Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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May 12, 2026

A nice place

by David M Willis on July 7, 2021 at 12:01 am
  • 05 – As Long As It's Free
└ Tags: jason, ruth

Discussion (242) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    July 7, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    Ruth still exerting her DOMinion, I see

  2. Shitbird
    Shitbird
    July 7, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    Lowkey, ew

    • Dara
      Dara
      July 7, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      highkey, ew

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        July 7, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

        Loki, you

        • a/snow/mous/e
          a/snow/mous/e
          July 7, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

          Hi, Q

          • a/snow/mous/e
            a/snow/mous/e
            July 7, 2021 at 12:22 am | #

            (“Haikyu!!”?)

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            July 7, 2021 at 12:38 am | #

            Look you!

            Don’t break the pattern!

            • Jett
              Jett
              July 7, 2021 at 3:44 pm | #

              Haiku!

              • Ryek Hvek
                Ryek Hvek
                July 7, 2021 at 5:45 pm | #

                Gesundheit !!

      • Cmasta1992
        Cmasta1992
        July 7, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

        Midkey, ew

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          July 7, 2021 at 12:10 pm | #

          Gnocci, oooOo!

    • JepMZ
      JepMZ
      July 7, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

      Because the hand cuff is sweaty and sticky by now?

      • Shitbird
        Shitbird
        July 7, 2021 at 12:35 pm | #

        No I just don’t like the idea of these two as more than friends/acquaintances

        • Imogen
          Imogen
          July 7, 2021 at 9:38 pm | #

          Honestly, I like Jason fine. I’m a big Ruth fan. I guess I just don’t like this couple. It’s, like, a weird Mirror-verse version of Billie and Ruth, without any of the shared trauma or mutual sexual confusion that made that pairing bearable. It feels like a bad step to take for both characters, and not in a “bad choice” way, in a “are we having fun yet” way.

  3. NinjaNick
    NinjaNick
    July 7, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    I wonder if Ruth will have Jason on a leash.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      July 7, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      Absolutely, it just remains to be seen whether it’s a literal or metaphorical one.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      July 7, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

      I can only hope but I know I don’t deserve something so beautiful.

      • Demoted Oblivious
        Demoted Oblivious
        July 7, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

        Hey now. We all deserve to be loved and to feel loved. If that is how Jason feels loved, who are we to judge. And if seeing that is how you feel loved, well, you deserve it too.

        n.b. When these came out 5ish years apart, I had to message PBF and cheer that the couple was still together. They sent a thanks for noticing in reply. ❤

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      July 7, 2021 at 12:31 am | #

      What, you mean, like a REGULAR tie?

  4. Wagstaff
    Wagstaff
    July 7, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    Anyone care to guess what the restaurant’s gonna be?

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      July 7, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

      Arby’s

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 7, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

        Yes, but only metaphorically.

        • Wagstaff
          Wagstaff
          July 7, 2021 at 12:15 am | #

          Oh, because they have the meats?

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            July 7, 2021 at 12:17 am | #

            Because we’re all handcuffed to the looming specter of death as it stares us in the face with cold, unfeeling jet-black pits of darkness. Metaphorically.

            Eat Arby’s.

            • Wagstaff
              Wagstaff
              July 7, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

              Sounds less like Arby’s, more like an Arby’s commercial YTP.

            • Tan
              Tan
              July 7, 2021 at 12:40 am | #

              Some days I feel like the only person who remembers Nihilist Arby’s. Thank you. I appreciate you.

              • Wagstaff
                Wagstaff
                July 7, 2021 at 12:42 am | #

                Oh, is it like that Nihilist ice cream truck from Invader Zim?

                • egg egg
                  egg egg
                  July 7, 2021 at 10:22 am | #

                  I think you’d enjoy Welcome to Nightvale’s Arby’s.

              • StClair
                StClair
                July 7, 2021 at 2:48 am | #

                Some have succumbed to utter despair. Some have passed on. Some have done both.

                Some remain. Pity them most of all.

                • Sunny
                  Sunny
                  July 7, 2021 at 3:29 am | #

                  Eat Arby’s.

    • tim gueguen
      tim gueguen
      July 7, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

      Lorde Jim’s Ye Olde Fishe and Chipesse.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      July 7, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

      Chuck-E-Cheese’s

      • Wagstaff
        Wagstaff
        July 7, 2021 at 12:23 am | #

        Sounds more like a choice restaurant for Becky and Dina, honestly.

    • Bicycle Bill
      Bicycle Bill
      July 7, 2021 at 1:36 am | #

      If you’re gonna pull out all the stops … then it’s gotta be Applebee’s.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 7, 2021 at 2:45 am | #

      I’d say either McAwesomes or that fancy place Jen and Ruth went to on their first proper date

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      July 7, 2021 at 5:48 am | #

      Someplace that serves British food.

      • Jason
        Jason
        July 7, 2021 at 7:38 pm | #

        We don’t have food any more. We just steal everyone else’s.

        In part because who actually wants to eat nettle and mutton soup.

        • misanthropope
          misanthropope
          July 7, 2021 at 9:58 pm | #

          “forty-two religions and only two sauces” 🙂

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      July 7, 2021 at 7:30 am | #

      Maybe that fancy-looking place Ruth and Jennifer tried that one time, before they ended up at the sports bar instead.

      Or maybe just an English pub like Ye Olde Stereotype.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      July 7, 2021 at 11:13 am | #

      Round-The-Clock?

    • Lars
      Lars
      July 13, 2021 at 3:58 am | #

      Mc Awesomes?

  5. Demoted Oblivious
    Demoted Oblivious
    July 7, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    While I generally like Ruth, this is worse than threatening femur removal.

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      July 7, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      Oh and, if this is the morning, is she keeping him shackled until dinner? Because that could get… messy.

  6. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    July 7, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    If he was still standing there that really means he didn’t want to leave. I refuse to believe he doesn’t have a cell phone.

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      July 7, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      Also uh, RIP Daisy x Ruth. This feels like the final nail in the coffin on that. I hope Daisy ends up with someone who respects her enough to at least not leave her hanging on a date.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        July 7, 2021 at 12:19 am | #

        Because I want Jen’s “get my boss and my ex to bang” plan to backfire as hard as it possibly can, I want her to get with Alice as a direct result of the failed date with Ruth.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          July 7, 2021 at 7:34 am | #

          Does Jennifer even consider Alice an ‘ex’, or just “former best friend”? There’s a bonus strip that made their relationship sound like an unrequited romance, and it would be in-character for Jennifer to see it as “best friends can fool around a little, that’s not unusual”.

