Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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June 1, 2026

Lied

by David M Willis on October 31, 2022 at 12:01 am
  • 01 – Bring Me to Life Drawing
└ Tags: jennifer, ruth

Discussion (131) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    October 31, 2022 at 12:02 am | #

    you lied because you made your bed and had to LIE IN IT

    wait no

    • Ana Chronistic
      Ana Chronistic
      October 31, 2022 at 12:03 am | #

      good job, Willis, you get a candy

  2. The Wellerman
    The Wellerman
    October 31, 2022 at 12:02 am | #

    Happy Halloween everyone!!!!

    🤘😈🤘 🎃🕸🕷👻👹👾👽

    How are you all gonna celebrate? Lemme know below!

    *plays “It’s Terror Time Again” by Skycycle on hacked muzak*

    • Madock345
      Madock345
      October 31, 2022 at 12:06 am | #

      I went to a ritual the Druid circle in my city held today. It was pretty cool. Then I made my roommates binge Over the Garden Wall with me, because it’s mandatory for Halloween.

      Tomorrow I’m going to buy piles of discount candy and maybe go to a drag show.

    • Chaucer59
      Chaucer59
      October 31, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

      I was amazed to find we’re the most popular Halloween stop in our ‘hood. No candy. We give out comic books to the older kids and age-appropriate temporary tattoos to the little ones.

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        October 31, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

        That is awesome. Of course, you have the most popular stop.

      • Twitcher
        Twitcher
        October 31, 2022 at 3:08 pm | #

        For a while, my family’s house was the house to hit… in more ways than one. We were the house that the bad kids dared people to steal decorations from.

        • Chaucer59
          Chaucer59
          October 31, 2022 at 9:26 pm | #

          My wife doubled down at the last minute and handed out Hot Wheels to the toddlers. So cute.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      October 31, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

      Happy Halloween!

      We watched some Scooby Doo/WWE crossovers for Sunday because my dad wasn’t gonna be home and tonight I’m going to my boyfriend’s to hang out with him and his best friend and then I’mg going to come home and watch movies with my brother.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      October 31, 2022 at 12:09 am | #

      I live in a new neighborhood, one that apparently gets tons of trick-or-treaters, which is new for me.

      So I’m handing out treats. Gonna be the cool house and give full sized bars (as long as the supply lasts at least, got some fun sized for emergency backup).

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      October 31, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

      Well I have a truly terrifying amount of homework, so I will be doing that and trying not to fail my classes. Though if I become too exhausted to work anymore, there is a scary audiodrama I’ve been meaning.

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        October 31, 2022 at 12:18 am | #

        PS. Happy Halloween to you too, Wellerman. What are your plans for All Hallows Eve?

        • The Wellerman
          The Wellerman
          October 31, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

          Thanks!! Well I’m still bummed out I didn’t get to release the DoA horror game 😕

          On the bright side, it’s still my favorite holiday, so imma treat myself to some Hallow-weed cookies and chilly down with horror classics like Jurassic Park, Alien, Freddy vs Jason, Hocus Pocus, as well as some new horror anime like Promised Neverland and Made in Abyss.

          I’m also gonna finish the first season of Little Demon, the show is fucking PERFECT 😈🥹😍

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      October 31, 2022 at 12:19 am | #

      Probably gonna blast Pumpkin Hill music at all hours (beginning at midnight) until someone physically makes me stop. After that, see if I can’t find a red t-shirt my size for a makeshift Knuckles costume.

      Then I guess I’ll watch some Halloween-related or otherwise-spooky media. Gotta do It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! for sure. Might watch some old Doctor Who and try to be happy those eight faces are canon while forgetting the particular tortured way in which they were made canon.

    • Clif
      Clif
      October 31, 2022 at 1:03 am | #

      I’m driving home from a fantastic weekend.

    • ktbear
      ktbear
      October 31, 2022 at 3:44 am | #

      Fortunately Halloween isnt really a thing here. And we have dogs so those few kids that actually bother give our place a wide berth. We’ve imported enough silly American culture without adding this one to the list.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        October 31, 2022 at 8:50 am | #

        While I fully appreciate the point about silly american culture, Halloween is like, the *one* thing worth importing.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        October 31, 2022 at 8:51 am | #

        On that topic (imported culture), what aspect of your culture would you export and be happy to see america adopt?

