Evaded
Posted on October 3, 2025 by David M Willis


Tags: alice, ruth

269 thoughts on “Evaded”

  1. NGPZ

    LMFAO IM DEAD

    Alice in UNDER-land XD

    *plays “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails on hacked muzak*

    1. KtBear

      I prefer “Closer” by Halocene but I’ll take it.

      1. kdmw

        If we’re ranking songs called “Closer” Tegan and Sarah’s is my fave

        1. Lysbeth

          I really don’t like Closer magazine.

    2. TheCozburger

      Well, she’ll be going down SOMEONE’S rabbit hole…

      1. Steamweed

        Or someone going down hers.
        Little signs that say “eat me”.

        1. Lysbeth

          This cursed server-assigned pfp of mine is the perfect tool to reply “AAAAYYYYYY”

    3. Embe13

      widely said to be the sexiest song in history (like rolling stone, nhm, kerrang have all listed it) so i agree! but if someone has to have an alternative, the NIN/BEATLES mashup “come closer”

  2. Doctor_Who

    Alice should write Valentine’s Day cards.

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      Alice: “I’m gonna put my cooch on her cooch!”
      …

      Yeah, I’d buy that card.

      1. Effie

        Dumbing Of Age Book 16: I’m Gonna Put My Cooch On Her Cooch

  3. mindbleach

    Given the dialog, I admire the restraint in titling this one “Evaded.”

    1. Effie

      Alternative title: “Calm Your Cooch”

  4. Taffy

    I adore Alice.

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      Same.

  5. Morrison

    Every comic with Dorothy should have readers asking “Where’s Dorothy?” “When is Dorothy coming back?”

    At least that’s how compelling and entertaining she has been written recently I am asking that

    1. Morrison

      I see know I put ‘with Dorothy’ instead of ‘without Dorothy’
      Aaaaaaand I can’t delete it.

      1. Morrison

        KNOW I SEE NOW.

        1. Rowen Morland

          Various rakes.gif

        2. Rose by Any other Name

          You now, I was gonna make a joke after reading Morrison’s posts, but I’m knot gonna beat Rowen’s comment, so I will simply bow out gracefully.

    2. Dot

      I’m right here

    3. AbacusWizard

      Oz fans in 1905: “We want to read about Dorothy again”

      DoA fans in 2025: “We want to read about Dorothy again”

      1. Olofa

        [golf clap]

    4. Decidedly Orthogonal

      All the friends of Dorothy should be down for that.

    5. anon

      lol

      1. morleuca

        Sigh

    6. TerribleTransit

      I’m constantly wondering when Dorothy will come back in strips featuring her, because she cannot be perceived.

  6. Elf grrl

    Disaster Sapphics are back on the menu!!!

    1. Paradoxius

      What do you mean “back”?

      1. Paradoxius

        It’s been almost two months since we had a strip *not* featuring a lesbian-cum-catastrophe!

        (And the lesbian’t strips in question concern Sal’s fraught rivalry/alliance with Amazi-girl, which, like, I’m saying it’s conceivable, is all.)

        1. ESM

          The only lesbian cum catastrophe so far was the laundry room being busy.

        2. Decidedly Orthogonal

          It has been brought to my attention good soul, that you should be applauded for your most delightful word smithing.

        3. Alan

          “Lesbian cum Catastrophe” sounds like a pretty good name for an all-woman punk band. Or maybe “Lesbian cum Disaster” as an alternative; I feel like it flows slightly better.

        4. Disastroid

          What this joke definitely needs is better flowing.

        5. Delavan

          Lesbian Cumtastrophe is better than cum Catastrophe I think. But I like LCD for the memes, too.

        6. Olofa

          Speaking of disasters that flow better: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood

        7. Astariel

          We did have that one strip with Ethan and Asher in bed.

      2. Thag Simmons

        This comic has been consistently serving this course for 12 years! Minimum!

    2. Dot

      This menu never changes!

    3. biomanzilla

      Perfect gravatar for this.

    4. Cimorene

      Yesterday: aww lesbian disaster over 🙁
      Today: wait, we’re just switching the drama dial!

    5. Kyulen

      Did they ever leave the menu?

  7. DaMullet

    Dumbing Of Age Book Whatever Number We’re Up To By Now:

    1. Steamweed

      DoA Book Sixty One.

  8. Bittersweet

    Alice really walking up into this room seeing a knife sticking out of Ruth’s chest and going “I wonder if I can unscrew this somehow” bahahaha.

    I can’t say I’ve ever been in this situation, but I weirdly get it. There are just some people that you always fall into if you’re in their orbit, and for that person to be Billifer is definitely… less than ideal. But she’s been working on being better. Again.

    1. Cimorene

      Ruth does an ultimate power move and starts dating Alice

      1. Needfuldoer

        They could both do worse.

        1. Clif

          They could both date Jennifer?

      2. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

        An even bigger power move would be for it to turn out functional.

