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They’re as close to identical as fraternal twins can be, though. Skin tone, facial structure, even expressions are pretty close to mimicked between the two.
Yeah, it’s like Joe’s on some sort of wacky time-traveling adventure, on a mission to make sure his dad gets laid again in order to sire Faz (which sounds like the worst Doctor Who episode, ever).
Oh come on. We get classic lines like “Eggs” from Asylum of the Daleks. You know, that super funny bit about souffles was basically the pinnacle of NuWho writing.
I mean, ‘my possible future stepsister’s stepbrother by the other parent’ still doesn’t give you much except confusion. … I sure hope this doesn’t end in Sal trying to find his proper handler. Amber is not in a good headspace to deal with Sal triggers and Faz simultaneously.
Actually, I really want to see Amber deal with Sal. Aside from just wanting the anticipation to be done with, I really want to see how Amazi-girl deals with it now that they seem to be operating completely separately.
I want her to confront her Sal issues, but not in front of Faz. If for no other reason than there being no chance of Amber actually talking about shit with Faz around. And AG was reaching semi-civility with Sal, so her taking control while Amber’s already frayed and tired isn’t likely to help much either.
Ooh, I know. She’s going to take Faz back home on her motorcycle, thereby kicking off a series of wacky ‘on the road’ hijinks involving biker gangs, trucker convoys, a musical show put on to rescue a dying hotel, and, in a special Fuck-Zone crossover, a nude beach. This will, of course, take a week or so of comic-time, meaning that when we get back to the main story in a few years, everyone will have forgotten what all was going on with these other people.
His stepsister’s mother is dating my father would be too much information, suppose.
“Amber asked me to look after her stepbrother” would be much more neutral – though leaving him vulnerable to the question why he would do Amber a good turn.
Man, there’s so much to love about Sal in this strip.
Like, referring to Joe as “List bro”. In that two-word description, she encapsulates pretty much everything wrong with Joe. He’s a bro. That keeps a list about women based 90% of their physical characteristics and “fuckability”. It’s not even particularly much malice in her tone, just casually giving Joe a deserved degrading nickname that will now probably follow him for the rest of college.
Next, the fact that she’s looking out for a stranger, in her own way. Now, the situation doesn’t seem to warrant immediate action, since she sees Joyce is in this, and therefore it’s unlikely to be exactly as Faz describes it. But she’s not leaving it alone either; the way a more cowardly and less confrontational person (such as me) probably would.
Finally, the way she just shuts down Joyce from even attempting to lie by basically telling Joyce she has her number on that score. I feel like she’d make an excellent parent one day, because she would never let her kids get one up on her. She knows all the tricks in the book, and probably wrote a few of them herself.
So from what I’ve seen Joes been trying to make amends for his actions, actively changing his behavior and trying to become a better person but hey he kept a list (past tense) therefore he deserves a degrading nickname to follow him around for years, yeah that seems fair
I’m sure Sals remembers Joyces name yet her she is being her “cool” self because using someones name is soo mainstream
I don’t like Malaya much but shes got a point when it comes to Sals shallowness
You’ll note that His Imperial Majesty did not say Joe deserved to have that nickname, only that it would exist – I’d honestly be surprised if Sal is the only one to come up with it.
Also, using Joyce’s name in that last sentence would have been a little clunky.
Sal barely interacted with him and all she knows is that he Keeps a list. She knows nothing about his attempts at atonement and just sees him as a fuckbro.
Also Sal just doesn’t care that much. People are nice to each other, even if other people are annoying, to keep the social status quo. But Sal has been messed up by the society to the point where she just doesn’t care and just wants to be left alone and allowed to live her life the way she wants. She sets up the rules, not the people around her and if they don’t like it they can scram.
I’d argue that Sal does indeed care. In fact, I think she cares more than most people.
But with the experiences she’s had, her brand of caring is different than others. Instead of the socially acceptable type of caring, she looks deeper than most (especially most people her age) and tries to find out who -really- is the victim, and therefore needs defending.
But of course, not entirely dissimilar to Carla, her experiences of showing that she cares for other people (such as Marcie) has often ended up backfiring on her; with people in charge basically punishing her for doing so. So she’s trying to balance out the act of trying to seem uncaring, until it reaches the point where she no longer can. Then she’ll care… with a vengeance.
So while Malaya is wrong on what sort of front and why she’s putting it up; Sal does indeed have a front she puts up.
Sal is trying to make a point about Joyce’s non-lying. Joyce’s name is irrelevant. Has nothing to do with shallowness or being cool. Rather, she’s being intelligent. That is to say, being herself.
