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Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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they should get back together
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September 18, 2023

Beautiful

by David M Willis on June 29, 2022 at 12:01 am
  • 04 – Don't Stop Billie-ving

└ Tags: jennifer, ruth

Discussion (304) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. The Wellerman
    The Wellerman
    June 29, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    OH SHIT! 🤯

    This is gonna be quite the BRAWL!! 😮

    *plays Dragon Ball Z battle music on hacked muzak*

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      June 29, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

      Points for going with Kikuchi over Faulconer; I see you are an alien parasite of taste.

  2. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    June 29, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    PRETEND THIS

    STOP LYING THERE

    • ThunderNight
      ThunderNight
      June 29, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

      CONDESCENDING PILEDRIVER

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        June 29, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

        I DIDN’T MISS YOU THAT TIME.

        • pope suburban
          pope suburban
          June 29, 2022 at 12:22 pm | #

          Welp, that’s it, that’s the best comment. We can all go home and bask in the glow of having read this.

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      June 29, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

      Hahaha I’m so glad they didn’t kiss!

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        June 29, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

        Me too, cheating is not okay. Of course, severe head trauma isn’t fantastic either.

        • Jamie
          Jamie
          June 29, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

          If you had to pick one or the other, though? 😛

          • Thag Simmons
            Thag Simmons
            June 29, 2022 at 12:32 am | #

            can i get a helmet?

        • Sirksome
          Sirksome
          June 29, 2022 at 12:29 am | #

          Cheating feels like the least problematic reason. Maybe for Asher it would be a little messed up, but Jason is no real loss.

          • Yotomoe
            Yotomoe
            June 29, 2022 at 1:23 am | #

            Especially if he gets to watch.

          • Tan
            Tan
            June 29, 2022 at 2:05 am | #

            I didn’t even think of Jason when cheating was brought up. Jason and Ruth doesn’t really seem like the sort of thing that has reached a point where exclusivity automatically attaches. Considering they ‘met’ (not technically their first time meeting, but) while Ruth was on a date with someone else, and they haven’t, to the best of my knowledge, gone on an actual date or… Well I guess she did call him her boyfriend a couple strips ago, to Jennifer… I guess it comes down to if that statement was genuine, or exaggeration for Jennifer’s sake.

            • Tan
              Tan
              June 29, 2022 at 2:14 am | #

              Upon reviewing Ruth+Jason strips I think I rescind this and yeah they’re at least in the neighborhood where it needs to be a conversation before going assuming it’s okay to smooch others.

            • eh, whatever
              eh, whatever
              June 29, 2022 at 2:59 am | #

              …Are you saying America has reached the point where it’s not even a relationship if you haven’t “gone on an actual date”?

              • Chris (the other one)
                Chris (the other one)
                June 29, 2022 at 6:59 am | #

                Oh please. “America has reached”…. I assume you are European, where you can drive for 4 hours and go through 10 different COUNTRIES. Do NOT confuse the actions/morals/whatever of Spokane, Washington, with Los Angeles, CA, with middle Indiana, with Washington, DC, with Boston, MA, with Dallas, Tx.

                How someone in Indiana views relationships should not be confused or confabulated with anyone else in Indiana, let alone “America”.

                • Decidedly Orthogonal
                  Decidedly Orthogonal
                  June 29, 2022 at 2:41 pm | #

                  America, the unique land of distinctive cultures represented by 500+ channels all broadcasting the same “news”.

                • The Lurker
                  The Lurker
                  June 29, 2022 at 3:26 pm | #

                  So, in your view Fox and CNN are broadcasting the same news?

                • -
                  -
                  June 30, 2022 at 1:27 pm | #

                  Fine, fine, but just as most Yanks think there’s one “British accent” and know basically nothing about Europe (or anywhere else outside of the U.S., honestly), “America” is presented to the world in media essentially monolithically, i.e., there’s scarcely any representation of anything aside from L.A. and New York, except for occasional “hillbillies” or “Southern gentlefolk”. So the majority of outsiders aren’t aware of/ don’t care about the particularities you mention, just as Americans really don’t give a damn about “them funny Europeans” and whoever else.

              • Nathan
                Nathan
                June 29, 2022 at 12:02 pm | #

                Monogamy should never be an assumption. If you want someone else to give up their bodily autonomy, that is something you should explicitly state.

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  June 29, 2022 at 2:54 pm | #

                  In theory that sounds good, but it’s kind of a recipe for disaster, since it’s long been the default assumption once a relationship starts getting serious. People are more likely to get hurt by assuming they should be monogamous if they haven’t discussed it than vice versa.

                  Standard advice of “talk to each other about it” always applies if you’re unsure what assumptions the other party has.

                • Nathan
                  Nathan
                  June 29, 2022 at 10:25 pm | #

                  Do you know how long it’s been the default? “Going steady” used to be a later step, so it wasn’t a default among high schoolers in the 1970s, but the ’70s was 50 years ago. Amongst adults I know it’s not really a default, because most adults I know who are trying for monogamy go on many dates in the process of trying to find someone to date monogamously.

              • Tan
                Tan
                June 29, 2022 at 1:03 pm | #

                I am saying that whether or not a particular pair of people have been on a date is A FACTOR in determining whether or not those people are in an exclusive relationship. The decisive factor, of course, is if both involved parties agree they are in an exclusive relationship, or agree they are not. Barring any explicit agreement one way or the other, each needs to make a judgment call regarding the other’s expectations.

                GENERALLY, if one person is dating around, and the other person knows ahead of time they are dating around, continuing to date around is not inherently cheating unless/until they explicitly go exclusive.

                In this case, given that Ruth and Jason have been more or less attached at the hip for the past couple days and have expressed feelings toward one another, there is a pretty reasonable expectation of exclusivity even if neither has brought it up directly.

                • Nathan
                  Nathan
                  June 29, 2022 at 10:27 pm | #

                  I explicitly don’t do monogamy, so this is all kinda theoretical for me, but to you a couple days is enough time to assume you’re exclusive? Or am I misunderstanding?

                • Tan
                  Tan
                  June 30, 2022 at 2:36 am | #

                  A couple days generally, no. This SPECIFIC couple days between Ruth and Jason where specifically, so far as I can tell on review of recent strips, Jason has essentially moved into Ruth’s dorm room and they are spending every moment together outside of Ruth’s classes and Jason’s job are enough for me (and I apologize for this convoluted wording) to not assume that the other party is not assuming monogamy without some sort of conversation otherwise.

                  In this specific instance, were I the partner who wanted to smooch someone else, I would want to bring up the explicit conversation before such smooching takes place, so as to best ensure I don’t hurt my partner’s feelings unnecessarily. On the other hand, were I the other partner and smooching took place without an explicit conversation, I would consider that misunderstanding rather than betrayal, and simply ask that we have that conversation.

                  Every relationship is different. Part of it is discerning one’s specific partner’s expectations at any given point in a relationship (whether through explicit discussion or through more implicit signals), and, really, deciding if you care about those expectations. In both directions. For example, if you make a point of explicitly laying out what your partner SHOULD expect of you, and your partner sets different expectations that you did not agree to, it is absolutely fair to decide not to care about those. On the other hand if you do agree to expectations and then fail to live up to them, you’d better have a good reason.

                  Sometimes there needs to be compromise, sometimes there needs to be forgiveness, and sometimes there needs to be maturely recognizing that something isn’t going to work. And if you can figure out exactly which applies where, you can make millions writing a book to let the rest of us know.

                • Steelbright
                  Steelbright
                  July 1, 2022 at 3:03 am | #

                  interesting discussion, some good points made. as another non-monogamous person, i think it’s worth mentioning that non-monogamy shouldn’t be assumed either. when there’s been a change in the relationship, things are fuzzy & you’re not sure what the other person expects, that’s the time to talk. whether that be at 2 days or 2 months or whenever.

    • Achallenger
      Achallenger
      June 29, 2022 at 10:07 am | #

      Excellent form tho

  3. Blibdoolpoolp
    Blibdoolpoolp
    June 29, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    Fight fight fight! Kiss? No! Fight!

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      June 29, 2022 at 12:52 am | #

      Spiderkiss?

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        June 29, 2022 at 1:44 am | #

        Spiderkiss? Like the small one ties the big one up in silk to mate but then has to run away before their partner breaks free and sucks their liquified insides out like a milkshake?

        • Opus the Poet
          Opus the Poet
          June 29, 2022 at 2:02 am | #

          Now I’m seeing Spinerette tying up some guy so she can have a kid to raise with Marylynne. (Different comic than this one)

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            June 29, 2022 at 2:48 am | #

            Haven’t checked up on that series since they started doing the White Heron stories more and more often.