    2. Steamweed

      Ahhh, yesss, a Alice/Jennifer/Ruth polycule.
      I ship it.
      A total Titanic sort of ship.
      But I ship it.

  9. Pocky

    SHE HAS A MIGHTY NEED

  10. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    When you sell someone to someone else as a friend, is there a long block of legal text specifying details?

    1. Wizard

      Yes, but no one actually reads it. They just scroll through and click the “Agree” box.

  11. FlamestAndLight

    Oh no, Alice is just like me for real

  12. IntangibleMatter

    “Look, the suicide pact was kind of a one-time thing, if that’s of any comfort…”

    anyways fuck yeah I’ve been needing some properly toxic yuri in this comic again. Joyce and Dorothy are just plain cute aside from the collateral damage, so I’ve been waiting for something like what Ruth and Billie had. This seems like it may well be it. (well, not quite as messy, but nonetheless…)

    1. jeffepp

      I mean, you can only do it once.

      1. IntangibleMatter

        You can do multiple suicide pacts, you just can’t do multiple which you “complete”

        1. Throwatron

          if you have multiple suicide pacts and never die, you might be doing something right. not sure what it is, but you ain’t dead, so it must be something?

        2. Taffy

          Well, you definitely wouldn’t be doing the suicide right. Usually you’re supposed to die at the end of that, so not dying would be a pretty obvious failure. And then I have to wonder, how many times can you form a suicide pact and not die, without getting a reputation? Eventually people are gonna notice your pact partners keep dying but you don’t, and then I think they’re gonna start asking some very pointed questions that probably won’t be covered by “Um, I’m just really bad at dying.” Bad enough you’re forming the pact to begin with, but repeated instances basically make you a serial killer, and you know who else was a serial killer? Ted Bundy. You don’t wanna be like that freak, do you?

        3. deliverything

          Well, perhaps you could get in touch with that nice Doctor Herbert West?

        4. Taffy

          Was he the one with the terrifying air conditioner?

        5. deliverything

          …I’m sorry, I don’t get that reference.

        6. Dan

          Herbert West being from Lovecraft’s “Herbert West – Reanimator”
          and the terrifying air conditioner being from Lovecraft’s “Cool Air”?

        7. deliverything

          Oh, that makes sense. Didn’t know Cool Air. Thank you.

        8. brionl

          I sometimes have Doctor characters that went to the West School of Medicine at Miskatonic University.

  13. ReFlex76

    So, Alice is down bad.

  14. EtchJetty

    lesbianism … COCTINUED

  15. ZombieKyrik

    Wow, Alice is more horny than she first appeared. Good for her, and hopefully good for Billie/Jennifer.

    That being said I wonder just how attracted Billie/Jennifer is to Alice, and whether she’ll finally admit to herself that she’s bi. Which I recognize isn’t easy to do; I had issues coming to terms with being bisexual when I was a teeenager, and it took me a long time to undo my preconceived notions.

    Anybody else? (Assuming you feel comfortable enough to share.)

    1. jeffepp

      Untangling the web of relationships has reved up her engine, as it were.

    2. anon

      never underestimate the horniness of a college student. tho i wonder if she had been dating anyone else since at this college

    3. Thing 2

      Sharing: Same sex rejected me hard, opposite sex did not, same sex was a big no no. So being bi, I went with that which was not taboo and did not reject. Took me decades to work it out!

      1. Thing 2

        Specially if you are not entirely the sex you think you are!

    4. Leorale

      I went to Oberlin College, where everyone was assumed bi unless they’ve recently stated otherwise. I called myself bi-curious, because I wanted to see if it would stick after graduation.
      (Not that people should need to wait several years before identifying as whatever, but, it amused me to do it this way.)

      My dad hoped I’d bring home a Nice Jewish Boy Or Girl.

      I considered that I might be agender, but at the time, I rounded myself up to girl — both to reflect that being AFAB is a big part of how the world interacts with me, and because I figured I had quite enough identities already. True story

    5. morleuca

      came out as bi in college, updated to pan when the term just seemed to fit better in my 30s, came out as trans (the second time) in my 40s.

  16. Animedingo

    Is there something in the air turning people into lesbians

    1. FlamestAndLight

      Girls are in the air all the time. It’s definitely the girls

    2. Stormtide Leviathan

      We’ve known she and billie hooked up in high school for years (decade?) This is nothing new

      1. RassilonTDavros

        We’ve known for 11 years, 1 month, and 18 days, to be stupidly precise. Alice being into Billie is old news.

    3. ZombieKyrik

      Alice could be bisexual like Billie/Jennifer(even if she hasn’t come to terms with it yet.) That being said something is driving people to become more comfortable with the idea of dating the same gender, and not trying to bury it like Billie/Jennifer.

      1. Thag Simmons

        Honestly I kind of suspect Alice is outright gay? Hard to call given how sparse her appearances are, but her relationship with Chester does not read like it was much of a romance

        1. ZombieKyrik

          Fair enough; I don’t know much about her since this is my first Willis comic, and I don’t know who Chester is.