          • Schpoonman
            Schpoonman
            July 7, 2021 at 12:49 pm | #

            I don’t think Jennifer does, but Alice seemed to take it all more personally.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            July 7, 2021 at 2:55 pm | #

            There was a point where I think Jennifer realized it retroactively, but I agree she didn’t think of it that way at the time.

      • GreyICE
        GreyICE
        July 7, 2021 at 4:28 am | #

        The ship that never was.

        Honestly Daisy deserves better than whatever sort of mess Ruth is right now.

        • Shitbird
          Shitbird
          July 7, 2021 at 12:37 pm | #

          Daisy deserves only the best

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 7, 2021 at 12:16 am | #

      If you take a hostage you confiscate their phones and their weapons, obvi.

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        July 7, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

        That would explain why Jason’s bow is missing.

  7. Octopus Ink
    Octopus Ink
    July 7, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    Another train pulls into Dysfunction Junction on Track 9.
    Hopefully there won’t be a wreck.
    (Paging Casey Jones!)

  8. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    July 7, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    The funny outcome would be if he bolts the second he gets outta those cuffs

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      July 7, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      That’s how my dad left…I told my mom not to loosen his cuffs but nobody listens to me!

  9. BlackScarabFilmZ
    BlackScarabFilmZ
    July 7, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    I don’t think you have any idea how much I desperately want the next panel of this story to be Jason and Ruth sitting at a table at a restaurant, with the door (which Jason is still handcuffed to) sitting in the third chair.

    • Charles Spencer
      Charles Spencer
      July 7, 2021 at 9:54 am | #

      This.

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      July 7, 2021 at 2:47 pm | #

      TBH that sounds more like a Yotomoe fan fic.

  10. Slartibeast Button, BIA
    Slartibeast Button, BIA
    July 7, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    They are using mind control powers on each other, right?

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 7, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      No, they’re just morons

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 7, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

        Say what you will, they’re morons with a date.

      • Wagstaff
        Wagstaff
        July 7, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

        Can confirm. I can name 10 books that concisely prove how all psychics are frauds.

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          July 7, 2021 at 12:35 am | #

          I can parse that as “10 books, each of which concisely proves that psychics are frauds”, or “10 books which, taken together, concisely prove how all psychics are frauds”.

          I don’t think that “10 books” and “concisely” belong in the same thought process, but I have the same problem with putting an entire book and “concisely” together. So that doesn’t narrow it down.

          Hmm. Have to figure this out. This is clearly the most important thing for me to focus on, since the alternative is doing the dishes.

        • Wagstaff
          Wagstaff
          July 7, 2021 at 12:40 am | #

          Well I could tell you, but doing dishes doesn’t sound like fun.

          Unless of course that’s just code for something else…..

          • Delicious Taffy
            Delicious Taffy
            July 7, 2021 at 2:35 am | #

            It’s code for “fucking the dishes”.

            • Wagstaff
              Wagstaff
              July 7, 2021 at 2:52 am | #

              That doesn’t even make any sense!

              Unless some of those dishes are mechanical phallae or vulvae.

              • Arian
                Arian
                July 7, 2021 at 3:17 am | #

                *phalli.

              • Delicious Taffy
                Delicious Taffy
                July 7, 2021 at 5:10 am | #

                Every dish is fuckable if you’re not a coward. Standard mammalian genital configurations are for the unimaginative. It’s all about the plates and cups, this year.

                • Demoted Oblivious
                  Demoted Oblivious
                  July 7, 2021 at 8:12 am | #

                  Does that include cutlery? Cuz while there are some pretty sexy, saucy spoons out there, the thought of getting fresh with a fork, or naughty with a knife, kind of petrifies my peter in a pathetically petit position (probably prefering personal preservation).

                • Siva
                  Siva
                  July 7, 2021 at 8:49 pm | #

                  Obligatory “Rule 34” mention.

            • Clif
              Clif
              July 7, 2021 at 1:56 pm | #

              If that doesn’t protect you from the mind reading psychics, I don’t know what would.

        • Jhon
          Jhon
          July 7, 2021 at 7:43 am | #

          Concise? I’d call 10 books ‘at length’.

  11. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    July 7, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    Ok I promise I’ll draw something super kinky with them in the not to distant future.

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      July 7, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      What about yesterday? Did you get my callout? Or did it go too far?

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        July 7, 2021 at 12:17 am | #

        Oh I didn’t check the comments yesterday. Let me bloo scadoo right over there and then respond in kind.

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          July 7, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

          Now I have read it and I simply cannot imagine how I’d draw that and make it work. Anatomically. Sal’s pretty big.

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            July 7, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

            Yeah, it’s one of those things that is easy to write until you take body mechanics into account. Is Danny’s laptop on the floor and Sal just walks up and plops herself in his way? I don’t know, but the idea is just stuck in my mind like loose gravel rattling in my sinus’.

            • Wagstaff
              Wagstaff
              July 7, 2021 at 12:43 am | #

              Might as well draw them playing Twister….

              • I am Nothing
                I am Nothing
                July 7, 2021 at 3:30 am | #

                Wagstaff, this is the second time you’ve mentioned Twister in this context.

                I think it’s time we hold an intervention.

                • Wagstaff
                  Wagstaff
                  July 7, 2021 at 3:50 am | #

                  Well, at least you’re not one of those forsaken “witch” hunters rounding up Ouija boards and Magic: The Gathering cards.

                • I am Nothing
                  I am Nothing
                  July 7, 2021 at 4:10 am | #

                  If you’re carrying any of those “devil games”, we’ll have to confiscate those too.

                • Wagstaff
                  Wagstaff
                  July 7, 2021 at 4:14 am | #

                  I stand corrected…

          • Schpoonman
            Schpoonman
            July 7, 2021 at 12:42 am | #

            What if Sal just drops herself into Danny’s lap when he’s watching Netflix?

