271

Solve it
Posted on January 13, 2024 by David M Willis

271 thoughts on “Solve it”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    here to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

    1. Dinajoyce

      I assume that’s the official motto of the Toronto Maple Leafs, right?

      1. ValdVin

        Well on the reverse of the team seal it does say Les Maple Leafs sont là pour arracher la défaite des mâchoires de la victoire.

      2. Thag Simmons

        no, that would imply they come close to victory

        1. Decidedly Orthogonal

          Of course the Leafs come close to victory. Many years they have regular season games with the eventual winners of The Cup. Sometimes they’re even away games in the town The Cup goes to live at.

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Defeating snatch with the Viceroy’s jaws… ?

      1. David DeLaney

        but can any of their snatches be truly said to have been defeated

  2. Doctor_Who

    Does anyone else think this may actually help Dorothy?

    Five minutes of interacting with these two, and anyone would be like “You know what? Personal crisis over, I’m the picture of mental health and stability compared to Ruth and Jennifer.”

    1. James

      Might lead to her accidentally scream-venting her actual issues in the middle of chewing them out, which would at least be a good first step?

      1. Vanessa

        Yes, I love to see her being pissy here after bottling everything up and trying to be perfect.

        1. Dare

          “You two miserable lumps of agony” — angry, insulting Dorothy is the funniest Dorothy.

        2. David DeLaney

          “What is a woman but a miserable lump of agony? Have at you!”

          –Dave “Gesundheit!” “What?”

        3. Masumi

          Yeah, she’s being my honest right now. I like that.

      2. Decidedly Orthogonal

        Dorothy “chewing out” Ruth and Ms Billingsworth… oof, new porn idea dropped.

    2. Yumi

      I don’t know that *that* would necessarily be a good message for Dorothy, but I do think it might be good for her as she gets to let out some of these thoughts and emotions she often denies herself from really expressing.

      1. Coatl

        She has the right to be angry, and this may lighten the weight she currently carries.

    3. Coatl

      We all know the background of this pair, so I dare say yes

    4. True Survivor

      It might help, but I think she should just take the pity. It’s good manners, and if she plays her cards right, convertible into brownies and other high sugar items from the dinning hall.

      1. elebenty

        I like the way you think.

    5. anon

      well ‘mental health’ is relative but, it wouldnt’ necessarily make her own problems go away lol.

      tho it def would fill/keep her days busy if she spent a majority of her university time trying to deal with one let alone both of them

    6. Bash

      Yes, we all know that realizing someone has it worse than you is the cure for depression.

      1. clif

        I suspect that depends on a lot of things, including the root cause of the depression.

    7. clif

      But to the Doctor’s question, helping Dorothy was never the point.

      1. Mturtle7

        I think at least one of these two might have actually had the genuine intention to help Dorothy at some point in the recent past, but they lost that sense purpose EXTREMELY quickly.

        1. David DeLaney

          having chosen the exact wrong paths in their conversation wheels before interacting with Dotty

          –Dave, and Willis scripted the available choices! gasp!

  3. Thag Simmons

    Now she’s angry instead of sad, they’ve solved it!

    1. Vanessa

      Perfect, job done! Lol

      1. Mturtle7

        “We did it Patrick Ruth! We saved the cityDorothy!”

  4. Jenniffniff

    I didn’t realize how much I missed their dynamic. Delightfully dysfunctional as always!

    1. clif

      Here’s Dorothy undoing all Becky’s hard work.

      Go Dorothy!

      1. StClair

        Dorothy, her nemesis!

  5. Alongcameaspider

    And so, due to venting her rage toward them, Dorothy feels much better and doesn’t get drunk making their operation a success, kind of

    1. Xujhan

      Task failed successfully!

  6. C.T. Phipps

    Dorothy, you’ve never been the group fixer.

    That was Carla.

    1. Nono

      Reminder that at this point it’s probably close to lunchtime.. and Carla is still waiting for Charlie.

      1. clif

        Congratulations on focusing on what’s important.

        1. clif

          That actually sounds sarcastic, so sorry. The point is that Carla is obviously what’s important and I too am waiting for the shoe to drop. Which probably means it won’t.

        2. keithcurtis

          Carla waiting for Charlie will become DoA’s Steve eating cereal.

        3. Casi

          I hope carla also gets an adventure with a beautiful but dangerous woman involving spies, assassinations, and erupting pie volcanoes.

        4. Mturtle7

          I mean, we don’t know yet that Charlie DOESN’T have a side job outside of school involving spies, assassinations, and erupting pie volcanoes…It could happen!

        5. David DeLaney

          especially in between strips

          –Dave, and she ends up back there, waiting AGAIN for her

        6. John Campbell

          DoA’s Aslan waiting for the bus.

        7. morleuca

          DON’T YOU DARE!

      2. DarkoNeko

        hopefulyl she doesn’t catch a cold

  7. True Survivor

    Those things should be her brother and Jason – yet sadly suspect one of them didn’t make the cut.

    1. Thag Simmons

      I was assuming Misery and Hockey, personally.

      1. Yumi

        I was thinking that too, but if being a Leafs fan overlaps with misery, then maybe there’s still an open slot?

