These three are all fucked up, and I don’t think together they will be MORE functional than two of them. Jennifer hasn’t shown interest or willingness to grow or communicate in healthy ways, so there are few poly dynamics I can see her working with.
Now, if by “better” you mean more entertaining to watch for us trash goblins in the comments, I 100% agree.
Oh, they’d last indefinately if it were presented as a one-upmanship of who could stay the longest without breaking up.
“We all know this is a horrible idea… but we’re all horrible people. Anyone hooking up with us is making a horrible mistake. But can we prove our superiority to anyone else who would hook up with us? The challenge is how well can each of us make even a bad idea work. The first one to cry uncle and break up is inferior to the others, and we form this pact ahead of time, knowing the one who breaks up first will always be the inferior of the other two.”
If this preceded the relationships, it would be the most stable triad polycule ever.
Meanwhile Amber, over in the corner, looking at her phone: “Look, I know I said the roof is where you can be garbage, but there has to be _some_ standards.”
I have no idea what y’all are talking about, but I have decided to believe that Mike’s profile pic has just mysteriously reappeared in the supporting characters.
Happy Dumbing Day 2025! Dumbing Day is celebrated on any real-life dates that happen to correspond to the current in-story date of DoA, one of which is (probably) today, January 27!
Tradition demands that you celebrate Dumbing Day by doing something the characters did since last D-Day (1/23/24). So this year, why don’t you sing karaoke, fuck your trauma, drunkenly suggest watching your “platonic” best friend have sex, steal booze just to prove a point, defuse a party emergency and get laid, literally hide your boyfriend in the closet, plan your “platonic” best friend’s not-quite-sex acts, clothesline a costumed dumbass, send titty pictures to your “platonic” best friend, carve the shape of yourself into the surface of an unhinged, unfair world, or touch a penis?
If those suggestions are too intimidating, here are some more: Start using some fucking profanity, practice destigmatizing physical contact, wash a friend’s bedsheets, cook your girlfriend some mac & cheese, sneak into a bar while underaged, get drunk for the first time, masturbate in the shower, try to get your students to write your class textbook, break your frenemy’s video-game record with your bad hand, talk to a rhyming cartoon character on a poster, unintentionally break into a bank vault, draw naked people, come out as transgender, or declare yourself nobody’s mama!
Okay, these include some more manageable suggestions– was getting worried with the first list, though by the end I think there were some I could pull off.
But also could I go with going on a coffee date with someone?
Actually, I think I’m going to go with “wear dinosaur themed clothes.” I’ll awkwardly layer other things with it sk I’m not too cold in a short-sleeved shirt.
I didn’t realize that we’ve been basically observing 4-5 days of story (minus time skips) in a year of our time. At this rate, we’ll be finished in… a couple decades? Assuming there will be some more time skips and that we’ve gone through a quarter of the story so far…
It took a real decade for about two months to elapse in-universe. (At one point I figured real time and DoA time average around 66:1, so two months for us is one day for the characters.)
At that pace, even if there’s a big time skip every 10 real years, freshman year will last for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for putting this out for us. I’ve been waiting for DofA to get to something like Valentine’s Day salon since the January semester started and never knew when it might happen.
My nephews are almost Willis’ age. I have no idea if I’ll see the end of the IU school year.
I think taking estrogen counts as “carving the shape of [my]self into the surface of an unhinged, unfair world”. So I’ll do that tonight! Happy Dumbing Day.
For a number of reasons, one of which is that Ruth was the one who dumped Jennifer in the first place! Like, there are plenty of other reasons, but that one kinda stands out to me and I’m surprised more people aren’t mentioning it.
I suspect that she is VERY self-aware about everything about herself that she would consider negative and self-deprecating! But she might have some trouble being aware of anything else. Just a thought.
To be fair, Ruth is also the last person who has any high ground to get with Jennifer considering she’s the one who sabotaged that relationship. Jennifer regressing so much is a direct response to Ruth……Maybe they kind of deserve each other?
Also BIG MONEY! LETS GET SAL! NO WHAMMYS! I BELIEVE IN YOU!
True. Which is why I didn’t say that. Just that Jennifer reacted by regressing. Ruth initiated the breakup. So her being so willing to get back together is a bit hypocritical of her. Something Ruth has admitted to. My point is that they likely deserve each other because in some ways the breakup made them both worse.
He’s a tool and pretty self absorbed, and he treated Sal less than as kind as she deserved and that’s without even factoring in the problematic sex stuff. He was also just kind of bad at his job.
Ruth channeling Mike right now by seeing Jen say something hoping for conflict she could juice some gratification out of, and she’s utterly denied it because this arc is about bashing Jennifer over the head with “this is not going to get better until you look in a mirror.”
FWIW I hope she never does, her mental spiral is deeply entertaining.
An utterly snark-free declaration of desire? Does not compute! Data fails to process in customary channels. Scanning for sardonic wit—negative. Scanning for passive aggressive countermeasures—negative. Scanning for double entendre—negative. Complete Taming of the Shrew metafailure. Does not compute. Danger Willis Robinson. Danger.
Love how they’re still somehow the messiest couple despite having been broken up for months. Hate to see Jennifer Jennifering but damn their dynamic compels me so
See, I’d LIKE to think this, but I’m also very very worried that Jason is much, much, too full of Ye Olde British Repression to actually be aware that this is just a casual fling/sub-dom playtime for both of them. He is not the most self-aware guy, to put it mildly.
BJ cat seems pretty common in the reroll. I wonder what some of the rarer ones are? Sal seems pretty hard to find or most people rolling for her are just unlucky.
