471

Blood
Posted on August 19, 2013 by David M Willis

471 thoughts on “Blood”

  1. Squall

    YEAH RUTH I LOVE YOU

    1. Iceman

      My sentiments exactly

    2. Resne

      Kick his ass, baby, I got your flower.

    3. Ocbrad1

      Awww yeah! This is what we’ve been waiting for! The end of Blaine’s femurs! Go Ruthless!!

    4. Far

      Re: Current Sitch:
      Is there a tvtrope about using evil to stop evil?

      1. arjay2813

        as a matter of fact, yes http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EvilVersusEvil

        there is also the inverse http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoodVersusGood

        but i think Ruth here is good vs eviling

      2. hegas117

        http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EvilVersusEvil

      3. B.D

        http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon

        I basically think of “Overwhelming Power” as Ruth’s theme when she’s Ruthless.

  2. thecanvashat

    Yay everyone’s mad at Blaine

    1. jiynx

      he *is* a pain.

      1. Raibean

        He came from Spain.

        1. NightmareWarden

          Gonna go to jail with a ball and chain.

        2. saltchocolate

          He’s just like rain, but won’t stay mainly in the plain.

        3. Chronos

          He’s insane in the membrane.

        4. Tachyon

          Toasted like a busted mainframe.

        5. Viredae

          Really, I don’t think he’s all that sane…

        6. Nameless

          I’ve had it with these snakes on this motherfucking plane.

        7. Jenny Creed

          And presently his powers wane.

          As previously in another brane.

        8. Makkabee

          Douchebaggery is the mindkiller… I will let the douchebaggery pass over me and through me, and Blaine will be gone and only I will remain.

        9. Crumplepunch

          All these rhymes are getting inane.

        10. Jenny Creed

          Don’t worry, they don’t stain.

        11. Squall

          But they might break the water main

        12. PureFedora

          After reading these comments, I have a migraine.

        13. VizardJeffhog

          As if there was something to gain…

        14. Andrusi

          If this rhyming causes you a headache, you need more practice with comment sections. You need to train.

        15. VizardJeffhog

          For if you’re not prepared, you shall be slain.

        16. carl320

          He can’t go to jail, I’m sure he has something to maintain.

          That’s it, I’m moving to Maine.

        17. WiredWolf

          This really isn’t against the grain,
          but Amber’s backbone may be his bane
          and I hope he goes down in a flame…
          -ing mess of pain…

        18. Felix Kütt

          …for without pain, there is no gain..?

        19. begbert2

          I was going to join in in the punning, but I decided to refrain.

        20. Tomb

          It is Blaine not these jokes that are lame, but soon he will be slain.

        21. MIB4u

          C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!! XD

        22. Yotomoe

          Why did you have to break the chain?

        23. Doom Shepherd

          By security he will be detained…
          Unless Ruth decides to open his veins
          He’ll have only losses, there will be no gains
          And he’s gonna have to replace his Hanes.

        24. Squall

          Even though it brings great pain
          In our eyes you hold naught but shame
          By breaking the rhyming combo chain
          You are the reason the rhyme police came
          Though soon you needs must walk with a cane
          For now you must run, run from this game.

          Why oh why did he break the chain?
          Why did the heavens cry when he came?
          The answer is simple, for he is insane
          He and the evil are one in the same
          MIB4u is the one known as Blaine
          He is the one, the one that’s to blame.

        25. Totz the Plaid

          Hey, guys, let there not be a stain
          On MIB4u’s record for breaking the chain.
          For we all know that these rhymes are a game
          So let us not cast our negativity or blame
          At any of our own, for we all know the main
          Reason for his joy is our shared hatred of Blaine.

        26. otusasio451

          Does anyone else want some champagne?

        27. Zebalien

          Eeh, it might go against the grain.

      2. Gabe

        And that’s the truth.

    2. Cespinare

      Amber acted without hesitation, she’s nothing like the Dane.

    3. Too Old To Be Cool

      Ruth is for real – no need to feign.

  3. SUGauthor

    I’ve never been more proud of Ruth.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Ruth will show him why she’s known as RUTHLESS!

      1. Platypus

        Femurs! Femurs!

        1. Darth

          MORE BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

          MORE FEMURS FOR THE FEMUR THRONE!

        2. RevenantBacon

          He may need his femurs to live, but I’m pretty sure no one wants him to live.

        3. AsimovSideburns

          I would give Blaine my femurs.

          But only if Ruth promises to rip them right back out again.

        4. CoachMcGuirk

          Pretty sure you don’t need your femurs to live. In fact I’m relatively certain that with adequate medical care, he could live sans tonsils, gallbladder, genitals, appendix, ears, eyes, nose, teeth, tongue, coccyx, all four limbs, and also without one each of his lungs and kidneys. It wouldn’t be a FUN existence, but who would argue he deserves that?

        5. Squall

          He doesn’t need to live. He never needs to live. He can be evil just fine as a ghost.

        6. Rex Hondo

          “To the death!”

          “WRONG! To the pain.”

        7. Potatamoto

          I will offer up the femurs to Satan, that he may add them to his crown and be even more resplendent in his necktie.

          (If you get that reference, you win.)

        8. Arkadi

          Omg, THIS. I’m so totally drawing this. If there’s ever only one crossover between DoA and WH40K, it’s going to be Ruth Lesnick: Champion of Khorne!

  4. Geminia999

    well that’s not the first thing I would have said if I was trying to get the crowd to stop him.

    1. Bronze Knight

      I don’t think Ruth needs a crowd.

      1. Yotomoe

        If an army just had one Ruth they’d win every war immediately.

        1. Squall

          And if Ruth gets injured send in a Billie

        2. OkamiKing

          And if a Billie gets injured

          Send out Sal

        3. Jetstream

          And should Sal fall… send in… the Cheese!

        4. necrobeets

          Pffffffft send in mike

        5. Mr. Random

          I think that would go against the Geneva convention. And all morals. Everywhere.

        6. JaneDoe

          Probably, but it’d be really entertaining, I think we can all agree.

        7. Kyrros

          Don’t forget to send him with a bag of nickels… there’s a lot of mothers he’ll be ‘consoling’ after he massacres their sons and daughters.

        8. RevenantBacon

          He won’t massacre the sons and DAUGHTERS, he’ll massacre the sons and HUSBANDS.(plus, that way, the husbands won’t be around to get jellous) The daughters will be saved until THEY become mothers, and then he will give them a nickle.

        9. Mr. Random

          If you think Mike would kill someone to save them from jealousy, you don’t know Mike.

        10. Wonder Wig

          I have an army-

          We have a Ruth.

        11. Wolfe

          genetically modified super-soldiers are a thing of the past, Ruth is the USA’s real super weapon

        12. james

          To bad she’s from Canada.

        13. Shade

          So is Wolverine… I’m noticing a pattern.

        14. Rowen Morland

          Did anyone draw Ruth as Wolverine yet?

        15. OkamiKing

          Alcoholic, angry, violent, and suppresses all her emotions? Give her some claws and she’s good to go.

        16. PrincessCarlos

          and Deadpool….and Scott Pilgrim

        17. Rex Hondo

          The Canadian government originally wanted Ruth for Alpha Flight, but decided she was too violent, so they went with Wolverine instead.

        18. Wolfe

          True she may be from Canada…but she’s in the USA

        19. Descolada

          if we didn’t import folks like her we’d be a bunch of unmanly boys.

        20. Wack'd

          Yes. Yes we do.

        21. showler

          He missed the “Science Bros.” tag on that one.

        22. spaceinvader42

          But what if both armies have a Ruth?

        23. Shade

          They both go home because the war is cancelled.

        24. Makkabee

          Then instead of a war they have a beerpong competition. Without the pong.

