Lysander's aimless and carefree life is turned upside down when he accidentally discovers that the cute boy next door, Simon, is a literal monster
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
The Weave
Rennie Kingsley
A young woman pursued by bad luck is witness to the murder of the Fairy Queen of Summer. Can she get to the bottom of this mystery?
Sleepless Domain
Mary Cagle (Cube Watermelon)
In a world where magical girls and their battles are commonplace, loss has become all too common as well.
Little Tiny Things
Clover
What are the little things that move us? The simple joys that warm our bodies and hearts? The micro life of insects that influence our world more than we think? The tiny steps we make everyday to have a happier tomorrow?
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
Stand Still, Stay Silent
Minna Sundberg
A few generations after the end of the world, a small, poorly financed research crew is sent out to rediscover whatever is left of the forbidden old world in the south.
Barbarous
Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota
A crummy wizard and an anxious monster have to get over themselves and bring order to an apartment building full of misfits.
Sakana
Mad Rupert
Our heroes must navigate a hazardous dating scene, overcome personal anxieties, and wrangle unruly seafood in order to find love, peace of mind, and a paycheck.
Monster's Garden
Ash G.
Champion pit fighter Kilo Monster was content to spend the rest of his days tending to his quiet garden alone... until he met a curious robot girl and her human family.
The Golden Boar
Magnolia Porter Siddell
A young woman joins a group of summoners who call forth Guardian Beasts to protect their isolated magical island. Unfortunately, her Guardian Beast is nothing like she'd imagined, and he's about to change her life, and everything she thought she knew about herself...
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Ozzie the Vampire
Eric Lide
Ozzie and her best friend Kimmy are your average everyday normal art students – except one is an immortal vampire with superpowers and the other possesses a magic talking grimoire. Also they have to save their town from a demonic invasion.
The Messenger
indui
In a ruin-abound town cursed with bad luck, Kai and Kalla--a young boy and a fledgling dragonbird spirit--take on a quest in hopes the reward will solve all of their problems.
Augustine
Winter Jay Kiakas, Windy
August and her ragtag group are just like everyone else, simply surviving in the treacherous Crater... When they stumble into what may be an artifact of the ancient past, their lives are thrown into a much bigger loop as they trifle with bounty hunters, monsters and gods.
Three Panel Soul
Matt Boyd, Ian McConville
It's a pretty rigid format but we keep the content loose, you know?
Not Drunk Enough
Tess Stone
Logan Ibarra is possibly the unluckiest repairman in the world. A late night job should not have landed him in the middle of a mad scientist's squabble, but he soon finds himself surrounded by monsters and further madness with little tools to get out.
Saint for Rent
Ru Xu
Saint Halliday runs an inn for Time Travelers. Unfortunately, he seems to attract other supernatural "guests," too.
Nigh Heaven & Hell
Scotty
Heather Vodihn is on a simple mission: find her father. However she becomes entangled with two strangers with mysterious powers being stalked by a group with bizarre demands. Heather must learn to trust her new traveling companions, even if she is untrustworthy herself.
Darkling Bright
Chris Hazelton
Kieran Bright is a college student home for the summer and roped into an online reunion with his old neighborhood friends in the most recent update of their favorite childhood MMORPG.
At least, he was, and that was the idea...
Join Kieran and his friends as they are pulled into another reality that may or may not be real and are forced to confront their own identities, the nature of simulated universes and reality itself.
ARISE, YE SKELETON KING
Brian Clevinger, Escher Cattle, Lee Black
A troupe of wandering "adventurers" down to their last silver "acquire" a map only to find the real treasure was the fiend they dug up along the way.
Angel's Orchard
Harry Bogosian
After the events in Demon's Mirror, Gerda has accepted her role as a Demon Hunter, and Cezar has traveled back to the Demon City. Demons have existed alongside humans for millennia, so things begin to return to normal. But an impossibly powerful Relic has been taken by one of the Demon Masters, and a silent war enters its final stages.
Heroes of Thantopolis
Izzy Strontium Hall
A living boy fights to save the City of the Dead.
Peritale
Mari Costa
A fairy godmother with no magic tries her best to successfully fulfill a Fairytale and win the respect of her peers.
Freakshow
Scotty
A festival of broken people, blood flows in the center ring. Come one and come all, to the greatest show in all of Paris.
Blindsprings
Kadi Fedoruk
Tamaura, wrested into a world 300 years in the future, must find a way to save the magic fading from her country.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
Edison Rex
Chris Roberson
The adventures of the world’s greatest villain who, after defeating his superheroic nemesis, decides that he’s the only one left to defend the world.
Novae
KaiJu
A historical romance with a touch magic and a dash of astronomy. It chronicles the romantic adventures of Sulvain, a sweet tempered necromancer and Raziol, a passionate 17th century astronomer.
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
BOOKMARK Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
BUFFER WATCH
Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:
I really don’t get this thing about there being dirty cops who left Mike completely alone until three days ago, but who now are likely to kill him in cold blood.
I dunno, pretty sure other superheros have partial clairvoyance..
Batman especially. No way is he still finding muggers on a nightly basis, after years of putting the fear of Bat into them, without some sort of clairvoyance. ..oh, wait, no, we call that “having tons of wealth, the ability to canvas an entire city with cameras, and a complete lack of respect for privacy”. So, a technical sort of clairvoyance.. Okay, so, the real questions here would be “just how sophisticated is the Amazi-gadget line”, and “did Amazi-Girl manage to plant spygear into Blaine’s hospital room”.
They probably don’t, but after her memory sharing restarted, she was sticking to Mike’s room except to leave him alone with his parents. Dorothy heard Blaine use a threat to Mike as leverage. Amber’s fears may or may not be realistic, but they are certainly real.
But in any case, no one knew who Mike was until yesterday when Ethan brought his wallet in. Until then he was completely safe. Ethen, Amber or his parents have been with him mostly since. Until now.
I’m talking about Mike being safe until Dina’s and Sarah’s birthday party. He has been living normally on campus for weeks, under his own name, taking no precautions to hide from dirty cops. He left the party as a carefree kid on campus. Then suddenly it wasn’t safe for him to go to hospital except anonymously. WTF? What changed, and how did Mike learn that it had changed before he jumped off the fire escape?
