137

Refrigerators
Posted on January 5, 2024 by David M Willis

137 thoughts on “Refrigerators”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “Have you tried turning her off and turning her on again?”

    “I don’t have the right plumbing for that”

    1. Karadaga

      “The last time I turned on one of my dorm residents, it ended really badly for everyone involved”

    2. Cholma

      “You’re just reading off a script of what to say when I call, aren’t you? You don’t actually know how to help at ALL!”

    3. Thag Simmons

      Oh it’s a euphemism, I see. I thought you were suggesting that she should knock her out with a metal pipe, and was confused because in my experience massive head trauma tends to exacerbate existing stresses

      1. Needfuldoer

        Aw, and we have all those kick-ass pipes to pick from down in Pipe Storage…

    4. Decidedly Orthogonal

      Self reflection spins me right round – right round – like a record baby, round, round, round.

  2. Sirksome

    I’m starting to think maybe Ruth ain’t great at her job.

    1. MM

      Still better than 90% of the RAs I’ve dealt with.

      1. Yumi

        My RAs were like… fine? I barely interacted with them; I remember needing the first two like once each, and they were decently available for that, and the third one lost the position like a month in when she was found passed out drunk in the communal bathroom. I’m not sure if I ever met her replacement.

      2. Makkabee

        My RA made us homemade mushroom soup.

    2. Alongcameaspider

      I mean considering she doesn’t want the job in the first place

    3. Jenniffniff

      Ruth isn’t Jennifer’s RA anymore, right?

      1. Lanie

        Correct. Billie lives in a different dorm now.

      2. Sirksome

        Nah, it some person named Spencer. Not sure how good she is at her job. She seems okay I guess. Ruth doesn’t seem too fond of her.

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-10/02-to-remind-you-of-my-love/fresh-start/

      3. Decidedly Orthogonal

        Right. But she *is* Dorothy’s RA, which is who’s relevant here.

    4. Erica

      She’s just an RA, not a therapist

      1. Delavan

        ^ This. Don’t expect a 20-year-old with lots of their own issues and no formal training to somehow be a therapist for their 18-year-old hallway. RAs are there to answer basic questions and provide a little advice about campus, and to call 911 if someone is dead-drunk. They aren’t there to “fix” their halls emotional issues.

      2. GoblinBagsSumo

        Exactly. RAs often end up partying with their floor, going full authoritarian psycho, or have a rather hand’s off attitude where they pray they’ll never have to do anything. Ruth is the last option there when she started as the second one.

        Expecting other, well, children to behave like trained therapists is just too much.

        1. Sirksome

          I’m not expecting Ruth to be Dorothy’s therapist. Especially considering her history it’s understandable that she would be more hands off now. It does seem negligent though, to be aware of a student she’s in charge of is in crisis and not offer any recommendations toward school resources. Ruth should know at least that much as part of her job, not just for mental health but accessibility as well. What does she do for students with mobility needs like being wheelchair bound or visually impaired? She should at least have the info.

        2. Nicoleandmaggie

          Remember that Dorothy is already in the system seeing a therapist. That’s the main thing we were supposed to do as RAs when I was one— get people in the system.

  3. Thag Simmons

    Dorothy you can come up with a better prank call than that

    1. Proxiehunter

      Shh, you’re going to give her anxiety about her prank call not being perfect.

    2. anon

      it might be good in its simplicity XD; no one at yale expects a prank call. if anything i’d expect borderline harassment calls to ‘ivy league schools’ being like “are you racist/why do you only accept rich white people” or so , i’m sure some ppl can earn a a scholarship like dorothy but i imagine a majority are from “prevailed” people whose parents also went to yale

      1. Stanistani

        Roughly 14-15% of current Yale students are ‘legacy.’

        1. NGPZ

          They say “legacy”.

          What they mean is “affirmative action for rich white people”. ?

      2. Yumi

        Did Dorothy get a scholarship? It doesn’t seem likely that she’d qualify for a needs-based scholarship, which is what I’d expect to be possible for someone in her general position. (Also what I think the Ivies are biggest on in terms of scholarships; some actually have strong financial support for those from low income families, but there are still a ton of barriers to getting to that point, and then the wealth disparity between students can be a fuckton– from things I’ve read, anyway.)