        (Note that the Leafs have not yet screwed their season this year.) (I think; I don’t know that much about hockey, but they have a better record then some teams who are apparently still in the running.)

        1. Dragonfire

          You can love misery and love the Leafs, but the two concepts are definitely holding hands.

        2. Thag Simmons

          You kind of can’t love the Leafs without learning to love misery.

        3. elebenty

          I started to say “Like Detroit” — guess they did okay this year.

        4. Casi

          Are we talking about the Red Wings, the Tigers, or the Lions?

        5. Yumi

          If you want love and misery, can we offer you being a fan of the Detroit Pistons?

        6. StClair

          I would also accept (on behalf of a friend) the Seattle Mariners.

        7. Mel

          The “being more miserable” is the code words for loving the Leafs in the title text, I’m convinced

      2. Jo_cubstar

        Yeah I thought the 2nd one was the leafs. I never thought she loved Jason n thought he was just a fuck

        1. Thag Simmons

          I think Jason would be lucky to get to “liked”

    2. Nono

      She’s less than a month into dating Jason. I think it’s okay that she doesn’t love him yet.

    3. Proxiehunter

      I’m worried the second thing she loves is standing next to her. She’s probably going to say something like the Maple Leafs though because even saying her brother or Jason would be too emotionally vulnerable for her.

      1. clif

        Loving Jennifer, like loving the Maple Leaf’s, overlaps with loving misery. Jason is far down the list.

    4. Yumi

      Bad answers would also include alcohol, but I don’t think she’d volunteer that so willingly if that’s where she was at with it. Maybe she just also really likes some book. Maybe Junie B. Jones.

      1. Bogeywoman

        Other bad answer is violence.

    5. HueSatLight

      It’s ok, Jason is unworthy of love.

    6. Bicycle Bill

      The two things are your left femur and your right femur.

    7. Tan

      It’s clearly misery and spite.

      1. Rose by Any Other Name

        Does no one remember her love of femurs?

        1. Tan

          I will not deny that she clearly has a passion for femurs, but her love of spite is well-documented

        2. Yumi

          Basically what I’m getting from all this is that Ruth is a far more loving person than she gives herself credit for.

  8. newlland(Henryvolt)

    The most miserable thing here is that nothing that was mentioned was wrong…well besides Jennifer thinking she’s at the top of her game because she’s in for a rude awakening.

    Also I got to wonder, does Ruth enjoy being miserable or she’s just afraid of being happy? I’m willing to bet she’s afraid because she’s accepted that being her means life is supposed to go wrong for her whether she’s the one the messes it up or life just goes wrong just because. She found happiness and then convinced herself that it was bound to not just end but end horribly.

    1. Doopyboop

      I think she’s afraid to be happy, because she was likely at her happiest when her parents died and so there’s the knee-jerk reaction of “if I’m always miserable, I never expect more and cannot be disappointed. As opposed to being really happy only to be crushed and let down.”

      1. Doopyboop

        *before her parents died, do not mean to imply the death of her parents made her happy

    2. Nono

      I think you can lean towards apathy/spite while still letting yourself be happy. Not everyone needs to be a bucket of sunshine.

    3. Coatl

      In fact, you are right about this pair.

    4. Dante

      Yeah, this was actually what she talked about with Dorothy. As much as she dresses it up as enjoyment, what Ruth feels is… Being miserable is SAFE. It’s predictable, the stakes are lower, losing things is an habit you’re numb to instead of something you’re scared of. Something shitty happened? Well, you already knew it would!

      Been there. It’s a really sad place to be in 🙁

      1. Vanessa

        Maybe, since the human condition is full of sorrows and war, the sensible thing to do is to let go of this modern American fantasy that we are all supposed to be blissful all the time. Take what enjoyment you can from good company or a beautiful sunset and don’t expect more. I think she might be there now. A slight lessening of misery caused by medication and some therapy allows her to enjoy a boyfriend and making progress toward her degree.

        1. Dante

          I’m… Not from the USA, actually. And I don’t think human beings are meant to be in a state of bliss all the time. It’d be so reductive of the full spectrum of our emotions? Which are all fleeting. There’s no such thing as eternity, nobody bathes twice in the same river, etc. Which is why the state I described isn’t the best either – it’s stagnation.

          That said! Very slowly, Ruth does look like she’s doing better than she says. Small steps, because there’s no such thing as an automatic fix either, but. It feels a little like she’s posturing here.

        2. Archieve

          I agree that Ruth has been getting better and this is a bit of posiring here, though also maybe theres the reluctance to share the small steps forward she’s made with her ex who doesn’t seem to want to see her get better if she cant take credit for a fix and Dorothy, who isn’t in a state to be supportive right now.

        3. Dante

          Ohhhhhhh, yeah. You’re right on the money O.O I hadn’t thought of “her ex who doesn’t seem to want to see her get better if she cant take credit for a fix”

          ….. We’ve also seen a healthy relationship bores Jennifer. Do you think that’s a factor, too? I think Ruth still loves her (even if she’d deny it ’till her dying breath.)

        4. David DeLaney

          “melo-dra-ma queen / feel the beat of the tam-bourine”

        5. clif

          Hey, I’m from Texas, which is kind of like being from the USA. And if I want to be blissful all the time , I can damn well be blissful.