        25. RevenantBacon

          IMPOSSIBRU! There can only be ONE!

        26. Darth

          Loki: “I have an army.”

          Tony: “We have a Ruth.”

      2. Squall

        Did someone get confused about who said what?

    2. Geminia999

      Why is everyone talking about Ruth? I was talking about Amber just yelling out he is an abusive man as a way to get people to intervene. It really isn’t the best thing she could have said. (and don’t say it was on the spot, that kiss my ass line would have to be on the spot too)

      1. Totz the Plaid

        Actually, it _would_ be a good move. Dragging it out into the open where people can see his rage is already a good idea, calling out his abusive nature is doubly smart since it adds to the implication that her assault of him was in self-defense, and immediately gets everyone within earshot on her side.

        1. Chrissy

          True. It’s the same reasoning where little kids are supposed to yell “you’re not my mother/father” if they’re being kidnapped. It immediately a) explains the conflict and b) encourages intervention

        2. Totz the Plaid

          Exactly!

      2. David Willis

        It is absolutely the best thing she could have said.

        1. Robert

          Yup because now everyone on the girls floor of the dorm is just as angry as Amber. Mob violence is the only kind of violence I wholly support.

        2. Totz the Plaid

          Actually, it’s probably more because Blaine’s already chasing and threatening her, add the fact that he’s an abuser, and her having punched him in the face looks very much like self defense.

          If she’d said anything else, even that he was attacking her, it could be read as him trying to get back at her for hitting him, which is still wrong, but some might see it as being justified.

          This way, it sets up Blaine as the violent asshole that he is, and Amber as the survivor of his abuse, which she is.

        3. Don

          “. Mob violence is the only kind of violence I wholly support.”

          Well, ya know, lynching has probably gotten plenty of innocents killed through the ages. Ochlocracy/Mob rule is pretty much one of the worst state of affairs to be in.

        4. Ridureyu

          It really is the best thing she could have said. Any variation of “WAUUUGH MY DAD IS MEAN TO ME” would end up with people misinterpreting and asusming she is the bad guy. But, “HE BEAT MY MOM AND NOW HE’S CHASING ME HELP!” is going to put sympathy on her side. Amber is smart.

        5. Totz the Plaid

          Indeed!

        6. Reltzik

          Crap. Now it’s going to turn out to be the worst thing she could have said.

        7. Ocbrad1

          Exactly! Obvious social implications aside, her words cast the spell “Summon Ruthless.” Therefore, best possible thing to say!

        8. David

          Is that like in “An optimist believes we are living in the best of all conceivable worlds. A pessimist knows it.”?

          At any rate, of course it is the best thing Amber could have said since it matches what David wrote, and so he does not need to think of another storyline in order to catch up with her diverging from the script.

      3. Chrissy

        What would you have said? And what do you think would be the best thing to say?

        1. Robert

          How about “When you meet your maker, kindly give him my regards.”

        2. Totz the Plaid

          Nope. Dumb choice. Sets _you_ up as the bad guy in the situation, even as you’re the one being chased.

        3. Robert

          eh I figure this the only kind of situation where a line from a Quinton Tarantino film would really work without sounding like a trope.

        4. Ridureyu

          What weird world are you in where “He abused and beat my mom” is the sign of a good guy? Are you from happy abuse-o land? Would a “realistic” crowd in your world sing his praises, and hold Amber down so he can knock her teeth out?

          Because what you said does not make sense.

        5. Ridureyu

          Oh, wait. You were commenting about the “meet your maker” line. Never mind. Carry on! I thought you were complaining about what Amber actually said.

        6. Totz the Plaid

          Yeah, I can understand how you’d have trouble telling what I was responding to due to the weird nesting of comments on here.

          But yeah, you got it right the second time.

        7. Random832

          I’ve got a User CSS thing I do to make it easier to track comment nesting – need to package it up as a script for firefox and chrome.

  5. Wonder Wig

    Captain Canada for the interception!

    1. EvergreenFir

      I actually laughed out loud at this

    2. Squall

      Jesus Saves! And Gretzky puts in the rebound!

    3. NerdHerder

      The Maple Leafs are about to have some penalties come their way.

      1. Andy

        She’ll get the major for fighting, but I wonder if she’ll get the minor for instigating.

    4. NightmareWarden

      Captain Canada? Pffffffffffffffft. Captain Planet is the best captain.

  6. JebJeb

    And Ruth proceeds to do to him what she did to Billie at the beginning of the comic.

    1. Yotomoe

      That’s much too good for him.

      1. Jon P

        I think it’s time for the femurs treatment.

        1. Badeyes

          How much of Ruth’s closet is taken up by femurs?

    2. Cholma

      She’s going to steal Blaine’s cheerleader uniform?

      1. Squall

        No, because she doesn’t have Blaine’s Secret Lesbian Baby.

    3. Makkabee

      She’s going to steal his cheerleader uniform?

      1. Makkabee

        Damn it, Cholma beat me to it. 🙁

  7. HK-A6A7

    He is dead, isn’t he?

    1. Squall

      He will be in a few seconds

      1. Luzahn

        This will actually become a very tragic arc where Ruth deals with the emotional and legal consequences of her accidental murder of Blaine.

        1. Squall

          Law & Order: Campus Crusaders

        2. gangler

          “He told me he needed his femurs to live. I thought he was just being dramatic. Didn’t know he had a condition.”

        3. Yotomoe

          Blaine was in fact, 100% femur. His entire body was just a giant feumur which is why he was incapable of love. His heart, too, was a femur.

        4. Squall

          That makes his heart nigh-unbreakable, yet impenetrable as well.

        5. NightmareWarden

          In the old days bones were used as weapons… Could Ruth use femur-Blaine as a weapon for the rest of his life? It would encourage Ruth to hit more often and it would hurt Blaine more often. Everybody wins!

        6. DSL

          Ruth will toss him into the air and he will turn into a spacecraft that may or may not be a weapons platform?

        7. Toad

          You misspelled “entirely intentional”

        8. begbert2

          Luzahn was giving the “told in court” version.

          “This guy was chasing some girl and she said he was a violent abuser, so I stepped in to stop him as indicated by self-defense laws. I only used reasonable force to push him aside – I have no idea how he ended up stuck down that garbage chute with his femurs shoved up his ass. He must have tripped.”

      2. JustDucky

        We can hope.

      3. NerdHerder

        Spoiler alert: He has been the whole time.

        Blaine, now played by Bruce Willis.

        1. JBO

          I can see drunk people.

      4. Aulayan

        His death will happen in a few seconds. However, given how long it takes for a day to pass in the comic, the next few seconds will finally be resolved on October 12th.

        1. John

          Yay, birthday present for me!

    2. JBO

      Und Ankh Morpokian law what it would be considered suicide.

    3. Broken Products

      In a word? Cadaverific

  8. JustDucky

    <3 Ruth so damned much.

  9. EvergreenFir

    Ruthless make you toothless

    1. JBO

      Amazi-Girl made your stomach swirl.

      1. Yotomoe

        Billie will knock you silly

        1. Squall

          Joyce won’t give you a choice

        2. EvergreenFir

          Abortion joke? If so, I approve.

        3. JBO

          Dina will break your spleen-a.

        4. Totz the Plaid

          Sal will kill you, pal.

        5. RevenantBacon

          I would rhyme to, but I don’t have a clue.

        6. Yotomoe

          Raidah will Fight ya.

        7. ninja_jesus

          Joe will make the blood flow.

        8. NightmareWarden

          Danny will- Oh who am I kidding, Danny won’t do crap.

        9. JBO

          Faz will beat you with class.

        10. JBO

          Damn as soon as I post that one I have a better one:

          Faz will leave you in a mess.