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      October 31, 2022 at 7:30 am | #

      The same way I always do Halloween: trying to sleep and hoping the local trick-or-treaters respect the unspoken rule: “no porch light no candy”.

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      October 31, 2022 at 8:48 am | #

      Keep company with my kid who is sick this year. 😢

    • Azhrei Vep
      Azhrei Vep
      October 31, 2022 at 9:16 am | #

      I’m going to read all the comics I usually read every day, then watch some youtube, make a quick dinner, get some sleep, have a small breakfast, fuck around online, and then go to work. It’s just another Monday.

    • Amós Batista
      Amós Batista
      October 31, 2022 at 10:04 am | #

      No Halloween here. Our holiday is in November 2nd, when latin countries attend the Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos, in spanish-talk countries).

      • Hilen
        Hilen
        October 31, 2022 at 11:40 pm | #

        Er, maybe Latin countries is too broad? We don’t have that here in Arg

    • Max
      Max
      October 31, 2022 at 10:14 am | #

      We had the Halloween party at our school last Wednesday. Laser tag and costume contest. Today I showed the kids the Disney classics “The Skeleton Dance” and ‘Trick Or Treat”(with Donald Duck and Witch Hazel).

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        October 31, 2022 at 5:18 pm | #

        Super fun!!! 🤩

    • egg egg
      egg egg
      October 31, 2022 at 11:01 am | #

      Gonna listen to some SCP podcasts until I head into the office for our annual chili contest. Eat a bunch of chili and then drive home, then maybe work on some red beans and rice for dinner. Watch some spooky movies and give kids candy.

      I’m dressing up as an Installation Wizard.

      • The Wellerman
        The Wellerman
        October 31, 2022 at 5:33 pm | #

        mmmmm…. chilli dogs are a great way to chilly down 🤤

    • powerpowerpow
      powerpowerpow
      October 31, 2022 at 11:21 am | #

      I’ve never been in a country that celebrates Halloween but it’s always been one of my favorite holidays. I already read, watch, and listen to a lot of horror, so tonight I’ll just curl up with a great horror movie, probably.

    • Paradox
      Paradox
      October 31, 2022 at 2:36 pm | #

      I have to work

      Plus side, work pays double on holidays, instead if the usual 1.5x

    • Wizard
      Wizard
      November 1, 2022 at 5:17 am | #

      I went to a funeral. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but that’s what I got. It involved roughly four hours’ driving time each way, so along with some family visiting, it took up the entire day.
      Afterwards, I watched a few Gravity Falls episodes with my mother, so that was nice.

  3. Chaucer59
    Chaucer59
    October 31, 2022 at 12:04 am | #

    Well, SHE certainly told HER.

  4. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    October 31, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    Ruth: “You lied by saying you loved me more than Kit Fisto!”

    Jennifer: “You lied by insinuating that I don’t have a chance with him! Plans are in motion!”

    • Bicycle Bill
      Bicycle Bill
      October 31, 2022 at 12:22 am | #

      What’s the big deal about Kit Fisto?

      • C.T. Phipps
        C.T. Phipps
        October 31, 2022 at 12:46 am | #

        Everybody has a fictional character they crush on to an absurd degree (mine is Kira Nerys). Jennifer’s is a minor Star Wars Legends/Clone Wars character.

        It illustrates her anti-nerd facade is just that.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          October 31, 2022 at 7:30 am | #

          Mirror Universe Kira.

          That is all.

          • C.T. Phipps
            C.T. Phipps
            October 31, 2022 at 4:09 pm | #

            By Willisverse multiversal law, which is a good example for everything, Intendant Kira being bi means Main Kira is.

          • RowenMorland
            RowenMorland
            October 31, 2022 at 5:35 pm | #

            Kira that lives rent free in Gul Dukat’s head and laughs at the idea Sisko would ever respect him.

      • Clif
        Clif
        October 31, 2022 at 12:51 am | #

        Ask Jennifer.

