Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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May 12, 2026

Desperate

by David M Willis on March 6, 2021 at 12:01 am
  • 03 – See You in the Funny Page
└ Tags: jennifer, ruth

Discussion (157) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    March 6, 2021 at 12:02 am | #

    DisGonBeGud.gif

    • C.T Phipps
      C.T Phipps
      March 6, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

      Ah, pimping your ex. Why we love you Jennifer. You never fail to dig when you hit rock bottom.

      • Clif
        Clif
        March 6, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

        Well, the thing is that.she never actually hits rock bottom. She drives drunk and has an accident; nobody’s hurt. She follows through on a lesbian suicide pact; everything works out. She manages to lose all her friends; there’s always Walky. She doesn’t have a drinking problem; she could stop if she wanted to. She’s not bi, she’s completely normal and it was just an experimental phase she was going through. But now she’s completely new person with everything under control. It’s all good.

        • Sunny
          Sunny
          March 6, 2021 at 6:02 am | #

          It’s like she’s dug a tunnel around rock bottom and is orbiting it inside that tunnel. Constantly falling towards it, never getting there.

          • Booyahman
            Booyahman
            March 6, 2021 at 5:49 pm | #

            Hadron Collider of Rock Bottom

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          March 6, 2021 at 1:48 pm | #

          Kind of a HHGttG fall. She thinks she has learned to fly because she falls at the ground and misses.

      • JenGen
        JenGen
        March 6, 2021 at 8:13 am | #

        This is kinda in bad faith, the comment that is. She obviously cares for Ruth in some fashion and can hold an actual conversation with her. She’s thinking a new relationship would be good for Ruth like she thinks it’s cool for her (Asher is a jerk though and can’t see that ending well)

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          March 6, 2021 at 10:43 am | #

          Yeah, I don’t really see the “pimping” aspect of this.

          Especially now that Ruth’s showing interest.

          • Prince Mech
            Prince Mech
            March 6, 2021 at 11:00 am | #

            Given the constant abundance of commenters who asume the absolute worst of every single character’s actions and seem to hate them on scarily personal levels I really can’t help but wonder if people who Actually Enjoy this comic are a minority.

            • Tunasammich
              Tunasammich
              March 6, 2021 at 1:39 pm | #

              Yeah, these comments are weird and depressing sometimes.

              • Demoted Oblivious
                Demoted Oblivious
                March 6, 2021 at 1:52 pm | #

                Wait.. you’re assuming none of uslike watching people pimling their ex’s out to get job benefits? Or watching people try at life and fail? Haven’t you ever heard: misery loves company, and it’ll cut you off at the knees to keep you around. It doesn’t even have the decency to cook up the meat and feed you. It just tosses it out with the rest of the trash.

  2. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    March 6, 2021 at 12:03 am | #

    Honestly I don’t know much about Daisy besides she’s really horny so who knows how this match up will work.

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      March 6, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

      Here’s hoping we find out.

      • Jimi
        Jimi
        March 6, 2021 at 12:34 am | #

        you did that on purpose

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          March 6, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

          I actually fell face first on to my keyboard and it happened entirely by accident.

          • I am Nothing
            I am Nothing
            March 6, 2021 at 3:12 am | #

            alsdgkbhbbdsbmdsd.

            Ow. Would not recommend.

  3. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    March 6, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    There’s the Jennifer Billingsworth we know and love.

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      March 6, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

      Also, having just read It’s Walky for the first time recently, Daisy stuck out to me in the final arc and I’d love to see this version of her get developed into a full-on character instead of just the one-note joke she’s been for ten years.

      • Rose by Any Other Name
        Rose by Any Other Name
        March 6, 2021 at 12:23 am | #

        Yes please.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        March 6, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

        on the other hand that one note joke is very funny

      • Spencer
        Spencer
        March 6, 2021 at 10:57 am | #

        It’s kinda nutty going back to the Walkyverse after ten years of this Daisy, where she empties a handgun into Beef’s face and turns it into hamburger meat.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      March 6, 2021 at 7:18 am | #

      For someone who’s Completely Over Ruth, she REALLY enjoys flirting with her.

