Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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June 14, 2026

Eugenio

by David M Willis on September 9, 2017 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - Face the Strange
└ Tags: jennifer, malaya, ruth, sal

Discussion (198) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    September 9, 2017 at 12:02 am | #

    they sign the roommate forms with pen

    or else Ruth gets femurs again

    • SomeDumbGuy
      SomeDumbGuy
      September 9, 2017 at 3:58 am | #

      Good rhyme.

  2. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    September 9, 2017 at 12:02 am | #

    So when does Malaya get to meet Carla? I know the ships in DoA aren’t the same, but their interactions were so great that I bet they’ll still at least become friends.

    Although it would be badass to see Marcie and Carla battle for Malaya’s hand. Can Reed Hall even contain such awesomeness?

    • Ana Chronistic
      Ana Chronistic
      September 9, 2017 at 12:03 am | #

      …at Carla’s first appearance?

      • Ana Chronistic
        Ana Chronistic
        September 9, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/03-up-all-night-to-get-vengeance/beer-weiser/ here

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        September 9, 2017 at 12:05 am | #

        Aw man, I forgot she was there. Oh well, hopefully they get to interact more now.

      • Kamino Neko
        Kamino Neko
        September 9, 2017 at 9:04 am | #

        Which was also Malaya’s first appearance, aside from a cameo in the form of an easily identified, but otherwise insignificant NPC in book 2.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      September 9, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

      They met back in book four! Check out “Up All Night to Get Vengeance”.

    • Sam
      Sam
      September 9, 2017 at 12:05 am | #

      They have literally met already in this comic… They were literally both there when AG went to try to instigate Sal for underage drinking.

  3. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 9, 2017 at 12:03 am | #

    Oh dear.

    • Jackson
      Jackson
      September 9, 2017 at 12:35 am | #

      I feel terrible for Ruth. I just want to give her a hug and tell her it’s still okay to frown sometimes.

  4. Shiro
    Shiro
    September 9, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

    New smiley Ruth is somehow more menacing than old scowly Ruth when she says things like that.

    • Danni
      Danni
      September 9, 2017 at 12:06 am | #

      new ruth: physical threats served with a smile!

      • some guy
        some guy
        September 9, 2017 at 4:27 am | #

        The fake smile really sells the sense of “I’m gonna rip out your throat like wires of a cheap rc toy”

      • Br44n5m
        Br44n5m
        September 10, 2017 at 1:57 am | #

        If your femur isn’t ripped out within 30 minutes your beating is free!

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      September 9, 2017 at 6:59 am | #

      Smiley Ruth probably has a better chance of getting through to Malaya than Scowly Ruth ever would.

    • Lokitsu
      Lokitsu
      September 9, 2017 at 10:29 am | #

      Its the kind of smile that says, “I am on the edge, and if you push me over, the universe will shatter under the weight of my divine rage”.

    • Stu
      Stu
      September 9, 2017 at 12:30 pm | #

      Agreed.

  5. Cholma
    Cholma
    September 9, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

    Oh, *there’s* the TACT that Malaya is so well known for!

    • Rambling Idiot
      Rambling Idiot
      September 9, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

      Bad is an accurate word for Malaya to wear.

      • Jhon
        Jhon
        September 9, 2017 at 8:22 pm | #

        It says ‘RAD’. Forget what you saw yesterday.

    • J
      J
      September 9, 2017 at 8:12 pm | #

      Just what Malaya needs right now:
      Another smiling face…

  6. QueerBitch
    QueerBitch
    September 9, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

    Don’t let out inner Ruth. She’ll fuck ya up

    • Beef
      Beef
      September 9, 2017 at 12:13 am | #

      Well she’ll fuck ya someway

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 9, 2017 at 12:13 am | #

      Don’t make Ruth angry. You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry.

      • some guy
        some guy
        September 9, 2017 at 4:28 am | #

        RUTH SMASH

  7. inqntrol
    inqntrol
    September 9, 2017 at 12:05 am | #

    Ruth in the fourth panel: Must..not..rip out..their..femurs..

    • Charie Spencer
      Charie Spencer
      September 9, 2017 at 5:31 am | #

      There’s my girl. Good to have her back.

  8. Danni
    Danni
    September 9, 2017 at 12:05 am | #

    ruth is very relatable.

  9. Nono
    Nono
    September 9, 2017 at 12:05 am | #

    ‘Were’?

    • Danni
      Danni
      September 9, 2017 at 12:07 am | #

      they both mightve agreed to put their relationship on hold, considering the circumstances

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      September 9, 2017 at 12:12 am | #

      Unless they are psychically fingering one another at the moment I don’t believe they are currently fucking.

