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September 28, 2023

Pairs

by David M Willis on April 19, 2019 at 12:01 am
  • 03 - Sometimes the Sky Was So Far Away

└ Tags: ruth, walky

Discussion (103) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    April 19, 2019 at 12:01 am | #

    you and what body hair

    also your nonshitty needs work

    oh there you go, WORK pairs with nonshittiness

    Walky: “nooooooo my nemesis”

    • jeffepp
      jeffepp
      April 19, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

      Speaking of nemesis’s’s’s

      Curse my typos! You win again.

      • butts
        butts
        April 19, 2019 at 12:05 am | #

        nemeses

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          April 19, 2019 at 2:26 am | #

          Nemesiseses.

          • Kaidah
            Kaidah
            April 19, 2019 at 9:57 am | #

            I’m Mr. Nemesiseses, look at me!

        • Yet_One_More_Idiot
          Yet_One_More_Idiot
          April 19, 2019 at 2:37 am | #

          Wasn’t he an Egyptian Pharoah?

          Curses, foiled by that word again. 😛

          • Opale
            Opale
            April 19, 2019 at 4:08 am | #

            It’s actually spelt Pharrell Williams but he’s from California, not Egypt!

          • Koms
            Koms
            April 19, 2019 at 5:44 am | #

            I think it was Nefertitititi

    • Deathjavu
      Deathjavu
      April 19, 2019 at 12:05 am | #

      But what about, deflecting the possibility of work, with a well timed awkward joke? Eh?

    • Charlie Spencer
      Charlie Spencer
      April 19, 2019 at 6:27 am | #

      Nah, I know plenty of hard working people who are shitty.

  2. AnvilPro
    AnvilPro
    April 19, 2019 at 12:02 am | #

    I love this scene so much. It’s fucking painful but real, and I can agree with both of them

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      April 19, 2019 at 12:39 am | #

      Pretty much. Both have a lot of shit they’d like to undo or do better on, but it’s been like, a few days or something, so there’s no abracadabra, not mad anymore you lied to me and were boozing it up with the person I asked you to look out for, or the stuff Walky holds himself responsible for, either.

    • Cerberus
      Cerberus
      April 19, 2019 at 1:04 am | #

      Yeah, it’s a really tragically beautiful scene.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      April 19, 2019 at 11:51 pm | #

      Agreed. It’s a hard talk but a necessary one

  3. butts
    butts
    April 19, 2019 at 12:02 am | #

    mirror universe walky’s probably acing calc at least

    • GoblinScribe
      GoblinScribe
      April 19, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

      “I wonder what happened in those other timelines.”

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      April 19, 2019 at 12:23 am | #

      And nothing else.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      April 19, 2019 at 12:25 am | #

      And he only eats organic vegan health food.

    • Batz
      Batz
      April 19, 2019 at 12:30 am | #

      Mirror Universe Walky already has that goatee!

      • Dean
        Dean
        April 19, 2019 at 9:00 am | #

        But it’s still Walky, so the goatee is maybe three chin pubes.

  4. jeffepp
    jeffepp
    April 19, 2019 at 12:02 am | #

    Mirror Universe Walky

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      April 19, 2019 at 12:25 am | #

      What is mirror universe Sal like?

      • Batz
        Batz
        April 19, 2019 at 12:31 am | #

        Regular Universe Joyce.

        • Slartibeast Button, BIA
          Slartibeast Button, BIA
          April 19, 2019 at 12:33 am | #

          But Catholic?

      • butts
        butts
        April 19, 2019 at 12:33 am | #

        she also has a goatee

      • Marsh Maryrose
        Marsh Maryrose
        April 19, 2019 at 12:58 am | #

        Carol.

        And now you have learned that there are some questions you don’t really want to know the answer to.

  5. Yumi
    Yumi
    April 19, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

    Oh, dude, get a face tattoo. No one has ever regretted a face tattoo.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      April 19, 2019 at 12:05 am | #

      Get a face tattoo of a goatee. If you get tired of it, you can just grow a real goatee to cover it up.