          I just don’t want to get bored from all that bliss.

        6. elebenty

          Apt avatar!

        7. Dante

          Ahahah, thank you!! I’ve grown very fond of them :’DD

        8. Dante

          Oh, I’d love me some bliss too. I just think human brains aren’t wired that way. But!!!

          I remember, despairingly, telling my friends “I refuse to believe there’s nothing more to life than this!! – Constant misery and a few good moments sprinkled in!!” and tbh I still think the same. It can be better. Therapy and meds go a long way (though class and location in the world are huge factors, ofc). Things have indeed gotten a better despite the huge relapse brought by The Plague.

        9. Dante

          sdkjlgj commented further up in the thread by mistake TwT But yeah, that other comment mentioning bliss floating around is a reply for you :33

        10. David DeLaney

          i hear bliss is BIGGER in Texas

  9. NGPZ

    I imagined these two talkin in Jesse and James’ voices from Pokemon it is hilarious XD

    1. anon

      they’d either be fighting or f***ing halfway through reciting the motto tho ;P

      1. David DeLaney

        2por que no los dos?

    2. Thag Simmons

      which is which?

      1. Jeff K!

        Ruth is clearly Jesse and Jennifer is James.

        1. eskimolos

          Jennifer is both, Ruth is meowth, and Joyce is wobbuffet

  10. Max

    I think the Dorothy x Ruth/Billiefer ship just crashed.

    1. clif

      That wasn’t the interesting ship anyway.

    2. spriteless aunty

      It’s just chilling with the Spock/Bones ship in unhealthy catharsis waters.

  11. Dunedon

    Wonder how Jennifer reacts to, what I expect is, the next statement out of Ruth’s mouth …

    1. Bryy

      Which would be?

      1. Dunedon

        The other thing that Ruth loves …

        1. Proxiehunter

          Options:
          Jason
          Her brother
          The Maple Leafs
          Femurs
          Drinking
          Jenifer

        2. Vanessa

          Yes, “seeing Jennifer finally happy” is the answer I expect. Followed by an incandescent fireball of rage while Dorothy walks away, forgotten.

        3. DashWallkick

          My gut feeling says that this fits with Dorothy being the sin-eater of the comic, eternally damned to lose and lose and lose while sacrificing, but also Jennifer only ever responds to Ruth’s warmth with aggression and anger so I don’t think that’ll be especially jarring for anyone.

  12. cbwroses

    Now I’m just thinking of that “Misery Chick” episode of Daria.

    1. NGPZ

      “you’re standing on my neck la la la la la”

      1. cbwroses

        ?

        1. NGPZ

          “Dorothy is spiraling and Jennifer is all over Ruth like maple syrup over a pile of flap JACKS JILLS!”

          “NEXT on Sick Sad World”

        2. cbwroses

          “We’re Dorothy’s Spiraling (but we might change it later).”

    2. Yotomoe

      It really makes you think.

      1. BarerMender

        Thinking hurts my little head.

        1. cbwroses

          It makes me so happy that the 3 of you passed the vibe check. ?

  13. Kyrik Michalowski

    Wow, Dorothy is really pissed. I didn’t think she had it in her to be this angry and bitter. Not that she is wrong, but normally she wouldn’t be so direct and aggressive.

    Am I the only one thinking this?

    1. Coatl

      With all the problems she has been experiencing, it is completely understandable.

    2. Samniel

      I think she’s more angry at herself that she’s not living up to her own goals, and she’s angry that they noticed she’s unraveling, which made her lash out at them. In a few strips she’ll be either angrier that she was mean to people, or despairing for the same reason.

      1. Coatl

        On the one hand, Dorothy needs to get everything out of her system so that it doesn’t accumulate, but yes, the fact that things are not going as she expected is harming her and she needs to find the balance to control everything again and mainly she will need help and It is likely that she will not accept it at first but in the end she will accept it, but said help must come from someone who does not have her on a pedestal (Joyce and Walky mainly).

    3. M!a

      Yep. Too bad it’s completely wasted on the one who most needed a good ego bruising.

    4. Daibhid C

      Speaking about someone who identifies with Dorothy in a lot of ways, no, this tracks perfectly. She’s spent so longnot saying things like this, and now this stupid situation is the proverbial straw, and it all comes out.

      1. Daibhid C

        Speaking as someone…

    5. Lee

      I was thinking about the same. She’s at the edge of crossing a line I think, socially, by shouting at them and calling them out like that but y’know, comic universe, exaggeration, it gets a pass. But this is definitely us seeing her explode from bottling up words she thought she shouldn’t say, her own pain… probably a bit of the “I gave up Havard to look after Joyce” energy, too. Neither Joyce nor Ruth ‘needed her’ because they didn’t take her advice and she’s used to being (or being perceived as) the fix-it friend. Poor Dorothy.

    6. DashWallkick

      I think it’s a combination of the nerve being touched — “hey, we noticed you’re not doing well with your mental health” and Dorothy again takes that as an insult because there’s another thing she’s not good at — and the audacity of this bongo. Of all the people to point out your mental health is in a pit, it has to be the most toxic and self-destructive women on campus. How dare you be right about this!!