      • Fart Captor
        Fart Captor
        September 9, 2017 at 12:17 am | #

        Actually, thanks to the wonders of teledildonics, they really could be doing that

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          September 9, 2017 at 12:58 am | #

          Is this real? Asking for a friend.

          • Fart Captor
            Fart Captor
            September 9, 2017 at 1:03 am | #

            Very real

            • vlademir1
              vlademir1
              September 9, 2017 at 1:27 am | #

              That’s a newer design than I’ve personally ever seen.
              Then again I fall into the maker/DIY end of the BDSM community so a lot of the stuff I’ve seen in this field involves some hardware hacking, some interesting kitbashing or else pure scratch fabrication (well outside the classic long running favorites of remote eggs, balls, rings and butterflies) and some of it falls into the scale of “you need a special room just for that”.

              • Fart Captor
                Fart Captor
                September 9, 2017 at 1:36 am | #

                Well now I’m just imagining one of those little drone kits you can get, only with a dildo instead of a camera

              • Bagge
                Bagge
                September 9, 2017 at 5:46 am | #

                …oh…

                *learnt something new today*

            • Delicious Taffy
              Delicious Taffy
              September 9, 2017 at 4:17 am | #

              Very interesting. My friend may need to look further into this.

          • Fart Captor
            Fart Captor
            September 9, 2017 at 1:04 am | #

            Although you should be warned…

            • vlademir1
              vlademir1
              September 9, 2017 at 1:33 am | #

              And that’s a big part of why the maker/DIY stuff in this field exists, well that and the fact that there’s a very limited set of mass market options for more… esoteric… interests (say remote operated clover clamps for example).

              • achallenger
                achallenger
                September 9, 2017 at 10:02 am | #

                hmmm, your usernme sure sounds like an old alias i used to use when i plyed with developing this stuff. did you perchance borrow it from somewhere vlad?

                i wonder if there’s some fun new kit out there

                • vlademir1
                  vlademir1
                  September 9, 2017 at 9:40 pm | #

                  Nope. My standard online handle (vlademir1) started life as a D&D character name I played when I was 12., some 26 years ago, and I’ve gone by it, with some minor variation, as my standard online public name for about 20 years.

                  As far as fun new kit, there’s always something. I’m not exactly deep on the bleeding edge though, I only got into this kinda stuff about 6 years back and lean heavier toward DIY of classic wood, metal, leather and cloth implements rather than the stuff we’re discussing upthread.

          • Wizard
            Wizard
            September 9, 2017 at 1:08 am | #

            Yes, it’s an actual thing: remotely-controlled sex toys.

        • ValdVin
          ValdVin
          September 9, 2017 at 10:44 am | #

          Teledildonics? Sounds like a subdivision of Omni Consumer Products in RoboCop.

    • drs
      drs
      September 9, 2017 at 12:38 am | #

      What would Malaya know about their status?

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        September 9, 2017 at 7:01 am | #

        Rumors, then process of elimination because Sal’s not leaving.

    • Doki
      Doki
      September 9, 2017 at 1:02 am | #

      I kinda assume it was just weird grammar (‘weird’ as in ‘sometimes people leave out words because that’s just how colloquial grammar works’).

      So I think Malaya means, like… “So she’s the one you were fucking [secretly, before you got discovered and job ethics forced one of you out of the dorm], right?”

  10. Briny
    Briny
    September 9, 2017 at 12:07 am | #

    I forget, what’s the workaround that makes it wrong to just not like Malaya?

    • (((Mkvenner)))
      (((Mkvenner)))
      September 9, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

      That she’ not Mary?

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        September 9, 2017 at 12:13 am | #

        Or Blaine, or Ross, or Ryan.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      September 9, 2017 at 12:11 am | #

      Seriously. She’s probably in my top 5.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      September 9, 2017 at 12:57 am | #

      Well, you don’t want people thinking you’re some kinda racist, do you? 😉

      Seriously, though, I don’t think anyone’s gonna say you’re wrong for not liking Malaya. She’s kind of an ass, after all.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 9, 2017 at 8:59 am | #

      I like Malaya because she’s an asshole that people treat and react to as if she were an asshole.

      Not a super edgelord mary sue like Mike, where he constantly harasses and demeans everyone but they still want to fuck him.

      • Jon Rich
        Jon Rich
        September 9, 2017 at 12:02 pm | #

        So you like her as a character, but not as a person?

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          September 9, 2017 at 4:12 pm | #

          Pretty much. No one ever tries to excuse her actions the way they do Anna or Mike. She’s an unapologetic asshole and she’ll let you know how stupid you are because you have it coming like Sal did.