      Wait…

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        April 19, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

        Better alternative, get a face tattoo of a clean-shaven face.

      • paleotectonics
        paleotectonics
        April 19, 2019 at 9:43 am | #

        Read that (on a phone screen) as ‘Get a face tattoo of a goatse.)

        I was put off.

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          April 19, 2019 at 12:04 pm | #

          >”No one has ever regretted a face tattoo.”

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      April 19, 2019 at 12:28 am | #

      Now thinking of those hamburger wrappers in Japan so women can eat them without looking like they are actually eating.

      https://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/a-japanese-burger-chain-made-face-masks-so-women-can-eat-bur

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        April 19, 2019 at 11:02 pm | #

        Huh. Interesting!

  6. Cattleprod
    Cattleprod
    April 19, 2019 at 12:05 am | #

    Drawing one on probably wouldn’t be out of character.

  7. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    April 19, 2019 at 12:09 am | #

    But if Walky stops being awful, he can’t go to Garbage Roof anymore. Think it through.

  8. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    April 19, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

    Alt texts confirms: Willis will not draw Walky with a goatee. We have nothing to worry about, repeat nothing to worry about.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      April 19, 2019 at 2:34 am | #

      He drew him with 5-o’clock shadow once, in a “what if Walky was the rebellious troublemaker and Sal was the lazy goofball” character model. I’d bet he just faked it with cinnamon or something.

      It’s on Tumblr somewhere.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        April 19, 2019 at 8:57 am | #

        Found it!

        • Marsh Maryrose
          Marsh Maryrose
          April 19, 2019 at 10:35 am | #

          That darned HTML.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          April 19, 2019 at 11:51 pm | #

          Sal is an adorable dork in that picture <3

          Willis' words, not mine. 😛

  9. BigDogLittleCat
    BigDogLittleCat
    April 19, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

    Spot on portrayal of depression.
    You go Ruth!

    • desolation0
      desolation0
      April 19, 2019 at 12:27 am | #

      People seem to have different styles of being depressed though this does certainly fit in the category.

      • Ntrovert60
        Ntrovert60
        April 19, 2019 at 1:24 am | #

        Very true. Depression isn’t monolithic, though there are some common elements that are often shared. In my own situation, I went through 2.5 years of major depression until I got on the right medicine for me and was able to start seeing that there were things I could change and adjust for – and to have enough hope that I could do it.

  10. Cholma
    Cholma
    April 19, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

    A goatee?! No, no. DoA could not handle “Mirror Universe Walky”.

  11. Jamie
    Jamie
    April 19, 2019 at 12:17 am | #

    Clearly Walky just needs his own set of meds.

  12. Kravis
    Kravis
    April 19, 2019 at 12:21 am | #

    A goatee, Walky?! A goatee?! Seriously?

    Do you WANT to become a villain?
    Cause THAT’S how you become a villain!

    C’mon, dude!
    Get your act together, man!

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      April 19, 2019 at 12:31 am | #

      I mean, how else will we distinguish him from Reginald, Duke of Thingley?

      • Slartibeast Button, BIA
        Slartibeast Button, BIA
        April 19, 2019 at 12:34 am | #

        You can’t which is why there will be that plot where he must pose as Reg because of [complicated plot reason].

      • Marsh Maryrose
        Marsh Maryrose
        April 19, 2019 at 10:37 am | #

        Thingley will be wearing a bow tie, which, as we all know, is actually part of the anatomy of Brits.

        • Clif
          Clif
          April 19, 2019 at 6:31 pm | #

          You know, I suspected that. It’s good to see it confirmed.

  13. BBCC
    BBCC
    April 19, 2019 at 12:22 am | #

    I mean, you can try Walky, but it’s not gonna happen. You could try shaving your hair really short – it gets all curly that short. It’d be noticeable, that’s for sure.

    And yeah, that’s about the impression I’ve gotten from Ruth.

  14. Dana
    Dana
    April 19, 2019 at 12:35 am | #

    Walky with a goatee would look like me in high school at best. Like an idiot.