Change the capitalization of your email address in the box for it. Differently capitalized versions of the same email will each roll for a Gravatar from the pool.
I think it depends on what his understanding of the relationship is. If it’s similar to hers, and they’re aware of where they stand, then it’s fine. If he thinks they’re really trying to build a bond or something, though, then yes, end it.
It’s hard to gauge exactly but I think Jason does know Ruth is hung up on Jennifer (and they’ve both addressed that) and he still wants to date her. She has enough interest in him that she wanted to help him become a TA again so he wouldn’t feel pressured to be with her or feel like there’s any weird power dynamics between them. So I honestly can’t say for sure if they’re both actually trying to build a relationship together or if they’re both just… keeping each other occupied?
Like, I’ve been in a straight-up FWB relationship (okay, it eventually evolved into dating) but while I *get* that companionship is better than being miserable by yourself, whatever’s going on here… just bewilders me, lmao
There’s nothing wrong with having relationships that aren’t meant to be forever. Nothing wrong with having a little fun together that doesn’t mean anything.
In the sense that squares and rectangles are different, sure. That’d be why I included the “having fun together that doesn’t mean anything” part to be more clear.
Well not really, because they’re neither married nor engaged to be married. He also seems to have secured himself a work visa by TA-ing for Robin, which Ruth did help him with. As far as I can tell, they decided to hook up out of mutual interest.
Billie wanted a denial that she could argue with. She’s feeling insecure and seeking the comfort of that dynamic that they used to have. Instead, she gets frank honesty that could lead to a mature and emotional conversation which is the last thing she wants right now. Let’s see how she gets out of this one!
Oh that’s easy. “So you are just trying to come at me again, like I thought. Fuck you.” Just cause she didn’t think Ruth would admit she was right doesn’t make her any less right. With that you can easily walk away.
Malaya, Mary, Raidah… are they better options than Jennifer? Deep down, Jennifer is a better person than Mary & Raidah, but she sure hasn’t shown that for a while.
Honestly, kind of. I don’t recall any of them treating their active partners terribly bordering on/crossing the line into abuse. Mary maybe with the Halloween thing, but I don’t remember how Dudebro felt about that. They might be worse people, but I don’t know if they’re worse partners.
I don’t want to say Jennifer’s abusive, but the crap she pulled with Asher is 100% what I would call abusive behavior if someone did it to me. I’m only not counting the Ruth stuff because it was a trainwreck all the way down and it was mutually terrible on both sides (with Ruth starting it).
Drinking was to Jennifer as Bojack Horseman’s childhood was to him. Has it caused some of your problems? Yes. Is it responsible for everything you keep blaming on it? God no, at some point you need to recognize that a lot of the problems are you just refusing to be a better person at the end of the day.
I mean, Bojack Horseman’s alcoholism ALSO fits all of your criteria. Actually he has like 5 different examples of something that caused some of his problems but ultimately didn’t absolve him of just being shitty.
I am willing to bet $5 that Jennifer will say she’s in a relationship she’s not breaking up because it hasn’t sunk in that Asher has dumped her after thinking she dumped him.
I always knew in my heart that Ruth/Jason was never going to work out in the long run, but i will miss their toxic girlfriend/miserable little henchman dynamic once they break up 😔
It’s a trap! If I go look this up on TV tropes, next thing I know I will have lost two hours having read useless information, mostly about media I have not read/watch and no intent to ever read/watch.
Not according to Jennifer’s face in the last panel. I imagine if Ruth said she’d leave her husband that face would be ecstatic, but here she realizes the relationship she’s meddling in is barely anything and it takes all the wind out of her melodrama sails.
As someone who wants people to be in healthy relationships, this is very bad.
As someone who ships Jennifer and Ruth, however, LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I really like Thai Becky and wanna stick with it but someone has a rotten girl Miku grav and it’s making me, as a host to the teto cognito hazard I mean as a teto fan, feel competitive
I misread that panel and thought it was about Jennifer’s dumb boyfriend. Anyone else weighing if Jason or Asher is the better person for one of these two disaster recovery areas to date?
If Jennifer really felt like that wrt panel one and wanted it to stop a nice loud “Fuck off” accompanied by not staying outside Ruth’s building to finish the conversation would probably do it
I feel like this is a really hard pairing for people to ‘get’ but at the end of the day a lot of the bullshit Jennifer does is out of a constant need to feel perfect and better than someone else. She clearly cares about people, she isn’t a sociopath, but she can come off as one due to feeling like she constantly needs to not show weakness and vulnerability which of course effects every single relationship she has.
Caring about someone else can lead someone down a path of radical self improvement, or it can enable your worst tendencies. I feel like Ruth’s love for Jennifer has made her a generally better person over the strips. It’d be interesting to see Jennifer improve because she is generally an interesting, flawed character with the capacity to do great good. I think that’s why she is generally so unlikeable in the first place. She’s easy to see how the situation could be better because she is so bad at every step of the way. I’m not saying relationships are the best way to achieve growth, but hey, if that’s how it gets written I’m here for it. I like these characters a lot.
I mean you could argue that all of Ruth’s improvement is due to leaving Jennifer and vice versa. Because they were only improving because CARLA forced Ruth into therapy.
Ruth was already improving during their relationship, in fact that things were better was part of her flawed reasoning to break up. And I don’t see any way Jennifer has improved since the break up, outside of getting sober, which afaik she was already doing before that. She in fact regressed in most of her positive development.