          She’s a great ass, on top of having a great ass.

          • Roborat
            Roborat
            September 12, 2017 at 3:08 pm | #

            So, with great ass comes great assholery.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      September 9, 2017 at 12:23 pm | #

      I, personally really like Malaya because when I first met her I found her confidence refreshing – I’d not seen very many ladies in fiction who were like ‘I do what I want and I don’t really care if you like me or not, I’m great, what the fuck do I need you to like me for?’ Plus, I’ll admit, I tend to gravitate towards bongo-y characters because I have a very snarky, kinda sadistic sense of humour and their mean remarks usually make me laugh.

      I probably wouldn’t like her as much IRL (at least unless I got to see her with the people she liked, like Ultra car in Shortpacked! or Marcie here) because then she’s actually kinda adorable.

  11. TrueVCU
    TrueVCU
    September 9, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

    Ruth should’ve gathered more femurs when she had the chance

    • bleepbloop
      bleepbloop
      September 12, 2017 at 8:39 pm | #

      Not to be weird but do you go to VCU by chance?

  12. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    September 9, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

    I gotta say, Malaya is probably the most reasonable, least hostile person in this room. That’s kinda sad.

    • Deathjavu
      Deathjavu
      September 9, 2017 at 12:20 am | #

      Is persistently saying the most spiteful possible things really non-hostile?

      Also, Billie is in the room and has said nothing since Malaya arrived.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        September 9, 2017 at 12:43 am | #

        Hostility implies intent. She’s what you’d call “tactless”. Like calling someone fat. Even if it’s objectively true it’s pretty rude to say. But Hostile implies you’re saying it with attempt to hurt. So far Sal has been hostile to Malaya. Malaya’s just been sorta rude but not really out to start shit with Sal.

        • Cholma
          Cholma
          September 9, 2017 at 1:09 am | #

          Really? Three strips ago, JUST THREE, she entered the room with a snide comment about Sal. She’s DEFINITELY hostile and trying to start shit.

          Malaya: [Entering room] “Ugh. Is that the faint stench of cigarette smoke I smell in here or OVERHYPED PERFORMATIVE REBELLION?”

          • Yotomoe
            Yotomoe
            September 9, 2017 at 1:18 am | #

            To be fair (though not as verbose) I’d probably comment too if the room did smell like ciggarettes. Probably just as rudely too.

            • Josh Spicer
              Josh Spicer
              September 9, 2017 at 1:55 am | #

              You’re gonna be living with this person for next unknown months. Being rude might not be the best thing to start out with.

              • Yotomoe
                Yotomoe
                September 9, 2017 at 2:03 am | #

                I’m also gonna be living with these lungs for the next unknown years(hopefully). Cigarette smoke might not be the best thing either.

                • Tan
                  Tan
                  September 9, 2017 at 3:05 pm | #

                  Except Sal doesn’t actually smoke indoors? There’s never been any indication that she smokes in the room. I’m fairly certain that the room doesn’t actually smell like smoke (besides probably Sal’s clothes to some degree), Malaya’s just being an ass to Sal directly, purposely.

                  Which makes me wonder. Malaya presumably did read the paperwork where Sal was going to be her new roommate, right? And went ahead with it anyway?

            • ValdVin
              ValdVin
              September 9, 2017 at 7:36 am | #

              Malaya, who was just blasting Sal as “too cool to read the paperwork”, put in for a roomie switch the first hour of move-in day and didn’t specify “no smokers”.

        • Deathjavu
          Deathjavu
          September 9, 2017 at 11:07 am | #

          Malaya is way past tactless and definitely into actively trying to piss people off. Either that or she is a clueless idiot, but I don’t think that’s the one.

          Also, original point of Billie being the least hostile etc. still stands.

        • fractal
          fractal
          September 10, 2017 at 3:52 pm | #

          I think Malaya doesn’t like social niceties and would rather just be brutally honest and direct, partially because she’s not very good at more complex social stuff.

          Judging from her expression, this is just baseline Malaya rather than battlemode Malaya.

    • Svata
      Svata
      September 9, 2017 at 2:54 am | #

      Wait… How is Billie being hostile? She seems to just be standing there. Perhaps a bit annoyed, but who wouldn’t be?

  13. Cattleprod
    Cattleprod
    September 9, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

    Well, that certainly is a sincere smile filled with nothing but goodwill.

    • Danni
      Danni
      September 9, 2017 at 12:09 am | #

      the goodest of goodwill!

    • Arianod
      Arianod
      September 9, 2017 at 12:36 pm | #

      She is trying her goddamned best not to rip out their femurs. If that doesn’t count as goodwill, then I don’t know what does.

