You know how Jennifer was dating Asher because he was hot and she was making herself feel better about Ruth, then she got bored and frustrated over something petty and pushed him away so it’d start some drama and she’d feel comfortable, and then that drama didn’t happen and she’s alone and doesn’t know why she’s miserable still, leading her to patch things up with Alice, who feeds that?
Hm, I don’t know if I buy that Ruth did this just to stir up drama, but it seems like if she did, it succeeded. What I’m really confused about though is whether she was lying to Jason yesterday or lying to herself today. I lean towards the latter, but it seems a bit odd structurally. Usually if you leave character on stage alone and have them talk to themself, they’re there to reveal truth.
noisy
I think “that was a perfect, successful interaction…. Having a very normal one today” is meant to signal that Ruth is lying to herself here.
Fortinbras
Lying to herself today, definitely. And I think it’s not exactly “just to stir up drama,” so much as the fact that both Ruth and Jennifer associate love with mutual self-destruction, fighting, etc. It’s like that idea about “if they don’t fight with you, they’re not actually passionate about the relationship,” turned up to eleven. I think she was hoping for Jason to fight back.
blitzdrake
She was only on stage alone to reveal the T-Ruth (c) *
*T-Ruth is distinct and separate from the Truth and should not be taken at the same time. Users who are exposed to T-Ruth may be subject to bouts of paranoia, rage, or self-pity. If you or a friend are exposed to T-Ruth for more than two weeks, please consult a therapist.
frmCast351
Jennifer’s comfort zone is maximum drama, which is why Asher being fully supportive and chill was so upsetting for her. She drove him away in hopes that it would cause drama, but it didn’t
Ruth wants to be wanted, wants people to fight to be with her, and Jason, much like Asher, was simply not providing that for her. So she pushed him away to get him to try harder to stay together, but he didn’t
It’s the reason why Jennifer and Ruth were so bad for each other, was because they were exactly providing for each other what they wanted most, in the most dangerous way possible. Ruth’s hidden self-esteem issues and emotional fluctuation fed Jennifer’s desire for drama, while Jennifer’s dedication was attractive to Ruth’s need to be wanted. Except all of that was anchored on the fact that both of them were miserable and struggling with substance abuse, and neither of them could get better so long as their mutual attractions fed those habits.
The subtle shifts in expression between the first two panels say so much before she rams headfirst into the brick wall in the third. Beautiful work, Willis!
On the one hand, my reaction to the first and second panel *is* distinctly different. On the other hand, I woudn’t absolutely swear that the two facial expressions aren’t identical.
It’s ever-so-subtly different: panel 2 has a slight downward line at the end of the mouth (which then becomes an outright ;( by panel 4), and a flattening of her eyebrows (that then becomes completely flat for panel 3, if back to panel 1 by the time panel 4 rolls around).
More seriously – Ruth is living in a very stressful situation, having to balance her responsibilities as a college student with her job as RA to the most kidnapping-prone dorm on campus, while also attempting to kick an alcohol habit. She can’t quit college or the RA job due to family pressure, and relapsing into drinking risks getting her back in the hospital. She also has few sources of support that aren’t also stressors: her family is an abusive grandpa and a little brother that she feels guilty for not protecting from said grandpa; her peers at college are also her subordinates that she’s responsible for as RA, and she has (so far as the comic is concerned) no extended family or friends outside college that she can lean on. No amount of talk therapy can make up for the lack of a support network. Hell, we’ve already established she’s Strategically Omitting Facts in therapy so as not to risk involuntary commitment, so therapy may actually be an additional source of stress for her rather than a way to relieve it.
Ultimately, if I was responsible for Ruth’s mental wellbeing (a terrifying prospect) I would prescribe her “more interactions with people who aren’t IU students,” “quitting the RA job,” maybe “a gap year funded by the inheritance after Grandpa Clint’s natural yet sudden death” if I could get away with it. All of these are beyond the capacity of a school therapist.
i made a post to leave moderation feedback. use it in good health
.
replies to this specific comment will be deleted. they really should be left at the link i just posted anyway
Ruth, I honestly think ya need to work on yourself alone for a bit anyway. That bein said, I think we could all do with less Jason in the future, so that’s for dumpin him lol
So with the odd timeline of the strip, jason has been with her what two weeks, def not long enough to form an ideal picture of her inner workings. I think Ruth was expecting a bit much from him. While she does deserve someone who will fight for her, she also needs to communicate that theres a potential future to this relationship.
i guess my charitable reading is that hearing Jason state outright how little she values him made her feel kind of shitty about using him like this? it’s a toxic dynamic even if Jason’s okay with it, and she just isn’t into him enough to foster this kind of toxic dynamic like she was with Jennifer. i don’t think she loves Jason, but breaking things off now shows she cares enough to not continue using him.
but she can’t have him know she cares so she had to say a bunch of lying lies. that’s what i think, anyway.
