165

Allergic
Posted on July 28, 2019 by David M Willis
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165 thoughts on “Allergic”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    so, Sal’s bike?

    1. Doctor_Who

      Don’t be crude, he has a name, it’s Jason.

      1. LookingIn

        …darn you and your crude joke- we shouldn’t laugh at that but it’s too darn true not to!

    2. Marsh Maryrose

      From a lost episode of the Annoying Music Show:

      “I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates”

      1. Clif

        You’re both wrong. He’s going to get them a ride.

        There’s this truck driver he knows.

        1. Khyrin

          And that’s how we learn that that driver has The Fray’s How to Save a Life on repeat in the cab near-constantly.

      2. BarerMender

        Hey, now. That’s a good song.

  2. Rosicrucian

    You don’t want to see what TAs drive.

    1. Bagge

      Good, because we won’t.

      We will see what EX-TA’s drive, which is much more glamerous, I’m sure.

      1. DaveM

        If I were a gambling type, I’d be betting he’ll drive some sort of Mini. Maybe a Mini cooper, or an Austin Mini, or even a Morris Mini, but it’ll be a Mini. Uncool British stereotypes living in America ALWAYS drive Minis. 🙂

    2. Marsh Maryrose

      When I was in boarding school, one of the teachers had a Volkswagen Thing. She was The Coolest Teacher ever.

      1. All-Purpose Guru

        Have you ever *ridden* in one of those monstrosities? It’s like a car doing a poor imitation of a crumpled up beer can.

        1. Marsh Maryrose

          She gave us rides to town! Like I said, she was the coolest teacher.

          Mind you, when it comes to cars, my definition of “cool” may have changed since I was 15. (But she was still a very cool teacher. I didn’t realize it then, but she might well have been the first queer adult I knew.)

        2. Roborat

          I have driven the Canadian army equivalent, also a Volkswagen design, but built by Bombardier, so it was even worse, was called an Iltis.

      2. thejeff

        It’s a death trap and probably should bring charges of child endangerment, but they were cool as hell.

    3. LookingIn

      it’d break your heart and question why you ever went to college in the first place

    4. Felgraf

      I loved my Scion XA. Still miss that car.

    5. Needfuldoer

      Hmm… We don’t really get any interesting, affordable British cars here in the states. (BMW owns MINI, Astons are big money, Jaguar and Land Rover have been owned by an Indian company since Ford sold them…)

      Maybe an early 2000s Honda Civic Si hatchback? Those were all made in Honda’s UK factory.

      He could have a classic Land Rover Defender, or a Range Rover if he likes spending money on repairs.

      Maybe he found an imported Morgan, or an old TR6 that hasn’t rusted away to nothing. Or maybe he rides a Triumph with a sidecar?

      1. Amazi-Stool

        I guess the Reliant Robin is not so expensive, but I doubt that it was ever imported into the US!

        1. Needfuldoer

          One Robin is plenty for this comic.

      2. Roborat

        MG Midget, Triumph Spitfire, or Austin Healey Sprite maybe.

  3. Yumi

    And he gets an Uber and Billie’s like, “Damn, I gave up my fake for THAT…”

  4. BBCC

    Oh, right, this is the US, where ambulances are a great way to go bankrupt.

    US, I just want you to know you produce a lot of horrified screaming in your healthcare system’s general direction.

    And Jason, for the love of god, not everything is about YOU, you complete and utter asshole. You do realize if she’s telling the truth (and she is) and you don’t help, that would ALSO probably get you fired and deported, right? Also, y’know, helping someone having an allergic reaction is just the right thing to do, but that never seems to occur to you.

    Asshole.

    1. Kyrik Michalowski

      To play devil’s advocate for Jason for a moment, the most he is required to do is call an ambulance. Also considering the what must sound like nonsense coming from the both of them, he does have some reason to be on edge. And to be fair Billie may be overreacting here just a bit. I had a rash/blisters appear on my legs as a result of a medicine I was taking for mental health, it was a minor thing.

      1. BBCC

        If someone tells you that one of your customers is having an allergic reaction and you grouse about being ‘dubious’ then yeah, you’re a shit professional. Go call an ambulance and make yourself useful – or an uber I guess if you don’t think they can afford an ambulance and live in the garbage fire that is the US I guess.