Jennifer needed to get away from toxic people and did. Just because we like them doesn’t mean that they weren’t utterly wrecking her. It’s only when she started regressing with Asher to her Billie behavior that everything went to crap for her.
No, I meant Walky and the others. She joined the group to get away from her old friends and seems a lot less likely to suffer breakdowns like she is with her old friends.
That is literally not true. The main cast are flawed yes, but they were absolutely no “wrecking her” in any way. Getting into Raidah groups was the regressing into her “being the popular group is all that matter and make you better that others” mentality.
And that “constant need to feel perfect and better than someone else” is rooted in her deep self-loathing. Her understanding of her self as toxic and poisonous, dangerous to everyone she gets close to.
Remember that’s why she was able to be with Ruth in the first place. They were both already beyond help.
I never thought of this before, but is that tied to why she keeps pushing Walky away? She acts like it’s because he’s a nerd and would ruin her social status and to some extent that’s part of it, but could it run deeper than that?
This might be the only comment I’ve seen in here that actually gets why I found late-stage Ruth/Billie so fun. Like, the toxic, secret mess early on was extremely fun, but seeing it resolve into something that felt like it was making the characters *better* was a really good resolution/extension of that, and then it felt like it got kneecapped arbitrarily for the shock factor of “why aren’t Billie and Ruth together???” after the time skip
It felt like that at first, but as we saw how it happened and saw more scenes like this between the two of them it’s felt more inevitable to me. The stuff between them hasn’t just been dropped, it’s been looming over them ever since. For better or worse, it’s going to get addressed before they get any real resolution.
I mean, not quite, Ruth fell into a suicidal depression when they got into a fight, Jennifer didn’t actually get there,. Carla also didn’t do that, Ruth got medical attention that give her medication, if anyone forced her it would probably be the school.
Okay yeah, like I said, it is not quite that, she was involved and ultimately she facilitated things by making Jennifer realized how bad things were and make her go help her but that is far from having to force Ruth to get therapy or take meds, she didn’t get involved that far.
Yeah, but “sucks to be Jason” seems to be his only story role in this one, so if he wants some panel time he better be willing to have his life get measurably worse 😛
Nope! Nope. After Jennifer’s recent concussion I want Ruth as far away from her as possible. If it weren’t for that I’d be for them getting together again, but, nope, please stop and go away.
One of the more fascinating Billy moments. Immediately contextualizes Ruth asking after her as overtly predatory. Tries to set up a fight. Not really ready for the response she gets.
Anyhow: yeah they need to not. in the words of Becky: TERRIBLE couple.
One part of me knows that this is a comic strip and I shouldn’t get invested. Another part of me knows that all of this is just Willis screwing with us. And yet, a tiny part of me keeps wondering why Billie needs to be such an absolute shit stain all the time.
I don’t know if Jennifer and Ruth getting back together is in Willis’ game plan, but if it is the chapter where it happens will have to be titled “You’d Have To Stop The World.”
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Zero hesitation!
speaking wonders of Jason
Ruth: “Honestly, any excuse will do. I’d also dump him for a free pizza.”
Jennifer’s down a boyfriend, she can afford pizza, maybe they’ll just make a trade.
Be hilarious to see Jason’s reaction to that.
It would be.
It would be even more hilarious to see Jennifer dating Jason. They would be so awful together.
I love this idea.
Polycule! Polycule! Polycule!
I know, right?
Seems like the obvious choice. And it would be good for all of them.
Oh, right. It would be good for all of them. Willis would never do it.
These three are all fucked up, and I don’t think together they will be MORE functional than two of them. Jennifer hasn’t shown interest or willingness to grow or communicate in healthy ways, so there are few poly dynamics I can see her working with.
Now, if by “better” you mean more entertaining to watch for us trash goblins in the comments, I 100% agree.
I also 100% agree!
Oh hell yes! I keep trying to will it into existence, with Joe/Joyce/Dorothy, but I’ll take Ruth/Jennifer/Jason.
They wouldn’t even last a day
Oh, they’d last indefinately if it were presented as a one-upmanship of who could stay the longest without breaking up.
“We all know this is a horrible idea… but we’re all horrible people. Anyone hooking up with us is making a horrible mistake. But can we prove our superiority to anyone else who would hook up with us? The challenge is how well can each of us make even a bad idea work. The first one to cry uncle and break up is inferior to the others, and we form this pact ahead of time, knowing the one who breaks up first will always be the inferior of the other two.”
If this preceded the relationships, it would be the most stable triad polycule ever.
This is a _horrible_ idea. The suffering! The sex!
*gets chips and popcorn ready
Making the polycule an act of competition is the single most ‘them’ shipping possible. I say do it because God that would be hilarious to read.
Meanwhile Amber, over in the corner, looking at her phone: “Look, I know I said the roof is where you can be garbage, but there has to be _some_ standards.”
Does he have much going for him aside from a British accent and (according to Sal at least) a dick the size of a pint glass?
Access to the bar.
He is, in fact, tall. Some people (Sal) are apparently into that.
Some people win the genetic lottery and still manage to lose at everything. It’s quite sad, really.
They bonded over problems with their influential family
Some sexy ass eyebrows
I think a little more punctuation might help, because now I’m picturing “ass eyebrows” and they’re not sexy at all. Or maybe it’s just me.
…Intelligent?
The new (ish?) profile pic disturbs me. Congratulations.
Also, I don’t really think this is Jason’s fault.
Good eye. Just saw it. Oh gods. :O
I have no idea what y’all are talking about, but I have decided to believe that Mike’s profile pic has just mysteriously reappeared in the supporting characters.