  5. Rose by Any Other Name
    Rose by Any Other Name
    October 31, 2022 at 12:05 am | #

    … okay, Ruth, I call BS on that last one. You can’t do a thing and then be angry that you succeeded. I mean, you can be, but it’s shitty and does nothing to support you. You done fucked up.

    • Chaucer59
      Chaucer59
      October 31, 2022 at 12:10 am | #

      I think Ruth was the initiator of this $&!t-show, but they both screwed up from that point on.

    • Steelbright
      Steelbright
      October 31, 2022 at 12:20 am | #

      Yeah, this one really makes it seem like the reason Jennifer kept ignoring Ruth breaking up with her was that Ruth TOLD her to. Which is a BS situation to put somebody in, and a BS thing to then be salty about

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      October 31, 2022 at 12:21 am | #

      Agreed, also sorry for the accidental flag

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      October 31, 2022 at 1:18 am | #

      I real confused by this whole thing now cause the consensus was that Billie was abusive and toxic and Ruth was in the right to force her out of the relationship but now Ruth regrets breaking up??? Kind of makes her seem like the abusive one to put this on Jennifer. But their relationship is like a rollercoaster through a funhouse mirror with grenades strapped to it anyway so maybe it’s not supposed to make sense.

      • Yeet
        Yeet
        October 31, 2022 at 1:29 am | #

        they’re both awful for each other. ruth is arguably worse for being a bit older and in a position of small authority, but in terms of “who’s right about feelings” it’s “neither, both of them need to go see hecking therapists”

        • Ari
          Ari
          October 31, 2022 at 5:53 am | #

          I think they both tried and it didn’t work? Very few treatment options for anything work for everyone.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 31, 2022 at 8:19 am | #

        Maybe there is no “abusive one”? Just two messed up kids, rather than an abuser and a victim.

    • Sneakystorms
      Sneakystorms
      October 31, 2022 at 4:58 am | #

      I don’t think Ruth is actually angry Jennifer didn’t “let her” break up with her, or at least I don’t think she’s actually blaming Jennifer for that. To me it looks more like just a counterdig for the sake of the counterdig, to prove that they both failed to stick to their word. Obviously up to individual interpretation, but that’s the vibe I’m getting from her wording and expression

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        October 31, 2022 at 11:28 am | #

        Same here.

        Also, I notice that the Which Character Is Most Right/Wrong comments tend to be kinda fun to write, but usually tedious to read, at least for me. Does anyone else feel that way?

        (To clarify, I’m not asking people to stop, I’m perfectly able to skip a day or scroll on by whenever I’m not in the mood to read comments! Just, I can’t think of other things that I find more fun to write than to read, so I wonder what’s up with that, and if it’s common.)

      • DashWallkick
        DashWallkick
        October 31, 2022 at 1:16 pm | #

        yeah it reads much closer to me as “these are the excuses that they’re telling one another” because they’re both mad for incoherent and intense reasons and there’s no real explanation other than “sometimes shit doesn’t work” and they’re working to that point.

    • Alex
      Alex
      October 31, 2022 at 2:03 pm | #

      I think it’s one of those things that you say when you’re mad even though you know it’s unfair.

  6. Cmasta1992
    Cmasta1992
    October 31, 2022 at 12:07 am | #

    I feel bad for Jennifer being hurt but man they’re so awful for each other I can’t be mad about the outcome.

    • anon
      anon
      October 31, 2022 at 8:26 pm | #

      i would think jen would wanna avoid ruth, and avoid any kinda provoking in case she actually ends up relapsing into drinking and suicidal ideation again

  7. BBCC
    BBCC
    October 31, 2022 at 12:08 am | #

    Yaaaaayyyyyy they’re talking again!

    Surely this will end up being a healthy conversation right?

    Ahahahahaha, I kill me.

