291

Bust
Posted on February 9, 2014 by David M Willis

291 thoughts on “Bust”

  1. Geminia999

    What’s on the poster?

    1. Doctor_Who

      It’s a cheerleader uniform, obviously. 😉

      1. Geminia999

        I meant the one obscured by Billie’s head

        1. David Herbert

          Robert Pattinson.

        2. Ivan

          The Kramer.

        3. nothri

          Some bloke.

        4. KJ

          Andrew Garfield, of recent Spider-Man fame.
          Also seen here.

        5. RevenantBacon

          Ahhh, memories.

        6. BlackIo

          That’s actually Andrew Garfield. Willis confirmed that a while back.

        7. Animal

          Adolphe Menjou.

    2. LiaHansen

      Andrew Garfield, I think. When someone asked that in this strip: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/06-strange-beerfellows/schoolymccool/#comment , Willis said it was an actor Billie said she found attractive. Based on that, this other strip: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/05-saturdays-all-right-for-slighting/people/ and the general likeness, I think it’s a safe bet.

    3. Simon

      It’s Andrew Garfield.

      http://www.voodou.co.uk/latest-news/featured-news/a-well-respected-man/attachment/andrew-garfield-bw-copyright-gordon-french-ltd/

    4. Agent SNiffles

      Clearly, it is a large flatscreen TV with the video for “take on me” in the background.

      1. khambatta

        For Ruth it was dungarees, for Billie it was Aha. Together they found love through the ’80s?

  2. Idon'tcarenomore

    Holy Shit.

  3. KingMabel

    JUST FUCK ALREADY!!!

    1. Gram91

      I think you mean:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPFIn8dW3Fk

    2. Myrcella's Ear

      I second this comment very, very much.

      1. lejwocky

        Third.

        1. Tunaro

          4’ded

        2. SuperActionJackson

          5th’d

    3. Salmo

      Ruth and Billie perform a mutual sex?

      1. saltchocolate

        Wasn’t Dotty’s and Walky’s performance mutual?

        1. Salmo

          Well, yes, but the pressure was higher for him, which made him the viewpoint character, I guess? I just feel that as they’re both stepping into newish territory, as was Walky, both their names would be in the title.

          It’s possible I’m overthinking this.

        2. TPman

          the correct title would be “Ruth and Billie Perform a Sex”. The participation of each of them in the sex is equally important so they must both be mentioned. There is however, no need to highlight the fact that the sex is “mutual” because sex is by default a mutually performed act. Unless there is a specific need to highlight the non-rape nature of the act, “mutual” does not belong in the title.
          Finally, please try to put a more appropriate level of thought into things like this.

        3. Bill

          You know, I’ve been wondering why Willis used the term “performed a sex”.  That phrase is awkward as hell, and I have never in my life ever heard anybody refer to it in quite this manner.  I expect to hear “perform” in terms of a feat of skill, such as figure skating (“Walky performs a double Axel”), or a public exhibition (“Walky performs ‘Margaritaville’ on karaoke night”).

        4. David Willis

          It’s used because the phrase is purposefully awkward.

        5. anonymous

          Some people just aren’t very good at irony, I guess.

        6. John

          Walky’s first time is on the Internet. How is that not a public exhibition? Dorothy’s relying on all the Presidential candidates having done sex tapes by the time she’s old enough to run.

          And feat of skill? I dunno, Dorothy gave it two thumbs up.

          (Actually, come to think of it, Walky’s had two first times on the Internet.)

        7. Boom

          So Walky does like it up him then?

        8. Heavensrun

          (Dorothy vs Roz in 2072!)

        9. Animal

          Sex can be a feat of skill. Believe you me, sex can be a feat of skill.

        10. Opus the Poet

          And people who don’t believe you are normally very bad at sex… along with lonely.

    4. Mr. Random

      You’re just saying that because you want Willis to draw it.
      But yes. I agree.

      1. Gram91

        I’m curious as to if that Shortpacked page about drawing porn last week was past tense or present tense.

        1. Mr. Random

          Willis draws SP! When it’s supposed to post. DoA is drawn months ahead.
          Take this as you will.

        2. John

          I think it was present tense, but there were also hints that the performers were SP! Robin and Leslie.

      2. Ghola

        The real question is which one wears the cheerleader uniform.
        They should wrestle for it.
        *Sage nod*

    5. SuperActionJackson

      Here I was…hoping my first ever comment on DoA would be that reference, and someone beat me too it.

      Man, that’s why I love this comic.

  4. Wonder Wig

    Speaking of bust, Billie might need to get that tailored.

    1. Rosicrucian

      Maybe not. Ruth’s got a good eye…

      1. Porglezomp

        Or she used the keys to measure her in the night.

        1. Yotomoe

          She probably just used some a couple of melons for scale.

        2. Allcool-dontcare

          Or she just checked the size of the old cheerleader uniform

        3. Boom

          Poppycock.

      2. David

        “Just let me feel your measurements.”

    2. David

      She’s counting on Billie training to fit.

    3. Rheinman

      I was thinking her old uniform would be agreeably tight after she gained her “freshman 15”, but then I remembered that only five weeks or somesuch have passed in the story although I have been reading about it for years.

  5. Cholma

    Time for some Ruth/Billie role playing!

  6. John

    So the question is, did Ruth actually arrange for a cheerleader spot for Billie, or is this just for bedtime roleplay?

    1. The Candyman

      Unfortunatly, I’m not sure they’re at that level yet.