            • Yotomoe
              Yotomoe
              July 7, 2021 at 1:06 am | #

              Only if it’s a hip drop and it breaks his legs.
              Not because I have animosity towards Danny. I just think a powerful hip drop is hot

    • newlland(Henryvolt)
      newlland(Henryvolt)
      July 7, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

      Glad to know that artistic vision of your is always moving forward.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      July 7, 2021 at 7:35 am | #

      Thank you.

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      July 7, 2021 at 8:15 am | #

      Oh, yes, I got hung up on my previous perversion. All I can say about the parent post is,”Oh please, oh please, oh please.”

  12. newlland(Henryvolt)
    newlland(Henryvolt)
    July 7, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    From a romantic suicide pact to a strange type of hostage situation. They’re just getting around to a first date but if it manages to last is this an Acceptable example of relationship goals?

    • Clif
      Clif
      July 7, 2021 at 12:35 am | #

      I have a weakness for twisted, so not the person to ask.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      July 7, 2021 at 12:37 am | #

      Compared to how Ruth first came on to whatserface, this IS healthier. So… improvement?

  13. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    July 7, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    These two are a disaster waiting to happen.

    So basically a typical relationship for either of them, really.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      July 7, 2021 at 12:38 am | #

      Better than the lesbian suicide pact, which was a cycle of multiple periodically-recurring disasters.

  14. Schpoonman
    Schpoonman
    July 7, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

    Okay, look, I’m 100% on board with them being snarky and standoffish but what the fuck Ruth uncuff him.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 7, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

      I think she’s going to get the keys for the cuffs.

      That or a screwdriver to take the door off it’s hinges.

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 7, 2021 at 12:37 am | #

        She’s fetching Jennifer to unlock him.

        • Schpoonman
          Schpoonman
          July 7, 2021 at 12:43 am | #

          Didn’t Ruth teach her how to pick locks? Or at least suggest it? Anyway I think Ruth knows how.

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          July 7, 2021 at 5:25 am | #

          Jennifer has a Keyblade?

          • John
            John
            July 7, 2021 at 10:06 am | #

            I like Jennifer as much as the next guy, but no Keyblade wielder would ever perform an Inheritance Ceremony on her, ever. Just no. She does not get to be a Guardian of Light.

  15. Kravis
    Kravis
    July 7, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

    She’s not going to uncuff him, the door is coming too.

    • Megan Rivera
      Megan Rivera
      July 7, 2021 at 12:12 am | #

      hah!

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      July 7, 2021 at 12:40 am | #

      Chloe: “Okay, think, brain. Last term when I had to repeatedly fix the lock on Ruth’s door a whole lot of times it was a huge warning sign that I missed. Now, the entire door’s gone. But it’s not a recurring event, so everything’s fine!”

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        July 7, 2021 at 12:43 am | #

        Dude, please don’t. Puddinghead is actually that much of an idiot. Don’t put that evil on us.

    • JessWitt
      JessWitt
      July 7, 2021 at 12:43 am | #

      The door will make a good table if they can’t find one.

  16. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    July 7, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

    I feel like this would creep me out with like literally any other character, but Jason being in this spot makes it feel like hijinks. He’s just more cartoonish than most of the cast, in his way, plus how he has this air of dignity even in humiliating situations.

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      July 7, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

      He exists to make everyone else funnier by comparison.

      So the next step is to introduce him to Mary.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 7, 2021 at 12:26 am | #

      Him not seeming all that bothered by it is the only thing keeping this funny.

      • anonymsly
        anonymsly
        July 7, 2021 at 1:20 am | #

        It’s the same for me, ultimately. Like yes, Ruth’s racking up the felonies but Jason just seems annoyed, not scared or stressed.

    • StClair
      StClair
      July 7, 2021 at 2:58 am | #

      You know who else is like that?

      Batman.

  17. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    July 7, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

    Wotsamatter you
    Got ya no respect
    Whatta tink ya do
    Why ya lookin’ so sad
    Itsa not so bad
    Itsa nice-a place
    –Aaah Shaddap You Face!

    • Arian
      Arian
      July 7, 2021 at 3:20 am | #

      It’s “Gotta no respect”.

  18. Josh Spicer
    Josh Spicer
    July 7, 2021 at 12:20 am | #

    Come on now.

  19. Kitschensyngk
    Kitschensyngk
    July 7, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

    This looks like the beginning of a beautiful doomed relationship.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      July 7, 2021 at 5:24 am | #

      Due to the inherent impermanence of all things and our own ticking mortality, every relationship is doomed. It’s redundant to point it out is all I’m saying.

      • Demoted Oblivious
        Demoted Oblivious
        July 7, 2021 at 8:25 am | #

        Yes,YES! (except the redundancy) Someone else gets it. When they announced their engagement, I had to explain this thinking to my brother and brother in law when I was explaining how proud of them I was that they were brave enough to chase happiness despite knowing how much pain was inevitably coming. My own cowardice makes me a monstrous hypocrite, but I’m happy for them that they are happy.

        A lot of linguistic communication is redundant, but still serves a purpose either for sharing emotions or establishing a platform for further dialogue.

  20. MrSmith
    MrSmith
    July 7, 2021 at 12:23 am | #

    I’m not sure if this is one of those storylines we’re supposed to take seriously in which case this is not good, not good at all or if its supposed to be more whimsical in which case I wonder what Joe and Joyce are doing

    (Of course most of the time I’m reading this strip I’m thinking what are Joe and Joyce up to)

    • Josh Spicer
      Josh Spicer
      July 7, 2021 at 12:33 am | #

      Agreed. Joe and Joyce seems to be at the forefront of my thoughts when reading the comic. Sal and Danny have now quickly taken second place.

      • MrSmith
        MrSmith
        July 7, 2021 at 12:36 am | #

        That last panel with Joe putting his hand on Joyces head and Joyce feeling safe enough around Joe to comfortably enjoy, and allow, it was really well done

  21. Keith Curtis
    Keith Curtis
    July 7, 2021 at 12:24 am | #

    This will end well.

  22. Shiro
    Shiro
    July 7, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

    I love this in combination with today’s QC. There are two types of budding relationships

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      July 7, 2021 at 12:34 am | #

      Oh. Oh wow! Yeah, you go for it Clint! After his flaming wreckage with Emily, it’s nice to see him have some confidence.

  23. BBCC
    BBCC
    July 7, 2021 at 12:28 am | #

    Ruth please, I know you’re in self destruct mode right now but this is a terrible way to ask out someone.