Pollyanna was an early XX century book about a girl who was extremely optimistic and good natured. She could find good in anything and ecnouraged people to be more optimistic and brave in their lives. Eventually though she got hit with a car and lost the use of her legs. She got depressed but then the people of the town started contacting her, thanking her for all her encouragement. Eventually she was sent to a hospital where she re-learnt to walk and appreciated being able to do that far more than before.
If anything Sal might be foreshadowing the path of Joyce’s development. She already had several “losing legs” moments but keeps recovering each time, wiser and more adapted to the world.
Yeah, Sal’s a little bit of a nicknamer. Whether or not it’s affectionate (like when she calls Joyce ‘kid’) or not depends on the person and situation.
I’m so confused by this whole thread about Sal not calling Joyce by her name and why that might be and what it means because…she refers to Joyce by name right here. In this strip. In panel two. The same one that “List bro” is in.
I guess they want her to say the person’s name every time they talk to them? It’s not necessary, and we also have pronouns so…
Or they could have missed that she said Joyce earlier. I hope that’s the case, otherwise, I don’t understand what the issue is.
I’m a little surprised that it took almost 10 hours for someone to point it out that she did call Joyce by name.
So yeah, first of all, as Yumi mentioned, Sal -did- call Joyce by name first.
If you think she said “the one who breaks out in hives when she’s lying” in the last panel just to seem cool, I say that you’ve completely missed the point of what Sal was going to achieve. It was not a nickname, because it’s clearly too long for that. It was —as I said in my original comment— put in to pre-empt any lying from Joyce. It was giving Joyce the clear message that Sal’s got her number, so better keep it straight.
And for the record, being able to pay enough attention to other people so that you learn when they’re lying is a pretty damn neat and cool skill to have.
Secondly, Joe’s kept that list and the accompanying attitude for years (since junior high, in fact) and have never faced any consequences for it until now. An incredibly mildly degrading nickname to deal with for a while even as he improves himself -is- indeed fair. And we don’t even have any inclination that it will follow him.
” It was —as I said in my original comment— put in to pre-empt any lying from Joyce. It was giving Joyce the clear message that Sal’s got her number, so better keep it straight.”
Who is Sal to give anyone messages like that, “better keep it straight” or what? The person who tried to fuck her way to good grades will look down on her.
Sal needs to sort out of her own problems before she starts stuff like this, she already thinks shes so much more mature than everyone else but shes just a rich brat that needs to learn shes not all that
Rich brat? I don’t know if there was anything indicating the Walkertons are rich (for example, compare them to Billie’s family who seem to give money away as a sign of, or in place of, affection).
We do know she paid for her motorcycle herself (she said it in a previous strip, I think when she was drunk).
Also, it’s not looking down on Joyce. How is it looking down on someone because you call them a bad liar in a colorful manner?
It seems like you’re being a little hard on Sal here.
Yes, how dare she be so familiar with Joyce, correctly observing that she is a terrible liar as if they were friends or something?
Oh right, because they are friends, and Sal has proven several times now, including helping rescue Joyce’s best friend from being kidnapped by an armed gunman
Chris: Even if that nickname follows Joe around, Sal not only has good reason not to be nice to him, she had never actually MET Joe before, and had no reason to be sure of his actual name.
Also, Sal literally used Joyce’s name in panel 2. In the last panel she’s drawing attention to why she’s suddenly asking Joyce that question, when she’d been talking to Joe.
No problems with Sal giving the nickname (though I have my own issues with nicknames) but more this from Norton:
“just casually giving Joe a deserved degrading nickname that will now probably follow him for the rest of college.”
If Sal thought there was a serious issue that needs clarifying then surely saying Joyce whats happening is more appropriate than a long-winded query used for laughs is more appropriate
Oh but I forgot Sal is cool therefore she can’t openly show she cares, she has to hide it
“If Sal thought there was a serious issue that needs clarifying then surely saying Joyce whats happening is whats happening is more appropriate than a long-winded query used for laughs is more appropriate”
Except that it’s of course meant to -shorten- the time. By stating that she knows when Joyce lies, she makes it clear there’s no use lying. This saves Joyce the effort of trying to lie and Sal then having to tell her that Sal knows she’s lying. Go Straight To Truth, Do Not Collect 200 Dollars.
And the fact that she’s suspecting Joyce of lying and doesn’t want to have to deal with that is a pretty damn good sign of her taking it seriously.
Honestly, what’s so hard to understand about this?
“Oh but I forgot Sal is cool therefore she can’t openly show she cares, she has to hide it”
No idea where you got that idea from. Sal doesn’t openly show she cares because of a history of openly caring -not working-. Because showing you care can, in certain situations, at best be ignored, and at worst be weaponized and used against you if there’s any way to exploit it.