What changed is that Mike screamed Blaine’s dirty secrets all over the place while running away from him and Toedad. Blaine might have now told that bit to the Mob.
The difference now is that usually Mike, as a Comatose patient, was under watch and never alone but now they evacuated the Hospital because, as Amber guesses correctly, there is now a dirty cop who cleaned up loss end number one. That cop might not care about Mike but the worry is understandable.
People can be worried about things regardless of whether or not they have all the information. I’m sure if Amber had remembered that Mike was in the hospital previously, she would have been worried about him the whole time. This is new information about her, and even if she has no idea what the cops do or don’t know OF COURSE she’s going to worry. What kind of uncaring, apathetic monster would know their friend was in a coma in the near vicinity of a potential murder and NOT worry? Why does she need to have all the information for this to be a concern?
Blaine told Amber, Walky, Joyce, Dorothy, Sarah, and Ethan (while Dina was secretly present as well) that he had mob-linked cops ready to kill Mike. They don’t need more info to be worried.
That’s actually a point in favour of his being safe…
If Blaine had told them Mike knew about them, they probably wouldn’t have waited for his word to eliminate the danger. If he just told them he was a hostage…what would be the point? Taking that risk as a favour to the guy they just offed seems unlikely.
Also, not much use as a hostage if they kill him without waiting for the word, as would be the most likely case if he’d told them Mike was a danger to them.
Hopefully nothing. Mike knew some bad shit about Blaine. Blaine is now dead. Problem hypothetically solved.
On the other hand, knowing bad shit about Blaine might also mean he knew some bad shit about the people Blaine worked for. Or at least the people Blaine worked for might think he did. Or Blaine might have told them that.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t count as a “loose end” in anyone’s books.
In one of the flashback comics, a younger Mike was snooping through Blaine’s files. I assume there were references in there to payouts to various cops as part of the money laundering.
Well, someone just needs to un-plug his ventilator while no-one is looking.
But on the gripping hand: it makes no sense that a few days ago Mike was in no apparent danger and now corrupt cops will kill him in cold blood. Ambazigirl and Dorothy believe that he knows which cops are on the take, but what reason do they have to believe that the cops know that he knows? What do they believe has changed since last week, when Mike was a carefree arsehole living on campus under his own name?
So you think that Dorothy and A-A are acting on the misconception that Blaine is still alive and pulling strings to have Mike killed, as he previously threatened to do?
Mike knows about the mob dealings Blaine was involved with. We know he was only interested in taking Blaine down, but we don’t know the mob knows that.
If they suspect he’ll expose them, this is a convenient opportunity to tie up that loose end.
I think they’re assuming that Blaine told the dirty cops everything about this incident, including everything about Mike, shortly before he (Blaine) was killed. If this is correct (and we don’t particularly have any reason to believe it’s not correct), the mob may want Mike taken out. The confusion surrounding Blaine’s death would be a good opportunity for them to do it.
The wise thing for a dirty cop to do is keep a close eye on Mike wait and see if Mike wakes up. If he wakes up then he can be nearby to intervene before any important information is leaked and the fact he is conscious would make faking a suicide easier. If he doesn’t wake up then the problem solves itself.
Or he just smothers him with a pillow and everyone assumes the death had to do with his injuries
They don’t need to. Pillow to smother with exist, or unplugging machines, or even just clubbing him to death. You can’t run ballistic tests on a cudgel.
Problem is the medical staff knows Mike’s current status. If they try clubbing him, or even smothering him it might leave evidence… Bones that were not broken when he was admitted, breathing issues when the ventilator was working, etc.
There have been cases in hospitals in which patients died because the cleaners unplugged their ventilators to use the power point for the vacuum cleaner.
If there is a shooting, and a panic, and the hospital gets evacuated, then no-one is there to say who unplugged the ventilator or even who was in the room when it got unplugged. “Could have been anyone, your honour!”.
Killing Mike is easy. Thinking up a reason to kill Mike is hard.
Even Blaine took precisely no action against Mike until Mike saw him lurking outside Becky’s apartment in company with Ross.
Mike also started yelling about the mob and his conflicting tax returns. Blaine did threaten Mike when he was thirteen – Mike called his bluff (‘you want my parents? Here’s the house keys!’) and generally acted enough like a complete asshole – which, he was – to convince Blaine during the divorce that he was too nihilistic to do anything with that information except blackmail Blaine. It was also unclear just how much information he had – there’s a huge difference between ‘so about this receipt to a Korean barbecue place’ (evidently shady, but not damning in itself) and ‘Blaine O’Malley launders millions for the mob and has two conflicting sets of tax returns!’
So Blaine never reported it – because that would require admitting he hides his shit so badly a 13-year-old could find it in a single afternoon – and left Mike alone until Mike started using it openly and altruistically. I don’t think he ever actually told his associates there was a kid who knew shit, because if he did they’d just kill him, no Blaine posturing about Mike’s safety for the hostages’ good behavior necessary.
“There have been cases in hospitals in which patients died because the cleaners unplugged their ventilators to use the power point for the vacuum cleaner.”
I mean, there’s an urban legend that claims there have. Snopes thinks it’s crap. Or at least they did in 2001–I guess there could have been an actual case since then.
Plus let’s face it… They evacuated visitors from the hospital, but they probably have some staff around… a nurse Seeing a cop go into Mike’s room shortly before he died will raise suspicions.
I mean, I don’t think it’s okay for me to reference real life cop murders here, but I’ll say that they haven’t exactly had trouble getting away with murdering completely helpless or even unconscious people in the past
…shit I didn’t think the cops would know to off Mike without Blaine.
Is Danny going to have to save Mike, just because it’s funniest to see the person who least wants him saved have to do it. I could imagine he’s still up there because he was pacing or locked himself in a closet while trying to think of what to say to Ethan.
*Cue the orchestral swell*
Amber starts sprinting down the alley, spreading the lapels of her hoodie to reveal her star tee-shirt, temporarily mistaking herself for Clark Kent.
Then, she realizes that, not only is she NOT that level of superhero, but that if she WAS, it would mean she’s from DC… which brings up a whole ‘nother set of problems.