      1. Archieve

        Think your right about Dorothy bring angry about not being able to hide her own issue’s, from her perspective iits have another thing she’s not good at thrown in her face and her bitterness at Ruth despite this clearly not bring Ruth’s idea is Dorothy belatedly telling ruth how angry she was at having the responsibility for their failed relationship dumped on her.

    7. Mturtle7

      You are most certainly not the only one thinking this, because I’m dead certain that Dorothy is either thinking that right now, or about to think it in the very near future! This is NOT a girl with a lot of practice in openly expressing emotions like bitterness or anger, though I’m sure she does have a lot of practice bottling them up.

  14. DailyBrad

    Jennifer’s got a habit it seems of drawing the anger out of Dorothy in a way that, hopefully, is ultimately a good thing.

    But yeah, it’s got to be pretty rich coming from these two.

    1. Coatl

      Many have commented that they are opposites of each other, so let those details be understood.

      1. Vanessa

        True, Dorothy has let loose on Jennifer before. Really, Jennifer has astonishing gall to think Dorothy would welcome intervention from HER.

        1. Coatl

          I remember that she met up with an old fellow cheerleader and she made it clear to him that it was really her.

        2. Archieve

          I definitely think Jennifer flat out saying she’s going to fix Dorothy was the worst way she could have phrased it to her. though Dorothy might be guilty of similar behavior in the past she’s never been that blunt and I can get how being told your going to be fixed without being asked if you want help can be insulting.

        3. DashWallkick

          Jennifer is still Billie. Just that endless fountain of self-assured confidence surrounding a core of self-loathing and instability and poor judgment. It wouldn’t be the same if she actually wasn’t super terrible with other people while needing the validation of being the opposite.

    2. HueSatLight

      Jennifer saw that Dorothy was in a major self-destructive mood, and decided to try to help. She did the right thing, she’s not going to say everything perfect, but it’s not “pretty rich” for a person who has experience with extremely self-destructive behavior to try to help someone on that path.

      Dorothy could be this pissy about anyone trying to help her. She’s in pain and lashing out.

      1. Jeremiah

        It is actually “pretty rich” coming from Jennifer specifically exactly because of her story of self destructive behavior, which she still parkate in (look at all of her recent interactions with Asher) she just utterly refuses to acknowledge it. And also her tendency to just deny she has issues of any kind and that she is more mature and knowledgeable that her old friends when she is really, really not. Dorothy might had got pissy at anyone trying to help her, but no one but Jennifer would make her THIS pissy.

        1. HueSatLight

          amazing that Jennifer can do the right thing and that somehow makes her the villain.

        2. Jeremiah

          She isn’t the villain here. Nobody is the villain. There are just flawed people having a flawed social interaction. There are all just facts about her character. They are parts of her that should be keep in mind when viewing her actions and interactions with others.

        3. HueSatLight

          that’s pretty rich

        4. DailyBrad

          I should be clear: I don’t think Jennifer’s an outright bad person, and I don’t doubt her intentions are good here. I think Dorothy and Jennifer are oil and water, but there is some mutual respect there, even with all the disdain and insults.

          I mostly am just saying the source means Dorothy’s going to, well, react like she is reacting here.

  15. shadowcell

    Dumbing of Age Book 14: Now You Two Miserable Lumps of Agony Come to Me? To Solve Me?

    1. Dante

      Same energy as “you KICK Miette?? You kick her body like the football???”

      Somehow.

      1. Lee

        You SOLVE Dorothy?? You solve Dorothy like they hypocrites??? JAIL for Ruth and Jennifer. Jail for Ruth and Jennifer for 100 year!

      2. Mturtle7

        Dark Dorothy has PRIME Miette energy, it’s true.

  16. Bryy

    I know it’s only been a few days since the lunch, but jesus, Jennifer. You really have learned nothing.

    1. anon

      as ppl have said before, ‘it isn’t called smarting of age’

  17. sakamism

    Tfw you’re such a mentally-ill mess that other people get offended when you try to help them

    1. anon

      tbf i’d be concerned if anyone was willing to take either of their advice after knowing what went down between tehm on halloween

    2. Archieve

      Dorothy has previously come to Ruth about her own problems so I don’t think that she thinks Ruth and Jennifer have no helping abilities because of their own issues but Jennifer presuming to be able to solve Dorothy’s problems without even listening to what they are can’t be a good feeling on Dorothy’s end.

      1. Coatl

        Finally, while many here are outraged by Dorothy’s anger, they seem to omit the detail of Jennifer’s peculiar manner and the blonde’s obvious reaction.

    3. Mturtle7

      “Why would YOU, a mentally ill mess, EVER presume to help ME, a 100% mentally healthy, successful, neurotypical person?!”

      “i hate to tell you this, buddy, but…”

  18. anon

    idk if she’d make things better but better than dragging her down together XD (as much as ppl wanan see the sexual side of that lol)

  19. HueSatLight

    This might be, in part, an effect of thinking everything can be learned from books and devaluing experience. Who’s going to know better about finding a hope spot after being in a depressive spiral from self-destructive behavior and ignoring advice?

    Another part is she’s in pain and that can cause anger, especially if she doesn’t understand the pain.