It’s not quite the same degree as why Carla is hiding her caring, but I’d say it’s still the same ballpark.
I doesn’t read at all to me like she’s hiding that she cares there. She just knows Joyce well enough to know she’s bad at lying.
While Sal actually doesn’t like to show people she cares, it’s not because it wouldn’t look cool. It has never been that. She’s afraid to let people in. Once you let people in, they can abandon you, like Walky did when she was sent to boarding school and pretty much didn’t talk to her they both came to IU, or they can use your affection against you, like her parents do with the way nothing she does is ever good enough for them.
Sal has tons of good reasons to be afraid not just to show that she cares, but to be afraid to actually care. Even still, Joyce is one of the first people besides Marcie she’s opened up to even slightly.
I’m being reminded of Peridot’s line “I gotcho numbah” because of this thread. It made me grin, s’awesome! Thanks, comments, even though there is someone misunderstanding Sal!
She knows she cant lie so she opts to run for it instead of trying to explain to Sal what is happening.
“Cheeze it, its the feds” is a quote from several movies. I think it was first made popular in West Side Story. Or Grease. One of those musical thingies.
Cheese it meaning “stop what you’re doing” or “beat it” first appeared in the early 19th century, but the derivation of “cheese” in this sense has never been certain. [It may be] a form of “cease.”
“The cops!” is more familiar than “the feds!” but that’s for someone else to search up.
Whenever I walk past the police I always get stressed out trying to look innocent even though I am, and have never been randomly stopped by them. I imagine for Joyce it’s the same – just the idea that someone might think you’re doing something wrong makes you act as if you are.
Of course, if you’re stressed out around police, that means you’re acting suspiciously, which justifies them stopping you and harassing you. Which makes you more nervous and stressed out next time, which makes the harassment even more justified. And so on.
Works best if you’re black.
She was shown still bothered by it even now. It’s part of what she was talking to Sarah about yesterday when Sarah walked her to class. She wants to feel normal/safe again and isn’t quite there, yet.
And she really shouldn’t get over it that quickly. The idea sounds nice, but people generally take longer to get over trauma, even when the source of said trauma is resolved (is that the right word?). Some of us never do.
Oh, I realize it would be kinda quick recovery. I mainly pointed out that she was fine inside the dorm, but couldn’t handle outside alone.
Yeah, sorry, I guess I was remembering one of her ‘ok-ish’ days, when she was distracted, and didn’t panic. For Joyce, Ryan was such a world-crushing loss of trust, she would be affected for a long time.
I think this is the day when Sal learns that even listening to Joe try to explain his life gives her a headache. Meanwhile, dear, dear Joyce is flipping out because of her immense reserves of personal guilt.
Let us all take a moment to contextualize this scene by remembering that Sal has a history with the last male dweeb being visibly transported against his will.
Well, there are two openings for math TAs at the moment. Faz’s qualifications may not be enough, though, since math is somewhat more than just making graphs…
…. I mean, if he can demonstrate the correctness of his Venn Diagram of P and NP, he wins a million bucks and tenure at pretty much any institution he wants….
I still do not understand how Joe and Faz would have any connection even if his dad marries her mom. As someone whose parents have remarried more than once that just isn’t how that works. Amber gains a step-brother that is it.
Just because that’s not how it typically works doesn’t mean Joe knows that. This is probably the first time since his parent’s divorce that he’s hit with the possibility of getting a new family, and he might be confused on how far that goes.
“Cheese it!” as slang for “Run away!” has been around since at least 1815.
(Presumed to be London thieves-slang “Cease It!” (because the authorities are coming) -> The non-suspicion-raising “Cheese It”.)
Joyce has become Bender! Now she has to become a god, meet a god, sleep for thousands of years many times, be friend with… Walky is Fry! And maybe Dorothy is Leela?
Since he’s been trying to head back to Amber’s dorm, I refuse to believe it’s just “take part in the shenanigans I believe are normal for college life based on what cable and porn have told me”.
And I don’t think it’s solely to bother Amber either; I doubt Faz is self-aware enough to know what an annoyance he really is to her.
And because this is Willis we’re talking about, I really don’t think Faz is here for no reason at all. There’s gotta be a reason, and I have a sinking feeling it’s a sad one.
And I really would rather feel bad for Faz if we’re gonna be forced to interact with him this much.
(CLARIFY: Not knocking Willis, the writing, or the pacing. Just Faz.)
I was going to say that I don’t remember them showing up in the same circles after Joe joined It’s Walky! but then I remembered the entirety of Roomies!
