176

Nickname
Posted on May 4, 2022 by David M Willis

176 thoughts on “Nickname”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    for some reason I was seeing the tall slate thing behind Joyce as her backpack and was VERY confused for a hot minute

    (and Joyce was very hot for a confused minute)

    1. Nathan

      SAME

    2. Sarah Lea

      Oversized prop?

    3. Bicycle Bill

      Joyce is STILL hot.  Frankly, I wish I had known someone like her when I was a freshman in college.  Man-o-man, how my life might have been changed.

      Whether it would have been for the better … well, that’s something we’ll never know, will we?

    4. The Quirk

      I thought it was a stretcher, cause she’s in so much pain. You mean it ISN’T?

  2. The Wellerman

    Strange things are happening to Joyce’s body….

    …and not the good kind either!!! ?

    1. ThunderNight

      …wait what is the good kind?

      1. AbacusWizard

        Growing wings. Or webshooters. Extra arms are cool too.

      2. Sam

        Shapeshifting. Regeneration. Claws. Tail for balance. There are lots of good kinds.

        1. The Wellerman

          Oh, you’re just gonna LOVE what I’m making for Halloween! ?

          Of course it would help if I could find someone to help me with 3D models…

        2. Sam

          If it has claws, i love it already.

        3. Gigafreak

          Please, EVERYONE’s into carcinization these days

        4. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Just because people are being crabby, doesn’t mean they want to be like a crab!

        5. The Wellerman

          OOO! I just found a modeler! So close!!!

      3. Reltzik

        Lemme just add orgasms to the list.

        1. Bryy

          We don’t know what happened over Halloween.

        2. Z

          Even Becky is pretty confident Joyce still hasn’t known the pleasures of the flesh.

        3. Reltzik

          Lemme just add orgasms to the list of “strange things that can happen to the body which are of the good kind” list, not the “strange things that are happening to Joyce’s body” list.

  3. Darkoneko

    As someone barely out of a bad COVID week where I would feel extra cold a minut eand extra hot the other : I feel you, Joyce.

    1. Laura

      Oh, wow, welcome out, and congratulations on your recovery! May it NEVER happen to you again! I hope you are feeling 100% better. Do take it easy while you recover, ‘K?
      *Sends over hot soup and a warm blanket.*

    2. The Wellerman

      ? So sorry that happened to you bruh, glad you’re feeling better now. ?

      *sends over hearty rice omelets*

      *plays “Relaxing Zelda Music” on hacked muzak*

    3. Regalli

      Ugh, the thermal regulation issues and dysautonomia. It sucks. I recommend a pulse oximeter if you can get one, one of the common long/post-COVID conditions seems to be postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome which can cause the temperature flares.

      1. Darkoneko

        I think I know some of these words

        1. The Wellerman

          Yes, Regalli is very thorough when it comes to this stuff, and must I say I admire it very much!

        2. Roborat

          Doing better than me, I recognize the letters.

        3. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Got me beat, I only know some of the letters.

      2. autogatos

        As someone with POTS/dysautonomia (unrelated to covid, I have EDS/MCAS and it’s common with that) can confirm. My body temp is like a yo-yo and it’s very frustrating. My best recommendations are to dress in easily removable layers and keep ice packs handy whenever possible.

    4. Bicycle Bill

      Good on you.  I lost the only woman (to date) that I would have considered spending the rest of my life with to Covid in Dec 2020. We had separated prior to that and we had both moved on with our lives, but I still had a space in my heart for her.

      It has since been replaced with a slowly healing scar that is labeled “Katherine”.

      1. Laura

        Oh no.
        (*Laura sits and cries with you.*)
        I am so sorry.

        If it’s any consolation, I lost my life partner to a heart attack (a month after we broke up) many years ago. The scar stays forever but it does heal. One day at a time. It hurts and hurts and hurts some more. But it does heal, over time.

        I’m here with you.