So, very real possibility George is overhearing this? I hope so, even if I’m not sure what he could do about it. I don’t know, he’s one of the only Decent Dumbing Dads and I think he should be in the loop.
Also, I’m so genuinely happy that Joyce, and especially Sarah (!) are instance activated into Sister Mode. I’ve been enjoying the humanization of Faz, and reminders that he’s still just a kid are always welcome. I’m also glad that there are other people in his corner; definitely worried about how Yuri is going to handle all this.
Yeah, glad Amber has the presence of mind to bring it up and Joyce and Sarah are both ‘he’s a kid and his dad’s dead, someone should check in on him.’ (Very probably also an element of ‘no way in hell Sarah’s letting Joyce go off on her own in a dicey situation after yesterday,’ but given Dorothy and Amber both immediately ping to the possibility of this being murder rather than suicide, that’s still a damn huge action. But then, if there’s anyone Sarah will actively put herself at risk for, it’s Joyce.)
Blaine would have been a fool to tell them about Mike. “Yeah, hey there’s this kid who knows all about us.” “What?! How?” “Um, I left the receipts on the kitchen counter.”
I really don’t see Blaine, under any circumstances short of torture, admitting to anyone, especially a representative of his mob bosses, that he was so inept and careless that Mike, aged 13, was able to discern Blaine’s criminal stoogery.
It just doesn’t make sense that the crooked cops know about Mike.
It’s easy to determine for us that the odds are small of the mob knowing that Mike knows more than is good for him. However, for Dorothy andAmber, the situation is likely less transparent.
Starting with them not knowing what Blaine’s actual plan for knocking Mike off was. I’m still leaning towards ‘tell his connections Mike figured it out at some point (and be very very vague as to when, since nothing loses you face faster than admitting it was before he entered high school), mob takes care of it as self-protection.’ For all Amber and Dorothy know, Blaine could actually have had friends in the mob who were waiting as a kill switch.
Him dying to ‘potentially dirty cop’ does suggest he lost what standing, but Amber and Dorothy still don’t have much info. While I assume he didn’t have the time between gun and blam to plead for his life with ‘go for Mike first’ (if anything made Lester hesitate, I don’t think we’d have that particular cutaway from pulling out gun to blam in the first panel,) they don’t know how long Lester was there to talk or what they talked about, so it is still on the table from their perspective. They’re also not totally clearheaded, because, well… Blaine just ‘killed himself’ and both of them are jumping to the correct, but also worst possible for Mike’s safety, conclusion.
1) Amber’s still so hard on herself. She knows she’s not reaching out for Faz, and she doesn’t have the clarity to see she’s not in the headspace to do it right now. She will later, I’m sure of it, but right now it’s okay if she’s not all there.
2) Dorothy is on the ball with her questions – Faz isn’t fine, okay, so where is he so we can help? Plus her figuring out what Amber’s thinking of. She’ll be a great President one day.
3) Joyce and Sarah immediately going to look for Faz without even being asked has me <3
4) Amber is so worried about Mike still and annoyed she can't help him. Hopefully any knowledge of WHY Blaine would want dirty cops after Mike died with him.
5) Wonder if George just heard that and will now be concerned?
So what are the possibilities Someone other than Blaine knew about Mike knowing the ins and outs of Blaines money laundering? Because I didn’t factor in him being in anymore danger.
Well, Blaine certainly wouldn’t have told anyone, because it makes him look bad.
Furthermore, Mike was apparently safe despite making no effort at secrecy only a few days ago. What has happened since then and how do Dorothy and A-A know about it?
Well, I never thought that that made much sense. But I suppose that Dorothy buys it. And she’s heard that there was a shooting at the hospital but not (unlike Linda and Charles) that Blaine was the victim. Is Dorothy acting on the assumption that Blaine is still in a position to pull strings and that Mike was shot?
None of them know the full details. None of them know what if anything Blaine told the cops or why he might not. They know Mike was worried about dirty cops. They know Blaine threatened to have him killed.
I’d hesitate to write even Mike’s life off as “Nah, they probably don’t have a good reason to kill him.”
It’s more worst case scenario thinking that they don’t know if Blaine would have been able to convince anyone to go after Mike or not which is stressing them out. In a theoretical, it would only take one person taking his nonsense seriously or doing him one last favour for Mike to end up dead. I don’t think it is particularly likely for the mob to go after Mike, but if it were my friend, the possibility would still be haunting me while I waited though.
If I remember correctly, the most recent strip is set in the present year, so it’s 2020 in the comic now. I can’t imagine 2020 in the DoA universe is much better than irl 2020.
I’m pretty sure there’s no coronavirus pandemic in DoA though, because they’re all still at college and nobody’s wearing face masks. So I guess 2020 in DoA is a bit better than real world 2020.
We know he would not blab about it, but as far as Dorothy and Amber know, all that kept Mike safe and alive was Blaine telling “his guy” to wait. With Blaine gone, it’s logical to think he took Mike with him, only Mike dying would not make headlines.
Well after his arrest, Blaine may have worried that police might look into his financials. (Yes, Blaine was going to jail for murder… It would probably be worse for him if the mob blamed him for getting their inner workings exposed )
So he MIGHT have told some of the cop/henchmen that they need to keep Mike quiet, just in case.
I imagine their assasination being dreadfully incompetent.
“Oh no the comatose kid tripped over his own IV drip and then full out of a window oh nooooooo”
Mike knows of Blaine’s association with the mob (as well as the existence of “dirty cops”). If Blaine told them anything, like “that punk Mike knows enough to get everyone in trouble” I think the cops might have an incentive to silence Mike.
That would only be possible if *Blaine* knew that Mike knew there were dirty cops instead of just him though. Even if he lied and said he knew a bunch of stuff with no evidence, if they’ve known Blaine long enough, they also would likely be used to his tricks and know it’s just another one of his vendettas.
That really only requires that she purchase some commercially-available ballistic armour, disassemble it and add the protective plates to Amazi-Girl’s mantle.
“Amazi-Girl seems more ripped than usual.”
“Um… Yes. She’s… started wearing a skintight suit?”
I’m wondering if we’re going to lapse into a weird Robin-style subplot where Amber has to help Faz confront his anger and guilt at his father’s death without him doing something similar to her and seeking vengeance.
