Yeah, the vibes with Walky were insane. I was like “oh, if they get together that would be a dramatic, delicious trainwreck”, considering what connects them and all
however Asher was with Sal, which forever tainted him via contact with the abhorrent. Add in the lack of genetic grandchildren, and Lucy squeaks out for the win.
does linda actually know who asher is or was she just generally assuming everyone sal was hanging out with is a “hoodlum” though? I doubt sal would’ve told her about him
Seems unlikely. Why would he have put up with Jennifer’s nonsense if he wasn’t at all attracted to her? I tend to get bi vibes, instead.
That said, Ethan isn’t looking hot in that last panel. He just looks mopey and possibly ill. Maybe Asher would ask his advice on how to darken up enough to attract Jennifer again, that would be funny.
I mean, just because they can be attracted to people of the opposite gender as well doesn’t mean bi people don’t have to pretend to be straight around homophobes. Not admitting that you find guys hot is still not admitting that you find guys hot whether you’re a gay guy or a bi guy.
Oh, I see, yes, I thought “be similar to Ethan” specifically meant heavily pressured not to be gay — but this commenter surely meant pressured not to be anything at all except for straight.
i mean, other than someone keeping a close eye on him on campus i’d think the occasional discreet fling/hookup would be diff than him just making out with dudes in front of his grandpa lol.
but i mean if it’s the stereotypical thing, seems like he’d be ‘accepted’ if ‘family is family’ or so. or if it’s enough to have him kicked out, either way win win for him i’d expect
The crime thing? Most are manly-men type deals. Being into men would be seen as either weakness or “dishonorable.” Probably one of the reasons he wants out of that life and those people.
yeah the crime thing i meant.
sure i guess 🤷♀️
i mean.. i wouldn’t know whether gang types are more gender-police-y than just regularly people who are, on the whole, pretty gender-police-y to begin with
The Italian mob are often raised in the Catholic Church. I have no idea if other mobs are similarly religious or what religions they would be so I have no clue what the situation would be for Asher and the Korean mob though.
In general, criminal organizations tend to be on the conservative end of their culture on sex issues. And S. Korea is still massively homophobic in comparison even to the US as a whole (though probably equal to some specific states).
For example, this year, a gay Korean couple was granted the right to have one man put his partner on the official health registry. Like in the US, marriage conveys a host of rights, privileges and so forth to the couple; this very narrow decision granted exactly one of those rights. And even that ruling is still potentially vulnerable to review by their Supreme Court.
And yes, in most criminal organizations, being gay would be seen as a massive sign of ‘weakness’. Social pressure against homosexuality in SK is considerably stronger than in US, too, so it would still be considered a point of potential blackmail–which criminal gangs usually prefer to be on the other side of.
There’s probably a lot of variations in it among gangs, but I do agree with the overall sense that they promote the idea of being “tough,” and that good ol’ homophobia tells that guys who like guys aren’t “tough.”
i mean, they say college is the ideal time to experiment with relationships, straight or not. tho i imagine if it was something that got serious, ethan might spiral more if he finds out though i’d think amber would’ve at least given him a heads upabout asher
I thought she told Danny they should have fucked instead of using their patronizing concern for her as an excuse to run from their fears. And also that it’d have been super hot.
Months later, iirc. After she’d had time to get some distance from her breakup with Danny. And after Mike’s death, which changes everything.
But she likely would have said the same right away, which doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have devastated her. Like she was messed up by Ethan coming out as gay and breaking up with her. You can support something and it can still hurt.
Nor is it somehow a bad thing to be concerned about your friend’s feelings.
“NO ASHER YOU CAN’T JUST GO THROUGH A GAY PHASE BECAUSE I DUMPED YOU”
“It’s not a phase, I’m bi”
“You can’t be bi! Bi isn’t real!! Just because I dated and repeatedly had mind blowing and tender sex with two women at this rate while also feeling attraction towards men, doesn’t mean I’m bi!!”
Oh Ghola, I’m so very sorry that that’s happened to you. Also, sadly not surprised. We bi folk get a bad wrap in a lot of ways, and that’s definitely one of them. Only women can be bi and only because it’s super hot and makes for a cool threesome when it’s two girls and a guy, naturally.
But nah, I’m truly sorry you’ve experienced that. The shitty assumptions of others is truly annoying. Because I’m biromantic ace, I’ve been told that I’m not ‘oppressed’ enough to be a part of the LGBT+ community, so I know how you feel.
I don’t identify as bi or a girl these days, but I did at one point, and when I first went to an LGBTQ+ summer camp as a teenager (across the country from where I lived), on my first night a girl in my cabin made a comment about how she got frustrated with bi girls because they were “doing it for attention.” The camp got a lot better and ended up being one of my favorite places ever, but holy shit that was a rough comment to hear there.
I sometimes feel vaguely guilty coz I’m demi and bi and like 95% of the people I find attractive are women but then I’m also married to a man who I am massively attracted to and still crazy in love with 18 years after we moved from friends to coupledom and I’m adding to bi-erasure and this is a bad thing but also he is literally the third person in my life I’ve been properly attracted to and the first one who wasn’t a massive prick (see for instance the friend who found out I had a crush on her and made out with me sometimes pretty much to manipulate me into doing pretty much anything for her… That was kinda painful and heartbreaking…)
I strongly disagree with the idea that who you love and are choosing to spend your life with contributes to bi erasure. By that logic settling down with any one person contributes to bi erasure and I just can’t accept that. Polyamory and bisexuality are different things and I can’t accept the former as a requirement for the latter. It doesn’t make any sense at all to me.
Also, you’re publicly talking about you being bi, that’s the opposite of bi erasure. If you were saying that you used to think you were bi and then you married a man so you weren’t actually bi, that might contribute to bi erasure. But you’re not.
I applaud you being in a relationship that makes you happy. You are valid and I celebrate your relationship.