      2. Ana Chronistic

        Oh no, so sorry for your loss ☹️

  4. Thag Simmons

    Yeah, Joyce absolutely needs to see a doctor about this

    1. The Wellerman

      NO SHIT!!!

      1. Thag Simmons

        I feel like it is important to stress that what has been described are absolutely potential symptoms of a serious medical condition and require a proper examination. There are Doctors who don’t take this sort of thing seriously, and that leads to a lot of preventable suffering

      2. Reltzik

        Oh, wow, constipation on top of everything else?

        1. Z

          You jest, but bad periods can lead to constipation as well. I get constipated on my period every time – I also use a menstrual cup so have to hastily pull it out and empty the blood when my body is finally ready to have a movement.

          So yes it is possible Joyce literally hasn’t given a shit in a few days.

    2. Laura

      Been reeling all day about the Alito draft in the news, and what it means for access to reproductive health care (including OB/GYN and prenatal care) nationwide. I was reading that 46% of all Americans will lose access to reproductive healthcare altogether. This is definitely going to increase maternal and infant mortality, especially in communities of color. It’s a public health disaster.

      1. The Wellerman

        Fills me with such resentment, and FURY.

        ☠️☠️ ?? ? ?? ☠️☠️

        *plays “Be Quick or Be Dead” by Iron Maiden on hacked muzak*

      2. Makkabee

        I’m horrified at this. We’re looking at the worst Supreme Court since the 1930s.

      3. Reltzik

        Further proof that “pro-life” is Orwellian nomenclature.

      4. Z

        America was already in a really shameful state for this as well. They shouldn’t be trying to make it worse.

      5. Thag Simmons

        Yeah, it’s fucking bleak. Next few decades are going to be rough

      6. Laura

        Folks on are gonna need transportation, medical care, advocacy, legal defense… local abortion funds are the boots on the ground making sure people get the help they need and holler & lawyer when they get locked up.

        Here are a few good ones:

        https://www.wonkette.com/where-you-should-donate-your-ameros-to-protect-abortion
        https://www.nationaladvocatesforpregnantwomen.org/
        https://fronterafundrgv.org/ (That last group defended the woman who was arrested in Texas a couple of weeks ago for seeking emergency medical attention. She got out after they alerted the world and came to her defense.)

        1. Laura

          Here are a few more, which also focus on health care access in communities of color:

          https://mashable.com/article/donate-abortion-funds-reproductive-justice-roe-wade

          …And you know what gets me? These same “pro life” “conservatives” who seem to love reproduction are the same folks who condone infant genital surgery for intersex babies or babies born with “ambiguous” genitalia. Despite the effect such surgery could have on future reproductive capacity. These are the same “conservatives” who seem to have no problem with involuntary sterilization of women in prisons and jails, and in immigration detention. These are the same people denying access to STD preventive care and HPV vaccines. These are the same people denying access to sex ed and GYN checkups for teens. These are the same people cutting and restricting Medicaid so nobody can even AFFORD pregnancy. These are the same people who voted against the Child Tax Credit and who won’t vote for paid family leave or subsidized childcare. The same people who are trying to criminalize those who seek emergency medical care for miscarriages, sepsis, or ectopic pregnancies. The same people who try to deny access to due process, for asylum seekers who come to the US fleeing forced abortion and sterilization and FGC/M in their home countries.

          …All those cruelties are damaging and destroying the future reproductive capacity and health of the people being affected. I wonder where that concern for “potential life” is now. 🙁

    3. Makkabee

      Being in Indiana is a serious medical condition.

  5. DailyBrad

    Interesting distinction being drawn by Jennifer/Billie.

  6. Yotomoe

    https://imgur.com/a/4NMRsVz (NSFW)

    Alright now we’re moving on to the part I’ve been kinda looking forward to for obvious reasons.
    Story so far…
    https://imgur.com/a/9Ob1cy3

    1. Yotomoe

      Story so far is also (NSFW), obvi.