      • StClair
        StClair
        March 6, 2021 at 9:07 pm | #

        what, “Jennifer” (Billie ver. 4 or 5) not being entirely honest with herself or others? no. nooooo. get out of the town.

  4. Yumi
    Yumi
    March 6, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    I feel like Becky’s “plan” isn’t going well.

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      March 6, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

      I mean. As much as I hate it, it’s not NOT working.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

        How so?

        • misanthropope
          misanthropope
          March 6, 2021 at 1:23 am | #

          i’ve got this rube goldberg machine, here, that’s going to make the sun rise in the East, tomorrow

        • Jhon
          Jhon
          March 6, 2021 at 1:57 pm | #

          Now make it set in the West, and I’ll admit you’ve got something.

    • Undrave
      Undrave
      March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

      I dunno… I feel like they’re getting along well but not going to want to date again?

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        March 6, 2021 at 12:15 am | #

        Possibly, but I could see things getting more complicated for them.

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      March 6, 2021 at 12:22 am | #

      What even was her plan? At a certain point one person is no longer responsible for the actions of others. Whether they get back together or Ruth ends up marrying Daisy isn’t really on Becky. They were already broken up and arguing before she started obnoxiously shipping them. So I struggle to see her impact here.

      • Jane
        Jane
        March 6, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

        Well, she did publicly humiliate them by throwing their history out in front of everyone, and talking about how perfect their future relationship was going to be. That’s an impact, right?

        I mean, it has nothing to do with what she said she was trying to do, but… Details.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        March 6, 2021 at 12:26 am | #

        Her impact here was to get them out alone together in th hall. Her plan of making sure they weren’t getting back together may or may not have actually been helped by that.

    • Jane
      Jane
      March 6, 2021 at 12:23 am | #

      Depends… Is this really the first time they’ve spoken since? Because I could imagine this being the new normal for them – periodic bickering that turns into normal conversation before bickering again the next time they see each other. In that case, this would just be another instance of that, while Becky’s overall goal of keeping them apart would still prevent it from developing into a more stable relationship.

      If this just broke the thaw between them, though, then it could easily lead the two into returning to each other’s orbit over time, now that they’ve gotten past the initial argument.

      And hey, maybe the date with Daisy will turn into an actual relationship! I mean, it’s possible, right? Of course, then that’s more a case of Becky’s plan accidentally succeeding instead of blowing up in her face, but…

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      March 6, 2021 at 7:20 am | #

      Have to agree – there’s an awful lot of flirting going on here. Which, for these two, involves insults and threats of violence.

  5. Joe Moose
    Joe Moose
    March 6, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    Now there’s a zinger right there…

  6. BBCC
    BBCC
    March 6, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    Okay, fine, get the messy scary sobriety threatening date out with Daisy, then have something healthier with Booster.

    Only please don’t actually lose your sobriety, Ruth.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      March 6, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      Okay, grav roulette.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        March 6, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

        I refuse.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          March 6, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

          Haha, very funny.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            March 6, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

            OH COME ON.

            • King Daniel
              King Daniel
              March 6, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

              Three in a row, what are the odds?

              • King Daniel
                King Daniel
                March 6, 2021 at 12:12 am | #

                nope, had this yesterday

                • King Daniel
                  King Daniel
                  March 6, 2021 at 12:12 am | #

                  Carla, you’re still my likely backup (either you or Dina)

              • King Daniel
                King Daniel
                March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

                Again? XD

                • King Daniel
                  King Daniel
                  March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

                  nope nope

                • King Daniel
                  King Daniel
                  March 6, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

                  anopesie

                • King Daniel
                  King Daniel
                  March 6, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

                  fine, I’ll be BJ cat today

              • Clif
                Clif
                March 6, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

                The odds, they are low, but apparently not zero.