  8. Imogen
    Imogen
    October 31, 2022 at 12:11 am | #

    hmm ruth I’m not sure that’s the own you think it is

    Honestly, not to be total trash, but that line makes me really question these dynamics anew. Like, does Ruth WANT Jennifer to pursue her? Is Jennifer mad because she has correctly identified that Ruth’s been behaving dishonestly and irrationally? Jennifer is an awful communicator in many ways, but Ruth unquestionably is, too, and… Ruth has given basically no indications she wants to break up except that she thinks it’s for Jennifer’s own good.

    Jennifer’s shitty reaction is, yeah, shitty, but it’s also her at her worst in a lot of ways–she thinks Ruth is self-destructing and is sick of Ruth acting like she isn’t, and maybe it’s magnifying her worst traits because she’s *scared* for the woman she loves. Hence her trying to hook Ruth up with people, being satisfied when Ruth lashes out, etc. She doesn’t know how to process this breakup, and a part of her always worried (hoped?) that Ruth was doing it self-destructively and that Ruth was still in danger without her.

    This is mostly Devil’s Advocate. I think calling this ship toxic and bad is a pretty safe take, and I definitely don’t want to debate that point when I probably overall agree with you. That said, I have… questions.

    • Imogen
      Imogen
      October 31, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

      Oh, and to be clear, the “satisfied” could as much be relief that Ruth isn’t trying to take the bullet for her anymore as the more toxic “oh good you’re still a mess who needs me”. Like, Jennifer seems to be worried that Ruth is self-destructing for Jennifer’s sake, and Jennifer wants Ruth to stop pretending to be fine when she’s obviously hurting.

    • C.T. Phipps
      C.T. Phipps
      October 31, 2022 at 12:48 am | #

      I think it’s well-established neither Ruth or Jennifer know WHAT they want and don’t think they deserve anything good in their lives. Ruth’s anger is that Jennifer remained dumped apparently and Jennifer is mad that Ruth finally “got better” then chose to dump her for it.

    • Alex
      Alex
      October 31, 2022 at 2:02 pm | #

      Even though Ruth did everything she could to break up for real, I think a part of her was hoping that Jennifer would keep pursuing her and it would be out of her hands.

  9. Suet
    Suet
    October 31, 2022 at 12:12 am | #

    “You lied about the Leafs making it to the Stanley Cup”

    *plays on the jacket patch Said I Loved You…But I Lied by… Michael Bolton*

    • Andy
      Andy
      October 31, 2022 at 11:55 pm | #

      Nah, the only ones who say that’ll happen are non Toronto fans. Leafs fans just wait for the Leafs to give up a 3-1 lead to lose in the first round.

  10. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    October 31, 2022 at 12:14 am | #

    What even is real feelings to either of them at this point. Their relationship was buried under so much performative misery it’s hard to actually know now.

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      October 31, 2022 at 12:36 am | #

      Yes, and also, people can have more than one feeling at a time. All the feelings can be real. People are complicated like that.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      October 31, 2022 at 7:22 am | #

      I’m gonna say “contradictory”

  11. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    October 31, 2022 at 12:16 am | #

    I think Jennifer is forgetting that their relationship was always an inseparable alloy of love and (mostly self) hate. Ruth being mad at Jennifer is just as real as her undiminished love, even the deepest hate is not incompatible with the greatest love.

    • C.T. Phipps
      C.T. Phipps
      October 31, 2022 at 12:49 am | #

      Both Jennifer and Ruth are becoming better people.

      But they loved the shitty version of each other, which means they’re pissed at both changing.

      It’s oddly relevant to Joyce who is exhausted with the fact all of her friends liked the “Old Joyce” more than the person she thinks is objectively better.

      • Freezer
        Freezer
        October 31, 2022 at 2:56 am | #

        To be fair “The Old Joyce” wasn’t as prone to self-loathing funks as the “new” version. She’d have a brief freakout and move on, at the most.

  12. Sajuuk-Khar
    Sajuuk-Khar
    October 31, 2022 at 12:17 am | #

    “Reopening old wounds? That’s for basic bongoes. We’re about to go SPELUNKING in these wounds!!”
    —Jennifer and Ruth, probably

  13. Steelbright
    Steelbright
    October 31, 2022 at 12:17 am | #

    This relationship definitely keeps me guessing on who’s being shittier. Jennifer was kinda winning until Ruth dropped that last line, woof

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      October 31, 2022 at 1:30 am | #

      I mean at this point their relationship is essentially an arms race on who can be more toxic to the other so I think it makes sense that they flip flop on who’s the shittiest at any given moment.