        11. Totz the Plaid

          Walky will knock ye… out.

        12. Totz the Plaid

          Nah, JBO, Faz will still just be a self-absorbed ass. (I nearly said ‘spaz’ because that would actually rhyme, but that would be rude to anyone with a mental disability who might read this.)

          And NightmareWarden, I was going to say “Danny will kick your fanny,” but you’re right, and I laughed pretty damn hard at your comment.

        13. PrincessCarlos

          Faz will violate your ass

        14. Alyssa

          I think spaz would actually be an insult for folks with various kinds of palsy- they’re the ones reclaiming it sometimes, not the folks with intellectual disabilities or developmental ones other than palsys.
          But yes, good move on choosing ass instead.

        15. Bronze Knight

          Dorothy will sort ye.

        16. Totz the Plaid

          Sierra will impair ya.

        17. Yotomoe

          Mike will drive you through a spike.

        18. Squall

          See Robin and you’ll be throbbin’

        19. lilith

          Dot will kill you on the spot.

        20. lilith

          When he is angry Ethan is lethal.

        21. Totz the Plaid

          Jason will get his mace on.

          (I’m not going to clarify whether I mean the spray or the melee weapon.)

        22. Bronze Knight

          Sierra the Serrated suggests you stand clear.

        23. Fay

          The audience’s anger will fill you with fear.

        24. Totz the Plaid

          Roz will break your schnoz.

        25. lilith

          Leslie rips of your flesh-y.

      2. saltchocolate

        Sarah will scare ya.

        1. AsimovSideburns

          Oh god! Not the bat! Not the bat! Nooooooo!

        2. saltchocolate

          Oh yes indeed!

        3. Totz the Plaid

          Becky will break your necky.

  10. Madness2.4

    YES.

  11. Brian Lynch

    YES. YES. Do it, Ruthless! Sublimate and displace your issues all OVER his FACE.

    1. JebJeb

      You probably could of worded that better. Because my mind went somewhere horrible when I read that.

      1. The Candyman

        Yeah.

      2. Brian Lynch

        Horrible? Or WONDERFUL?

        1. NightmareWarden

          Horr-er-ful? Sounds like a holiday for Joe’s family.

    2. rachel

      p-p-p-p-perfect

  12. Luzahn

    Woo Ruth to the rescue!

  13. Mkvenner

    That last panel made me think of Pee-Jee & Aubrey.

    1. jeffepp

      Billy has the drunken half-asian part down…

  14. John

    Amazi-Girl/Ruthless team-up!

    1. Jack Finch

      <3

  15. xain

    Ruth the tactical nuke of diplomacy

    1. JBO

      No that would imply that she is never used.

      1. begbert2

        Pheh, you mean used twice, and dozens of times on defenseless islands as a form of posturing. Never underestimate the utility of a good nuke.

  16. AgentKeen

    Go ahead, Blaine. Tell Ruth that she’s weak, too. She isn’t as likely to hold back…

    1. Yotomoe

      Ruth? HOLD BACK ahahahahahaha, you’re a comedian, AgentKeen.

      1. Squall

        That’s why we love her. We’re masochists.

        1. Yotomoe

          I’m a sadist…my favorate victim is myself.

        2. Squall

          Everyone is a masochist for Ruth!!! She is the exception to the binary system!

        3. N0083rP00F

          She is where 01 and 01 make 11.

        4. Squall

          SHE IS THE 2

  17. JBO

    “Yay, now is fighty time, fighty time, blood blood blood!”

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Love that reference.

    2. Pyr05

      You made my day by quoting a game I’ve been playing on and off.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        The quote came from the comics first, after Deadpool shoryuken’d Kitty Pryde to get Wolverine to fight him.

  18. Ragnal

    Say goodbye to your femurs, Blaine.

  19. Gram91

    Okay, Willis is STARTING to earn forgiveness with this (See previous page for reference).

  20. TheStranger

    Blaine’s line in panel 2 is so ambiguous that I can’t figure out what he’s trying to convey. I mean, I’m guessing he’s seriously flustered right now, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t make sense (if you follow me) but I’m not entirely clear on what he’s threatening.

    1. JustDucky

      He pays Amber’s college expenses by court order. If he stops paying, he could go to prison. He is threatening to stop paying despite that.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        Yeah, not really ambiguous at all.

  21. Jon P

    “No beer and no Maple Leafs playoffs make Ruth go something something.”
    Go crazy?
    “DON’T MIND IF I DO!”

    1. Andy

      So, Ruth goes crazy every time she runs out of beer?

      1. Totz the Plaid

        Only if there’s no Leafs hockey and Marge is there to remind her.

  22. Z3tto

    And then everyone in the dorm teams up and kicks Blaine’s ass in an oh-so-satisfying orgy of violence.

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Well, there are several people standing on the same carpet, and there has been violence, so the original definition is already covered!

  23. Yotomoe

    Sierra’s adoptive parents are the best parents because they raised Sierra.

    1. JBO

      This is perfectly logical and very true.

    2. Ancestral Hamster

      That’s usually true of adoptive parents generally, as they WANT the child, and so have to go through all the bureaucratic morass. It’s more of an effort than the organic way, and requires some conscious decision making instead of simply having unprotected sex at the wrong time.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        Not always true of foster parents, though. Some are good and loving, but some just want the govt. money.

      2. Yotomoe

        But they don’t all raise SIERRA. key word.

  24. Emoroffle

    Femur removal time!

    1. Blackout

      Your avatar makes that all the more perfect.

  25. Pizzathehutt

    Who’s the old guy?

    1. rachel

      see alt-text my friend!

    2. Squall

      His name is Reno but he looks more like Rude

      1. ArkhamTexan

        So he likes both Aerith AND Tifa then?

        1. timemonkey

          I always liked Yuffie more myself.

        2. Hoboturtle

          Same, could never figure out why Yuffie got so much hate.

        3. Totz the Plaid

          Rude likes Tifa.
          Tseng’s the one who likes Aeris.*
          Elena likes Tseng.
          Reno’s never shown to like anyone specifically.

          *(Yes, I know Aerith is the correct spelling, but I still prefer the original mistranslation.)

      2. Keroshino

        I get that reference! 🙂

        1. Squall

          http://squallloir.tumblr.com/post/58671159701/sierras-dad

    3. Prickly

      Miyagi sensei. “Whacks on, whacks…. Oh, never mind.”

  26. Plasma Mongoose

    “He may try to take my life, but he’ll never take… MY COLLEGE TUITION!”

    1. Valdrax

      You know, you can always get student loans. As much as I hate my mountain of debt, I’d take it for a chance to see Blaine sent to prison.

      Oh, yes. That’d be worth it.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        It might be worth it IF you get a well-paying job as a result, otherwise it just plain sucks.

  27. rachel

    YESSSSSSS I just knew she would/could enlist the support of, yknow, THE ENTIRETY of the dorm. so happy that she did so!!

  28. Yotomoe

    Blaine, how many teenage/20-year old girls have to beat you up before you learn?

    1. rachel

      can we watch them all beat him up?

      ok that’s probably getting into a sadistic level.

      AH WELL BOMBS AWAY

    2. JebJeb

      All of them.

    3. JBO

      I hope it’s a high number. That way we can see him getting his ass kicked by many people.

    4. RobHagen

      ..I want like 10+ panels of punches from everyone in the DoA cast to Blaine’s face.

      1. Ocbrad1

        Cue the scene from Airplane!

    5. timemonkey

      Depends on how many get to him before Sarah and her bat get to him.

    6. Mason Kramer

      Hopefully, a lot more get to beat him up…

  29. LiamAldam

    Anyone else think Ruth’s behavior matches that of a particular campus vigilante?