Oh, and I’m fairly sure that Joyce will be found standing guard at Mike’s bedside, asking The Boss Upstairs for some help, please.
I think that, with everything that has happened to her after the last few days, she and Mazie have come to an arrangement and she no longer sees any purpose to deny to anyone, least of all her friends, that she has a twin sister sharing her head.
Yeah, I think there was some recognition that she and AG not sharing memories wasn’t just a weird quirk but an active sign that AG can’t just be compartmentalized and discarded after she ‘failed’ with the stabbing. Add in the ‘needing to be kinder to yourself’ realization – though she didn’t take it the way Joyce meant, which is also necessary given the self-loathing – and they’re trying to make peace and recognize they’re a partnership rather than hero/villain.
And so was the origin story of CHART LAD, Amazi-Girl’s budding statistician sidekick, capable of knocking out all foes by way of PowerPoint charts (and all ladies by way of sheer masculinity, at least according to his charts).
But Asher ordered only Blaine to be killed off, not Mike. Well, as far as we know. The dirty cops might want to do Mike in of their own volition, or under the command of someone else – Asher’s grandfather?
He doesn’t really pose one (that the mob would know of) but he was informed enough by Blaine’s records that he knew multiple cops and Blaine were in the mob. Whether he really has specific names though is something Mike isn’t awake to answer, and no one in the mob should have reason to think that he knows anything.
What Mike knows was which mob Blaine was working for, I think, and that it does have a presence in Bloomington including the police force. Mike’s more detailed knowledge seems to be that Blaine’s a money launderer, on a scale that would probably make his finances a treasure trove for any forensic accountants who could stumble upon it.
Does Yuri know where the skeletons are buried, and which records to burn? Blaine was terrible at covering his tracks, so who knows what will come to light as his estate gets dealt with (especially if there’s an attorney working in Amber’s favor. (Unless they’re also mob-aligned, in which case they might throw at least tuition her way in an attempt to keep her placated and not asking too many questions.)
No clue. Yuri may or may not be related to the mob herself (though if she is, almost certainly her connection is VERY low-level,) and while there’s some suggestion she knows Blaine’s real job, she and Blaine clearly had… VERY different views of the family finances. So either Blaine did something impulsive and risky to fund the kidnapping (what? Nooooooo, he would NEVER) or Yuri doesn’t have access to the money or financial records. I tend to favor the second option, but I would not be remotely shocked if it turns out to be the first. Or a combination, frankly.
I think that there may be physiological consequences of her DID. Basically, she can ‘dolphin’, one psyche sleeps normally whilst the other remains functional and can sleep later.
I don’t think it really works like that. I suspect she was already running a sleep deficit from AG running around while Amber slept, that’s why staying up a single night with no sleep at all was so rough on her.
That said, it’s been a day or so since the kidnapping and unless I missed something saying she’s been up that whole time, I’d assume she got some sleep that afternoon and night.
Who is the careless twit who leaked that Blaine was the “suicide” victim? And how is it that everyone took it as gospel and bought into it without actually observing it?
Also, how come nobody – medical staff or law enforcement -has taken Amber aside for further observation and protection?
I mean, other than it’s a webcomic and is fiction?
btw if you're one of those rando bluesky weirdos who doesn't know me but sees me in the wild being sarcastic and don't know i'm being sarcastic because you haven't taken like 30 seconds to, like, maybe look at my user profile or something, keep walking, you're not going to score internet points here
Here's an entertaining cite at the bottom of the first page
Josh Gerstein@joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
JUST IN: Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan moves to dismiss federal criminal case against her for allegedly helping immigrant hide from ICE. Her lawyers say she's protected by official acts & judicial immunity and 10th Amendment. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Where did Hollywood go so wrong? I thought movies were supposed to be an escape from reality, a chance to put your worries aside and not have to think about any underlying ideas or concepts. Well, not anymore.
theonion.com/you-can...
It's not a new argument, of course, but Chesterton dismissed it effectively in 1908.
"You will hear everlastingly... this argument that the rich man cannot be bribed. The fact is, of course, that the rich man is bribed; he has been bribed already. That is why he is a rich man."
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com ⋅ 1d
Hawley dismisses Trump lining his pockets with his memecoin: "Listen, I think nobody believes that Donald Trump can be bought. I mean, what does Donald Trump need more money for?"
wilbur, savvy enough to know he's in a comic strip but still not a great actor, awkwardly lifts a muffin up into frame so that we, the audience, understand that he has a muffin right now, which is very important narratively, but he's not really selling it well as an organic, human action
confirming that the reason there's been no Galaxy Version female characters in Blokees until now is that they felt they needed to make Round Lady Thighs For Ladies
It's #webcomicday? We have a special day???
Well, my name is Pat McHoarney and I draw 69 Mouse-Ear Blvd, a multigenerational story about women who all have sexy legs and probably other features. There was a grandmother, but she wasn't hot and so she died off-panel.
Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com ⋅ 1d
Pavel
@spavel.bsky.social ⋅ 10d
Loading ...
Are they aware of Mike? Is that one of the things Blaine leaked before taking it in the FAAAAAAACE?
Faz: *standing by a lion at a bus stop*
Nice reference!
I really don’t get this thing about there being dirty cops who left Mike completely alone until three days ago, but who now are likely to kill him in cold blood.
Well, the worrisome thing is that in the snippet of Blaine’s final scene we saw, he was explaining the whole Amazi-Girl situation to the cop.
He might have explained some other things too, like who that kid was who threatened him at the party, and why.
How do Dorothy and Amber know about that?
Amazi-Girl’s memory of what Mike said.
Amazi-Girl doesn’t remember Blaine’s last moments before Lester murdered him, because she wasn’t there.
I dunno, pretty sure other superheros have partial clairvoyance..
Batman especially. No way is he still finding muggers on a nightly basis, after years of putting the fear of Bat into them, without some sort of clairvoyance. ..oh, wait, no, we call that “having tons of wealth, the ability to canvas an entire city with cameras, and a complete lack of respect for privacy”. So, a technical sort of clairvoyance.. Okay, so, the real questions here would be “just how sophisticated is the Amazi-gadget line”, and “did Amazi-Girl manage to plant spygear into Blaine’s hospital room”.