    2. John

      And if the former, how?

      I’m envisioning her hunting down one of the existing cheerleaders, slaying her via femurectomy, and claiming her spot in the squad by right of conquest. And taking her uniform to give to Billie.

      Fortunately, it’s crimson! The bloodstains don’t show!

      1. Kiggy

        femurectomy…..Baaaaahahahahaaaah. Good one XD

        1. gka

          It’s only funny until you try to visualize it. XD

        2. John

          Depends how you visualize it! I’m picturing this poor femurless cheerleader with her legs all wibbly-wobbly flopping around like a beached fish. It’s pretty funny!

      2. Bill

        I’m LOLing over the idea of assuming the position by right of conquest!!

        1. Jen Aside

          You mean… that’s NOT how it happens?? Galasso’s reign is not supreme?? D=

        2. bibulb

          Thank you, now I’m imagining Galasso in one of the cheerleader uniforms. Lovely.

        3. Badeyes

          Ow, and you had to pass that on to those that hadn’t yet.
          Thanks.

        4. John

          Nah, his daughter gets to claim everything by right of Conquest.

          I’m pretty sure there’s a supreme pizza gag in here somewhere too, but I haven’t been able to get it to work out.

        5. Jen Aside

          Galasso’s pizza is supreme!

          (and subs)

        6. Robin

          Suddenly I notice your name is a pun.

        7. Jen Aside

          Haha, I had a friend who knew my name for YEARS before speaking it, then: “…OH.”

        8. xKiv

          …AAARGH!

          So that’s what’s up with it.

        9. Roborat

          I just got it, and I have been seeing your name for years. Yup, I am pretty slow sometimes.

        10. Cybersnark

          Klingon cheerleaders.

          I mustn’t google search. I mustn’t google search. I mustn’t google search. . .

        11. Heavensrun

          (google searches)

  7. Kladeos

    RUTH. YOU’RE TRYING SO HARD. (Please accept her token of love, Billie.)

    1. StClair

      This.

    2. Fran

      YES

    3. Aljax

      http://yeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.com/

  8. Alex Stritar

    Daww, so adorable. Love it when the tsuundere play dere.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Just as long as the dere doesn’t turn into yan.

      1. Yotomoe

        That’s the only acceptable dere for me.

      2. KingMabel

        We don’t joke about yan in these parts…that’s how reverse shotgun weddings happen…

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          Reverse shotgun weddings: Where the father threatens to blow his own brains out unless his daughter marries the boy.

        2. Tunaro

          “Daddy, no! Put the gun down! Put the gun down! Yes! Yes, I’ll marry him!”
          :p

  9. The Candyman

    Oh damn, I just got what this strip was about.

    1. nothri

      Well, are you going to enlighten the rest of us poor ignorant fools or are you gonna sit there and watch us flail about like clueless molerats.

      ….and no, I don’t know why we look like molerats. But trust me, we do.

      1. Kelly

        Regular molerats (https://www.google.com/search?q=Tachyoryctes&source=lnms&tbm=isch) or naked molerats (https://www.google.com/search?q=nakedmolerats&source=lnms&tbm=isch#q=naked+molerats&tbm=isch)?

        1. nothri

          Regular when we have clothes on, obviously.

      2. hmrc4evr

        There are worse fates than being compared to Rufus.

        One upside: we all get to sound like Worf at some point.

      3. The Candyman

        Ruth got Billie a spot on the cheerleading team.

        1. Dragon_Nataku

          I just assumed she broke into a cheerleader’s dorm room and stole the uniform

        2. ajm5007

          I know this is fiction and all, but that seems an unusual amount of influence for an RA to wield. Faculty can’t even get someone a spot on the cheerleading team at a major university. Hell, most DEANS couldn’t do it. But then, Ruth IS Canadian. Those Canadians have moxy!

        3. Heavensrun

          Things like this are mostly about who you know.

        4. Heavensrun

          (Actually, an RA might be in a better position to do something like this than faculty or administration, because they’re more likely to have a personal connection with somebody on the squad.)

        5. Jen Aside

          Maybe she stole it from a cheerleader’s room.

  10. Plasma Mongoose

    Not sure what emotion Billie is showing in the last panel.

    1. Porglezomp

      She’s shocked that Ruth would ruin the poster with pins.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        …that might just be possible…

        1. hmrc4evr

          Kim Possible?

    2. Kladeos

      Overwhelmed.

    3. Kernanator

      I wouldn’t be surprised if Billie is unsure what emotion she’s feeling in the last panel.

      1. Yotomoe

        “Um…how do I describe this? Like when the bottom of your foot itches and you scratch it and your whole body tickles. I feel like that.”

        1. Kelly

          Noooooo! Anything but that!

        2. EvilPenguin

          Kinky.

    4. GoSpeedRumpist

      I believe that expression is guilt.

      1. rachel

        yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah :(:(:(

      2. Betty Anne

        Yep. “Oh, shit, she’s doing all this awesome stuff for me, and I’m not even keeping up the “sober” end of the deal, let alone giving anything back to her.”

    5. Sam

      I assume she loves that uniform, it’s one of the best things that could have been gifted to her, and as a result, she is feeling horrible guilt because she drank despite their promise.

      And poor Ruth is trying to be NICER as a result of her previous outburst of guilt.

    6. Jackson

      Guilt. She’s cheating on the sobriety thing.