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allergic to even hearing the word, I see
nice knowin’ ya Joe, see ya in Faz-napper prison
Faz-napping is barely a crime. I think it’s like a $15 dollar fine. $10 if you promise not to bring him back.
Or they’ll pay you $20 if you promise to keep him.
No wonder Joyce is scared, your food touches other food on your plate in Faz-napper prison.
I can’t think of a surer way to piss Sal off than to refer to her as law enforcement.
be Malaya?
Honestly it’s probably pretty even
Be Malaya, referring to Sal as law enforcement.
Be Malaya as law enforcement, ref- nah, I lost it.
Be Malaya, having entered into law enforcement.
Or better (worse) yet, be Malaya, and start telling Sal she needs to go talk to a psychologist. Repeatedly. In the most obnoxious ways possible.
You are just so bad at this, Joyce.
Every time Joyce and Sal interact Joyce steals a little of Sal’s cool and becomes cooler/funnier/smarter
Right? Joyce is hilarious.
And Joyce learns practical joking at the worsr possible time for Joe.
Well done, Joyce.
She’s learning from Walky.
Look! The rapture!
I too presume she is essaying a practical joke. However, I am confident that nothing will go wrong.
The feds? Really? Guilty conscience much?
No, it’s just the latest cool thing the kids are doing: break into a dead sprint on steps at IU.
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/04-the-do-list/chubby/
“My step-step-brother! Or something!”
His half-step-brother.
His ♭-brother.
better than a sharp brother, they’re nasty.
Yeah, no matter how you phrase it, they’re all major nuisances
Sal, you are in no position to express skepticism over other people’s siblings.
Sal and Walky are nigh identical.
No, fraternal.
They’re as close to identical as fraternal twins can be, though. Skin tone, facial structure, even expressions are pretty close to mimicked between the two.
They’re like the Luteces, the difference is pretty much down to a single chromosome.
“He could be my brother. Later. If my dad keeps it in his pants” should sound odd to people who don’t have the explanation.
Bonus extra punchline.
Yeah, it’s like Joe’s on some sort of wacky time-traveling adventure, on a mission to make sure his dad gets laid again in order to sire Faz (which sounds like the worst Doctor Who episode, ever).
Love and Monsters and Kill the Moon have a new challenger.
The Happiness Patrol is the worst episode
As if Face the Raven and The Name of the Doctor weren’t bad enough.
For me, nothing compares to the deadly one-two punch of Cold Blood and The Hungry Earth.
Asylum of the Daleks, Face the Raven, and Hell Bent for me.
Oh come on. We get classic lines like “Eggs” from Asylum of the Daleks. You know, that super funny bit about souffles was basically the pinnacle of NuWho writing.
The Angels Take Manhattan. Love and Monsters was bad, but nowhere near as aggressively stupid.
Look, a thread about all my favourite Doctor Who episodes (with the exception of Love and Monsters)!
What’s wrong with those two?
Wacky time travelling adventures. Careful, you are verging into Melonpool territory there.
And just like that, Joyce’s foot was miraculously healed.
Right? Being forced to tell the truth seems like a sure-footed cure.
Also, “the one who breaks into hives if she lies” doesn’t have quite the same ring as “the one with the triangle grin.”
Especially since triangle grin could arguably also describe Faz.
Still, they’re both equally vital apellations in “Joyce Brown and the Mediocre Body Horror”.
♪♫ Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
The girl with the triangle smile ♪♫
[Inhaling bird meme] LUCY IN THE SKYYY WITH DIIIAMONDS
Truly the finest William Shatner song there is.
I only wish I could delete that memory. It is cruel (but not unusual) for you to post it here.
I mean, ‘my possible future stepsister’s stepbrother by the other parent’ still doesn’t give you much except confusion. … I sure hope this doesn’t end in Sal trying to find his proper handler. Amber is not in a good headspace to deal with Sal triggers and Faz simultaneously.
Actually, I really want to see Amber deal with Sal. Aside from just wanting the anticipation to be done with, I really want to see how Amazi-girl deals with it now that they seem to be operating completely separately.
I want her to confront her Sal issues, but not in front of Faz. If for no other reason than there being no chance of Amber actually talking about shit with Faz around. And AG was reaching semi-civility with Sal, so her taking control while Amber’s already frayed and tired isn’t likely to help much either.
Ooh, I know. She’s going to take Faz back home on her motorcycle, thereby kicking off a series of wacky ‘on the road’ hijinks involving biker gangs, trucker convoys, a musical show put on to rescue a dying hotel, and, in a special Fuck-Zone crossover, a nude beach. This will, of course, take a week or so of comic-time, meaning that when we get back to the main story in a few years, everyone will have forgotten what all was going on with these other people.