Professor Brock making out with Professor Brock.
Okay. That probably meets some definition of disturbing.
Jason likes Sal. He seems to have a thing for doomed relationships
Happy Dumbing Day 2025! Dumbing Day is celebrated on any real-life dates that happen to correspond to the current in-story date of DoA, one of which is (probably) today, January 27!
Tradition demands that you celebrate Dumbing Day by doing something the characters did since last D-Day (1/23/24). So this year, why don’t you sing karaoke, fuck your trauma, drunkenly suggest watching your “platonic” best friend have sex, steal booze just to prove a point, defuse a party emergency and get laid, literally hide your boyfriend in the closet, plan your “platonic” best friend’s not-quite-sex acts, clothesline a costumed dumbass, send titty pictures to your “platonic” best friend, carve the shape of yourself into the surface of an unhinged, unfair world, or touch a penis?
If those suggestions are too intimidating, here are some more: Start using some fucking profanity, practice destigmatizing physical contact, wash a friend’s bedsheets, cook your girlfriend some mac & cheese, sneak into a bar while underaged, get drunk for the first time, masturbate in the shower, try to get your students to write your class textbook, break your frenemy’s video-game record with your bad hand, talk to a rhyming cartoon character on a poster, unintentionally break into a bank vault, draw naked people, come out as transgender, or declare yourself nobody’s mama!
Okay, these include some more manageable suggestions– was getting worried with the first list, though by the end I think there were some I could pull off.
But also could I go with going on a coffee date with someone?
Yep, anything they did! I just think my suggestions are funnier 😀
Actually, I think I’m going to go with “wear dinosaur themed clothes.” I’ll awkwardly layer other things with it sk I’m not too cold in a short-sleeved shirt.
alright then
“I ain’t NOBODY’S mama” XD
Well, I can do four of both those lists. The rest either aren’t feasible or are ill-advised.
well dang it, I already played the egg-cracking card so that’s one’s not on the table
Look up your first crush on facebook. A nice time of not feeling mortified for any of dozens of reasons.
Ding!
I didn’t realize that we’ve been basically observing 4-5 days of story (minus time skips) in a year of our time. At this rate, we’ll be finished in… a couple decades? Assuming there will be some more time skips and that we’ve gone through a quarter of the story so far…
Two decades would place us in about mid-April at this rate!
… I’m a freshman. At this rate I’m going to be finished with my undergrad before they’re finished with their second semester.
Pretty sure Willis has said that never finishing the freshman year is the plan.
It took a real decade for about two months to elapse in-universe. (At one point I figured real time and DoA time average around 66:1, so two months for us is one day for the characters.)
At that pace, even if there’s a big time skip every 10 real years, freshman year will last for the foreseeable future.
what would count towards “carve the shape of yourself into the surface of an unhinged, unfair world”?
could one hypothetically do this by making a video game?
*and no, that ain’t a metaphor for masturbating XD
I’m not sure. Ask Jocelyne, I guess!
You know that kid’s game where somebody lays on the ground and you trace around them with sidewalk chalk?
It’s like that but you use a chisel instead of chalk.
I really didn’t think it was only 4 days! I’m stunned.
I’m going to buy a Transformers toy them. Thanks, i needed a reason to.
Hang on, I’m kind of caught up on the fact that they’re only four days apart.
blowjob cat no
Lucy’s a part timer did she go to work at any point in the last year? Cuz I can do that
Thanks for putting this out for us. I’ve been waiting for DofA to get to something like Valentine’s Day salon since the January semester started and never knew when it might happen.
My nephews are almost Willis’ age. I have no idea if I’ll see the end of the IU school year.
I hope they have an “in case sun goes out” switch to unlock the whole buffer. Give me something to do while the world takes a few days to end.
I think taking estrogen counts as “carving the shape of [my]self into the surface of an unhinged, unfair world”. So I’ll do that tonight! Happy Dumbing Day.
thank you for the reminder
Billie, she’s Being Nice To You.
Sounds fake
“Sounds fake but okay”
Billie doesn’t like herself! Billie, don’t let her get away with being nice to the Bongo!
I think I can put my distaste for Jennifer aside to “aww” at this!
I don’t know if that’s the proper reaction to this
God right? Even Ruth deserves better then to be Jennifer’s silver medal.
I’m not sure what the proper reaction is. I’m not sure Jennifer knows.
But if I had the look-one-day-ahead patron option, today is the day I would use it.
Who are we kidding. Tomorrow is going to cut back to the elevator.
Steve’s got some cereal to eat, that’s for sure.
Steve’s getting hungry; he hasn’t had cereal in a while.
For a number of reasons, one of which is that Ruth was the one who dumped Jennifer in the first place! Like, there are plenty of other reasons, but that one kinda stands out to me and I’m surprised more people aren’t mentioning it.
first thing I thought of as well
EXQUISITE TOXICITY. Zero hesitation, no regrets.
YES!!!
Also, have you noticed how Jenifer is occasionally accidentally right about the things she says? https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/02-the-one-where-jocelyne-returns/coincidence-2/
Why, yes, Joyce does pull, actually.
(joe affirms this)
[Cackles]
She’s only ever right when it’s an accident, or when she doesn’t wanna :’33
Man I wish Ruth wasn’t so relatable right now.
(Well except the part where she currently is dating someone, but they may be for the best.)
Don’t ask a question you don’t want to hear the answer to
Words to live by, for real.