“Leaves” is the standard plural form of “leaf” and “leafs” is a rarely used alternate form. Usually if you say “leafs” it will be perceived as an error, but there are a few obscure contexts where “leafs” is actually the preferred form. The most common of these is the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club, a professional ice hockey team who are commonly referred to as “the Leafs”.
I love how, of all the ways the comic communicates to the reader that Ruth is a self-destructive masochist, none of them are quite as direct and cutting as her being an avid Leafs fan.
Non-sports all readers may be missing the import of the Leafs signage. They are a very old, well funded team with a loyal fan base…. but very disappointing. Like historically so. Last league championship in 1967. Like they go through the motions but don’t really care about winning.
To give you an idea of how bad it’s gone for Toronto, the CN Tower flashed the team colors of two Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup finals in recent history.
None of them were the Leafs. (The Canadiens in 2021 due to the shortened season and a miracle cup run, the Oilers in 2024 and 2025)
The Maple Leafs also monopolize the majority of airtime when it comes to sports coverage in Canada so there’s a lot of bitterness there because they never amount to much of anything and yet they must be talked about, always.
This year (or was it last?), they traded away their franchise player, because the team has been floundering, and he was specifically criticized for under-performing in the playoffs, and not having enough spirit.
He immediately put on one of the best playoff performances in recent memory, scoring like a madman, taking his team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, and if they had won, he might have been the playoff MVP due to how well he played.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are, legitimately, the Milhouse of professional sports.
Ruth (comes back wearing a silk robe): What are you still doing here? Go home. The joke’s over! I’m sure Joyce and Dotty are doing something cute in another strip. Go bother them.
Unhappy Canada Day to the Unhappiest Canadian! Celebrate once more being passively-aggressively independent of the British. A singular British, in this case. His tie was stupid.
Man something’s real wrong with the site today, beyond just the random spouts of downtime and other general errors. I’ve had to clear my cookies from the site like 5 times today alone because of the header error you get from accumulating too many cookies and for whatever reason that’s been happening incredibly fast today for what would usually take several months of activity
61 thoughts on “Lyingest”
Astariel
Okay, now I’m confused.
clif
Nothing to see here.
DashWallkick
You know how Jennifer was dating Asher because he was hot and she was making herself feel better about Ruth, then she got bored and frustrated over something petty and pushed him away so it’d start some drama and she’d feel comfortable, and then that drama didn’t happen and she’s alone and doesn’t know why she’s miserable still, leading her to patch things up with Alice, who feeds that?
Guess what Ruth is doing.
Astariel
Hm, I don’t know if I buy that Ruth did this just to stir up drama, but it seems like if she did, it succeeded. What I’m really confused about though is whether she was lying to Jason yesterday or lying to herself today. I lean towards the latter, but it seems a bit odd structurally. Usually if you leave character on stage alone and have them talk to themself, they’re there to reveal truth.
noisy
I think “that was a perfect, successful interaction…. Having a very normal one today” is meant to signal that Ruth is lying to herself here.
Fortinbras
Lying to herself today, definitely. And I think it’s not exactly “just to stir up drama,” so much as the fact that both Ruth and Jennifer associate love with mutual self-destruction, fighting, etc. It’s like that idea about “if they don’t fight with you, they’re not actually passionate about the relationship,” turned up to eleven. I think she was hoping for Jason to fight back.
blitzdrake
She was only on stage alone to reveal the T-Ruth (c) *
*T-Ruth is distinct and separate from the Truth and should not be taken at the same time. Users who are exposed to T-Ruth may be subject to bouts of paranoia, rage, or self-pity. If you or a friend are exposed to T-Ruth for more than two weeks, please consult a therapist.
frmCast351
Jennifer’s comfort zone is maximum drama, which is why Asher being fully supportive and chill was so upsetting for her. She drove him away in hopes that it would cause drama, but it didn’t
Ruth wants to be wanted, wants people to fight to be with her, and Jason, much like Asher, was simply not providing that for her. So she pushed him away to get him to try harder to stay together, but he didn’t
It’s the reason why Jennifer and Ruth were so bad for each other, was because they were exactly providing for each other what they wanted most, in the most dangerous way possible. Ruth’s hidden self-esteem issues and emotional fluctuation fed Jennifer’s desire for drama, while Jennifer’s dedication was attractive to Ruth’s need to be wanted. Except all of that was anchored on the fact that both of them were miserable and struggling with substance abuse, and neither of them could get better so long as their mutual attractions fed those habits.