  14. bleepbloop
    bleepbloop
    September 9, 2017 at 12:09 am | #

    Looks like Malaya’s likely Brazilian!

    • Screwball
      Screwball
      September 9, 2017 at 12:21 am | #

      *Tilts head* You mean she’s from Brazil? Is that where she’s from? Is that a Brazilian skin tone? Daniel the Human just keeps chuckling & saying “You froze up last time I told you…”

      • Tacos
        Tacos
        September 9, 2017 at 12:27 am | #

        Isn’t she Filipino? I think somebody mentioned it recently.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          September 9, 2017 at 12:40 am | #

          Yeah, she’s Filipino

          • Yotomoe
            Yotomoe
            September 9, 2017 at 12:44 am | #

            To be fair that doesn’t mean she’s NOT Brazillian I guess.

            • BBCC
              BBCC
              September 9, 2017 at 10:17 pm | #

              True enough.

        • bleepbloop
          bleepbloop
          September 12, 2017 at 8:41 pm | #

          Oh thanks! I just googled her last name’s origin and it said “Brazilian/Portugeuse/Spanish” so I just assumed. But Filipino makes sense bc that would still mean a Spanish last name in origin.

    • Wack'd
      Wack'd
      September 9, 2017 at 12:23 am | #

      Filipino, actually.

      Not sure where Brazil’s coming from.

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        September 12, 2017 at 3:10 pm | #

        Maybe they are discussing her personal grooming habits.

      • bleepbloop
        bleepbloop
        September 12, 2017 at 8:44 pm | #

        Googled her last name, said Brazilian origin. I definitely should have lead with that in the first comment bc it seems to have caused confusion!

    • Romanticide
      Romanticide
      September 9, 2017 at 1:25 am | #

      She is Filipino, it was mentioned in Shortpacked but still those character traits remain in this comic.

    • Jão
      Jão
      September 10, 2017 at 12:18 pm | #

      Is it weird if, as a Brazilian, I find this musing mildly offensive?

      • bleepbloop
        bleepbloop
        September 12, 2017 at 8:43 pm | #

        I said that because I googled her last name and one of the origins said “Brazilian”….I hope you don’t think I meant that based off her appearance???

  15. Passchendaele
    Passchendaele
    September 9, 2017 at 12:09 am | #

    Ground rules:

    #1: murder is acceptable (especially if you suceed)

    #2: do we really need any other rules?

    • Danni
      Danni
      September 9, 2017 at 12:10 am | #

      no eye gouging

      • Screwball
        Screwball
        September 9, 2017 at 12:17 am | #

        #3: make sure to hide the body propperly. We don’t want more Police sniffing around…

        • Gaia
          Gaia
          September 9, 2017 at 12:51 am | #

          #4 Take care of Marci.

          • Passchendaele
            Passchendaele
            September 9, 2017 at 1:25 am | #

            #5 (possible new #1): don’t talk abour murder club.

            • Pablo360
              Pablo360
              September 9, 2017 at 1:32 am | #

              #6: No loud noises during quiet hours, especially screams of agony and/or cries for help as a result of being murdered. Show some consideration for your peers.

              • Passchendaele
                Passchendaele
                September 9, 2017 at 10:38 am | #

                #7: If #6 is ignored, vocal chords are a legitimate target.

  16. Keulen
    Keulen
    September 9, 2017 at 12:12 am | #

    Man I’m still not used to seeing Ruth smiling this much.

  17. Tacos
    Tacos
    September 9, 2017 at 12:24 am | #

    Smiley Ruth seems more intimidating than Scowly Ruth.

  18. Tenchan
    Tenchan
    September 9, 2017 at 12:32 am | #

    🙁

    RIP Old Ruth.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      September 9, 2017 at 12:52 am | #

      Yeah, the actively suicidal, numb, excessively-drunk version of Ruth will surely be mourned.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        September 9, 2017 at 7:05 am | #

        That’s not what she would have wanted.

        I like actively-trying-to-get-better-after-the-hospital-gave-her-a-kick-start Ruth, though.

      • hof1991
        hof1991
        September 9, 2017 at 7:59 am | #

        Rest in peace can also be like “bless her heart”.

      • Delicious Taffy
        Delicious Taffy
        September 9, 2017 at 11:24 pm | #

        I was being a smartass…

  19. Cephalo the Pod
    Cephalo the Pod
    September 9, 2017 at 12:33 am | #

    How did Ruth get hired for this job? Follow-up question, how did she fail to get a job anywhere else?