      1. Rose by Any Other Name

        Very nice.

        Interestingly, I spent a goodly portion of today working on a sex scene involving a very intense blowjob as well, so that’s a neat coincidence.

    2. The Wellerman

      ? ? ?

      Walky must be melting like a snow cone by now! ?

    3. cbwroses

      You are technically correct, Billie, the best kind of correct.

    4. Taffy

      The maniacal cackling Is a nice touch.

    5. Architex

      Your pacing is wonderful so far, thank you very much!

    6. Marisa Mockery

      Can’t decide if horny or amused at the jokes….help…

    7. EpochFlame

      very well done

      1. deliverything

        I’m asexual and still enjoying it for how well written and funny it is.

    8. RowenMorland

      This is going to be super rad if you end up inking them all up like the first.

      1. Yotomoe

        Haha I’m going to try. Though that would be a pretty huge time commitment! Cuz I’m not even halfway done.

    9. Amós Batista

      People, you better click on second link: Yotomoe has improved the drawing (there’s a word for this, but I’m sleepy, I just forget…)

    10. ValdVin

      Did I miss where it was mentioned how far Walky and Amber went? Or is that comment by Billie artistic license?

      1. Yotomoe

        It’s moreso Billie just making an educated guess. Walky doesn’t reply to it cuz I, yoto, do not know if there’s truth to it or not. BUT I do know that Billie is the kinda girl who’d have ASSUMED they had.

    11. a/snow/mous/e

      hooo boy~ very nice <3

    12. cmasta1992

      You are a hero Yoto

  7. RassilonTDavros

    Not sure if Billie’s lying, misremembering, or somewhere in the middle.

    1. Yotomoe

      The best lie is one that you can’t remember if it’s a lie or not.

      1. Needfuldoer

        It’s all been true, especially the lies.

    2. Thag Simmons

      Potentially just oversimplifying

    3. CrazyJ

      Seems unlikely that she misremembers when it was through her dream that we found out how Walky got his name.

    4. GeekyWarrior

      Or payback for Walkie’s first attempt at a nickname for her: Buttifer

  8. Stephen Bierce

    Some Like It Hot and some sweat when the heat is on
    Some feel the heat and decide that they can’t go on    …

    1. Plain Marie

      Feeeeel the heat

    2. The Wellerman

      BTW I can’t believe I forgot this but…

      Happy Star Wars Day!!!! ????

      *plays “Cantina Band” on hacked muzak*

      1. Geneseepaws

        I’ll drink to that! May the fifth be with us.

        1. Bicycle Bill

          If you drink to celebrate Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you!),/b>, and then drink to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, what comes next?

          The Revenge of the Sixth.

  9. newlland(Henryvolt)

    It would help Walky if he had more guy friends so I think him and Asher interacting is good thing.

    1. Nova

      Yes. It’s so important to have friends of your own gender that it is irrelevant if that gender-appropriate-friend is a guy who literally called a hit in on someone, ruined part of your sister’s life, and has some generally sketchy vibes.

      God forbid he have female friends though. That’s the true problem.

      (for those who struggle to tell tone in text, this is sarcasm.)

      1. Thag Simmons

        Asher ain’t so bad if you can ignore the deeply personal betrayal of a family member, being an accomplice in the kidnapping of yourself and your closest friends, being complicit in a mob hit, and also all of the other shit that comes with being Grandson to a mob boss.

      2. C.T. Phipps

        Except the hit was on Blaine. It’s kind of a thing that cancels itself out.

        1. Z

          Having the ability to do that doesn’t cancel out when he’s shown a willingness to betray friends/allies in the past. (Calling the cops on Sal)

        2. Victor

          But the hit on Blaine means a very, very dirty cop is still out there and will almost certainly kill again. His next target might not be so deserving.

        3. Agemegos

          He was already dirty before Asher dropped a dime. Asher didn’t make him dirty.

