nice face you have there, be an awful shame to see some romantic thing happen to it

Names


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Tags: alice, asma, jennifer

112 thoughts on “Names

  1. So what on-the-nose pop song do you think Asma hears in her head when Alice speaks to her?

    Dream Weaver is my pick, but I’m old and still consider Wayne’s World to be a cultural touchstone. Pretty sure todays kids do not say “SHWING!” and a song written in this century would be more appropriate.

    1. I Know Why The Mowed Lawn Screams

      I’m not sure if this fits the “written in this century” criteria, but i would put “You & Me” by Tiger Trap in my ballot for hypothetical Asma bittersweet crush montage music

      1. I Know Why The Mowed Lawn Screams

        Rescinding my original suggestion and swapping it with “Estrangers (Wild Honey Pie Buzzsession version)” by No Vacation because it hit me like a truck this morning how much of a better fit that song is lmfao

    2. Worry with You by Sleater Kinney.
       

      I had thought, there was no place for what I feel

      And then I learned, you are the place for what I feel
       
      Come at me with all of your swagger
      The strength of you is what I’ve been after

      If I’m gonna mess up, I’m gonna mess up with you

    3. If it were me, it’d be “The She Goes” by the La La Las covered by Sixpence None the Richer

    4. Obviously the kids need a newer film like Wayne’s World 2 so Foxie Lady

    5. I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis

  2. Wow that bowling date with the Joyothy broke Asma’s spirit.

    1. I know right. First time someone genuinely remembers her name, and it’s the girl she was crushing on. But nope—socializing was a mistake.

      1. Socialising was a mistake…

        …it’s lesbian early DoA Sarah?

    2. Sure seems like it. I was kind of surprise to see her indifferent attitude to Alice remembering her name. I was expecting more “Sempai noticed me!” and not “That’s my name; don’t wear it out”.

      1. Technically it would be a case of “Kouhai noticed me” here, as Alice is a first-year and I’m pretty sure Asma isn’t.

        1. I first learned the words sempai and kouhai reading Michael Crichton’s novel Rising Sun.

        2. I have not read that novel. Do you reccommend it? I like sci-fi murder mystery, though It seems the social commentary perhaps outdated (Japan’s rapid rise did not infact lead to them taking over the US and no longer seems to threaten to do so). Still, I suppose the core fears of cultural and economic replacement by foriegn powers is as strong as ever.

        3. The novel is about those fears, in part, but in no way did it validate them, imho, so that part isn’t really outdated.

        4. How accurate is the movie compared to the book?
          Assuming that the movie starring Older James Bond and younger Blade is based on the novel.

        5. It’s based on it! In some places it’s pretty accurate, and in other places it’s almost the exact opposite of the book, very much including how the mystery turns out — which is also a lot less complicated in the movie.
          .
          Wesley Snipes’s character is white in the book, and, man, I really like Snipes as an actor, but I don’t think enough thought was put into what needed to be changed about the script. It’s a story about racism and xenophobia: the main character being Black should’ve changed a lot more than it did.
          .
          Also: a lot of the characters in the book are racist, to one degree or another. So be aware of that. It was pretty toothless in the movie; in the book, there’s some slurs, including one pointed use of the n-word that especially sticks out in my mind because I wasn’t expecting it. Sean Connery’s character was asked why he left Japan, and he’s quiet for a moment, then says he was tired of being treated like a (n-word), which. You know. Yeah, Japan has legit discriminated against foreigners to various extents, but also: shut up, white character! I think it makes his character a lot less sympathetic. And I think it was supposed to; I think the main character, also white, is kind of stunned by the language and doesn’t know how to react to it, but I don’t remember, it’s been a while since I read.)
          .
          (And that that scene isn’t in the movie version so Wesley Snipes didn’t get to say, fucking excuse me???? is just. Yeah. Like I said, didn’t change enough about the story.)