… No, that sounds like the sort of attraction spectrum area that gets all sorts of unpleasant crud thrown in its direction… Usually from people who you have no interest in whatsoever and who therefore you would THINK had no say in who you get to be attracted to, but 🤷🏻♀️ People suck.
There’s a loooot of community based baggage on my end.
Figured out “hey, I like the dudes sexually, guess I’m gay.”
Was out as gay for about two years. Built a decent little friend network for an introvert.
Then oh damn, found out I’m still into the ladies.
Guess I’m bi.
Guess I’m shunned by 95% of the friend group for being “a liar” and “Never actually into men to begin with.”
And that was ages ago, worked past it. Trying my damnedest to not paint with a wide brush when it comes to “the community” and it’s hypocrisy.
Now I feel like I have to fend off terfs trying to turn bisexual into a trans exclusive label, when it’s been trans and NB inclusive since it was created as a term.
i thought the fit was more because she specifically set her up with her boss/daisy as opposed to just taking her to a gay/lesbian bar and her choosing some ‘regular white guy’ or so lol
It’s probably a bit of both, but the fact that Jennifer first assumed Ruth hooked up with the female bartender, then raised her voice even more because the bartender was a guy definitely leans towards Jennifer being upset because her preconceived notions were that Ruth was a lesbian so the idea that Ruth could date a guy? Well, it’s a lot like Joyce’s reaction.
Okay so before people in the comments spitballed the idea of Asher and Dorothy and I was like ‘man that would definitely be the worst case scenario because of all the hostage stuff and everything’ and uh
actually I was wrong. Ash and Ethan is a very messy dynamic because Asher is at least partially responsible for what happened to Mike, due to his actions to help Amber’s dad. Granted that Mike was definitely injured way before he ever pulled a fire alarm, he was still part of that whole plan, and perhaps if he wasn’t blackmailed into helping Amber’s dad, that entire attack wouldn’t have happened.
Lol very nice it just might turn out that Asher is ALSO unsound on Decepticon or something. More likely he will be fascinated by Ethan’s genuine enthusiasm and love for the subject.
Wondering whether this is attraction or guilt in ashers face. He might be aware who ethan is. He most likely is aware that he worked with those who killed mike.
Asher hasn’t expressed guilt towards anyone else involved, so I’m going with attraction.
That he’d be (seemingly as there was a time skip) just fine being around Walky, Joyce, and Sarah (and possibly any of the others who were kidnapped that he knows), but suddenly feels guilt for Ethan would, at the very least, imply Asher paid a lot more attention to Ethan’s feelings regarding Mike than he would be expected to.
It’s probably attraction, and today’s strip title “It Keeps Happening” is probably a reference to Danny realizing he was bi when he was attracted to Ethan.
I’m trying to see Sal’s reaction. Just imagine. “Please don’t date him, Apples; I know he’s hot but he’s going to hurt you…
Okay, I mean he’s going to hurt you WORSE than I did when I took you hostage, just trust me on this.”
Honestly I think Ethan might be one of the few to be okay with it if the full details of Asher’s involvement came out. Because Asher was blackmailed and not a willing participant, and Ethan’s in a dark enough place that his reaction to finding out Blaine what killed by the mob he worked for would probably just be that he deserved it.
Everyone seems to be on the bi ship but I think it would just as funny for Asher to get lessons from Ethan on how to become a brooding emo to get Jennifer back (not that Asher can’t do better but still).
lol wallowing in depression and skipping showers probably wouldn’t be more appealing to jen, tho trauma aside i’d think ethan would also be pretty similar to walky as well
Ugh this is going to be a train wreck. I’m sorry for whatever Asher was forced to do, but this would be so unhealthy for Ethan. Someone else already mentioned Asher is linked to all of Ethan’s major trauma.
Ethan: If I had a nickel every time I gave a guy his bi awakening, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?
At this point, I’m not sure. The entire history of the comment section is available and avitars from the current set are propagated back through time. Whenever someone shifts to a new avatar from the set or there is a general reset as evidenced by comments, it counts as a new trial. I looked at it enough to convince me Sal was less frequent than some of the others.
In fairness, I looked at that after the switch that was previous to this and not the current set. To be certain it’s still the case, I’d need to go back and check. I just assumed that since Sal took around 30 trials for me this time, the skewed distribution was still the case.
I’ll report again after I have some time to recheck.
Oh I just want to see Asher help Ethan out of this spiral. Ethan is NOT in a healthy place for a relationship right now, but a friendship that isn’t tied to home would be good for him.
Which reminds me: wouldn’t it be crazy if Booster meets Asher through Ethan and immediately clocks that Asher is somehow connected to some big group trauma (without automatically realizing what the trauma is as that would just be another random super power in this no powers story).
“Twice”? Obviously there was the period where he was dating Joyce, but was there another time he re-entered the closet? Or are you counting that as two times because he came out to Joyce in the middle of that?
At the start of the semester he was just happy to be the weirdo Transformers guy, without letting his sexuality define him. He was gay, but wasn’t actively looking or advertising.
Joyce was an active attempt to try to be straight.
Ethan? Well, we know that when Ethan’s not depressed, he’s a bit of a slut (which is fine! It’s just a thing), so I suppose the absence of blushes could indicate a lack of emotional commitment but simple reawakening to the fact that things are possible, but I honestly prefer the idea that somehow he knows a lot more about Asher than Asher would be comfortable with.
If only because it would torpedo the shippers from the start, and that would make me cackle.
(Okay, fine, nothing torpedoes shippers. It would just make things more complicated and dramatic for them. But still.)
It’s not a blow to the shippers for Ethan not to notice a stranger walking by, especially with the depression he has.
But sure, grab any victory you can.
My glance at this comic, I mistook Asher’s look up at Ethan as a desperate search for approval from someone who looks cool and dejected after being burned in the last strip, and thought the final panel was a detailed close-up on Ethan doing a big eye-roll.