    1. HueSatLight

      It would probably be a bad time to tell Dorothy that her advice is often very mediocre.

      1. Jeremiah

        Her advice were literally “maybe you should sleep on this and also discuss all this with your girlfriend before making such a drastic decision” which are pretty reasonable things to say. And even back then she realized Ruth didn’t actually wanted her advice, just to talk about something she already was set out to do.

        1. Li

          Yeah her advice to Ruth was good. Whatever you may think of her advice to other people isn’t really the point.

        2. Jeremiah

          I don’t quite what you mean? Isn’t really the point of what?

        3. Li

          I was agreeing with you. I was saying yes, Dorothy gave Ruth good advice. I get that HSL thinks Dorothy’s advice to Walky was terrible, but her advice to Walky (or whoever else) doesn’t have anything to do with this strip. Ruth doesn’t even know about the advice she gave Walky.

          Does that help? It was just a slightly longer +1

        4. HueSatLight

          She had slept on it. mediocre advice.

        5. Jeremiah

          The advice itself was sound and good, that was something that was said after she give it.

        6. HueSatLight

          it’s a trite cliche, Dorothy gave it because its something that sounds like it’s good advice, but Ruth was talking like she’d already thought a lot about it. A lot of Dorothy’s advice is like that, stuff that she’s read that superficially sounds like good advice, but it’s really kind of shallow and doesn’t really apply. and that’s what makes it mediocre.

  20. Suet

    Ruth’s self-sabotage only happened cause she wouldn’t wanna meet Jenny’s parents, however impossible that may happen.

    Aren’t the miserable lumps of agony—

  21. Mym

    Being miserable and the maple leaves

    1. Carla's #2 Fan

      This is what I was searching the comments for, Maple Leaves is my thought as well

  22. Yotomoe

    Boobs?

    1. Dara

      That’s two other things.

      I think it’s spite.

      (And in real life also her brother, the Maple Leafs, and whether she likes it and she absolutely doesn’t, Billie/Jennifer.)

    2. milu

      oh i know EXACTLY the song these two remind me of

      Dua Lipa – Good in Bed “i know it’s really bad bad bad bad, messin with my head head head head, we drive each other mad mad mad mad, but baby that’s what makes us good in bed”

      1. milu

        woopsie

  23. mneme

    Huh. You know, it might work.

    I mean, not like they intend it, but if she can build up her confidence by trying to beat some sense into these two, it might pull Dorothy out of her depressive naval gazing enough to fix her…at least for a while.

  24. Frelance

    she means the Maple Leafs, right? or is that a subset of misery?

  25. Yotomoe

    Two miserable lumps of agony, is coincidentally the name of my crossover Emo/thrash-metal band.

  26. Dante

    OK OK OK I WAS DOING A HACKED MUZAK BUT. RUTH/JENNIFER PLAYLIST. Throw your picks here, I’ll start.

    Only Happy When It Rains – Garbage

    Misery Loves Company – Emily Autumn (TBH a lot of her songs would fit lmaooo)

    Black Sheep – Metric ft. Brie Larson (because I can, it’s an awesome version ok)

    I’m praying I didn’t fuck up the html there. LET’S GO.

    1. Dara

      I Hate Myself For Loving You – Joan Jett

      1. Dante

        Oh, this is INSPIRED

        1. Dara

          I have so many but I’m trying not to take them all, want to give other people shots xD

        2. Dante

          I feel you sldkgjslkd X’DDD Let’s hope other people participate because Ruth/Jennifer is. So iconic. There’s so many songsssss ;www;

      2. milu

        oh damn this goes hard

    2. Dara

      Bad Influence – P!nk

      1. Dante

        This one too!!

    3. Dante

      Come on :DD We could put this together as a Spotify list, it’d be so cool!!

      The Chain – Fleetwood Mac

    4. Dara

      okay one more because maybe this is my wishful thinking and besides nobody remembers this band xD

      Kill Yr Boyfriend – bis xD

    5. Bogeywoman

      Trying to follow the vibe:
      Feel Better- Penelope Scott
      We’re all eating each other- Juliet Ivy
      Okay- Skinny Girl Diet
      Rid of Me- PJ Harvey
      I love you but I need another year- Liza Anne
      Miscommunicate- Hope D

      1. Dante

        Your musical tastes are impeccable ;www; I think you’re super cool, so thank you so much!!!

    6. PirateTawnee

      Atta Girl – Heavenly

    7. Lee

      I’m Not Angry Anymore – Paramore

    8. Mturtle7

      Honestly astonished nobody has suggested yet!

      1. Mturtle7

        Gah, messed up the link. That was supposed to read “Soft Cell – Tainted Love”, fyi.

        1. Dante

          OMG EXCELLENT

    9. Dante

      Man, I fucked up here. Memory problems |DDDD The Emily Autumn song that fits these two to a tee is THIS ONE.

      (The name is Opheliac, see the lyrics.)