        1. Yumi

          Realizing this is kind of a stupid comment as far as the comic goes– “I wouldn’t expect Dorothy to get a scholarship if this were real life”… yeah, but it’s not. That’s kind of a key element in some stuff. Including Yale, because I’m still confused on the timeline.

          Okay, I’m going to bed now.

        2. Hof1991

          A majority of students there get need based assistance because it’s sooooooo expensive otherwise. If you get in they will make sure you don’t drop out over money. Dropouts make them look bad. Doesn’t mean there’s not a wealth based caste system, just that the bottom rungs are pretty comfortable.

    3. Pylgrim

      She should be better.

    4. tunasammich

      Yeah she could ask if they have Prince Albert in a can

  4. NGPZ

    so Dotty going full gangsta now huh

    *plays “Apocalypshit” by Molotov on hacked muzak*

    1. True Survivor

      I like your new icon. It makes me laugh.

      1. NGPZ

        *plays “Deep Jungle Walk” by Asterix* on hacked muzak*

  5. True Survivor

    Say what you will, those two bring out the best in each other. I mean the worst too, but that’s all relationships, right? Right?

    1. Meagan

      I agree.

  6. Yumi

    Dorothy’s so out of it she’s not even in this strip (according to the tags).

    And yay for Jennifer.

    1. anon

      other than ruth being the ra, past relationships aside, i wonder if jen will approach joyce about this, not that joyce might be equipped to deal with a ‘dorothy spiral’ but she’d at least want to help after all dorothy’s done for her

      1. Coatl

        It is evident that Joyce really wants to help, but I am intrigued to know that these may not be the expected results, since it seems that Joyce still shows a tendency….obsessive

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-14/02-its-the-love-i-havent-got/figuredout/

        I mean, in these dialogues it’s 50/50, because he also cares about Sarah, but for him to say that he “allows” her to talk to Jacob, well…

        1. GingerMadman

          Um, you may want to double check that. In that strip it’s Joyce saying that Dorothy is allowed to talk to Jacob. Unless I misunderstand your comment.

        2. Coatl

          I know, I see the details but later, sorry.
          But yes, that Joyce Allow to Dorothy talked with Jacob….seriously, for her to say that is a detail that should not be minimized.

    2. Schpoonman

      My biggest issue with Jennifer is that while she clearly is a wonderful person deep inside her core, she tries so hard to do the wrong thing most of the time. Thanks for being the most-present adult female role model, Linda.

  7. Kyrik Michalowski

    Huh, Billie/Jennifer is showing some true compassion for someone, and wants to help without reward. Why can’t she be like this 100% of the time?

    1. MM

      There’s a reason they don’t call it “Emotional Intelligence of Age.”

      1. Kyrik Michalowski

        I know, but most people are a little more restrained between swapping back and forth. Granted this is a comic so the reactions are intentionally strong, and I keep forgetting that.

    2. Freemage

      Actually, “Helping people without expecting a reward’ is part of Billifer’s schtick, honestly. The issues usually start when she fails to properly assess another person’s situation.

      1. DashWallkick

        She can’t read people very well nor is she good at examining herself. She wants to be a good person but is too self conscious.

    3. David DeLaney

      i’ll note that rather few people are actually like that 100% of the time

      –Dave, treasure any you find, and defend them from the self-centered

      1. Mark

        I’d settle for doubling to 2%.

    4. Pylgrim

      Check the “fuck it”. For her to following her better instincts is only something that she allows herself extremely reluctanctly. Any other time, the mask must stay on.

      1. Schpoonman

        Exactly.