    1. Yotomoe

      Ruth is Sal!
      …wait…
      Sal is Amber.
      Amber is Ruth!~
      …I’m getting closer!!!

      1. Squall

        Ruth is Sal, Sal is Amazi-Girl, Amazi-Girl is Amber, Amber is Spidercar, Spidercar is Batman. Ruth is Batman. QED

        1. Ray Radlein

          And we are all together. Goo goo goo joob

  30. CPP

    Blaine might stop paying for Amber’s college even if he goes to prison, but will he even if he goes to HELL?

    P.S. I genuinely seriously hope he goes to hell…

    1. Yotomoe

      I don’t think the devil wants to deal with him anymore than we do.

      1. Crimson Doom

        No, see, the Devil hires him because he’s good at his job, then sends him on very long extended trips on the parts of Earth that Satan isn’t planning on visiting for the next century or so.

        1. The Candyman

          Nah, Blaine has way too little charisma. Plus he can’t play the fiddle.

  31. Bemmie

    I couldn’t seem to get why Amber would back down here, considering how stubborn we’ve seen her be, then maybe I figured Amazi-Girl is off to find Danny to healthily work out some of that aggression?

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Amber assaulted Blaine. Dragging the situation out into the public where they can see his rage and abusive nature would likely legally protect her from any potential repercussions.

      1. Bemmie

        I can still imagine her off to don her amazi girl outfit and “working out” with Danny?

        1. Totz the Plaid

          Probably later. This sort of stress stays in your system for HOURS.

    2. David

      Amber is not interested in letting the situation spiral out of control. Giving both of them room after making her point is helping: it means he has to initiate another attack instead of being able to escalate in self-defense. That means he also has time to take the cost of the last attack into account and contemplate the cost for another one.

      Amber may have scored a hit, but it’s in her best interest to maximize its impact so that she does not need more of the same. Her knuckles (or what is left of them) will thank her for it.

  32. jaredstar1

    on another note this is the angriest i think i have ever seen sierra (in this universe anyways)

  33. Joe Stando

    That’s Sierra’s dad, then? Wanna meet that dad.

    1. Yotomoe

      I love everything about Sierra, including her dad who wants to talk this through.

      1. Leorale

        It’s also very cool that Sierra’s dad immediately gets between Amber and Blaine. He acts to deescalate the situation, but is also ready to take a punch for Amber if needed.

        1. wynne

          Sierra’s dad is the best dad. Dorothy’s dad seems cool and all, but Reno for #1 DoA Dad all the way.

    2. Rex Hondo

      I want to have a cookout and a few beers with them.

      Of course, in the next couple of comics, he’s probably going to just randomly take out his dick or something, because what are the chances that anybody in this comic has normal and emotionally healthy parents?

      1. Totz the Plaid

        Dotty seems to.

        1. Rex Hondo

          “Seems” is the right word. They’ve only been in two or three strips, so the jury’s still out.

  34. The Candyman

    Now everyone dogpile on Blaine.

  35. March

    Just watching him flinch when he realizes the Canadian ginger can and will knock out enough of his teeth to make any hockey player proud will be immensely satisfying. He’s the kind of person who needs to have the fear of a good curb-stomping put in him.

  36. MightionNY

    Ruthless vs. Blaine.

    Round one.

    Fight! 😀

    Seriously, Ruth knew all about Billie’s exploits; it makes sense to assume she’d have been equally informed about Amber’s father.

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Not necessarily. The divorce and court-ordered payments would certainly be in the file, but the reason for the divorce might not be.

      Billie’s stuff was in there, because those were actions taken by Billie herself. Blaine’s actions might not be in Amber’s file because the file is about Amber, not Blaine.

      1. David

        Well, it doesn’t matter whether the reasons are on file or not. Amber conveniently supplemented the available information just now.

  37. AHR

    FUCK YES RUTH

  38. TrueVCU

    oh my god yes yes yes

    I am having a revenge orgasm. I am having a vengeancegasm

  39. John

    (These are the parents I voted for.)

    1. Squall

      I voted for Ruth’s parents.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        I voted for Dina’s.

      2. Totz the Plaid

        …and instead you got Howard.

      3. Kelvandil

        “Slice-of-life is boring, I wish this was a zombie comic.”

    2. Yotomoe

      I vote for Sierra for every poll.

      1. The Candyman

        “Who’s your favorite blonde creationist?”
        “Sierra!”

        1. Squall

          “Who wears the best shoes?” “Sierra!”

        2. Totz the Plaid

          Yotomoe even manages to vote for Sierra when that’s not a poll option.

          “Which of the guys do you want to see more of?” “Sierra!”

          “Do you think the U.S. should raise taxes?” “Sierra!”

          Or, heck, he probably answers EVERY question with it:

          “What’s the weather like outside?” “Sierra! …it’s cloudy out.”

          …at least I hope that’s what happens.

          (And his responses to questions on here don’t disprove that. He probably types “Sierra”, then deletes it and types in an actual response, unless “Sierra” is an appropriate answer, in which case he leaves it there.)

        3. JBO

          Which political party do you support?
          SIERRA!
          Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi?
          SIERRA!
          Taco Bell or Pizza Hut?
          SIERRA!

        4. Yotomoe

          You don’t know how much Sierra Mist I end up getting cuz of that second question…

        5. Totz the Plaid

          I wish I could like that comment, Yotomoe.

        6. JBO

          Well maybe Willis will soon introduce the new format here two. Then you could up vote it.

        7. Plasma Mongoose

          Totz the Plaid, if Willis changes the comment to Disqus like he did in SP!, you will be able to like or dislike comments.

        8. John

          Oh gods I hope not. I hate Disqus. Half the time it doesn’t even work on my browser, and it never works well.

        9. Random832

          I just tried to change one of the option values to “Sierra” using chrome inspector and it said “please pick a valid poll option”.

  40. Pyr05

    I called it! Ruth in the hallway with a fist.

  41. ArkhamTexan

    A bully vs. an abuser? Well, at least there’s a canyon of a gap between what Ruth’s done and what Blaine’s done so I still call this black & white morality.

    Ruth can make more what? Faces? Blood? She can make an infinite pool of blood?

    1. Totz the Plaid

      She can make more blood pour out of him and onto his face.

      1. Ocbrad1

        And add to her femur collection.

  42. Ray Barrington

    If this had a soundtrack it would be played by Five for Fighting.

    1. Crimson Doom

      I dunno, last panel put the Mortal Kombat theme into my head.

  43. RobHagen

    Yay Ruthless! CANADIAN RAGE! CANADIAN RAGE! CANADIAN RAGE! CANADIAN RAGE!

    Death to his femurs!

  44. Fuzzydaemon

    Nobody is going to let Blaine touch Amber. I hope Ruth tears him up.

    Sierra has cool parents. You can see a side shot of her mom who looks outraged and incredulous.

    1. Yotomoe

      …I think she looks more surprised but we cannot see ANY of her face…sooooo…it’s up to speculation i guess

  45. Rich

    Big Damn Hero moment!

  46. Totz the Plaid

    I’m 100% certain that I’m not the only one hoping to see Ruth, Billie, Amber, and Sarah team up to literally kick Blaine out of the building. Maybe, if we’re lucky, Sal will get to join in on it as well by using him to demonstrate why you DON’T want to go out via a window without years of practice (and with the window closed).

    I seriously want to see an already beaten and bloodied Blaine get defenestrated.

    I doubt if Willis drew that, and he’s already 8 1/2 weeks ahead on the comic, so there’s no way he’s going to go back and add it, but I still want to see that.

    1. Doom Shepherd

      Empirical proof below.

  47. Doom Shepherd

    If this turns into a gang-beatdown, I will… explode in messy delight, or something.

  48. james

    YAY!! The Old testament God has sent his Canadian Angel of death to smite the wicked!