    10. milu

      Dua Lipa – Good in Bed “i know it’s really bad bad bad bad, messin with my head head head head, we drive each other mad mad mad mad, but baby that’s what makes us good in bed”

      1. Dante

        Oh, this is GOOD 8DDD Thank youuuu! I think I’ll do the playlist later today, we’ve amassed bangers here

        1. milu

          fr fr this playlist is gonna be siiiick

          can’t believe i didn’t know Emilie Autumn btw she’s awesome <3

        2. David DeLaney

          a couple other views of the RelationSick:

          Eagles – Life in the Fast Lane

          Uncle Bonsai – Parcel Post

    11. M!a

      “I Miss the Misery”, Halestorm

  27. Giraffe

    something something old married couple something something

  28. RassilonTDavros

    Trying to remember if Jennifer knows about Ruth asking for Dorothy’s advice or not.

    1. Yotomoe

      yeah. Dorothy told Jennifer the breakup was premeditated.

    2. Dante

      Adding to Yoto’s answer, Dorothy telling Jennifer the breakup was premeditated was what made Jennifer take it seriously instead of “meh, it’s a game we play often”.

    3. Li

      I’d say yes and no. She could probably put it together now, if she hadn’t before.

  29. C.T. Phipps

    Any hope I’d have for Ruth or Jennifer getting back together had a stake driven through its heart followed by decapitation when they started using physical violence against one another.

    The bodyslam killed the ship.

    1. Taffy

      Weakness, Dante.

      1. Dante

        Oh ño, I still ship them hard. They started that way

        1. Taffy

          Use a Gold Orb.

        2. Dinajoyce

          Yeah. When physical violence starts, we’ll know the ship has set sail!

    2. Mturtle7

      …Wait, wasn’t the first bodyslam BEFORE they even got together? Does it really count as killing the ship, if it’s before the ship even started?

      1. Li

        That does appear to be the implication. Idk I think C.T. is arguing that no one should ever have shipped them and we should all have just known they were doomed no matter what.

        Not saying I agree, of course, but I think that’s their attempted message.

        1. Jeremiah

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/04-dont-stop-billie-ving/dislodged/
          Pretty sure they are referring to this.

        2. C.T. Phipps

          Yes.

          Bodyslams before relationships are a gray area.

          🙂

          This is what I meant.

        3. thejeff

          In this relationship, we have violence before the relationship, during it and after.

          None of which either of the participants seem to think of as abuse. In fact, it seemed to turn both of them on.

        4. Li

          Appreciate the clarification!

  30. Kitschensyngk

    Let she who is without sin cast the first femur.

    1. eh, whatever

      Let her!

  31. Icalasari

    I love Ruth trying to distance herself from this idea and Dorothy having none of it

  32. Francoinblanco

    Umm yeah? We know thing or two about selfdestruction. So its too early to sing one of us?

  33. Cholma

    “I love being miserable *and* I love the Maple Leafs!”
    “That’s the same thing!”

    1. chuckroast

      Came to make a comment that was basically this. But less clever.

    2. Daibhid C

      “Okay, fine, I admit it, I also still love you!”
      “Also the same thing! Just ask Asher!”

      1. Mturtle7

        I love how you managed to take an already genius witticism and make like 1000x better.

    3. ValdVin

      What day is in in-universe? Are we far enough into February that the Leafs’ mathematical elimination from playoff contention is coming soon? And how will Ruth celebrate?

  34. ThEV

    OH SHIT SHE SPOKE TRUTH

  35. Hazel

    I wonder how long it will take before Jennifer grasps that no, she’s not happy.

    1. Icalasari

      About when Asher leaves her to get himself some hot Ethan action?

      1. Archieve

        Or if she’s particularly unlucky after she and Asher break up and she goes to Radiah and Karl for validation only to overhear them trash talking her.

        1. Needfuldoer

          As she walks back to her dorm, dejected, Malaya gives her a “FAKEY!” out the window.

        2. Bryy

          I think it will be worse than that.

          She’ll go to Raidah, only for Raidah to be all “you’re of no more use to me”.

  36. Vukodlak

    This is like if you were being mugged and the mugger decided not only were you to pathetic to mug but gave you money.

  37. Archieve

    Dorothy be fair, you came to Ruth recently as well. I think it’s more Jennifer’s presumption that’s set Dorothy off then the desire to help, she’s fine seeking help when it’s her own decision.

  38. Raen

    “I love misery and English bartenders.”

    1. RowenMorland

      “I love Fidel Castro and his beard!”

      1. Raen

        “Without freedom of speech, I might be in the swamp.”

        1. Raen

          (I feel like to at least half the people reading this, this reads like a spy handshake, so I’ll ahead and explain the “joke,” such as it is. It’s a reference to a comical Dylan deep track – a young man, who claims in dialogue to be a doctor, although the narrator neither confirms or denies this, realizes he can’t go any further, so he asks a farmer to let him stay the night, and he agrees in exchange for milking the cows. His daughter, “looking just like Tony Perkins” offers to shower with him, and he suspects she plans to kill him. Not wanting to voluntarily break his promise to milk the cows, he shouts “I like Fidel Castro, and his beard!” and the farmer boots him.)

        2. clif

          Into the swamp?

        3. milu

          well no see the swamp is where you end up after getting stabbed in the shower, this all makes complete sense in the song

      2. Hof1991

        This song for the younglings. https://youtu.be/rNKMnVZlNTM?si=bysBarOCk6N7QAWW

        1. Dante

          BOB DYLAN!! That’s amazing, I’ll put it on once I get home

  39. HueSatLight

    She loves burger.