      • Steelbright
        Steelbright
        October 31, 2022 at 3:13 am | #

        For real. This made me laugh tho >.>

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        October 31, 2022 at 8:00 am | #

        MAS (Mutually Assured Shittiness)

  14. LovelyMonsters
    LovelyMonsters
    October 31, 2022 at 12:28 am | #

    Oh for fucks’ sakes please just stop speaking to each other, I cannot bear this endless dramawanking you both do

    • Madock345
      Madock345
      October 31, 2022 at 12:35 am | #

      “Dramawanking” lmao nice

    • Ed Callahan
      Ed Callahan
      October 31, 2022 at 8:56 am | #

      But dramawanking is kind of the premise of the strip. If that went, what would Willis have to write about? Alien conspiracies?

      • anon
        anon
        October 31, 2022 at 3:35 pm | #

        that’d be walky’s podcast if he had the attention span/determination to keep at it lol

    • anon
      anon
      October 31, 2022 at 3:34 pm | #

      lol doa can’t be peaceful for too long

      i thought jen was actually flipping her off for a sec that last panel but yeah it’d best if they stayed away from each other

  15. Lingo
    Lingo
    October 31, 2022 at 12:31 am | #

    Oooh, nice, you DID have them talk about Halloween on Halloween! That is almost worthy of declaring this an honorary Dumbing Day. Almost.

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      October 31, 2022 at 2:22 am | #

      oh fuck.

  16. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    October 31, 2022 at 12:32 am | #

    Alt-text: Lots of people manage to mention Halloween on Halloween. Sorta a low bar.

    • Clif
      Clif
      October 31, 2022 at 12:56 am | #

      Not when you have to schedule it out years in advance.

  17. C.T. Phipps
    C.T. Phipps
    October 31, 2022 at 12:45 am | #

    I love all of the complicated relationships in this series but I really want Ruth and Jennifer to end permanently. It’s losing a source of a lot of drama but I think the strip could endure it.

    • Clif
      Clif
      October 31, 2022 at 1:00 am | #

      People love all the flawed, twisted, and bittersweet relationships in this comic, they just want them all to end.

    • Axel
      Axel
      October 31, 2022 at 1:26 am | #

      I think their romantic relationship has permanently ended, but their conflict isn’t quite there yet (but at least they only have one class together)

    • Steelbright
      Steelbright
      October 31, 2022 at 3:16 am | #

      Idk, part of me really wants them to both learn a lot and then somehow get together in a way that’s actually healthy. I am a sucker for things where people are fucked up and somehow manage to get better together. But a) both of them have to actually recognize what’s wrong and try to fix it and b) that’d take….. SO LONG.

    • miri
      miri
      October 31, 2022 at 6:21 am | #

      For me what is definitely part of the thing is that the relationships that replaced them are just so boring. You’d think that a foreign transplant who lost his job for fucking a student with a supervillain father and a mob prince would be more interesting. I suppose Asher still has time to surprise me, but he hasn’t done anything remotely interesting since calling in Blaine’s hit.

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        October 31, 2022 at 11:35 am | #

        Sure, he probably had a guy murdered, but what has he done for us *lately*

        (I mean I agree with you, the boys in those relationships are kinda just there to prop up the girls. We don’t see them having anything else going on outside of their relationships with Jennifer & Ruth. They might not even have other stuff going on. But it was too funny not to mention.)

        • miri
          miri
          October 31, 2022 at 8:35 pm | #

          That was like three entire months ago. The people (me) demand blood.

      • Sirksome
        Sirksome
        October 31, 2022 at 11:46 am | #

        Boring could also just mean stable. Jason and Asher are boring because their respective relationships with Ruth and Jennifer are not non-stop peaks and valleys of drama. Jason and Asher wouldn’t aggressively makeout with their lover only to barricade them out of their room and life minutes later, or consistently flip flop on their sobriety to remain co-dependent. That plus in general they’re not main characters so we don’t really see much of them outside of when they’re relevant to someone with higher story status.