    • JetstreamGW
      JetstreamGW
      September 9, 2017 at 12:37 am | #

      She didn’t get hired. She was placed there. Apparently at her grandfather’s insistence.

    • Sam
      Sam
      September 9, 2017 at 1:54 pm | #

      1) RAs have to be students I think so she volunteered and just had to be able to seem better in theory than the other ones and we have seen she can be okay in small doses. Mystically she is actually still better than the other RAs which should tell you a lot about the kinds of people that usually volunteer for the position and have to be hired due to lack of other options.

      2) She likely didn’t look for a job elsewhere. She probably only took the RA one because it helped her attend and would reduce her school costs.

      3) Why is she still one? Her grandfather said so and convinced Chloe to keep her as one.

  20. Roger Sterling
    Roger Sterling
    September 9, 2017 at 12:35 am | #

    She reminds me of Lord Vetinari with her “Don’t make me come over there” approach to leadership.

    Or Eru’s approach to conflict resolution, which involved blowing up a continent.

    • Badgermole
      Badgermole
      September 9, 2017 at 12:44 am | #

      “Don’t let me detain you.”

    • Jess
      Jess
      September 9, 2017 at 12:49 am | #

      As you do, really.

    • Rukdug
      Rukdug
      September 9, 2017 at 1:39 am | #

      To be fair to Eru, Numenor had become ruled by an evil cult practicing human sacrifices and literally marching an army into elf heaven to become immortal, while persecuting non-cult members who had for the most part fled to the colonies in Middle Earth.

  21. Garnakan
    Garnakan
    September 9, 2017 at 12:40 am | #

    Ruth is really really scarry when she’s nice (as Billie has noted before)…

    Poor Ruth. Is the past had been different, she would proberly be the best RA in the world

  22. pjeseb
    pjeseb
    September 9, 2017 at 12:43 am | #

    *Panel 5* That, everyone, is what self-restraint looks like.

    Also, what the hell Malaya?

  23. Rei
    Rei
    September 9, 2017 at 12:44 am | #

    Ruth has a really fucked up Joyce smile right there.

  24. Badgermole
    Badgermole
    September 9, 2017 at 12:45 am | #

    Ruth actually doing her job is a beautiful thing to see. But I have to wonder, where does she channel all the anger now?

    • Falcon
      Falcon
      September 9, 2017 at 1:16 am | #

      Hate sex would be nice.

  25. Jess
    Jess
    September 9, 2017 at 12:50 am | #

    Those last two panels are priceless. Poor Ruth. She’s not getting paid enough for this.

    • VeryCreativeUsername
      VeryCreativeUsername
      September 9, 2017 at 7:59 am | #

      What pay *would* be enough for this?

      • Jon Rich
        Jon Rich
        September 9, 2017 at 12:08 pm | #

        I don’t know how much pay would be enough, but the job *definitely* needs to come with a benefits package that includes health insurance that has mental health coverage of some kind.

  26. Carms
    Carms
    September 9, 2017 at 1:12 am | #

    Aw Ruth you are doing good well dun

  27. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 9, 2017 at 1:12 am | #

    “Wanna kill her NOW!”
    I read Sal’s line in a whiny little girls voice.

    • Lingo
      Lingo
      September 9, 2017 at 4:56 am | #

      Like Veruca Salt.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        September 9, 2017 at 4:59 am | #

        Exactly like that!

      • hof1991
        hof1991
        September 9, 2017 at 7:57 am | #

        Don’t care how. I want it now!
        https://youtu.be/Pqsy7V0wphI?t=1m4s

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 9, 2017 at 9:04 am | #

      but moooooom i wanna kill my roommate nooooow

  28. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 9, 2017 at 1:16 am | #

    Sal’s face is adorable in panel 2. I just wanna smush her face!

  29. AgentKeen
    AgentKeen
    September 9, 2017 at 1:19 am | #

    Has Joyce been offering a course on triangle smiles?

  30. ESM
    ESM
    September 9, 2017 at 1:22 am | #

    …Is there a reason Malaya’s last name is so close to “Eugenics”?

    • 3oranges
      3oranges
      September 9, 2017 at 1:57 am | #

      Yes! Both come from the same Greek root, eugenios, which means well-born. This became names in various languages – like Eugene in English – implying nobility. And then later it became the name of a pseudoscience trying to breed “better” people.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        September 9, 2017 at 2:30 am | #

        +1

      • Eyebrow
        Eyebrow
        September 9, 2017 at 8:49 am | #

        Yay etymology! +1

      • Pablo360
        Pablo360
        September 9, 2017 at 9:36 am | #

        I see etymology, I +1

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          September 9, 2017 at 11:02 am | #

          Not to be confused with entemology, of course.