        1. Abbefaria

          Agreed, what is really dubious is a health system that makes you afraid to go in for treatment.

    2. Bagge

      I totally get how incredibly annoying it is to go from working with students to go working with DRUNK students.

      Still, whining about it and taking it as a personal slight makes nothing better. Jason likes to present himself as a proper profesional who does things the way they should be done. Act like it.

      1. BBCC

        Seriously, working with drunk students is awful, but you’re stuck with it, so just call the ambulance or uber or whatever you’re calling already.

    3. Keulen

      Yeah, our healthcare system is a fucked-up mess. I’m hoping we can fix that after the 2020 election, but as far as I see it that really depends on which Democratic candidate wins the primaries.

      1. Lore Krajsman

        No, it depends on democrats getting their heads out of their ass and realizing that every single democratic candidate is a million times better than Trump.
        I may despise Bernie Sanders, and think he’s the worst of the lot, but if he wins, then I hope every single democrat votes for him.
        Why? because the alternative is four more years of hell.

        1. thejeff

          Well, that too, but the election will depend on the candidate’s ability to turn out non-base voters as well as on primary voters whose candidate lost rallying behind the winner.

        2. Deathjavu

          Nope, because the Senate is not their focus and they won’t pass Jack in the way of big changes without rewinning it, which they had very low odds of doing even before some of their best Senate candidates insisted on joining the massively overcrowded presidential field.

          If any of the candidates were serious about strategy, they’d be talking about Puerto Rican statehood (which I’m pretty sure passed as the top preference in the islands last referendum that both parties claimed they would respect) and representatives for the 630,000 unrepresented people living in DC, which is more population than Wyoming or Vermont.

        3. thejeff

          So don’t bother voting for a Democrat for President? Or what does the “Nope” mean.

          The Senate will be hard and require another wave election, but we’re still in better shape with a Democrat in the White House.

          And representation for PR and DC is both a long term strategy, not anything that will change this election cycle or likely even the next. Statehood for PR is actually more complicated than some think. From talking to some PR activists: that last referendum was misleading and boycotted by one side. Also the statehood faction on the island is tied to the Republican Party – and currently being thrown out of office amid massive protests.

        4. Nyak

          Several Democratic candidates have no interest in and will not fix the healthcare system. Beating Trump is still super important because tyranny and fascism is bad, but on the particular issue of healthcare the dem candidates are not equal and some will get us closer to a better system while others will not.

    4. Bladeglory

      I read “I am dubious” as “I’d like the record to state my every interaction with you is nonsense” not “I don’t believe you and won’t help you.”

      1. Bagge

        I think you are right, but franly that doesn’t increase my opinions about him.

        If nothing else, it’s far too similar to the “no inner voice” the Faz does.

        1. Bladeglory

          Oh I’m not saying anybody should like him. Just that he’s not outright refusing to help her.

          Jason’s response to Billie’s games is certainly much less entertaining than Carla’s “This was a stupid game and I’m done playing it.” …..Billie likes playing stupid games she invariably winds up losing, doesn’t she? As they say, that’s why it’s not Smarting of Age.

        2. Bagge

          Truth.

      2. Lore Krajsman

        as an adult, I also feel for Jason. he’s already lost one job, and he’s not wrong to fear about being deported if he gets into too much trouble just because some college student lied to him and showed him a fake id.

        1. BBCC

          Ruth having an allergic reaction and him going around saying he’s ‘dubious’ instead of helping (until Billie produces her fake anyway) is ALSO a great way to get fired and possibly deported.

        2. RicardtheDragoon

          This is Galasso’s, however. A few seconds of lack of concern for a customer’s well-being is not out of place. Plus, he gets her fake ID, a net win for any Galasso’s employee.
          Suspecting shenanigans is reasonable, and, once he is certain it is not a trick, he does what he should. Ten seconds or even thirty would be unlikely to meaningfully tip the balance of Ruth’s situation, if this weren’t a web comic. In no broad strokes does anything seem amiss with Jason’s response.