        You’re right about Jason though. He’s boring and he sucks, and I’d much prefer Ruth dated someone else but she kinda sucks too so they deserve each other.

  18. The Oracle
    The Oracle
    October 31, 2022 at 1:39 am | #

    Will you two please just make out again? If the boyfriends have a problem with it, point them at each other for solace or something. Gimme that wlw catastrophe back, y’know?

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      October 31, 2022 at 7:47 am | #

      Jason x Asher would be a fun crack ship to try to figure out how the hell that’d work.

      “My dad’s… maybe evil in this universe. I mean, probably he is.”
      “I have an evil family, for sure.”
      “We have so much in common already.”

  19. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    October 31, 2022 at 2:05 am | #

    Ruth i love you but that’s the equivalent of saying “it’s not my fault he died when i stabbed him”
    Like, what the hell

    • JohnnyO
      JohnnyO
      October 31, 2022 at 8:49 am | #

      Knives don’t kill people, blood loss kills people.

  20. Kagimizu
    Kagimizu
    October 31, 2022 at 2:20 am | #

    Okay, crazy idea but I’m calling it here:

    This is all building up to a situation where these two sit down and just TALK to each other.

    Ruth and Jennifer/Billie have been one of the biggest sources of drama and relationship intrigue throughout the source of the comic. The fights, the suicide pact, the hate sex, the physical altercations, all of it and more; it keeps building up and adding on, and eventually you expect things to inevitably blow up and take several buildings along the way. Because that’s how these kinds of things tend to go for these characters.

    But this is also Willis we’re talking about, who quite enjoys toying with his audience. I could see all of this building up to what one would expect to be a massive blowout… and then it turns out, no. They sit down, they talk it out, and they come out better for it. Happier, healthier, maybe friendlier.

    We don’t even get to see the conversation. We don’t get to know what’s said or who does what. We see them go into a private area, sit down with each other… and then we see the aftermath. It becomes the new Halloween that Willis hangs in front of our noses for months if not years on end.

    Because what’s a more trollish way to resolve the single most dramatic romance in the series than with a complete and total LACK of drama?

    • Mr D
      Mr D
      October 31, 2022 at 5:27 am | #

      You know this kind of off-screen resolution is going to end up in people assuming that, as soon as we stopped looking at them, they had a cataclysmic slipshine-a-thon that fixed everything, right?

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        October 31, 2022 at 6:07 am | #

        That’s a feature, not a bug.

    • poofdepoof
      poofdepoof
      October 31, 2022 at 2:24 pm | #

      This was fun to read but I don’t believe it. I think Willis is more invested in being a good storyteller than a good troll.

  21. Bryy
    Bryy
    October 31, 2022 at 2:25 am | #

    Yeah, so, while Ruth’s last line is pretty crappy, Jennifer is the one who is instigating this and literally going:

    “How DARE you have FEELINGS opposite of WHAT I WANT.”

  22. bagge
    bagge
    October 31, 2022 at 2:48 am | #

    ouch

  23. PB
    PB
    October 31, 2022 at 3:49 am | #

    Ruth definitely went too far with her last line, but I’m confused about what Jennifer wants Ruth to do. What does she mean, “this is the real you”?

    • Lena
      Lena
      October 31, 2022 at 4:42 am | #

      Maybe related to Ruth being on anti-depressants?

    • Fuzzy
      Fuzzy
      October 31, 2022 at 5:08 am | #

      I think Billie is saying, “See? The real you still wants to be with me. You lied when you pretended you wanted us to break up.” Or something along those lines.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 31, 2022 at 8:23 am | #

        Which is true.
        Or at least sort of true.

        • Fuzzy
          Fuzzy
          October 31, 2022 at 2:24 pm | #

          It’s true that Ruth never had her heart in breaking up, but I don’t think it’s fair to call it a lie.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            October 31, 2022 at 2:55 pm | #

            I’d say she didn’t want to break up. She was happy with Jennifer. She did it because she thought she should – that it would be better for Jennifer.