His stepsister’s mother is dating my father would be too much information, suppose.
“Amber asked me to look after her stepbrother” would be much more neutral – though leaving him vulnerable to the question why he would do Amber a good turn.
Are we going to see Faz make a pass at Sal?
That’s what we’re all waiting for. So, no, probably not.
*plays a genuinely Muzakish version of “”We Are Family” on the hacked P.A. speakers*
I read that as “Marrakech” at first. It’s still funny
I am kinda impressed with how some people called Sal would be here, based on the silhouette alone.
She was also tagged in the last strip. Random silhouette getting a tag guarantees it’ll be plot relevant at some point.
Chekhov’s tag?
Bang on.
I figured we were going by the honor system
Joe’s attempt to explain how he could sort of be related to Faz in the future reminds me of this.
I don’t know why, but it tickles me so much to have Sal call Joe “List Bro”.
It’s like a very sweet joy I didn’t know I wanted until I got it.
Is there a reason he didn’t just say “I’m watching him for Amber… Also, every other woman on campus, but mostly because Amber asked.”
Also, punctuation with quotes in sentences can get weird.
Because he wants a family more than he’ll let himself admit.
Oh, Joyce, I love you.
And pffft, I’ve been waiting for Sal and Joe to be in a strip together. I thought it was going to be them meeting, but this is funnier.
Hmmm… Faz did not try to hit on Sal.
Yet.
Faz is smarter than expected.
And has graphs to prove it.
I love how Joyce just called SAL the Feds. Then again, she is a Rules Abiding Rebel.
Depends on the rules.
You’re a loose cannon, Walkerton! (turns around) She has a problem with rules, but god damn it, she’s a good cop.
I mean, she’s been seen aiding a super hero and catching villains. So…
I think Sal broke Joyce.
Broke? She healed her foot!
Indeed, Faz should seek police intervention, so that the police can take him back to his home, never to return!
You know, I remember the wonderful times when this strip had neither Faz or Malaya in it. Gosh, how amazing that was. *sigh*
And I think that’s the longest alt-text that Willis has used in the 7+ years of this strip! Congrats
Man, there’s so much to love about Sal in this strip.
Like, referring to Joe as “List bro”. In that two-word description, she encapsulates pretty much everything wrong with Joe. He’s a bro. That keeps a list about women based 90% of their physical characteristics and “fuckability”. It’s not even particularly much malice in her tone, just casually giving Joe a deserved degrading nickname that will now probably follow him for the rest of college.
Next, the fact that she’s looking out for a stranger, in her own way. Now, the situation doesn’t seem to warrant immediate action, since she sees Joyce is in this, and therefore it’s unlikely to be exactly as Faz describes it. But she’s not leaving it alone either; the way a more cowardly and less confrontational person (such as me) probably would.
Finally, the way she just shuts down Joyce from even attempting to lie by basically telling Joyce she has her number on that score. I feel like she’d make an excellent parent one day, because she would never let her kids get one up on her. She knows all the tricks in the book, and probably wrote a few of them herself.
So from what I’ve seen Joes been trying to make amends for his actions, actively changing his behavior and trying to become a better person but hey he kept a list (past tense) therefore he deserves a degrading nickname to follow him around for years, yeah that seems fair
I’m sure Sals remembers Joyces name yet her she is being her “cool” self because using someones name is soo mainstream
I don’t like Malaya much but shes got a point when it comes to Sals shallowness
TBF, “List Bro” isn’t really degrading. I’ve heard much worse.
It’s actually pretty accurate. And I don’t see “bro” as negative, personally, at least not all the time.
You’ll note that His Imperial Majesty did not say Joe deserved to have that nickname, only that it would exist – I’d honestly be surprised if Sal is the only one to come up with it.
Also, using Joyce’s name in that last sentence would have been a little clunky.
Sal barely interacted with him and all she knows is that he Keeps a list. She knows nothing about his attempts at atonement and just sees him as a fuckbro.
Also Sal just doesn’t care that much. People are nice to each other, even if other people are annoying, to keep the social status quo. But Sal has been messed up by the society to the point where she just doesn’t care and just wants to be left alone and allowed to live her life the way she wants. She sets up the rules, not the people around her and if they don’t like it they can scram.
I’d argue that Sal does indeed care. In fact, I think she cares more than most people.
But with the experiences she’s had, her brand of caring is different than others. Instead of the socially acceptable type of caring, she looks deeper than most (especially most people her age) and tries to find out who -really- is the victim, and therefore needs defending.
