Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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you take this desk right back right this instant and don't bring it back until it's stolen
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July 10, 2026

Desk

by David M Willis on December 28, 2017 at 12:01 am
  • 02 - This Is the Way that We Love
└ Tags: jennifer, ruth

Discussion (92) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. miados
    miados
    December 28, 2017 at 12:02 am | #

    sweet in its own way

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      December 28, 2017 at 12:03 am | #

      Billie and Ruth’s relationship in a nutshell.

      • MM
        MM
        December 28, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

        Most of the relationships in this strip in a nutshell.

    • Alice Macher
      Alice Macher
      December 28, 2017 at 12:37 am | #

      Given how Billie, Ruth or both at the same time are usually so… Byronic about their love (as though Lady Gaga had written “Bad Romance” just for them), I treasure moments like these when at least one of them is lighthearted and playful about it.

      • HeySo
        HeySo
        December 28, 2017 at 8:42 am | #

        Hopefully it’s indicative of things to come- heavens know Ruth deserves happy in some universe.

        • HeySo
          HeySo
          December 28, 2017 at 11:05 am | #

          *to be happy. Ew to morning grammar.

  2. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    December 28, 2017 at 12:02 am | #

    “I beat myself up over it”

    • Koms
      Koms
      December 28, 2017 at 1:12 am | #

      Haha

  3. AnvilPro
    AnvilPro
    December 28, 2017 at 12:02 am | #

    At least Ruth can laugh at herself… for a moment.

    • Stu
      Stu
      December 28, 2017 at 1:04 am | #

      I’m unsure whether she was calling herself or Billie an idiot with that statement, though.

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        December 28, 2017 at 1:08 am | #

        I thought herself, since she was the one who brought up orphans, but either works.

    • Dragon_Nataku
      Dragon_Nataku
      December 28, 2017 at 2:11 pm | #

      So… this means she pantsed Howard and stole his chair…? 😛

      • Dragon_Nataku
        Dragon_Nataku
        December 28, 2017 at 2:12 pm | #

        ah noooooo, I’m still Douchey McTwatWaffle. Time to figure out how to fix that

  4. Daddy-O
    Daddy-O
    December 28, 2017 at 12:02 am | #

    Awwww, Twue Wuv!

    • MatthewTheLucky
      MatthewTheLucky
      December 28, 2017 at 1:06 am | #

      Mawwiage

      • Koms
        Koms
        December 28, 2017 at 1:13 am | #

        Sewwwx

        • Deanatay
          Deanatay
          December 28, 2017 at 9:11 am | #

          ITYM Intah-cawse

          • Koms
            Koms
            December 28, 2017 at 8:47 pm | #

            What’s the diwwwwwffferencwwwee

  5. Crazy Lou
    Crazy Lou
    December 28, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

    Hey, you’re the one that brought up orphans, Ruth. Don’t go shouting.

  6. CleverTrousers
    CleverTrousers
    December 28, 2017 at 12:04 am | #

    So… it’s Howard’s?

    • MM
      MM
      December 28, 2017 at 12:11 am | #

      A folding chair is probably the only thing Gramps would let them keep.

    • Bruceski
      Bruceski
      December 28, 2017 at 12:13 am | #

      If so… wash it first.

      • LookingIn
        LookingIn
        December 28, 2017 at 12:26 am | #

        trust me, unless he gets off on cold metal it doesn’t need washing…a new cushion maybe, but not a washing.

        • SalmonMax
          SalmonMax
          December 28, 2017 at 12:35 am | #

          Unless he sat in it post-pantsing.

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            December 28, 2017 at 2:05 am | #

            Even still, just give it a quick pass with disinfectant cleaning wipes and it will be fine.

    • UniqueSnowflake2
      UniqueSnowflake2
      December 28, 2017 at 11:49 am | #

      He calls it his Iron Throne.

  7. Kernanator
    Kernanator
    December 28, 2017 at 12:05 am | #

    She stole it from herself. From the future.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      December 28, 2017 at 12:06 am | #

      You figure she’d remember pantsing herself.

      • John
        John
        December 28, 2017 at 12:10 am | #

        That’s where this encounter with Billie is going.

        • DailyBrad
          DailyBrad
          December 28, 2017 at 1:09 am | #

          Well, Billie did get pushed in the hall by Ruth that one time in just panties since she took her jersey back, so I mean, that’s not out of character for it to go that way

      • StClair
        StClair
        December 28, 2017 at 12:13 am | #

        Thief didn’t.

        • Songbird
          Songbird
          December 28, 2017 at 5:30 am | #

          That 8-Bit Theater reference made me happy inside–I pretty much never see people bringing it up anymore.

  8. Passchendaele
    Passchendaele
    December 28, 2017 at 12:05 am | #

    Stealing things – the benchmark of love. 😛

    • Joe Covenant
      Joe Covenant
      December 28, 2017 at 4:35 am | #

      This is more of a chairmark…

  9. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    December 28, 2017 at 12:06 am | #

    There is a musical number about a related premise in the Gilbert & Sullivan play The Pirates of Penzance, but the hacked Muzak is not equipped to play it, so I’ll spare you.
    Anybody for Cher?