This is very much not what’s happening, and it would not have really made sense, but it would be very funny.
The art in this strip is just… I mean, we knew that Ethan was depressed and doing badly, what with the bangs and pushing away his friends and the rest of it. But his face in that last panel is just…
Oh yeah, and Asher is clearly into him, but I’m not sure if that’s a good sign.
Triple E (Emancipated Emo Ethan) and his sadboy charm strikes again, lol. But in all seriousness this strip has some really excellent movement + paneling work, and that in combination with Willis’ usual distinct visual cues (the eye shines man, i love love love how you can wordlessly gauge Asher’s emotional state panel by panel just by looking at them) really helps to build this almost cinematic feeling in just a few panels. It’s honestly really great.
These last few strips call for a thematically appropriate Elliott Smith song and that song “Easy Way Out” from Figure 8 (Something that i WOULD link if Gravatar didn’t have personal beef with me and didn’t auto-delete any comments i make that has a link of any kind but w/e i digress).
Anyways, Asher and Post-Timeskip Ethan has been some of the more dramatic characters when it comes to “raising the stakes/shaking up the status quo”, so i can’t wait to see how this interaction shakes out.
I highly doubt Asher paid that much attention to how badly Mike’s death affected Ethan, especially considering we have no idea he even knows who Ethan is or what he looks like.
So the simplest answer is the most likely answer by a wide margin (not the only answer, tho, so it’s not 100% certain).
it’d be interesting to know what booster would think/advise him on although other than knowing anything about asher i don’t think booster would necessarily discourage it becuase they don’t know anything too detailed about asher
lol i knew some acquaintainces of friends that was like “it’s not cheating if ur bi/makeout with the same gender” but it was just simply the guys fetishing bi gfs/lesbians more so than actually respecting/wanting an ‘open relationship’
Look, what you need to know is that one shall rise, one shall fall, and he is Optimus Prime. That’s the series, SPOILER ALERT FOR A 100,000,000,000 YEAR OLD MOVIE SERIES
My deepest hope is that aside from his mob connections, Asher is also deeply into Transformers. That would add a metaphorical busload of puppies to the oncoming trainwreck. Or to be more precise, shipwreck.
I’m going to defy the DoA Shipping Company and suggest that Asher’s reaction is “misery loves company.” It seems implausible in this feature, but I’m saying it anyway!
I’m just sitting here cackling at this twist and knowing the shippers will love it and going “I don’t believe it, that son of a bongo Willis actually DID IT!” XD
On the bad side, he was responsible for setting Sal up so she would take a hostage. On the good side, his family hired and empowered the one who eliminated the person responsible for Ethan and Amber being there.
On the bad side, he helped with the kidnapping. On the good side he helped Jennifer get something Sal wanted.
Oh hell yeah, a romance storyline between Asher and Ethan has *tons* of potential!! I hope you go for it / went for it, Willis!
Also, I would love for that to somehow wind up with Booster and Jennifer trapped in an elevator where Booster ruthlessly hurls Freshman Psychology at her X)
Asher: look, i have to come clean so it doesn’t bite me in the ass, i was involved in the robbery of a gas station when i was thirteen, also i have mob connections and i organized the assassination of one of our guys gone rogue last semester.
Ethan: goddammit. …listen they say if you wanna die, try changing your life first just to make sure. Sooo… wanna do a Bonnie & Clyde?
If Mike had survived, Asher’s dirty cops would have killed him too. Maybe they did. Mike had evidence of Blaine’s work for the mob, which included payouts to cops.
Even if my speculation is wrong, and they never had any suspicions about Mike or Amazi-girl, and the cop was just making idle conversation before he shot Blaine…
Killing Blaine wasn’t an act of justice. Just because a murder victim is a piece of shit doesn’t sanctify the murderers.
Loading ...
Ethan: I feel seen.
Asher: …
Ethan: *looks down* Oh, I *am* seen.
“Can we ship it?”
“YES WE CAN”
🎵Ana the Shipper . . .🎵
To what tune should this be sung, earthling? 🙃
Boooob the builder!
I was going with Boris the Spider
But I was doing Ana the Shipper rather than Can we Ship it, Yes we can
That last panel is a bit “creepy, crawly, creepy, crawly, creepy creepy, crawly, creepy creepy, crawly crawly.”
Boob the builder?
Genderswapped AU.
I’m not Not into it
No Ashthan for you?
what I meant was I’m not “not into it,” like I’m into it but in a slightly uncertain tone, haha
Not “Ether”?
the Crows
I’ll campaign for Ether until it sticks |DDD
Ashen?
Double negative.
Ship ship ship!
Sure we can. But is Asher ready to handle that level of Emothan-al damage?
*insert pun appreciation here*
It seems that Jennifer’s trash may very well become Ethan’s treasure!!! 😀
SO EXCITED!!!!
WELP.
Yessss new ship.
I’m already on board.
Appropriate avatar, too.
This is a goddamn twist. Very excited
Oh no…
I like this…
Even more appropriate avatar.
*high fiving everyone who got bi vibes from Asher*
Not gonna lie, I was getting “Oh dear” vibes when he was messing around with Walky.
… Oh dear, I feel like I can already see how Ethan/Asher would explode relationship-wise though…
Yeah, the vibes with Walky were insane. I was like “oh, if they get together that would be a dramatic, delicious trainwreck”, considering what connects them and all
Somehow. SOMEHOW! This is worse. I love it.
Imagine the aneurysm Jennifer would have if Asher left her for Walky.
I don’t think Sal would be very impressed either. Or Lucy…
Oooh… Which do you think would bother Linda more? Lucy or Asher, as a partner for Walky?
pourquoi pas tous les deux?