      1. Lokitsu

        Normally when I hear that one girl is cheating on another girl with a bottle, I get an entirely different image in my head.

        1. anonymous

          nooo sfw sfw

  11. TheOthin

    Ruuuuuuuuuuth I don’t think trying this stuff again is gonna be helpful

  12. Pyr05

    It’s not breaking in when you have the KEEEYYYYYY!!

    1. KingMabel

      Right now she’s trying to get the key to her heart.

      1. Baker

        Based off Billie’s expression she might already be breaking into there too.

  13. Doctor_Who

    “I slew a cheerleader and brought you her hide as a trophy. Does this please you enough to become my bride? It’s how we do courtship in Canada, but this country has no polar bears, so I improvised.”

    1. Regalli

      So THAT’S why the polar bears are endangered!

      1. Valerie

        Your gravatar has the perfect expression for this.

    2. Yotomoe

      I should tell you now that my stepdad is Gallasso.

    3. Lou

      as a Canadian, I can say that if someone tried courting me that way it’d work every time.

    4. Bill

      Your post was inspired.  A tip of the 7th Doctor’s Panama hat to you, sir.  

    5. Roborat

      I couldn’t find any polar bears, so I killed a mountain squirrel with my bare hands. Those buggers are mean, they make a wolverine look like a pussy.

  14. Porglezomp

    How is it attached to the wall?
    …
    Are those tiny dots pins?

    1. The Candyman

      They look like nails.

  15. Draga Noche

    this might cause problems since Billy needs to move past her high school days

  16. GoogerGeiger

    If they don’t start having sex in the next few strips, I’m gonna flip some tables.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      …hence your Amber gravatar. 😀

      1. Yotomoe

        They were all out of jesus ones.

    2. Alex Stritar

      Sorry, after Walky Preforms a Sex, this universe needs to recharge before it can produce another hot steamy canon sex pact.

      1. KevinGriffin3CD

        And in Dumbing Of Age time, we’ll need at least two-three months to cover a basic 1-hour recovery period.

  17. Sporky

    Misleading strip titles again…

  18. Regalli

    Oh, Billie. Fess up and say you slipped yesterday before the guilt gets worse.

  19. alicemacher

    They both look so vulnerable. I’m getting Penny and Aggie flashbacks here.

    I like that.

  20. Jen Aside

    THE OVERALLS

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      They make her look too young unless she thinks Billie secretly like the jailbait or something.

    2. maxyai

      I believe the correct word would be shortalls. They have also been called shorteralls. Another word would be HOT!

  21. Chill

    Sex in 3, 2,…

  22. Doulos

    How far back in Dumbing of Age time was the kiss?

    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/recalculating/

    1. David Willis

      That was Monday and this is now Sunday. Seven days.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        So it took one year to do a week, Willis, I think you might be speeding up.

        1. Gigafreak

          Didn’t stop to realize Billie’s been cheating on the alcohol pact THAT soon after forging it. Wonder if she was even really trying to begin with, or if her teenage willpower is just feeble in comparison to her teenage addiction.

        2. Betty Anne

          It would be REALLY tough for an alcoholic to go a week without alcohol. (I know, alcoholism runs in my family.) That’s why Ruth has been such a mess throughout. Billie, on the other hand, apparently slips a beer in the dark whenever she starts to lose it.

  23. Ragnal

    Okay, I knew it was a cheerleader outfit in the previews for WPAS, I just didn’t know what one specifically.

    Now I feel like a dummy.

  24. Laseema

    Billie and Ruth as the strip on my birthday! Couldn’t get any better! I ship them so hard. I really like the dynamic between the two of them. They have a lot of work to do to get there, but I just love that build up. And here’s me just sitting here hoping it all works out and they get, if not super happy then at least healthy.

  25. Kernanator

    My heaaaaaaarrt.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      …will go oooooooooooooon!

      1. Heavensrun

        (plays the tin whistle)

        1. rachel

          I learned that song on my flute when that came out in… 5th grade? I think?

  26. Xerxes93

    RUTH, WHO DID YOU STEAL THIS FROM!?

  27. Jack Finch

    Woah. What now?

  28. Plasma Mongoose

    Will Billie put on that uniform and shake her ‘pom-poms’? We can only hope.

    1. Yotomoe

      Not without booze. And we all know that that’s banned.

  29. Yotomoe

    …Billie performs a sex?

    1. Rheinman

      I’ts the next logical step. And far more likely to happen than Ethan/Joyce

      1. zach

        Ethan/Joyce can only end in regret. It is therefore a forgone conclusion that they will bang. Can’t be helped.

        1. Dhraakellian

          Not sure whether that’s a proper mike-avatar comment or or better for a faz-avatar.

          Do you have charts?

        2. Rutee

          Well, it’s a foregone conclusion they’ll TRY…

        3. Heavensrun

          Joyce specifically chose Ethan because he is nonthreatening, and Ethan chose Joyce because he thinks she has no expectations of sexings. (She does, however, harbor expectations of marriage followed by sexings, but he isn’t thinking that far ahead)

          The odds of Joyce/Ethan happening are comparable to the odds of an asteroid taking my head off before I hit send.

        4. xKiv

          Ethan performs a disappointment.
          Joyce performs a compassion.

    2. nothri

      Okay, guys, I’m no math expert, but I have a suspicion that the chance of “X character performs a sex” being a thing is inversely proportional to how fed up Willis gets asked whether or not “X character performs a sex” can be a thing.