    • Inahc
      Inahc
      December 28, 2017 at 4:12 am | #

      And then there’s the Higgs boson hornpipe

    • hof1991
      hof1991
      December 28, 2017 at 9:40 am | #

      I’ve listened to that song orphan / orften.

      • merbrat
        merbrat
        December 28, 2017 at 10:20 am | #

        *slow clap*

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        January 2, 2018 at 6:01 pm | #

        Did you mean orphan frequently?

  10. Mordecai
    Mordecai
    December 28, 2017 at 12:08 am | #

    This is kind of cute

  11. Keulen
    Keulen
    December 28, 2017 at 12:10 am | #

    This is adorable in a weird sort of way.

  12. newllend(henryvolt)
    newllend(henryvolt)
    December 28, 2017 at 12:12 am | #

    Maybe next time you can take a swing at stealing a box of chocolate from Mary’s boyfriend as a Valentine’s Day gift.

    • Chris Phoenix
      Chris Phoenix
      December 28, 2017 at 2:58 am | #

      Nah, it’d be religiously themed chocolate and no one would want it.

      …Or would they? I could see a snarky character enjoying biting the head off of chocolate Jesuses.

      …Yes, that’s really a thing. Google image search finds all sorts of Jesuses in chocolate, some with bites out of them.

      • Delicious Taffy
        Delicious Taffy
        December 28, 2017 at 3:52 am | #

        Chocolate is chocolate, mate.

      • Dean
        Dean
        December 28, 2017 at 4:13 am | #

        It would be carob, because God wants people to suffer.

  13. some guy
    some guy
    December 28, 2017 at 12:12 am | #

    gonna be honest, wanted to see how the rest of that orphan story played out

  14. Adj
    Adj
    December 28, 2017 at 12:19 am | #

    I’m digging this foreplay.

    • jeffepp
      jeffepp
      December 28, 2017 at 12:32 am | #

      It’s really a “doing” desk, not a study desk. And, now, they do it on the desk!

  15. Danni
    Danni
    December 28, 2017 at 12:20 am | #

    ~bonding~

  16. Cattleprod
    Cattleprod
    December 28, 2017 at 12:28 am | #

    Donate the desk to charity and then take it back.

  17. Azhrei Vep
    Azhrei Vep
    December 28, 2017 at 12:30 am | #

    Welp. This is it. He’s peaked. This is the best Dumbing of Age strip that ever has been or will be. All bow before the once and future king of punchlines.

    This is goddamn amazing.

    • some guy
      some guy
      December 28, 2017 at 2:19 am | #

      in the name of roomies, it’s walky, and shortpacked, amen

    • Geneseepaws
      Geneseepaws
      December 28, 2017 at 6:35 am | #

      I dunno, Becky and Dina kissing for the third time was pretty hard to surpass.

  18. Doom Shepherd
    Doom Shepherd
    December 28, 2017 at 12:31 am | #

    “Put that desk back where it came from, or so help me…”

    Sorry, that was the first funny thing I thought of. I am drunk and sleep-deprived.

  19. gen
    gen
    December 28, 2017 at 12:35 am | #

    Really sounding like Billie has some odd sexual mores.

    And/or she falls into character really easily.

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      December 28, 2017 at 1:09 am | #

      Why not both?

      • gen
        gen
        December 28, 2017 at 3:14 am | #

        I lean toward the “and” in “and/or” as well!

  20. Marsh Maryrose
    Marsh Maryrose
    December 28, 2017 at 12:37 am | #

    And thus was born the first Dread Pantser Roberts.

  21. meanderling
    meanderling
    December 28, 2017 at 12:43 am | #

    Billie’s got her glasses back on. Is she going to try and do a double life thing? Former cheerleader, problem solver, at her new dorm and Billie the recovering alcoholic in a lesbian death pact in her old one? That doesn’t seem healthy.

    • Dellaran
      Dellaran
      December 28, 2017 at 12:50 am | #

      “That doesn’t seem healthy” will be the title of the first omnibus Dumbing of Age hardcover collection, if there is any justice in the world.

      • ObiKemnebi
        ObiKemnebi
        December 28, 2017 at 3:51 am | #

        MAKE THIS HAPPEN, WILLIS

    • UniqueSnowflake2
      UniqueSnowflake2
      December 28, 2017 at 12:52 am | #

      Billie? Do something that doesn’t seem healthy? How could such an idea even occur to you?

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        December 28, 2017 at 5:56 pm | #

        Of course she wouldn’t do anything unhealthy. She’s far too smart for that. After all, she’s got great intuition.

  22. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    December 28, 2017 at 12:57 am | #

    As usual with these two, I’m left wondering just how healthy this is.