为什么不是两个都? (…maybe =)
Asher is still brown, but less brown.
however Asher was with Sal, which forever tainted him via contact with the abhorrent. Add in the lack of genetic grandchildren, and Lucy squeaks out for the win.
does linda actually know who asher is or was she just generally assuming everyone sal was hanging out with is a “hoodlum” though? I doubt sal would’ve told her about him
“be gay do crimes”
XD
Asher: “I came here to be gay and do crime, and I’m all out of crime.”
>chuckles<
Dumbing of Age Book 13:
…wait a minute
Dumbing of Age Book 13: 😤😒😳
Could Asher be similar to Ethan where he has had to pretend to be straight
Seems unlikely. Why would he have put up with Jennifer’s nonsense if he wasn’t at all attracted to her? I tend to get bi vibes, instead.
That said, Ethan isn’t looking hot in that last panel. He just looks mopey and possibly ill. Maybe Asher would ask his advice on how to darken up enough to attract Jennifer again, that would be funny.
I mean, just because they can be attracted to people of the opposite gender as well doesn’t mean bi people don’t have to pretend to be straight around homophobes. Not admitting that you find guys hot is still not admitting that you find guys hot whether you’re a gay guy or a bi guy.
Oh, I see, yes, I thought “be similar to Ethan” specifically meant heavily pressured not to be gay — but this commenter surely meant pressured not to be anything at all except for straight.
I think Ethan looks like the “Hot Mopey Emo Pretty-Boy” from the mid-00s that REALLY took off in tumblr. So there’s certainly a market for thata look.
Honey I’ve personally met many gay men who exactly that.
But same, I think as for where this scene is going you’re spot on.
Considering he’s got ties to organized crime, he’s probably kept his bisexuality on the down low.
If you meant like “Is Asher actually Gay” then… Yeah no.
i mean, other than someone keeping a close eye on him on campus i’d think the occasional discreet fling/hookup would be diff than him just making out with dudes in front of his grandpa lol.
but i mean if it’s the stereotypical thing, seems like he’d be ‘accepted’ if ‘family is family’ or so. or if it’s enough to have him kicked out, either way win win for him i’d expect
sounds like a non sequitur to me, please enlighten?
The crime thing? Most are manly-men type deals. Being into men would be seen as either weakness or “dishonorable.” Probably one of the reasons he wants out of that life and those people.
If you meant the gay thing? bi-erasure.
yeah the crime thing i meant.
sure i guess 🤷♀️
i mean.. i wouldn’t know whether gang types are more gender-police-y than just regularly people who are, on the whole, pretty gender-police-y to begin with
so that’s why i was like “um ok why”
but also, 🤷♀️sure
The Italian mob are often raised in the Catholic Church. I have no idea if other mobs are similarly religious or what religions they would be so I have no clue what the situation would be for Asher and the Korean mob though.
In general, criminal organizations tend to be on the conservative end of their culture on sex issues. And S. Korea is still massively homophobic in comparison even to the US as a whole (though probably equal to some specific states).
For example, this year, a gay Korean couple was granted the right to have one man put his partner on the official health registry. Like in the US, marriage conveys a host of rights, privileges and so forth to the couple; this very narrow decision granted exactly one of those rights. And even that ruling is still potentially vulnerable to review by their Supreme Court.
And yes, in most criminal organizations, being gay would be seen as a massive sign of ‘weakness’. Social pressure against homosexuality in SK is considerably stronger than in US, too, so it would still be considered a point of potential blackmail–which criminal gangs usually prefer to be on the other side of.
Interesting! Thanks for the info.
There’s probably a lot of variations in it among gangs, but I do agree with the overall sense that they promote the idea of being “tough,” and that good ol’ homophobia tells that guys who like guys aren’t “tough.”
This is a horrible idea yet I immediately support this ship and am looking forward to riding it off of a waterfall.
Like I have no earthly clue where it’s gonna lead, but I wanna see it go lol.
The SS. Ether is most def headed for turbulent waters, and probably a waterfall indeed, but safety jackets exist for a reason. Let’s buckle up 8)
i mean, they say college is the ideal time to experiment with relationships, straight or not. tho i imagine if it was something that got serious, ethan might spiral more if he finds out though i’d think amber would’ve at least given him a heads upabout asher
Somehow I think Jennifer would be even more offended if she gets dumped for a guy than if Asher wound dump her for another girl.
Absolutely.
Or she’d want to watch them make out.
Don’t know if Jennifer would want to see her failure rubbed in her face (well, Ethan’s face) but I bet Amber would watch.
…Oh wait, Amber and Ethan have a complicated personal history.
…Nah, she’d still watch.
I thought she told Danny they should have fucked instead of using their patronizing concern for her as an excuse to run from their fears. And also that it’d have been super hot.
She also straight up pictured Danny and Mike making out, if memory serves
Months later, iirc. After she’d had time to get some distance from her breakup with Danny. And after Mike’s death, which changes everything.
But she likely would have said the same right away, which doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have devastated her. Like she was messed up by Ethan coming out as gay and breaking up with her. You can support something and it can still hurt.
Nor is it somehow a bad thing to be concerned about your friend’s feelings.
“NO ASHER YOU CAN’T JUST GO THROUGH A GAY PHASE BECAUSE I DUMPED YOU”
“It’s not a phase, I’m bi”
“You can’t be bi! Bi isn’t real!! Just because I dated and repeatedly had mind blowing and tender sex with two women at this rate while also feeling attraction towards men, doesn’t mean I’m bi!!”
“…”
Silly Doopy. Only women can be Bi.
Ask me how I know this. Ask me how many times I’ve been told this.
I’m not bitter.
Nope.
Oh Ghola, I’m so very sorry that that’s happened to you. Also, sadly not surprised. We bi folk get a bad wrap in a lot of ways, and that’s definitely one of them. Only women can be bi and only because it’s super hot and makes for a cool threesome when it’s two girls and a guy, naturally.