They probably don’t, but after her memory sharing restarted, she was sticking to Mike’s room except to leave him alone with his parents. Dorothy heard Blaine use a threat to Mike as leverage. Amber’s fears may or may not be realistic, but they are certainly real.
But in any case, no one knew who Mike was until yesterday when Ethan brought his wallet in. Until then he was completely safe. Ethen, Amber or his parents have been with him mostly since. Until now.
I’m talking about Mike being safe until Dina’s and Sarah’s birthday party. He has been living normally on campus for weeks, under his own name, taking no precautions to hide from dirty cops. He left the party as a carefree kid on campus. Then suddenly it wasn’t safe for him to go to hospital except anonymously. WTF? What changed, and how did Mike learn that it had changed before he jumped off the fire escape?
He threatened to expose Blaine and his connections to the mob. That’s what changed: as far as we know, he had never done that before.
Up until the night of the party, Mike had only exposed Blaine to his family. Blaine had no reason to believe he was going to cause further trouble.
What changed is that Mike screamed Blaine’s dirty secrets all over the place while running away from him and Toedad. Blaine might have now told that bit to the Mob.
The difference now is that usually Mike, as a Comatose patient, was under watch and never alone but now they evacuated the Hospital because, as Amber guesses correctly, there is now a dirty cop who cleaned up loss end number one. That cop might not care about Mike but the worry is understandable.
People can be worried about things regardless of whether or not they have all the information. I’m sure if Amber had remembered that Mike was in the hospital previously, she would have been worried about him the whole time. This is new information about her, and even if she has no idea what the cops do or don’t know OF COURSE she’s going to worry. What kind of uncaring, apathetic monster would know their friend was in a coma in the near vicinity of a potential murder and NOT worry? Why does she need to have all the information for this to be a concern?
Blaine told Amber, Walky, Joyce, Dorothy, Sarah, and Ethan (while Dina was secretly present as well) that he had mob-linked cops ready to kill Mike. They don’t need more info to be worried.
That’s actually a point in favour of his being safe…
If Blaine had told them Mike knew about them, they probably wouldn’t have waited for his word to eliminate the danger. If he just told them he was a hostage…what would be the point? Taking that risk as a favour to the guy they just offed seems unlikely.
I think it’s more likely that Amaziber is just paranoid here, because of Blaine getting bumped off and his threat in the basement.
(Very Ryan George voice) “Why would the cops care about some asshole kid uninvolved in any way with their crimes?”
(Also very Ryan George voice) “Because that’s what I wrote in the script!”
(Original very Ryan George voice) “Oh! Okay then!”
On the one hand, they’re going to have trouble claiming a comatose kid shot himself.
On the other hand, dirty cops have gotten away with worse.
On a third hand, why would they even do it? What could they possibly stand to gain?
He knows about Blaine’s business dealings. He’s a loose end.
And how would they know that?
Blaine could have told them.
Blaine would rather have died than admit that he was so inept and careless that a child could see through his creative accounting.
Also, not much use as a hostage if they kill him without waiting for the word, as would be the most likely case if he’d told them Mike was a danger to them.
He’s known since he was 13, though, hasn’t he? Or did I misremember something?
You are correct, he’s known since right before the convenience store incident:
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/potato/
Yeah, but with Blaine dead, what evidence does Mike actually have?
Taking him out is too much hassle with almost no benefit
The mob isn’t Blaine, they’re not going to whack someone out of spite, especially if doing so would create more reason for investigation
Hopefully nothing. Mike knew some bad shit about Blaine. Blaine is now dead. Problem hypothetically solved.
On the other hand, knowing bad shit about Blaine might also mean he knew some bad shit about the people Blaine worked for. Or at least the people Blaine worked for might think he did. Or Blaine might have told them that.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t count as a “loose end” in anyone’s books.
Mike knew the dirty cops existed. How isn’t clear.
In one of the flashback comics, a younger Mike was snooping through Blaine’s files. I assume there were references in there to payouts to various cops as part of the money laundering.
They wouldn’t need for him to shoot himself, though. They’d just need a doctor to sign off that he ‘succumbed to his injuries.’
Well, someone just needs to un-plug his ventilator while no-one is looking.
But on the gripping hand: it makes no sense that a few days ago Mike was in no apparent danger and now corrupt cops will kill him in cold blood. Ambazigirl and Dorothy believe that he knows which cops are on the take, but what reason do they have to believe that the cops know that he knows? What do they believe has changed since last week, when Mike was a carefree arsehole living on campus under his own name?
A few days ago he was leverage for Blaine.
So you think that Dorothy and A-A are acting on the misconception that Blaine is still alive and pulling strings to have Mike killed, as he previously threatened to do?
Mike knows about the mob dealings Blaine was involved with. We know he was only interested in taking Blaine down, but we don’t know the mob knows that.
If they suspect he’ll expose them, this is a convenient opportunity to tie up that loose end.
I think they’re assuming that Blaine told the dirty cops everything about this incident, including everything about Mike, shortly before he (Blaine) was killed. If this is correct (and we don’t particularly have any reason to believe it’s not correct), the mob may want Mike taken out. The confusion surrounding Blaine’s death would be a good opportunity for them to do it.
The wise thing for a dirty cop to do is keep a close eye on Mike wait and see if Mike wakes up. If he wakes up then he can be nearby to intervene before any important information is leaked and the fact he is conscious would make faking a suicide easier. If he doesn’t wake up then the problem solves itself.
Or he just smothers him with a pillow and everyone assumes the death had to do with his injuries
Dammit Dorothy, why couldn’t you have just used your phone to continue the very important discussion on furry porn?
“Hank, I have some websites you might be interested in…”
We’d get the best series of Comical Joyce Faces ever.
Also, is this Amber’s first time as “we”?
Anybody else remember the Doctor Who story The Leisure Hive? The villain refered to himself as “we” and then proceded to clone a zillion of himself?
Adric was in that one, wasn’t he?
So Doctor 4?
I think it was just before they went to E-Space.
It’s very sweet of Joyce and Sarah to go look for Faz.
Yeah, Sarah isn’t tagged.
“Oh, this kid who was in a coma *also* grabbed my gun and shot himself.”
Yeah, I don’t think that one will work.