But of course, not entirely dissimilar to Carla, her experiences of showing that she cares for other people (such as Marcie) has often ended up backfiring on her; with people in charge basically punishing her for doing so. So she’s trying to balance out the act of trying to seem uncaring, until it reaches the point where she no longer can. Then she’ll care… with a vengeance.
So while Malaya is wrong on what sort of front and why she’s putting it up; Sal does indeed have a front she puts up.
Sal is trying to make a point about Joyce’s non-lying. Joyce’s name is irrelevant. Has nothing to do with shallowness or being cool. Rather, she’s being intelligent. That is to say, being herself.
She also called her Pollyana once, no idea what that means. And Dorothy “Lisa Simpson”. She is probably trying to be funny, and she is succeeding.
Pollyanna was an early XX century book about a girl who was extremely optimistic and good natured. She could find good in anything and ecnouraged people to be more optimistic and brave in their lives. Eventually though she got hit with a car and lost the use of her legs. She got depressed but then the people of the town started contacting her, thanking her for all her encouragement. Eventually she was sent to a hospital where she re-learnt to walk and appreciated being able to do that far more than before.
If anything Sal might be foreshadowing the path of Joyce’s development. She already had several “losing legs” moments but keeps recovering each time, wiser and more adapted to the world.
Yeah, Sal’s a little bit of a nicknamer. Whether or not it’s affectionate (like when she calls Joyce ‘kid’) or not depends on the person and situation.
Yeah, she’ll be calling Faz “Chief” next.
As in Ransom of Red?
Sal likes Danny and calls him Wonderbread. She doesn’t call Joyce by name yet it’s not a sign of not liking her.
I think the new-to-her name we’ve seen her use most is almost inextricable from the phrase “Dammit, Malaya”.
Nicknames Are a form of affection after all.
Except when they’re not.
Then screw the nicknamer… unless you earned it.
I’m so confused by this whole thread about Sal not calling Joyce by her name and why that might be and what it means because…she refers to Joyce by name right here. In this strip. In panel two. The same one that “List bro” is in.
I guess they want her to say the person’s name every time they talk to them? It’s not necessary, and we also have pronouns so…
Or they could have missed that she said Joyce earlier. I hope that’s the case, otherwise, I don’t understand what the issue is.
I’m a little surprised that it took almost 10 hours for someone to point it out that she did call Joyce by name.
So yeah, first of all, as Yumi mentioned, Sal -did- call Joyce by name first.
If you think she said “the one who breaks out in hives when she’s lying” in the last panel just to seem cool, I say that you’ve completely missed the point of what Sal was going to achieve. It was not a nickname, because it’s clearly too long for that. It was —as I said in my original comment— put in to pre-empt any lying from Joyce. It was giving Joyce the clear message that Sal’s got her number, so better keep it straight.
And for the record, being able to pay enough attention to other people so that you learn when they’re lying is a pretty damn neat and cool skill to have.
Secondly, Joe’s kept that list and the accompanying attitude for years (since junior high, in fact) and have never faced any consequences for it until now. An incredibly mildly degrading nickname to deal with for a while even as he improves himself -is- indeed fair. And we don’t even have any inclination that it will follow him.
” It was —as I said in my original comment— put in to pre-empt any lying from Joyce. It was giving Joyce the clear message that Sal’s got her number, so better keep it straight.”
Who is Sal to give anyone messages like that, “better keep it straight” or what? The person who tried to fuck her way to good grades will look down on her.
Sal needs to sort out of her own problems before she starts stuff like this, she already thinks shes so much more mature than everyone else but shes just a rich brat that needs to learn shes not all that
Rich brat? I don’t know if there was anything indicating the Walkertons are rich (for example, compare them to Billie’s family who seem to give money away as a sign of, or in place of, affection).
We do know she paid for her motorcycle herself (she said it in a previous strip, I think when she was drunk).
Also, it’s not looking down on Joyce. How is it looking down on someone because you call them a bad liar in a colorful manner?
It seems like you’re being a little hard on Sal here.
Yes, how dare she be so familiar with Joyce, correctly observing that she is a terrible liar as if they were friends or something?
Oh right, because they are friends, and Sal has proven several times now, including helping rescue Joyce’s best friend from being kidnapped by an armed gunman
Chris: Even if that nickname follows Joe around, Sal not only has good reason not to be nice to him, she had never actually MET Joe before, and had no reason to be sure of his actual name.
Also, Sal literally used Joyce’s name in panel 2. In the last panel she’s drawing attention to why she’s suddenly asking Joyce that question, when she’d been talking to Joe.