      Also, Billie has one huge bombshell to drop before any dating can take place. And we have yet to learn if she’s even into Ruth as more than a friend/not-drinking buddy.

      1. Yotomoe

        I’m very aware of that. I can always draw it, though.

        1. Rutee

          Also, there’s always headcanon.

        2. John

          We don’t need to settle for headcanon; we’ve got alternate universe actual-canon.

        3. nothri

          I’m not sure how an incendiary device that fires the severed skulls of enemies at a target would really help us in this situation.

          (You have your definitions for words, I have mine)

        4. KevinGriffin3CD

          You’re missing an “n” for that, tho.

        5. nothri

          Hey, this is my pun, which I invented with my own imagination. I can spell my headcanon any way I want cause I came up with it and in my headcanon my headcanon is called my headcanon. Got it?

        6. Rutee

          I can always load it with your head if you insist on misusing the word canon :t

          Or point it suggestively at Willis’ favorite place to eat. It would be a shame if anything happened to it because he refused to make the Correct Ship happen on slipshine.

    3. nothri

      Also, ‘Billie performs a sex’ sounds like a really disturbing Doctor Suess book intended for a somewhat older readership.

      1. John

        Would you kiss me in the hall?
        Would you kiss me against the wall?
        Would you kiss me if I call you fat?
        Would you notice me if I did that?

        I would not kiss you in the hall.
        I would not kiss you against the wall.
        I would not kiss you if you call me fat.
        I would not notice you if you did that.
        I do not like you, Ruth-the-RA.
        I do not want your sex that’s gay.

        Would you do me if we were drunk?
        Would you do me in my bunk?
        Would you do me on the floor?
        Would you do me after kicking my door?

        I would not do you after kicking your door.
        I would not do you on the floor.
        I would not do you in your bunk.
        I would not do you if we were drunk.
        I do not like you, Ruth-the-RA.
        I do not want your sex that’s gay.

        Would you do me if we quit the drink?
        Would you do me after some time to think?
        Would you do me if I fixed your shirt?
        Would you do me for a cheerleader skirt?

        I would not do you if we quit the drink.
        I would not do you after time to think.
        I would not do you if you fixed my shirt.
        I would not… wait, what? Really?
        Fuck, if you can get me a bottle of Jameson’s too,
        I’ll do you anywhere you want me to.
        I will do you here and there.
        I will do you anywhere.
        I will do you when we’re drunk.
        I will do you in your bunk.
        I will do you against the wall.
        I will do you in the hall.
        I will do you in the showers.
        I will do you for several hours.
        I do like you, Ruth-the-RA!
        And I really like this sex that’s gay!

        (Apologies to Dr. Seuss, David Willis, Ruth, Billie, and anyone who read this.)

        1. Valerie

          *applauds*

        2. BL

          OMFG THIS IS PERFECT

        3. MichaelHaneline

          Someone needs to illustrate this now. Seuss-style.

        4. nothri

          All right John. You have won the internet this day. But I’ll be back, and I will have my revenge.

          +1

  30. AgentKeen

    T-this isn’t going to go the way Ruth thinks it will, is it? Billie’s face isn’t saying ‘gratitude’ to me, it’s saying ‘oh good, a reminder of the one thing I want and can’t have.’

    1. Laseema

      Agreed, but maybe she will take it as something to work for and something to get sober for. She loved cheerleading, and having your sport ripped away hurts.

    2. hof1991

      Tears sooner rather than later. I don’t think that a spot on the cheerleading squad is within Ruth’ s powers. Plus, is that what Billie wants now? She’s grown up a little and realizes that snooty cheerleaders might not be the height of goodness.

  31. MightionNY

    …What.

    I mean… does Ruth even have the clout to get Billie a spot on the cheerleading squad? What with her (Billie’s) alcohol-based past?

    1. Bill

      What?  You don’t think (underage) cheerleaders drink?  The only problem was that Billie broke the first rule, which is “don’t get caught”.

      So it’s not impossible that Ruth knows who else on the IU cheerleader squad has been known to knock back a couple.  She could have spoken to someone and a deal was brokered — Ruth’s continued silence for Billie’s admission to the squad.  Since Billie’s a freshman it would undoubtedly be at a ‘B’ squad or JV level, but it’s the thought that counts.

      1. TPman

        Oh you know, Ruth just broke some femurs and a spot opened up.

      2. AgentKeen

        I think if there was anyway for them to turn a blind eye to Billie getting a DUI, the Billingsworth’s deep pockets would’ve done it and she’d be practicing in the newly donated wing for the gym or something.

  32. LiamAldam

    If that’s a position and not a uniform then Billie is definitely gonna kiss Ruth.

    1. Alex Stritar

      If Ruth made Billie captain, then I think she’d propose on the spot. (Ruth’s Canadian, so that won’t be an issue)

      1. LiamAldam

        Actually now that I think about it, when Danny called Billie a pretty cheerleader she nearly had sex with him. This is like… Slip shine set up.

  33. Nadineeee

    Yay Billie and Ruth are back

    1. xKiv

      I see Billie’s back, but I don’t see Ruth’s back.

  34. Yotomoe

    “Ruth…I can’t see it. I traded my eyesight to give you a Hockey Uniform!”

    1. LiamAldam

      “But I traded my interest in hockey for your spot as a cheerleader!”

      1. TPman

        “But I traded my cheerleading skills for this collection of hockey cards!”