            But she may still have been hoping, deep down, that Jennifer wouldn’t let her do it.

  24. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    October 31, 2022 at 4:21 am | #

    Some sports commentary:

    Liar-Calling Playoffs Match 1: Jennifer 3 – Ruth 1.

    Jennifer wins easily even without proper sport attire. Will Ruth want to take Match 2 to punches, where she has shown already she has some advantage?

    [Insert Patreon ad here]

  25. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    October 31, 2022 at 4:54 am | #

    I didn’t get Jennifer’s talk in last panel.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      October 31, 2022 at 7:50 am | #

      I take it that Jennifer is saying that the last thing Ruth says in this strip is the real her. Petty, spiteful, and that this civility she has displayed a few times is bullshit on her part and an act. Honestly, she may have a point.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        October 31, 2022 at 8:04 am | #

        That tracks with this little interaction the other day (DoA time):

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/04-dont-stop-billie-ving/dislodged/

  26. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    October 31, 2022 at 5:04 am | #

    ok this may be because I just woke up but what they say don’t make a lot of sense

  27. yarrr
    yarrr
    October 31, 2022 at 6:03 am | #

    I just want them to be happy ok!!

  28. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    October 31, 2022 at 7:26 am | #

    The cracks between the paving stones
    Like rivers of flowing veins
    Strange people who know me
    Peeping from behind every window pane
    The girl I used to love
    Lives in this yellow house
    Yesterday she passed me by
    She doesn’t wanna know me now

    • Dot
      Dot
      October 31, 2022 at 2:16 pm | #

      Crawled around in the glowing
      All-embracing wreckage
      Sun-burned and snow-blind
      Excavating the space we left behind

  29. Lan
    Lan
    October 31, 2022 at 8:44 am | #

    Thank goodness these two have a long, rich history of healthy communication or else I’d suspect this isn’t going to end well /s

  30. Rogue 7
    Rogue 7
    October 31, 2022 at 8:53 am | #

    Ruth, you really, *really* need to avoid getting sucked in to Jennifer’s portrayal of this as a battle of lies. “I ended us because as sexy as a sexy lesbian suicide pact is, it’s still a suicide pact, and I wasn’t convinced we wouldn’t relapse.” Then, and this is the hard part, you need to *stop interacting with her*. For fuck’s sake. Y’all are never going to get over this, there’s always going to be that wound. So stop poking it.

    • Rogue 7
      Rogue 7
      October 31, 2022 at 8:55 am | #

      Jennifer, you’re…well, honestly, I think you’re doing alright as these things go. I’d like it more if you were more true to yourself rather than burying certain aspects of your personality, but I think you’re in a healthier place. But also you need to start ignoring Ruth as well.

      • C.T. Phipps
        C.T. Phipps
        October 31, 2022 at 4:11 pm | #

        Jennifer is also realizing that she hated Billie.

        Which is kind of funny because the fans hate Jennifer and love Billie while are on Joyce’s side to leave behind Old Joyce.

  31. v.gay.person
    v.gay.person
    October 31, 2022 at 9:00 am | #

    So, maybe I’m projecting (I’m probably projecting), but my take away is that Jennifer /wants/ Ruth to be the same ruthless, “toxic”, codependent, jealous person she remembers. Or least, she wants her to be angry and upset. Like, that would be easier for Jennifer to handle than the anti-conflict end she got. Ruth doesn’t want to be that person anymore and seems to be really trying, but it’s who Jennifer still believes to be her “real” self.

    (toxic is in quotation marks because I loathe using that word to describe people even though it can be a useful shorthand)

    • C.T. Phipps
      C.T. Phipps
      October 31, 2022 at 4:11 pm | #

      Remember Ruth dumped Jennifer for making her happy.

  32. Cedrick
    Cedrick
    October 31, 2022 at 9:21 am | #

    Yea… good ol’ “Well you lied too” technique… that always works SO well…

  33. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    October 31, 2022 at 11:56 am | #

    Ruth has lost a great occasion to be mute… Jennifer see only her truth, Ruth never loved her, she actually dislike her very much… Jennifer and Ruth are a disaster, expecially together.