    • Clif
      Clif
      December 28, 2017 at 1:48 am | #

      It’s not and it’s still wonderful. That’s kind of the point.

  23. DrReagan
    DrReagan
    December 28, 2017 at 1:05 am | #

    I audibly went “Awwwwwwwwww.” for like ten whole minutes upon reading this.

  24. Leorale
    Leorale
    December 28, 2017 at 1:07 am | #

    Ruth sure keeps her murder cave tidy.

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      December 28, 2017 at 2:01 am | #

      I think that she’s genuinely trying to get herself out of the mindset of ‘waiting to die’. I suppose that cleaning up the place and making it a living, working room is part of re-aligning her psychology and world-view.

  25. HeatherJean
    HeatherJean
    December 28, 2017 at 1:15 am | #

    And yet still another of those orange trash cans. They seem to be multiplying.

    • Clif
      Clif
      December 28, 2017 at 1:49 am | #

      The orphans keep making new ones as the old one disappear.

  26. @zombieundergrnd
    @zombieundergrnd
    December 28, 2017 at 1:53 am | #

    You’re an orphan …
    And an orphan was pantsed …
    Tell me more

  27. Vinny
    Vinny
    December 28, 2017 at 1:53 am | #

    I love this strip. Makes me feel more normal every damn day 🙂

  28. BenRG
    BenRG
    December 28, 2017 at 2:00 am | #

    I’ve got this feeling that Billie finds all the wrong things about Ruth arousing.

  29. Ainara
    Ainara
    December 28, 2017 at 3:29 am | #

    Ahh, stealing, the ultimate form of romance.

  30. Bagge
    Bagge
    December 28, 2017 at 3:47 am | #

    That’s TOTALLY romantic, panel 5 Billie

    • ValdVin
      ValdVin
      December 28, 2017 at 7:07 am | #

      By panel six Billie gets it. Look at the hair twirl.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        December 28, 2017 at 8:39 am | #

        AND a lip bite. My, my. I think someone scores tonight (not Leafs)

        • ValdVin
          ValdVin
          December 28, 2017 at 3:59 pm | #

          At this.point I’d find out what day it is in-universe and research the Leafs’ success. But who are we kidding? (Not Leafs) is an all purpose axiom.

  31. Delicious Taffy
    Delicious Taffy
    December 28, 2017 at 3:56 am | #

    Lovin’ that top Billie’s got on. Fantastic color.

  32. Liliet
    Liliet
    December 28, 2017 at 4:06 am | #

    They are ridiculous and beautiful, and I’m very worried for their relationship because Ruth seems to be getting increasingly clingy in response to Billie getting other friends and That Can’t Be Good.

  33. BenRG
    BenRG
    December 28, 2017 at 4:27 am | #

    No-one in authority seems to have questioned Ruth ordering furniture for a second student. This might be me but I suspect that, irrespective of any promises Chloe may have made to Clint’s face to get him out of the building without causing a ruckus, the official policy will be to look the other way if Billie wants to openly move into Ruth’s room.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      December 28, 2017 at 4:51 am | #

      “Looking the other way” DOES seem to be a favorite method for Chloe.

    • TemperaryObsessor
      TemperaryObsessor
      December 28, 2017 at 8:21 am | #

      Moving Billie was never about them living together it was about Ruth not being a direct authority over Billie so they could safely look the other way.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        December 28, 2017 at 1:34 pm | #

        Well… Kinda. It depends on how much Chloe allows “Sir” to influence how she handles the situation.

        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/03-the-thing-i-was-before/waitlist/

  34. Vi
    Vi
    December 28, 2017 at 5:05 am | #

    I’m really excited for them to build back up into something healthier now that Ruth is getting help, hopefully with Billie getting the help she needs too. They’re kind of horribly good for each other, in their weird way, and they love each other, and I love them.

  35. Questionor
    Questionor
    December 28, 2017 at 5:37 am | #

    They’re starting to remind me of Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn’s characters in the House Sitter.

  36. motorfirebox
    motorfirebox
    December 28, 2017 at 6:15 am | #

    She’s an orphan, which means she knows all of the orphans’ weaknesses. Lack of parents, for instance.

    • MatthewTheLucky
      MatthewTheLucky
      December 28, 2017 at 7:32 am | #

      Excess of dead parents for another.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        December 28, 2017 at 8:40 am | #

        Excess of grandparents as well, although that might not be an universal weakness of orphans. Maybe it’s just her and Howard.

      • 3oranges
        3oranges
        December 28, 2017 at 1:19 pm | #

        I thought lack of parents was Batman’s superpower (assuming you ignore money, which you are supposed to do because it raises awkward political concerns in his case).

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          December 28, 2017 at 3:18 pm | #

          i have a hard time imagining any version of Batman that doesn’t raise awkward political concerns.

  37. MMM
    MMM
    December 28, 2017 at 1:13 pm | #

    I don’t care who you are, this is both d’aww and funny! 😀

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