They don’t need to. Pillow to smother with exist, or unplugging machines, or even just clubbing him to death. You can’t run ballistic tests on a cudgel.
Problem is the medical staff knows Mike’s current status. If they try clubbing him, or even smothering him it might leave evidence… Bones that were not broken when he was admitted, breathing issues when the ventilator was working, etc.
There have been cases in hospitals in which patients died because the cleaners unplugged their ventilators to use the power point for the vacuum cleaner.
If there is a shooting, and a panic, and the hospital gets evacuated, then no-one is there to say who unplugged the ventilator or even who was in the room when it got unplugged. “Could have been anyone, your honour!”.
Killing Mike is easy. Thinking up a reason to kill Mike is hard.
Even Blaine took precisely no action against Mike until Mike saw him lurking outside Becky’s apartment in company with Ross.
Mike also started yelling about the mob and his conflicting tax returns. Blaine did threaten Mike when he was thirteen – Mike called his bluff (‘you want my parents? Here’s the house keys!’) and generally acted enough like a complete asshole – which, he was – to convince Blaine during the divorce that he was too nihilistic to do anything with that information except blackmail Blaine. It was also unclear just how much information he had – there’s a huge difference between ‘so about this receipt to a Korean barbecue place’ (evidently shady, but not damning in itself) and ‘Blaine O’Malley launders millions for the mob and has two conflicting sets of tax returns!’
So Blaine never reported it – because that would require admitting he hides his shit so badly a 13-year-old could find it in a single afternoon – and left Mike alone until Mike started using it openly and altruistically. I don’t think he ever actually told his associates there was a kid who knew shit, because if he did they’d just kill him, no Blaine posturing about Mike’s safety for the hostages’ good behavior necessary.
“There have been cases in hospitals in which patients died because the cleaners unplugged their ventilators to use the power point for the vacuum cleaner.”
I mean, there’s an urban legend that claims there have. Snopes thinks it’s crap. Or at least they did in 2001–I guess there could have been an actual case since then.
Plus let’s face it… They evacuated visitors from the hospital, but they probably have some staff around… a nurse Seeing a cop go into Mike’s room shortly before he died will raise suspicions.
I mean, I don’t think it’s okay for me to reference real life cop murders here, but I’ll say that they haven’t exactly had trouble getting away with murdering completely helpless or even unconscious people in the past
On very publically available video.
…shit I didn’t think the cops would know to off Mike without Blaine.
Is Danny going to have to save Mike, just because it’s funniest to see the person who least wants him saved have to do it. I could imagine he’s still up there because he was pacing or locked himself in a closet while trying to think of what to say to Ethan.
He’ll wreck his favorite ukulele to defeat the dirty cop, and the definite sound of a smashed musical instrument will rouse Mike from his stupor…
He’ll awaken at the sound of the cacophonous TWANG just to tell Danny his music has never sounded so good.
It’s Mike. You know he would.
EL KABONG RISES
Stringed instruments are an out-of-control menace.
If only we knew somebody who could leap tall buildings and look in on the situation through the windows.
Call the UK. This looks like a job for . . . SUPER-GIT!
Jason?
He has been suspiciously absent.
So, essentially, Sal.
If anyone’s really in danger it’s that dirty cops mom who is probably getting fucked by Mike right now!
Only if he had a nickel on him.
Only if she had a nickel on her. Mike may work cheap, but he still insists they pay for it.
Those dang dirty cops.
*Cue the orchestral swell*
Amber starts sprinting down the alley, spreading the lapels of her hoodie to reveal her star tee-shirt, temporarily mistaking herself for Clark Kent.
Then, she realizes that, not only is she NOT that level of superhero, but that if she WAS, it would mean she’s from DC… which brings up a whole ‘nother set of problems.
As long as she stays animated, she’ll be fine.
If she tries to go for a live action feature though…
Smart Dorothy. And possibly, healing Ambigirl?
… is there going to be a “not in shock” t-shirt available to purchase?
Cause… if so… I would consider buying it. It seems apropos.
It’s not in stock.
Can’t wait for the “The Not in Shock shirt is not in stock.” shirt.
*leafs through the Schlock Mercenary archives*
It’s not in Schlock, either.
*checks their online store*
It’s not in Schlock stock.
After the “blanket content warning” I want a “not in shock” blanky.
thats…. problematic
So, very real possibility George is overhearing this? I hope so, even if I’m not sure what he could do about it. I don’t know, he’s one of the only Decent Dumbing Dads and I think he should be in the loop.
Also, I’m so genuinely happy that Joyce, and especially Sarah (!) are instance activated into Sister Mode. I’ve been enjoying the humanization of Faz, and reminders that he’s still just a kid are always welcome. I’m also glad that there are other people in his corner; definitely worried about how Yuri is going to handle all this.
Did you mean Hank?
Oh sorry, I forgot Mike’s dad’s name is George!
Yeah, glad Amber has the presence of mind to bring it up and Joyce and Sarah are both ‘he’s a kid and his dad’s dead, someone should check in on him.’ (Very probably also an element of ‘no way in hell Sarah’s letting Joyce go off on her own in a dicey situation after yesterday,’ but given Dorothy and Amber both immediately ping to the possibility of this being murder rather than suicide, that’s still a damn huge action. But then, if there’s anyone Sarah will actively put herself at risk for, it’s Joyce.)
maybe Blaine hadn’t a chance to tell them about Mike yet so the dirty cops don’t know he’s there?
Blaine would have been a fool to tell them about Mike. “Yeah, hey there’s this kid who knows all about us.” “What?! How?” “Um, I left the receipts on the kitchen counter.”
Would that be the most foolish thing he’s done? I seems like a lot of his plans weren’t thought out
“… five years ago.”
I really don’t see Blaine, under any circumstances short of torture, admitting to anyone, especially a representative of his mob bosses, that he was so inept and careless that Mike, aged 13, was able to discern Blaine’s criminal stoogery.
It just doesn’t make sense that the crooked cops know about Mike.
It’s easy to determine for us that the odds are small of the mob knowing that Mike knows more than is good for him. However, for Dorothy andAmber, the situation is likely less transparent.
