you will cry out for my masterfully-performed friendship

Redouble
Posted on March 14, 2026 by David M Willis

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Tags: alice, asma, jennifer, raidah

97 thoughts on “Redouble”

  1. NGPZ

    LOL the supervillainy XD

    in other news,
    I got my third iron transfusion today, just one more to go! ^-^
    it also seems I gained back another couple pounds since last week, yay! :’)

    1. IntangibleMatter

      Eyyy congrats!!!

    2. Sirksome

      Good work on your recovery.

    3. Li

      Yay!

    4. ZombieKyrik

      Congratulations, that’s great to hear; hopefully your recovery continues smoothly.

      1. NGPZ

        thank you :’)
        the doc said I should be feeling results delivered in as late as 6-8 weeks
        my leg hasn’t un-atrophied yet, nor can i walk on it, but it seems I can stretch it out more than ever, being able to do it in bed again feels SO GOOD :’)

    5. clif

      Yay!

  2. Sirksome

    Jennifer should top Raidah. I think Raidah could use a good topping.

    1. Jon

      Don’t trust toppings.

      1. Dara

        Only eat dips.

    2. Rose By Any Other Name

      … yeah, I’d read that Slipshine.

  3. IntangibleMatter

    Billie: I always hear this voice in my ear… calling me to do terrible things.
    Ruth, speaking into an earpiece: gay gay homosexual gay

  4. Rebecca

    FINALLY, the time has come for Jennifer to realize that Raidah is not and has never been her friend!

    1. Coatl

      The question is whether she’ll realize it in time, or if she’ll keep insisting there’s something genuine there.

      And I think she’ll keep insisting.

      1. Noisy

        I think Alice might have something to say about that.

    2. Bryy

      Jennifer’s immediate reaction was to go along with it,

    3. Rose By Any Other Name

      Or for Jennifer to realize she has a crush on Raidah.

      You know, one of those two things.

  5. Astariel

    Dammit, Jennifer, don’t hit on other girls in front of Alice!

    1. Stormtide Leviathan

      Well it seems to be working on her, so maybe do

    2. Michael Steamweed

      Poor Asma, watching all this.

      1. butting

        The smoke that’d coming out of her ears by panel 6 tho

    3. Thag Simmons

      Really curious how Alice ends up taking all this

  6. Li

    Interesting.

  7. RassilonTDavros

    …
     
    …yeah, I can ship this.

  8. NGPZ

    oh yeah,
    happy π (Pi) day 🥧
    and happy birthday, Einstein! 🚀

    1. flake

      an a european i sat here way too long trying to figure out what 14.3 had to do with pi…

  9. ZombieKyrik

    Wow Raidah has no problem telling Billie that she only likes her for social climbing purposes. I’d be impressed by her boldness, but she’s a garbage person, and an oxygen thief. So it’s less impressive because of that.
    .
    How long before this breaks down, and Billie abandons Raidah too?

    1. Bryy

      Alice’s reaction to Jennifer literally up and going “I…. I know that” to Raidah to her face saying they are not friends is going to be interesting.

    2. Coatl

      And to think she used to have her own peculiar entourage, and now only Jennifer remains.

      I don’t know why, but even though she doesn’t appear as much anymore, it’s quite possible that Lucy is willing to be her new right-hand woman, should she finally be left alone.

      1. Thag Simmons

        Lucy is dating Jacob, which would probably be a roadblock

        1. Coatl

          True, and at the same time a perverse opportunity for Raidah to destroy that ship

  10. Doopyboop

    I appreciate Jennifer sticking up for Walky in a way, even if it is prefaced with calling him a dumb idiot baby.

    1. Coatl

      It’s Jennifer, her way of showing affection to those she cares about… is debatable.

    2. AeromechanicalAce

      It’s pretty clear that she thinks of Walky as her little brother, even if she’d rather gnaw her own legs off than admit that.

    3. Lee

      I mean, does even he deny that he’s a dumb idiot baby?

    4. John Campbell

      That’s Billie’s love language.

  11. Ray Radlein

    LOL Raidah not everyone is like you

    In fact, no one is like you, more or less

    1. John Campbell

      Fortunately.

  12. Andrusi

    Asma has to watch so much drama

    1. Stormtide Leviathan

      oop I didn’t even notice her. Reading that book very carefully and definitely not watching Alice

    2. clif

      I keep trying to interpret the expression on her face, but it’s a bit obscured from the reflection of the bottom of the noteboard on the glass in front of her face. It cuts right across her mouth.