            • Stanistani
              Stanistani
              June 29, 2022 at 3:03 am | #

              The League of Canadian Superheroes is up right now.

              • Taffy
                Taffy
                June 29, 2022 at 3:10 am | #

                I don’t know what that is. Do they have Wolverine and Squirrel Girl?

                • Oruncrest
                  Oruncrest
                  June 29, 2022 at 10:51 am | #

                  They have the Werewolf of London, Ontario and Katt O’Nine Tails. Much better in my opinion.
                  Also, sorry about the accidental flagging. My bad.

                • Taffy
                  Taffy
                  June 29, 2022 at 2:23 pm | #

                  I wouldn’t have known you flagged me if you hadn’t said anything. And even if I could tell somehow, I wouldn’t be bothered.

        • Rose by Any Other Name
          Rose by Any Other Name
          June 29, 2022 at 9:12 am | #

          I feel like my Game Grumps/Spiderman meme went over some heads here.

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            June 29, 2022 at 2:24 pm | #

            Those are the guys who pretend to be bad at Sonic games for views and helped along the “Sonic games suck and that’s why we like them” sentiment, right?

            • Rose by Any Other Name
              Rose by Any Other Name
              June 30, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

              Arin pretends nothing.

              Arin has difficulty concentrating on playing any and all games while also hosting a show, and this results in sloppy but also funny gameplay.

              He also is critical of things he likes, so as a major fan of Sonic, he complains loudly and often about sonic games. However, he mostly complains about the badly made ones – Sonic Boom in particular, but most of the 3d Sonic games since they’re all at least somewhat awful.

  4. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    June 29, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

    Whelp…still don’t really know if this is flirting or not. Like yes, this is a violent confrontation but you’d be surprised how often they went there.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      June 29, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

      This feels a lot more hateful than any previous confrontations, so I’m gonna put in a vote for “not fliriting”

      • Cattleprod
        Cattleprod
        June 29, 2022 at 12:19 am | #

        One of my pet hates is the expectation that two characters who openly hate each other are clearly meant to be, with people getting kicking-and-screaming outraged when they don’t hook up, so it was weirdly cathartic to see the almost kiss in panel 2 descend into violence immediately.

        • BigDogLittleCat
          BigDogLittleCat
          June 29, 2022 at 12:34 am | #

          This. It’s especially unpleasant when violence is cheered on as foreplay.

          • Biblioholic93
            Biblioholic93
            June 29, 2022 at 1:19 am | #

            And when it happens its cheerABLE, aka doesnt look like flaming garbage every single time, the way it IS, and is supposed to look without heavy set up and prior consent… even then, not the healthiest desire. Nothing to be normalized, displayed, or to be proud of. At best that’s transgression-centric fetish and at worst it is just literal assault and abuse.

            I always liked Ruth for other reasons, mental health and meds and alcoholism struggles, and never really liked Jennifer.

          • FlamestAndLight
            FlamestAndLight
            June 29, 2022 at 8:40 am | #

            I think violence can be foreplay but like a flirtatious sword duel or a flirtatious hand to hand fight. Like I think Enemies to Lovers only really works if there’s an in between step where they are both still fighting because they’re expected to but they don’t actually hate each other anymore and they’re obviously attracted to each other and clearly care about each other even in a weird way

            • Shadowsnail
              Shadowsnail
              June 29, 2022 at 1:39 pm | #

              Those examples of violence made a new connection in my brain – now I did fencing in college with the “violence club” and Mr. Miyagi was teaching Daniel “Miyagi-do violence”.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          June 29, 2022 at 7:35 am | #

          This is a bit of different scenario since the two don’t openly hate each other and had a history during their relationship of using fighting as foreplay – consensually except for the pre-relationship stuff.

          Jennifer’s letting her anger out here, but it at least wasn’t open before this. She might think Ruth is lying about being concerned about her, but again it’s certainly clear that Ruth wasn’t openly hating her.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      June 29, 2022 at 12:20 am | #

      Remember, Jennifer is previously on record as firmly believing that your ex should be Your Enemy.

    • anon
      anon
      June 29, 2022 at 12:42 am | #

      imagine being a freshman and seeing this for the first time, and then another person like “don’t worry you’ll get used to this it happens every other week”

      or entering the college hearing of these ‘legendary’ dramas and the dorms being fairly uneventful

      • powerpowerpow
        powerpowerpow
        June 29, 2022 at 3:42 am | #

        Aren’t most of them freshmen though? They’ve all only been there a couple months.

    • Undrave
      Undrave
      June 29, 2022 at 1:01 am | #

      This feels like Jennifer saying “I deserve to be yelled at for what I did”, like she needs it to really get over this whole thing.

    • Joyfulldreams
      Joyfulldreams
      June 29, 2022 at 1:32 am | #

      Honestly I think it’s sort of flirting. This is their idea of flirting, with how messed up their dynamic is.

      The thing that drew them to each other and that sparks the most intense feelings of attachment is the idea that they are both “poison”, but they “can touch each other”–that is, they can feel free to let loose their worst impulses and lay bare the deep vulnerable parts of themselves they’re most ashamed of, without judgement or it damaging the other person or their relationship.

      So to them, duking it out and being viscous at one another is an intense form of vulnerability that they can’t seem to reach with anyone else, and it reignites the spark that fueled their desire to be together in the first place.

      Both Ruth and Billie are intensely sensitive to the perceptions and judgements of others, and so the rare experience of not having to feel on guard in that way around someone feels very special, like something they want to cling to. And the lack of judgement makes it feel to them like there are no lasting consequences for enabling each other’s worst impulses.

      But the truth of the matter is, despite how it feels, there are negative consequences. For themselves and for each other. Their partner is not actually immune to toxicity just because they themselves are toxic, though they’re more accepting and understanding about it than others might be.

      So long as they each (deep down) believe that the shameful parts of themselves are immutable and unchangeable, so long as they fail to address their insecurities and instead bury them down, they’ll remain vulnerable to that intoxicating pull of validation from each other.

      Basically, Jennifer’s outburst here is being caused by recent events triggering her insecurities and fears about herself–the fear that there are things deeply wrong with her that she can’t change, no matter how hard she tries. And Ruth is the person she instinctively goes to to work through those sorts of feelings.

      • Joyfulldreams
        Joyfulldreams
        June 29, 2022 at 1:40 am | #

        “Stop lying!” means “Stop hiding the anger and resentment and frustration. I don’t want to hold them in any more. Be vulnerable with me, so I can feel free to let this out. Please.”

        And that’s why they have that moment in panel 2.

        Quite frankly this is deeply romantic in a super fucked up way and I’m so into it.

      • justin8448
        justin8448
        June 29, 2022 at 4:11 am | #

        Thanks for writing this, it really helps me understand what’s going on!

  5. YanderePanzer
    YanderePanzer
    June 29, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

    At last, a battle! Someone, where’s the Street Fighter music?

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      June 29, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

      were you reading my mind just now?!??!

      • YanderePanzer
        YanderePanzer
        June 29, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

        Not intentionally, but stranger things have happened before.

        • The Wellerman
          The Wellerman
          June 29, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

          Yeah, so excited for this Billie vs Ruth battle!!!! 🤘😆

          Just which street fighter music did you have in mind BTW?

          • Rainhat
            Rainhat
            June 29, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

            Not who you were talking to, but may I suggest “The Beep” from III?

          • Jeff K!
            Jeff K!
            June 29, 2022 at 12:22 am | #

            Ken Stage SF2.

    • Disastroid
      Disastroid
      June 29, 2022 at 7:47 am | #

      I happened to have “Les Bêtes” from Evangelion playing while reading. Different scale, but still.

  6. Rororoyourboat
    Rororoyourboat
    June 29, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

    Called it. Jennifer just wanted Ruth to be honest with her.

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      June 29, 2022 at 12:17 am | #

      They are broken up. Billie doesn’t have the right to demand that anymore, she doesn’t deserve it. The whole point of breaking up is to disentangle from all the mutual demands and expectations and go your separate ways. All you are required to give your ex is the barest of politeness, with as little interaction as possible. Especially when someone is as violent and volatile as Jenifer, avoiding her entirely for a couple of years will keep everyone out of the hospital and the jail.

      • Laura
        Laura
        June 29, 2022 at 12:20 am | #

        So true! Jennifer/Billie is just digging for drama right now, trying to recapture the old dopamine hit.

        • pope suburban
          pope suburban
          June 29, 2022 at 12:29 pm | #

          I agree, well put. Ruth seems to be doing her best to actually move on, and while that’s very much a work in progress, I believe that when she is polite or kind to Jennifer, she means it- or at least wants to, because she knows the way they were (separately and together) is unhealthy. I mean, I thought that’s what Jennifer was doing too, per what she said to Walky when we came back from the timeskip- and maybe she is, we just haven’t seen the therapy while we have seen her spending time with fake awful people like Raidah, so it’s harder to say. But this right here feels like Jennifer just rooting around trying to get that old familiar thing, without regard for whether or not that’s a good thing or whether or not Ruth wants to be involved in it.