No problems with Sal giving the nickname (though I have my own issues with nicknames) but more this from Norton:
“just casually giving Joe a deserved degrading nickname that will now probably follow him for the rest of college.”
If Sal thought there was a serious issue that needs clarifying then surely saying Joyce whats happening is more appropriate than a long-winded query used for laughs is more appropriate
Oh but I forgot Sal is cool therefore she can’t openly show she cares, she has to hide it
Malayas got Sals number
“If Sal thought there was a serious issue that needs clarifying then surely saying Joyce whats happening is whats happening is more appropriate than a long-winded query used for laughs is more appropriate”
Except that it’s of course meant to -shorten- the time. By stating that she knows when Joyce lies, she makes it clear there’s no use lying. This saves Joyce the effort of trying to lie and Sal then having to tell her that Sal knows she’s lying. Go Straight To Truth, Do Not Collect 200 Dollars.
And the fact that she’s suspecting Joyce of lying and doesn’t want to have to deal with that is a pretty damn good sign of her taking it seriously.
Honestly, what’s so hard to understand about this?
“Oh but I forgot Sal is cool therefore she can’t openly show she cares, she has to hide it”
No idea where you got that idea from. Sal doesn’t openly show she cares because of a history of openly caring -not working-. Because showing you care can, in certain situations, at best be ignored, and at worst be weaponized and used against you if there’s any way to exploit it.
It’s not quite the same degree as why Carla is hiding her caring, but I’d say it’s still the same ballpark.
I doesn’t read at all to me like she’s hiding that she cares there. She just knows Joyce well enough to know she’s bad at lying.
While Sal actually doesn’t like to show people she cares, it’s not because it wouldn’t look cool. It has never been that. She’s afraid to let people in. Once you let people in, they can abandon you, like Walky did when she was sent to boarding school and pretty much didn’t talk to her they both came to IU, or they can use your affection against you, like her parents do with the way nothing she does is ever good enough for them.
Sal has tons of good reasons to be afraid not just to show that she cares, but to be afraid to actually care. Even still, Joyce is one of the first people besides Marcie she’s opened up to even slightly.
I’m being reminded of Peridot’s line “I gotcho numbah” because of this thread. It made me grin, s’awesome! Thanks, comments, even though there is someone misunderstanding Sal!
…yes Joyce, nothing incriminating about that
Joyce runs fast for someone still recovering from a crushes toe.
huh. yeah, what happened to that toe injury?
Panic and Adrenaline can allow you to run with a damaged spine, crushed toe is nothing!
Painkillers.
Now this makes me wonder. If Joyce were to get stoned… would we be able to tell the difference between stoned Joyce and sober Joyce?
I don’t understand Joyce’s reaction
Did Sal not get a doughnut?
Sorry, meant to post that at the bottom.
Surely that’s beat cops, not feds.
She knows she cant lie so she opts to run for it instead of trying to explain to Sal what is happening.
“Cheeze it, its the feds” is a quote from several movies. I think it was first made popular in West Side Story. Or Grease. One of those musical thingies.
what would she lie about?
Cheese it meaning “stop what you’re doing” or “beat it” first appeared in the early 19th century, but the derivation of “cheese” in this sense has never been certain. [It may be] a form of “cease.”
“The cops!” is more familiar than “the feds!” but that’s for someone else to search up.
Whenever I walk past the police I always get stressed out trying to look innocent even though I am, and have never been randomly stopped by them. I imagine for Joyce it’s the same – just the idea that someone might think you’re doing something wrong makes you act as if you are.
Of course, if you’re stressed out around police, that means you’re acting suspiciously, which justifies them stopping you and harassing you. Which makes you more nervous and stressed out next time, which makes the harassment even more justified. And so on.
Works best if you’re black.
Painkillers?
From now on, Sal is The Feds. Joyce said it, it’s official.
Their cruelty is protecting you from the consequences of your creep-factor.
Recall that Faz is into bondage and potentially beatings.
Not something I can relate to. My preferred belief is that he only thinks he is.
However, given his possibly abusive upbringing, he may indeed have learned to welcome violence as a sign he is noticed.
CHEEZ IT IT’S THE FEDS
I think we have our new book title!
I like that Joyce knows her limits.
So… how long before Joyce realizes she’s isolated herself on campus and has a panic attack?
Considering she was alone before she caught Faz, I’d say she might be fine.
She is fine, inside. But, since Ryan was “dispatched” I thought that was the end of it. She felt safe again.
She was shown still bothered by it even now. It’s part of what she was talking to Sarah about yesterday when Sarah walked her to class. She wants to feel normal/safe again and isn’t quite there, yet.