    1. Bryy

      No, she loves lamp.

  40. Steelbright

    Alas, Dorothy, these two have already come through many rounds of this cycle of “maybe things are not fixable and I’m fucked up” that you’re just beginning

  41. Martin Smith

    “I love being miserable in the moment and the prospect of being miserable in the future.”

  42. AGV

    True, she also likes femurs

  43. Blibdoolpoolp

    I sincerely love Dotty getting mad about these two chuckle-fucks specifically.

  44. goggleman64

    Heeheehee, it’s very fun to see Dorothy launching missiles like “miserable lumps of agony”.

  45. DarkoNeko

    The other thing being plastered all over her room’s walls ; go team !

  46. Bash

    Well that’s not looking good.

  47. OBBWG

    “I love being miserable and the sound of breaking femurs on a nice sunny morning.”

  48. Rabisch

    Let’s be honest, it’s nice to see Dorothy angry. For too long she was simply down and in a bad mood, but thanks to Jennifer’s stupid attempt to help her, she’s finally able to let go and scream. Go Dorothy! Explains to them why they are the last ones able to help you! Please, destroy Jennifer’s belief that she’s the best of all. But at the same time, recognize that Ruth was right to leave her because she’s unbearable under every level.

    1. Coatl

      She needs to get everything out of her system and be able to lighten the load finally and I still notice that many in the comments are perplexed and upset at the blonde’s reaction, it was inevitable that she would explode.

  49. Nothri

    I seem to be alone in these comments when I say I’m actually grinding my teeth at Dorothy’s reaction, especially the lumps of agony. Maybe I just feel like if I saw someone reaching out to me out of concern I’d be grateful no matter how clumsy the attempt. Or that I’d be hurt and offended if I reached out and their response was to slap down me down and turn around and use my faults and my mistakes as an excuse to ignore what I was saying. Or maybe I’m just really goddamned sick of Dorothy devaluing the efforts of people trying to change and assuming the worst about their actions based on assumptions and her own shallow understanding of who they are ::cough:: Joe and Joyce ::cough::

    I get what people are saying about Dorothy having a right to be pissed. I guess I’m just seeing her comments as way more hostile and dismissive than other people are reading them as. It all sounds like a preliminary way for her to reject what they have to say out of hand so she can go back to being self destructive. I hope I’m wrong.

    1. Lee

      I also feel like she comes close to or did cross a line with how caustic it was, but I’m giving it a pass because it’s comic universe and needs to be exaggerated, and also in the hopes that post-explosion she’ll realise just how awful she sounds. I’ve had friends who were hurting lash out at friends trying to help them in a similar way, so it’s accurate, but it’s not good either.

    2. clif

      No, no. This is Dorothy helping. They have to realize that they’re lumps of agony without each other before they can get better.

    3. Archieve

      Though I don’t fault Dorothy’s anger I do wonder if a part of the underlying resentment could be the feeling of hitting and emotional roadblock. Though Jennifer almost definitely isn’t at the top of her game, she like everyone else in her social circle has had some character growth whereas Dorothy may feel she’s the only one worse off then before the year started.

    4. Li

      She’s known Joe for years. YEARS. It wasn’t a shallow understanding of who he was, it was a very thorough well-grounded understanding. That he did a ton of work and character growth largely where she couldn’t see it doesn’t change that, and the guy who first asked Joyce out definitely wasn’t above pretending to have changed in order to get into girls’ pants lol.

      She was mistaken in this case, but it wasn’t some huge wrong she committed.

      1. Mark

        Not huge, but this is why grammar is so useful. She knows very well who he was. It took her a while to listen to Joyce telling her who he is. Understandably so.

        1. thejeff

          Partly because Joyce kept getting distracted by denying she wanted his butt.

        2. Li

          Agreed with both you and @Mark!

  50. Lan

    It’s giving projection, Miz Keener

  51. Kaz

    Her copium must be some top grade stuff.

    1. Kaz

      Oh damn the random avatar LMFAO

  52. Smooti

    Honestly go off Dorothy. You deserve to be angry at people who use you as an emotional crutch and then don’t take your advice, who then go and try to “solve” your problems as if they’re experts.

    Especially given that Jennifer is incapable of seeing how she hasn’t actually improved anything, she just went back to her high school habits that led her to alcoholism in the first place.

    1. Archieve

      I’m sure Jennifer I’d going to be faced with that reality soon. Claiming outlook to be happy and at the top of her game sounds like another set up to be proven wrong.

  53. BBCC

    These two certainly aren’t helping their case.

  54. milu

    @Dante: I always check for replies on the day before =D

    haha so,

    re: orgies: =3

    re: activism: well yeah! the way i see it, when you’re feeling powerless and sad and misanthropic it helps a lot to get with other people who share some of these emotions and organize. maybe marches (i’m not a fan of marching but it’s something) or printing stickers and sticking them everywhere (yay vandalism <3) or doing film screenings and concerts, holding boycott pickets, etc. there's a million ways to organize collectively offline and on. i've been doing all of those things and also trying to set up childcare for folks who might otherwise not be able to attend meetings and events.