            • Yumi
              Yumi
              March 6, 2021 at 12:12 am | #

              The universe wanted you to be Julia Gray tonight, but you fought the universe.

              • BBCC
                BBCC
                March 6, 2021 at 12:36 am | #

                Fought AND WON, thank you. 😛

                • Yumi
                  Yumi
                  March 6, 2021 at 12:45 am | #

                  We shall see. We shall see…

                • BBCC
                  BBCC
                  March 6, 2021 at 1:21 am | #

                  Well, this gravitar war anyway. XD

                • Needfuldoer
                  Needfuldoer
                  March 6, 2021 at 4:51 am | #

                  Entropy will always win.

            • Sirksome
              Sirksome
              March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

              Sarah’s not so bad. I’m a fan. Just for fun though. Reroll!

              • Sirksome
                Sirksome
                March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

                Oh. I actually forgot to do the reroll part.

                • Sirksome
                  Sirksome
                  March 6, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

                  Meh. Back to Sarah.

            • Thag Simmons
              Thag Simmons
              March 6, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

              Embrace the Grey

              • BBCC
                BBCC
                March 6, 2021 at 12:37 am | #

                NEVER. I wanna be a person! And not a character in a fic within a story.

      • Jhon
        Jhon
        March 6, 2021 at 2:01 pm | #

        Was reading some old comments, and all the grav related jokes are now nonsense. Of course for DYW that’s a feature, not a bug.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      March 6, 2021 at 10:46 am | #

      The Booster date was also going to be sobriety threatening.

      • Eldritchy
        Eldritchy
        March 6, 2021 at 11:43 am | #

        Never threaten someone with an existential crisis if you want them to stay sober.

  7. butts
    butts
    March 6, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    well uh at least they’re on speaking terms apparently

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      March 6, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

      Them getting to that point is a good sign.

  8. Katerly
    Katerly
    March 6, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

    Awww! I’m a sucker for, better as friends, tropes.

  9. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    March 6, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

    Took eight years, but

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      March 6, 2021 at 12:12 am | #

      Jen’s finally getting around to forwarding Ruth’s phone number to Daisy. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/02-guess-whos-coming-to-galassos/blameless/

      One of these days I will figure out HTML Tags

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

        Botched the tags there too. Goddammit.

        • Clif
          Clif
          March 6, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

          But it’s the strip before that one that is hilarious.

          • BarerMender
            BarerMender
            March 6, 2021 at 2:27 am | #

            I like the one two before. SCOOT SCOOT SCOOT SCOOT

      • RacingTurtle
        RacingTurtle
        March 6, 2021 at 12:42 am | #

        Ahahahaha

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        March 6, 2021 at 5:54 am | #

        In-comic it’s only been a few months since that strip.

      • Roe
        Roe
        March 6, 2021 at 4:11 pm | #

        screammmm

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      March 6, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

      I think the secret when foreshadowing this heavy over a long running story is to just plant a bunch of random seeds and then a decade later when looking over them just go “Yeah, we’ll go with that one!” and then everyone thinks you’re a genius.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        March 6, 2021 at 12:23 am | #

        It’s definitely fun to call back to one off jokes from way earlier in the comic

      • Clif
        Clif
        March 6, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

        Well, we know that Willis is a genius storyteller anyway. But my suspicion is that Daisy is a red herring. The subtext of this conversation is not setting up Daisy.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      March 6, 2021 at 12:38 am | #

      Look, Daisy never gave her a timetable.

  10. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    March 6, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

    Even The Losers…Get Lucky Sometimes

  11. Proto_Eevee
    Proto_Eevee
    March 6, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

    Once the sitcom storylines begin there’s no going back. Hijinks will now ensue. It’s unavoidable.

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      March 6, 2021 at 12:24 am | #

      Next thing you know Joyce is gonna get abducted by aliens or something!

      • Clif
        Clif
        March 6, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

        Do Koreans count as aliens.