Especially don’t ask a question if either answer is going to upset you. I don’t think “No” would have gone over any better.
Thank you for saying this so that I didn’t have to.
Ruth has plenty of flaws, sure, but lack of self-awareness is clearly not one of them.
Ruth is painfully, excruciatingly aware.
I suspect that she is VERY self-aware about everything about herself that she would consider negative and self-deprecating! But she might have some trouble being aware of anything else. Just a thought.
They are terrible and I love them, your honor <3
I welcome the return of my toxic college lesbian-couple (I know they’re both bisexual).
CoolioAhhHereItGoes.gif
Billie/Jennifer continues to amaze me with how shitty a person she can be.
Who would want to get together with her? Ruth feels like the only person who would.
Time to roll.
Nope
Also no.
Losing faith I’ll ever find Sal.
I might have to roll in yesterday’s comic so people don’t have to scroll through all my attempts.
couldn’t you just use sal as a gravatar or does that spoil the fun
That would spoil the fun; it is low stakes gambling.
hmm
Roll in yesterday’s comic? Who would do that? https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/02-the-one-where-jocelyne-returns/blast/#comment-1849021
Ahh, so you’re the reason why Willis cuts off comments in back issues at some point.
Well, at least you have a pipe now. Finding things is always easier with a pipe.
Damn – wasn’t fast enough.
To be fair, Ruth is also the last person who has any high ground to get with Jennifer considering she’s the one who sabotaged that relationship. Jennifer regressing so much is a direct response to Ruth……Maybe they kind of deserve each other?
Also BIG MONEY! LETS GET SAL! NO WHAMMYS! I BELIEVE IN YOU!
I mean Jennifer is no longer drinking. No matter how awful she is treating people, that alone means she’s progressed.
Again, she already started to stop drinking before the break up, that had nothing to do with anything here.
[insert obligatory comment pointing out that someone’s mental state after you break up with them isn’t your fault]
True. Which is why I didn’t say that. Just that Jennifer reacted by regressing. Ruth initiated the breakup. So her being so willing to get back together is a bit hypocritical of her. Something Ruth has admitted to. My point is that they likely deserve each other because in some ways the breakup made them both worse.
Did they? Both seem non-suicidal. I think at the very least they’re both better off mentally away from one another.
But they also didn’t seem suicidal by the end of their relationship with each other.
I don’t like them much as a couple but I also hate Jason and want him to suffer so this is a tough choice for me.
Why do you hate Jason?
He’s a tool and pretty self absorbed, and he treated Sal less than as kind as she deserved and that’s without even factoring in the problematic sex stuff. He was also just kind of bad at his job.
Basically all he’s done in the comic is fuck one of his students, get fired for fucking one of his students, and be a condescending douche.
He’s an ass and all, but I just don’t like him for no particular reason.
The ultimate dilemma.
Bonus points for unexpected honesty
Beautiful whiplash in the last panel.
“Unexpected honesty” is exactly what I wanted to comment on this.
I don’t know if Ruth would even have to drop the boyfriend, depending on Jennifer (and her boyfriend, ofc.)
Jennifer doesn’t have a boyfriend though?
Yes, but is she aware that her relationship status has changed?
She thinks/needs Asher to come crawling back to her, she thinks it’s a game 9_9
I think ‘her boyfriend’ there is referring to ‘Ruth’s boyfriend’, not ‘Jennifer’s boyfriend’ 🙂
There is still an interest there, in both directions.
Jennifer wasn’t ready for honesty!
She was so prepared for denial and an argument
She could still salvage an argument.
Ruth channeling Mike right now by seeing Jen say something hoping for conflict she could juice some gratification out of, and she’s utterly denied it because this arc is about bashing Jennifer over the head with “this is not going to get better until you look in a mirror.”
FWIW I hope she never does, her mental spiral is deeply entertaining.
My ship is coming in!
Damned but unbroken. Let’s, as the other 40 years old say, fucking go.
Is it?
Kudos to Ruth for being honest, but man, you made your bed, Ruth.
I wonder where it goes from here.
You just said it yourself!
I mean, she didn’t bring it up and she isn’t pushing for it.
Oh boy. I bet that’s super uncomfortable
An utterly snark-free declaration of desire? Does not compute! Data fails to process in customary channels. Scanning for sardonic wit—negative. Scanning for passive aggressive countermeasures—negative. Scanning for double entendre—negative. Complete Taming of the Shrew metafailure. Does not compute. Danger Willis Robinson. Danger.
Oh no, I’m feeling hope again, my one weakness
Damn you Willis.
I know you’re toying with us and yet….
They could still get together and split up again!
And The Breakup Pt2 could involve high explosives. Much better than last time.
Part of me wants to be like “oof, poor Jason,” but I ultimately do not care enough to really mean it.
Jason will be alright. He has Walky to coach him through.
Yeah, he’ll find another 18/19yo to cross lines with soon enough.
Remarkable how quick that was
Too much truth.
Love how they’re still somehow the messiest couple despite having been broken up for months. Hate to see Jennifer Jennifering but damn their dynamic compels me so
I halfway suspects that Jason knows this already.
He is happy to say yes to the sex without any other demands on him.
See, I’d LIKE to think this, but I’m also very very worried that Jason is much, much, too full of Ye Olde British Repression to actually be aware that this is just a casual fling/sub-dom playtime for both of them. He is not the most self-aware guy, to put it mildly.
Ooof. Just….oof. Sweetie.
No. We do not have blowjob cat gravs in this account.