    It's exhausting sometimes, and i don't think activism should only be thought of as self-care because well, i think it's also a responsibility especially for folks in the more powerful, colonialist countries such as mine, but it does also help these days to not feel so lonely and desperate and doomy.

    anyway, yep ACAB, Free Palestine, fuck France (that is my country incidentally) fuck USA and fuck Israel.

    as for my parents haha, i wasn't sure how they'd react tbh, i may have been testing them somewhat =P they seemed to really like the picture but idk yet if and where they've put it up. They are cool though yeah, as middle class white christian boomers go <3

    i hope you have a great day yourself =) adn thank you for the kind warm words, it's very appreciated, i'm also happy to meet you <3

    1. WizardPantaloon

      What does any of this have to do with todays comic

      1. Dante

        We’ve been having a long, nice conversation. It happens in the comments section ^^

    2. Dante

      God, you take that list you made out of my mouth except I’m from Latin America :’33 I so feel you on the activism as a way to feel better? I can’t always do things physically because, chronic illness, but besides educating and organizing stuff online…

      I have a tag at my tumblr I reblog to when I find posts that remind me humankind can be good, actually. It’s a mixture of science, art, and stories about the kindness of strangers; but also, the solidarity of the struggling peoples fighting for a better world. I do have a separate tag for praxis, but this one is about hope. Keeping it amidst late stage capitalism is an active effort one needs to feed, isn’t it?

      What I mean is. sdkgjdslkjg you’re super cool, seriously ;www; So take care of yourself too! Don’t burn out ;33; From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs and all ♥

      1. milu

        oh for sure hope is so crucial!!! Doomerism is a cancer, not that i blame people for succumbing now and then, god knows i’ve been there… i’ve been low-key following solarpunk thinkers on youtube and elsewhere, like Saint-Andrewism if you know them? There’s lots of creative utopians out there, there are so, so precious.

        you are so awesome too haha <3 <3 <3 take care, it's really good to not feel so uh, ever so slightly lonely here <3

  55. CODDE117

    This is a subtle cliffhanger

  56. Miafillene

    *breaks out the bucket of popcorn and a lawn chair, and just watches.*

  57. Meeks

    Started getting a feeling last strip, and now I’m certain. These two miserable lumps of agony are gonna get back together. *grabs popcorn*

    (Jennifer acting like this is the key: she’s hateflirting so hard right now)

    1. Meeks

      Perfect Gravatar! haha

    2. ZerglingOne

      I’m not sure they’ll “Get back together” but a hatefuck is definitely a-brewin’. Add in what’s going down with Asher and Ethan right now, and we’ve got a he-cheat her-cheat situation coming.

  58. Megan Rivera

    Dorothy’s RIGHT thoooooooooooooooooooo♥

  59. thumb

    Yay! Get ’em, Dotty! GITTEM!!!

  60. Imogen

    Disclaimer: I’m saying this as someone who likes Dorothy as a flawed character who’s currently going through an understandable spiral.

    Dorothy is definitely being pretty mean here, to an extent that I think goes beyond the typical “reactions are heightened for a webcomic”. “How dare you try to help me when you’re a mess” is maybe one of the cruelest things you can say to someone, because it both attacks someone’s good attentions and tears *them* down unprompted.

    All of us are always a mess, and we’re also all trying to help each other. This is *really* shitty of Dorothy.

    1. tunasammich

      You make a really good point–though I think this may have gone differently if they went to Dorothy like, “hey, I noticed you seemed kinda down lately, is everything ok?” and not “we’re going to wait here and see if she does something we need to stop” and “I’m going to solve it” “no it’s impossible to solve anything” lol

    2. Carms

      I know someone who has made this behaviour (trying to “help” while being a mess) a mainstay of their personality and it is completely infuriating. She can’t take basic care of her own needs and is trying to present herself as a reliable resource for others, it’s literally a trap. An accidental trap set by an idiot. Who only “means well” in the same sense that they “are always here for you”; with negative ability to back it up, the claim is only self-serving lies, and she’ll pull you down with her as she actively drowns.
      Drives me mental. I’d Dorothy her if she tried to hunt me down to “help” me.

    3. HueSatLight

      Dorothy is all over the place, just look at her interaction with Jennifer a few minutes earlier. I think she’s being cruel in this strip for reasons she’s not saying and probably doesn’t understand.

      It is really shitty of Dorothy, but these two might be more likely to understand why she’s being shitty. At least Ruth. And I doubt Dorothy knows enough about Jennifer and Asher to sidetrack her.

    4. Li

      Ruth and Jennifer’s reactions (or rather, lack thereof) kind of challenge this reading, I’d argue. We’ve seen characters cut to the bone by each other before, even when the character doing the cutting didn’t mean to.

      And obviously the fact that Dorothy didn’t successfully hurt them doesn’t change whether or not she was trying, but I do think it makes us as readers inclined to assume a softer tone or something from Dorothy.

  61. Carms

    Lol this three stooges schtick

  62. sdrainbow

    Yeah!

    Take the lemons!

  63. Daniel M Ball

    That actually tracks with observed human nature though-it’s the people who can’t keep a relationship (or happiness) whom are always there with all sorts of good-sounding advice and the incredible urge to meddle.

Leave a Reply to James Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.