          • Joy
            Joy
            June 29, 2022 at 3:24 pm | #

            Yeah– Jennifer’s behavior right now isn’t just because of Ruth. It’s the way Joyce was insensitive, the way Sarah was judgemental and shaming her, it was Walky needling her and being a jerk, it was Mary being horrible on purpose to rile her up (to manipulate her into getting into trouble of course), and it’s Raidah being fake-nice all the time in ways that she’s probably picking up on only subconsciously as of yet.

            • Wereg
              Wereg
              June 29, 2022 at 7:09 pm | #

              Yuuup. Ruth isn’t close to Jennifer’s biggest annoyance right now, but Ruth is the most persistent background sting. Plus Ruth is the person most likely around to actually hit her back.

      • Nathan
        Nathan
        June 29, 2022 at 12:05 pm | #

        I think that is a weirdly binary view of relationships.

    • woobie
      woobie
      June 29, 2022 at 12:24 am | #

      I think it’s more than that.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      June 29, 2022 at 7:45 am | #

      Maybe.
      Or maybe she wants Ruth to feel what Jennifer thinks she should feel. Not so much honesty as matching her expectations.

    • FlamestAndLight
      FlamestAndLight
      June 29, 2022 at 8:42 am | #

      Were people reading Ruth as not being honest? Cause I genuinely thought that Ruth was being caring because she still loves Jennifer

      • Nathan
        Nathan
        June 29, 2022 at 1:02 pm | #

        When she yelled down the hall about how much she’d moved on that seemed distinctly dishonest.

  7. Dana
    Dana
    June 29, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

    Still my OTP.

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      June 29, 2022 at 12:55 am | #

      Ayup.
      That and Garbageskowl.

      • RassilonTDavros
        RassilonTDavros
        June 29, 2022 at 1:16 am | #

        Which one is Garbageskowl, again?

        • Opus the Poet
          Opus the Poet
          June 29, 2022 at 2:04 am | #

          Walky x Amber

          • powerpowerpow
            powerpowerpow
            June 29, 2022 at 3:43 am | #

            Garbageskowl? I thought it was Garbage Roof. Who’s the leading authority on ship names anyway?

            • Rose by Any Other Name
              Rose by Any Other Name
              June 29, 2022 at 9:17 am | #

              Garbage Roof is a location.

              Garbage Scow is an actual type of boat.

              Scowling is what happens on Garbage Roof. Also kissing.

              Not sure how the K got involved – wasn’t my call.

              • Kelibath
                Kelibath
                June 29, 2022 at 11:03 am | #

                I’m guessing it’s also Cowl for Amber’s alter ego?

                That being said, still no K involved

                • King Daniel
                  King Daniel
                  June 29, 2022 at 11:12 pm | #

                  The K was because of Xtreme Kool Letterz.

  8. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    June 29, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

    I love how she’s still just got that mad face as she’s getting slammed with the force of a meteor strike .

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      June 29, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

      Yeah! You could just feel her fighter energy in that frame! 🤘😆🤘

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        June 29, 2022 at 12:15 am | #

        *FINISH HER*

    • woobie
      woobie
      June 29, 2022 at 12:19 am | #

      I commented on those teeth last night but it vanished into the ether.

  9. BBCC
    BBCC
    June 29, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    Oh dear, these two are gonna destroy the dorm!

    …..Ah, I see. That’s just a regular Wednesday.

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      June 29, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

      Destroy the dorm? Not hardly. These two are powerful enough sure, but Jennifer could barely break a door with her strength. I doubt they could severly damage a dorm constructed with 21st century techniques. Maybe like a studio apartment though. I think they could decently wreck a studio apartment.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        June 29, 2022 at 3:14 pm | #

        Read Hall wasn’t built in the 21st century, it was the 20th century. 😛

  10. Jon
    Jon
    June 29, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

    Back to that good, good shit.

  11. Shitbird
    Shitbird
    June 29, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

    Nice healthy relationship there

    • Laura
      Laura
      June 29, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

      Yeah, that is straight-up concussion material right there. That’s the kind of fall you wind up in a CT scanner for, spending the next several months in a quiet, dark room, waiting for your head to stop hurting. Scary.

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        June 29, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        is it just me, or do Ruth or Jennifer seem like they would do freakishly well in something like WWE?

        ’cause both of them seem like the kind of person who could really take a hit! 😮

        • pope suburban
          pope suburban
          June 29, 2022 at 12:31 pm | #

          Hey, I mean, Amber’s got roller derby to channel her destructive urges, so why not wrestling for both/either of these two? I imagine that the dorm maintenance person would appreciate that, if no one else.

      • Vanessa
        Vanessa
        June 29, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        Shhhhh it’s a comic with a superhero…. Let us have our cinematic Hollywood violence without consequences.

        • The Wellerman
          The Wellerman
          June 29, 2022 at 12:28 am | #

          Hey that’s an interesting career choice for the ex-couple — being professional stunt-doubles for actresses in movies!!! 😃

          • Laura
            Laura
            June 29, 2022 at 4:29 am | #

            …or roller derby!

  12. Schpoonman
    Schpoonman
    June 29, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

    I really really Ruth kicks her ass. Just absolutely humiliates her. You talked to Joyce, Jennifer, you should have fucked off then, not pick a fight with your ex because you’re garbage.

  13. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    June 29, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

    Come on Ruth, Jennifer’s lost enough brain cells to alcohol over the years, she doesn’t need a concussion.

    PS.
    The glasses flying off, the parallel to their first kiss in panel 2 the subversion in panel 3, all beautiful.

    • Laura
      Laura
      June 29, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

      My thoughts exactly, re: a concussionworthy slam. Seriously, though, after a fall like that onto a hard floor with no tuck or roll, most folks would need to go to the hospital.

      …I wonder where Ruth learned to streetfight? We know her grandfather roughs up her little brother, at least. Was there something else going on that taught her the necessity of fight training?

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        June 29, 2022 at 12:30 am | #

        Hockey, probably

        • Dara
          Dara
          June 29, 2022 at 1:02 am | #

          Speaking from experience, this.

  14. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    June 29, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

    At this point I don’t know who broke up with who or if it was a mutual separation but whoever of them did pull the trigger on that. Yeah that was a good call probably.

  15. Biblioholic93
    Biblioholic93
    June 29, 2022 at 12:13 am | #

    Sigh, Jennifer is really trying hard to be in the ‘in group’ over in the other dorm, but clearly she’s still holding in a lot of aggression.

    Wonder if Asher will end up seeing the bruises or if Jennifer will be using makeup for that….

    Well, Ruth is more or less always down for a scruff up, which isn’t necessarily good for an RA… wonder if the Sir (i absolutely forget the bloke’s name) is here or if he has yet to come back over. And if he decided to commit to Ruth and if this ends up ending in trainwreck sexy if Ruth can forgive herself….

    • Biblioholic93
      Biblioholic93
      June 29, 2022 at 12:15 am | #

      Woo Leslieeee, noicy noice works great for meee

    • Myth
      Myth
      June 29, 2022 at 12:49 am | #

      This comment is throwing me for a loop, because for the life of me I’m certain you must mean Jason (Ruth’s new boyfriend) when you say “the Sir” and “the bloke”, but “Sir” is how Ruth addresses her very abusive grandfather so there is a sufficient amount of ambiguity that I’m really scratching my head here.

      • Biblioholic93
        Biblioholic93
        June 29, 2022 at 1:01 am | #

        Jason, yup! Refreshed my memory lower down in the comments.

        Frankly it’s not something I call anyone who’s not polite? Hasn’t earned it? Used to be the rank for a butcher in mail, but more recently the ignoble nobility-at-heart appointed by the monarchs, of which there are very few known now. Then just general politeness term other than Mr.. I’m just an English enthusiast not deep into DoA lore. Yikes did I not mean that…

        And its a bit concerning if you immediately hear “sir” and go “things abusive peeps make peeps call them” generally or specifically, I get it but unless you carry that for yourself you may be too invested in this parasocial relationship with the DoA cast…

        But then again I can’t say I don’t heavily relate to Ruth’s struggle with psyche/anti-depressant meds and potentially finding very bad interractions with drugs including alcohol.

        Also the alcoholism. But yeah yikes I didn’t remember that at all.