          That being said I hope she is bisexual, and she helps Billie/Jennifer take stock of her feelings. If that means she embraces her bisexuality, and gets together with either Alice, or Ruth, then I will be thrilled.

        2. Thag Simmons

          Alice is barely in the old universe, for what it’s worth. She was Billie’s friend at college, they went to some parties together, Alice was the maid of honour at Billie’s wedding. Basically no data.

          Chester isn’t in the old universe at all, he’s barely in this one. He shows up here, gets punched by Billie and is gone by the next comic. What little we get implies that he’s a monstrous piece of shit who did awful things to Alice and thoroughly earned getting decked by Billie at prom.

        3. IntangibleMatter

          Chester is her ex who’s shown in a flashback.

        4. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

          Chester being a scumbag makes it hard to tell if men aren’t her taste, or just Chester. Alice sure likes women, though.

    4. Taffy

      Oxygen mostly

    5. biomanzilla

      Miasma theory was disproved centuries ago. Clearly there’s a lesbian pathogen the girls are spreading to each other.

      1. morleuca

        Id say it was something in the water, like the showers, but Joyce has those ridiculous shoes…maybe something getting into the washing machines?

    6. Proxiehunter

      In the water. Like with frogs.

  17. Dot

    I’m gonna be entirely honest having Alice’s central narrative being about hot for Billie really kills my enthusiasm for the character. I think she was fun when it looked like she was gonna be a little gadfly or Greek chorus who comes into the group and stirs thing up, but this… I make no secret that Billie and Ruth are my favorite pairing in the strip, and this just feels like a roadblock on the way to them getting back together that I’ll have to sit through wishing that something more interesting were being done with the characters involved.

    Though frankly Alice I’m really not sure Billie is on the same page as you vis a vis the inevitability of yall going back to pound town.

    1. C.T Phipps

      The alcoholism, suicide, and physical abuse just makes me want them to never ever get back together. Hits too home for my family. Even as fictional characters.

      1. True Survivor

        Jesus, I’m sorry. Yeah, I can see how that would be upsetting. Now I feel like a bit of jerk for enjoying their drama.

        1. C.T Phipps

          Eh, it’s a fascinating pair and I don’t want to harsh anyone’s enjoyment of it.

          (Which I have)

          I just assumed they were going, “Horrifying” and it turned out the comic was going for, “Dramatically Messed Up”

      2. IntangibleMatter

        For me the clearly rough dynamic between two mentally ill people was nice to see, because that was kind of how my first relationship was (though with less substance use, though just as much worrying about my partner offing themselves), so the messiness felt kinda… nice. Like I don’t think it was a good relationship, but it was still one where they were cute together and I was hoping that things would turn out well for them

        Even if it was built on quicksand

        1. Rachel

          … To comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable <3

        2. IntangibleMatter

          Every time I hear that quote now I think of SCP Author “Local Lesbian Commie”, who opens her author page with

          Cesar Cruz said art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

          I disagree.

          It should disturb both.

          And having seen “Again, Narcissus?”, her article which one the Classic Con, she is very much not joking about that.

    2. True Survivor

      I think Billie maybe on board the train for pound town, but not for hand-holdingville. I predict the central narrative for Billy and Alice will revolve around the fact that after being so brutally dumped by Ruth (everything about their relationship was delightfully painfully extra), Billy has cooped by trying to convince herself that she was never into girls romantically – her experience with Ruth was just a sex thing she carried away with, not true love. Meanwhile, I infer that Alice wants to be with Billy again and to do so in the very real sense they never got to be in highschool. Billy, however, is unlikely to be willing to let herself return those feelings, or at least admit she is, because to do so would poke a hole in emotional wall of self-delusions she constructed to pain from Ruth breaking her heart into a million pieces. Overcoming that is the only way Billy will be able to be happy with Alice or return to Ruth. If this tale goes roughly along those lines, I, personally, would consider that a pretty neat arc and would be happy to read it.

      1. C.T Phipps

        I would be fascinated by this. I don’t think Jennifer and Alice would work out, though, because the former is in so much denial and so against self-reflection. Still, it might be part of her road to self-acceptance.

    3. Thag Simmons

      Hopefully you’ll still be able to get some of that dynamic with the other characters as she grows into more of her own character, but I do think Alice’s core purpose being as a character who orbits around Billie in the narrative has been obvious for a long time.

    4. biomanzilla

      Have to agree. Ever since they split up it’s been obvious that Jennifer and Ruth are going to get back together, all this will-they-won’t-they seems like pointless drama. Plus, I can only get excited about love triangles when I’m invested in every character involved, and I can’t say that about Alice.

    5. anon

      we all have flaws but hpoefully they can stay friends without the temptation of a hookup

    6. DashWallkick

      I really can’t imagine anything I want to see less than Billie and Ruth together again. Even beyond the toxicity (which I love!) they kinda ran through literally everything their relationship could do over the course of the story. I’m way more into Alice as a new foil for the longing and yearning of their horrible conflict-rich relationship.