    1. MLEst1

      Your gravatar is oddly fitting… I have an image in my head, now, of Joyce being just offscreen, having escaped her parents, and telling this to Ethan…

  49. mechaqua

    Ruth grab his shirt lock him in and punch him till he falls down and don’t worry worst case scenario you’ll get a five minute penalty!

    1. Yotomoe

      Five minute penalty is a new slang term for 5 years in prison, right?

      1. mechaqua

        Well there is the possibility she could end up in the penalty box. But she could get her penalty reduced to roughing which is a two minute penalty.

        1. Squall

          I hope Blaine doesn’t get a penalty shot.

  50. Bob

    Did Blaine hit Amber’s mom in the Shortpacked continuity? I can’t remember. I felt like he was only psychologically abusive and maybe also a philanderer in that one.

    1. RobJustRob

      He did and he punched Amber in the face once.

    2. Kitschensyngk

      http://www.shortpacked.com/2012/comic/book-14/01-deady-dearest/great/

  51. Kitschensyngk

    He just keeps stepping in it, doesn’t he?

    1. Yotomoe

      It’s everywhere.

  52. newllend

    Ha,what know bongo your in the lions den

  53. Chaucer59

    Ooh, and now Ruth gets to cold-cock him? Whoo-hoo!

  54. vsophi

    Sierra was adopted?!

    …why am I just now finding out about this

    1. Jack Finch

      News to me too.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        I read the blog post that mentioned it, but it had slipped my mind until I saw the alt text.

    2. David Willis

      Everyone’s finding out about it! It’s new information.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        Really? I’ve got an odd sense of deja vu about it, like you’d mentioned it somewhere before, and I’d just forgotten…

    3. Leorale

      Hooray diverse types of families!

      1. The Candyman

        All we need now is a mixed family and we’re set.

  55. Jesse

    I thought she could take him on her own, since she’s been fighting people left and right.

  56. Rex Hondo

    YOU WANTED HER!
    YOU ASKED FOR HER!
    WELL, TONIGHT, YOU’VE GOT HER!!

    NOW STEPPING INTO THE RING, THREE DAYS SOBER AND READY TO INDULGE IN HER OTHER ADDICTION, VIOLENCE:

    RUTH “RUTHLESS” LESSICK!!!!

    1. Yotomoe

      Now, Billie’s and Everyone else.
      LET’S GET READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. JBO

        I SO want to see Ruth and Billie tack team that ass.

        1. Yotomoe

          This is not the context I imagined I’d first hear that statement used in.

    2. rustygreenscales

      Loving your gravatar for this post

  57. Nena

    Get ‘im Ruthie!

  58. jaimehlers

    Ordinarily, I’m not much for violence. But it sounds like this guy is begging for more of it.

    Never mind that he’s required to pay for Amber’s college expenses by court order (which means his statement about owning the room is false), but he actually tried to intimidate his daughter into backing down, and then got himself further into it by chasing her around and making wild threats.

    He’s not just a bully, he’s a stupid bully. And like many bullies, he doesn’t know how to react when someone isn’t afraid of him.

    1. Totz the Plaid

      His statement about owning the room was false anyway. It’s being rented TO Amber AND Dina by the college, who own it entirely. It’s Amber and Dina who are legally rooming there, and it is, again, the college’s property.

      Also, I’m almost 100% pacifist, but people who actively abuse others (whether it be physically, psychologically, emotionally, or sexually) are one of my exceptions to the rule.

  59. Plasma Mongoose

    The only thing we need now is to add Joyce’s parents to the mix and the shit will really be stirred then.

    1. Squall

      The Shitnado has already begun. This is the end of days

    2. Rex Hondo

      Much as violence against Blaine is amusing, his misogyny and threatening posture triggering a flashback for Joyce and reducing her to screaming, flailing violence would be one of the more disturbing turns this story could take.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        …which, in turn, could trigger the Browns trying to pull her out of IU, and Sarah symbolically redeeming herself for getting her previous roommate pulled out of school by arguing in favor of Joyce staying.

        I just kinda hope we get to see Sarah stand up for her “little sister” again during this arc.

        1. Totz the Plaid

          I mean, that would not be fun for anyone, and would be a VERY dark turn for the story, but if Willis did decide to go there, it could still turn out more positively (which would actually equal “bittersweet” at best overall, but, yeah).

        2. Rex Hondo

          Oh, it would have the potential to be fascinating to read, agreed, just disturbing and depressing as all hell.

  60. Pat

    You’re the one with blood on your face…
    But she’s the one fleeing. And you’re the one chasing her. And making threats.
    Maybe the witnesses noticed some of those things, too?

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Bingo.

      I’ve made that exact point in a couple other comments (though with different wording).

      Amber’s assault of Blaine will get written off as self-defense because of what the others are witnessing.

  61. Somebody

    I thought he would be the type who backs down if someone really stands up to him.

  62. A-A-A-Albi

    IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER

  63. Somebody

    Again I’m sorry, Willis. I’m not being sarcastic; I really mean that.

  64. Anonymous

    “Yes. Yes, you’re the one with blood on your face, and /chasing threateningly after the smaller person involved who is running away/.” So very dickish.

    It’s curious; with Joyce I often want to wring her neck and/or hammer sense through her skull with some sort of Matrix information-downloader, but with this character I can just peacefully despise him without any of the same gnawingness. Perhaps it’s ‘hope’, in that Joyce is well-meaning and has horribly flawed ways of acting on that, whereas this character is pretty thoroughly just a lost cause.

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Makes sense.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        Also, Blaine’s continued patterns of abuse are worse than Joyce’s ignorance by a long shot.

    2. Ancestral Hamster

      Also, Joyce is ignorant, but she is trying to work through her preconceptions as events demonstrate what she’s been taught is not necessarily true. She’s growing. Blaine is too set in his ways to change. In his view, he’s perfect and everyone else needs to do things his way for the world to run right. He is incapable of growth.

      1. Totz the Plaid

        …just like my dad.

        He only hit me once (that I can remember, and that was a repressed memory, so…), and he wasn’t so openly emotionally abusive, more manipulative in his psychological and emotional abuse, but just as egotistical.

        He did likely hit, or at least threaten my mom, though. She divorced him when I was less than a year old, and he won custody only because she had nobody to stay with in Michigan, so she had to stay with friends of hers in Indiana and that made it incredibly difficult for her to make it to court on time consistently.

        She wasn’t able to take me with her, because he wouldn’t let her. This has been stated by both parents, but in a less threatening manner by my dad, trying to paint himself in a positive light.

        He’s always seen himself as being infallible. He even quit college and ran off to Yellowstone because he didn’t study for one of his tests, and the professor wouldn’t move it to a different day for him.

        He’s also openly admitted to (somehow) lying about having a roommate while working at Yellowstone to keep his room to himself, secretly breaking, then openly repairing a toaster in the kitchen while at college to manipulate his way into getting free food, and other manipulative, scheming things.

        He’s also misogynistic, racist, homo/transphobic, and a general misanthrope as well.

        He also effectively sexually abused me by making me sleep in the same bed with him for years, despite there being another bed in that very same room (there were only two of us in the house) and other rooms I could have slept in as well.

        He’d always build up my ego, then undercut it by ranting and “lecturing” me on the smallest things. Even from a young age he’d start one of those “lectures” with some small thing I did (like leaving my shoes just a bit too far out from the wall after taking them off. Literally.) and move onto other problems in his life, tying it into a whole big ball of blame thrown at me for things I had nothing to do with. He’d also keep dredging up stuff from years past as time went on.

        Nothing was _ever_ his fault. He ended up “quitting” an awful lot of jobs as he raised me. Eventually it became obvious that he was getting fired, but I never mentioned that to him, because I didn’t want him turning things on me.