        • Mr D
          Mr D
          June 29, 2022 at 1:23 am | #

          “And its a bit concerning if you immediately hear “sir” and go “things abusive peeps make peeps call them” generally or specifically, I get it but unless you carry that for yourself you may be too invested in this parasocial relationship with the DoA cast… ”
          uh..
          buddy, the only character in this comic who is refered to as “sir” is Ruth’s abusive grampa. It is far more likely to be what everyone reading your comment is gonna think about.

          • SeanR
            SeanR
            June 29, 2022 at 1:48 am | #

            I thought the “sir” thing was a distancing. That she had to call him some address of respect, but wasn’t willing to use the familial ones.

            • Nathan
              Nathan
              June 29, 2022 at 1:06 pm | #

              My assumption was that he demanded she call him “sir.”

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          June 29, 2022 at 3:00 am | #

          Wtf are you talking about, “parasocial relationships”?

          • Clif
            Clif
            June 29, 2022 at 7:34 am | #

            It’s the relationships parasols have with each other.

            • Leorale
              Leorale
              June 29, 2022 at 8:23 am | #

              at least, that’s the umbrella term for it.

            • Taffy
              Taffy
              June 29, 2022 at 2:26 pm | #

              Well yeah, naturally. I’m just not sure what shady little umbrellies have to do with the broader topic.

              • Clif
                Clif
                June 29, 2022 at 8:43 pm | #

                We always carry umbrellas when we’re abroad.

                Actually, looking at the page, I couldn’t figure out what the broader topic even was.

        • Devin
          Devin
          June 29, 2022 at 12:36 pm | #

          It would really only be concerning if that carried outside the context of the comic, as opposed to in this comment section, in which we are talking about the comment and you using it in the same reference manner as the one character in the comic that seems to insist on that being his form of address (and whose real name I think we only know because of the tags).

          If you’re an English enthusiast you should be aware that context matters in language, and we’re operating in a context very specific to the source material here. Maybe you shouldn’t be so critical and/or judgmental about terms carrying meaning in reference to a source material you yourself admit not to be deep in.

          Maybe chill out a little on the “concern” about how other people here interpret your words and be more willing to clarify if misunderstood, is basically what I’m saying.

  16. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    June 29, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

    …staaaaarting to think this ship might be perma-sunk.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      June 29, 2022 at 12:29 am | #

      It’s settled low and is currently crumbling into scale.

      Probably not coming back up without a miracle

      • Clif
        Clif
        June 29, 2022 at 7:38 am | #

        You mean like aggression and sexual attractio being linked for both of them?

      • Devin
        Devin
        June 29, 2022 at 12:37 pm | #

        The Mary Ellen Carter this ain’t.

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      June 29, 2022 at 12:41 am | #

      I mean, this is basically how they were before they started dating.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      June 29, 2022 at 2:24 am | #

      Now it’s an artificial reef, home to some of those deep-sea fangly fish with mouths full of sharp teeth and venom.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      June 29, 2022 at 12:33 pm | #

      It pretty much started off with them fighting similar to this though, so you never know.

  17. JA
    JA
    June 29, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

    There’s the Ruthless we know and love.

  18. Jay
    Jay
    June 29, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

    Hate fucking in tminus 10

    • woobie
      woobie
      June 29, 2022 at 12:22 am | #

      What is Jason doing? He’s inside the room, right?

      • Biblioholic93
        Biblioholic93
        June 29, 2022 at 12:36 am | #

        He’s not a live-in BF no.

        He stayed for a day or two to chill her out. He probably does still have shifts at the bar to cover though.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          June 29, 2022 at 12:38 am | #

          okay but last time we saw him was like a minute ago and he was inside the room

          • Rose by Any Other Name
            Rose by Any Other Name
            June 29, 2022 at 12:42 am | #

            I’m calling even odds on whether anything actually happens…

            But if it does, either Jason is getting tossed out of the room, or he will be crushed beneath them. One or the other – there is no middle ground.

            • Mr D
              Mr D
              June 29, 2022 at 1:24 am | #

              Or crushed in between.

              • Needfuldoer
                Needfuldoer
                June 29, 2022 at 2:25 am | #

                I hope this doesn’t lead to death by snu-snu.

                • Rose by Any Other Name
                  Rose by Any Other Name
                  June 29, 2022 at 9:19 am | #

                  I mean, if Jason’s gotta go, then that’s the way to go.

          • Biblioholic93
            Biblioholic93
            June 29, 2022 at 12:49 am | #

            Ah right, ten days ago by the tags. Just before the ‘Get me Billie’ conversation, so literally no more than half an hour ago. Ruth: Can I bully you, Jason: (paraphrasing) Oh, do I have a choice?

            It’s certainly not guaranteed he’d have stuck around for that, even if he seems self destructive and self sabotaging at times. He doesn’t seem 100% on the masochist thing, maybe 50% at best. Put up with it if there’ll be good stuff later.

            The timeframes of this comic mess with me sometimes.

    • Lily
      Lily
      June 29, 2022 at 1:01 am | #

      So, something like this?

      https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/goodie-goodie-facade

      (this particular strip isn’t that nsfw, but be aware that the overall series is lol, idk how much of an overlap of ma3 fans there are here compared to ppl who read QC b/c willis and jeph jacques are friends)

      • PirateTawnee
        PirateTawnee
        June 29, 2022 at 1:12 am | #

        Thanks for the link, gave me a giggle. I’ve been aware of ma3 for a while, but never got round to trying it properly.

        • Rose by Any Other Name
          Rose by Any Other Name
          June 29, 2022 at 9:25 am | #

          Ah. Ma3. I remember that one.

          Good premise, but the characters didn’t grab me. **shrug**

  19. Reed
    Reed
    June 29, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

    FAAAAAAAACE.

    not to like enjoy violence commited by someone in a position of authority over another person, but i have missed ruthless.

    • Zach
      Zach
      June 29, 2022 at 12:52 am | #

      Ruth isn’t her RA any more, she’s in the clear!

      And the violence is a healthier reaction than being seduced.

      • Sajuuk-Khar
        Sajuuk-Khar
        June 29, 2022 at 1:58 am | #

        Also, this is just retaliatory violence! It’s a huge step for Ruth! The RM will probably give her a medal!

  20. Jenniffniff
    Jenniffniff
    June 29, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

    I can’t watch

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      June 29, 2022 at 12:24 am | #

      Where is Jason now? Someone needs to be the voice of sanity here and he’s probably right there in Ruth’s room. Does bartender training come with crowd control and bouncer training? He can call security … that would get Ruth in trouble. Does he call Becky? I’m rooting for him to step up and be very polite and firmly British here to save the day, but I’m afraid he’s gong to be doing an Arthur Dent just wringing his hands and saying, “oh dear, oh dear.”

      • RassilonTDavros
        RassilonTDavros
        June 29, 2022 at 12:37 am | #

        Oh, like Jason has any hope of breaking up a fight between these two. What we need is someone on the AmbG/Sal tier.

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          June 29, 2022 at 12:39 am | #

          Jason is a bartender now, and breaking up fights is a common part of the job description

          • Fay
            Fay
            June 29, 2022 at 4:45 am | #

            Yeah, but I doubt it’s Jason who’s doing that.
            Also, a little doubtful that Galasso’s even has that many bar fights to being with.

            • Mr D
              Mr D
              June 29, 2022 at 1:31 pm | #

              I’d guess that Galasso would see any fight in his establishment (Or attempt to break up a fight by someone else) as an affront to his authority and thus he’d get into it himself.
              NOBODY BEATS FACE AT GALASSO’S EXCEPT GALASSO

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      June 29, 2022 at 12:44 am | #

      I can.
      **grabs a bag of rice crisps, a cold bottle of water, and my vibrator**

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        June 29, 2022 at 1:00 am | #

        Uh, those rice crisps don’t have any powder on them, do they? 😮

        • Taffy
          Taffy
          June 29, 2022 at 3:01 am | #

          I don’t think they’re real rice crisps.

          • Rose by Any Other Name
            Rose by Any Other Name
            June 29, 2022 at 9:31 am | #

            Actually, they are.
            I can’t eat popcorn due to digestive issues, so I buy rice crisps to simulate the experience.

            However, the implied joke was meant to be that I would need either the rice crisps or the vibrator, depending on the outcome of the scene, not both at once. The water bottle, however, paired with both salty snack or rehydration.

            And now the joke is the meta of me explaining the joke.

            • Taffy
              Taffy
              June 29, 2022 at 2:00 pm | #

              Well, now I know two of the objects were meant to be separate. That doesn’t explain the powder though.

              • Rose by Any Other Name
                Rose by Any Other Name
                June 30, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

                I believer Wellerman is referring to the flavor powder often used on such snacks.

                I generally prefer the caramel flavored ones, which don’t use powder, so no. However, we do also have cheese flavored ones, which do, so I understand the concern.