  18. Joe Moose

    [long suffering sigh]

    Y’know, the THREE of you can get a room and see about spinning the ol’ polyamorous wheel

    1. not someone else

      See, this ship I want to see fly (while aflame like the Hindenburg).

      1. C.T Phipps

        Alice would probably run for the hills the first time they got into a fist fight.

      2. IntangibleMatter

        The best kind of ship

    2. biomanzilla

      By the end of this comic there won’t be any two person couples left, just various competing polycules.

      1. IntangibleMatter

        Pretty sure the strip isn’t set in Seattle, so polycules aren’t inevitable

      2. Nymph

        We can hope!

      3. Astariel

        Only until the competing polycules get absorbed into the omnicule.

    3. Adam Black

      Does this include Jason?

      1. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

        You mean, Sir Not Appearing in This Strip? (I do like Jason, been wondering how he and Ruth have fared.

  19. jeffepp

    Meanwhile, Billie and Walkie are doing something similar.

  20. Dave Van Domelen

    Trying bad.

  21. Amós Batista

    hi, Dorothy²

  22. C.T Phipps

    Becky, you need to educate her about the sex between the womenz!

    1. nadamás

      I am fairly certain she already knows.

      1. C.T Phipps

        Not from that description.

        1. Jon

          It’s called “tribbing” or “scissoring”.

        2. AMagicalDuck

          No that absolutely does happen a lot during lesbian sex

        3. Tricia

          It happens in lesbian porn. It doesn’t happen all that often between actual lesbians because it’s really not that great for most, and there are a lot better ways to achieve the desired results.

        4. Taffy

          Most of the air we breathe doesn’t contain Tabasco vapor, either

        5. Li

          It would be weird for AMagicalDuck to have made that statement without some sort of non-porn knowledge source! I suspect you are telling a lesbian that she’s wrong about what kinds of things happen a lot in her sex life.

        6. Tricia

          *stares* You’re making an awful lot of assumptions here, including about me.

          And why it would be weird? People repeat misconceptions they learn about in porn all the time.

        7. Taffy

          You’re kind of a busybody.

        8. hroethvitnir

          *” I suspect you are telling a lesbian that she’s wrong about what kinds of things happen a lot in her sex life.”*

          That’s what’s weird.

        9. Li

          Thanks, hroethvitnir.

          Also nah, Tricia, I made no assumptions about you. You could also be a lesbian and still be being weird about a sex act that people with the relevant anatomy (who aren’t all lesbians) do in fact engage in outside of porn.

          Which they do, and which you’re being weird about. Hope that helps.

        10. Li

          Oh, also:

          “Why would it be weird, people repeat misconceptions from porn all the time” — do they usually do it with such confidence, especially in direct response to someone else saying “that’s not real”?

        11. Tan

          When someone says “X is my personal experience” and someone else says “X is not my personal experience”, it is not making any assumptions about the latter person to come to the conclusion that X is some people’s personal experience.

        12. Nymph

          Hi! Actual Lesbian here, respectfully disagreeing with this categorization of (frankly) one of my favorite activities with other people-who-own-vaginas. It’s a lot of fun, I’ve dated very few women who (once they tried it) weren’t into it at least as foreplay, and I fear there aren’t many better ways to achieve the result “gets to grind against someone else’s vagina/thigh/general-fun-time-area”.

          There has been this pushback against grinding/tribbing/scissoring for a while because we don’t like how we’re portrayed in porn, how much of it is aimed at the male gaze rather than aimed at lesbians, and how much of it looks genuinely bad/painful.

          At some point in this pushback, tribbing got caught in the crossfire and this gets repeated ad nauseum until I end up having to talk baby gays down from the wall of never even trying it because they ‘learned’ it wasn’t part of our repertoire. It’s a shame, because that particular activity is (as I state above) a genuine fun time to be had.

          Sure there are faster ways to get to orgasm, but in my humble experience, I’ve never felt in any particular rush to get off when I’m having a nice time getting there.

        13. Nymph

          Footnotes:

          – I used “Actual Lesbian” because you specifically said “It doesn’t happen all that often between actual lesbians”, not because I wanted to suggest you might not be an Actual Lesbian. I have my opinion on that, sure, but I wouldn’t dream of confidently stating a thing I don’t know.

          – At some point I swapped to “women” but I do mean “people with equipment that makes this fun” it’s just very early where I am and I forgor to specify.

          – All of this is TMI, but it felt appropriate to the conversation. Sorry to anyone who didn’t want to here glossed-over details of my sex life. I owe you one (1) drawing of a spider.

        14. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

          As a non-lesbian, can confirm it’s doable with any equipment really, provided the owner enjoys front-of-house action. It tends to change names depending on who’s participating, but [“they’re the same picture” meme here].

        15. Nymph

          Ooo, I will make a mental note! Ty for the info <3

        16. Taffy

          Sure, but what’s lived experience in the face of a sweeping generalization designed and intended solely to shut down conversations?