          Whether there was anything that Asher could have done to turn that cop straight is not in evidence.

      3. Z

        Seriously. He dumped Amber over the stabbing but is happy to play friendly with Asher after he betrayed Sal?

        Nevermind the mob connections which you seriously wouldn’t want to touch with a 10 foot pole if you’ve got any sense.

        1. Thag Simmons

          He dumped Amber for maybe a day over the stabbing

        2. RedCat

          He punched Asher.

        3. newlland(Henryvolt)

          Dumped her and Almost tried to get back with her in the same day.

        4. Spencer

          I-

          Are we getting on Walky’s case for having conflicted feelings that the girl he was cuddling up to fucking maimed his sister?

      4. RowenMorland

        I got up to “appropriate” when I realised it was /s 😀

      5. Yotomoe

        1. We don’t know if he called a hit. Just that he was alerted.
        2. Even if he did call a hit, it was Blaine. That guy SHOULD die.
        3. Even still, Nobody here knows that.
        4. He may have ratted on Sal, but it’s not like Sal …y’know…wasn’t committing a crime? Like it’s always kinda weird to me that I’m supposed to be mad at Asher more for being a rat than Sal for committing a robbery. Yes, she was young and scared and it went badly for her and he mostly just did it to get the cops off his trail. But also it was Sal’s decision to take a hostage. Yes, she was backed into a corner but she was told to run and she decided instead to traumatize two kids. It was a dick move but also so was what Sal did, and so was what blaine did, and so was what Amber did, and so was what her parents did. Nobody really came out of that situation looking all that good.
        5. It’s not as if “general sketchy vibes” stopped Walky before. He roomed with Mike, He’s hung out with a T.A that fucked one of his students, And made out with a vigilante crime fighter.

        Besides, Asher has been pretty nice to Walky thus far.

        1. Michael I

          I will say that Asher absolutely did NOT call a hit on Blaine. He didn’t then and probably doesn’t now have enough authority to call a hit on anyone. He probably did mention something about what Blaine was planning to someone in his grandfather’s Mob. Which MAY have marginally increased the chances of a hit being called on Blaine.

          (Marginally increased because given what Blaine planned, there was very little chance that said Mob wouldn’t have found out about his involvement and wouldn’t have considered Blaine as a serious liability.)

        2. Spencer

          Specifically, the only thing we know is that Asher was texted once Blaine was murdered in the hospital.

          Whether he orchestrated it or is just in the loop is unclear, but he had to be involved in some capacity if only because he probably wouldn’t have been depicted with that text otherwise.

        3. Azhrei Vep

          At least as far as point 4 goes: You can be mad at both, and be perfectly justified in doing so.

        4. Sirksome

          Honestly his association with the hit doesn’t matter to me. The simple fact is that Asher is just untrustworthy. He’ll choose himself first and lies. He just dodged Jennifer’s question on how he got into her room, he lied to Sal about cutting ties with the mob, and worst of all he aided Blaine (even if under blackmail) in creating an opportunity for that kidnapping.

          These are big red flags even if you like the dude. I don’t think he’s a bad guy, but you don’t have to be bad to make bad choices and I think Asher always will when it counts.

      6. -

        Jesus, WAY to overreact there. Do people like you just keep their eyes open for a potential fight every minute of the day?

        1. Nova

          Thanks for your opinion. It has been noted and ignored. Have a day.

    2. Needfuldoer

      You know who could really use a friend? Ethan.

      Go read up on Transformers, Walky.

  10. Bagge

    See you, Babe

  11. Katerly

    I’m gonna guess that Joyce has the flu or something on top of a period.
    Cause I can’t see David really wanting to delve into a big storyline about her periods and fertility and all that jazz so I wouldn’t be surprised if all the questions can be summed up by *period+flu=holy shit feeling crap*

    1. Nova

      How would a story about periods and fertility be more difficult than the stories about murder, suicide, religious abuse, queer rights, parental abuse, mental health, and dinosaurs?