    Also – I wonder if we’re gonna get anyone else mistaking Ruth for a lesbian and being a jerk face about it.

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      July 7, 2021 at 12:36 am | #

      I’m not sure what that would say about Ruth OR Jason, but yeah the perp would definitely be a qualified jerk-face.

    • Schpoonman
      Schpoonman
      July 7, 2021 at 12:44 am | #

      Someone being an ass about an LGBT character? On the internet? No!

    • Sol
      Sol
      July 7, 2021 at 6:11 am | #

      Well if you look down a couple comments you’ll find your answer…

      It’s like clockwork with every comic that has Ruth and Jason in it. Does Willis need to put “btw Ruth is bi” somewhere in every comic..?

  24. plasticwrap
    plasticwrap
    July 7, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

    This is weird. Not sure if I like it.

  25. C.T. Phipps
    C.T. Phipps
    July 7, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

    Is anyone else happy to have crazy awful Ruth back? She’s at her most entertaining not just when she’s threatening to remove femurs BUT WHEN SHE MEANS IT.

    🙂

    • MrSmith
      MrSmith
      July 7, 2021 at 12:34 am | #

      I always thought she was a mean, nasty bully so no I’m not glad shes back but hopefully she can keep up with her therapy

      • C.T. Phipps
        C.T. Phipps
        July 7, 2021 at 3:39 am | #

        What’s good for Ruth as a person isn’t good for a reader necessarily.

      • zee
        zee
        July 7, 2021 at 1:12 pm | #

        Mean nasty bullies (in fiction) make for entertaining drama

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          July 7, 2021 at 2:56 pm | #

          They make good villains. Not good protagonists – even in ensemble casts.

  26. Pocky
    Pocky
    July 7, 2021 at 12:53 am | #

    Yup, this is all sorts of weird.

    Thanks, I hate it.

    • Lux
      Lux
      July 7, 2021 at 1:08 am | #

      Yeah, this is all kinds of unpleasant.

      • C.T. Phipps
        C.T. Phipps
        July 7, 2021 at 3:39 am | #

        I like it.

        It will be a trainwreck.

  27. Orangey
    Orangey
    July 7, 2021 at 1:01 am | #

    Why is he still cuffed

    And ugh I like seeing Jason as little as possible so I am not a fan of this new Ruth/Jason development

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 7, 2021 at 2:49 am | #

      I on the other hand, have wanted Jason (along with Daisy and Tony) to get more paneltime for a while so I’m happy with this new development.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        July 7, 2021 at 7:40 am | #

        After all the awful shit Tony went through in the old continuity, the poor kid deserved a break.

        It’s been more than a decade of just brief cameos though, time for him to get back in the saddle.

    • C.T. Phipps
      C.T. Phipps
      July 7, 2021 at 3:39 am | #

      I’m happy to have Jason back after he was off camera for so long.

  28. Bagge
    Bagge
    July 7, 2021 at 1:21 am | #

    Hey, Ruth, maybe try a not-messed up relationship. Just a thought.

  29. bryy
    bryy
    July 7, 2021 at 1:29 am | #

    Oh my God, both Mary and Billie will have a field day with this for very different reasons.

    • C.T. Phipps
      C.T. Phipps
      July 7, 2021 at 3:40 am | #

      Who is Billie?

      Jennifer does not care about her ex. Honest.

      • Demoted Oblivious
        Demoted Oblivious
        July 7, 2021 at 8:37 am | #

        You raise an interesting point, kind of. What does using someone’s old nickname qualify as , when it’s not a part of a larger identity change? Billie is Jennifer after all. It’s a play on her last name. This isn’t on par with dead-naming someone. Dead-naming is about refusing to recognize something that is an important part of a person’s identity. Calling Jennifer, ‘Billie,’ seems closer to not enabling her in denying a part of her own identity. Depending on intent and reception, I suppose it could still be bullying. But frankly I don’t think in this case it qualifies as either. That Ms Billingsworth is in some kind of distress seems fairly obvious, but that may only be confirmed as that train-wreck slides on down the track.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          July 7, 2021 at 10:42 am | #

          Nonetheless, she’s asked to be called Jennifer. It’s at least rude not to do so.

          Admittedly, it’s a bit different with her being fictional and thus not affected by whatever we say, but it’s still good practice.

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            July 7, 2021 at 12:24 pm | #

            Fair enough. Since DyW has taken the time to retcon the tags to the degree that old links don’t even work, I suppose despite disagreeing with the seriousness of Jennifer’s intent, DyW’s stance on this has precedence (word of Gyallahwehd n’ all that). Still, it’s not easy shaking my own experiences with people who used identity changes to have another excuse to rage on the people around them. Kinda gotta fall back on Maya Angelou (echoed by Oprah) here:
            “When someone shows you who they really are, believe them!”

            • C.T. Phipps
              C.T. Phipps
              July 7, 2021 at 1:37 pm | #

              I choose to believe rather than deadnaming it, it is actually a Star Wars reference.

              “That name no longer has any meaning for me.”

              “It is your true name [as a bisexual failed cheerleader], you’ve only forgotten it!”

              • Demoted Oblivious
                Demoted Oblivious
                July 7, 2021 at 7:07 pm | #

                Ooh, I like that interpretation. Though I don’t know I would describe her as a failed cheerleader, so much as retired. She was accepted at every level she made it to, and then was kicked out/had to bow out due to the DUI. Maybe she violated a team code of ethics or something though. THAT would be failure depending on the code.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              July 7, 2021 at 3:00 pm | #

              I don’t really see any signs of Jennifer doing that. She’s dropped a nickname, but doesn’t seem to have really disassociated herself from her past actions. She’s tried to make a break, but it’s not really clear why.

              • Demoted Oblivious
                Demoted Oblivious
                July 7, 2021 at 7:02 pm | #

                Exactly. She’s trying to make a break from past behaviour. Sadly she is distancing herself from part of her identity that was perfectly healthy and is instead fully investing in creating acharicature of herself and the more awful aspects of her personality. Kind of like knowing she had to pick a direction and chosing to go in exactly the wrong direction.

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  July 7, 2021 at 10:02 pm | #

                  Is she? I don’t think we really know what she’s up to yet. There were lots of parts of the relationship with Ruth that were not at all healthy.

