written in the background. There’s going to be extra hands, until Jennifer realizes that she’s being manipulated by Raidah.

    3. thejeff

      Some one needs to do that thing Willis does to 9CL comics to show where the arms would have to go.

    4. Pergola

      The hands in panel one are giving me … strange thoughts.

  36. Sajuuk-Khar

    Booooo, bring back Malaya

  37. foducool

    oh yeah, you named him so he has to be called that way, BILLIE?

    1. anon

      technically he named himself, “we’re walky and billie” she’s just misremembering it. though it is awkward when one person calls him that outside of his family, does Sal even call him that versus just saying “bro”?

      1. Council

        In an earlier book, not long after her introduction I think, Sal expressed distaste for other people calling him Walky. I don’t think her opinion changed since then.

      2. Needfuldoer

        Sal barely uses peoples’ given names in the first place.

  38. Yumi

    Fun reminder (since she’s brought up Name Time again) that Jennifer actually DIDN’T create Walky’s name. She created the name Billie for herself, and then when he understood, he created the name Walky for himself.

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/04-dont-stop-billie-ving/names/

    1. Schpoonman

      BRB, watching a supercut of Community and Britta being told “You’re the worst.”

    2. Oatmeal Pie

      Dang, I just clicked through a couple strips after that and realized they started heading to breakfast in April of 2022. They’ve been going out for breakfast for almost a year.

      1. milu

        Haha no, that was a different breakfast.

        See, the Raidah gang are inviting Walky & Lucy to breakfast like, in a couple days

  39. DarkoNeko

    Smooth, Walky, smooth.

  40. SDRainbow

    ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god jennifer please

    P L E A S E

    begging for an ounce of self-awareness. a morsel. a crumb.

    1. Liliet

      I think she knows exactly what she’s saying.

  41. ian livs

    Is… Is Walky moving on from dating all Danny’s exes to Jennifer’s?* Because that is one good way to deal with the Danny dating Sal situation. (*This is very much a joke)

    1. ian livs

      (Also, yay for background pride flag!)

  42. cbwroses

    So will Raidah and Carl be crass enough to disrespect Walky behind his back, but in front of Jennifer’s face?
    And, if so, will that be enough for Jennifer to see them as they really are?

    1. Steelbright

      hoo boy howdy I hope to see that go down

  43. anon

    wow, are they up at dawn or are the walls dark blue because the lighting def seems like it’s not daytime

    1. Steelbright

      They breakfasted so hard they skipped all the other meals and are getting ready for breakfast again

      either that or there’s going to be a really big rainstorm

    2. milu

      Overcast, sun barely leaving the horizon type winter day?

    3. Rogue 7

      I think they’re in a foyer of some sort that has tinted windows. I seem to recall that when they met up before the breakfast (when Walky and Asher were amused they’d worn the same thing) it was generically light out.

  44. Queezle

    While I do feel kind of bad for Jennifer (even through she dug this hole all by herself), I really did like Walky the last few strips.
    He has been charming and confident, he managed to deflect all of Radiah’s bullshit. He took care to include Lucy every time Radiah just purposefully overlooked her. And without even trying he has been more “grown up” than Jennifer (which again makes me feel kind of bad for her, but that is on her).

    1. Liliet

      Y u p

  45. Archieve

    Radiah hasn’t said a single thing to Lucy since they met up….I know that can be said of Asher too but it feels particularly disrespectful to invite a couple and then only talk to one. Also great on Walky for subtlety calling her out on it by including them both as delightful in his response.

    1. Liliet

      Asher hasn’t been talking a lot, period. Raidah’s the one who was managing the conversation and uhhhhhh yeah. Yeah.

    2. Lone Duck

      Lucy has nothing to offer, she’s only being managed as a lever on David. So thinks the Raidah-Bot, a Decepticon in the guise of a girl.

  46. Mr.Morningstar

    I just love how everything Jennifer says just falls off walky like water to a duck

    He’s just completely unaltered by her nonsense today and she’s so angry it’s amazing

  47. DailyBrad

    Walky’s really laying it on thick. I wonder what his game is here. Is he trying to bring Billie out to play, so to speak? Seems it’s already working with Billie’s possessive mentioning of renaming him.

    1. Liliet

      I think so, yeah. Plus just generally being chill.

  48. DarkoNeko

    Looks like David shares Sal’s taste in men

    1. milu

      Has Walky also batted his eyelids at Jason? And Danny?

      1. Sajuuk-Khar

        I feel like he did kinda flirt with Jason.

        1. milu

          i was looking for something else, but i bumped into this priceless bit of Walkiness where we have much supporting evidence for many claims being made today.

          1) Walky is kind of into Jason (though he may not quite realize why). He’s holding his arm and saying stuff like,

          “I need you to learn how to adult! You’re the second-most adulty person i know!
          – who’s the first
          – my gf but if you also make your bed every day you might be tied for first

          “you need this too! we could both rub off on each other! we could partially remove the stick up your ass and put it a little up mine!”

          2) Walky jokes about what a dudesy dudebro he is, while performing masculinity pretty poorly

          “look, we’re dudes, man. Friends are whoever we grunt at in the hallway”
          “i have friends okay! it’s just that… well… (whispers) they’re mostly girls.”