        6. Thanks. I saw it like 20 years ago and didn’t really remember it.

    3. i mean, at this point would alice agree to a ‘date’ if she’s hung up on billiefer unless it’s like ‘hangout and get closer naturally’

      tho ik inda wanna see asma and dina date while dina and becky are broken up lol

  3. “i hope thing go horribly, terribly wrong for you, asma! just the absolute worst possible outcome! :D” -alice chen, 20xx

    1. That outcome being my pants

      1. Or lack thereof, for some horribly wrong memorable time.

  4. “Our top story today: Student tragically caught in unexpected smooching incident!”

    1. SecUnit (formerly Cimorene)

      Last time it was front page news!

      1. It’s one of those evergreen things.

  5. Asma might be able to have things work out, after all.

    I hope she and Alice end up together.

    I have no ulterior motives, aside from being a huge sicko for Billie/Ruth

  6. Okay, that’s a good line.

    1. I’m honestly surprised, as Alice was going pretty friggin’ hard at Jennifer, and not enough time has passed for friction.

  7. haha get it girlllllll (which girl (yes))

  8. In that last panel, it looks like Asma’s brain is buffering at thought of actual positivity being directed at her.

    That or she’s struggling not to read too much into Alice’s words.

    1. Can’t honestly say I blame her. The last social engagement she agreed to was bowling, and look how that turned out.

  9. Wow, Alice was a completely normal thing to say to someone you do not like in that way.

    1. i think Alice is just Like This

    2. To me it just reads as “aw, I hope you find someone,” not directly flirting.

      1. That’s how I read it, too.

  10. hahahha aaaaawwwwee XD ^-^
    for reals tho i really wanna see em connect

  11. Names are important, the ouroboros isn’t.

    (unless Asma wants to be added to that pile)

    1. I have not heard that term applied in that sexual fashion, but if any single word signifies the nature of the Dumbing of Age cast both individually and collectively, it is the term for a snake eating itself alive.

      1. I believe it was Walky that said something along the lines of “Our friend group’s smoochy chart is basically an ouroboros”, which was then used as the title for one of the print volumes of the comic.

    2. Dumbing of Ouroboros
      (DoO)

  12. “I’m still not on board with this whole “becoming plot-relevant” thing, need some time to think it over”

    1. “Become part of the plot in DoA?! Hell no! People get hurt that way!”
      “But there’s kissing.”
      “Damn you.”

  13. Just saying, Alice, Asma, Billifer, Raidah (ideally only if she’s being topped by one of them or anyone) they look good together. We could get this dumbing group b started. Knock over that selfish, garbage bisexual, Joyce Brown and her cabal of obnoxious weirdos and replace her with your own. Start a civil war! Add Joe and Dina to the mix because I like them! This can happen!

    1. I like that idea, however I would like the regular plot of dumbing of age to continue … only entirely in the back ground or off screen. Like you can catch Joyce and Dorothy having an argument across the quad in the background of a script focused on Billie and Raidah. When the cast gets back from Spring Break, Joyce and Becky are trudging by in the hall way with burnt hair, stiches, and Mad Max costumes. We still do the Amazi-girl plot, but never see Amber again, because its all just Billie stalking Sal to try to get the inside scoop on Amazi-girls offscreen super-hero show downs. Etc,

    2. Let them all coalesce into 3 major polycules! The Joyothy polycule, the Jennice polycule, and still keeping the original, seed Siergrandy (howinhell we write _that_ one?) polycule. The polycule trio! The Tripolycule!

      1. Gramandierra, according to the door of their room.

        1. Ah excellent!

  14. I hate that Asma just abandoned Dorothy and Joyce when she found out that Alice wouldn’t be there.
    That was horribly rude.

    1. To be fair to Asma she 1) doesn’t know Dorothy and Joyce well 2) they only invited her to go bowling because of white guilt and a performative need to “make up” for the protest fiasco and 3) Dorothy and Joyce survived just fine after she walked away. They basically went on a bowling date. Nothing of value was really lost by her leaving.

    2. Yeah she should have know better and not have gotten involved with those two numbskulls in the first place.

    3. Yeah, that was pretty rude.

  15. huh, maybe the reason I can never keep track of who’s smoochin’ or bangin’ is that it takes so long for names to stick in my head.