        He also alienated all of his former friends. He’d always bongo about people behind their backs, even when I knew he was in the wrong. He’d openly antagonize people (still does, last I heard) then bongo when it got him in trouble, claiming he was the victim.

        He’d make everything about himself as well.

        Sorry for venting so much about him. I avoid dealing with him as much as possible, but today there was a family lunch at a restaurant and he sat across from me, I couldn’t move from my spot, otherwise it might have caused a scene, because he’s like that. So, anyway, the point is, discussion of Blaine after dealing with that asshole has brought up a lot of stuff I need to vent. Especially since there are a lot of similarities between them.

        1. Ancestral Hamster

          That’s okay. This must be a tough storyline for you and similar victims of abuse. I hope you have a support system to ease the burden.

        2. Totz the Plaid

          I do. I’ve been in therapy, and friends (as well as the family members who know about what he’s like) are all supportive as well.

          As for the other family members, bringing it up when he’s not actively doing anything would just create drama and wouldn’t help anything, so I just do my best to avoid him around them.

        3. kelticat

          My sister is going to group therapy after her divorce. Her therapist told her that it takes five days to recover every time someone explodes at you. And for every three years of marriage, you need one year to recover. I would say the same for any bad relationship.

        4. Totz the Plaid

          Also, thank you.

          And this storyline’s been a little triggering, but more cathartic since Amber’s been badass about cutting him down to size.

        5. Nat

          This comment made me cry. Thanks for making me realize that I should leave my family as soon as possible.

      2. Somebody

        It’s one thing to believe something and admit it could be wrong. She essentially said “nuh uh, evolution doesn’t happen” without real question. I know some are taught that it’s incompatible, but lack of knowledge only goes so far.

  65. Ryan

    YES. YES YES YES. FUCK HIM UP, RUTH. FUCK HIM UP.

  66. Ancestral Hamster

    While Blaine is digging himself deeper, what I want to know is how Amber and her mom can get him permanently out of their lives. In a previous comic I wrote I wanted him fed feet-first into a wood chipper, but realistically that’s not an option. Legally, what can be done that will actually stick? (A restraining order isn’t going to cut it. As a large number of dead women prove, restraining orders don’t work when the man is either too stupid, too crazy, or too effing violent to give a damn about the consequences.)

    1. Totz the Plaid

      That’s a tough one.

      He’s likely to be banned from the IU campus, which will help Amber somewhat for now, but her mom might still be at risk.

      Then again, he’s been content to stay out of their lives for three years now, aside from the court-ordered payments, and the opportunity to lord it over Amber here, now that she’s an adult, so… *shrugs*

      I guess we can just hope that Willis ends up killing him off again in this universe.

      1. Ancestral Hamster

        Thanks for the answer. Suspected this wasn’t an easy problem to resolve.

        As for Blaine and the plot, perhaps he’ll have a rage-induced stroke. A friend from college told me that happened to a notorious bully from his HS a few years after graduation.

        1. Somebody

          Did he or she die from it or just suffer brain/nerve damage.

      2. Ridureyu

        he goes berserk, attacks the police, and either goes to prison for a long time, or is shot in self-defense.

        1. Totz the Plaid

          …I can see that. It’ll more likely be a tazer, unless Willis decided to have the death just off-panel, but I can see Blaine totally attacking the cops and getting f’ed up for it.

    2. Quatoria

      Death or prison, I suspect. My life seems to bear that out, at least.

  67. Potato-The-Faaace

    RIP OUT HIS FEMURS AND.HIT HIM IN THE FACE WITH THEM, RUTH!!

  68. Ridureyu

    I can just see him going berserk and attacking everyone in the hall, and then assaulting campus security, and then the police…

    …And not showing up in the comic ever again 🙂

    1. Kiggy

      ^^^this^^^

      1. Ridureyu

        I’d be very happy if he attacked the cops, they were forced to shoot him, and we spent at least three cokmics watching him helplessly gurgle out his last moments.

        Yeah, he’s so hateful that it wouldn’t seem excessive.

    2. Andrew_C

      Great, I’ve now got an image of Blaine going “Don’t Taze me, Bro!” stuck in my head. I hope you’re happy.

      1. Squall

        Inspiration!
        http://squallloir.tumblr.com/post/58729825952/look-at-me-im-the-one-thats-bleeding

  69. Potatamoto

    Heh…Amber’s doing just what Ethan only threatened to do the first time Blaine showed up in Shortpacked!

    Go ahead Blaine…give Ruth an excuse. Let’s just nail your coffin shut right now.

  70. Kiggy

    Woohoo! Go RuthLESS!!!!!

  71. Thor

    So this is a little meta, but I hope it doesn’t violate one of the rules too much…but are we going to get a Disqus make-over here like you have over in the Shortpacked! comments?

    1. David Willis

      I don’t currently plan on it, but it’s not impossible.

      1. Squall

        Don’t do it! We’ll end up like YouTube commenters!

    2. Andrew_C

      I hope to God not. Lets see how long it takes for Disqus to dissolve into a clusterfuck over at Shortpacked. Upvotes are nice but downvotes and editing will just end in tears.

      1. David Willis

        Pffft. I will rule it with an iron fist.

        1. Squall

          You will kill us all!

        2. Crimson Magic

          Or worse! Let us live

        3. The Candyman

          Rule it like a Caesar, Willis, like a Caesar.

      2. Somebody

        Yeah one of Spoony’s videos erupted into a flame war about feminism and the MRA thing.

      3. Crimson Magic

        But tears are delicious!

  72. Gottawonder

    Totally loving Ruth. Kick his ass over his shoulders. I got a feeling Sierra’s parents will be glad to help.
    Smooth move Amber, get it all out in public where he won’t have a leg to stand on legally.
    Unfortunately the only way to get rid of Blaine(s) is to move, leaving no forwarding address. Or kill him.

    1. Heavensrun

      Actually, from the way he interceded, Sierra’s dad strikes me as a peacemaker, not an ass kicker.

  73. NightmareWarden

    Reno, you are a brave braaaave man for touching that disgusting thing. You’d better go wash the filth off your hands before it stains.

  74. Fay

    All in favor of Ruth beating him up, say “AYE!”.

  75. Totz the Plaid

    I think Amber might now be my favorite girl in DoA.

    Billie had it locked in merely for body type + outfits that accentuate said curves.

    Dorothy was second for freckles and having a personality that’s MUCH more my type than Billie’s personality is.

    Amber’s got better curves than Dotty (though not quite as good as Billie), she’s also geeky, like Dotty, and now she’s taking down an abuser, which happens to also give me some cathartic relief? Even her attraction to Danny doesn’t lessen her appeal anymore!

    (The fact that all three wear glasses is a plus for all of ’em.)

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Actually, thinking about it, Billie and Amber are kinda tied in the curves dept… Billie’s got a softer midsection, which I dig, but Amber’s got the hips and butt…

      1. Leorale

        And a lower center of gravity.

    2. David

      Huh. Ok, we are talking comic strip characters here, but still a favorites sorting order largely based on midriff shaping seems weird to me. Feels like picking one’s favorite beer based on bottle shape. Well, bad example since there is not much else to go by regarding comic strip beer, but you get my drift.

      1. Leorale

        Totz did mention Dorothy’s and Amber’s personality types, interests and recent behaviours, too, not just their relative shapeliness. (Me, I just wanted to make a reference to the previous comic.)

        But now you’re causing me to think: Is it OK to objectify a character design? Art *is* an object; a character design doesn’t have humanity to take away. But it does kinda annoy me when superheroines are always super-boobalicious, and I’d feel weird to have this conversation about actual people.