  21. Mr. Random
    Mr. Random
    June 29, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

    Such a healthy couple.

  22. UrsulaDavina
    UrsulaDavina
    June 29, 2022 at 12:19 am | #

    So for those shipping these two… should probably stop. The ship has sunk or should sink and never be salvaged.

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      June 29, 2022 at 12:43 am | #

      Nope. I’ll never stop shipping them.

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      June 29, 2022 at 12:47 am | #

      I’m with BarerMender on this one.

      Agree to disagree UrsulaDavina.

    • Joyfulldreams
      Joyfulldreams
      June 29, 2022 at 1:01 am | #

      Maybe I like my ships totally fucked up to the core. That’s what makes them interesting. That’s what gives them potential for conflict and growth and makes stories about them tense and engaging.

      Them having broken up and it causing even more tension like this just makes me ship it harder, and you can’t stop me. Because you see, they are not real people, and no real person is harmed by two fictional characters kissing when they probably shouldn’t, and I am not morally obligated to only find unproblematic dynamics in fiction personally compelling!

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        June 29, 2022 at 1:29 am | #

        Damned right.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        June 29, 2022 at 3:15 am | #

        “I am not morally obligated to only find unproblematic dynamics in fiction personally compelling’

        Fuck yeah, say it louder.

      • Ed Callahan
        Ed Callahan
        June 29, 2022 at 8:26 am | #

        Kind of the point of fiction in the first place.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        June 29, 2022 at 3:18 pm | #

        Fuckin’ A. I like my unproblematic ships too but I also sometimes like the fucked up but interesting ones.

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      June 29, 2022 at 1:57 am | #

      ALL ABOARD THE S.S. DISASTER TRAINWRECK TOOT TOOT, I WILL BE YOUR BOATSWAIN

      • Rose by Any Other Name
        Rose by Any Other Name
        June 29, 2022 at 9:34 am | #

        And I shall be your Coxswain!

        … you know why. **wink**

    • Reaver
      Reaver
      June 29, 2022 at 3:43 am | #

      Why you trying to be the moral ship police???

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        June 29, 2022 at 2:28 pm | #

        ACAB, even with shipping.

        • Rose by Any Other Name
          Rose by Any Other Name
          June 30, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

          I wish I’d seen this comment earlier. I would have posted a particularly dirty string of letters in response.

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            June 30, 2022 at 12:15 am | #

            What’s stopping ya

    • Beau Kirin Maysey
      Beau Kirin Maysey
      June 29, 2022 at 10:36 am | #

      that’s hard since the name of the chapter is “Don’t Stop Billie-ving”

    • Mr.Morningstar
      Mr.Morningstar
      June 29, 2022 at 12:16 pm | #

      To be fair.

      This is kinda how their relationship started too.

  23. Slartibeast Button, BIA
    Slartibeast Button, BIA
    June 29, 2022 at 12:19 am | #

    IT’S FEMUR RIPPING TIME!

  24. Yumi
    Yumi
    June 29, 2022 at 12:20 am | #

    She got what she wanted, good times all around.

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      June 29, 2022 at 12:32 am | #

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CgebqFa7og

      (Whose Line Is It Anyway? clip)

  25. Bunny
    Bunny
    June 29, 2022 at 12:21 am | #

    First the feels come, very sad. Anger it becomes, hmmm. Of the Dork side this is. Very powerful force, Rage Boner is. Dangerous to boyfriends this is.

  26. StClair
    StClair
    June 29, 2022 at 12:25 am | #

    “Hate me like I hate myself”?

  27. Ray
    Ray
    June 29, 2022 at 12:26 am | #

    Ohhhh…..kaaaaayyyy

    Time for “Epic Hate-fuck 2.0”

    • AGV
      AGV
      June 29, 2022 at 4:35 am | #

      I think that you hit the nail in the head

      • spriteless_auntie
        spriteless_auntie
        June 29, 2022 at 11:56 am | #

        I see what you did there.

  28. anon
    anon
    June 29, 2022 at 12:29 am | #

    I…guess it’s a good way to stay in shape if fighting is an aphrodisiac/being in a Fight Club*/Hookup type group

    *I’ve never seen the movie (i know ppl say ‘it’s a classic’ but i don’t really watch enough movies to really appreciate all the ‘classics’ out there lol)

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      June 29, 2022 at 12:45 am | #

      I read the book, but it immediately vanished from my head.

  29. Yumi
    Yumi
    June 29, 2022 at 12:29 am | #

    The other day I was looking through old strips and comics, and I realized that I’ve been reading this comic since 2014. Wow. I got caught up, or at least started commenting, just a few days before Becky appeared at IU. It’s wild to think that it has been that long and to think about how things have changed.

    Gunnerkrigg Court was the first webcomic I ever really got into, and I’ve been reading that since maybe 2009. And I know there are people–including people here!– who have been with ongoing webcomics longer. It’s such an interesting form of media, in part because of the regularity of it. Like, I have thought about Dumbing of Age at least once almost every day for almost eight years. Wild.

    • Greg
      Greg
      June 29, 2022 at 12:44 am | #

      I’ve been reading Willis’ comics every evening since about 2003 or so. Literally my entire adult life so far. The passage of time is wild!

      • Zach
        Zach
        June 29, 2022 at 12:58 am | #

        Wow, that must have been a strange transformation to see in real time!

        • Mr.Morningstar
          Mr.Morningstar
          June 29, 2022 at 12:15 pm | #

          Honestly, you don’t notice it since the changes are so gradual until you look back at old strips and go

          “Huh, the arts seriously improved wowie”

          not just the art of course but thats the most noticeable from just a quick glance at the first and current strips.

      • Mr D
        Mr D
        June 29, 2022 at 1:27 am | #

        Same, been reading since I was in 6th grade, so that should be 2004.

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          June 29, 2022 at 1:41 am | #

          It’s really interesting being a minor in spaces where you’re not the target audience like that. I remember reading a piece of serial fiction that had regular NSFW content from when I was maybe fifteen. I engaged in the comics but didn’t mention my age until I was in college. And, in addition to the community/author aspect, there’s the experience of “I was younger than these characters when I started on this and now I am older.”

    • Hazel
      Hazel
      June 29, 2022 at 12:46 am | #

      Willis being a pioneer in webcomics means I’ve been reading his work for roughly 15 years and I am not remotely close to being one of his longest fans. His consistency in (ever growing) quality and output over decades is impressive.

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      June 29, 2022 at 12:50 am | #

      For me, it was Quiltbag.
      When the creator of that ended it, they said something akin to ‘go read Dumbing of Age – it’s basically the same idea, but done better’.
      I was sad, but I was like, okay, I’ll check it out – and I did. And I’ve been here ever since.

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      June 29, 2022 at 12:58 am | #

      Yeah, for me it was NerfNow, a gaming webcomic.

      Out of curiosity I explored other webcomics in the Hiveworks portal, and started reading DOA in 2018, and since then I have come to love this comic and its community. 🥰

    • june gloom
      june gloom
      June 29, 2022 at 1:11 am | #

      I was here when it was just Shortpacked (I remember spending most of a week reading through Roomies and It’s Walky to catch up) and when DoA started I was there pretty much day one. Wild to think it was so long ago.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      June 29, 2022 at 1:22 am | #

      I remember reading a lot of sprite comics back in the day. I can’t remember what comic I found first but I recall Girlyyy being one of the first followed by DoA. Probably about 2011/2012. Then I caught up on shortpacked. And then Roomies/Walky a few years afterwards.
      I remember crying in the shower after Robin and Leslie broke up haha.

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        June 29, 2022 at 1:26 am | #

        No kidding, this comic has a way of bringing the waterworks. 😭

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      June 29, 2022 at 2:04 am | #

      Order of the Stick was my gateway webcomic back in 2012, but I’ve never had that many comics I was following at any given time. I saw a lot of isolated strips from Dumbing of Age and Shortpacked! over the years (Mostly Dina comics) and was always vaguely aware of them, but I didn’t actually read through the full archives and start following daily updates until a couple of years ago.

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      June 29, 2022 at 2:39 am | #

      My webcomics reading history is kinda spotty. I think the very first one I read was Bob and George, back when I was in middle school and was obsessed with Mega Man, although the comic was over by that point. I mostly remember reading sprite comics at around that time. In high school I binged El Goonish Shive and was following it actively for a while, but kinda lost track when it ran into some schedule slippage– I should really check back in on it. I can’t remember any other webcomics I read between then and getting into this one, shortly after the time skip, after which I binged Shortpacked! and then It’s Walky! et al.

      • RassilonTDavros
        RassilonTDavros
        June 29, 2022 at 2:56 am | #

        Oh! I know what I forgot!