  16. I’m assuming Asma is just being grumpy because she still doesn’t know Alice’s name, and Alice is making it increasingly awkward for her to ask.

    1. Idk, she was literally sitting right there two pages ago as Jennifer proclaimed “This is Alice.” Seems like the sort of thing she would’ve paid attention to and filed away.

      1. She was all the way across the lobby. She might not have heard.

        1. Looking back at that panel, Asma was looking right at them (over her book) and they were maybe 5 meters away; no more than 8.

  17. Wave off, Asma! Abort, abort!
    Once you start down the Drama path, forever it will dominate your destiny, consume you it will!

    1. I, for one, welcome the new opportunity for more Asma Drama™.

    2. gotta pull out the drama tag sometime!

  18. Wow, what a thing to just say to someone you just met and who’s boundaries you don’t know. Maybe I’m right and Amber really did take over writing the comic.

    1. It’s well within Alice’s character. Even more-so if she indeed thinks Asma is cute.

    2. you must be a hoot at parties

      1. There’s a time and a place for mucking about.

    3. I think from Alice’s perspective the conversation went like this:
      Asma – “I’m too busy for relationships.”
      Alice – “Awh, I hope that changes for you.”

      Which is a reasonable and appropriate exchage.

    4. I think you have to take the full context here, including that Asma was noticeably very interested in talk of making out during their last conversation, and assume her tone (Adam’s tone) here is remorseful rather than forbidding.

      1. I get blamed for everything

  19. There’s a love square going on here in which none of the participants are aware of the full scope.

    1. relationship geometry is hard

      1. I was going to say. In a square each corner or line is connected to two others. Who are Asma’s two?

        1. Maybe Asma will start crushin on Sal lol

  20. This is funny to see from Alice “Wally, isn’t it?” “I don’t remember Asher” Chen. I can only assume that either she’s tried to grow as a person or she thinks Asma is hot.

    1. Or she only keeps track of hot ladies names

      1. Honestly that would make me like her a lot more

    2. You can also just know it’s important to remember people’s names and still not be perfect at it.

      1. I have a decent memory for many things, but my brain often seems to immediately discard people’s names upon meeting them (at least in most circumstances)… it’s not the best.

        1. Yeeeep. I feel you.
          .
          https://www.dumbingofage.com/comic/autocorrect/
          .
          Plus, this is the strip. Which I think conveys several things, but not that Alice was ever callous about getting people’s names right.
          .
          Like, take into account that “Walky” is easily misremembered as “Wally”. Take into account that Alice was BFF with and, indeed, seem to have had a massive crush on Billie, who definitely would have spent their high school years insisting that she barely knows who that dweeb is. Like… Alice would have been STRONGLY discouraged from learning Walky’s name back then.
          .
          And then, of course, there was the car crash, and…
          .
          People really underestimate the way trauma affects memory, but there’s a reason why most of us Americans don’t remember much from, say, 2016-2020. There’s a reason why the pandemic is a blur for everyone.
          .
          It doesn’t really seem like Asher had made much of an impression on Billie or Alice at the time of the prom flashback, but even if Alice knew his name back then, it might well have gotten knocked out of her head by the trauma, even with everything else being equal.

        2. @Li: I probably shouldn’t have quoted that strip, as the one that actually makes Alice today feel ironic to me was the one where she called him Wally, got corrected, and immediately called him Wally again. It’s fine either way, this is not an indictment of her (I’m TERRIBLE with names), I just think it’s funny.

  21. Stop threatening Alice with good times, Asma…

  22. May as well do both right now, to get it out of the way.

  23. Way to shoot yourself down there, Asma.

    1. tbf, we know she’s attracted to alice’s looks but might be off put by the fact that she’s ‘keeping track’ of ppl smooching/banging /seems low key/keeping a low profile to where she wouldn’t necessarily wanna date someone who gossips, religion aside (idk if alice would have any hangups but i can’t imagine how much of a disaster it is to be closeted as a muslim even if ur away from ur family during college)

      1. I actually interpreted that remark as more of a “I’m saving myself for marriage/a committed relationship” comment. Despite being a lesbian, Asma has said on several occasions that she still strongly holds to her Muslim faith, and she might still be into the idea of a “conservative traditional relationship”, despite who she’s attracted to.