        1. Kintrex

          These gifts are worthless! Let’s kill ourselves!

  35. zach

    I don’t think she does want it. Ruth is powerful, she is offering Billy a spot on the team. Billy has met with the cheerleaders, and they were a bunch of petty, condescending jerks. She has been trying to be nice.

    Did I misread something?

  36. nothri

    Okay, we’ve had one couple make a surprise grand romantic gesture and have it work out well. We’ve had another (kind of) make a grand romantic gesture and had it end with the other party getting the hell out of dodge.

    TIME FOR A TIE-BREAKER!!!!

  37. DanielleM

    So is that Ruth’s old uniform? Did she used to be a cheerleader?

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      I have a hard time trying to picture Ruth as one.

      1. Cybersnark

        “Death to the opposition!”

        1. Bill

          “Ring around the Rosies,
          Pocket full of Posies,
          We will break your nosies
          WITH YOUR OWN FEMURS!!!”

        2. Opus the Poet

          That’s a terrible cheer… 😛

    2. Heavensrun

      That’s an Indiana University cheerleading uniform. C’mon, guys, I’d think you’d know the logo by now. ;p

  38. Keroshino

    Damn you Billie…show her your love!!!!

  39. Jesse

    Does it count as breaking in if she has a key?

  40. Kirby

    Billie’s kind of going to have some issues with this one I think.

    1. She’s already being rejected by the cheerleaders of the school, and this might just be a reminder of the fact that she won’t be able to one again.

    2. She still seems a little unsure of her standing with Ruth. Not Ruth’s opinion of her, but her own opinion of Ruth.

    3. She can see Ruth is trying, but she might have some level of guilt because even though they both said they quit, she doesn’t really seem to be giving it any attempt. She just seems to be hiding it a little better.

    1. AgentKeen

      It’s like we’re just waiting for the ‘Damn You’ waveform to collapse to know why we’re saying it.

      1. Clif

        This.

  41. Arandomass

    Billie performs a sex.

  42. Jackson

    Man. I don’t even ship it, and it still touched my heart right in the feels.

    you guys are gonna throw me out for not shipping it aren’t you

    1. Tenn

      Ve von’t haff to zrow you out if you leave…

      …voluntarily.

      Ve haff our vays.

      1. Bill

        “leaff”, not “leave”.

  43. Arandomass

    Shit just realized I was beaten to it

  44. Rhy

    Next up: Billy and Ruth Do the Sex

    1. Heavensrun

      Oh lord. I’m gona get -real- tired of these jokes before they fade away.

  45. newllend

    I was expecting the strip would go back to Joyce but this is better

    1. Mr K

      Joyce is ready to lose her virginity to Dorothy. Soon she’ll end up in a gang bang with every female character in her wing. Then her parents come.

      1. John

        Assuming Walky’s timetable is accurate, she won’t be ready for another six days or so.

      2. Bill

        The day Willis depicts Joyce sacrificing her virginity to anybody outside of marriage is the day that he rips my beating heart out of my chest and tramples it beneath his hob-nailed boots.

        1. John

          Don’t read It’s Walky!.

        2. Heavensrun

          Yeah, I was gonna say…

        3. Bill

          I should have clarified that I was referring to the DoA Joyce.  Besides, didn’t Joyce and Walky get married in ‘It’s Walky’?

          And as far as that goes, when the other Walkyverse strips got into the sci-fi storyline with the characters being abducted by aliens, receiving Martian DNA, or experiencing brain wipes one could probably make a good case that this meant Joyce, Walky, Dina, et al weren’t really Joyce, Walky, Dina, et al any more.

        4. Regalli

          They had sex prior to getting married. The marriage arc is at the end of Joyce and Walky!, and they first slept together before It’s Walky! ended. Granted, I’m pretty sure by that point they were already engaged, but Joyce justifies it even in-comic by saying something like “I know we’re committed, you know we’re committed, the marriage itself is just to confirm something we already know”. So, still a more major relationship than she has with Dorothy yet (because Joyce and Walky knew each other for years, and Dorothy and Joyce have only known each other for three weeks), but after some character development it would actually fit for Joyce to be willing to have premarital hanky panky with someone she loves.

        5. Heavensrun

          If I could ask, honestly, what is your issue with Joyce having pre-marital sex with someone she loves? I’m not putting you down, I’m just curious where you’re coming from.

        6. Heavensrun

          (I mean, to be fair, the post that started this was definitely -not- serious by any stretch of the imagination, but since you seem to have taken the concept in a serious direction, I’m curious.)

        7. Bill

          First of all, Willis, please don’t flag/delete this comment.  The question was asked of me, and I’m trying to answer honestly.

          I hark back to the days when young people didn’t slide into bed with each other as casually as seems to be the case these days (I’m sure it happened, but it wasn’t flaunted like it is today).  And I just like the idea of a naive, immature — and yes, in many ways eighteen is still immature! — young person who, as soon as she gets out from under direct control of her parents, isn’t looking to break every rule but is willing to take things slowly before making decisions that could have long-lasting repercussions.

          Now, take Dorothy on the other hand.  I’m sure she had strong feelings for Danny when she had sex with him back in high school; but then she dumped him and within less than a month (?) of doing this she’s in bed with Walky.  And the way it happened seemed to be more of a physical thing — something to do on a rainy afternoon — rather than the tender consummation of a romantic bond between them.