But nah, I’m truly sorry you’ve experienced that. The shitty assumptions of others is truly annoying. Because I’m biromantic ace, I’ve been told that I’m not ‘oppressed’ enough to be a part of the LGBT+ community, so I know how you feel.
I don’t identify as bi or a girl these days, but I did at one point, and when I first went to an LGBTQ+ summer camp as a teenager (across the country from where I lived), on my first night a girl in my cabin made a comment about how she got frustrated with bi girls because they were “doing it for attention.” The camp got a lot better and ended up being one of my favorite places ever, but holy shit that was a rough comment to hear there.
Eesh 😒 I’m glad it got better.
I sometimes feel vaguely guilty coz I’m demi and bi and like 95% of the people I find attractive are women but then I’m also married to a man who I am massively attracted to and still crazy in love with 18 years after we moved from friends to coupledom and I’m adding to bi-erasure and this is a bad thing but also he is literally the third person in my life I’ve been properly attracted to and the first one who wasn’t a massive prick (see for instance the friend who found out I had a crush on her and made out with me sometimes pretty much to manipulate me into doing pretty much anything for her… That was kinda painful and heartbreaking…)
I strongly disagree with the idea that who you love and are choosing to spend your life with contributes to bi erasure. By that logic settling down with any one person contributes to bi erasure and I just can’t accept that. Polyamory and bisexuality are different things and I can’t accept the former as a requirement for the latter. It doesn’t make any sense at all to me.
Also, you’re publicly talking about you being bi, that’s the opposite of bi erasure. If you were saying that you used to think you were bi and then you married a man so you weren’t actually bi, that might contribute to bi erasure. But you’re not.
I applaud you being in a relationship that makes you happy. You are valid and I celebrate your relationship.
… No, that sounds like the sort of attraction spectrum area that gets all sorts of unpleasant crud thrown in its direction… Usually from people who you have no interest in whatsoever and who therefore you would THINK had no say in who you get to be attracted to, but 🤷🏻♀️ People suck.
There’s a loooot of community based baggage on my end.
Figured out “hey, I like the dudes sexually, guess I’m gay.”
Was out as gay for about two years. Built a decent little friend network for an introvert.
Then oh damn, found out I’m still into the ladies.
Guess I’m bi.
Guess I’m shunned by 95% of the friend group for being “a liar” and “Never actually into men to begin with.”
And that was ages ago, worked past it. Trying my damnedest to not paint with a wide brush when it comes to “the community” and it’s hypocrisy.
Now I feel like I have to fend off terfs trying to turn bisexual into a trans exclusive label, when it’s been trans and NB inclusive since it was created as a term.
Oh, 1000%, especially since she had a fit over Ruth dating a guy (and her internalized homophobia in general).
i thought the fit was more because she specifically set her up with her boss/daisy as opposed to just taking her to a gay/lesbian bar and her choosing some ‘regular white guy’ or so lol
It’s probably a bit of both, but the fact that Jennifer first assumed Ruth hooked up with the female bartender, then raised her voice even more because the bartender was a guy definitely leans towards Jennifer being upset because her preconceived notions were that Ruth was a lesbian so the idea that Ruth could date a guy? Well, it’s a lot like Joyce’s reaction.
Honestly I think the opposite in this case. “Eh, I never actually had a shot.”
well she did mention a brief attraction to ethan/’impressed’ that he was joyce’s ‘bf’ even tho it ended up being a fake relationship in the end
that, and she’d milk this opportunity for “being in an affair” 😳
oh shit
Asher: Listen, Babe, your ex was a girl. Now my ex is a girl. What’s the problem?
bi asher bi asher bi asher bi asher!!!!
hi Asher hi Asher hi Asher hi Ash
hi bi asher hi bi asher hi bi asher hi bi asher!!!!
lo Asher etc.
It’s not Jennifer, so I ship it.
WELL I WAS HALF-RIGHT ABOUT THE TRAUMA HOOK-UP.
just like with amber and walky, ethan getting a version of his trauma he can f*ck lol
Okay so before people in the comments spitballed the idea of Asher and Dorothy and I was like ‘man that would definitely be the worst case scenario because of all the hostage stuff and everything’ and uh
actually I was wrong. Ash and Ethan is a very messy dynamic because Asher is at least partially responsible for what happened to Mike, due to his actions to help Amber’s dad. Granted that Mike was definitely injured way before he ever pulled a fire alarm, he was still part of that whole plan, and perhaps if he wasn’t blackmailed into helping Amber’s dad, that entire attack wouldn’t have happened.
…*readies a bucket of popcorn*
Asher had some role in virtually every one of Ethan’s major traumas and at some point that bombshell is going to drop and it is gonna be delicious
I mean I don’t think Asher was responsible for whatever new horrible Transformers thing was on the forums… or was he?
Asher is a master of 4D Chess.
Willis is a master of 4D chess.
Fixed that for you.
Lol very nice it just might turn out that Asher is ALSO unsound on Decepticon or something. More likely he will be fascinated by Ethan’s genuine enthusiasm and love for the subject.
I would wear a Tshirt that said “Unsound on Decepticons.”
“It was ME, Barry…”
Wondering whether this is attraction or guilt in ashers face. He might be aware who ethan is. He most likely is aware that he worked with those who killed mike.
it would be quite the interesting reaction to see if sal/amber finds out and tries to stop it
Asher hasn’t expressed guilt towards anyone else involved, so I’m going with attraction.
That he’d be (seemingly as there was a time skip) just fine being around Walky, Joyce, and Sarah (and possibly any of the others who were kidnapped that he knows), but suddenly feels guilt for Ethan would, at the very least, imply Asher paid a lot more attention to Ethan’s feelings regarding Mike than he would be expected to.
It’s probably attraction, and today’s strip title “It Keeps Happening” is probably a reference to Danny realizing he was bi when he was attracted to Ethan.
“t least I had the guy who killed your boyfriend murdered in his hospital room, that should count for something right?!”
Maybe, maybe not so much.