      Periods and fertility and all that “jazz” are a part of life. I hope this storyline delves into it all.

      1. Katerly

        Thats fair and I hadn’t really thought about all the other heavy stuff he’s covered. This was stated to be a Billie centric storyline so I assumed Joyce’s period issues would be background filler but I can see how they would tie into her stuff as well.

      2. Reltzik

        It would be more difficult because American (and more generally Western) culture has some really, really nonsensical hangups.

      3. JBento

        For the same reason that American media is totally cool with eextreme degrees of violence, but heavens forbid a woman’s nipple is ever even hinted at outside of specialty channels.

    2. Fay

      I think it’s gonna be about Joyce getting on birth control and her reflecting on her own personal biases about that. Since the Pill is usually the most common treatment for period-related ailments.

      1. Needfuldoer

        Yeah, this feels like groundwork. I bet we’ll see it resolve in this chapter, next chapter, or in 2026 when the story’s progressed by about a month.

        1. Agemegos

          Who knows whether contraception will be legal in Indiana in 2026?

        2. Needfuldoer

          … Yeah…

          [internal ranting]

      2. Z

        I kind of hope not because so many people have problems with hormonal birth control. I don’t like it being treated as a “cure all” when it can really damage your body.

        It would be interesting to see Joyce process being on birth control, though. I don’t know how much she’s reevaluated her views on sex since she became an atheist.

        1. autogatos

          I mean the fact that it causes problems for some people doesn’t mean it’s not also a very helpful important medication for many people as well.

          As someone with a complex chronic illness exacerbated by PMS, my periods got to the point where they left me completely bedridden before I got my IUD.

    3. Robbie

      David? Lol I got confused, I guess I forgot for a second that Willis’ first name isn’t actually Damn (middle name You)

  12. JA

    I thought I was the only one who read Zits.

    1. Keulen

      It’s in the local newspapers where I live, but I rarely read newspapers much these days. When I do read a newspaper, I always check the comics first.

    2. brionl

      I used to read it, back when we still had newspapers.

  13. Cerusee

    Well, now I’m EXTRA worried about whatever is physically ailing Joyce, because even in my worst periods I don’t think I ever had “wildly yo-yoing body temperature” as a symptom. My body pretty much only does that stuff in response to some kind of event that really kicks the immune system into high gear like flu, or food poisoning. Whatever Joyce is experiencing is not normal and yeah she really needs to talk to some kind of medical professional about it. (Doesn’t have to be a doctor. Nurse practitioners are a thing.)

    1. Fay

      Hot flashes and chills can be pretty common PMS symptoms.

      1. Taffy

        They can also be symptoms of a serious illness. I’m not a periodologist, so maybe this is ignorant to say, but I don’t know if it’s good to assume all of this stuff is just part of an extremely difficult (but otherwise healthy) period. Don’t real health problems get overlooked because of that?

        1. BBCC

          Sure, but if these symptoms only come on her period (and even then, only some periods) I think it’s fair to think ‘probably just an extremely bad period’. Which, hey, Certified Crappy Period haver here, all her symptoms match mine. So, yeah, it’s not far fetched to me to guess that it is her period doing this. Should she see a doctor? Probably though.

      2. Z

        Just because symptoms are common doesn’t make them healthy.

    2. Blue

      I’m super-sensitive to body temperature changes, even with a slightly elevated temp I feel alternately hot and cold like with a fever.

  14. Fay

    For some reason I keep feeling like there’s gonna be a plot twist of Asher *also* being bi and Jennifer’s internalized biphobia subsequently resurfacing.

    Or maybe Asher is just being a good boyfriend and genuinely wants to connect with Walky to learn more about Jennifer.

    1. Amós Batista

      Raidah and Asher pursuing Walky. Of course, he being be would be great, but it will be even more challenger for Lucy.