BJ cat seems pretty common in the reroll. I wonder what some of the rarer ones are? Sal seems pretty hard to find or most people rolling for her are just unlucky.
I haven’t really seen an Asher yet I think.
Oh, no. He’s there.
Er, there.
Fumble fingers on the tablet.
I have a bad feeling about this.
No apparently I just can’t type on the tablet.
Either that or I keep lousy notes.
Or I keep jumping universes. We can’t rule that out.
No, I really can’t type on the tablet. Assuming this is Asher. Otherwise it’s a Damn You Willis situation.
Yay!
I’d bet they’re all 1/36 chance. Except the super-rare Arnold.
Wait how are you rerolling?
Change the capitalization of your email address in the box for it. Differently capitalized versions of the same email will each roll for a Gravatar from the pool.
Waow
Attempt #1.
Genuinely break up with him if you feel that way, that’s not good for any parties involved
but also: toxic yuri toxic yuri toxic yuri
Agreed, I was actually about to write my own comment about this. If that’s all it takes to break up with him, why even date him?
I think it depends on what his understanding of the relationship is. If it’s similar to hers, and they’re aware of where they stand, then it’s fine. If he thinks they’re really trying to build a bond or something, though, then yes, end it.
It’s hard to gauge exactly but I think Jason does know Ruth is hung up on Jennifer (and they’ve both addressed that) and he still wants to date her. She has enough interest in him that she wanted to help him become a TA again so he wouldn’t feel pressured to be with her or feel like there’s any weird power dynamics between them. So I honestly can’t say for sure if they’re both actually trying to build a relationship together or if they’re both just… keeping each other occupied?
My ace ass could NEVER.
^Same. Maybe I’m just way, way too demi for this.
Like, I’ve been in a straight-up FWB relationship (okay, it eventually evolved into dating) but while I *get* that companionship is better than being miserable by yourself, whatever’s going on here… just bewilders me, lmao
Because sex is more fun than crying yourself to sleep. And if you’re honest about what you both expect out of it, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Couldn’t be me.
There’s nothing wrong with having relationships that aren’t meant to be forever. Nothing wrong with having a little fun together that doesn’t mean anything.
There’s a difference between “aren’t meant to be forever” and “would drop for your ex in a heartbeat.”
Yeah, one is hotter.
Yo! Sweet Dino (aka masc presenting Dina) grav!
In the sense that squares and rectangles are different, sure. That’d be why I included the “having fun together that doesn’t mean anything” part to be more clear.
Aren’t the only together because he needs a Green Card?
Well not really, because they’re neither married nor engaged to be married. He also seems to have secured himself a work visa by TA-ing for Robin, which Ruth did help him with. As far as I can tell, they decided to hook up out of mutual interest.
Additionally, there was speculation that part of his compensation was University housing and, when he became unemployed, he also became unhoused.
Shelter in time of need, and an attractive woman who finds him desirable? Worse deals are available.
Jason explicitly has his own place (albeit with worse heating than the dorms). See final panel of https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-13/02-turning-saints-into-the-sea/gettingstarted/
He’s just there to avoid loneliness and he’s not even there willingly.
I mean, she actually kidnapped him.
So did Sal. As much as he objects, that seems to be his kink.
The gentleman doth protest too much.
Toxic Yuri must be be a band name already.
You would think.
But you know you want to do it anyway.
This reply does not go here.
https://toxicyurilovetriangle.bandcamp.com/album/toxic-yuri-love-triangle
Oh fuck yeah
Billie wanted a denial that she could argue with. She’s feeling insecure and seeking the comfort of that dynamic that they used to have. Instead, she gets frank honesty that could lead to a mature and emotional conversation which is the last thing she wants right now. Let’s see how she gets out of this one!
A cunning trap!
like Sarah’s hugs!
Much worse.
Oh that’s easy. “So you are just trying to come at me again, like I thought. Fuck you.” Just cause she didn’t think Ruth would admit she was right doesn’t make her any less right. With that you can easily walk away.
Except Ruth clearly isn’t going after her, and Billie knows it.
Cutting right to Ruth’s heart with a familiar bit of drama and chaos, and she gets hit with “yeah.” She did not plan on that.
“Let’s see how she gets out of this one!”
By sprinting, I imagine.
You miss seeing Amazi-Girl one day…
So are they or aren’t they?
Wait for it.
Hey look it’s Amazi-Girl!
Sh!
Jennifer, I say this once, you can do better.
She’s also back to drinking.
i feel like ruth is the one who can do better, anyone can do better than jennifer
Malaya, Mary, Raidah… are they better options than Jennifer? Deep down, Jennifer is a better person than Mary & Raidah, but she sure hasn’t shown that for a while.
Honestly, kind of. I don’t recall any of them treating their active partners terribly bordering on/crossing the line into abuse. Mary maybe with the Halloween thing, but I don’t remember how Dudebro felt about that. They might be worse people, but I don’t know if they’re worse partners.
I don’t want to say Jennifer’s abusive, but the crap she pulled with Asher is 100% what I would call abusive behavior if someone did it to me. I’m only not counting the Ruth stuff because it was a trainwreck all the way down and it was mutually terrible on both sides (with Ruth starting it).
They can both do better, that’s how mutually toxic relationships work!
Honestly I think getting sober just highlight that the drinking was not actually Jennifer biggest flaw.
Drinking was to Jennifer as Bojack Horseman’s childhood was to him. Has it caused some of your problems? Yes. Is it responsible for everything you keep blaming on it? God no, at some point you need to recognize that a lot of the problems are you just refusing to be a better person at the end of the day.