I’m trying to see Sal’s reaction. Just imagine. “Please don’t date him, Apples; I know he’s hot but he’s going to hurt you…
Okay, I mean he’s going to hurt you WORSE than I did when I took you hostage, just trust me on this.”
Honestly I think Ethan might be one of the few to be okay with it if the full details of Asher’s involvement came out. Because Asher was blackmailed and not a willing participant, and Ethan’s in a dark enough place that his reaction to finding out Blaine what killed by the mob he worked for would probably just be that he deserved it.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS
I gotta be with him! He’s Hurtin’ inside.
i wanna stroke you where it hurts <3
It doesn’t hurt? Let me fix that for you. – Mike
I mind me of Pibgorn:
Drusilla: Let me check you for broken bones.
Geoff: Hey! There are no bones there.
Dru: Patience.
“God damn, but he looks depressed… I must have him.”
Asher likes them troubled
C’mon, I’m still dealing with Ethan and Danny ship.
…BRUH
This is a terrible, terrible idea and I want to watch the trainwreck
Oh I like where this is going, Asher’s mafia connections aside.
Although he did use them to do away with Mike’s killer. But they were partially funded by those connections in the first place.
I’m thinking too hard about this. Ship first, consequences later.
That was less about him seeking justice and more about him getting rid of a witness who could tie him to the whole kidnapping and murder thing.
Right, that too. This comic is a lot to keep up with.
Also, Blaine was blackmailing him with… something.
With stealing mob money.
Which can very easily result in Asher dead in a ditch somewhere.
Connecti9ns I’d like to remind people he’s trying to ditch
It didn’t work for Michel Corelone, it probably won;t work for Asher.
Like a beautiful piece of emo art.
Yes yes yes yes I like this very much :3
Everyone seems to be on the bi ship but I think it would just as funny for Asher to get lessons from Ethan on how to become a brooding emo to get Jennifer back (not that Asher can’t do better but still).
This is funny 🙂
lol wallowing in depression and skipping showers probably wouldn’t be more appealing to jen, tho trauma aside i’d think ethan would also be pretty similar to walky as well
Why not?
It was appealing to her when Ruth did it.
Yeah that was definitely my first thought: “O Muse of Cool! Teach me thy ways!”
No! Down Asher! You can’t have this one!
Ugh this is going to be a train wreck. I’m sorry for whatever Asher was forced to do, but this would be so unhealthy for Ethan. Someone else already mentioned Asher is linked to all of Ethan’s major trauma.
Jennifer avatar ftw
Asher may be linked to all of Ethan’s major traumas, but it will be a situation with a very long fuse.
A version of your trauma you can fuck, as Amber once put it.
Ethan put it.
Even better.
Ethan hitting the Rei Asaka stage of self-destructive behavior that still attracts people.
I know that this is likely leading to something, but part of me would also love if there is NEVER a follow up, that Asher just kept walking.
Oooooh boy, this I got to see.
🎶 🎵 (Dream Weaver by Gary Wright plays) 🎶 🎵
[Careless Whisper blares on hijacked college loudspeakers]
[Amazi-girl saw this interaction from the roof and immediately hacked into the PA system]
Oh, I am CACKLING. This has fixed ny mood tonight. Bi Asher! Bi Asher! Truly Pride month has been generous in an otherwise shitty year so far.
This is the most anime first-look we’ve gotten since… Fam, I can’t even remember. Thank you, Willis!! Inject it into my veins!!
I DUB THIS SHIP ETHER!!
YEE!!!!! Great ship name BTW 😄
With a name like that there is no choice but to support it
Ashan/Ashen also works.
ethan is looking pretty ashen these days
Ashen is good but it kinda makes the Ethan side disappear and this is already be going to be terrible for him :’33
it has an element of brooding nineteenth-century addiction to it 👍
Ethan: If I had a nickel every time I gave a guy his bi awakening, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?
I would like a new avatar. Jennifer has been frustrating for… god, a long while now.
You can change any letter in your gravatar email address into uppercase to roulette for another one :3
example@mail.com —} exAmple@mail.com
yee. there’s a 50% chance of getting any specific avatar after rolling the dice 20 times 😉
Your assuming uniform distribution which is empirically not true.
Empirically? How many tests have you done? 😮
At this point, I’m not sure. The entire history of the comment section is available and avitars from the current set are propagated back through time. Whenever someone shifts to a new avatar from the set or there is a general reset as evidenced by comments, it counts as a new trial. I looked at it enough to convince me Sal was less frequent than some of the others.
In fairness, I looked at that after the switch that was previous to this and not the current set. To be certain it’s still the case, I’d need to go back and check. I just assumed that since Sal took around 30 trials for me this time, the skewed distribution was still the case.
I’ll report again after I have some time to recheck.
30 trials is not unusually high for a uniform distribution.
Jennifer has always been frustrating. Long live Billie.
I just changed mine this way! (Loving Ruth, I’m really glad I tried so, thank you :33)
That’s enough nickles for Mike to have fucked two moms.
If you want a different avatar change the capitalization of you email.
YES! I don’t care if this is a bad idea, I support Ethan + Any Man.
Oh I just want to see Asher help Ethan out of this spiral. Ethan is NOT in a healthy place for a relationship right now, but a friendship that isn’t tied to home would be good for him.
He just got one with Booster.
Which reminds me: wouldn’t it be crazy if Booster meets Asher through Ethan and immediately clocks that Asher is somehow connected to some big group trauma (without automatically realizing what the trauma is as that would just be another random super power in this no powers story).
This is a disaster waiting to happen and I want popcorn.
😊🍿🥤
we got another one lads
Is Ethan just the closet key for everyone?
It’s impressive for a guy who went back into the closet twice sffhdj
“Twice”? Obviously there was the period where he was dating Joyce, but was there another time he re-entered the closet? Or are you counting that as two times because he came out to Joyce in the middle of that?