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          March 6, 2021 at 3:32 am | #

          Technically, unless they have dual citizenship as Americans

  12. Suet
    Suet
    March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

    *snarls at Les Habs*

    Is Ruth attracted to blondes, first of all

  13. Newllend(henryvolt)
    Newllend(henryvolt)
    March 6, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

    “I am not going to fuck her, but I will probably try 1 date to see where this goes.”

  14. StClair
    StClair
    March 6, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

    well, that’s… better than going out drinking with Booster, but it still definitely falls under this comic’s title.

  15. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    March 6, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

    Hopefully it doesn’t end like Joe and Joyce’s date. But I could easily see Jennifer playing an accordian and hoping they share a spaghetti string.

  16. He Who Abides
    He Who Abides
    March 6, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

    I was really hoping that Jennifer was wrong.

  17. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    March 6, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

    Ruth isn’t exactly an innocent victim in her relationship with Billie. Everytime Billie thinks she’s doing what Ruth wanted, Ruth changed the parameters of their relationship. Bullying>Lesbian suicide pact>Trying to recover>Trying to force you to recover.

    But I do think Ruth’s big issue is that she WAS getting better and wanted to share it. It’s just you can’t force your love into the same places you’re going.

    • Khyrin
      Khyrin
      March 6, 2021 at 2:07 am | #

      To some extent ‘trying to recover’ mandated the ‘trying to force you to recover’ as Jennifer-then-Billie was flaunting bad habits that she promised to stop in front of Ruth while Ruth was trying VERY HARD to hold onto two bright spots in the sea of awful: The Antidepressants Are Working, and Billie Makes Me Happy(Mostly).

      • C.T Phipps
        C.T Phipps
        March 6, 2021 at 8:59 am | #

        Yeah, which leads to the simple fact, “She was not a good person to be in a relationship with.”

  18. Nayann Martinelli
    Nayann Martinelli
    March 6, 2021 at 12:24 am | #

    I know the idea’s inception wasn’t the best, but I’ll hope for the best, for Ruth’s and all neighboring femurs’ sake.

  19. Tan
    Tan
    March 6, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

    *si (please assume there are 506 more i’s here) igh*

  20. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    March 6, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

    There’s something rather sweet about this, somehow. Maybe it’s the playful expressions, or that they’re being (for them) pretty civil. Sure as shit is a better place than they were at even moments prior.

    • Jane
      Jane
      March 6, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

      It’s the kind of mood whiplash that Ruth/Jennifer was first built on!

    • Clif
      Clif
      March 6, 2021 at 12:31 am | #

      They switched from flirting mode one to flirting mode two. I’ve missed this in the drama.

  21. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    March 6, 2021 at 12:49 am | #

    Ohhhh So THAT’S what lesbian fisting is.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      March 6, 2021 at 4:32 am | #

      Wait, is it? I feel lied to.

      • Fist_of_Life
        Fist_of_Life
        March 6, 2021 at 8:11 am | #

        and I feel like a liar

  22. Bagge
    Bagge
    March 6, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

    STOP BEING CUTE!

  23. Doc Harleen
    Doc Harleen
    March 6, 2021 at 1:10 am | #

    Hey the Leafs are doing REALLY well this season!

    • Andy
      Andy
      March 6, 2021 at 2:00 am | #

      Yeah, but what matters is how they do in the postseason. And they haven’t done that well in the postseason recently.

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        March 9, 2021 at 3:24 pm | #

        Yes, they always manage to find a way to screw it up.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      March 6, 2021 at 7:30 am | #

      Oh hush you. Technically, the Leafs are still in the same season, in-comic, that they were in when the comic started. (Well, I mean, yeah, it hadn’t started yet, but the previous season was LONG over…)

      • Daibhid C
        Daibhid C
        March 6, 2021 at 7:54 am | #

        Technically, real world stuff is always Present Day, regardless of how much time has passed in-universe. It’s in the FAQ.

  24. BarerMender
    BarerMender
    March 6, 2021 at 3:39 am | #

    How many joints does Ruth’s index finger have?