  15. Yumi
    Yumi
    April 19, 2019 at 12:36 am | #

    It occurred to me last night that I’ll be meeting Willis in less than a month (presumably, unless something goes wrong). I’ll also get to go to a conveyor belt sushi place around the same time. Both pretty exciting things.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      April 19, 2019 at 12:41 am | #

      Is Willis also going to be on a conveyor belt? better meet and greet quick, if so.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        April 19, 2019 at 12:52 am | #

        >petition to move the entire festival onto a conveyor belt

    • Pl0x
      Pl0x
      April 19, 2019 at 9:17 am | #

      TCAF, exciting!! I wish I could go!

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      April 19, 2019 at 11:52 pm | #

      I’m hoping to go too! I’m excited.

  16. Marsh Maryrose
    Marsh Maryrose
    April 19, 2019 at 12:50 am | #

    And you may tell yourself,
    This is not my beautiful goatee,
    And you may tell yourself
    This is not my beautiful jacket

    (Also, you may ask yourself, “Am I right? Am I wrong?”)

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      April 19, 2019 at 1:22 am | #

      It doesn’t matter if you have the beard on the outside, as long as you got the beard on the inside.

  17. brionl
    brionl
    April 19, 2019 at 1:04 am | #

    Once again, I find myself going to old reliable Maynard G. Krebs:

    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/82612974384766372/

    • Geneseepaws
      Geneseepaws
      April 19, 2019 at 7:04 am | #

      Best part of that show!

  18. Bagge
    Bagge
    April 19, 2019 at 1:06 am | #

    Just keep trying being non-shitty and keep being there for Sal and Billie and you’ll be fine, Doofus.

  19. clif
    clif
    April 19, 2019 at 1:15 am | #

    You rang?

    • Clif
      Clif
      April 19, 2019 at 6:32 pm | #

      Hm. That was supposed to be a reply to brionI.

  20. Shane Wegner
    Shane Wegner
    April 19, 2019 at 1:22 am | #

    I don’t get what “crime” Walkie thinks he can even lord over Ruth. That her goodness didn’t transcend Billie to another plane of enlightenment? Billie is being kind of crappy and irresponsible on her own.

    • bhtooefr
      bhtooefr
      April 19, 2019 at 1:28 am | #

      Enabling her alcoholism and other self-destructive behaviors (“sexy lesbian suicide pact” and all), while also harassing her physically and sexually, all while being responsible for her safety and being in a position of power over her.

      That’s what Walky has against Ruth, and when framed like that, it’s hard to blame him.

  21. RacingTurtle
    RacingTurtle
    April 19, 2019 at 1:43 am | #

    Walky, are you feeling left behind? Aw. That’s sad.
    I’d forgotten that this was only partly about Walky being disappointed in Ruth. It’s also about Walky being disappointed in Walky.

    I have now written “Walky” too many times help it’s stopped being a word or a name or a Walky Walky Walkywalkwalk

    • RacingTurtle
      RacingTurtle
      April 19, 2019 at 1:55 am | #

      Oh, wow, I just remembered that Walky has no way of knowing that Ruth and Billie’s romantic relationship began with Ruth trying to quit alcohol for Billie. This all looks even worse to him than it does to us.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        April 19, 2019 at 6:36 am | #

        Yeah, that relationship has to look seriously awful to most of those in-world. I mean, we’ve got other reasons to think it’s awful, but we also know the good bits.
        For the rest of the floor, it look straight up abusive. Started with bullying and continued with their staged fights up until they got caught. On top of the reveals of alcoholism and suicide pacts and the power dynamic.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          April 19, 2019 at 11:49 pm | #

          If we’re honest, it looks very very unhealthy in a lot of ways out of world too. It’s been improving but it’s not got the greatest foundation in the world.

  22. Tacos
    Tacos
    April 19, 2019 at 2:00 am | #

    The alt-text took the words right out of my mouth.