NGPZ
go treat yourself to some maple syrup on pancakes, ya earned it
as well as perhaps some certain kinda syrup from a certain someone, hint hint
clif
Sneaking in under the three day window to agree that Ruth deserves pancakes with maple syrup.
AllTheseSquaresMakeACircle
what is going on with the three day window
YourCousinJay
the phrase, “[x] deserves/doesn’t deserve/is owed [y]” is going to be banned
Mitzi B.
Ruth is asking way too much of Jason’s ability to detect lies.
ResRam
Her own, too.
Bootshivers
The subtle shifts in expression between the first two panels say so much before she rams headfirst into the brick wall in the third. Beautiful work, Willis!
clif
On the one hand, my reaction to the first and second panel *is* distinctly different. On the other hand, I woudn’t absolutely swear that the two facial expressions aren’t identical.
Neveron
It’s ever-so-subtly different: panel 2 has a slight downward line at the end of the mouth (which then becomes an outright ;( by panel 4), and a flattening of her eyebrows (that then becomes completely flat for panel 3, if back to panel 1 by the time panel 4 rolls around).
Sharizard
Meanwhile panel four is when she clearly notices there’s a camera in the room.
Bootshivers
The subtle shifts in her expressions between the first two panels say so much, and the brick wall of the third says the same thing as ever.
I hope Ruth finds joy.
I hope Jason finds some peace.
Joe Moose
♫ it’s only me
Fooling myself ♪
IntangibleMatter
Ruth is celebrating Canada day in a manner appropriate for her, I see
…God, she really needs a better therapist, doesn’t she. Whatever’s happening now isn’t doing enough.
Mitzi B.
Bold of us all to think therapy can fix Ruth.
More seriously – Ruth is living in a very stressful situation, having to balance her responsibilities as a college student with her job as RA to the most kidnapping-prone dorm on campus, while also attempting to kick an alcohol habit. She can’t quit college or the RA job due to family pressure, and relapsing into drinking risks getting her back in the hospital. She also has few sources of support that aren’t also stressors: her family is an abusive grandpa and a little brother that she feels guilty for not protecting from said grandpa; her peers at college are also her subordinates that she’s responsible for as RA, and she has (so far as the comic is concerned) no extended family or friends outside college that she can lean on. No amount of talk therapy can make up for the lack of a support network. Hell, we’ve already established she’s Strategically Omitting Facts in therapy so as not to risk involuntary commitment, so therapy may actually be an additional source of stress for her rather than a way to relieve it.
Mitzi B.
Ultimately, if I was responsible for Ruth’s mental wellbeing (a terrifying prospect) I would prescribe her “more interactions with people who aren’t IU students,” “quitting the RA job,” maybe “a gap year funded by the inheritance after Grandpa Clint’s natural yet sudden death” if I could get away with it. All of these are beyond the capacity of a school therapist.
Rose By Any Other Name
Ayup.
That’s the problem with anxiety. Therapy can only help so much when one is anxious over valid problems over which one has no control.
Li
Oh, Ruth…
Sarah
Offscreen, Ruth goes to lie in bed and dissociate. A successful day already.
ResRam
Lets hope its “only” dissociation.
She used to try and pickle her uncooperative brain in liquor when the feels get going.
Theozilla
Methinks she’s telling herself the bigger lie right at this moment.
Theozilla
Or at the very least I don’t think “wanting to be wanted” is incompatible with also simultaneously being “existentially terrified of being wanted”.
clif
That’s some Jennifer level of lyingest lying to yourself. Who knew?
Wack'd (Mod, Click Name for Rules)
i made a post to leave moderation feedback. use it in good health
.
replies to this specific comment will be deleted. they really should be left at the link i just posted anyway
Fail Earnhardt
And another thing: Ruth is not sad. Please don’t put in the newspaper that she got sad.
Sajuuk-Khar
Ruth has never been sad in her entire life, and anyone who says otherwise is lying
ResRam
Ruth harvests sad´s femurs!