Exactly!
I mean, Bojack Horseman’s alcoholism ALSO fits all of your criteria. Actually he has like 5 different examples of something that caused some of his problems but ultimately didn’t absolve him of just being shitty.
“Honestly, what were you expecting me to say?”
I am willing to bet $5 that Jennifer will say she’s in a relationship she’s not breaking up because it hasn’t sunk in that Asher has dumped her after thinking she dumped him.
Somehow Jennifer did NOT expect lol
I always knew in my heart that Ruth/Jason was never going to work out in the long run, but i will miss their toxic girlfriend/miserable little henchman dynamic once they break up 😔
If Jason and Walky are not a thing, I support him and Jocelyn!
Yes, I have a thing for crack ships (see TV tropes).
What can I say?
It’s a trap! If I go look this up on TV tropes, next thing I know I will have lost two hours having read useless information, mostly about media I have not read/watch and no intent to ever read/watch.
But you know you want to do it anyway.
Tempting, ain’t it Billie?
I certainly hope so.
How did you get the fantasy Dina grav?
Willis’s Tweeter
Ooh sexy hot Dina in suit and tie! (and retaining trademark hat)
Becky’s swooning already.
Yes, I imagine she is as well.
there’s gonna be another Jason poll that the results won’t matter again, huh? lol
Jennifer, you’re the worst.
Bille’s social skills would make Dr. House say “Damn, you’re rude.”
for reals, how the FUCK does that guy even keep his license?
Jennifer’s complete and total refusal to admit she’s a chaotic, dramatic, insecure mess is so entertaining I can’t even put it to words.
Yes.
Much as I liked seeing them together when they were a couple, I’m not sure I’d want to see Ruth and Jennifer get back together now.
poor Jason.
I think they’re more fuck buddies than really dating, so he’d probably be fine.
But it’s nice to see someone pretend to be concerned about Jason.
I never saw anything between the two, so the hookup surprised me. ‘fuckbuddies’ probably covers it.
…. WELL
Speaking plainly about what you want? Showing some basic concern for your peer when she might not feel good? But how is that gonna cause any drama?
I’m sure they find a way, I believe in them.
You think admitting point-blank you would leave your current significant other for an ex ISN’T gonna cause drama?
Not according to Jennifer’s face in the last panel. I imagine if Ruth said she’d leave her husband that face would be ecstatic, but here she realizes the relationship she’s meddling in is barely anything and it takes all the wind out of her melodrama sails.
Let’s get them back together now that they’re totally different and see what happens. I won’t even promise that it’ll be good I’m just curious.
Genuinely surprised at the lack of hesitation!
Ruth’s getting medication and therapy. And sex. So she’s got much less instinctive need to lie or play games.
Jennifer.
Honey.
No.
As someone who wants people to be in healthy relationships, this is very bad.
As someone who ships Jennifer and Ruth, however, LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I WILL EXPRESS SINCERE SYMPATHY FOR JASON
fucking lmao you know what I will take Lucy saying this
Ruth, please no. You’re better than this! Come back with Jennifer will destroy all her progress.
Whose progress? Jennifer / Billy is worse than ever. Ok, maybe she’s not drinking, so that’s something I guess.
She started not drinking before they broke up though, so it’s not like that was spurred by the breakup.
I know. I was talking about Ruth’s progress. Jennifer looks pretty much like a lost cause.
Jennifer was doing well until she torpedoed her relationship out of a weird desire to spice things up.
I’m down for this if Jennifer will get over that bi denial she’s been spouting.
Oh poor Ruth. I’ve been her.
(Fortunately for everyone involved, I got over it.)
God DAMN Ruth.
Have a LITTLE self-respect.
I mean, that seemed very honest.
Ruth, no.
I think she surprised herself there.
Also, if there is someone that will react to drama as if there is blood in the water, it will be Booster, not Ruth.
I really like Thai Becky and wanna stick with it but someone has a rotten girl Miku grav and it’s making me, as a host to the teto cognito hazard I mean as a teto fan, feel competitive
***this Becky. But now I wanna see someone draw Becky as Thai
Test
Yusssss
was me, LOL
was first thing I thought of when my gay brain put together
“shameful” + “lesbian” + “suit and tie”
XD
I misread that panel and thought it was about Jennifer’s dumb boyfriend. Anyone else weighing if Jason or Asher is the better person for one of these two disaster recovery areas to date?
No, Ruth, you’re supposed to vehemently deny it. Maybe get really close and glare into my eyes.
“Yes, he is dumb. And to the other thing, too.”
Come on, Ruth. You’re better than this.
… Now.
Honestly Ruth, you can do better.
What an ironic gravatar.
That’s not the own you think it is, Jenn.
No, Ruth! You can do so much better!
She knows that. Which is why she’s just saying “I absolutely would throw it all away for you.”
If Jennifer really felt like that wrt panel one and wanted it to stop a nice loud “Fuck off” accompanied by not staying outside Ruth’s building to finish the conversation would probably do it
I feel like this is a really hard pairing for people to ‘get’ but at the end of the day a lot of the bullshit Jennifer does is out of a constant need to feel perfect and better than someone else. She clearly cares about people, she isn’t a sociopath, but she can come off as one due to feeling like she constantly needs to not show weakness and vulnerability which of course effects every single relationship she has.