          • Roborat
            Roborat
            September 12, 2017 at 3:14 pm | #

            Which, ironically enough, is a plot point in Gunnerkrigg Court.

  31. Antonio Tyler
    Antonio Tyler
    September 9, 2017 at 1:23 am | #

    Me talking to my kids 5 minutes after my wife leaves.

  32. Romanticide
    Romanticide
    September 9, 2017 at 1:27 am | #

    I am starting to think people on the dorm will be more disapointed in Ruth if she doesn’t try to throttle Mary or Malaya in 6 months. It’s probably a Lose-lose for her.

  33. Rukdug
    Rukdug
    September 9, 2017 at 1:41 am | #

    I don’t know why, but Ruth reminds me of Norman Bates in that last panel.

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      September 9, 2017 at 2:41 am | #

      “I could crush you like a bug but I won’t. That way, when I come to trial, the jury will say: ‘What a sweet little girl… She wouldn’t hurt a fly!“

  34. Josh Spicer
    Josh Spicer
    September 9, 2017 at 1:53 am | #

    I’m wondering at what point “I’m a terrible RA” turns into “my residents are assholes and need to be punished by a higher authority”.

    • Cephalo the Pod
      Cephalo the Pod
      September 9, 2017 at 10:16 am | #

      How about “flinging around transphobic slurs”?

      • Josh Spicer
        Josh Spicer
        September 9, 2017 at 12:53 pm | #

        That’s a start.

  35. Cmd1095
    Cmd1095
    September 9, 2017 at 2:05 am | #

    Ruth’s face is somehow more frightening with this creepy forced smile of hers XD

    • Peter
      Peter
      September 9, 2017 at 2:58 am | #

      It’s an “incipient mass murder” smile, I agree.

  36. Jezi
    Jezi
    September 9, 2017 at 2:12 am | #

    Poor Ruth.

  37. Vukodlak
    Vukodlak
    September 9, 2017 at 2:29 am | #

    The Stepford RA’s

  38. Pl0x
    Pl0x
    September 9, 2017 at 2:37 am | #

    Too much Malaya. I can’t take it. I’m gonna explode for being angry about her. Also I should take a break from reading comments maybe.

  39. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 9, 2017 at 2:40 am | #

    Yeah, I always thought that Malaya’s problem was a total lack of survival instinct and this kind of confirms it!

  40. Eldritch Gentleman
    Eldritch Gentleman
    September 9, 2017 at 3:00 am | #

    Back up Ruth! This dorm wing has room for only one Joker-class Supervillain!

  41. Abel Undercity
    Abel Undercity
    September 9, 2017 at 5:04 am | #

    The femur hunger cannot be suppressed forever.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 9, 2017 at 5:44 am | #

      Those wild dogs wont feed themselves.

  42. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 9, 2017 at 5:43 am | #

    I love how Ruth actually did a decent job as a fake!nice RA… until she met the reality of the people in her charge.

  43. Emoroffle
    Emoroffle
    September 9, 2017 at 6:26 am | #

    Well, there goes what willpower Ruth had amassed for the day.

  44. newllend(henryvolt)
    newllend(henryvolt)
    September 9, 2017 at 6:30 am | #

    All I see are time bombs being passed off as female characters infront of me right now.

  45. podian
    podian
    September 9, 2017 at 6:57 am | #

    So… new gravatar?

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      September 9, 2017 at 7:09 am | #

      That’s just disturbing when taken out of context.

      It’s perfect.

      • ValdVin
        ValdVin
        September 9, 2017 at 8:15 am | #

        But in context it’s also disturbing.

        There’s really no way to normalize that smile, is there?

  46. chris73
    chris73
    September 9, 2017 at 7:03 am | #

    Well thats one way of handling it I suppose, walking away would have been another but it wouldn’t have been as amusing

  47. Geneseepaws
    Geneseepaws
    September 9, 2017 at 7:31 am | #

    Panel four caused spontaneous Ringer’s leakage from my ocular-orb O-ring seals. Leaking O-rings are very dangerous, Feels indicator shows pressure exceeds Max specs. Calling subroutine selfchek.exe and emo-reset.bat

  48. Michael I
    Michael I
    September 9, 2017 at 7:32 am | #

    It does occur to me that giving Sal and Malaya a common enemy might make them less likely to keep antagonizing each other.

  49. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    September 9, 2017 at 7:46 am | #

    One small Billie in panel 4, no lines. And she makes the most of it.