          The other thing is that Joyce, for better or worse, was raised by extremely religious parents, and a large portion of her aversion to “pre-marital hanky-panky” is undoubtedly rooted in this.  It will probably come as no surprise that I was too and I can identify with her in ways so deeply that she could almost be my female doppelgänger.  She’s the kind of young woman that I wish I had known in my college years.  I might have even crawled out from my self-created, bicycle-centric world that I lived in and dated her; and if I had it would not have been a race to find out what color panties she wore or if her bra hooked in front or in back.

          And lastly, we’ve got several other characters — Dorothy, Sal, Joe, Roz, just to name a few — who are unashamedly sexually active.  What’s wrong with having at least one adorable character who isn’t?  If you want to change her behavior so that she becomes more tolerant of others (and we’ve seen signs of that already, like when she stood up to her parents with regards to her friendship with Dorothy) that’s fine and good, but I don’t think it’s necessary to have a “Corrupt the Cutie” plan in place so that she goes from Pollyanna to Polly Adler in a semester or less.

        8. Drakey

          You sir, have convinced me.

        9. David Willis

          There must have been a way to answer this without insulting everyone who doesn’t operate at exactly your preferred sexual speed and desire, but lord you sure didn’t find one!

        10. Incubus

          @Bill
          I for one am crossing my fingers that in this universe Joyce becomes an atheist after some kind of irreconcilable inner spiritual conflict brought on by a sexual/social awakening of sorts.
          I grew up similar to Joyce, but then I learned that some of my best friends were in the LGBT circle and I realized that there was no way to be 100% devoted when I believed that in my heart of hearts that my favorite people in the world were bound for an eternity of suffering and torture.
          World would be better off without religion and “naivete”, otherwise actually known as ignorance or bigotry.

        11. A

          YES. Thank you.

          Since, apparently, making love on a rainy afternoon cannot possibly be “the tender consummation of a romantic bond between them”, but, instead, must be “something to do”.
          We should all be so lucky to have someone to tell us how we must show affection, and the only ways it is meaningful.
          I am also sure glad we have no museums full of art and rooms full of literature from hundreds, or even thousands of years ago, showing how predominant and public sex has always been, before we even had birth control or condoms.

        12. nothri

          Bill, I didn’t get the sense that you were setting out to attack anyone else with your comments. Some of the sentiment I even agree with. Having sex probably IS something to put a little care and thought into when it comes to the “whens” and “with whoms”. There’s no small amount of risk that goes along with it- risk of pregnancy, risk of disease, risk of a broken heart. Some of those risks we can mitigate with protection or pills, but it all still feels formidable the first time around. (Heart-break, of course, is just the risk you take, and keeping safe from it is up to fate and lovers).

          I do think you worded this a little poorly. I’m sure you are right- that there are couples who made mistakes and lost their virginity too early or to the wrong people. And calling them mistakes is perfectly valid. If you are those people. That’s the key, really- sex is a very personal, very vulnerable, very intimate thing you share with someone (well, at minimum…but my thoughts on polyamory will keep me writing into the wee hours so let’s move on). There are many ways sex can be “right” and many ways it can be “wrong”. Some of the wrong ways are obvious, and we made them into laws (not that all laws are righteous- anti-sodomny used to be a thing in my state until the Supreme Court told em to fuck off, but age and consent are pretty obvious). Beyond that, really what is right and wrong is going to change from one couple to the next. You have to decide for yourself and your partner, and accept that those answers might change as your relationship develops. For you having sex at 18 is wrong, because of your faith and your personal preferences. And that’s absolutely true. For you. But that won’t hold true for everyone around you.

          I disagree with you on the happenings of the strip. Yes, Dorothy and Walky have an obvious physical attraction. She made that very clear. But they also have an emotional connection. I think Dorothy is starting to see a more intelligent, more mature man hiding under Walky’s facade, and she’s inspiring him to bring that guy out more often. I don’t think it was a whim, I think it was a decision that had been building for some time as their relationship matured. She indicated to Joyce that the possibility of sleeping together had occurred to them and that they had been preparing for that step if they felt the time was right. And it just so happened that the time was right.

          I think the same is true for Joyce. I don’t see her character just having sex on a whim (sex dreams notwithstanding). I think there’s a chance it will happen at some point, but if it does it will be at the end of a long series of trials and tribulations for her character. She has a lot of demons she’s wrestling with right now, and there are strong indicators that her ways of coping with desire are not all that healthy for her. I see a lot of hurdles for her before she could seriously entertain the thought of sex. But I strongly disagree that, if she ever makes that choice, it indicates a sign of “corruption”. I think, ironic for this character, that “evolution” would be the best description for that moment.

        13. Heavensrun

          Yeah, as Willis pointed out, you kinda heavily imply that you think that your way is -better- than others’. I wouldn’t start to argue that there aren’t people for whom sex is an unhealthy obsession, but I honestly and truthfully see absolutely nothing wrong with Roz or Dorothy’s attitudes towards sex, and I see some considerably unhealthy things about Joyce’s. Also, on the “unashamedly” part, you might dart back to the Joyce/Dorothy bathroom scene, where Dotty talked about how she worries about being perceived as a whore for being interested in sex, and how she struggles between her hormones and people’s perception of her.