Starting with them not knowing what Blaine’s actual plan for knocking Mike off was. I’m still leaning towards ‘tell his connections Mike figured it out at some point (and be very very vague as to when, since nothing loses you face faster than admitting it was before he entered high school), mob takes care of it as self-protection.’ For all Amber and Dorothy know, Blaine could actually have had friends in the mob who were waiting as a kill switch.
Him dying to ‘potentially dirty cop’ does suggest he lost what standing, but Amber and Dorothy still don’t have much info. While I assume he didn’t have the time between gun and blam to plead for his life with ‘go for Mike first’ (if anything made Lester hesitate, I don’t think we’d have that particular cutaway from pulling out gun to blam in the first panel,) they don’t know how long Lester was there to talk or what they talked about, so it is still on the table from their perspective. They’re also not totally clearheaded, because, well… Blaine just ‘killed himself’ and both of them are jumping to the correct, but also worst possible for Mike’s safety, conclusion.
See what Joyce and Dorothy are doing, Linda? They are focusing on supporting the victims of a traumatic event rather than playing the blame game.
But how would that help Linda in her ongoing quest to become Most Evil Parent ™?
Well, in her defense, there *is* a vacancy…
Nature abhors a vacuum.
And Blaine sucked so bad…
That’s only locally true. The vast majority of nature is, in fact, vacuous.
Well, no one said nature has to like it
1) Amber’s still so hard on herself. She knows she’s not reaching out for Faz, and she doesn’t have the clarity to see she’s not in the headspace to do it right now. She will later, I’m sure of it, but right now it’s okay if she’s not all there.
2) Dorothy is on the ball with her questions – Faz isn’t fine, okay, so where is he so we can help? Plus her figuring out what Amber’s thinking of. She’ll be a great President one day.
3) Joyce and Sarah immediately going to look for Faz without even being asked has me <3
4) Amber is so worried about Mike still and annoyed she can't help him. Hopefully any knowledge of WHY Blaine would want dirty cops after Mike died with him.
5) Wonder if George just heard that and will now be concerned?
All of this here. Amber says she’s not in shock, but if both she and AG are effectively Not Present, she’s a lot closer than she’d like to be.
Dumbing of Age Book 10: Faz Probably Isn’t Fine
DoA Book 10: I’m Not Really Very Here Right Now
Dumbing of Age Book 10: Yes
So what are the possibilities Someone other than Blaine knew about Mike knowing the ins and outs of Blaines money laundering? Because I didn’t factor in him being in anymore danger.
Well, Blaine certainly wouldn’t have told anyone, because it makes him look bad.
Furthermore, Mike was apparently safe despite making no effort at secrecy only a few days ago. What has happened since then and how do Dorothy and A-A know about it?
Dorothy knows he’s in danger (though I don’t recall if she knows why) because Blaine threatened to ice him when they were kidnapped.
Well, I never thought that that made much sense. But I suppose that Dorothy buys it. And she’s heard that there was a shooting at the hospital but not (unlike Linda and Charles) that Blaine was the victim. Is Dorothy acting on the assumption that Blaine is still in a position to pull strings and that Mike was shot?
None of them know the full details. None of them know what if anything Blaine told the cops or why he might not. They know Mike was worried about dirty cops. They know Blaine threatened to have him killed.
I’d hesitate to write even Mike’s life off as “Nah, they probably don’t have a good reason to kill him.”
Dorothy is the type to plan for the worst.
It’s more worst case scenario thinking that they don’t know if Blaine would have been able to convince anyone to go after Mike or not which is stressing them out. In a theoretical, it would only take one person taking his nonsense seriously or doing him one last favour for Mike to end up dead. I don’t think it is particularly likely for the mob to go after Mike, but if it were my friend, the possibility would still be haunting me while I waited though.
Okay, who broke the clock at “Danger O’Clock”?
Cause seriously, we’ve been stuck there for too long.
Is it 2020 in the comic too? Cause damn.
The comic clock is permanently set on about now. But it’s not quite the same universe. Reasonably close though.
If I remember correctly, the most recent strip is set in the present year, so it’s 2020 in the comic now. I can’t imagine 2020 in the DoA universe is much better than irl 2020.
I’m pretty sure there’s no coronavirus pandemic in DoA though, because they’re all still at college and nobody’s wearing face masks. So I guess 2020 in DoA is a bit better than real world 2020.
Well, even if you’re a crappy sister, maybe you can still be a good friend. Possibly even a super friend.
Might be a little too coincidental for Mike to die in the same hour as Blaine. I do wonder how Mike knew who the dirty cops were though.
And how they knew that he knew. And why, knowing that he knew, they were no danger three days ago but are likely to murder him now.
Blaine could have told Lester just now what Mike knows. This is not complicated.
Why would he? And how would Dorothy and Ambazigirl know about it?
We know he would not blab about it, but as far as Dorothy and Amber know, all that kept Mike safe and alive was Blaine telling “his guy” to wait. With Blaine gone, it’s logical to think he took Mike with him, only Mike dying would not make headlines.
Why would they be sure he didn’t?
Because he’s stupid and panicking?
Was. WAS stupid and panicking.
Well after his arrest, Blaine may have worried that police might look into his financials. (Yes, Blaine was going to jail for murder… It would probably be worse for him if the mob blamed him for getting their inner workings exposed )
So he MIGHT have told some of the cop/henchmen that they need to keep Mike quiet, just in case.
I’m not sure 2 deaths in the same hour in a hospital will raise much concern. 2 gunshot deaths might, but it’s not likely the cops would shoot Mike.
Sarah needs to be added to the tags.
I imagine their assasination being dreadfully incompetent.
“Oh no the comatose kid tripped over his own IV drip and then full out of a window oh nooooooo”
I wouldn’t worry too much, Amber. I can’t think of a single reason why the mob would want to hurt Mike.
Mebbe because Blaine told them (something something) so they would do-in Mike, JUST to hurt Amber one more time. (Read as one Last time).
Yeah… it’s not like there’s any reason to not lie to get him killed out of spite.
Cuz he’s doing their moms for a nickel?
Mike knows of Blaine’s association with the mob (as well as the existence of “dirty cops”). If Blaine told them anything, like “that punk Mike knows enough to get everyone in trouble” I think the cops might have an incentive to silence Mike.