    5. ego

      what? bongo gave zero fucks about the effects of her actions on his life, which could have been profound. he’s supposed to drop everything- and incur *additional* personal risk_ over the effects of her actions on *her* life? im sure it will be cool if the underage drunk chick you were just serving dies in your car.

      yeah, no. call 911, make sure they send a cop and not just an ambulance.

      1. BBCC

        I never said he had to immediately start gushing over them, but Ruth dying from an allergic reaction can ALSO have profound impacts on his life. It opens the bar to liability and that can ALSO get him fired and deported.

        There is no additional personal risk to calling for help – either 911, or if you don’t want to do that because the US health system is a dumpster fire, Uber or a cab to take her to the hospital. Bam, professional responsibility covered, no additional risk, no need to ‘drop everything’ as you put it.

  5. Kyrik Michalowski

    Yay, Billie doing the right thing. Now let’s see if she can keep it going for more than a day or two. I’m hoping Billie will realize how much impact she has on Ruth with their codependent relationship and try to do better. But what are the odds she actually does that this time?

  6. Bagge

    Is Billie willing to stop drinking for Ruth?
    Does Billie think she can stop drinking for Ruth?
    Is Billie willing to try stop drinking for Ruth?

    Burning her bridges with Jason-as-a-bartender and giving up her fake ID IS a powerful gesture in that regards.

    1. Rosicrucian

      As someone who has a family history of alcoholism, lemme set something straight.

      Stopping drinking “for” someone doesn’t work. It sets the expectation on them and usually builds resentments.

      You have to be able to stop drinking for yourself. You have to acknowledge that you have a problem with alcohol, not that someone you want in your life has a problem with you drinking.

      1. Bagge

        I completely agree, which is one of many reasons why Billie’s and Ruth’s relationship is messed up.

        One big part of Billie’s problems right now is that she feels she NEED to stop drinking for Ruth. One of the reasons she broke up with her is that she feels she can’t.

        …and as you say, she might very well be right. Especially when you throw in the suicidal-and-on-medications part. No presure or anything.

        1. Clif

          Besides, not drinking for herself is out because she doesn’t really have a problem.

        2. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

          Even if drinking’s gonna kill her before her time, well, she’ll die drunk! yaaay nothing could go wrong, in booze we trust

        3. Michelle J. Caboose

          “I don’t have a drinking problem. I drink, get drunk, and pass out. No problem.”

        4. thejeff

          Trying to stop drinking for Ruth’s sake might just possibly lead her to realize that she has a problem.

          Or perhaps more accurately, what the problem is rather than just “I’m poison”.

      2. Terry

        You are right, but another person can be a motivation. For instance: “I want to stop drinking now because this person is more important to me than the alcohol.” That’s actually how my dad stopped smoking cigarettes. My sister was born with chronic bronchitis and the doctors said that cigarette smoke could aggravate it. Even just the bit that clings to a person after finishing smoking. So my dad quit smoking. He didn’t even smoke at work because he didn’t want to have the cravings when not at work and risk his daughter’s health. He quit for his own reason, but my sister was that reason. Billie could decide that Ruth is her good reason to give up drinking.

        1. Happilychaotic

          I agree, the motivation can help. And btw, your dad is an awesome dad!

    2. C.T Phipps

      Billie should not stop drinking for Ruth. She should do it for herself or no one.

      Ditto Ruth and her own happiness.

      You can’t have a relationship when you’re in recovery like this.

      1. Inahc

        Eh, I started seeing my current therapist to make my husband feel better, and it stuck. Sometimes doing things for someone else can be a useful stepping stone.

        But then, I knew my inability to believe it would help was a symptom of depression, and was doing my best to work around it, whereas Billie is still deeeeep in denial.

        1. Michelle J. Caboose

          Part of the problem with depression (and from what I’ve seen, addiction) is recognizing there’s a problem. They used to have ads on TV when I was in high school, describing the signs of depression. I always said “Yeah, but everybody feels like that sometimes.” I mean, I wasn’t moping around all the time, I laughed at jokes, so obviously I wasn’t depressed, right? As for addiction — my grandfather was always drunk. I’m sure it never occurred to him he had a problem. He just had a few beers to unwind, or to relax after work, or to be sociable.