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      March 6, 2021 at 4:33 am | #

      The standard amount?

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        March 6, 2021 at 4:46 am | #

        No, I think there’s an extra. If I try to make a fist with the first and second joints in that position, I just make an oblong OK sign. A closed fist bends the joints bent tighter than shown.

        Her fingertips would be right underneath her thumb with only three joints. If I fold my fingers over my thumb I can get pretty close to the same angle, but that’s not exactly a fist…

        It works artistically for getting the point across, and that’s what really matters. Sometimes a perfectly accurately drawn fist looks weird in a cartoon anyway.

    • Sam
      Sam
      March 6, 2021 at 4:52 am | #

      Half a dozen. Her knuckle sandwiches have got a lot of knuckles.

    • AGV
      AGV
      March 6, 2021 at 5:06 am | #

      It’s more of a very flat and broad knuckle

  25. CJ
    CJ
    March 6, 2021 at 3:57 am | #

    Wait, what?

  26. Needfuldoer
    Needfuldoer
    March 6, 2021 at 4:35 am | #

    So we’re actually doing this?

    oh no

  27. AGV
    AGV
    March 6, 2021 at 5:09 am | #

    I dunno how they did it but now I’m all in for this

  28. Keulen
    Keulen
    March 6, 2021 at 5:49 am | #

    I do kinda want to see Ruth actually meet Daisy, but I still don’t like that Jennifer seems to be trying to get them together mostly for her own selfish reasons.

    • Lone Duck
      Lone Duck
      March 6, 2021 at 6:01 am | #

      THIS! If I were Ruth, I would wallow in loneliness for a year before I’d give her the satisfaction. Hell, I’d get chummy with Walky just to spite her.
      I am a flesh and blood machine that mostly operates across spite indexes.

  29. malisteen
    malisteen
    March 6, 2021 at 6:11 am | #

    Oh, good. I was afraid that the breakup had been due to ruth getting, like, physically violent with Jennifer. All that ‘you know what you did,’ and ‘it’s on you to avoid me’ business combined with ruth’s anger issues & threats of violence… but Jennifer wouldn’t have taken the punching comment as fun banter in that case.

  30. Varangian
    Varangian
    March 6, 2021 at 6:31 am | #

    You realize that if she and Daisy hit it off and start banging all the time and Daisy spin-kicks Clint’s face in, while you’re stuck with Crime Boy McShadyfuck, Jennifer, that’s on you.

    • JBento
      JBento
      March 6, 2021 at 6:42 am | #

      Much like with Blaine, anyone that makes bad things happen to Clint desrves acclaim, not reproaching.

      • Varangian
        Varangian
        March 6, 2021 at 11:47 am | #

        Oh, totally, I just feel like in that scenario Jennifer gets a massive wave of FOMO. Or, uh, just…OMO. Like, “I coulda been that girl! I COULDA KICKED IN HIS FACE AND MADE OUT WITH HER ON TOP OF HIS GRAVE! I coulda been a CONTENDER!”

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      March 6, 2021 at 8:54 am | #

      Honestly, I’m still not convinced Clint didn’t orchestrate Ruth’s parents’ deaths (maybe using some form of Korean mob ties?) to give himself access to two children to abuse.

      • Varangian
        Varangian
        March 6, 2021 at 12:34 pm | #

        …I’m not sure I believe that, but.

        BUT.

        All of this talk about Clint has made me think.

        I think I may know why Ruth and Jennifer broke up. And why Jennifer chose to change her name.

      • Spencer
        Spencer
        March 6, 2021 at 1:28 pm | #

        IIRC from a patreon strip flashing back to Ruth and Howard first being picked up by Clint he seemed pretty despondent that his daughter at least was dead (since it’s later established he hated his son in law).

        • RassilonTDavros
          RassilonTDavros
          March 6, 2021 at 2:30 pm | #

          I really need to read those…

    • C.T Phipps
      C.T Phipps
      March 6, 2021 at 8:59 am | #

      Ash killed Blaine so he’s automatically the best of the male cast.