And she really shouldn’t get over it that quickly. The idea sounds nice, but people generally take longer to get over trauma, even when the source of said trauma is resolved (is that the right word?). Some of us never do.
Oh, I realize it would be kinda quick recovery. I mainly pointed out that she was fine inside the dorm, but couldn’t handle outside alone.
Yeah, sorry, I guess I was remembering one of her ‘ok-ish’ days, when she was distracted, and didn’t panic. For Joyce, Ryan was such a world-crushing loss of trust, she would be affected for a long time.
Sal: Ah’m like the opposite of th’ feds!
Just tell her that he’s baby sitting for his future step sisters other step brother. Though I haft to admit Faz is a crafty bastard.
As interesting as Faz is, when do we get back to Canadian Peridot?
????
… maybe Taffy means Canadian Merlot?
–Dave, take Ruth & Billie, mix well, shake…
Do you mean Ruth’s brother?
Minus everything after the apostrophe.
Well, her brother is the nerdy one.
I think this is the day when Sal learns that even listening to Joe try to explain his life gives her a headache. Meanwhile, dear, dear Joyce is flipping out because of her immense reserves of personal guilt.
This is just fun
Bite her shiny metal ass
May i say, that was such a rofl moment.
Joyce truly made my day.
omfg Joyce
what.
JOYCE: “I have so much undefined personal guilt! Sal even indirectly accusing me is causing a strong fight-flight response!”
“And my irises are now microscopic, not that it indicates any guilt!”
Let us all take a moment to contextualize this scene by remembering that Sal has a history with the last male dweeb being visibly transported against his will.
….
No one tell Faz.
Well, there are two openings for math TAs at the moment. Faz’s qualifications may not be enough, though, since math is somewhat more than just making graphs…
Well….
…. I mean, if he can demonstrate the correctness of his Venn Diagram of P and NP, he wins a million bucks and tenure at pretty much any institution he wants….
… but there IS a branch of higher math called graph theory.
It’s got little to do with Faz’s talent, but he doesn’t know that.
–Dave, yet
Joyce is just adorable, and I love her.
I still do not understand how Joe and Faz would have any connection even if his dad marries her mom. As someone whose parents have remarried more than once that just isn’t how that works. Amber gains a step-brother that is it.
Extended families are complicated.
Just because that’s not how it typically works doesn’t mean Joe knows that. This is probably the first time since his parent’s divorce that he’s hit with the possibility of getting a new family, and he might be confused on how far that goes.
is Joyce running because she doesn’t want to mention the A-word (Amber) to Sal?
Don’t think she’d have any reason to. Or that Sal would have any particular reason to react.
Huh, you know, I can see Sal as an FBI investigator.
….. MAYBE. If she didn’t get dragged into a million stupid drug busts. Which she would.
I’m thinking P.I. is more her speed.
Though of course she would have competition.
Apparently, Joyce is a Simpson’s fan.
Luckily she’s not transporting a killer whale.
She would need the help of all the muscle men and powerhouse women in her dorm. Jacob, Joe, Ethan, Amazi-Girl, Sarah, Rachel, Ruth…
Sal: Note to self- invite Joyce to next poker game…
Nice SHOUT out to Yale Stewart’s JL8, #135 to be exact, surprised no one else got it!
Clever Willis, clever.
https://yalestewart.deviantart.com/art/JL8-135-387950025
what
“Cheese it!” as slang for “Run away!” has been around since at least 1815.
(Presumed to be London thieves-slang “Cease It!” (because the authorities are coming) -> The non-suspicion-raising “Cheese It”.)
Joyce has become Bender! Now she has to become a god, meet a god, sleep for thousands of years many times, be friend with… Walky is Fry! And maybe Dorothy is Leela?
Once again, what is Faz trying to accomplish?
Since he’s been trying to head back to Amber’s dorm, I refuse to believe it’s just “take part in the shenanigans I believe are normal for college life based on what cable and porn have told me”.
And I don’t think it’s solely to bother Amber either; I doubt Faz is self-aware enough to know what an annoyance he really is to her.
And because this is Willis we’re talking about, I really don’t think Faz is here for no reason at all. There’s gotta be a reason, and I have a sinking feeling it’s a sad one.
And I really would rather feel bad for Faz if we’re gonna be forced to interact with him this much.
(CLARIFY: Not knocking Willis, the writing, or the pacing. Just Faz.)
Much like last time when Joe cheezed it from Joyce, I will say it once more.
Yeah I’d just keep runnin.
I was going to say that I don’t remember them showing up in the same circles after Joe joined It’s Walky! but then I remembered the entirety of Roomies!