          Long story short: I eventually learned I actually was was suffering from clinical depression (still do, but at least now I know), and my grandfather actually was an alcoholic (till the day he died).

        2. Bagge

          <3

    3. Shane Wegner

      She might, possibly, make the parallel realization that how worried she now feels about Ruth drinking is how worried others feel about her, and more importantly, how worried she should feel for herself.

      Her core problem as I see it is her almost entirely cheerleader base of self worth and coping tactics. She needs to alter that soil. Briefly deciding to stop drinking “for Ruth” is cutting one weed with scissors. More will crop up from the seeds in the soil soon. A fundamental change will be needed to sustain so riety.

    4. T3ch1t

      I’m in recovery and just felt I should chime in on this.
      Getting sober/clean for someone else sounds like a good idea. Romantic even. It sadly doesn’t work out that way. You may be good for a while, but ultimately it’s temporary. Who you try and get sober for today will not be the same forever. What happens when they are no longer part of your life? Wothout a strong foundation relapse is inevitable. Not everyone can make it back after a relapse either. It sounds extreme but death due to relapse is a reality.
      Don’t get sober/clean for someone else. Do it for yourself.

  7. Stephen Bierce

    *cues up some Death Cab For Cutie on the jukebox*

  8. Mr. Random

    … I mean…
    either case….
    probably good to just send ’em there.

    It gets them out of the bar and limits your liability.

  9. butts

    yes, get to the hospital, and then book yourself some goddamn therapy, PLEASE.

    1. DailyBrad

      That’d be nice. She’s from, probably, one of the wealthier backgrounds of the cast members, so her family can afford it, but I have no idea if they’d spring for it. Seems like her dad doesn’t keep her at arm’s length so much as leagues away, so that may be more effort than they’re going to want to put in.

      1. Schpoonman

        Billie has been skipping her therapy.

        1. thejeff

          Yup. Hasn’t been at all.
          It was scheduled in the wake of Ruth’s hospital stay, but she’s always avoided it.

      2. BarerMender

        College students get free medical care. The college has a clinic or has an arrangement with a hospital.

        1. Seregiel

          What? No. You pay for it. At least I had to. It’s a line item on your tuition. You can waive it if you have other insurance including access to your parents.

      3. Sunny

        Then again, iirc her father shows affection by throwing money at her.

        1. thejeff

          Yeah, but a disappointment like still being an alcoholic and needing therapy may not be how she wants to draw that “affection”.

  10. Bryy

    The Alt-Text is exactly what I was thinking when reading this.

  11. Bagge

    Jason you annoying twat, just stop whining for two seconds and stop taking everything personally. You work as a bartender in a student bar. OF COURSE underage people will try to wrangle drinks from you. Deal with it.

    1. DailyBrad

      They could get him arrested. He’s got plenty of good reason to be pissy, but I’m glad he seems to be taking Billie more seriously in the last panel.

      1. Bagge

        No, he got plenty of good reasons to not serve them alcohol, to refuse them entry, to get his boss or do deal with it like the professional he claims to be in any other of a myraid of ways.

        To be pissy and whine about it makes nothing better.

        The same as when he tried to tutor Walky. He had perfectly good reasons to kick out the little shit and tell him to come back in office hours. Instead he continued to try to tutor him in the most ineffective way possible while constantly whining about Walky ‘being sent to tornment him’.

        Jason has a SEVERE problem like acting like a professional (and I haven’t even mentioned his interactinon with Sal), which given his whole ‘prim-and-proper-person-with-a-bowtie’-sctick annoyes me no end

        1. Shane Wegner

          Hmm. On the one hand, I agree with Jason. The proper business transaction is, a customer of legitimate age presents proper ID, purchases a reasonable quantity of beverages, consumes them peacefully, and departs. Billie has given zero thought to the consequences of her fake ID, she feels entitled to drinks because she is so smart to have a fake ID. I think Jason’s statement that he has concern for potentially life altering consequences of what Billie sees as little more than a mild prank are fair. “Some college kids are trying to have an existential emotional meltdown at your bar/pizza/subs joint, you owe them deep emotional acknowledgement of their feelings.” Eh, not really. Bartenders aren’t really qualified counselors and therapists or at least AA group leaders, which is where this conversation SHOULD be happening.