        17. Nymph

          Honestly, you’re so right. I don’t know what I was thinking lmao.

        18. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

          Porn gets the angles wrong, folding chair legs would be a better metaphor. Less catchy, though.

        19. Nymph

          Yes, definitely this, but mainstream porn gets the angles wrong on basically every sex act or forces women into positions that are so fucking bad for your spinal health I hope porn stars get access to workman’s comp.

        20. NGPZ

          right?

          like if actually done in a comfy position, i hear it’s supposed to be very relaxing T~T

        21. Taffy

          I’m sorry, this gave me the classic image of someone relaxing on the beach, all set up in their chair with the big umbrella, a little table with a radio on it playing some Mad Honey, a cooler with plenty of ice and drinks, and a book with a blank blue cover. And then the camera pans down and they’re scissoring someone with an identical setup.

        22. Nymph

          brb getting weird beach paraphernalia for my next date.

        23. Lee

          Yeah, but we’re not talking lesbian sex, we’re talking sex with a toxic basic white girl who refuses to have more than a surface level comprehension of or engagement with pretty much anything (except Ruth, I guess) and is in denial about the fact that she’s not hetero. It would be EXTREMELY on brand for that to look like porn shot for the male gaze.

          I mean, maybe Billie knows better now post-Ruth, but for all we know she was Alice’s first and only sexual experience, so…

        24. Taffy

          You don’t have much lesbian sex, do you?

        25. C.T Phipps

          I admit I do not and bow to experts.

  23. nadamás

    She is our modern Shakespeare

    1. jeffepp

      Instead of biting thumbs, biting… other bits.

      1. butting

        Hands. Biting hands. She’s doing it in the last panel on this very page!

        1. deliverything

          Do you bite your thumb at us, Alice?
          If Alice and Billifer get back together, it may be a more doomed romance than that of Romeo and Juliet.

  24. True Survivor

    Is that a pocketed leather vest over a black hoody? Billy found herself a girl with style.

  25. Dr. T

    Oh, so she was every bit the train wreck as Billie during their relationship.

    1. Dot

      “Relationship” feels generous

      1. RassilonTDavros

        ‘Tis the season of generosity.

        Already. On October 3rd. Somehow.

    2. jeffepp

      She knew who she was doing.

    3. DashWallkick

      all the characteristics that make Billie Billie — drama hurricane, lack of self awareness, delusional confidence, aggressively loyal — are the reasons Alice fell insanely in love with Billie. We already kind of knew that from the whole abortion/prom thing, but hey guess what, hard confirmed.

    4. Throwatron

      I think it’s more like “she was a train wreck waiting to happen, and Billie happened to be willing to conduct.” Her main problem seems to be lacking the ability to direct herself, and a constant need for guidance, and I can say from experience, that trait is extremely consistent at leading you into allowing a generally self-centered person to fully take over your life, even though that person doesn’t have your best interests at heart.

      She’s even literally aware of this exact thing being a problem for her, and yet she still can’t help diving headfirst back into a relationship that almost killed her. It’s low self-worth and codependency to the extreme.

      1. eh, whatever

        Or she’s so horny she forgets about herself, so self-worth doesn’t even enter the equation.

  26. shadowcell

    Dumbing of Age Book 16: I’M GONNA PUT MY COOCH ON HER COOCH

    1. Shakes

      Versatile title, applies to multiple cooches!

  27. Bryy

    Well, I mean, at least Alice is aware that all she needed was someone to say “she’s cool” before going back to Billie.

  28. Stormtide Leviathan

    Alice has such a way with words…

    Anyways, prediction: This scene will resolve with at least one kiss between ruth and alice

    1. RassilonTDavros

      Maybe more

      Imagine

    2. Taffy

      Neither of them has a girlfriend right now, so there’s no problems if Ruth demonstrates some of Billie’s favorite maneuvers.

      1. RassilonTDavros

        could estrogen have saved jason?

        (the answer is no)

        1. IntangibleMatter

          Nothing could’ve saved him from his true sin, being Br*tish

        2. Zamperla

          Not even remotely, and YET I am compelled.

      2. deliverything

        Well, Alice has come here to learn more about what Billifer’s like in a relationship, right? And, you know, “Show, don’t tell”.

  29. RassilonTDavros

    Nah she doesn’t have to worry about red flags with Billifer, it’s been canonically established that Billifer’s favorite movie isn’t Human Centipede

    1. Dara

      ♫ I think that I’m gonna get murdered tonight ♫ ? ?

  30. C.T Phipps

    Yes, Alice seemed to utterly miss that Jennifer was in denial about it being a big deal because if she acknowledged it, she’d be “drunk driving girl” for the rest of her life and lose all of her self-image as a beloved fixer of problems.

    1. Thag Simmons

      This is not the most intuitive leap for her to be making!

      1. C.T Phipps

        Jennifer is against self-reflection too but just didn’t want to be known by her worst mistake alone…and is.

        1. Thag Simmons

          Sure, but you can’t expect Alice to treat her lover nearly killing herself and her as no biggie just because Billie’d really like it to be no biggie.