                  I don’t think she’s actually making so much of a break with past behavior as with past friends. Which other than Walky, who’s a long term childhood near brother, isn’t really that big a deal for the people you knew the first couple months of college.

                  I do suspect it’s not healthy, but I’m reserving judgement on how and why. We don’t know enough yet.

  30. TheFlamingonator
    TheFlamingonator
    July 7, 2021 at 1:54 am | #

    if you’re not gonna unhandcuff him at least pull the door off the hinges so he can leave

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      July 7, 2021 at 5:55 am | #

      Nah, Jason’s gonna have to take that door with him everywhere he goes from now on.

    • Amos Batista
      Amos Batista
      July 7, 2021 at 8:42 am | #

      Jason will have to take a piece of the door to the date.

  31. Arianod
    Arianod
    July 7, 2021 at 2:25 am | #

    Ah yes, I’ve heard about this. It’s called Stockholm syndrome.

    • Wagstaff
      Wagstaff
      July 7, 2021 at 2:31 am | #

      Wonder if Willis is gonna say it again….

    • eh, whatever
      eh, whatever
      July 7, 2021 at 8:00 am | #

      Doesn’t seem to actually exist, though.

  32. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    July 7, 2021 at 2:36 am | #

    They are both broken persons with horribles relatives who have done terribles mistakes in the past. I’m not sure if a relationship between them will become a great thing or a true nightmare. Seems to me like a situation of an old, sad France movie in black and white that will end with the death of both the main characters. It’s sad, but I just can’t see this ending well. Even if their interaction at the bar were good, now that seems to be changed.

  33. Rycan
    Rycan
    July 7, 2021 at 3:15 am | #

    Can’t tell if this is flirting or a hostage negotiation…

    • Juanoku
      Juanoku
      July 7, 2021 at 3:21 am | #

      Let’s call it 50/50

  34. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    July 7, 2021 at 3:22 am | #

    This feels like watching a carcrash in slow motion

  35. Ryan
    Ryan
    July 7, 2021 at 3:23 am | #

    I’m honestly disappointed that both Ruth and Billie seem to be going the route of “my lesbian experimentation is now complete, whereupon I shall immediately seek out the nearest dick I can and never even think about tits ever again EVER.”

    I mean, Billie I can understand, that’s her villain origin story, it’s what makes her so enjoyably detestable. But I really expected better from Ruth, it really seemed as though she was in deep denial about her own queerness for a long time and finally come to peace with it. Except “NOPE! Haha, fooled you! I was straight all along boys! ~~I kissed a girl just to try it / hope my boyfriend don’t mind it~~”

    • MrSmith
      MrSmith
      July 7, 2021 at 3:26 am | #

      I thought she was bi and therefore also liked the D

      • Sunny
        Sunny
        July 7, 2021 at 3:58 am | #

        Yes. Ruth can find both men and women sexually attractive, from the comics when her brother visited I think it’s safe to say she knows and has accepted this for herself. Billifer experiences the same attractions, but in contrast to Ruth she tells herself that this is true of everyone and that all girls go through an “experimental phase” before settling for a hetero relationship. She thought bisexuality was a thing that only exists in porn for Cod’s sake!

    • C.T. Phipps
      C.T. Phipps
      July 7, 2021 at 3:42 am | #

      Well Ruth and Billie are both bi.

      Unlike Leslie, Becky, and Daisy.

      • Ryan
        Ryan
        July 7, 2021 at 3:49 am | #

        Is that just Word of Willis? ‘Cause I don’t recall Ruth mentioning a single time that she was bisexual. In fact, I don’t think she’s ever talked about her sexuality in detail at all On Screen. Her thing with Billie was just something that… happened, and like I said, I got strong denial vibes coming off of her, that this was one more thing in her shitshow of a life that she just wasn’t ready to deal with yet.

        It’s why today’s strip feels like so much backsliding.

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          July 7, 2021 at 4:02 am | #

          She’s been mentioned to have a boyfriend in the past, though people love to point out that many gay people have also had past relationships like that. But so have many bi people!

          Also, bi people are queer, so like… if you read her as struggling to accept her queerness, that hasn’t gone away?

          Really not a fan of the assumptions and judgments you’ve made in your comments.

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            July 7, 2021 at 8:44 am | #

            Yeah. We just had a thread yanked because it was essentially a flamewar over accusations of bi-erasure, and now this is basically a claim of les-erasure. Neither claim could be defensibly held when DyW’s body of work is considered, or even just these specific characters.

            I said it before, but, “Regardless of overall orientation people are attracted to who they’re attracted to.” No-one outside of that person gets to deny that.

            • Yumi
              Yumi
              July 7, 2021 at 10:50 am | #

              The first post in that previous thread was doing more for bi-erasure than the comic itself.

              • C.T. Phipps
                C.T. Phipps
                July 7, 2021 at 1:39 pm | #

                I thought it was “Word of God” (see TV tropes) that she was bi and this indicates it pretty overtly. Willis is hardly unclear with the sexualities of his characters.

                “I AM A LESBIAN!”

                I mean, obviously Becky is very opaque about her preferences.

        • Daibhid C
          Daibhid C
          July 7, 2021 at 5:52 am | #

          Ruth’s first attempt at post-Billie dating was with another woman?

          • Daibhid C
            Daibhid C
            July 7, 2021 at 5:58 am | #

            Even if you go by Faz’s famous misunderstanding of how the Kinsey scale works, Ruth has dated two women (Jennifer and Daisy) and two guys (her past boyfriend and Jason), so she’s exactly balanced.

            If you go by the normal Kinsey scale, she likes boys and girls. And not only is there’s a word for that, but she’s one of the few people in the comic who already knew it.

        • eh, whatever
          eh, whatever
          July 7, 2021 at 8:03 am | #

          “Just”, or “Word of Willis”?

          And when do people actually get into a situation where they talk about their sexuality…?

          • QuixoticMaunster
            QuixoticMaunster
            July 7, 2021 at 8:39 am | #

            To be honest? If you’re bisexual and dating it comes up SO MUCH because every time you date a different gender people come out of the woodwork to complain about you “not being a lesbian” or “not being straight” anymore.

            Despite the fact that you were already not a lesbian and not straight because you were bisexual the whole time.

            Measurably worse is when bigots congratulate you on briefly passing as hetero.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          July 7, 2021 at 9:16 am | #

          She said she had on a boyfriend. On panel. Her granddad was a dick about it.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        July 7, 2021 at 4:06 am | #

        This is unrelated, but it kind of amuses me that you posted a “Who is Billie?” comment two minutes before posting this.