          3) Walky is hilarious/insufferable, both words designating the exact same behaviour but reflecting whether you prefer to be right or wrong (he’s hilarious, obvs) (don’t @ me)

  49. Amós Batista

    Preview has been reached.

  50. eskimolos

    Kind of funny the hypocrisy on display that walky needs to stay walky because Jennifer called him that once, but she can’t stay Billie because that’s a chapter of her life she’s trying to grow beyond?

    1. Daibhid C

      Yep.

      I mean, it’s a bit more complex because it’s not like Walky ever said “I am putting Walky behind me, from now on you must call me David,” it’s just Raidah calling him that and him not objecting, but if he’s not objecting, it’s none of Jennifer’s business.

      1. thejeff

        Of course you could argue that, since they’re her friends and she’s begged him not to embarrass her in front of them, he could just be putting up with it for her sake and thus it is kind of her place. To be fair, that doesn’t really match the rest of Walky’s behavior today. Or Jennifer’s either.

        But I don’t think there’s any hypocrisy here. That she wanted to drop her nickname doesn’t mean she has to support other people calling her brother his real name when she knows he doesn’t like it.

    2. Liliet

      My theory is that it’s not hypocrisy, it’s step one of Billie reclaiming her own name too.

    3. Heatth

      It is not really hypocrisy though? She is right, David isn’t his name. Nobody (beside parents, I assume) calls him that and this includes himself. He introduces himself as Walky and accepts readily when people calls him such. This is not actually a comparable situation to “Billie” because, at least right now, Jenifer refuses that name and asks to be called something else.

      Jenifer is saying you should call people how they want to be called, which is not hypocrisy, it is literally the same stance as when she asks to be called Jenifer. At no point she ever said she was against nicknames in general.

  51. Chris

    Yep, Billie, you’re right, shouldn’t call Walky David, because … oh, right. Dammit, hypocrisy much?

    1. thejeff

      because – it’s not the name he goes by?

      Where’s the hypocrisy?

  52. milu

    Next panel: Walky turns to Asher and,

    Call me when you want, call me when you need
    Call me in the morning, I’ll be on my way
    Call me when you want, call me when you need
    Call me out by your name, I’ll be on my way like,
    Oh oh oh, call me by your name

  53. ValdVin

    Jennifer really seems to have been stuck on “grimace” all morning.

    She could be Liz’s (from QC) cousin if she keeps this up.

  54. Dot

    A little mad we never got to see that burger.

    1. milu

      HEY GOOD POINT
      WHERES THE BURGER WILLIS

      1. The Oracle

        #BurgerGate

  55. Yeet

    Surprised Walky says it’s okay for someone to call him David, particularly Raidah who he only knows from being friends with Jennifer.
    It’s not like Jennifer’s friends were ever chill with him before (probably her fault from what we’ve seen but I doubt Walky was ever hanging out with the cool kids before).
    I only go by my real name in formal/work/family settings generally and if someone tried to make breakfast a formal/work setting I really wouldn’t care how much of a lawyer they think they already are.

    1. Yeet

      Also I literally just realised this encounter was entirely predated on “oh wow breakfast with popular people” when it was literally just… Jennifer Asher and Raidah, at the time.
      And Lucy had already seen Jennifer’s spell over the others in her dorm break – as well as seeing how nobody in Clark thought she was cool – and decided to give her a “second chance” about it.
      Lucy has some really weird ideas about popularity.

      1. Archieve

        She still thinks everyone looks up to jennifer(when more like a handful respect her opinion on certain topics) so she thinks the the group must popular too, is how I assume her logic works.

    2. thejeff

      I’d guess he’s saying it’s okay because he has no intention of being friends with Raidah.

      1. Clif

        This.

      2. Yeet

        …yeah, that’s a pretty solid take.

      3. temperaryobsessor

        I mean its clear from what he’s saying he doesn’t agree with it, but its just not his hill to die on either.
        Most people would just assume call him what he wants to be called.

  56. Lysbeth

    Walky x Asher! Washer wait no that sounds dumb

    1. Quinn

      But “Dasher” sounds awesome…

    2. Dandi Andi

      Washer could work given Joyce’s most recent arc.

      “Washer and Dryer: A Dumbing of Age Pornographique”

  57. Brigid Keely

    Has anyone discussed the David vs Dave naming convention which was a plot point and eventual story line in Narbonic, a comic that so wonderfully mirrored real life?

  58. Woof McGee

    Wait – wasn’t Asher hooked up with the Midwest Mafia that pulled off the miraculous mass kidnapping?

  59. IniquitousKing

    Gonna feel a LITTLE bad for Asher (But not much given what a douche he’s been about Sal during this breakfast) if he actually thinks Walky’s flirting with him here.

    Definitely getting bi-curious vibes from him. Or just straight up ‘bi but it’s not come up in the story’ vibes.

  60. plasticwrap

    Dammit, I was hoping for bisexual Walkie for a second…

  61. Random832

    This is *deeply* hypocritical, “Jennifer”.

Leave a Reply to Yotomoe Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.