        Where’s Leslie? I need to take a Gender Studies class!

  76. fishamaphone

    Okay, yes, this is exactly what I was hoping for a few days back. An enraged punch doesn’t feel like an Amber reaction, but an enraged punch followed by this exchange is exactly right. Go Willis.

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Amber’s too smart to just punch him. That would get her in trouble for assault, potentially.

      This makes it look like self defense (which it might have been… preemptively…).

      1. Leorale

        Even if Blaine was a litigating type of guy, I hope this would be considered self-defense, even though Amber punched first. Dude was clearly threatening her, verbally and physically, and he was between her and the door. Amber did exactly enough damage to get away, and none further.

        (Although we can always hope for Ruth to bust out her hockey stick. She’d be just like Sarah, only more Canadian!)

  77. Karen

    I haven’t been able to support Ruth’s “redemption” through the last few months. It shifted too suddenly and she was too awful for me to really buy it. However, it’s nice to see her directing her rage at someone who probably reminds her of her own father.

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Ruth just has a lot of aggression, which wasn’t helped by her drinking. She’s still been incredibly imposing, we’ve just gotten a bit more of a three-dimensional view of her.

      It’s not “redemption” so much as “character depth being shown by Willis.”

      1. Heavensrun

        Also, she -wasn’t- awful to anybody but Billie. That’s the point. She -tormented Billie, and now we know why. To anybody else, she was regarded as a hardass, which she didn’t discourage, but even that was mostly because of her treatment of Billie.

        1. Karen

          Tormenting is something that takes a fair bit of personality development for me to get over. Having been bullied, a few “sorries” and an explanation of the reasoning won’t flip the switch from asshole to okay person. The last bunch of comics showing Ruth have been a lot more sympathetic than I think is appropriate under the circumstances. Most of the commenters are totally okay with her now that her Tragic Past is explained. I can’t let her off the hook that easily.

          Also, the kiss and the ensuing romance-ish thing with Billie is still too squicky for me. It’s such a brutal emotional shift that I can hear the transmission complaining and grinding.

    2. Rokk

      I think it’s her grandfather, actually. Early on we see her getting wasted after a conversation with someone she calls ‘sir’. Her parents are presumably dead, hence the move from Canada to the US, but that doesn’t mean her grandfather is nice. Just a thought.

      1. Regalli

        What do you mean, “presumably”? I’m pretty sure it said they were killed outright.

        1. Totz the Plaid

          Yeah, she told Billie how a drunk driver killed them, and has referred to being orphaned more than once since.

          Yep, found it. Panel 4: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/03-answers-in-hennessy/not-directly/

          Billie calls her an orphan here. Panel 2: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/expecting/

          Ruth again mentions her parents deaths in panel 2 here: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/cookie/

          I love the character tags for helping me find this stuff.

  78. PedanticJerkass

    There’s a Louis CK set where he’s talking about a guy telling him to suck a bag of dicks and part of it is him trying to figure out what a bag of dicks would even look like. Well, just take a look at panel two there, Mr. CK. That’s your answer.

  79. Gizen

    While I whole-heartedly side with Amber in this confontation, I do have to worry a little bit about getting a crowd involved. Judging by the fact that Blaine’s not already in jail, I can only assume Amber and her mother never went to the police about the domestic abuse they suffered (or they did but had no evidence), and that either way, while the abuse clearly did occur, she has no evidence to back up the claim she just made, while Blaine now has a busted lip with which he could make a claim of assault. Not that he looks smart enough/willing to further damage his pride in order to do so. Nor do I imagine Willis would be willing to write any story in which Blaine receives anything but his ass handed to him.

    Still… I don’t even know what I’m saying I guess. Just that if I launched the first strike, even if I was provoked into doing so by someone who’d done much worse, I’d still probably be a bit wary personally of gathering a crowd who had not seen what the jackass had done first hand. But then, I guess that’s actually one of the issues that victims often have to deal with?

    1. Totz the Plaid

      A number of the witnesses know Amber and trust her. Meanwhile, Blaine, who is much taller than her and chasing her while yelling threats.

      Even though she did launch the first strike, they’re already assuming it was in self-defense. And honestly? While it was preemptive, it probably would’ve ended up being self-defense had she chosen to continue talking rather than decking him.

    2. Leorale

      I’ve worked with domestic violence crises on occasion. Most DV victims decide not to press charges, for many reasons, including the fear that other people won’t believe them, as you mentioned.

      There are many reasons that a DV victim might choose not to go to court yet, even if they have tons of evidence. (for example, they might feel too traumatized, and testifying might feel like re-living the violence. They might want to protect the perpetrator, or fear violent retaliation. They might have false hope that things will get better.)

      It’s always the victim’s choice whether to press charges (which is right), but going to court is difficult (which sucks), and not everyone does it, or does it immediately.

      Anyway. The fear about not being believed, which you mentioned: you can actually preemptively address that one for people in your life. Please let your friends know that if they ever get in a terrible situation, you’ll believe them and support them. Find a way to bring it up. You never know whom it might help.

      1. Leorale

        Oof! That was long. Sorry to go on a rant, there. Upshot is: Let your friends know that you’ll believe them.

        1. Totz the Plaid

          Not as long as my other rant…

          But yeah, a friend of mine was raped a few years back while ill, and in some sort of abusive relationship to the point that she was afraid to tell anyone or even get her stuff from his place.

          I tried to do what I could to help her, but for the same reasons you said, she was too reluctant to talk to the police about it.

      2. Somebody

        I don’t think it’s right…violent crime should be investigated, victim pressing charges or not. Things like rape are also a crime against the community.

  80. Hybrid2

    Being confronted to a woman.
    Oh yeah,he will react well.
    *grab pop corn*

  81. Nohar

    I’ve never been so happy to see one fictional character stand up for herself.

  82. CianM1301

    Go on Ruth, get him! Kick his ass!

    1. VizardJeffhog

      Nice avy, broheim!

      1. CianM1301

        Thanks!

  83. Jackalpants

    I cannot stres enough how much I love Reno here. He’s offering a way to talk out a situation that has clearly already become violent, and his hand does not leave Blaine’s chest.

    That right there is how you do this. Blaine’s got six inches and about two stone on the man and Reno is still in between Blaine and anyone else he can hurt. Willis, Reno is now my favourite character, spinoff please

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Yeah. That is pretty badass.

    2. Andrew_C

      Yeah, Sierra’s parents definitely seem impressive. I wouldn’t be surprised if her mom is calling campus security off panel. I hope I could react like that in a similar situation. I’m afraid I’d probably end up gaping in horror like the Saruyama’s.

  84. CiaranLovejoy

    I really want Sierra & Mike to get together, that would be great… 🙂

  85. fangseeker

    How do you read the alt text and where do you find it?

    1. Geegles

      Just hover over the comic with your mouse and it should show up!

      1. Kamino Neko

        If you’re reading on a phone or tablet, you’re out of luck.

        1. The Candyman

          Stop discriminating against tablet users, Willis! Use comic descriptions like a decent person!

        2. fangseeker

          I am using a phone. Curses!

        3. Totz the Plaid

          Just look at the page source info.

  86. Chill

    And, as a bonus, if bLaine somehow manages to defeat Ruth, Billie and Howard will probably also show up to kick his ass.

    …Though the latter will get beaten in less than a second.

    1. Rex Hondo

      Won’t everybody be surprised when Howard just walks right up behind Blaine and slits his throat while giggling and muttering “Game of Thrones…”

      1. Totz the Plaid

        Howard would stumble on the way and slit his own throat accidentally and gurgle “Game of Thrones…” as his last words.

  87. David Burnward

    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH
    NOW YOU FUCKED UP

  88. Jake

    And here I was hoping for an actual brawl. But no~o~o~o.