        • C.T. Phipps
          C.T. Phipps
          July 7, 2021 at 1:40 pm | #

          I am interested in finding out what being “Jennifer” vs. “Billie” is to her.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 7, 2021 at 5:07 am | #

      Bi people do not stop being queer just because they’re in a het relationship

      For fuck’s sake

      • Delicious Taffy
        Delicious Taffy
        July 7, 2021 at 5:17 am | #

        Yeah, I’m pretty sure there’s a term for women who are queer and specifically just into women, but I can’t think of it at the moment. If only it had any conversational relevance, I might remember it. Oh if only we didn’t have direct confirmation that the two named characters were bisexual rather than whatever-that-word-is.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        July 7, 2021 at 5:28 am | #

        Also are you seriously casting Jen as “enjoyably detestable” because she’s in denial about her own queerness?

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          July 7, 2021 at 12:35 pm | #

          Being generous I would guess Ryan just chose their words poorly, and was referring to how Ms. Billingsworth is just generally not a great human being. That said, their exact phrasing does compute a match to your query. Still, even as messed up as Ms. Billingsworth is, I find the step all the way to “detestable” “villain” a bit of a stretch. I doubt I would even rank her far below neutral. Certainly in a good/evil spectrum she’s not lower than 40% (NNE)

        • C.T. Phipps
          C.T. Phipps
          July 7, 2021 at 1:41 pm | #

          I don’t think Jennifer was actually entirely accepting of it as Billie. It’s possible, for all we know, that she identifies as Bi more openly and with greater acceptance as Jennifer but is just dating a dude.

          It happens.

          • Yumi
            Yumi
            July 7, 2021 at 1:53 pm | #

            She did, as Jennifer, describe her time with Ruth/her attraction to Ruth (depending on how you read it) as “a weird phase [she] was going through.”

            https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/03-see-you-in-the-funny-page/phase/

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              July 7, 2021 at 3:04 pm | #

              It might be a reversion to her old “I’m not queer, everyone likes girls sometimes” thing, but I can’t really see it going any farther than that and I honestly doubt it’s that either. It might well be the messed up nature of her relationship with Ruth that was the “phase”, not the queerness of it.

              There’s plenty about the sexy lesbian suicide pact that it makes sense to want to distance from, as much as I liked them together by the end.

            • C.T. Phipps
              C.T. Phipps
              July 7, 2021 at 7:39 pm | #

              I wonder if Ruth was the phase or bi in that comic.

              Maybe I’m overthinking it.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      July 7, 2021 at 5:54 am | #

      Are you just unaware that bisexuality is a thing? Because judging by your comments you seem to not understand that some people (like Billie and Ruth in this comic) can be attracted to both men and women.

    • K
      K
      July 7, 2021 at 6:11 am | #

      Fuck you

    • Eldritchy
      Eldritchy
      July 7, 2021 at 7:32 am | #

      Well Billie is trying to build herself a new image. A clean, nice, good-girl image, trying to abandon the self-destructive lifestyle she had before.
      As for Ruth… well it seems like she needs/like partners who are assertive and can bite back while having something to bond over with them.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        July 7, 2021 at 7:44 am | #

        Ruth enjoys a good sparring partner. I think part of the reason the date with Daisy crashed and burned was that Daisy’s thirst made her far too eager to please for Ruth’s liking.

        • Joyfulldreams
          Joyfulldreams
          July 7, 2021 at 12:06 pm | #

          It’s because Daisy was too nice. Ruth doesn’t feel comfortable dating someone who is nice, because she feels like she’ll “ruin” them with her toxicity. She felt so uncomfortable with the idea of dating someone who she considers to be ‘nice’ that she had to get herself drunk. That’s about the long and short of it, I think.

      • C.T. Phipps
        C.T. Phipps
        July 7, 2021 at 1:42 pm | #

        I don’t think dating motorcycle ex-criminal is necessarily her trying to build a respectable image. It may just be that she decided to ghost Walky and Ruth because of other reasons.

        Willis is good at building the mystery of Jennifer’s transformation

        • Eldritchy
          Eldritchy
          July 7, 2021 at 5:09 pm | #

          But he is Hot and Cool, which is giving her the social points she craves.
          In all seriousness though, is she aware of his criminal connections?

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      July 7, 2021 at 9:07 am | #

      A few minutes ago I thought was I gonna make an ultra sarcastic comment like “wow, David Willis, it sure is curious that you complained about 9 Chickweed Lane having a gay character fantasize about a woman, but then have Ruth date a man. Very progressive, clearly :)))))” to clown on all the dumbasses who consistently misidentify Ruth’s sexuality every single time she’s on panel AND THEN IT’S ALREADY FUCKING HERE.

      • Rabisch
        Rabisch
        July 7, 2021 at 4:30 pm | #

        C’mon. All those tweets are just for fun. David Williams is without doubt one of the biggest “9 Chickweed Lane” fans. His constantly speaks about it has surely make discovery the strip to hundreds of new readers.

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          July 7, 2021 at 7:12 pm | #

          Indeed. While I haven’t read the full backlog, 9 chickweed is interesting to follow even just for how the artist plays with the format of a strip comic.

          • Rabisch
            Rabisch
            July 8, 2021 at 3:05 am | #

            And the ” Pibgorn” story that Brooke McEldowney is doing right now is really awesome for art and story. Probably one of the best he has done.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      July 7, 2021 at 12:57 pm | #

      *glares at universe*

      Oh, come on! I was JOKING!

    • zee
      zee
      July 7, 2021 at 1:20 pm | #

      Concept: bisexual women are allowed to date men. That’s kind of the whole point of being bisexual, gender doesn’t matter. Like come on dude, what the fuck? It’s not “backsliding” or “denial” she’s just not a lesbian. This is honestly such a disgusting thing to say about a character that’s CLEARLY bi, if that weren’t the case, if she were a lesbian in denial, don’t you think Willis would put more emphasis on that? That sounds like a pretty major plot point to me.
      Fucking hell man, the biphobes are just crawling out of the woodwork this storyline…

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        July 7, 2021 at 3:12 pm | #

        If this was the only bisexual (or lesbian) representation in the comic and it seemed that both these relationships looked to be endgame, I can see it as a bisexual erasure trope – “okay, we’ve teased the queer relationships, now we move on to the real het ones”. It’s enough of a trope that I don’t blame some people for being sensitive to it.