Caring about someone else can lead someone down a path of radical self improvement, or it can enable your worst tendencies. I feel like Ruth’s love for Jennifer has made her a generally better person over the strips. It’d be interesting to see Jennifer improve because she is generally an interesting, flawed character with the capacity to do great good. I think that’s why she is generally so unlikeable in the first place. She’s easy to see how the situation could be better because she is so bad at every step of the way. I’m not saying relationships are the best way to achieve growth, but hey, if that’s how it gets written I’m here for it. I like these characters a lot.
I mean you could argue that all of Ruth’s improvement is due to leaving Jennifer and vice versa. Because they were only improving because CARLA forced Ruth into therapy.
Ruth was already improving during their relationship, in fact that things were better was part of her flawed reasoning to break up. And I don’t see any way Jennifer has improved since the break up, outside of getting sober, which afaik she was already doing before that. She in fact regressed in most of her positive development.
Jennifer needed to get away from toxic people and did. Just because we like them doesn’t mean that they weren’t utterly wrecking her. It’s only when she started regressing with Asher to her Billie behavior that everything went to crap for her.
Wow. *That* is a spicy hot take. ASHER was the toxic one, and Jennifer is better off without him? Lmfao?
No, I meant Walky and the others. She joined the group to get away from her old friends and seems a lot less likely to suffer breakdowns like she is with her old friends.
She joined the group that secretly despises her and is only using her for their own ends and Walky is the toxic one?
That is literally not true. The main cast are flawed yes, but they were absolutely no “wrecking her” in any way. Getting into Raidah groups was the regressing into her “being the popular group is all that matter and make you better that others” mentality.
And that “constant need to feel perfect and better than someone else” is rooted in her deep self-loathing. Her understanding of her self as toxic and poisonous, dangerous to everyone she gets close to.
Remember that’s why she was able to be with Ruth in the first place. They were both already beyond help.
I never thought of this before, but is that tied to why she keeps pushing Walky away? She acts like it’s because he’s a nerd and would ruin her social status and to some extent that’s part of it, but could it run deeper than that?
This might be the only comment I’ve seen in here that actually gets why I found late-stage Ruth/Billie so fun. Like, the toxic, secret mess early on was extremely fun, but seeing it resolve into something that felt like it was making the characters *better* was a really good resolution/extension of that, and then it felt like it got kneecapped arbitrarily for the shock factor of “why aren’t Billie and Ruth together???” after the time skip
It felt like that at first, but as we saw how it happened and saw more scenes like this between the two of them it’s felt more inevitable to me. The stuff between them hasn’t just been dropped, it’s been looming over them ever since. For better or worse, it’s going to get addressed before they get any real resolution.
delicious toxic yuri
RUTH. RUTH NO. NO RUTH NO.
RUTH YES!
We can hope.
Definitely read this in Team Four-Star Vegeta’s voice.
So, uh, Jennifer, you probably are not gonna like New Ruth.
A reminder that Jennifer and Ruth almost got each other killed and Carla was the one who forced Ruth on medication.
I mean, not quite, Ruth fell into a suicidal depression when they got into a fight, Jennifer didn’t actually get there,. Carla also didn’t do that, Ruth got medical attention that give her medication, if anyone forced her it would probably be the school.
I mean Carla dragged her to the doctor and Jennifer complained about her forcing her into the light.
Could you actually give me a spruce on that?
I think this is the strip.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/grossthings/
Okay yeah, like I said, it is not quite that, she was involved and ultimately she facilitated things by making Jennifer realized how bad things were and make her go help her but that is far from having to force Ruth to get therapy or take meds, she didn’t get involved that far.
I don’t think that strip says what you think it does.
It was actually Rachel alerting the residence manager that saved them from their lesbian suicide pact. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/04-it-all-returns/chloe/ and a couple of strips after.
Yeah, and it was glorious and beautiful and fun to read, what are you missing? >.>
On the one hand, sucks to be Jason.
Somewhere on the same hand but maybe close to the outside, I’m pretty sure he knows.
Yeah, but “sucks to be Jason” seems to be his only story role in this one, so if he wants some panel time he better be willing to have his life get measurably worse 😛
This sure derails the narrative Raidah’s been using to stroke your ego, huh Jennifer?
Possibly that was more honesty than Jennifer was prepared for?
Have Ruth’s reasons for dumping her in the first place changed all that much? Or is she just admitting weakness here?
Weakness, genuinely. See also them fighting and her admitting to Jason that it could have been worse: she could have kissed her.
Nope! Nope. After Jennifer’s recent concussion I want Ruth as far away from her as possible. If it weren’t for that I’d be for them getting together again, but, nope, please stop and go away.
…trying for a new icon
Again
Again (I want it to be a woman!)
Dorothy is good enough actually, let’s go with her.
This entire thing is giving serious Juri and Shiori from Utena vibes.
But unlike in Utena I want these two to get back together so BAD.
Did EITHER one of them expect what just came out of their mouths?
Their own mouth? Yes. The other’s mouth? No.
One of the more fascinating Billy moments. Immediately contextualizes Ruth asking after her as overtly predatory. Tries to set up a fight. Not really ready for the response she gets.
Anyhow: yeah they need to not. in the words of Becky: TERRIBLE couple.
Another comic, another roll.
eh.
last one today.
One part of me knows that this is a comic strip and I shouldn’t get invested. Another part of me knows that all of this is just Willis screwing with us. And yet, a tiny part of me keeps wondering why Billie needs to be such an absolute shit stain all the time.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Billifer is just sooooo unhappy.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
I don’t know if Jennifer and Ruth getting back together is in Willis’ game plan, but if it is the chapter where it happens will have to be titled “You’d Have To Stop The World.”
(testing one out at the end)