        1. I interpret it as sheer pessimism.

  24. Asma is probably going to kick herself not asking for Alice’s name. Would have been the perfect opportunity.

    1. Or at least ask her if she likes bowling.

  25. Y’know; Asma, remembering her name would’ve made bowling a lot more to your liking.

    or you could miss your chance again, and continue to pine for Alice from behind that book lol

  26. Oof, Asma. :(

    1. tbf, has alice’s name been said in front of asma? Raidah told alice asma’s name but i don’t think alice said her name

      1. two strips ago

        1. yeah, but she didn’t know her name before that so she couldn’t specify to joyce/dorothy she wanted alice invited to bowling night

    2. (sorry, li, that was meant to be a reply to pocky)

  27. May you live in interestin’/smoochin’/bangin’ times

  28. lol i’d expect her to be more receptive unless she happened to over hear their convo versus asma being the type to act ‘aloof’ around her crushes lol

    1. After these:
      .
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/comic/booyah/ (+ the following strip)
      .
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/comic/problems/
      .
      …i think it’s clear Asma has some sort of big reservations here that are getting in her way with Alice.

  29. Alice is destroying Asma and she is not even trying.

    1. Are we SURE she isn’t trying? I mean, hands behind the back is not the standard way to talk to someone. Alice is being a little cutesy here. Though I suspect maybe it’s to spur Billie into action…

  30. Alice is going to upend everything, isn’t she?

    *grabs popcorn*

  31. ASMA, YOU FOOL. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE.

  32. Everyone here seems to be missing the fact that *Asma does not want to engage in romance or sexy stuff as a matter of faith/discipline*. Of course she’s gonna be cold towards the person she perceives as her main source of temptation, who ALMOST broke her determination once already.

    1. Not missing it, just finding it tragic.

    2. More of an assumption than a fact. Have we seen her say anything explicit about that?
      It’s not a bad assumption, but I don’t think it’s been made clear and there could be other things going on with her.

    3. Yeah, we don’t actually know that! We know there’s something going on with her, but it’s currently a leap to assume it has anything to do with her faith. She’s consistently seemed happy with her faith.
      .
      My current guess is that she feels guilty for pursuing smooches when she “should be” focusing all of her energy on activism, which is a trap lots of us fall into, especially when we’re younger. Doubly so if, as folks have been speculating, she has family that’s in danger because of the genocide, but I’m currently rating that as less likely bc it would mean getting a lot more specific about Bulmeria, which I don’t think we will be, but ofc I could be completely wrong there.

    4. I don’t think it is clear why Asma is avoiding romantic entanglements. It could be her faith, like you suggest, but I really hope not. I don’t think Willis is the right person to do a nuanced exploration of sexuality and queerness in Islam.

  33. Asma also feels guilty that she still doesn’t know Alice’s name.

    And Alice knows hers.

  34. Ah. With the jacket.

  35. Boy, I wonder if there’s any foreshadowing here?

  36. c’mooooon i’m rooting for you both so bad

  37. Ohhh, Alice, don’t threaten Asma with a good time.

  38. The remembering names thing… my daughter found a manga called “My Brain Doesn’t Work,” about people in Japan (a culture that prizes conformity) who find out they’re neurodivergent! The opening story was a woman who gets a note from her son’s school that he’s been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Syndrome, so she begins to study it to know what to look for… and realizes it’s HER childhood! She always thought she was stupid or slow because she couldn’t focus and couldn’t remember people’s names or faces. It turns out she has the same problem, but it wasn’t diagnosed. That’s me, I can’t focus or keep names or faces straight without a huge effort. But when I was a kid, they called it “fidgeting.”

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