        Brawl in the Family. Discovered it late summer 2014, just in time for an initial binge before the ending hit.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      June 29, 2022 at 2:39 am | #

      Penny Arcade and B^U were my first introduction to webcomics, back around 2003 or so. Soon after (2004 maybe?), I shifted from gaming comics to story-driven ones like Real Life. Questionable Content was the gateway drug to all the others that I still read to this day, since Jeph had (and still has) that mile-long list of links to other comics next to his own.

      I started reading Shortpacked! a couple years later, but didn’t dig deeper since the Walkyverse lore seemed so deep. (That waited until the “from the beginning, in best reading order” reruns started.) I’ve been reading DoA since the beginning, though.

      oh no am I old 😮

      • StClair
        StClair
        June 29, 2022 at 11:23 pm | #

        I’m older. :p
        PA and RL and MegaTokyo, and I wandered over here sometime around “It’s the rain” and stuck around. Got to see IW! end (with drama) and SP! start (with silliness like that first Unicron strip… and later more drama).

    • khn0
      khn0
      June 29, 2022 at 8:40 am | #

      I really got into webcomics with Lapin and Bigger than Cheese, I can’t remember exactly when. Lapin begun in 2001 and was already pretty advanced when I read it. I also already had read some french-speaking strips made for internet prior to 1999, and read several french speaking slice-of-life comics blogs (a special style you can still find with Boulet but was really widely done then, around 2003 I’d say since I read the beginning of Cha, Laurel, Lilitualski, kek) irregularily.
      But I don’t really get that “I’m older than them now” vibe from webcomics – much more by novels I used to read and re-read…

    • Ed Callahan
      Ed Callahan
      June 29, 2022 at 8:48 am | #

      I had seen scattered references/ads about DOA around the start of 2020 and someone mentioned it was set at IU. I was intrigued since my oldest son graduated from IU. Plus the lockdown had started so I had plenty of time. It came as a surprise when the first online strip I read was a flashback of Amazing Girl driving a critically injured Mike to the ER. Not what I expected. Also, I was intrigued by the long history of the various versions of the strip, and I sure had plenty of time to do a deep dive into the archives.

      I still miss the sci-fi silliness a bit.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      June 29, 2022 at 8:57 am | #

      Not actually sure what my first webcomic was. User Friendly is one of the first I remember. It was the Fans crossover that led me to It’s Walky!, iirc.

    • Roborat
      Roborat
      June 29, 2022 at 4:43 pm | #

      I cannot remember the first webcomics I read, it was early in the internet era, so around late 1990s-early 2000s. It didn’t occur to me to save the bookmarks, so I would find one, then eventually forget where I found it. I also lost many in a computer crash in the mid 2000s that wiped out my bookmarks. One of the earliest ones I can remember was a British one, it would post scans of old magazine comics from the 50s and 60s, and make up new texts for them. Then the comments section would compete to come up with something better, it was great fun. I never did manage to rediscover that one. Also remember User Friendly, was the first Canadian one I found. Other early ones were Sabrina, mostly due to the Amiga stuff, Melonpool, Penny Arcade, PVP and Order of the Stick. Then there were ones like Megatokyo, which I found, lost and later rediscovered. I quickly found a few comic hosting sites, like The Duck and Keenspot, and eventually found Queen of Wands, which I discovered just before it finished, which led me to Something Positive, Questionable Content, Girls with Slingshots, El Goonish Shive, etc. And of course Willis’s comic, I think I discovered it somewhere in the late part of It’s Walky, or early part of Shortpacked!, likely mid 2000s. Things then exploded from there. I currently have over 300 webcomics bookmarked and regularly read over 50.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        June 29, 2022 at 4:53 pm | #

        “I currently have over 300 webcomics bookmarked and regularly read over 50.”

        Wow, I only regularly read, like, five webcomics currently. Used to be more, but some ended or became sporadic in updates, and I didn’t really replace them.

  30. TrueVCU
    TrueVCU
    June 29, 2022 at 12:31 am | #

    COWABUNGA IT IS

  31. Biblioholic93
    Biblioholic93
    June 29, 2022 at 12:32 am | #

    Y’know the worst bit is, Ruth might legitimately be fond of Jennifer, be healthy enough now to express that normally, might WANT to be pleasant, and understands that the ‘Billie’ she loved wants and expects a certain thing from her. And Ruth just wants Jennifer to be satisfied, to close it, so is either reverting to her anger or summoning it on command, to please. Honestly hope its somehow other than that, but… sigh.

    It’s obvious that Ruth and Jen agree whatever happened is Ruth’s fault or was an accident due to her being very stupid with things. I’m sensing an alcohol-interacting meds incident and or potentially… severe psychological… allergy, to boozy meds. So… well honestly hope they stay faithful but ‘suicide pact alcoholic fuck buddies’ was never once remotely healthy. So they might not value themselves enough to stop it.

    Mmm… Iiiiiii… hope someone pokes their head in so these two knuckleheads can be shamed into behaving….

    • Zach
      Zach
      June 29, 2022 at 1:02 am | #

      I read it as Ruth refusing to have romantic feelings for her and over correcting. I mean, punching Jennifer is definitely better than kissing her.

      • Biblioholic93
        Biblioholic93
        June 29, 2022 at 1:31 am | #

        Mm not really matter of romantic feelings but romantic action, there’s every indication that Ruth isn’t entirely over Jennifer. Jen’s pissed at whatever happened on Halloween tho and at least by now Ruth respects that. Its very clear that both agree Ruth Was Stupid. Its more likely “Don’t want to make her cheat” than “don’t want her at all.”

        Eh, honestly I see it more as, well the last thing we ses Ruth tell Jason is thar she wants to bully him, which may or may not have caused Jason to leave? Here’s a volunteer now, either way.

        • Seregiel
          Seregiel
          June 29, 2022 at 10:34 pm | #

          That was how I was hoping THIS page would go. “You’re lying! [incl about other partner] and Billie kicked in the door to see Ruth and Jason’s consensual power exchange.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      June 29, 2022 at 2:41 am | #

      Ruth is trying to remain cordial. Problem is, Jennifer is the type who thrives on drama.

  32. Huehuetotl
    Huehuetotl
    June 29, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

    Maybe I’m reading panel 2 wrong, but I don’t think Ruth was pretending.

  33. Kirtro
    Kirtro
    June 29, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

    “Fully deserved.” ~Minimus Ambus

  34. VinzKlortho
    VinzKlortho
    June 29, 2022 at 12:38 am | #

    This is just physical damage. I think Ruth’s about to launch an emotional tirade that will deal ten times that amount in psychic damage.

    • anon
      anon
      June 29, 2022 at 12:41 am | #

      assuming this eventually gets an ending/epilogue, wonder how many ppl will be left standing without some kinda physical/emotional scars after graduation lol

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      June 29, 2022 at 2:20 am | #

      Yeah, I think the end of this storyline is gonna be Ruth telling Jennifer to grow the fuck up.

  35. Theozilla
    Theozilla
    June 29, 2022 at 12:39 am | #

    Was Jennifer moving in closer to try to kiss Ruth (or to get Ruth to kiss her) in the second panel? If so, I am glad Ruth rejected that (though not the physical violence part).

    • Fay
      Fay
      June 29, 2022 at 4:48 am | #

      I see it almost as Jennifer begging, saying, “Please meet my aggression, I need this”.

      • StClair
        StClair
        June 29, 2022 at 11:45 pm | #

        Seconded.

  36. Dr. T
    Dr. T
    June 29, 2022 at 12:41 am | #

    Well Jennifer, she stopped playing nice. Happy now?

  37. Francoinblanco
    Francoinblanco
    June 29, 2022 at 12:43 am | #

    Emotional (and brain) damage

  38. Greg
    Greg
    June 29, 2022 at 12:45 am | #

    Oh good they’re fighting again

    • Dara
      Dara
      June 29, 2022 at 1:04 am | #

      presidential alert

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        June 29, 2022 at 3:06 am | #

        What

  39. Kravis
    Kravis
    June 29, 2022 at 12:46 am | #

    Holy shit, Billie/Jennifer has been caught red-handed by Ruth!

  40. poofdepoof
    poofdepoof
    June 29, 2022 at 12:51 am | #

    Is anyone else a bit confused about how to feel about this considering we still don’t know what happened in the timeskip?

    • Nenja
      Nenja
      June 29, 2022 at 1:29 am | #

      Very. I hope we get some answers soon.

    • Rabisch
      Rabisch
      June 29, 2022 at 1:36 am | #

      Really a lot.

  41. NinjaNick
    NinjaNick
    June 29, 2022 at 1:21 am | #

    Right in the face!!!