  13. Shakes

    I’m imagining Raidah’s voice with the Darth Vader filter.

  14. Dave Van Domelen

    Alice is getting turned on.

  15. Cameron Stone

    I think Alice would like to a friend underneath Jennifer!

  16. Cbwroses

    Raidah is letting her failure with Tony and frustration with Sarah blind her to networking opportunities.

    I don’t know what Alice’s parents do, but since she went to school with Jennifer and Walky, there’s a better than average chance her parents are in the same or similar sphere of influence.

    1. Sirksome

      Raidah is already kind of full of shit with her goals because she hasn’t once shown interest in connecting with Carla the famous billionaire! But it would also be very funny if Alice also had some kind of significant family connection Raidah just overlooks because her frustrations.

      1. Bryy

        Hm I wonder why she has not tried Carla yet.

        1. Cameron Stone

          I would say it’s because Carla is very obnoxious to be around, but disappointingly it’s probably transphobia.

        2. Thag Simmons

          I’m sure she did, and I’m sure it was disastrous. Carla is extremely guarded, deliberately keeps people at a distance and I can’t see Raidah being able to put up with the sort of people Carla is friends with

        3. Sirksome

          I feel like there must be a bit of history between them. Like Raidah tried once and failed so badly she knew Carla would never give her another opportunity. I can’t imagine she just doesn’t know of Carla and any other reason I can think of makes Raidah just a truly awful person. Either that or for some reason a tech billionaire has no value to her? Is that really where Raidah would hold a moral line?

        4. Thag Simmons

          Probably can’t be moral, given that she tried to make contacts with the guy from the mobster family

      2. Throwatron

        Can’t say this for sure, as she was probably with Jacob primarily because of his brother, who famously works for the Ruttens.

    2. Undrave

      Also networking is much easier if people enjoy your company. Why would anyone even WANT to network with Raidah exactly? What does SHE bring?

      1. Random832

        Her connections to other people, clearly.

        [Tom Smykowski voice] “I have people skills!”

  17. chaostails7

    Raidah kinda sucks, huh

  18. Nono

    We see you staring at Alice there, Asma.

    1. Dara

      Yes, yes we do :D

  19. Taigan

    Jennifer “I don’t know when to cut my losses” Billingsworth.

    1. clif

      If you’re in a hole and keep digging, eventually you’ll come out in China.

  20. Lee

    Another masterstroke of subtlety and strategem from Raidah.

  21. darkoneko

    Prepare for trouble (and make it double)

  22. Tequila Mockingbird

    Billiefer, the closet you’re living in is made of some kinda one-way glass, because everyone can see you in it but you.

  23. John Campbell

    I wonder if Asma caught Alice’s name this time.

  24. Bill Erak

    Alice: “I know it’s just her stupidity and inhability to not be gay, but it’s really making it for me”

  25. Zerblergen

    Jennifer *already* knows Walky and his parents, why would she possibly need to swoop in to recruit him as a connection? He’s already a connection! It’s like scheming to become friends with your dog, even though they’ve been friends with you for years. This doesn’t even make sense as an anti-Sarah gambit, since she barely interacts with Walky anyway. Raidah being dismissive and openly transactional about Jennifer is also a terrible way to maintain the connection she already has with *Jennifer*. A person who’s decided you aren’t worth interacting with isn’t exactly going to help you further your career. I thought she was supposed to be a capable social climber?

    1. Sirksome

      I….I’m starting to think Raidah doesn’t really know what she’s doing and is maybe kinda stupid.

      1. Undrave

        If she was smart she’d be banging Walky.

        1. Cameron Stone

          Don’t give Willis ideas for another burn out Walky relationship, he’s finally back with Amber after so long.

        2. Thag Simmons

          Walky and Amber is fun but we’ve also seen them before.
           
          Walky and Raidah has the potential to be a whole new kind of disaster

        3. John Campbell

          Eh, not really. They fell apart before they really got going. I’d like to see them get a real shot.

      2. Michael Steamweed

        Connections for connections’ sake. Networking without purpose other than naked ambition. Quite the house of cards.

        1. Thag Simmons

          It’s gotta be at least partially out of insecurity. If all my friends and relationships are cynical networking then there’s no feelings involved. I’m a machiavellian chessmaster and future badass lawyer, not an awkward college student who has the capacity to be hurt

        2. Foolissa

          Thag, I like this take. I think it’s real and also the most sympathetic one possible.