  34. Ari
    Ari
    October 31, 2022 at 12:11 pm | #

    There’s a difference between things that are good for your physical and mental wellbeing and things that are “healthy,” and that’s what I feel like this arc is partly about. Both Billie and Ruth have gotten past some of their worst problems, but in trying to act like “healthy” people, they’ve developed new problems that can’t really be addressed within that framework.

    Ruth isn’t suicidal and doesn’t seem to have a fucked up relationship to alcohol anymore, but she’s avoiding having strong feelings about anything, dating a person she doesn’t care about very much because she’s afraid of dragging a more vulnerable partner down with her, completely ignoring what Billie actually feels and wants because she can’t model Billie as having any agency, and generally seems to be treating herself more as a hazard that needs to be managed than as a person who should get to have joy in her life.

    Billie, meanwhile, is also drinking less and has gotten over a lot of her high school popularity bullshit, but she’s fallen into an extremely culty group of friends led by a human garbage can who talks over Billie in therapy speak, only cares about her because stealing her away from her other friends might hurt them, and renamed her like an adopted dog. She’s dating someone who’s even less safe to be around than Ruth, and she seems to be more into him than Ruth is into Jason, but she’s clearly in this relationship because she’s trying to look like she’s completely moved on. I also feel like she’s backsliding in terms of her relationship to her sexuality (I know bi girls can date dudes, but it feels like she’s playing up that she’s dating a dude now and there was also all that weird projecting she did about Dorothy and Joyce, and I think she’s right about Dorothy and Joyce but she was also definitely projecting?).

    Both of them were happier when they were being “unhealthy” than when they were being “healthy”, but instead of taking what they had and trying to make it better and more sustainable, Ruth blew it all up and Billie didn’t fight her on it. And now they’re miserable, and Billie is starting to catch on.

    I don’t know where this storyline is going, but hopefully it continues to be critical of recovery culture because god does someone need to be.

    • C.T. Phipps
      C.T. Phipps
      October 31, 2022 at 4:12 pm | #

      I don’t think she’s dating Jason. She’s literally just locked him up for a couple of days.

  35. Keulen
    Keulen
    October 31, 2022 at 1:00 pm | #

    I’m still not sure who’s more to blame for their breakup at this point.

    • Sombrero
      Sombrero
      October 31, 2022 at 1:05 pm | #

      Blame it on the boogie.

    • nicoleandmaggie
      nicoleandmaggie
      October 31, 2022 at 1:16 pm | #

      Does it matter? Sometimes people just don’t work out together, and that’s ok.

  36. The Jighole Man
    The Jighole Man
    October 31, 2022 at 1:42 pm | #

    “you lied about never letting me push you away again”
    about that… “You didn’t take the abuse and come crawling back to me” is not a good defense.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 31, 2022 at 2:53 pm | #

      It’s not, but it’s a bit more complicated, since that was their deal at the start.
      It’s a bad basis for a relationship, but it was also something they both used and relied on, so maybe some discussion about how it was a bad idea and with them a bit healthier they should change it might have been in order.

      And the final breakup wasn’t over Ruth’s abuse. Ruth dumped Jennifer because they were in a good place and she thought they might both survive it. Jennifer at the time pulled the “I’m not going to let up you push me away” card, which makes this reaction kind of out of place.

  37. Raen
    Raen
    October 31, 2022 at 4:00 pm | #

    …I feel like there’s at least a 60% chance of them banging.

  38. Joyfulldreams
    Joyfulldreams
    October 31, 2022 at 5:41 pm | #

    Something has just clicked in my brain and I’m going to put it out there to enrage anyone who has the ability to comprehend it:

    Jennifer has serious Vriska vibes.

    • Rabisch
      Rabisch
      October 31, 2022 at 7:44 pm | #

      Now that you pointed out that, Ruth kinda looks like John…

  39. Mr D
    Mr D
    October 31, 2022 at 7:10 pm | #

    Site broken for a few hours for anyone else?

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      October 31, 2022 at 8:10 pm | #

      Maybe the site thinks we’re broken and just wants a break from our collective shenanigans.

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