      1. Amós Batista

        “he, being bi, would be great”
        shit

      2. Needfuldoer

        In their pursuit of Walky, what they really find…

        Is each other.

    2. Leadsynth

      Jennifer had biphobia surface? Is it that she doesn’t seem to take bisexuality seriously and regards it as just “a phase” or “everyone inevitably gets curious” like she explained to Joyce way back when?

      1. Spencer

        She knows of it from porn, yeah. The closest she’s ever gotten was going “I’m not a lesbian, I’m… I don’t want to say ‘normal,’ that’s terrible. Just sometimes I like a girl” whereupon Howard (Ruth’s little brother) said that was bisexuality.

        So if it ever comes out that Asher’s bi, she’d probably process it for him the same way; a straight person who likes boys sometimes.

    3. Blue

      This isn’t even the first time we’ve seen Asher noticing Walky. I think it’s gonna happen as you predict.

  15. Suet

    This was the origin story of Walky’s name in It’s Walky

    Gosh, Joyce sure has turned into a ’90s Pop Tart

    1. Needfuldoer

      It is not Pop-Tarts!

  16. Bobbi

    Where did Lucy go?

    1. drs

      Joyce got hungry.

    2. Lan

      Now you Lu-see her, now you don’t

    3. egg egg

      That’s what I was going to ask. She just straight up disappeared.

  17. Sirksome

    Asher is really noticing Walky. He’s either legitimately into him or this is a setup of some kind but I can’t accept it’s purely platonic at this point. I’d don’t trust that, much like I don’t trust him!

  18. BBCC

    Ahhhhh, yay, Walky interacting with these guys will be precious.

    And oh god, the Inner Temperature Shift, my beloathed.

    Man, I knew I needed to, but all these people going on about ‘uh, this sounds serious, she should see an OB/GYN’ are really hammering home I should see one, because a lot of Joyce’s stuff has me nodding and going ‘Yeah, uh huh, that tracks, sounds like mine.’

    1. Laura

      Good luck getting it all taken care of! 🙂

    2. Z

      Hope you can get some help. This definitely isn’t healthy to be experiencing.

    3. Wraithy2773

      I would say that, even if it turns out to be nothing, checking in with your OB/GYN is at least a good idea from a general health issue. At the very least, getting a doctor’s stamp of “yeah, nothing to worry about” can be really comforting :).

      1. BBCC

        “Nothing to worry about” is fine, but if they try to tell me everything’s normal and nothing’s wrong, I don’t think that’d comfort me. If only because that lowers my odds even further of getting a doctor who will help me make this shit STOP.

    4. zee

      Hey hi hello as someone who was lucky enough to get my endometriosis caught at 16 and having seen the difference in functioning since then
      Please see a gyno.
      I worry about everyone with a womb because this type of suffering every month has been so normalized but hey! If you can’t function during your period, that’s not healthy and you likely need medical intervention!

      1. BBCC

        Well, fuck. Yeah, I probably should see one.

  19. Opus the Poet

    This is Not Good, going from chills and just too cold to too hot even when it’s cold does Not Bode Well for any non-cartoon person. But I guess digital drawings are different from human beings.

    1. Wraithy2773

      I wouldn’t be too sure. Cartoon people might not need to fit perfectly to biology, but Conservation of Detail kinda dominates things. The question at this point is kinda “why would Willis put this in the comic if it doesn’t matter?”, with the implication that it very much does…

  20. Rabisch

    Awwwww… they gave each other their nicknames… how sweet! Once they must have been very close. I wonder if this breakfast will help them come closer again or will it push them further away.

  21. Lan

    I’d live for the chaos of a Walky/Asher endgame

    1. Lan

      The ship names alone would be wild
      Walker? Washer? Ashy?
      Absolute unhinged potential here. Truly divine.

      1. Sombrero

        It’s Washy, babe.

      2. JBento

        One dude called David and another called Asher in a gay relationship? Clearly the only possible ship name is Rainbow Dasher.