    In another way, Malaya’s special talent shines through: Getting the most Goddammit Malaya she can out of every syllable uttered, not just at the people in her new wing, but also to Billie, and we only imagine, other bystanders.

    How badly has she pissed off Asma by this point?

  50. Yarrr
    Yarrr
    September 9, 2017 at 8:03 am | #

    What a cruel fate for Ruth. I hope she gets her revenge on that shitting excuse for a grandparent.

  51. hof1991
    hof1991
    September 9, 2017 at 8:18 am | #

    Malaya put in her request to swap immediately. My guess is that Puddinhead put it on hold until she found someone to inflict her on who could handle it. Sal can trade insults with Malaya in the way most frosh couldn’t. Or else she just dumped the two brown girls together because it was easy.

    So who wouldn’t Malaya want to kill on sight? Marcie is the only one we have seen her interact with without spitting poison.

    • Dean
      Dean
      September 9, 2017 at 10:04 am | #

      Or maybe this was just the first vacancy that came up. We’re still fairly early in the semester, remember .

  52. Ntrovert
    Ntrovert
    September 9, 2017 at 9:16 am | #

    That’s funny. I would have worded your first line as “Who wouldn’t want to kill Malaya on sight?” Marcie excepted, of course…
    If not on sight, then after hearing her speak, at least. She sounds altogether too much like the overprivileged rich white kids who went to my daughter’s school who should be sterilized to prevent them breeding more of their kind.

    • OnyxIdol
      OnyxIdol
      September 9, 2017 at 9:53 am | #

      Not in the mood for PC, eh?

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 9, 2017 at 11:06 am | #

      Except that she’s not white, not as far as we know, rich.

      • Arianod
        Arianod
        September 9, 2017 at 12:41 pm | #

        You don’t have to be rich to be an obnoxious, self-centered asshat. It just makes it more likely, statistically speaking.

      • Josh Spicer
        Josh Spicer
        September 9, 2017 at 12:56 pm | #

        Thus the “like”.

        No she’s not white. Doesn’t mean she can’t like the person Ntrovert described.

    • boop
      boop
      September 9, 2017 at 2:27 pm | #

      so was it her last name that had you jumping to advocating eugenics re:people you can’t stand, or do you hold that position normally? -.^

      don’t support forced sterilization, joe

  53. Smooti
    Smooti
    September 9, 2017 at 10:47 am | #

    Am I the only one who finds smile!Ruth INFINITELY MORE TERRIFYING

  54. Pinkie
    Pinkie
    September 9, 2017 at 11:21 am | #

    Theory on yesterday’s strip: between the new church and the old sweater, Joyce and Sarah arrive at Jacob’s church to see the pastor requesting prayers/etc. for his son who was attacked and is now in the hospital.

    • Eldritch Gentleman
      Eldritch Gentleman
      September 9, 2017 at 11:39 am | #

      And so begin the adventures of Bat(Baseball)woman and her sidekick One Punch Sweater Face.

  55. Arianod
    Arianod
    September 9, 2017 at 12:32 pm | #

    Who’d have thought a smile could look so much like a battle axe.

  56. motorfirebox
    motorfirebox
    September 9, 2017 at 1:47 pm | #

    Ha ha! It’s funny because I’ll fucking murder you and no one will find the body!

  57. Pigeon Pollyx
    Pigeon Pollyx
    September 9, 2017 at 2:37 pm | #

    noone’s gonna comment on that legitimate attempt as a kinda-fake-but-vaguely-nice first impression for Ruth? She’s trying so hard. Last panel’s honestly more sad than funny to me.

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      September 9, 2017 at 2:46 pm | #

      Oh, yes. Ruth drew up all the reserves of niceness she could, and in about ten seconds of [Sal + Malaya] it evaporated.

  58. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    September 9, 2017 at 2:41 pm | #

    Panel 5 to 6: The very, very small change in Ruth’s eyebrows, positioning of her glasses/hair, and her facial features between the eyes and the top of the smile really sell this.

    They’re big parts of the unease-inducing smile she unloads at the end.

  59. Cerberus
    Cerberus
    September 9, 2017 at 3:04 pm | #

    Comic Reactions:

    I’m genuinely proud of Ruth here. Like she’s struggling so hard not to lapse into her old patterns and struggling with how much this job is a daily reminder of the vast control over her life her grandpa has.

    And yet she tries to hold true to the person she is trying to be. She holds her fake smile, she keeps her statements oblique, and she even tries to be genuinely friendly at the beginning.

    Like, having been through patches of intense depression and in spaces that were deeply triggering, I know just how fucking hard it is to dig deep for spoons like that and I’m proud of her for all the effort she is throwing into that.