      2. zee

        That’s probably for talking to Ruth specifically. I’m sure if Joyce for example was around she would have been less reluctant going to her. It’s not like she was reluctant helping Joyce out with her cramps/birth control issue or talking her through her autism referral (even if she wasn’t great at that part. Most teens wouldn’t be). But this seems like a kind of urgent situation and she needed the closest person who could be responsible for it

        1. Li

          +1

    5. zee

      I mean, she is sorta. It’s a core part of her character. It just gets triggered in times of crisis

    6. GoblinBagsSumo

      Naw. She’s just doing her typical pattern. She DOES care about others and will do the bare minimum to step in and say something but it’s also part of her “See, I am so smart and know better than you” chip on her shoulder that she wears. She does one little good thing, then brags about it and goes RIGHT back to being a selfish jerk as soon as possible.

      That’s just… Her modus operandi.

  8. Stephen Bierce

    We’ve got to fool the fools
    We got to plan the plans
    We got to rule the rules
    We got to stand the stands
    We got to fight the fight
    We must fall the falls
    We got to light the light
    We got to call the calls    –Pete Townsend, “Face The Face”

  9. Yumi

    I’m not entirely sure, but I think Dorothy’s referring back to this: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2023/comic/book-13/03-joementum/numb/
    and is considering going and getting wasted alone.

    Anyone thinking of a different thing she could be talking about?

    1. MM

      More recent reference than that, I think. First panel: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2024/comic/book-14/02-its-the-love-i-havent-got/letloose/

      1. Yumi

        Oh yeah, duh. I guess I was thinking of the other one because– while neither was great– the other one was more concerning in the plan.

      2. HueSatLight

        yes, this is Dorothy attempting to overcorrect even while spiraling.

        1. David DeLaney

          overcorrection while spiraling gets you some whacked-out spiderwebs

          –Dave, speaking about experiments on drugging things

        2. HueSatLight

          over correcting while spiraling got me in a snowbank up against a tree once.

    2. sdrainbow

      hoooooooooooooo I forgot about that

  10. Kyrik Michalowski

    Also, as a supporter of herbal therapy: weed might help and if she does, she should have someone there with her. Then they should do something like watch a movie, or play a co-op game, or if you are boring like me then you can watch YouTube for 6 hours.

    1. anon

      altering your mental state with drugs aside, she prolly could do/benefit from something like scented candle ‘aromatherapy’ while being massaged and then going to some sauna or massage/basically a spa day lol

      1. Bittersweet

        I think this would actually help Dorothy way more. Why has nobody ever introduced her to the concept of a spa day?

    2. Decidedly Orthogonal

      > movie, games, watch youtube for 6 hours

      … This is exceptional? This is how I keep the ideation at bay.

      usually

    3. Schpoonman

      Someone link her to OSP.

      1. Kyrik Michalowski

        What is OSP?

  11. BBCC

    Seriously, this is Meredith’s department.

    1. Kyrik Michalowski

      But does Dorothy even know who Meredith is, and know her well enough to get high with?
      If they at least have spoken, then maybe it would work.

      1. BBCC

        I’m sure she at least talked to her when she was trying to become RA.

        Regardless though, you don’t have to get high with someone to see if they’ll let you have a tiny bit.

  12. Sirksome

    I think Jennifer gets criticized a lot for being terrible, but moments like this show the other side of her character that doesn’t get much credit. She’ll go talk to her bitter ex because a friend she cares about isn’t doing well. Even when she’s awful, and shallow, and hanging with jerks, Jen still cares about her friends.

    1. HueSatLight

      To every character, there’s responses that they’re a monster who has no empathy and they do sociopathy all the time. And it gets so tedious. Only Jason deserves that kind of hate.

      1. C.T. Phipps

        You mean Mary.

        1. Taffy

          Mary is his deadname.

        2. David DeLaney

          *raises finger, opens mouth, lowers finger*

          –Dave, *imagines Sal’s reaction*

      2. Kyrik Michalowski

        I really don’t think Jason deserves all the hate he gets.

        1. Sirksome

          He kind of does. Not because he’s a bad guy. I just haven’t seen him do anything impressive ever. He got a reprieve but he doesn’t really have the charisma or accolades to warrant it. Mike had to die to redeem his bad behavior. What’s Jason done? Who’d he ever beat in the ring?