    No one every writes for the unending fury archetype. Nope, it’s just bullies, jerks and racists.

  89. Jack Finch

    Even if they send you to prison? Now there’s an idea!

  90. Notebooked

    Sierra is transforming into zombie mode with sheer fury.
    Also oh HECK, did Ruth’s dad cheat on her mom in this universe as well? No wonder Ruth is the first one here.

  91. Jack Finch

    And…as repulsive as Blaine is, I’m not cutting Stacy any slack for standing Amber up the way she did. Priorities man.

    1. Quatoria

      Shit, Stacy had absolutely no reason to expect that her piece of shit ex-husband would suddenly show up in their lives again after being gone for three years. Let the lady enjoy some Joe-Sr-ing.

      1. ShadowMaskPrime

        I’m surprised they don’t have some form of restraining order…

      2. Sir Robin

        If a chance for a Joe-ing comes up, you don’t turn it down

        Even with Joe’s Dad, it still count as getting Joe’d

      3. SHAZAM

        Honestly I’m just hoping she’s getting the most fulfilling sex of her life like she did with Jacob in the walkyverse. That’s the only excuse she can have for not seeing Blaine suffer.

    2. wynne

      She didn’t stand her up. She texted.

      1. Rex Hondo

        She texted her well after she was supposed to meet her. That still counts as standing someone up. It doesn’t make it any better that she stood her up so she could have a hook-up with some guy she had known for literally about 30 seconds.

        Nope, not a lot of slack being given from this quarter.

  92. Arkadi

    Sierra’s dad! I like him already ^^

  93. Kobold

    I’m now shipping Blaine with Ryan. They’re going to bond over common interests – that is, evil, and being punched in the face.

    1. Rokk

      Now if only Sarah could show up with her baseball bat there’d be the trifecta…

  94. Nym

    I approve of Reno so, so much.

  95. VizardJeffhog

    SOMEONE CALL MIKE FOR DOUBLE THE PUNCHING

  96. Henry

    Oh, this gon’ be good!

  97. Sir Robin

    I want to see Ruth destroy him so much

  98. El Tebbaro De Bertopia

    YES! Ruth clearly has perfect timing and continues to be one of my favorite characters!

  99. Dan Shive

    Super impressed with Sierra’s dad right now. I’m impressed with Ruth, too, but Ruth is an established tough person, and this is what I expected from her. Sierra’s dad is someone we’ve never seen before who’s a full head shorter than this jerk, and he just stepped right up and calmly confronted him.

    1. wynne

      Indeed! Kudos to everyone except Blaine on this page, really.

  100. Andy

    Alright, here’s something I don’t get. Blaine is required to pay for college, right? And he’s threatening to not pay. Can his wages not be garnished? I know debt collectors can garnish wages, so it would be odd (to say the least) if that wasn’t an option for child support and similar payments.

    1. bhtooefr

      In some states, I believe child support can cause garnished wages.

      However, there’s ways to avoid that (one of which is simply refusing to work above the table), but you’re still liable for it. Failure to pay it is a crime, and you can end up in jail for it.

    2. Totz the Plaid

      I just looked it up, and this: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-rights-book/chapter2-9.html implies that his wages would be garnished for child support if he refused to pay.

  101. Michael

    PREPEARE, FOR MORTAL KOMBAT! *Turns on Mortal kombat movie theme*

    1. Charles RB

      FINISH HIM!

      1. Michael

        Flawless victory! Ruthless wins. Fatality!

  102. Charles RB

    I hereby rename Epic Win to Ruth Win.

  103. Tufto

    I have a sudden, unexpected and mildly disturbing urge to see some violence. Namely, Ruth-destroying-Blaine violence.

    Woo! 😀

    1. LookingIn

      That would ease her rough image over a little, hopefully get her to come out of her shell a little.

  104. Toes14

    I would have loved to see Dina’s parents use some Kung Fu on his butt. Being so quiet and polite, but then unleashing a flurry of spin kicks as needed.

    1. David Willis

      Dina’s family does not know martial arts.

      1. Josh

        THEY DO IN MY HEADCANON! DON’T TRY TO RUIN THIS FOR ME!

        1. The Candyman

          Dina’s parents are actually masters of pankration.

          Not all martial arts are from Asia.

      2. Heavensrun

        Pffft. Asians who don’t know martial arts. Surely, Willis, you are a master of comedy.

      3. xKiv

        That reminds me of a story one of our teachers told us once …

        Gang of hoodlums: we know kung-fu!
        She: I know kung-pao!
        Gang: O_O (runs away)

      4. Totz the Plaid

        They know _of_ martial arts, though… which still doesn’t help them help against Blaine.

        I bet they know arts and crafts, though!!!

    2. turbanous

      I bet they are expexert snipers/marksmen and have been training Dina wife she could hold a weapon. That’s why they are so quiet and appear when they are least expected.

  105. Gargamel

    Why didn’t Amber finish hi- ah clever.

    1. Totz the Plaid

      Amber’s no fool.

  106. XMinusOne

    “Beat on the brat with a baseball bat, oh yeah, uh-huh!” *channeling the Ramones*

  107. RTH2

    Adding Ruth, who is my favorite character in DOA, to this, which was already awesome, has made it my new favorite moment in the comic so far.

  108. ShadowMaskPrime

    Next time on Dumbing of Age…
    Ruth: I’m going to rip out your femurs and beat you four fifths to death with them!
    Blaine: What the Hell is a femur?
    *Joe’s Dad bursts from a door, half naked, pants around his ankles*
    Dr R: It’s the thigh bones, the most proximal (closest to the center of the body) bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. I know about these things, I’m a Bone Doctor!
    Stacy: Blaine?!
    Blaine: Stacy!?

    1. Crimson Magic

      I hope this becomes canon

  109. Heavensrun

    I’m calling it. Blaine takes a swing at Ruth and Billie kicks him in the balls for it.

    1. silvestercrow

      While Ruth beats him with his own blody femurs in the faaaace!

  110. Memyself

    Personally, if I were Amber I wouldn’t touch his money.

    1. Eggplant

      Cool, I didn’t know college was free of charge in Indiana.

      1. Memyself

        There are other paths.

        1. ShadowMaskPrime

          Cool, I didn’t know prostitution was legal in Indiana.

        2. Memyself

          Yeah, financial aid is prostitution. Same with working your way through college or attending a JC first so as to minimize costs. Or trade school, or simply not going to college.

        3. ShadowMaskPrime

          You should have mentioned those in the first place instead of leaving yourself open to the same joke twice in a row.

        4. Memyself

          Why? Point is if I were in Amber’s shoes I wouldn’t want the guys money. The rest should be obvious enough as to not require explanation.

  111. Jezi Belle

    I’ve been reading DoA and Shortpacked! for a while and never commented on either.

    Tonight, I am compelled to, for the first time, to say this.

    OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH, SHIT, HERE IT GO

  112. Cheryl

    I HOPE RUTH FARTS ON EVERYTHING HE LOVES!!!

  113. JustcallmeSoul

    and i regretted wanting to mean JOYCE’S parents…

  114. AliaPie

    I love this. He’s getting what he deserves.

  115. motorfirebox

    aw dang. its about to be violents up in.

  116. Maycroft

    She’ll do it!!

  117. Rheios

    I love how Blaine is the great uniter. It doesn’t matter your creed, color, or even your opinions on any one character in the comic. Everyone who’s anyone can be joined together in hating this guy. It makes the whole concept of the Code:Geass final Zero plan seem like something to give everyone hope. That someday there will be something that everyone considers so abhorrently an enemy that we join together just to spit in its eye. (Granted I imagine there will still be some argument on how much violence is acceptable. My stance on Blaine being ALL OF IT.)

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