    • Betty Anne
      Betty Anne
      September 9, 2017 at 3:41 pm | #

      ^ This. I came her to congratulate Ruth. She’s finding that place where you can work the you people used to know into the new, healthier person you’re becoming with help. Sometimes, you have to be an asshole to get the point across to other assholes. However, when you can do it with a smile and the knowledge that you don’t have to be that way 100% of the time, it can be more useful – people have to assume you mean business, instead of “she’s just that way, roll your eyes and move on.”

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      September 9, 2017 at 5:25 pm | #

      “Spoons” means something from a blogger, but I forget who.

      (Also it’s the name of cartoonist Abby Howard’s cat, at JSPowerhour, but that’s not what I’m thinking of. )

      • Delicious Taffy
        Delicious Taffy
        September 9, 2017 at 6:28 pm | #

        Been meaning to ask about the “spoons” thing for months.

        • Jhon
          Jhon
          September 9, 2017 at 8:15 pm | #

          ‘Spoons’ = coping energy. Something people with depression must ration carefully.

          • StClair
            StClair
            September 9, 2017 at 9:06 pm | #

            Not just coping energy, energy for ALL your daily tasks. Like “action points”. Physical and mental effort. And if you run out before you run out of things on your to-do list, well, some of those things will just have to wait. If you’re chronically short, things start to pile up…

            • ValdVin
              ValdVin
              September 9, 2017 at 9:22 pm | #

              Thank you for the term.

              Here’s the other Spoons, who shows up at the end.
              http://www.jspowerhour.com/comics/166

            • Bagge
              Bagge
              September 10, 2017 at 1:51 am | #

              Another metaphor I heard is spell slots.

  60. Dev
    Dev
    September 9, 2017 at 5:26 pm | #

    I know she’s trying but man, Ruth in the first panel is so pretty.

    • StClair
      StClair
      September 9, 2017 at 9:07 pm | #

      Agreed. (But then, I’m biased. 😉 )

  61. Joner
    Joner
    September 9, 2017 at 5:41 pm | #

    i feel like i’m the only one who can’t STAND malaya. like at all.

    • Tarnish
      Tarnish
      September 9, 2017 at 5:56 pm | #

      Nope. I don’t like her either.

    • Zatar
      Zatar
      September 9, 2017 at 6:25 pm | #

      Well there’s also Sal.

  62. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    September 9, 2017 at 8:14 pm | #

    I admit, whenever Sal and Malaya fight, I am on Mal’s side. Why? Because I do like that Mal doesn’t take any crap. She knows Sal hates her and it’s not because of anything she did.

    No false politeness.

    • StClair
      StClair
      September 9, 2017 at 9:14 pm | #

      No genuine politeness, either. In fact, none at all.

    • Eldritch Gentleman
      Eldritch Gentleman
      September 10, 2017 at 4:43 am | #

      What StClair said. There is a difference between being blunt and being an ass. And it might be very likely that Malaya being an ass was what sparked her conflict with Sal.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 10, 2017 at 11:31 am | #

        Perhaps, but mostly it was “interfering” with her friendship with Marcie.

        • Eldritch Gentleman
          Eldritch Gentleman
          September 10, 2017 at 11:45 am | #

          True, though friendship might less accurate than Lust considering Marcie openly said she wants to “hit that”.

  63. Dracke
    Dracke
    September 9, 2017 at 9:59 pm | #

    Her “nice way” of doing things is scarier than her old aggressive ways.

  64. Janjan
    Janjan
    September 10, 2017 at 8:29 am | #

    Well since Malaya is Filipino, fun fact: “Malaya” means freedom in our tongue. Both apt and ironic for what’s transpiring in this scene.

  65. nothri
    nothri
    September 10, 2017 at 12:20 pm | #

    Billie: Right. So, just in case, I’d really appreciate it if these two failing to get this agreement to you in a timely fashion didn’t end up with you sleeping with either of em.

  66. shammers
    shammers
    September 11, 2017 at 1:49 pm | #

    Yeesh I forgot how insufferable Malaya was

  67. Passchendaele
    Passchendaele
    October 4, 2017 at 11:00 am | #

    fffffff Ruth needs to be composed and tempered because her volatility’s damaged herself and the people around her, but Malaya *is* Malaya. I’m…not super sure I’m looking forward to their next meeting. <.<

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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
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today in #9chickweedlane i guess we're memory-holing again that 1997 story where amos and edda kissed for the first time after she, uh, got shot at school
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Right now, these sweet kids have no clue how impactful this period in history will be for them, but I hope they will be proud of the time they made the best protest sign ever: The green one that says “Trump eats boogers” #NoKings
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