    2. zee

      Tbh I’m fairly neutral on billifer but this is what’s always made me like her. I’m a fan of contrast. bongo bully type whos an absolute wreck, who is also reliable and helpful in times of crisis is a fun one

  13. Grimey

    This is beginning to have all the energy of two divorced parents having to deal with their most responsible kid finally reaching a breaking point.

  14. NGPZ

    For reals tho I very much hope Dorothy tries weed, and micro-dosing if that. She could really use it. ??

    *plays “Somewhere Over The Rainbow on Ukelele” on hacked muzak*

  15. Bogeywoman

    … Jen… Are you really that gay and petty you got your ex-girlfriend’s exact haircut?

    1. Kyrik Michalowski

      I think it is a coincidence. If she had thought about it, she probably would have gone for something else.

    2. NGPZ

      here again hoping you’re doing better ?

    3. anon

      i mean it just look like a general asian bob haircut butn ot as much ‘blunt’ bangs or like that ‘bisexual character haircut’ lol

      1. Thomas

        I had to look this up & I’m a bit disappointed that it’s actually a quite boring look. I guess it makes sense that even advertised bisexuality quite easily blends into the mainstream.

    4. David DeLaney

      so are you saying they’re the Bobbed-sy Twins?

      –Dave, or is that too long a callback for most here?

    5. Amós Batista

      Oh, oohh, that’s the same!!! They had to be next each other to me figure out.

    6. zee

      I mean getting a haircut after a heartbreak and/or to establish a change in your life is pretty common

  16. RassilonTDavros

    Calling it now, Ruth is gonna blackmail Carla into giving Dorothy free weed by threatening to tell Carla’s parents.

  17. Wraithy2773

    …my take on Jennifer right now is that she’s a whole lot healthier than she was pre-timeskip, but she is SUPREMELY not ready for an intimate relationship.

    She’s honestly pretty good when she has some level of distance with people. Like with Dorothy, she’s friendly but doesn’t have to get super-involved. She can recognize problems and give advice but isn’t responsible for it.

    Or with Walky and Sal. When she’s just a sort of slightly-distanced-sister, she’s giving good advice and being helpful, but when she’s actually forced to deal with Walky being Walky as his sorta-sibling, she loses control.

    And then there’s Asher. And that’s just a fucking trainwreck because she wants him at a very specific length, where they’re casual partners but not exactly super-intimate beyond bow-chicka-bow-wow stuff, that isn’t working for what he wants

    She’s in a better place, but not a great place. And she needs to keep getting better, but she needs to recognize that this is not a good end state for her, or anyone close to her for that matter.

    1. Jeremiah

      Amazing analysis of Jennifer! Doesn’t unnecessarily demonize her but also doesn’t sweep all her actual flaws and wrongs under the rug. Love to see it.

    2. Coatl

      Each character has nuances, but it is inevitable to feel empathy for some and disdain for others.
      The only thing I can say about Jennifer is that many already have a general thought about her, and it is something that she must self-analyze.

    3. Blume

      Agreed! I couldn’t put it into words as well as this LOL. I do think she’s in a better place… Just not a great place.

    4. thejeff

      Depends on what you mean by “pre-timeskip”. I think she was in a good place right before the timeskip and has regressed since then. She’s obviously far better now than at the start of the first semester, but she really did make a lot of progress.

    5. Mturtle7

      *standing ovation*

      No but really, well put! This helped clarify a lot of my feelings about Jennifer’s story arc for myself. Especially because I keep seeing so, so, many people comment about how much worse and healthy Jennifer has been since the timeskip, so my thoughts weren’t able to go much further than “hold on, that just seems wrong.”

  18. Suet

    If Dorothy’s truly spiraling, she’d be curly fries by now! But until that truly happens, someone check if Ruth’s door lock will be picked again – maybe she’s been picking a Yale lock all along.

    I wish Yale had Yale refrigerators.

    1. anon

      sounds like a missed marketing opportunity lol

    2. David DeLaney

      could Dorothy pick a Yale lock, though

  19. newlland(Henryvolt)

    Jennifer: I don’t know what to do about it, sometimes she gets all agro about it and I find it…Strangely kind of hot. Ruth: Holy shit you too?