        Given how this comic has gone over the years though and the amount of queer representation in it, I can’t begin to imagine it applying here.

  36. Sunny
    Sunny
    July 7, 2021 at 3:39 am | #

    “You’re okay” is one of the nicest things Ruth has ever said to anybody. Sal was right, she must REALLY like him.

  37. AGV
    AGV
    July 7, 2021 at 4:33 am | #

    I’ve heard of hate sex but never of hate dating

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      July 7, 2021 at 7:45 am | #

      Hating.

      Oh wait, that’s already a word isn’t it…

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        July 7, 2021 at 9:57 am | #

        Dhating. Hdating?

        • Sunny
          Sunny
          July 7, 2021 at 10:37 am | #

          Hadating! It needs to be said with the same rhythm and tone as “Hadouken!”

          • Schpoonman
            Schpoonman
            July 7, 2021 at 12:45 pm | #

            Said like that, Ruth would miss the reference while Jennifer says “Oh, Street Fighter!”

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              July 7, 2021 at 2:35 pm | #

              “Not that I’m a nerd who would know that or anything.”

    • zee
      zee
      July 7, 2021 at 1:22 pm | #

      To quote a wise sage
      “The nature of humanity is just that every so often, someone accidentally invents Homestuck again”

    • misanthropope
      misanthropope
      July 7, 2021 at 10:14 pm | #

      pull up a beer, i can tell you about hate marrying.

  38. Keulen
    Keulen
    July 7, 2021 at 5:50 am | #

    Dumbing of Age Book 11: You’re Okay

  39. BenRG
    BenRG
    July 7, 2021 at 7:31 am | #

    Jason, from Ruth, that’s a huge positive.

  40. Jhon
    Jhon
    July 7, 2021 at 7:39 am | #

    You will make a witty and insightful reply to this comment.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      July 7, 2021 at 7:46 am | #

      You can’t tell me what to do.

      • Deanatay
        Deanatay
        July 7, 2021 at 11:21 am | #

        I neither need nor want your approval.

    • Lorien Inksong
      Lorien Inksong
      July 7, 2021 at 7:58 am | #

      Your name is spelled in an atypical fashion.

      There is a shocking amount of casual misogyny applied to these situations by the fans in these discussions under the page.

      I will now be eaten by the fans/their allies. Make sure my meatcase’s nutrients go back into the system and don’t embalm my corpse or something similarly gross. (The leftovers obvs, if they finish the whole thing then please give them a cookie for dessert they did a good job.)

      • Demoted Oblivious
        Demoted Oblivious
        July 7, 2021 at 8:55 am | #

        Since you literally called out the entire fan-base as mysogynists, you kind of have it coming. This is a publicly accessible forum, and you’ll find all types here. What you’ll find less of, is valid opportunites to apply negative attributes to the whole group. I don’t doubt that you’ll find some people who fit your description (hell, I’ll throw my hat in that ring), but to paint everyone here with that brush is appallingly sloppy word-work.

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          July 7, 2021 at 8:57 am | #

          n.b. I am aware that the above was not witty and barely insightful, but then, neither was its predecessor.

        • Yumi
          Yumi
          July 7, 2021 at 11:01 am | #

          I disagree that that’s what Lorien Inksong’s comment was doing. I get that some people need to be handheld through it with words like “some” and “not all” to not feel attacked, but it reads to me as “within this group, I see this happening.”

          Now, I do find the third paragraph to be kind of annoying. And I’m not sure I see what they do with the casual misogyny, so I’d appreciate more of an explanation if they were up for it. But no, I don’t feel they “literally called out the entire fan-base as mysogynists.”

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            July 7, 2021 at 12:48 pm | #

            That is a more generous reading for sure. But with their wording in the second, along with their expecting to get ripped, well, it seems like they were trolling for a fight.

            There is definitely curiousity about what Lorien sees as casual misogyny. For my part I’m self-aware enough to identify it in myself. Doesn’t stop me from supporting standard feminism. It does heavily interferes in my ability to develop relationships. Thankfully all my friends understand because they know the trainwrecks I’ve made, so I don’t often have to explain why I don’t want to.

          • Lorien Inksong
            Lorien Inksong
            July 8, 2021 at 2:33 pm | #

            I see casual misogyny when female characters get double standards for behavior and male characters do creepy things without a blink. Its a comic and what the fandom members feel is their business, but it does get under my skin. And to be real I worry about people IRL giving men too much leeway to be creepy and getting hurt by actual creeps. Not to mention the continuation of double standards I see hammer my wife and sister on the daily. For example my sister got served a hamburger that was raw in the middle, flat out, and got treated like a Karen for not wanting to eat unsafe food by the restaurant peeps. (It was not a fancy burger place than had been asked for a super rare burger, but uh good reach, if you were.)

            Third paragraph is ‘kind of annoying’ because I’m annoyed to live it, and tired of having ‘hmmm… I feel like the fanbases’ collective reaction is tainted bc the character is female, we just saw one of the fellas do something like this’ being followed by swarms wringing their hands and demanding a cited paper. Its like this crazy double standard or something. So I made a joke about what was incoming. It did come, and apparently I ‘kind of have it coming’ for having the nerve to joke about it I guess.

            All I’m asking is that if you personally felt attacked by me saying ‘there are SOME signs of misogyny in the fanbase’ or ‘boy howdy the menfolk seem to get a way bigger pass to be problematic’ maybe take your gut reaction with a grain of salt. If you stop and think a minute and decide I’m still just net-Satan so be it, you stop and thought so I won’t try to dissuade you.

            And no I am not trolling. Its really surreal to assert ‘hmm I am concerned about casual misogyny’ (in a silly way because saying it seriously last time was Not Okay ™ ) and immediately be read as ‘looking for a fight’

            • Lorien Inksong
              Lorien Inksong
              July 8, 2021 at 2:41 pm | #

              Ah more succinctly

              The tone-policing is enormous. Its like unless I practice perfect grammar, supernatural patience and grace, and gently kiss the forehead of anyone who might think they are somehow included all of what I said is automatically dismissed.