          I, personally, have no interest in casual sex. Sex, for me, is something I want to save for people I have a seriously deep connection with. I have, thus far in my life, only met a couple of people that met that criteria, and only one that I was actually physically intimate with in any sense. I might like to see someone like me in a comic. Were it not for the unhealthy self-hating religous issues I see in Joyce, she might -almost- be there. Actually, Danny’s pretty close in that respect. But I’m not about to dismiss or denigrate other people’s healthy lifestyle choices just because they’re different from mine.

        14. Rutee

          “I hark back to the days when young people didn’t slide into bed with each other as casually as seems to be the case these days (I’m sure it happened, but it wasn’t flaunted like it is today).”
          That’s basically an era we call ‘never’. Putting aside some of the lengthy rituals that were concocted to ensure banging (Such as a particularly skeevy one that ensured marriage that was practiced heavily in colonial New England involving leaving late in the evening for your beloved’s house in winter), just read the graffiti left on the walls of pompeii.

        15. Roborat

          Good lord, are you people having a long post competition?

      3. Roborat

        “then her parents come”? That’s sick dude!

  46. TheCollector444

    Ok, I’m surprised so many people don’t realize that this is gonna end in tears. Billie was already feeling guilty as hell earlier when Ruth fixed her uniform, this is if anything gonna cause her to confess that she never stopped drinking.

    1. TheCollector444

      I’m Sal! I’m Sal!!!

      1. Heavensrun

        That is probably the most un-Sal reaction to your own gravitar I’ve ever seen. Although it does give me the mental image of Sal freaking out at her own reflection in the bathroom.

  47. nothri

    Sometimes I’m slow.

    First thought: Okay, Ruth, I know you mean well, but honestly the “breaking into a room to leave a present to the girl who already rejected your earlier advances” is a little creepy. I mean, yeah, -I- know that Billie was touched by your earlier gift and ran away cause she’s been lying to you and feel horrible about it, but -you- don’t. Isn’t this the point when you should back off and give her some space?

    Second thought: Also, why’d you get a uniform that isn’t even for the Dragons? What is that, anyway? One for your hockey team? Do hockey teams even have cheerleaders? God, I know nothing about sports…

    Third thought: No…I don’t think those are her team colors. So where did she get the uniform?

    Fourth thought: HOLY SHIT SHE MADE BILLIE A UNIVERSITY CHEERLEADER. RUTH, YOU MAD WOMAN, I LOVE YOU!

    Final thought: Oh crap. Billie is gonna guilt-splode over this so hard it isn’t even funny.

    1. nothri

      (Sigh. And now I feel silly for ragging on Danny being generally dense of what is going on around him.)

  48. Volkai

    D’awww

    1. KevinGriffin3CD

      *grumble*~

  49. gangler

    You know Ruth, you can express romantic affection without breaking and entering. Other people do it all the time!

    1. nothri

      Its her Canadian upbringing. The country has been a socialist state for so long they think of everything as community property, including private homes.

      1. TPman

        the traditional Canadian greeting between significant others is the kiss-punch.

      2. MHR

        if Canada is socialist, I’m the queen of England

        1. Heavensrun

          +1

        2. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          And now I have the mental image of mike forging legal documents to become the Queen of England. Congratulations.

        3. nothri

          Canada, the land of the frozen north. Frozen like the socialism that has kept a python-like death grip on the nation. As MHR demonstrates, its seduction strikes swiftly and unseen.

          And yes, I WAS hoping someone would give me the excuse I needed: http://www.itswalky.com/d/20031110.html

        4. Clif

          That would be HRM, not MHR. Close tho.

        5. nothri

          DAMNIT!!!!

    2. John

      Give her a break. She’s only just figured out how to express romantic affection without tripping, shoving, or pulling pigtails. Doing it without B&E will take a little more development.

    3. Questionor

      As Ruth has a key and works for the landlord so to speak, isn’t it unlawful entry and not breaking and entering?

      1. gangler

        I’m not a lawyer.

  50. SilverArrowArtemis

    When someone gives you something nice and you don’t like it, don’t say you don’t like it. THAT’S NO GOOD.

    1. Mr K

      Who are you? Sonic the Hedgehog?

    2. ninja_jesus

      If you break something that belongs to someone else and don’t apologize, don’t break into their room without their knowledge and try to replace it with something else. IT’S NO USE.

  51. Nick J.

    If this really does lead to Billie/Ruth sexy times in the not too distant future, I will be forever grateful 🙂 Here’s to hoping!

  52. John

    Oo. I just had a bad thought.

    So, Billie got booted from the college cheerleaders because of her alcoholic record. Ruth’s her RA and so the local authority figure that’s supposed to be watching over Billie’s behaviour. What if Ruth’s gone to the Powers that Be and testified that, to her certain knowledge, Billie’s dry and sober now, and managed to finagle Billie’s spot on the squad back for her on that basis?

    And Billie fell off the wagon (assuming she ever got on it to begin with, which I’m not sure of), and Ruth doesn’t know that.

    … I think I like the right of conquest theory better.

    1. Just Here

      I think that for something like that, you’ve got to be sober a lot longer than Billie has been publicly sober, covert drinking aside.

    2. rachel

      oh nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

      : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : ( : (

    3. Sam

      Billie does state in the page when Blaine is led away that she was three days sober. Well, she starts to say it then lies and changes it to three weeks so she was on it, she just fell off soon after.