        2. Throwatron

          I mean, I’m sure Jennifer could convince her it was no biggie. Against Alice’s better judgement. Which is precisely what Alice is afraid of, despite doing nearly nothing to actually listen to said better judgement.

  31. Jon

    Scattered thoughts:
    1. I like seeing this other side of Alice! She’s such a hot mess haha
    2. Ruth shines when she has fresh characters to bounce off of. I think being so entangled with Billie for so long really bogged down how strong she is as a character.
    3. If we don’t pivot back to Jocelyne I am going to SCREAM

    1. True Survivor

      Increasingly Scattered Thoughts:
      1. Those are interesting points and I agree with two thirds of them
      2. My stomach hurts, I think ate too much garlic bread tonight
      3. The moon was very bright and is currently a waxing gibbous

      1. Thing 2

        As opposed to a-waxing gibbons, which was an interesting, if erroneous, reading of your 3rd point.

    2. Yumi

      I had a dream where the Jocelyne story concluded with her and Hank having a conversation as they head off into the distance where it comes up that she’s been repeatedly telling him she’s a woman and he keeps not getting it.
      It was pretty anticlimactic.

      1. Sirksome

        I actually find that idea amusing. That Jocelyne has already come out to Hank at he kinda doesn’t understand what she means in a sincere way without being transphobic.

  32. Cholma

    Oh, Alice. You sweet child. No. DO NOT wander down that road with Bilifer.

    Instead . . . hook up with Ruth! 😀

    1. Lee

      Cholma really saw Alice and went “I can make her worse”

  33. ESM

    Fun fact: This is the second time Ruth has met Alice and the first time she’s actually spoken to her. We’re going from 0-60 very fast here, sharingways.

    1. Li

      That’s not at all true? They’ve been texting for a while now, as was established previously and also re-established yesterday.

    2. Nymph

      This is, I think, one of the better pieces of proof to the “not happening on-screen doesn’t mean it’s not happening” arguments.

  34. Qube

    hey, new book title

  35. StClair

    these horny idiots

    1. Bryy

      DoA would fucking make bank as a visual novel.

  36. AlexanderHammil

    the fact that this conversation is happening two, MAYBE three days after alice started hanging out with billie again is very funny. college relationships move fast

  37. SalmonMax

    I see that background detail on the wall. Sure it’s probably a hockey stick, but the position and framing makes it look like something piercing Ruth in the heart. I SEE YOU.

    1. Nymph

      Oooo that’s a very good spot. Definitely intentional because she’s only in that angle after Alice askes her to sell Jennifer as a partner.

  38. Shogo

    The speed at which I went from thinking Alice was interesting to not caring about her in the slightest is giving me whiplash.

  39. Sirksome

    Not sure what to not trust in this one. Red flags? That’s obvious. Cooch on cooch? Hey, whatever the ladies are into. Maybe just don’t trust the Toronto Maple Leafs.

    1. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

      Certainly don’t trust the Leafs to win.

  40. Maddie B

    Oh my god, Alice.

    (Girl knows what she wants.)

  41. biomanzilla

    Now I want to see the version of this strip Willis wrote while going through severe diarrhea.

    1. Nymph

      I hadn’t read the alt-text, so I thought this weird ass desire came straight from your dome and out of the ether and was SO fucking confused why THIS of all things was what you wanted.

      1. Dot

        This is why you always read the fine print

    2. Astariel

      Willis posted the original version on Patreon, and I think it will be available to everyone as of Sunday. Short version, being sick makes Willis write everyone like Dina.

  42. anon

    dunno if it’s more of a nothern or age thing but weird to see a chara say ‘cooch’ versus just ‘crotch’ XD

    1. eskimolos

      Yeah cooch always seemed bawdy, crotch is the deadpan serious term of an older female relative who is trying to get the young kids to wash or wipe correctly.

      1. Nymph

        Cooch is supposed to be bawdy! It’s an abbreviated form of the “Hoochie-Coochie” which was a sexy striptease/burlesque type dance. Presumably where you showed your Coochie/Cooch.

        1. Li

          Yes! She is TRYING to be bawdy, she’s talking about having sex with Jennifer.

          She has so many reasons NOT to want to sound like “an older female relative trying to get the young kids to wash or wipe correctly”!

    2. Skater Girl

      The two terms are related but not interchangeable. Everyone has a crotch, not everyone had a cooch. Cooch (or coochie) specifically refers to the vaginal/monds pubis area.

      1. deliverything

        In other words, the capoodle?

  43. Sirksome

    I’m a huge Jennifer fan that thinks she often gets a disproportionately bad rep here in the comments, but I don’t think she was roofied. Jennifer is an alcoholic that made a bad decision prom not that nearly killed her and Alice. Jen’s character introduction is about her and alcohol. That’s more interesting than having possibly her most pivotal moment in life to date being because of someone else.