          On the other hand, you’re also right. Jason wouldn’t be dealing with this if he’d kept his previous better job, which he lost by, oh right, inadvisably boning a student and then getting hit by an unlucky offhand comment and critically failing his Maintain Composure Bluff check. From his point of view, ridiculous college women seem be drawn to him like dangerous magnets, seemingly trying to drag him down. I agree with you that his whiny nature is under valuing his own agency at defending himself and maintaining boundaries.

          Arranging a ride is the minimum he owes them via decency and pragmatism, which he did. The bare minimum is just ejecting them from the premesis for both being underage and leaving them to their own devices, but if Ruth goes into shock on Galasso’s sidewalk that’s negative press they don’t need.

          I think his observation that the selfish choice to employ a fake ID jeopardizes others is context appropriate, it’s a perfectly fair thing to say to someone just found to be underage. “But we are in the middle of self inflicted drama!!” doesn’t obligate Jason to stuff his feelings and go easy on their misdemeanors.

        2. Bagge

          Most if the time, if you look only at his actions, he manage to ding just over “decent” in my book. He is a somewhat OKish person and – with exception of boning a student – in general fulfills the demans of the situation. It’s just his constant whining and pissy attitude that gets to me.

          (So I suppose I’m a bit like Sal in that I would like him a lot more if he just shut up and focused on the action)

          Also, in a cast full of people who constantly struggle to reach over their own flaws and limitations to the betterment of themselves and the people around them, “OKish and pissy” simply isn’t that impressive.

        3. BBCC

          Jason could not actually eject them and leave them to their own devices, because if the allergic reaction is real (and it is) that’s a lawsuit for Galasso’s right there. That ALSO would probably get him fired and deported.

        4. Anon a Mouse

          Just saying, I believe the rash was from before she came in. He had not served them at all, so I don’t believe Galasso’s could be held liable.

    2. BBCC

      You get me.

      1. Bagge

        Same 🙂

  12. Bicycle Bill

    “Keep my fake ID. Just help her.”
    (unsaid — “I can always get another one…”)
    And for the record … some of the fake IDs out there are as good as the real thing. Even the magnetic stripe on some of them carries the necessary information.

    1. DahliaRose

      Yeah but now this bar is a no go for her, least when Jason’s bartender.

      1. Shane Wegner

        If I were them I’d paste the ID on the wall with a “do not serve this patron alcohol, and rememeber to check IDs”. Plenty of places have such walls, probably more common in college towns.

        1. He Who Abides

          Strip clubs have those walls too, though they’re more likely at the door so certain people don’t get in. At least, the one where I work has the pictures near the door, can’t speak for any others.

    2. Questionor

      fake ids were so much easier to just make one yourself when I was in college which was pre-9/11

    3. Needfuldoer

      Billie’s family has connections to their local government. (Remember when she called their housekeeper to ask where her father “had” the mayor move the homeless people from downtown?)

      It’s entirely possible the fake ID was printed officially, but with falsified information, if said connections had some unscrupulous connections who would turn a blind eye for a fee.

  13. Marsh Maryrose

    “She’s a woman in love,
    She can’t let go”

    (I briefly debated, but Tom Petty trumps Eddie Money. Obvs.)

  14. DailyBrad

    What was it Joyce said about her, Sarah, and grand gestures? This is obviously a pretty big gesture on Billie’s part of commitment and rising to the occasion, and I am glad, but I hope she’s willing to do the unglamorous work this go-round, now that she sees that Ruth wasn’t keeping it together as well as they both thought she was, and that Billie being out of her life doesn’t automatically fix shit.

  15. Sunmaster57

    Both of them need to try “The Sinclair method” to try to be less dependent on Alcohol.

  16. BiOnyx

    You KNOW it’s serious when the fake ID gets surrendered!

    1. Marsh Maryrose

      “You KNOW it’s serious when [one of many] fake ID[s] gets surrendered!”

      FTFY

      1. Keulen

        I would not be surprised at all if Billie has multiple fake IDs.