That would only be possible if *Blaine* knew that Mike knew there were dirty cops instead of just him though. Even if he lied and said he knew a bunch of stuff with no evidence, if they’ve known Blaine long enough, they also would likely be used to his tricks and know it’s just another one of his vendettas.
and unlike most of your usual opponents, they have guns.
That really only requires that she purchase some commercially-available ballistic armour, disassemble it and add the protective plates to Amazi-Girl’s mantle.
“Amazi-Girl seems more ripped than usual.”
“Um… Yes. She’s… started wearing a skintight suit?”
I’m wondering if we’re going to lapse into a weird Robin-style subplot where Amber has to help Faz confront his anger and guilt at his father’s death without him doing something similar to her and seeking vengeance.
Oh, and I’m fairly sure that Joyce will be found standing guard at Mike’s bedside, asking The Boss Upstairs for some help, please.
When confronted with angry Joyce, The Boss Upstairs Himself will cross the street and avoid eye contact.
Okay but is no one going to mention how open Amber is being about the whole d.i.d thing?
I mean, “us,” “we”? She’s not even trying to pretend shes just amazigirl and that’s all there is to it anymore.
I think that, with everything that has happened to her after the last few days, she and Mazie have come to an arrangement and she no longer sees any purpose to deny to anyone, least of all her friends, that she has a twin sister sharing her head.
So, question, is that a Alter-Ego? Or A-Maizy-go?
Yeah, I think there was some recognition that she and AG not sharing memories wasn’t just a weird quirk but an active sign that AG can’t just be compartmentalized and discarded after she ‘failed’ with the stabbing. Add in the ‘needing to be kinder to yourself’ realization – though she didn’t take it the way Joyce meant, which is also necessary given the self-loathing – and they’re trying to make peace and recognize they’re a partnership rather than hero/villain.
I’ve already posted to this effect but are we about to see the birth of Amazi-Boy?
FAZ: “Sister, how can I do what is needed, when all I feel is… hate?”
AMBER: “You hide it. With this.” AMBER hands FAZ a yellow mask in the style of AMAZI-GIRL.
And so was the origin story of CHART LAD, Amazi-Girl’s budding statistician sidekick, capable of knocking out all foes by way of PowerPoint charts (and all ladies by way of sheer masculinity, at least according to his charts).
I’m on board for this unfolding of events.
Dan: Hey guys, what’s up?
Dorothy: Amber is afraid that dirty cops will kill Mike.
Dan: Maybe they should.
DANNY: “And maybe they could off me at the same time so I stop tripping over my tongue?”
DOROTHY: “… I knew that there was a reason why I dumped you.”
AMBER: “Mazie was right; you are a very strange guy.”
Dan: Listen, would Mike not be killing me if the positions were reversed?
Amber: NO!
Dan: …Oh. Uh….he’s a jerk!
Mike would only do it if it was funny or he could have milked it for more trauma for Amber. So yeah, probably.
(Not really, but then Danny isn’t really for killing Mike either.)
But Asher ordered only Blaine to be killed off, not Mike. Well, as far as we know. The dirty cops might want to do Mike in of their own volition, or under the command of someone else – Asher’s grandfather?
I’m not sure what danger Mike poses to the mob.
He doesn’t really pose one (that the mob would know of) but he was informed enough by Blaine’s records that he knew multiple cops and Blaine were in the mob. Whether he really has specific names though is something Mike isn’t awake to answer, and no one in the mob should have reason to think that he knows anything.
Mike said he knows which cops were on the take, but we don’t know if Blaine knew he knows those specifics.
What Mike knows was which mob Blaine was working for, I think, and that it does have a presence in Bloomington including the police force. Mike’s more detailed knowledge seems to be that Blaine’s a money launderer, on a scale that would probably make his finances a treasure trove for any forensic accountants who could stumble upon it.
Does Yuri know where the skeletons are buried, and which records to burn? Blaine was terrible at covering his tracks, so who knows what will come to light as his estate gets dealt with (especially if there’s an attorney working in Amber’s favor. (Unless they’re also mob-aligned, in which case they might throw at least tuition her way in an attempt to keep her placated and not asking too many questions.)
No clue. Yuri may or may not be related to the mob herself (though if she is, almost certainly her connection is VERY low-level,) and while there’s some suggestion she knows Blaine’s real job, she and Blaine clearly had… VERY different views of the family finances. So either Blaine did something impulsive and risky to fund the kidnapping (what? Nooooooo, he would NEVER) or Yuri doesn’t have access to the money or financial records. I tend to favor the second option, but I would not be remotely shocked if it turns out to be the first. Or a combination, frankly.
He could fuck all their moms.
You come to me on this, the day of my daughter’s wedding, and ask me to kill a man for fucking your mom.
CONSEQUENCES CONTINUE TO EXIST MUCH TO MY CHAGRIN
Great Amber!
I am here for Amber’s continued acceptance of their plural nature.
I need a “not in shock” t-shirt. I think it would be more convincing on the subject than I could ever be.
Just to be clear Mr. Willis, Blaine IS dead right? I only ask because we didn’t SEE him actually be killed and tropes wanna trope….
No, he is in a chrysalis of the Phoenix Force at the bottom of Lake Monroe.
He’ll have his brain transferred into a car by Carla’s parents.
or into an orange tabby cat with skin problems by Trump’s doctors.
So Dumbing of Age gets Garfield as a guest star?
Probably.
HAY QUICK QUESTION isn’t Amber operating on around 50 hours with no sleep? Shit gets really hairy around there.
I think that there may be physiological consequences of her DID. Basically, she can ‘dolphin’, one psyche sleeps normally whilst the other remains functional and can sleep later.
I don’t think it really works like that. I suspect she was already running a sleep deficit from AG running around while Amber slept, that’s why staying up a single night with no sleep at all was so rough on her.
That said, it’s been a day or so since the kidnapping and unless I missed something saying she’s been up that whole time, I’d assume she got some sleep that afternoon and night.
Who is the careless twit who leaked that Blaine was the “suicide” victim? And how is it that everyone took it as gospel and bought into it without actually observing it?
Also, how come nobody – medical staff or law enforcement -has taken Amber aside for further observation and protection?
I mean, other than it’s a webcomic and is fiction?