    2. Throwatron

      The simplest explanation is that Raidah genuinely hasn’t clocked that Billie and Walky were literally childhood best friends from the jump; she only understands their relationship to be “I went to school with him,” which probably is compounded by the fact that Jennifer would never let on that she was actually friends with somebody like Walky, who she sees as socially inept, unserious, and uncool.

      It isn’t sufficient for Raidah to just know people; she needs them to be under her thumb, relying on her, and wanting her approval. Walky isn’t really a “connection” until Raidah is in the position where he is, in some way, relying on her for something, or if not her in particular, than one of her closer inner circle.

      Raidah can let the mask slip around Jennifer more than she can with most, because Jennifer will not do or say anything to her, which might make Jennifer fear that Raidah won’t see her as equally cool, powerful, and together. So, Raidah believes that Jennifer is much more like her,personality-wise, than she actually is, because of this front Jennifer puts up. Jennifer needs the attention and tacit approval of people who treat her like shit; that’s her messed-up cue that the person treating her like that is an equal who is worthy of her respect, as opposed to being dependent upon her, the way she views friends such as Joyce and Alice. It all comes back to Jennifer needing to place herself atop a hierarchy, both socially, and in terms of perceived competency.

      Ultimately, I think Raidah has been acting consistently more irritable and unhinged, because more things have been going wrong for her, and more things have happened that have pissed her off. If she were being self-aware about her own behavior, she’d know she’s not being responsible to her goals, and not acting sensibly. But she’s not being self-aware, she’s just fucking incensed at everything, and scrambling to regain that feeling of control and self-importance. In this way, her and Jennifer are extremely alike, even though Jennifer is much nicer, and with better intentions.

    3. John Campbell

      I don’t think we’ve seen any signs that she’s capable. Like, I’m pretty sure she’d have more and better connections if she quit worrying about “making connections”, and just had friends.

    4. HueSatLight

      I don’t think she’s supposed to be capable. I think she’s a different kind of naive than Dorothy, in that her plan to amass influence was hatched probably around 17 years old, and Dorothy’s at 12 or something.

  26. Muttski

    Raidah. Still a terrible person.
    *Noted*

  27. Vukodlak

    I wonder what connections Dana had to make Raidah care she’s gone.

    1. Axel

      I’m pretty sure her dad had a good law firm (when she tells Sarah college is also about networking, Sarah asks how many of her friends are related to high powered law offices (or something like that), and Dana says “Other than me?”), but it does feel like there must be something else since Raidah has dumped most of the other people from that friend group by now

  28. Nevermaker

    Wow, she said the quiet part out loud.

  29. Undrave

    Why aren’t you doing it yourself, Raidah? You coward!

    1. Reaver

      Low charisma score

  30. Michael Steamweed

    Keep going, Jennifer! You’re doing great!

  31. Throwatron

    just another day in the trials and tribulations of Jennifer, the Straightest Woman on Earth

  32. CrazyJ

    The sad thing isn’t just how she perceives human relationships as transactional, but she’s convinced everyone else too. So much so that she’s comfortable telling Jennifer she’s not her friend. Raidah is not only a sociopath, but one who hasn’t yet figured out that she isn’t normal, who hasn’t sat down to wonder why she’s slowly losing all her connections over time.

  33. Taffy

    Billie-

  34. Trina

    Billie lost her scrunchie in the last panel.

  35. Pocky

    I dunno if Raidah knows how to be a bottom lol

  36. Lvlu

    Mmmm very heterosexual

  37. Alongcameaspider

    Do we even know why Raidah is so obsessed with forming connections with powerful people

    Like networking is important yes but to what end? What does she hope to do with the connections she makes?

    1. Shakes

      Evil lawyer that gets bad people off the hook with a single call I think.

  38. Kitschensyngk

    Apparently to her, the one who dies with the most friends wins.

  39. The Wotch

    Raidah really is just the worst.

  40. Ophidiophile

    Raidah really knows how to bring out the best in people.

  41. Acher4

    hehehe.
    Asma in the back just openly yearning! :O

  42. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    It’s not like I’m friends with you because I *like* you or anything, b-baka!

  43. M!a

    Pretty cynical shit to be saying within earshot of others. I don’t see any of Raidah’s Devil’s Advocate Brigade weighing in, and I’d really like to hear what they might have to say on this one.

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