    I don’t think either of them are “drama hurricanes”. Honestly that’s just something Alice said at a time of emotional stress she probably doesn’t mean and people just kind of ran with it. Everyone in this comic is a drama hurricane. We just spent weeks with Hurricane Joyothy. If Alice wants to put her cooch on some Billie cooch she shouldn’t doubt herself. They’ve both changed and grown since their last time together.

    1. Felgraf

      Unrelated: I accidentally clicked “report this comment” while scrolling on my phone. As there is no unreport button, I just wanted to let whoever reviews it know that report was in error -.-

      1. nadamás

        Nobody reviews them most of the time, it is automatically deleted if enough people report it

  44. GUIGUI

    Well that settle Alice’s motive. So much for me thinking that Alice was trying to play matchmaker between Ruth and Jen…

    1. C.T Phipps

      The girl who only knows them as a suicide pact and dumped jenn for being dangerous seems unlikely to promote that.

      1. GUIGUI

        I might not remember it well, but I don’t think Alice know about the suicide pact.

        1. C.T Phipps

          I think it was the first thing Jennifer told her in their second meeting.

          Ah, here we go.

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/03-me-and-who-you-say-i-was-yesterday/successfully/

        2. GUIGUI

          Oh right, my bad.

  45. IntangibleMatter

    I’m pretty sure Billie didn’t get roofied at prom, she was just driving drunk and hit a tree.

  46. Sirksome

    This moment would be hilarious for me if Jason has been in the room the whole time.

    1. Doopyboop

      No lie I was actually wondering myself if Jason might be in the room just chilling. If that’s the case I hope it isn’t made clear until the final panel dealing with this detour where after Ruth and Alice have bemoaned their love and attraction for Jennifer, he just pipes up like “jolly good guv’na.”

  47. Bryy

    Ruth was in no way pulling Billie down. I’m not even sure that she was enabling her. Billie is a pretty shiity person even without Ruth, and it was heavily implied even before Alice.

    1. thejeff

      Whether or not Ruth was pulling Jennifer down, something like that was pretty clearly the fear that led to Ruth dumping her.

  48. Kyulen

    I tend to like red flags, but not the type of red flags Alice is talking about.

  49. darkoneko

    . . . . . . . . w o w

  50. nadamás

    Was wondering where yiu ginna come back to this weird ass take you have .

  51. Juanoku

    ALICE NO YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO. THIS PIT HAS TAKEN YEARS TO DIG DON’T FALL INTO IT

  52. Nymph

    “Because Alice wouldn’t stay away from her own rapist.”

    Today: Adam Black inexplicably victim blames a high school girl for being raped, falling for abusive tactics, and the assumption that someone else (not the high school girl) roofied a totally different girl. Then claims her past abuse taints her as a person, and makes her dangerous to defend!

    Adam Black COULD HAVE put the blame on the rapist and whoever roofied Billie (which I think was no one, but we’re going with this version of events) and whoever poses the danger rather than one of the victims of it, but Adam Black chose not to!

    Way to stick it to [high school student who was sexually assaulted]!

    1. eh, whatever

      I’m reading it differently: as “Billie was roofied as punishment for defending Alice”.

      …which… is creative.

      1. Nymph

        Totally valid reading. The way I got to mine was:

        “I think Billy was roofied at the prom because of her connection to Alice. Because she was defending Alice.
        Because Alice wouldn’t stay away from her own rapist.”

        Sounds like three contributing reasons in victim-blamer’s mind:
        1. Because she was friends with Alice.
        2. Because she defended Alice.
        3. Because Alice was with her rapist.

        With the conclusion “Alice is a drama hurricane and a trouble magnet and likely to put Billy in danger…” as if Alice were in anyway the reason Billie was in danger rather than the rapist and supposed roofie-doser.

  53. CianM1301

    Re: alt text – See, now I wanna see what the strip was like before the post-norovirus clarity.

    1. Kazuma Shouri

      seconded

  54. Sharizard

    I was not expecting the bluntness of that last panel and i love it.

  55. Chubsius

    It would be interesting if Billifer rejected Alice’s advances because Billifer was genuinely looking for a friend and wanted maintain that friendship.

    1. deliverything

      My tentative prediction: Alice continues trying to get back together with Billifer, who continues assuming they’re simply friends. Neither of them realises this disparity.

      (Possibly further complicated by Billifer’s “You’re allowed to bang, like, once” mindset.)

    2. Dot

      Billie has thus far shown immense desire to be Alice’s friend again and none at all for anything besides friendship with her. Alice is making a lot of assumptions here based partly on outdated information that are likely to not pan out how she expects.

      1. deliverything

        “The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.” — Oscar Wilde

        1. Owlmirror

          I was going to gripe that the line was by Willy Wonka as played by Gene Wilder . . . except that I did the research and found that the line is originally from The Importance of Being Ernest. Well.