  53. Lokitsu

    This is why Dumbing of Age is one of my favorite comics. Willis has taken two characters, neither of which was very sympathetic at the start of this series, and made me care about what happens to them. I want to understand why Ruth and Billie are the way they are and I’m really looking forward to seeing where they go from here. The odd thing is, I’m okay with whether they end up as a couple or not. I’m not driven to “ship” them or second guess what Willis has in store for them. I’m really just enjoying the ride and I trust David to make it a fun trip. That goes for the rest of the cast.
    At least until the next evil plot twist. Then all bets may be off.

    1. Peter

      ^^^ this.

    2. Arkadi

      This x10

    3. leadsynth

      I misread this as “all belts may be off.” That is all.

  54. ridtom

    This is VERY disturbing.

  55. pendrake

    D’aww…. Vulnerable-looking Ruth is Adorable-looking Ruth.

  56. Lilith

    I think this ship just broke all the speed limits. They’re so cute.

  57. Emoroffle

    Squee! Yay, they’re back at it.

  58. Arkadi

    Oh for f*ck’s sake Billie, just fess up already and get it done with!

  59. Jody

    This is so cute! Oh these babes, I can’t get enough.

  60. theskeuomorph

    Sooo CUTE \o/

  61. Mynameis

    HAH! BUST. because billy

  62. Resin

    Has anyone else who’s seen Walky performs a sex noticed that Ruth is carrying the cheerleading outfit in the hallway?!!

    1. Bill

      Now that it is pointed out, and we see the outfit in Billie’s room, yes; but at that time there really wasn’t enough detail to say for sure just *what* she was carrying other than some article of clothing.

    2. Bill

      Especially since the white stripes on the shoulder straps aren’t showing at all in the WPaS panel.

  63. Simberto

    The Corps is mother, the corps is father.

  64. Kevin

    Huh, my initial thought was Billie was creeped out by Ruth’s continued unwelcome advances, but the guilty-about-drinking thing makes a lot of sense.

    “Ruth… I have to come clean. I’ve been drinking”
    “You… what?”
    “I… I want you so bad, I can’t stand it. But I don’t know if I can forgive you for how you treated me. I didn’t know how else to cope.”
    “Billie, I… Listen. You need to think less, drink less, and have more of Ruth-less.”

    Yep, pretty sure that’s how Willis wrote the next page.

  65. Bill

    Has anybody else noticed that the U of I interlocked-letter logo, like the one on the uniform, looks a heckuvalot like the Greek letter ‘psi’ (Ψ)?

    1. ZekeBosinthol

      I… didn’t know it wasn’t a psi.

    2. Heavensrun

      Yep, I was thinking about that earlier. I imagine it’s intentional.

  66. Marc in MN

    “By the way, while I was in here I found these open beer bottles…”

  67. quietlythundering

    Ruth deserves a biiiig hug!

  68. anonymous

    that uniform doesn’t match the ones seen at the football game
    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/stands/

    1. David Willis

      They are both real, actual Indiana University cheerleader outfits. There is more than one design.

      1. Amazi-Stool

        Your mom is the first real, actual Indiana University cheerleader outfit you’ve seen from the stands instead of the field!

    2. Bill

      Like Willis says, they have more than one design.  Google “Indiana University Cheerleader” and click on images; you’ll see pictures like this or this.

  69. Heavensrun

    If she actually got Billie on the team, as grand romantic gestures go, that’s not bad. It still doesn’t excuse the B&E, which is getting pretty worryingly close to stalker territory at his point, but with a less dysfunctional Billie, this would probably be a knock out of the park.

    As it stands, we’re due for a mental break in 3, 2, 1…

  70. Fazing the faz

    Can anyone explain this for me? I just didn’t get it. :/

    1. Arkadi

      If you click on the tags and read (or re-read) the latest Billie/Ruth strips, you’ll probably understand 😉

      1. Fazing the faz

        I did read them all, I just don’t understand what Ruth is saying. 🙁

        1. Arkadi

          Billie rejected the high school cheerleader uniform that Ruth had mended. Ruth must have thought that a: the defaced-then-repaired uniform had lost its sentimental value to Billie, or b: the uniform represented high school for Billie and she wanted to leave that stage of her life behind. Either way, she’s concluded that giving her a brand-new, college uniform would be the proper way to make amends. Meanwhile, the truth is that Billie rejected the gift because she feels guilty about cheating on their no-booze pact.

  71. Tealjoy

    Oh no…

  72. chuckroast

    This…. COULD not end badly… right?

    1. Arkadi

      Judging from Billie’s face and the title of this chapter -plus the fact that Danny himself has just managed to do something right when it mattered- I’d say that yes, it’s not impossible.

  73. HMRC4EVR

    Every time I see that insignia on something in the comic (the one on the cheerleader outfit) I keep thinking ‘when did the Psi-Corps from Babylon 5 get a sponsorship on a college??’

    Then again, as long as we don’t see Bester in a cheerleading outfit whatever they want to do is fine by me.

  74. Darnel

    What?

  75. MacBone

    I actually had a roommate who was a cheerleader when I was in school at the University of Alabama. Cheerleaders are hyper-conscious about size, and Billie’s great, but I think she’s going to get a lot of flak for not being a size 0 if she is somehow able to join the team.

  76. Ryuusei924

    //sees strip //begins hyperventilating
    //reads strip
    me: i can’t BRAETHE

  77. zach

    It might happen.
    http://wondermark.com/968/

  78. OmegaDez

    AAAAAAAW.
    My favorite couple is back.

  79. kirwar4face

    Why didn’t that GIRL Robin get a costume in the Batcave? Or has that been asked?

    1. David Willis

      what

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