    2. Thag Simmons

      Gotta love the energy of a wildcard ship which should not be but which still makes sense and has low but non-zero odds of actually happen

    3. Spencer

      Asher/Amber

      Because “you killed my father, let’s make out” is my exact trash.

  22. Spencer

    Asher’s being super nice to Walky two appearances in a row can we just like him now???

    1. JBento

      Don’t look at me, man. As far as I’m concerned, Asher became the most positive influence in the DoAworld the moment he got Blaine killed.

      1. Eldritchy

        And proved that he is capable of some truly horrifying things if provoked…
        Like, he is likeable, but he is also a massive potential threat to those around him.

        1. JBento

          No he hasn’t, because “getting Blaine killed” isn’t “truly horrifying”, it’s a good deed bestowed upon the world in general and the characters in this comic specifically. The only issue with Asher being a massive potential threat to people like Blaine is that the threat is only potential.

          Also, Asher wasn’t “provoked”, Blaine threatened to have him killed as blackmail.

        2. Amelie Wikström

          As I recall, Asher’s boss decided to kill Blaine and had Asher stand lookout or something. Unless it was Asher who got the cop to pull the trigger, I don’t think he’s the threat.

          I think he’s just someone who’s going to kill anyone if his boss decides it’s good for business.

        3. JBento

          Asher doesn’t actually have a boss. Blaine got him to pull the fire alarm exactly because Asher is no longer in the mob business but *ahem ahem* borrowed *ahem ahem* mob money on his way out. He DOES have connections in the mob, because his grandfather is the head of of the Korean mob.

        4. Thag Simmons

          I don’t know how much we can judge how willing to kill Asher is.

          Blaine being a deluded narcissistic maniac who murked someone in the process of attempting to kidnap a senator’s campaign manager basically signed his own death warrant regardless of anything Asher did.

        5. Eldritchy

          Here is the thing, getting someone killed Does Not Occur to most normal people. It’s just not something that is within the options they consider. I don’t care about Blaine, I care about Asher being capable of things like that.

          And aside from that Asher is a potential gateway through which criminal world can threaten the kids. It doesn’t have to be something he did, it can be a rival gang going after him, it can be his relatives finding out about something he did. If Asher at any point gets targeted by the criminal world he will be the epicentre of a massive explosion that is more than likely to hurt other people, the closer they are to him the more threatened they are.

        6. Spencer

          He’s capable of that because he was born into a criminal enterprise whose attempts at escaping it gave Blaine an in to rope him into kidnapping and attempted murder. He never had the chance to be a Normal People when the circumstances of his birth start with being the grandson of a mob boss and he was only able to break out by secretly crossing him.

          If we’re gonna have a character like Sal who has a fairly major component of “it’s bullshit that I suffer the consequences of a crime I committed as a child years later when I suffered the consequence for it,” I think we can apply that same standard to Asher.

          (I hope you’re right about Asher’s presence causing things because why yes I absolutely do want this queer reformed but not tamed motorcycle riding bad boy in pitched crime drama as he attempts to escape his violent past, I viscerally want that.)

        7. JBento

          I assure you, if I had the option of Getting Someone Killed in my playbook, Kissinger would be so dead people in Australia could smell the carrion.

          I’m sure you’re equally concerned about the presence of Joyce and Becky, who at any moment can bring down the wrath of fundies upon the cast and actually ALREADY HAVE, and the presence of Amber, who could bring at any moment have brought Blaine upon the cast AND DID.

        8. Agemegos

          Similarly, being threatened with death by phone-call to a mob boss just Does Not Occur to most people.

        9. Eldritchy

          And to add to that. Asher has already shown a level of ruthlessness. He was involved in getting Blaine killed for his threats. But he also manipulated Sal to distract the cops, he gave her a knife and we all know Very well what can happen to Poc kids when they encounter cops.