      2. thejeff

        It’s possible, but she’s never mentioned it and it would weaken the dramatic moment.

        1. Schpoonman

          Billie skipping a major detail to make her moment look more powerful is very on-brand.

        2. thejeff

          True. May be wishful thinking on my part.

  17. chromacandi

    when the chips are down

  18. LeslieBean4shizzle

    “You forgot something about me. I’m a crazy b!tch in love.”

    1. Clif

      Crazy bongo in love. Fixed that for you.

  19. King Daniel

    I mean, even with a fake ID it’s not like Billie would’ve been able to pass for someone in her late twenties (and in four years from now, early thirties) for much longer anyway with the sliding timescale:

    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/02-threes-a-crowd/bigred/

    1. BBCC

      Shot in the dark, maybe she has more than one?
      This is the woman who made a fuckton of copies of Ruth’s room key.

      1. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

        Maybe the canonical year on that fake ID slides along with the timescale? Does that work?

        1. BBCC

          It’s harder when the year on the ID was actually stated, but it’d be easy for Willis to say she has multiple fakes. We’ve established Becky sometimes makes multiples of important things.

        2. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

          Sure, it was 1993 in 2015, but now that it’s 2019 the year was 1997. The comic is just outdated.

        3. Clif

          Agreed. If you looked at it in the comic now it would say 1997. That’s what floating time line means.

        4. BBCC

          Well, yeah, if you wanna be all Doyleist about it. 😛

        5. thejeff

          Would be funny if Willis updated that old strip every year to use the new correct birthdate.

        6. BBCC

          That would be hilarious.

    2. Makkabee

      Even without a fake ID it’s not like there aren’t plenty of parties where dudebros are happy to booze up a busty freshman. Billy still has plenty of opportunity to self-destruct in an alcoholic haze.

      1. thejeff

        Getting booze is rarely difficult in college. There’s always someone around. Even if you’re not a busty freshman.
        I don’t even remember how I used to do it. I know I never had a fake id.

        Of course, given Billie’s tolerance, finding someone willing to supply the hardstuff in quantity might be a little trickier.

  20. abysswatcher1993

    This can only end well if these two decide to get help before attempting romance. Codependency only reinforces bad habits.

    1. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

      It seemed like Ruth was getting the help she needed… until this happened. If Billie doesn’t at least go through the motions–attending AA meetings with Ruth, say, or seeing a therapist–Ruth’s definitely going to immediately relapse.

      1. C.T Phipps

        That’s emotional and mental blackmail. It also means that Ruth’s recovery is conditional and thus never actually going to happen.

        It also ironically means they shouldn’t be together.

        1. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

          I wouldn’t say it’s blackmail (this would be Billie being concerned for Ruth’s well-being; Ruth wouldn’t be trying to abuse the situation or anything). It’s honestly just realizing that she’s been really selfish in being an unabashed drunk while her girlfriend is recovering from alcoholism. And in Billie stupidly assuming because she’s a somewhat “functional” alcoholic that her alcoholism isn’t something to worry about. Probably some self-esteem issues as well, attributing her popularity to her cool, party-girl persona, and not really feeling like anyone genuinely likes her for herself so her death wouldn’t cause much heartbreak.

        2. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

          Anyway, I imagine that’s kinda how Billie minimizes her alcoholism–but the difference now is that she’s seeing firsthand (a) the effect that alcoholism can have, and (b) the effects her alcoholism in particular can have on the people she cares about. So maybe she can at least pull her head out of the sand and admit to herself it’s a problem. Yes, this current storyline is super worrying–but maybe it’s the impetus Billie needs to get out of denial and start trying to get help.

        3. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

          (Either that, or she’ll try to run far enough away that Ruth can’t find her. This could well be terrible for Billie if she’s not able to support herself, but maybe Ruth will come to terms with things, get sober again, and stay that way without Billie in her life. Maybe Billie will gain a fresh perspective from the distance, sober up, and come back. Hell, maybe Billie will get away by checking into rehab, just figuring that it’s the one place that she’d be glad to have Ruth follow her into. And if she really doesn’t think she has a problem, she might figure it’ll be easy to take a short break from booze and then jump back off the wagon at the end of her stay.)