  42. Angel
    Angel
    June 29, 2022 at 1:21 am | #

    Do we still not know what the hell happened between them? Like I know they’ve both got issues but Jennifer came in acting like a fucking lunatic and I can’t even begin to guess what Ruth might have done that’s left her in a violent rage for months.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      June 29, 2022 at 2:43 am | #

      It sounds like we’ll find out in the next chapter.

  43. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    June 29, 2022 at 1:31 am | #

    Good thing that Ruth refused to let Jennifer/Billie’s face get closer and closer to hers. Good thing that, despite all of her “I’m sorry for”, she actually seems to know very well that between them can’t continue anything because that hurts both of them. I hope it doesn’t escalate into even more violence, but Jennifer looks desperate and she could wants continue. I wonder if Mary is seeing all this, if Carla hears them from her room and if Jason is in Ruth’s room.

  44. newlland(Henryvolt)
    newlland(Henryvolt)
    June 29, 2022 at 1:32 am | #

    Well wish granted.

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      June 29, 2022 at 1:33 am | #

      i read this in Shenron’s voice 😆

  45. Acher4
    Acher4
    June 29, 2022 at 1:35 am | #

    …now kiss!

    *WUMP!*

    …or that. 😛

  46. Victor Riley
    Victor Riley
    June 29, 2022 at 1:54 am | #

    Or she was being nice because she’s trying to be a better person, and trying to get over her ex in a healthy manner and NOT wish for their death, because that’s not a good thing.

    Not everyone changes so quickly there, Jennifer… no matter how much you insist you have.

  47. Sajuuk-Khar
    Sajuuk-Khar
    June 29, 2022 at 1:54 am | #

    AS GAWD IS MY WITNESS, THAT BILLINGSWORTH IS BROKEN IN HALF

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      June 29, 2022 at 2:20 am | #

      Just read another comic having a pro-wrestling arc, and I found this comment to be funny, and also equally applicable to both comics (except that one doesn’t have a “Billingsworth” character).

  48. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    June 29, 2022 at 2:15 am | #

    Wish granted!

    Attagirl, Ruth. Don’t let her walk all over you.

  49. Bagge
    Bagge
    June 29, 2022 at 2:21 am | #

    I’m glad to see how much these two are over each other.

    • Clif
      Clif
      June 29, 2022 at 8:58 pm | #

      Yes, it’s so refreshing.

  50. Icalasari
    Icalasari
    June 29, 2022 at 2:36 am | #

    Well then

    Guess Jennifer put the Less back in Ruthless!

    …Wait no that joke doesn’t work

  51. Taffy
    Taffy
    June 29, 2022 at 3:07 am | #

    fuck yeah paste her

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      June 29, 2022 at 8:30 am | #

      I love Ruth and Billie, but Ruth and Dina would be unbelievably hot.

  52. TheFlamingonator
    TheFlamingonator
    June 29, 2022 at 3:44 am | #

    Is- is this better? like I actually can’t tell if this is better than them antagonizing each other and then making out??? I hope Jennifer/Billies head/neck is alright.

  53. Marrow
    Marrow
    June 29, 2022 at 3:51 am | #

    Hope the glasses didn’t break

  54. KingMonster
    KingMonster
    June 29, 2022 at 3:54 am | #

    “STOP PRETENDING TO BE NICE TO ME!”

    Okay, Cool.

    *FACE SLAM!*

  55. ADLegend21
    ADLegend21
    June 29, 2022 at 4:12 am | #

    oh damn she literally asked for this asswhooping

  56. Adam Black
    Adam Black
    June 29, 2022 at 4:29 am | #

    I wonder if this is all just a ploy to get Ruth to beat up Mary.

    Mary will definitely snark and say its staged for her.

    Then sn

  57. AGV
    AGV
    June 29, 2022 at 4:30 am | #

    WISH GRANTED!

  58. Deadjolras
    Deadjolras
    June 29, 2022 at 4:57 am | #

    BY GOD IT’S RUTH LESSICK

    WITH A STEEL CHAIR

    • Sharaku
      Sharaku
      June 29, 2022 at 8:03 am | #

      OH GOD. THE FEMUR DEATH STRIKE! THE FEMUR DEATH STRIKE!

  59. Minkey93
    Minkey93
    June 29, 2022 at 5:48 am | #

    In a normal school, Billie/Jennifer -who just physically assaulted an employee of the college and fellow student without apparent provocation- would at best be placed on academic suspension while the school investigates. And at worst be completely expelled.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      June 29, 2022 at 5:54 am | #

      But remember, her parents are rich.

      /s

      • HeySo
        HeySo
        June 29, 2022 at 6:25 am | #

        I’m not sure you understand how /s works..
        That, or your conception of real life is tragically optimistic.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          June 29, 2022 at 7:59 am | #

          You’re right, it should’ve been “/[eyeroll, midair wanking motion]” instead.

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            June 29, 2022 at 2:06 pm | #

            Sorry, you said “midair wanking” and my brain immediately went to “wanking while skydiving” and now I’m sorta worried about the implications of that.

            • Clif
              Clif
              June 29, 2022 at 9:01 pm | #

              What implications? Without doing any research at all, we both know it’s a thing.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      June 29, 2022 at 9:04 am | #

      By those standards, Ruth would have been gone long ago.
      Even in a “normal school”, fights happen. They need to get reported for anyone to get expelled.

      No one’s going to report this.

  60. Darkoneko
    Darkoneko
    June 29, 2022 at 6:28 am | #

    NOT THE GLASSES

  61. Jabberwocky
    Jabberwocky
    June 29, 2022 at 6:34 am | #

    I’m not saying it’s healthy, but this is historically how they have flirted.

  62. AlaninDC
    AlaninDC
    June 29, 2022 at 6:50 am | #

    I’m sure it wasn’t Willis’ intent, but there is more than just a trace of Moe Howard in Ruth’s face and pose in the third frame.

    “Why, you numbskull…”

  63. Kaos
    Kaos
    June 29, 2022 at 7:03 am | #

    it was about time that Ruth did have enough of Jennifer’s selfrightous bullying of her.
    Ruth did leave her alone while Jennifer didn’t.

  64. JBento
    JBento
    June 29, 2022 at 7:11 am | #

    Alright, I guess it’s my turn to stop reading the comments for a stroy arc so I can avoid all the “these two are superviolent with each other, clearly they’re in love and should make out” fuckshits.

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      June 29, 2022 at 9:07 am | #

      I mean

      They were in love, and did make out, and the superviolence was part of how they got together, because they’re an incredibly fucked up pair of idiots

      But they genuinely loved each other, also, and a lot of people “fuckshits” really liked that relationship???

      so it’s, uh, this is a weird sentiment to have about this

      • Username Taken
        Username Taken
        June 29, 2022 at 9:50 am | #

        I get that Willis used a common enemies-to-lovers trope for these characters, but this relationship was built on emotional abuse and physical assault, and it eventually led to an alcoholism-fueled suicide pact. I don’t think it’s weird to be grossed out about people romanticizing that.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          June 29, 2022 at 11:02 am | #

          More like it started with an alcoholism-fueled suicide pact and grew into something more. Both Jennifer and Ruth supported each other, in their own messed up ways. Their relationship helped them both stop drinking and seek therapy. Both of them were better people and in a better place at the end of the first season than at the start and their relationship was a good part of that process.
          Also it was left in a good place before the time skip and we don’t yet have closure on how it ended or why neither of them seem to be in good shape now.

          The physical fighting specifically was also a consensual part of the relationship for both of them – once it actually was a relationship. It was a turn on for both of them. It’s possible that the people romanticizing them are remembering that part of the pairing more than the early abuse.

          • GeekyWarrior
            GeekyWarrior
            June 29, 2022 at 1:30 pm | #

            “Hey I’m following your lead, but your lead is kind of doing it for me.”

            https://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/lead-2/

        • Nathan
          Nathan
          June 29, 2022 at 1:20 pm | #

          I think a lot (most?) of the readers cheering this ship on are fully aware that if these were real people this would be Extremely Bad News. DoA has some sweet and healthy relationships with open communication and respect for boundaries. Then it also has this extremely entertaining absolute shitshow

        • Joyfulldreams
          Joyfulldreams
          June 29, 2022 at 9:42 pm | #

          Hey this just in but enjoying a story about messed up fictional people and the complex emotions that dynamic inspires is not the same thing as whatever you think “romanticizing” is. In fact, I like it more than things that are good and clean and unproblematic, because stories and dynamics like this give us the opportunity to explore all of the many complicated and messed up emotions in ourselves…in a safe way. Through fiction, rather than with actual real people.