      • Varangian
        Varangian
        March 6, 2021 at 11:49 am | #

        This is factually completely incorrect, but arranging Blaine’s death certainly doesn’t weigh *against* our beloved edgelord Crime Boy.

  31. JBento
    JBento
    March 6, 2021 at 6:43 am | #

    I never got “nihilistic” from Daisy, or particularly “pissy”. She totally beats Ruth (and everyone else) at “desperate”, though.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      March 6, 2021 at 7:39 am | #

      Daisy’s also not particularly punchable. This has the air of, “I like you, so I’m going to set you up with someone with whom you will hate, so you’ll see me in a better light”. I love it when these plans backfire.

    • Jane
      Jane
      March 6, 2021 at 9:04 am | #

      If you squint, I guess she is – she doesn’t appear to care one whit about the paper she manages, which could come across as somewhat nihilistic, and I could see Daisy’s attitude towards Jennifer’s attempts to do more meaningful work there coming across as pissy from her perspective.

      I mean, it’s not how I’d describe her, but I could see how Jennifer could come to that description without bending the truth too much.

      She’s probably not really what Ruth is looking for, though. Though I guess she’d make a safe rebound relationship, maybe?

    • Jhon
      Jhon
      March 6, 2021 at 1:54 pm | #

      This tells us more about Jennie than it does about Daisy.

    • Aviana
      Aviana
      March 6, 2021 at 4:40 pm | #

      Being fair, we haven’t seen much of Daisy besides horny. Jennifer’s presumably had more interaction with her.

  32. goggleman64
    goggleman64
    March 6, 2021 at 7:14 am | #

    HELL YES

    To get ahead, you don’t gotta sleep with your boss – you just gotta get your boss laid!

    *fist-pumps so hard, arm is broken*

  33. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    March 6, 2021 at 7:38 am | #

    See? Jennifer’s ideas are not so bad! Something’s working for her. The meds? Archer? Anyway, as this is DoA, expect a downfall to Billie’s lows from here.

    • Council
      Council
      March 6, 2021 at 8:59 pm | #

      Now I’m imagining Asher in an EMIYA costume. And Jennifer in twin-tails.

  34. eskimolos
    eskimolos
    March 6, 2021 at 8:16 am | #

    Jennifer doing some faz faces here, I think she is often a pretty obnoxious person to me, but even moreso when she is trying to play matchmaker.

  35. BarerMender
    BarerMender
    March 6, 2021 at 8:21 am | #

    Please, Billie. I’ll call you Jennifer if you’ll quit fucking up your modifiers. “Your Maple Leafs jacket says different.” “Different” doesn’t modify “says.” It modifies Ruth’s will to win. Not every modifier near a verb needs a “ly.”

    • Alaric
      Alaric
      March 6, 2021 at 8:38 am | #

      That depends on what she actually means. If she’s saying that Ruth’s talking Maple Leafs jacket would have phrased what Ruth said in a different way….

      • BarerMender
        BarerMender
        March 6, 2021 at 5:36 pm | #

        I’m sorry I posted that comment. It was late, and my compulsion to correct came out.

  36. Lorien Inksong
    Lorien Inksong
    March 6, 2021 at 8:46 am | #

    I know this is a hot mess but its nice to see that Ruth and Billie still care for each other. (Also good on Billie for standing her ground/ maintaining her boundaries.)

  37. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    March 6, 2021 at 9:59 am | #

    That’s very interesting… Maybe thay can be a good couple.

  38. Kravis
    Kravis
    March 6, 2021 at 10:36 am | #

    You won’t want to punch her, but if everything goes well, you will want to use your fists on her.

    ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

  39. ziggy78eog
    ziggy78eog
    March 6, 2021 at 11:44 am | #

    Are we being too harsh on Jennifer, simply because she found a new clique? Yes, the relationship with Ruth is over, but she showed genuine concern about Ruth turning 21, falling off the bandwagon, and messing up her meds. And, again yes, their are ulterior motives for hooking up Ruth with Daisy, but there is also, “hey, I know someone, you are going to like her.” Lets give Jennifer the benefit if the doubt, and stop labeling her as, “the worst person ever”, because she is no longer shipped with someone you like.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      March 6, 2021 at 12:59 pm | #

      On the other hand, I bet she drinks Diet Pepsi.

    • Ivy
      Ivy
      March 6, 2021 at 8:41 pm | #

      Thank you for this comment.

      • Ivy
        Ivy
        March 6, 2021 at 8:42 pm | #

        God, of course I got Ruth.

    • KJ
      KJ
      March 7, 2021 at 11:52 am | #

      Her banter with Ruth has honestly been a relief, because she actually seems to still have some part of her personality. Sure, people change, but it’s been a few months, not YEARS.

  40. Varangian
    Varangian
    March 6, 2021 at 12:39 pm | #

    FUCK. I just realized some shit, in light of this almost friendly, melancholy interaction.

    Remember what one of the big stumbling blocks was that wasn’t, you know, the alcoholic suicide pact or Jennifer’s internalized biphobia?

    And how it was Clint? And how Jennifer wanted to take big, bold action against him, whereas Ruth wanted to keep her head down and try not to incur her abuser’s wrath?

    Who, uh, who do we think might’ve made another appearance during the time skip, it being the jolly old holidays and all? And remember how he was adamant that Ruth and Jennifer not be together? And how Ruth’s last sliver of defiance was saying “her name is Billie?”

    I think Clint may be why they broke up, y’all. We’re looking at the aftermath of a legitimate tragedy.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      March 6, 2021 at 12:46 pm | #

      Oh damn, I didn’t even think of that.

      • Varangian
        Varangian
        March 6, 2021 at 2:01 pm | #

        Neither did I! I was too distracted by how back on her old bullshit Jennifer was, but now! Now I UNDERSTAND!

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      March 6, 2021 at 2:06 pm | #

      I had thought about the possibility that Clint was involved somehow, but I’m not sure exactly what he could have done. He’d already tried to break them up once before by having Jennifer moved to another dorm, and they kept at it anyway. I’m not sure how he would have gotten wind of it. The worst case scenario I can think of is that he flat-out killed Howard, but then he wouldn’t have anything to hold over Ruth anymore.

      The best theory I can think of that he could have been involved is if he paid Asher to manipulate Jennifer into thinking Ruth was bad for her, or something like that. We know that there are no lengths he won’t go to to make sure that Ruth and Howard are miserable…

      Most of the abusive parents in this comic have some sort of fucked-up internal logic for the way they do things. An unduly-charitable analysis of Ross would suggest that he believed his wife went to Hell for committing suicide and believes that any actions, no matter how horrible, are justified to “save” Becky from the same fate. A more accurate analysis is that Ross saw Becky as a mere extension of himself and thus considered her sexuality a personal failing on his part. Carol is basically a more passive version of Ross, and thus allowed her sympathy for his motives and her… belief in forgiveness, maybe? I’m no fundie expert… to outweigh the fact that he’d threatened Joyce with a gun. I have no doubt that if she knew Jocelyne was trans she would try to kidnap her and send her to conversion therapy, too. Linda seems to think her harsh treatment of Sal is necessary to “correct” someone she sees as “trouble,” failing to recognize the reason why she’s never seen Sal as anything but trouble since the day she was born. Blaine was mostly an exception, as while it’s possible he believed in his “tough love” approach to some degree in the past, his actions were pretty much entirely motivated by not wanting to pay for Amber’s education.

      Clint… isn’t like any of them. Apart from in front of other people, he makes no pretenses at all about caring about Ruth, and it’s pretty clear that he hates her purely because he hated her father when he was alive, and is disgusted that she resembles him so strongly and her mother so little. Clint refuses to see her as her own person, instead seeing only the face of the man who he never thought was good enough for his daughter. Even in his own fucked-up logic he has no concern for her well being whatsoever, nor is he ambivalent– he wants her to suffer, and suffer she will. Next to collecting vintage 1960s G.I. Joes, it’s his entire goal in life.