At the start of the comic he was “back in the closet” because it was a new school where no one knew him.
Second time was Joyce.
Eh, feels like just the one time.
At the start of the semester he was just happy to be the weirdo Transformers guy, without letting his sexuality define him. He was gay, but wasn’t actively looking or advertising.
Joyce was an active attempt to try to be straight.
Asher cheek blush = suggested attraction.
Ethan? Well, we know that when Ethan’s not depressed, he’s a bit of a slut (which is fine! It’s just a thing), so I suppose the absence of blushes could indicate a lack of emotional commitment but simple reawakening to the fact that things are possible, but I honestly prefer the idea that somehow he knows a lot more about Asher than Asher would be comfortable with.
If only because it would torpedo the shippers from the start, and that would make me cackle.
(Okay, fine, nothing torpedoes shippers. It would just make things more complicated and dramatic for them. But still.)
I feel like Ethan just flat-out doesn’t notice Asher here.
That would be an equally excellent blow to the shippers. I like it.
It’s not a blow to the shippers for Ethan not to notice a stranger walking by, especially with the depression he has.
But sure, grab any victory you can.
My glance at this comic, I mistook Asher’s look up at Ethan as a desperate search for approval from someone who looks cool and dejected after being burned in the last strip, and thought the final panel was a detailed close-up on Ethan doing a big eye-roll.
This is very much not what’s happening, and it would not have really made sense, but it would be very funny.
put all my chips on bi asher
… does he have dips set up in his abs?
until proven otherwise, Asher definitely has cumgutters
We saw Asher in his undershorts. He didn’t look fit.
Sorry, I meant like tzatziki or salsa – things to dunk crisps in…
I more mean that I’m all in but that sounds fun too.
on one hand ethan slipshine
on the other asher is mob related
basically a degree a way from the people that killed amber’s father
… but consider. That also means he’s kinda responsible for avenging Mike
Unless Mike was murdered in the hospital
Or in witness protection.
The art in this strip is just… I mean, we knew that Ethan was depressed and doing badly, what with the bangs and pushing away his friends and the rest of it. But his face in that last panel is just…
Oh yeah, and Asher is clearly into him, but I’m not sure if that’s a good sign.
Triple E (Emancipated Emo Ethan) and his sadboy charm strikes again, lol. But in all seriousness this strip has some really excellent movement + paneling work, and that in combination with Willis’ usual distinct visual cues (the eye shines man, i love love love how you can wordlessly gauge Asher’s emotional state panel by panel just by looking at them) really helps to build this almost cinematic feeling in just a few panels. It’s honestly really great.
Agreed.
Nooooooo
These last few strips call for a thematically appropriate Elliott Smith song and that song “Easy Way Out” from Figure 8 (Something that i WOULD link if Gravatar didn’t have personal beef with me and didn’t auto-delete any comments i make that has a link of any kind but w/e i digress).
Anyways, Asher and Post-Timeskip Ethan has been some of the more dramatic characters when it comes to “raising the stakes/shaking up the status quo”, so i can’t wait to see how this interaction shakes out.
Absolutely nothing could possibly go wrong with this development, and I unreservedly endorse it.
there’s a virtual guarantee things will go terribly with this development, and I unreservedly endorse it.
That’s the spirit,
This.
To-may-to, to-mah-to.
I vaguely recall Ethan being likened to Batman. And Asher is described as radiating Oscar Isaac vibes. So together they’re DarkMoon Knight.
Now they just need to form a Pink Floyd cover band so they can be “Dark side of the Moon Knight”
That can be the title of their Slipshine.
So if Amber tries to speedrun Dark Souls, would they be the Dark Knight of the Soul?
I like the pose and lighting in panel 2.
Ethan looks awful. Still.
Asher please leave billie, you deserve ao much better
. . . was this a “sad girl in snow” joke.
is he blushing because ethan’s attractive or suddenly flustered because he knows he’s partially responsible for mike’s death?
I highly doubt Asher paid that much attention to how badly Mike’s death affected Ethan, especially considering we have no idea he even knows who Ethan is or what he looks like.
So the simplest answer is the most likely answer by a wide margin (not the only answer, tho, so it’s not 100% certain).
You can fix him, Asher.
and then shatter him again once he finds out who asher really is lol
lol!
Asher ships have circled around from being bad news to “Yes … ha ha ha … YES!” This makes me feel like when Wilbur fell off the boat.
… suspense wise. Not hoping Ethan’s eaten by fish.
As a bi man, I do not feel the least bit of guilt in saying, Ethan deserves better.
it’d be interesting to know what booster would think/advise him on although other than knowing anything about asher i don’t think booster would necessarily discourage it becuase they don’t know anything too detailed about asher
Ethan has that something, I dunno what, but it’s something. Why? Because Danny.
From smoking to ✨ smoking ✨
I can’t believe Asher is cheating on Jennifer like this. How incredibly shitty of him.
come to think of it, being part of an affair might just be what really gets her hot and bothered 😮
also a possible three-way, i hope
I can’t tell if serious.
Wouldn’t you like to know.
lol i knew some acquaintainces of friends that was like “it’s not cheating if ur bi/makeout with the same gender” but it was just simply the guys fetishing bi gfs/lesbians more so than actually respecting/wanting an ‘open relationship’
I briefly dated a girl whose boyfriend apparently meant that when they agreed on an open relationship.
ALL AROUND ME ARE FAMILIAR FACES
WORN OUT PLACES, WORN OUT FACES
[Early 2000s Newgrounds flashbacks]
Bright and early filling up their feel good
No one birthday, no expression
Get over yourself Ethan.
Transformers 6 was that bad.
Which one was ‘6’. I fell asleep during number 3. In the theatre. After that watching more didn’t make any sense.