          For example: If Ruth and Jennifer were real, it would be much healthier for both them both to just read or even write romance novels or fanfic or whatever about enemies to lovers to work or similar dynamics through their complex feelings for each other, rather than to actually engage in their mutually toxic relationship.

          But this is a story, and stories don’t always need to be concerned with what’s healthy. They ought to be about what’s most interesting. Sometimes, people slowly finding real stability and safety and growing to be more healthy people is more interesting. Sometimes it’s not. And sometimes, in order to reach that place of stability, it involves trudging through the mud and confronting ugly things in ugly ways that aren’t ideal or nice.

          • Username Taken
            Username Taken
            June 29, 2022 at 11:47 pm | #

            Plenty of the readers in the fanbase romanticize Billie/Ruth and have for a long time. People still comment about how they want them to get back together and enjoyed them as a couple.

            Ruth verbally abused Billie, stole from her, physically fought her, and sexually assaulted her, all while in a position of authority over her. Billie entered a relationship with her abuser that spiraled into a suicide pact.

            Now that’s certainly an interesting relationship and story arc, but can you blame anyone who is uncomfortable with readers glorifying that relationship? Seems understandable to me.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      June 29, 2022 at 2:10 pm | #

      We all know they’re not real. I think it’s a little rude to call people “fuckshits” for liking when the pretend girls don’t actually hurt each other IRL, with the implication that we’d also be fine with their behavior if it were real. It’s actually fine and not a problem to enjoy these two and I don’t like the idea that it shouldn’t be.

  65. AlaninDC
    AlaninDC
    June 29, 2022 at 7:41 am | #

    I’ve never visited this campus, but I know that buildings of a certain vintage have poured concrete floors. For the hallway to fill with a “Wump” sounds that loud, that had to be one hell of an impact.

    Enjoy your head fracture, Jennifer. You earned it.

  66. Beau Kirin Maysey
    Beau Kirin Maysey
    June 29, 2022 at 7:48 am | #

    “Okaaayyyy” 🙂

  67. James Thurber
    James Thurber
    June 29, 2022 at 8:10 am | #

    Two minutes for roughing

  68. BarerMender
    BarerMender
    June 29, 2022 at 8:33 am | #

    Is it just me, or is Billie’s expression in the second frame… pain? Is that what Ruth sees?

    • Sajuuk-Khar
      Sajuuk-Khar
      June 29, 2022 at 9:11 am | #

      Oh it’s mutual pain, you aren’t imagining shit

      This is that Love + Hate sauce, like, this is Anakin vs. Obi-Wan shit, to use a crude nerd comparison, except these two were (canonically) in love and made out

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        June 29, 2022 at 10:11 am | #

        In the third frame, and I don’t know it it’s intentional, or, again, just me, but if you scroll sideways to cover the down-turned corner of Ruth’s mouth, she has an evil grin.

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        June 29, 2022 at 10:14 am | #

        And in the second frame, Ruth’s expression isn’t pain; it’s “wild surmise.”

      • Sterling
        Sterling
        June 29, 2022 at 7:56 pm | #

        You’re telling me Anakin and Obi-Wan never made out?????

        • Sajuuk-Khar
          Sajuuk-Khar
          June 29, 2022 at 9:09 pm | #

          Look, I said *canonically* 😛

  69. Suet
    Suet
    June 29, 2022 at 8:48 am | #

    That’s so not carpeted. Ooh that’s gonna leave a mark.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      June 29, 2022 at 9:05 am | #

      It’s carpeted, but it’s that thin hallway carpet.

  70. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    June 29, 2022 at 9:05 am | #

    Aww they’re flirting
    I hope

  71. Hof1991
    Hof1991
    June 29, 2022 at 9:27 am | #

    These are the wages of sin. Not death but a concussion.

  72. John
    John
    June 29, 2022 at 9:30 am | #

    Gee, I can’t even begin to imagine why these two crazy kids ever broke up.

  73. Xaeon
    Xaeon
    June 29, 2022 at 10:15 am | #

    “But I do miss you. Every time. Friggin’ blow darts just won’t fly straight.”

  74. Chaucer59
    Chaucer59
    June 29, 2022 at 10:28 am | #

    Foreplay.

  75. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    June 29, 2022 at 10:58 am | #

    Is Jennifer a masochrist?

    • Rabisch
      Rabisch
      June 29, 2022 at 2:31 pm | #

      At this point, every explanation is possible.

  76. spriteless_auntie
    spriteless_auntie
    June 29, 2022 at 12:00 pm | #

    Quick Booster come in to tell us what this means. Asides from Willis ran out of bad guys to punch.

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      June 29, 2022 at 12:09 pm | #

      Booster would be delighted.

  77. egg egg
    egg egg
    June 29, 2022 at 12:07 pm | #

    get dunked on

  78. Mr.Morningstar
    Mr.Morningstar
    June 29, 2022 at 12:11 pm | #

    I mean okay I would also shove someone shoving there arm to my neck.

    Guess Ruth is just as done now.

  79. L Rafaello
    L Rafaello
    June 29, 2022 at 1:11 pm | #

    This is a good ol’ mix of Ruth enacting self defense, but technically excessive force. I hope she doesn’t get too fucked over by this, because she’s clearly not the aggressor in this.

    • Nathan
      Nathan
      June 29, 2022 at 1:24 pm | #

      I don’t think this is gonna include a “Ruth faces consequences from authority” plot point.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        June 29, 2022 at 2:16 pm | #

        I’m inclined to agree. A lot of scuffles like this, even really violent ones, just don’t get reported to authorities of any sort, because people mind their own business. At this point, I figure the girls in this hallway are used to these two going at it, so it’s barely a disruption, and it seems to have lasted all of about 30 seconds. Really no need to get any trouble-dispensers involved.

  80. Heather
    Heather
    June 29, 2022 at 1:27 pm | #

    Me: Eggman meme: what are you two FUCKING talking about?
    (Here’s to Halloween flashbacks of their breakup I guess).

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      June 29, 2022 at 2:13 pm | #

      Ruth fucked Jennifer’s wife?

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        June 29, 2022 at 2:42 pm | #

        Okay, but imagine if Ruth hooked up with Alice. That’d be some fun fallout.

  81. Mannimark
    Mannimark
    June 29, 2022 at 2:46 pm | #

    I just found this comic four days ago and burned through the whole thing up to now and I have to say…it’s fantastic. If you want to know the artist, study the art. It saddens me that David is clearly the sort of man I’d be great friends with but will probably never get to meet, simply because the popularity of this comic inundates him with a million other people who I’m sure feel the same.

    So… Thank you for making this David. Many of the topics you cover here hit close to home. I understand that by making this you’ve put your thoughts and values and history out there for the scrutiny of strangers. That takes courage. And strangers can often be unkind. But you’ve humanized *many* more people that you will probably never meet. Including me. And that means something.

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      June 29, 2022 at 3:50 pm | #

      Quite a binge, isn’t it? Welcome to the comic. Maybe one day the world will be less covered in death and their kids will be a little older, and Willis will do conventions again and you’ll get to meet them.

      (Also, I don’t know if being referred to as a man bothers them, but my understanding is that Willis is nonbinary; they use he/they pronouns, so you’re fine on that front.)

    • The Wellerman
      The Wellerman
      June 29, 2022 at 10:48 pm | #

      You are not alone in how you feel about the comic. 🥲

      Also, welcome to the comments section! 😊

      We’re a diverse community that just likes screwing around, discussing important things, and just having lots of fun!!!!

      Also great music!!!!

      *plays “Mitsuha No Tsugaku” on hacked muzak*

  82. Alex
    Alex
    June 29, 2022 at 3:15 pm | #

    Jennifer picked a bad time to start a fight, seeing as Ruth was already looking for someone to bully.

  83. Dsr667
    Dsr667
    June 29, 2022 at 3:15 pm | #

    Billie girl got a severe case of the crappy frown after getting bonked against the floor by her fellow favorite redhead canuck!

  84. Michael Haneline
    Michael Haneline
    June 29, 2022 at 5:50 pm | #

    Ruth says she misses me.
    BUT HER AIM IS GETTING BETTER.

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      June 29, 2022 at 6:10 pm | #

      https://imgur.com/a/reqHS7d

  85. Johan
    Johan
    June 29, 2022 at 6:42 pm | #

    Is Ruth wearing a skirt jumper or shortalls?

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      June 29, 2022 at 7:24 pm | #

      I think it’s an overall dress/shorts.

  86. Wereg
    Wereg
    June 29, 2022 at 7:11 pm | #

    Gotta love Jennifer doing her absolute best to fuck up the progress both of them have been making.

  87. Steelbright
    Steelbright
    July 1, 2022 at 2:55 am | #

    Hahaha Jennifer this is some serious PROJECTING

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