      • RassilonTDavros
        RassilonTDavros
        March 6, 2021 at 2:28 pm | #

        Unless, of course, he hurt Jennifer. Shit, that’s darker than I’d been thinking. Though in that case I think Jennifer would be more hesitant to set Ruth up with… anyone, really.

        My current theory is that Jennifer is trying to expose the truth behind the kidnapping and Mike’s death. Amber seemed to know that the Korean mafia was involved, and it’s possible that she or Amazi-Girl tipped her off about this because they don’t want Mike to have died in vain. Jennifer would have known Asher as a kid and presumably had some idea that he was involved in organized crime, so maybe she has a hunch about him and is only getting close to weasel some info out. Bonus points if it turns out that Clint also has ties to the mafia and she’s trying to drag him down, too, to remove the biggest obstacle to Ruth’s happiness and possibly their eventual reunion. “Head cheerleader, problem solver” anyone?

      • Varangian
        Varangian
        March 6, 2021 at 2:34 pm | #

        On the topic of Clint’s goals: I don’t think he’s determined to see Ruth and Howard suffer for no reason—I think, like you said, he has a fucked-up internal logic. His logic is that Ruth engaging in the kind of “degenerate” antics her father presumably did makes him look bad, and as such he will force her *not to do that.* She will obey him, no matter what he has to do for that to happen, and she will live her life how he sees fit. Not how she does.

        BUT, here’s the thing, in this framework, he doesn’t have to do anything or even learn anything in order to break them up. It could be as simple as he decided to come visit for the holidays and Ruth panicked and told Jennifer they had to act like they’re not together, because Clint can’t know or he’ll punish Howard, and Jennifer was just not having it; she’s had to lose all her secrets and all her mystique, and Ruth wants her to hide rather than fight an evil man?

        Hell, it could even have been a short visit or a phone call to Ruth to congratulate her about how she handled the kidnapping fiasco at exactly the wrong time. Jennifer wants to take Clint down, Ruth doesn’t believe he can be, and that could’ve torn them apart without the villain himself lifting a finger.

        • Varangian
          Varangian
          March 6, 2021 at 2:40 pm | #

          As an extra-tragic, Pepe Silvia conspiracy idea, and I stress this is TINFOIL HAT TERRITORY: Jennifer’s entire fucking deal with Asher, getting really into this dangerous mafia boy, might not be because she doesn’t know shit, but because she absolutely does.

          She’s trying to use Asher’s resources to off Clint! If she has to become the enemy of the one she loves to protect the one she loves, she’ll do it!

          (This, of course, requires Jennifer to suddenly be really good at deduction, and learn that Blaine was killed, and that Asher did it, etc., etc. It is a WILDLY unlikely theory.

          If it’s at all true, though, I called it, here, TODAY.)

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          March 6, 2021 at 3:24 pm | #

          Agreed on Clint’s internal “logic”. Like many abusers, his plans are all for her own good, with his own definition of good that ignores her wants and needs.

    • Jhon
      Jhon
      March 6, 2021 at 2:06 pm | #

      Clint also arranged for the truck to run over Sal’s motorcycle.

    • KJ
      KJ
      March 7, 2021 at 11:56 am | #

      Oh no

  41. Spencer
    Spencer
    March 6, 2021 at 3:43 pm | #

    Anyway I only learned today that the second issue of the Beast Wars comic was out so I bought it and it was really bad and now I’m absolutely despondent.

  42. Roe
    Roe
    March 6, 2021 at 4:10 pm | #

    weird vibes

  43. Bathymetheus
    Bathymetheus
    March 6, 2021 at 5:36 pm | #

    Ruth didn’t promise. Not surprising, I guess. But I wish she would.

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