  23. 1 2 2 50 in Roman numerals
    1 2 2 50 in Roman numerals
    April 19, 2019 at 2:01 am | #

    Walky would look horrible with a gaotee but having one would be perfectly in character for him

  24. Emperor Norton II
    Emperor Norton II
    April 19, 2019 at 2:26 am | #

    OK, now I’m getting confused.

    Walky talks about being non-shitty, AKA not being evil.

    Then he talks about getting the most famous staple of an Evil Twin.

    And I know that Walky’s genre savvy, so he should realise what is wrong with this picture.

  25. BenRG
    BenRG
    April 19, 2019 at 2:49 am | #

    No, Walky, suddenly growing facial hair would mark you out as being from the Mirror Universe. You’d have every geek in the university watching you suspiciously!

    FWIW, I’m not sure if he’s just oblivious to Ruth’s words (“It’s not about me so it doesn’t matter”), whether his own dilemma just is more pressing to him or if he simply doesn’t know what to say.

  26. Darkoneko
    Darkoneko
    April 19, 2019 at 3:06 am | #

    No, no, you’re nerdy enough to know goatee are for the evil version of yourself. [/spock]

  27. Keulen
    Keulen
    April 19, 2019 at 3:13 am | #

    The alt-text is right, Walky definitely could not grow a goatee. Or at least, if he tries it’ll take a really long time.
    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-7/01-glower-vacuum/caughtcha/

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      April 19, 2019 at 3:27 am | #

      A MAN HAIR!!!

  28. Ethics Gradient
    Ethics Gradient
    April 19, 2019 at 3:44 am | #

    Yeah, growing a goatee will solve all the world’s problems.

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      April 19, 2019 at 4:15 am | #

      Well, that guy who helped Tony Stark in Iron Man 3 certainly seemed to think that way!

  29. Amelie
    Amelie
    April 19, 2019 at 3:48 am | #

    This may be the funniest use of the word “no” I’ve seen since the pages of Preacher if anyone remembers that.

  30. Someguywithakatana
    Someguywithakatana
    April 19, 2019 at 4:21 am | #

    So I want to be very clear about something. There is a difference between saying a fanbase is bad and being aware of negative trends in that fanbase.

    And I don’t think that the DoA fanbase is bad. But if I think there is any negative trait that is prevalent within it, it is this tendency to look for failures within the characters, to the point of misrepresenting them, out of a desire to assume a moral high ground and judge them as negatively as possible out of a desire for… I dunno… Superiority over a bunch of stupid college kids who don’t understand life…? I really don’t know.

    And on the one hand, I feel like I am becoming guilty of this trend by saying this, and I’m extremely conscious of that right now

    But as much as I love Walky, I find something very anger triggering about him in these strips. Like here are two people with problems. One of them is working hard to overcome them and doing many very uncomfortable things to challenge themselves. The other has gotten as far as acknowledging that they have problems and are doing their best to avoid actively confronting that.

    The latter is taking the piss out of the former, if not outright undermining them.

    I dunno. I usually relate to walky a lot. This interaction with Ruth is really making me wanna throttle him. He’s a dumb kid who doesn’t understand her circumstance. But I still kinda wanna throttle him.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      April 19, 2019 at 6:44 am | #

      OTOH, Ruth’s problems spill over onto other people more than Walky’s do. Walky can be awkward and self-centered and he’s having trouble academically. That’s really about it.
      Ruth’s bullied her charges, including his near-sister and apparently dragged her into a suicide pact. That’s orders of magnitude worse than anything Walky’s done. Ruth’s working on it more than he is, but she had to get to the point of hospitalization to start that.

      And Walky’s shown signs as well – he’s working on reconnecting with his sister, for example.

    • wwwhhattt
      wwwhhattt
      April 19, 2019 at 7:55 am | #

      The fanbase thing probably comes down to: 1) A very active comments section; and 2) Only seeing a couple of seconds of these peoples lives at a time. So with so many people there’s always at least one person who naturally sees whatever character’s appearing in the worst possible light, and in such a short (in comic) time span that it can feel like unreasonable nit-picking.