              And I see a lot more freaking out and picking apart the language and well just tone policing with the female characters in the comments than the male ones. I has a concern.
              (I haven’t mentioned the NB cast because we don’t have enough openly NB characters to have a sample set being ‘Booster reactions’ and that’s bad science)

              • Lorien Inksong
                Lorien Inksong
                July 8, 2021 at 2:43 pm | #

                Oh to be clear I am in the NB category but my name and gravitar read as femme, hence the inclusion of my own experiences in the discussion of tone policing.

  41. Lorien Inksong
    Lorien Inksong
    July 7, 2021 at 7:55 am | #

    I know it looks bad (real bad) but this seems promising. Yes kids this isn’t a healthy perfect start, I don’t recommend it IRL and Ruth is very problematic and everything. Just please remember Jason is being just as problematic here.

    Anyway disclaimer disclaimed they both seem into it, they seem emotionally prepared to deal with each other, and if this is a D/s dynamic it seems like a pretty good start to me. Jason SHOULD NOT have to do this but he could call out for help or use his phone if he big time did not consent to the situation. Other characters even came by. So yeah call me problematic too but I’m actually really interested in where this goes.

    • zee
      zee
      July 7, 2021 at 1:01 pm | #

      Is Jason being problematic? I mean he’s the one who was taken hostage here.
      Not that i don’t love where this is going, it’s either gonna be a cute ship or a fun dramatic mess, either way I’m IN

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        July 7, 2021 at 3:15 pm | #

        Obviously we didn’t see the start, but him enabling this, apparently without objection, is kind of a problem. Nothing wrong with this kind of thing – whatever it is, but you really need to negotiate the boundaries up front, especially with near strangers.

      • Lorien Inksong
        Lorien Inksong
        July 8, 2021 at 2:18 pm | #

        Zee sweet summer child a rational reasonable bar-tender does not go home with a client. An inebriated client he could theoretically take advantage of. Having her stay at the bar to look out for her potentially having a reaction? Kindly and sweet. Probably should have tried to reach her contacts or get her a cab if he was worried about her beyond that point. Even if she initiated he shouldn’t have gone with her. ;; (Apologies my memory is in ribbons I’d have to go back to check for that detail.)

        Nah I wanted to point a neon sign at that bc all the readers seem to have already forgotten and I’m honestly worried about a young person giving a man a pass for being a creep when they shouldn’t and getting hurt. Its like the only thing I worry about with the next generation. Too trusting/weirdly defensive or taking light of things that shouldn’t be trusted.

  42. thumb
    thumb
    July 7, 2021 at 7:57 am | #

    I am feeling so bad for Daisy right now

    • Zaxares
      Zaxares
      July 7, 2021 at 11:15 am | #

      I felt much the same way when Leslie cut short her date with… um, that dental assistant whose name I’ve now forgotten. IIRC, Leslie’s words to her were “I’m sorry, but I guess I’m not ready for dating yet.” And yet only a few days/weeks later, the assistant finds out that Leslie is boinking the dentist (whom the assistant has a HUGE unrequited love for). So while Leslie was trying to let her down easy, it must have been absolutely soul crushing to realize that what Leslie really meant was “I’m not ready for dating YOU”. :/

      • zee
        zee
        July 7, 2021 at 1:24 pm | #

        Her name was Mindy!

      • Sirksome
        Sirksome
        July 7, 2021 at 2:44 pm | #

        That is actually a very similar and accurate comparison. Especially considering both girls got rejected for “being too nice”. Sure there were differences in justification for it. *Leslie saw too much of herself in Mindy as a people pleaser* *I guess Ruth is just self conscious about dating someone she thinks is a good person* but they ultimately left the “nice” person. That’s kind of a rough pill to swallow.

    • Rabisch
      Rabisch
      July 7, 2021 at 4:36 pm | #

      Why? She avoided to be handcuffed to a door by a very messed up character!

  43. eh, whatever
    eh, whatever
    July 7, 2021 at 8:06 am | #

    UNHAND ME, VILLAIN!

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      July 7, 2021 at 8:45 am | #

      RUTH: “Do you really want me to?”

      JASON: “Other than the handcuffs? No.”

  44. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    July 7, 2021 at 11:20 am | #

    Panel 5 – clear evidence of Stockholm Syndrome?

    Wait… Sexy Stockholm Syndrome? Is that a thing?

  45. Alex
    Alex
    July 7, 2021 at 11:53 am | #

    This is really cute despite Jason still being handcuffed.

  46. Joya
    Joya
    July 7, 2021 at 12:21 pm | #

    Not going to lie, I didn’t see this going in this direction at all. I am looking forward to seeing this unfold.

  47. zee
    zee
    July 7, 2021 at 12:58 pm | #

    Oh you know they fuckin

    • zee
      zee
      July 7, 2021 at 12:58 pm | #

      Look at that anger on Ruth’s face. That’s her “we fuckin later” face

  48. Disastromatic
    Disastromatic
    July 7, 2021 at 8:17 pm | #

    Having screwed things up with America, England now tries to learn from its mistakes with Canada.

  49. Bleuryder
    Bleuryder
    July 7, 2021 at 8:41 pm | #

    This is coming from a place of ignorance so I apologize in advance, but isn’t Ruth a lesbian or was she bi like Billie too? It just seems a little weird to me that she’d be into a dude (again, I’m under the impression that she’s a lesbian), though not necessarily a bad thing.

    • Beef
      Beef
      July 7, 2021 at 9:22 pm | #

      I think Ruth was still unsure of her sexuality at the time. It seemed like Jennifer was the first woman she was with, that’s the impression I got from her conversation with Howard anyway.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      July 7, 2021 at 9:34 pm | #

      Ruth is bisexual and had a boyfriend back when she lived in Ontario. His name was Ciaran.

  50. Beef
    Beef
    July 7, 2021 at 9:22 pm | #

    I hate this relationship and hope it ends soon

  51. Meagan
    Meagan
    July 9, 2021 at 1:51 am | #

    I hella ship it. And thanks for the bi representation. Sometimes it seems like once a bi female is paired with a woman in a story, there’s some taboo about her getting with a guy after because then she’ll lose her queerness or something….

  52. MacareuxMoine
    MacareuxMoine
    July 9, 2021 at 8:28 am | #

    I wonder whether Jason has a shift to work today – and how much he cares about whether he can make it, now.

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