Look, what you need to know is that one shall rise, one shall fall, and he is Optimus Prime. That’s the series, SPOILER ALERT FOR A 100,000,000,000 YEAR OLD MOVIE SERIES
6 was Bumblebee, the one that is widely agreed to be Actually Good, though?
Dang, when was the last time Ethan ate and slept properly?
On-panel?
i’ma feeling good vibrations here
I was just thinking “oh man a reckoning for Ethan is coming, this poor boy” and oh boyyyy
don’t open, dead inside
Don’t dead open inside
Is it just me or does Ethan look stoned?
Depression can look like that
opium vibes.
WHAT IS THIS CRACKSHIP-ASS SHIP I’m dying of laughter, never stop what you’re doing Willis, you’re the greatest
Ahahahaha this is trash I love it
Gaze upon the Ethan and Dispare.
My deepest hope is that aside from his mob connections, Asher is also deeply into Transformers. That would add a metaphorical busload of puppies to the oncoming trainwreck. Or to be more precise, shipwreck.
I keep expecting Spider-Man 2 Tobey McGuire to suddenly appear
Do you mean Spider-Man 3?
That’s the one with Emo Pete aka Bully Maguire.
*a few weeks into this relationship when Ethan is starting to look up*
Asher: Why are you a dork? You used to be cool!
Oh god yes I’m so here for this.
I hope this leads to some Asher/Booster interaction.
I’d ship that too :3c
Someone’s gonna get mad at me for this I just know it but
Make👏him👏worse👏
Make👏him👏worse👏
Make👏him👏worse👏
I’m going to defy the DoA Shipping Company and suggest that Asher’s reaction is “misery loves company.” It seems implausible in this feature, but I’m saying it anyway!
I’m just sitting here cackling at this twist and knowing the shippers will love it and going “I don’t believe it, that son of a bongo Willis actually DID IT!” XD
Ehhhhh… I guess I ship it.
A little.
If I have to.
This is so dramatic 😭
On the bad side, he is involved with the crime family that killed Mike. But on the bright side he was involved with Mike’s killer’s death.
On the bad side, he was responsible for setting Sal up so she would take a hostage. On the good side, his family hired and empowered the one who eliminated the person responsible for Ethan and Amber being there.
On the bad side, he helped with the kidnapping. On the good side he helped Jennifer get something Sal wanted.
Bah, Ethan doesn’t care about anything except Mike anymore.
Yeah, I’m not feeling it. At all.
It’s a mismatch of epic proportions, and I see the narrative possibilities of it, but it feels forced and unrealistic based on the people involved.
So, I guess I’m looking forward to hate-reading all about it.
Oh hell yeah, a romance storyline between Asher and Ethan has *tons* of potential!! I hope you go for it / went for it, Willis!
Also, I would love for that to somehow wind up with Booster and Jennifer trapped in an elevator where Booster ruthlessly hurls Freshman Psychology at her X)
woah I love this
“You make dudes realize they’re bi just by walking past, like Pepe Le Pew for boners.”
Emooothaaaan -Homer Simpson drooling over a donut noise-
Oh noes! Be careful, Ethan! He does magical mass kidnappings!
(Five minutes later)
Asher: look, i have to come clean so it doesn’t bite me in the ass, i was involved in the robbery of a gas station when i was thirteen, also i have mob connections and i organized the assassination of one of our guys gone rogue last semester.
Ethan: goddammit. …listen they say if you wanna die, try changing your life first just to make sure. Sooo… wanna do a Bonnie & Clyde?
(they high-five)
(story takes a bit of a swerve)
Ethan: Funny thing, I got held at knife point during the robbery of a gas station when I was 13.
“wow! we have so much in common!”
oh nooooo this is going to end badly the MINUTE Asher’s involvement, however peripherally, in Mike’s death becomes clear.
Flip side is it might NOT end badly the minute later when his involvement in killing the man responsible for Mike’s death becomes clear.
If Mike had survived, Asher’s dirty cops would have killed him too. Maybe they did. Mike had evidence of Blaine’s work for the mob, which included payouts to cops.
But did anyone other than Blaine know that?
Blaine wasn’t going to tell the mob, because that gets him in trouble for letting Mike find out.
Mike was shouting and there were bystanders. We saw at least some of it on panel. https://www.dumbingofage.com/stooge/
Even if my speculation is wrong, and they never had any suspicions about Mike or Amazi-girl, and the cop was just making idle conversation before he shot Blaine…
Killing Blaine wasn’t an act of justice. Just because a murder victim is a piece of shit doesn’t sanctify the murderers.
Mike thinking the mob cops were a danger to them: https://www.dumbingofage.com/ninest/
Amber and Dorothy thinking the mob cops were a danger to Mike:
https://www.dumbingofage.com/evacuated/
Oh GOD, they’re gonna figure it out post-coitus. Bad bad bad
Brood, brood, brood…
unexpected. probably not a good idea. so much drama could happen out of this
please happen k thanks
Speaking of “aloof and severe” . . .
OH WORM ?????
Really trying to get me to sympathize with Asher lol
The strip’s title doesn’t make sense. No one’s falling down stairs.
It’s because they were all properly warned.
It’s because the space robots have not yet arrived to protect us from the terrible secret of space.
goddamn ya boi has a type, huh
Yes, I want this ship and all related reading materials.
Made a thing, y’all
(NSFW)
WOW!!! 😍🏳️🌈 Awesome work Milu!
Dammit
forgot the snow
new link
Feel like they should go inside before that last panel.
Yeah! Porn logic smh
It says page not found ;AAA; May I see it, please?
Have the swinging christmas yule
Ethan: the public universal man crush
Yeah, I get it.
Asher’s vibes can’t go up against the true ruler of emo, he is defeated and that turns him on
Oh us too, Asher. Us too.
When two sad grumpy people meet…
it’s Friday, the Dumbing of Ageith, 14th of 200th, right?
(i think it is, for my mental health!)
How many bisexual awakenings can Ethan be responsible for?