      Sometimes it does start to get really uncomfortable, but I don’t get the feeling there’s many people going out of their way to judge all the characters Mary style.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        April 19, 2019 at 11:01 pm | #

        Plus, as always, morality is subjective.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      April 19, 2019 at 11:30 pm | #

      He doesn’t understand her circumstances, sure, but he’s had, like, literally no positive interactions with her prior to this. Not one.

      She began as a hostile force, became a mellower at the surface authority figure who lied through her teeth to him when he went to her with his concerns about Billie’s safety, and then he found out she was in a super codependent and unethical relationship with her the whole time.

      Like, why would he like her? I’d be okay with them having a friendship or something at some point, but he has had nothing but negative experiences with this person.

    • Clif
      Clif
      April 20, 2019 at 2:36 pm | #

      SomeguyintheSCAwithakatona – We don’t think you’re bad either.

  31. Kaz
    Kaz
    April 19, 2019 at 5:16 am | #

    CAN he grow a goatee? Like is he even capable of facial hair? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with anything other than baby-smooth face skin.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      April 19, 2019 at 9:59 am | #

      I couldn’t raise more than very sparse chin fuzz until well into my 20s.

  32. DEAD MEME
    DEAD MEME
    April 19, 2019 at 7:25 am | #

    When I post this, I will have the sixty-ninth comment.

    Nice.

    • Clif
      Clif
      April 20, 2019 at 2:39 pm | #

      How do you count that? From the top or by time of post? We have to check if you were ninjaed because SCIENCE.

  33. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    April 19, 2019 at 8:02 am | #

    Panels three and four: all the feels.

  34. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    April 19, 2019 at 8:04 am | #

    Walky, I have a goatee. The only thing it does for me is make it look like I have a chin.

    • Liquid Len
      Liquid Len
      April 19, 2019 at 8:41 am | #

      Don’t knock it. As I’ve gotten older and gravity is doing its’ thing, having something to define a chin is a good thing! XD

  35. Valerie Holt
    Valerie Holt
    April 19, 2019 at 8:22 am | #

    Don’t forget Danny’s hat and ukelele! (Hat AND ukelele. That’s two whole things. That’s way too much character development at once.)

  36. Pl0x
    Pl0x
    April 19, 2019 at 9:10 am | #

    LOL, Walky is such a weird person for Ruth to talk feelings with.

  37. StealthMarmot
    StealthMarmot
    April 19, 2019 at 9:22 am | #

    I recently began taking Adderall for my ADD, and I sort of feel what she is saying. It doesn’t change all you were, or have been before, it doesn’t even really change who you are, it just makes something you had a real hard time with a little easier. Even then, it still takes effort.

    It’s rough turning around and taking stock of where you are, worse the longer you went without. I am 35, and I should have been taking this 10-15 years ago.

    But I am making it so far and hopefully it will help me make it a little better over time.

    • Rabid Rabbit
      Rabid Rabbit
      April 20, 2019 at 12:10 am | #

      Preach.

  38. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    April 19, 2019 at 10:05 am | #

    Ruth, Billie gets Walky in the divorce. Sorry. I don’t think you even get visitation rights.

  39. Eldritch Gentleman
    Eldritch Gentleman
    April 19, 2019 at 12:38 pm | #

    Walky, a goatee is a quick way to becoming a low-quality D-List villain, don’t walk that path. Also I don’t think Sal would be able to handle Danny getting his hat and Walky getting a goatee in one month.

  40. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    April 19, 2019 at 1:45 pm | #

    I feel like Walky is trying uncomfortably to tell Ruth she’s not his friend and doesn’t do hugs/touchy feely stuff even if she was.

  41. Dutch
    Dutch
    April 19, 2019 at 3:02 pm | #

    Gosh fecking durnit Willis stop making Ruth feel relatable to my own personal experiences it feels like personal jab

    (Or do.)

  42. Sock_V
    Sock_V
    April 19, 2019 at 10:43 pm | #

    Don’t do it, Walky!

    That’s how you become the evil twin!

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      April 19, 2019 at 11:04 pm | #

      Do it, Walky!

      Break the stereotype!

Who's that guy over there?

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