          Noncanonical Oscar Wilde silliness:

          https://www.flickr.com/photos/quirkybird/albums/72157623776713649/with/4540136526

      2. Owlmirror

        Maybe “outdated” isn’t even the right word. That is, maybe Jennifer and Alice have always had this asymmetrical relationship, where Jennifer just wanted to be the protective alpha who took care of her bestie, but Alice initiated the sex because she found Jennifer’s girlboss attitude so very very hot, and Jennifer went along because her BFF wanted/needed it.

        And unlike Joyce with Becky, Jennifer didn’t have anything holding her back.

    3. CianM1301

      I wonder if Billifer wants to maintain that purely platonic friendship with Alice because she knows that she doesn’t want to go back to being the person she was.

    4. Smokeysis

      I think there are not insignificant odds that Billie claims she’s straight (despite all evidence to the contrary) while shooting Alice down, leading to some actual pushback on that idea from characters in-universe.

  56. Matrix

    The juxtaposition with the stuff happening with Becky makes me think this won’t end well

  57. SillyGoose

    First few panels: “Move along, Alice, you don’t belong here. This isn’t Self-awaring of age, you know!”
    Couple beats later: “Nevermind. Take a seat.”

  58. Dot

    This is one of the grossest of your comments I’ve seen in a while, man.

  59. Jernacious

    “I swallowed her red flags, now I’m going to put them in my cooch!”

  60. YourCousinJay

    dang, my favorite ship is being encrouched on by my favorite re-design and now I dont know who to root for. a true conundrum i’ve found myself in

    1. Dot

      Hold the line. The redhead must win.

      1. Nymph

        Counterpoint – Alice helps Jennifer work on some stuff and realize what she wants from Ruth and THEN Ruth/Jennifer get together. Both a little more healed and willing to admit they love each other.

        1. Dot

          This is indeed what I think will happen but I think
          Alice as a love interest for Billie is just the most boring thing to do with her character lol.

        2. Nymph

          That’s super fair. I personally love Alice, but I’m not sure how I feel about her with Jennifer either.

        3. Dot

          I like Alice *a lot* when she’s being a cheerful gossip slash Greek chorus, I think that side of her is a lot of fun. When she’s being anxious about her relationship with Billie she starts to lose me.

  61. Zamperla

    puts hands together.

    I’m not usually a praying man but I just think it’d be funny if Alice and Ruth got together. I think it could be cute. I think it’d be a disaster. It sounds like Ruth might be her type. I think Jennifers head would explode.

    1. Taffy

      That would be so funny. I hope it happens.

  62. Astariel

    That is an admirable goal, Alice, and I support it wholeheartedly!

  63. Suet

    Just admit it to Redflagsworth, your face when you’re with her is indicative

    any moment now, unless someone interrupts it

  64. Amelie Wikström

    Ha, I haven’t seen the old biting your thumb move in a while.

    But I feel like “we almost died” is not a very fair summary of events. I mean it was fucked up Billie drove their car into a tree, I’m not saying that wasn’t a clear warning sign and it’s obviously left Alice some scars, but “if the car had been going 20 miles faster we could have died” is pretty different from the “if half the dorm hadn’t got together to help us I would have died” Ruth is hearing.

    1. nadamás

      I, really don’t understand what you mean? It was incredibly lucky that neither of them died in that crash, so what she said it’s a accurate description of it.

    2. Doopyboop

      The car was wrecked pretty badly and Alice was bleeding from the face. I agree it’s different from Ruth’s version but I suspect not in the way you think it is. Like don’t get me wrong, Ruth was definitely in something of a semi-catatonic state of depression that was dangerous for her, but it’s also a bit… slower acting thus allowing more opportunity for someone to get involved versus two people in a large car crashing into a tree hard enough to damage the car and incur physical injury. I suspect them dying has less to do with speed and more to do with how they hit the tree, for example if they’d crashed on either side rather than head on I think it could have been very bad, especially if it had been on Alice’s side since her side of the car doesn’t look like it activated an airbag compared to Billie’s.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/03-me-and-who-you-say-i-was-yesterday/crash-2/

      1. Yumi

        I agree with this– the site kept crashing on me when trying to say similar earlier. They also could have hit oncoming traffic and possibly ended some other lives too. Both situations were bad, but “we/I almost died” is more fitting for Alice’s experience than Ruth’s.

  65. mindbleach

    Per Willis’s Bluesky comments, because I’m not getting on Bluesky: What Your Favorite Avatar Ship Says About You.

  66. Dot

    I think Willis should add another sapphic pairing in the main cast to spite the people who think we’re focusing too much on gay women, and I know just how to do it! You see there’s this “guy” named Danny,

    1. mindbleach

      Danny’s a good egg.

  67. C.T Phipps

    I still think it was terrible Ruth ditched Daisy.

    1. Dot

      She sent her a consolation nude!

    2. Yumi

      🙁

  68. Rimwalker55

    Maybe it’s crazy, but could be that Alice is going to pair up with Asma. Because of the flirty sub-text during the conversation between Alice, Raidah and Asma.
    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/01-not-so-smooth-criminals/whatshername/

    1. NGPZ

      ngl would love that <3

      1. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

        They’d be cute.

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