        10. Spencer

          He didn’t manipulate her, she told him to drop her off there and then he called the cops. It wasn’t a deliberate plan, and then in his first real appearance he lets Walky slug him in the face for it.

          He was fucking 13. It’s probably pretty ruthless to grab some kid and hold a knife to his throat too.

        11. JBento

          He didn’t manipulate Sal at all. Sal asked him to drop her off at a convenience store with no prompting. It also wasn’t Asher that handed her the knife.

          Also POC: Asher.

        12. BBCC

          In fairness, Black kids are most likely to be murdered by cops, so it IS still true that calling the police to get Sal off their trail could’ve gone very very badly for her. Asher could’ve easily ended up with a dead friend doing that.

          That said, no, Asher didn’t give her the knife and he didn’t manipulate her into robbing another store.

        13. Eldritchy

          Mhm I guess I misremembered that part.

        14. Thag Simmons

          Asher told her to keep the knife, and answered Sal’s question about how much they took. This is the extent of the manipulation.

          He is obviously not blameless in what happened, especially since he called the fucking cops on her, but do not deny Sal agency in this.

        15. Thag Simmons

          Realizing that I completely misinterpreted the statement I was replying to. D’oh.

        16. JBento

          That’s not Asher telling Sal to keep the knife, it’s the other dude. It’s the same person giving her her share, and you can see their sleeve going up to their wrist, while Asher has his rolled up.

        17. BBCC

          Yeah, that’s Asher’s older brother.

        18. Daibhid C

          By that logic, the second most positive influence in the strip is Blaine, because he killed Toedad.

        19. JBento

          It definitely would be, but it’s countered by the REST of Blaine’s influence.

    2. Amós Batista

      Teacher told me we win a crow every time we did something bad. To compensate it, we should win 2 seagull for each crow.

    3. Wraithy2773

      I mean, I still like Mike as a character, and if I had to interact with him on a regular basis in reality I’d want to pound him into hamburger…

      But I think you’re more asking about if we can think that Asher’s a good person overall? And I dunno. If we knew nothing about his backstory and his involvement in the Kidnapping and Blaine Murder were as hidden from us as they were from basically every character in the story, he’d be viewed as a charming young man with a troubled past that he’s trying to get past.

      And that could well be what he is! If I had to make a wild guess about where this would be going, it’d be that the business with Blaine was like a relapse for Asher, one that he’s not handling flawlessly. That he’s trying to quit smoking feels connected to that, like another part of his ugly childhood that he’s trying to scrub away, since he felt like he got doused in the muck yet again.

      I don’t think Asher is an evil villain in waiting or anything. I think he’s an interesting, complex character trying to improve himself. Whether or not he will is an entirely different question…

      1. Spencer

        Asher explicitly asks, before Blaine drags him back in, if anybody is going to get hurt.

        Like it wasn’t something he relapsed into, he was being threatened and then assured that whatever it is he was conspiring in, it was about Blaine not wanting to pay for tuition.

        1. Wraithy2773

          Oh, I know. I’m not blaming Asher for it, he was clearly stuck between a rock and a hard place there.

          The worst that I’m going to say is “It’s wrong that he had a hand in Blaine’s murder… you know, on principle. Bad. Bad Asher. No biscuit.”

          But I wonder if Asher sees it the same way. He’s clearly trying to make some distant between himself and his criminal relations, and the Blaine situation pushed him back in that direction. It’s not his fault, but when has that mattered when it came to people blaming themselves?

    4. Sombrero

      Nope.

      1. Sombrero

        Liking Asher, I mean. Dunno why the comment got out of place.

    5. Thag Simmons

      I firmly believe that Asher genuinely wants to be a good dude, that he feels guilt about the bad things that he has done and that he wants to escape his evil family.

      I am less confident about whether he’ll be able to succeed.

  23. Arianod

    I don’t want a threeway between Asher, Billie and Walky, but I *do* want to see Billie’s face when Asher proposes it. I wonder if that makes me a bad person.

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