Pocky
Ruth, I honestly think ya need to work on yourself alone for a bit anyway. That bein said, I think we could all do with less Jason in the future, so that’s for dumpin him lol
Kenny Williams
So with the odd timeline of the strip, jason has been with her what two weeks, def not long enough to form an ideal picture of her inner workings. I think Ruth was expecting a bit much from him. While she does deserve someone who will fight for her, she also needs to communicate that theres a potential future to this relationship.
Wack'd (Mod, Click Name for Rules)
three weeks and a day, counting today
frogo
i guess my charitable reading is that hearing Jason state outright how little she values him made her feel kind of shitty about using him like this? it’s a toxic dynamic even if Jason’s okay with it, and she just isn’t into him enough to foster this kind of toxic dynamic like she was with Jennifer. i don’t think she loves Jason, but breaking things off now shows she cares enough to not continue using him.
but she can’t have him know she cares so she had to say a bunch of lying lies. that’s what i think, anyway.
Slartibeast Button, BIA
I *can so* hide my lyin’ eyes.
Needfuldoer
“No lying! No lying! You’re the lying!”
Thing 2
Perfect. Those first 2 panels. I stared at them for aaaages, before looking at any more. So subtle. Well drawn Mx Willis.
Ruth is blue today.
Florence
That’s right Ruth! You won that interaction! Heck you won at the relationship! These are healthy things to do that are not hurting you!
dazdndcunfusd
you did it, you won the breakup!
YourCousinJay
If she wins one more she’ll activate a break-up winstreak and get an aura until she leaves the lobby
Needfuldoer
I thought she just got a free sundae if she punched all the spaces on the club card.
Bill Erak
“Yes, indeed, that was entirely what I meant to happen and nothing bad shall come of it.”
Allison
Totally normal one. Just another day in the life of a Leafs fan.
FacelessDeviant
I know it isnt, but shouldnt it be “Maple Leaves”?
Isnt the plural of Leaf “Leaves”?
ResRam
It should.
On the other hand: aluminum.
Bash
I was curious enough that I looked on reddit:
“Leaves” is the standard plural form of “leaf” and “leafs” is a rarely used alternate form. Usually if you say “leafs” it will be perceived as an error, but there are a few obscure contexts where “leafs” is actually the preferred form. The most common of these is the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club, a professional ice hockey team who are commonly referred to as “the Leafs”.
Ed Callahan
Not sure, but maybe it’s because the team is named after the Maple Leaf, which is the national symbol of Canada, and not just maple leaves in general?
Throwatron
I love how, of all the ways the comic communicates to the reader that Ruth is a self-destructive masochist, none of them are quite as direct and cutting as her being an avid Leafs fan.
Disastroid
Queueing up Peter Gabriel’s “Love to be Loved”.
Hof1991
Non-sports all readers may be missing the import of the Leafs signage. They are a very old, well funded team with a loyal fan base…. but very disappointing. Like historically so. Last league championship in 1967. Like they go through the motions but don’t really care about winning.
Hatman
To give you an idea of how bad it’s gone for Toronto, the CN Tower flashed the team colors of two Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup finals in recent history.
None of them were the Leafs. (The Canadiens in 2021 due to the shortened season and a miracle cup run, the Oilers in 2024 and 2025)
The Maple Leafs also monopolize the majority of airtime when it comes to sports coverage in Canada so there’s a lot of bitterness there because they never amount to much of anything and yet they must be talked about, always.
Throwatron
This year (or was it last?), they traded away their franchise player, because the team has been floundering, and he was specifically criticized for under-performing in the playoffs, and not having enough spirit.
He immediately put on one of the best playoff performances in recent memory, scoring like a madman, taking his team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, and if they had won, he might have been the playoff MVP due to how well he played.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are, legitimately, the Milhouse of professional sports.
Corey C.
Ruth (comes back wearing a silk robe): What are you still doing here? Go home. The joke’s over! I’m sure Joyce and Dotty are doing something cute in another strip. Go bother them.
Happy 40th birthday, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
JuanokuG4
This far into the comic and she’s still lying to herself over the dumbest shit
redcaela
Unhappy Canada Day to the Unhappiest Canadian! Celebrate once more being passively-aggressively independent of the British. A singular British, in this case. His tie was stupid.
YourCousinJay
Man something’s real wrong with the site today, beyond just the random spouts of downtime and other general errors. I’ve had to clear my cookies from the site like 5 times today alone because of the header error you get from accumulating too many cookies and for whatever reason that’s been happening incredibly fast today for what would usually take several months of activity
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