    1. Mturtle7

      Dorothy Lashes Out In Her Depressive Spiral and Both Ruth and Billie Find That Strangely Hot: A Dumbing of Age Pornographique

  20. Taffy

    Ruth wouldn’t know good weed if it was currently fucking her up.

    1. NGPZ

      Love your stoner Joyce pic XD

    2. Reltzik

      Does a string bean count as a weed?

    3. anon

      i’d imagine she cant on the medication she’s on

      1. Taffy

        What, her anticanadioids? That good new shit that makes her blood normal blood instead of maple syrup?

  21. Lanie

    Oh, look! It’s the most likable Billie has been in a long time.

    1. Mym

      I’m sure she’ll drop the ball soon (As Jennifer is not likeable. Hopefully some Billie continues to climb out of her throat)

  22. Reltzik

    “Well, she’s being a dope. Does that count?”

  23. C.T. Phipps

    I want to see Dorothy do weed with Danny.

  24. Jess

    Dumbing of Age Book XX: Well, THAT Doesn’t Seem Great

  25. Thomas

    Jennifer’s biting her lip in panel 2. Is that a “Yikes!” or is she turned on by familiar destructive behavior?

    1. JA

      Definitely a “Yikes” lip bite.

    2. NGPZ

      I’m willing to bet the latter ?

      Dorothy X Jennifer? YES PLEASE

      1. anon

        seems more of a nervous worry to me, wouldn’t be against a ship but i feel like a ‘turned on’ lip bite at that moment would tempt her int oreleapsing to getting drunk together

    3. David DeLaney

      2por que no los dos?

  26. Nothri

    I’m about to ruin the streak of sixty nine comments just so I can say “nice” and thereby make it seventy comments. I’m sorry.

    1. Needfuldoer

      Nice.

    2. Thomas

      Every single day there’s someone who just has to ruin it. Every single day, I swear! >_<

      1. David DeLaney

        so we try again to-morrow

        –Dave, okay, hold it, ho-o-o-old it … dammit Moon Moon

  27. darkoneko

    Fridges : because washing machines are sooo last week

  28. Ray Radlein

    Ah, weed. Is there anything it can’t cure?*

    * Yes. Yes there is

  29. Amós Batista

    I was expecting that Joyce is the one who were going to try weed.

    1. Mym

      They could try it together (with Joe’s “weed gummies”)

  30. Yeet

    goddammit guys

  31. Acher4

    Weeding Of Age 😛

  32. Jdorr

    Good on Jennifer for seeing the problem and trying to help

    1. Blibdoolpoolp

      Head cheerleader, problem solver.

  33. Adept

    Holy crap, a redemption momet for Billie

    1. GoblinBagsSumo

      …IS IT though? She regularly is a selfish jerk to people and she will do her best to make sure some folks don’t suffer… Before going right back to “well I’m awesome that I helped in the most mild of ways – back to being a jerkbutt to everybody!”

    2. HueSatLight

      Is it? she hasn’t changed. this is who she is. She has sort of a double radius, if you’re within the radius of being involved enough with her life it’s a Jennifer situation, she’s terrible. She has a drive to fuck up her own life. If you’re outside that radius, but within “people she knows enough to care about a medium amount” radius, she’s more or less decent. She’s not getting angry and saying “fuckit” because she’s trying to get Dorothy some help. She’s getting angry and saying “fuckit” because she’s having to go inside her inner radius to do it, to go to her ex.
      And crossing that radius is something she does fairly often too. She’s there in Read to talk to Walky (belligerent inner radius) about something she learned at lunch with his parents (courteous outer radius).

    3. Taffy

      Okay, and next strip she’ll say something impolite and it’ll be back to “god she’s such a scumbag”

      1. Mym

        …I hope we get some of that “scumbag” behavior…
        It would be terrible if she also twerked on a random character, just to solidify how awful she is

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          uh-oh, sounds like Butts Disease is on the rise

  34. Rikunda

    Gotta admit it is lovely when you see Jennifer show she has a heart.

    1. David DeLaney

      … or is it just that she has courage

  35. adam Black

    A year ago it was an illegal drug. That gets you kicked out of school

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