        4. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

          (also i probably am underreacting to the codependency angle because i’m definitely the kind of person to have codependent tendencies in online relationships? :/ )

        5. thejeff

          Relapsing is not blackmail. Ruth isn’t playing mind games here.

        6. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

          ^ It’s definitely not Ruth’s fault, whatever Billie does or doesn’t take away from this. Billie put pressure on Ruth to drink, and Ruth succumbed. Billie SHOULD feel responsible.

      2. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

        So, hopefully, Billie is going to realize this and get some sort of counselling, though probably she will start off by stubbornly ignoring everything.

        At some point, though, maybe she’ll realize–hey, this horrible fate I’m scared Ruth’s doomed to… she’s been just as worried that it’ll happen to me, and she’s not entirely off-base. Maybe I should be scared for my future. Maybe I really do need help–maybe I even deserve help. Maybe I can still change.

  21. etherealdesiign

    there’s that integrity we were looking for

    fucking finally, billie. good for you.

    1. Proxiehunter

      She has no regrets.

      1. Sunny

        Their ride will be a red truck.

    2. TomHCinMI

      What you said.

    3. Shane Wegner

      Bursts of drama are easy-ish. The long haul of day-to-day cravings, working out past pains, building oneself up to be better is hard. I’d say full integrity is carrying out the latter.

      If I know Billie, she’ll be tempted to say her grand gesture should be enough, and her good deed has earned her a drink(s) to help unwind from the stress Ruth caused her. But maybe this improvised change will set and become the start of something permanent.

    4. Shane Wegner

      As Googlemn just said, Billie hasn’t owned up to basically causing this by cold shouldering Ruth as punishment for not drinking. Is she now sorry for her part in that? She is basically rewarding Ruth for drinking with attention now.

      1. Hazel

        In fairness to Billie, she hasn’t had much time to apologise. She noticed Ruth, she freaked, the rash was brought up, she freaked in a much more productive manner. Probably less than a minute or two.

        And I don’t think it’s fair to blame Billie for Ruth drinking. Ruth could have responded to Billie’s behaviour in non-selfdestructive ways. And she’s not rewarding her with attention so much as freaking out about her health.

        Now that said, she definitely has been a total butt and owes Ruth an apology or five.

  22. goggleman64

    Man, Ruth needs to wake up tomorrow and break up with Billie. It seems the only time that lady isn’t terrible is when Ruth is a mess, which is incentiving Ruth to sabatoge herself 🙁

    1. Shane Wegner

      Harsh but fair and insightful take. Billie gets to feel like a hero for “saving” Ruth in the moment, but with zero ownership for strongly contributing to it by punishing Ruth with the cold shoulder and withholding “love” and affection, for the crime of daring to stand up for herself and drink in the first place!

  23. Kamino Neko

    … Jason, dude…This is not the time to be doubting. If they were intending to punk you, they’re the ones who’s come out looking bad if you ‘fell for it’.

  24. maxyai

    Jason consistently brings shame to his bow-tie. He should have his bow-tie privileges stripped by the International Society of Bow-Tie Wearers™. (ISoBTW)

    1. Bagge

      SHAME

      1. He Who Abides

        Have you forgotten the ISoBTW official motto? With great bow tie comes great responsibility, and he is showing that here.

        1. Bagge

          …I was REALLY certain the official motto of ISoBTW was “Bowties are cool.”

          Must be the unofficial motto, then.

        2. He Who Abides

          Nah, that’s just Dr. Who’s motto. Until he finds some other underworn piece of clothing to make fashionable.

  25. Fogel

    Does that apply to the “Real ID” (or whatever it’s called), which everyone is required to get over the next couple of years?

  26. tropicalfreeze

    I get that Billie can just get a new fake ID, but the significance of her giving up her current access to alcohol has at least been something admirable she’s done lately. For once I’m not just annoyed by her. Her emotional growth will remain stunted for as long as she continues to dull mental epiphanies via alcohol and avoidant behavior.

  27. Rabisch

    Now, this is a Billie I really like! Giving to Jason her fake ID she decided that Ruth’s life is more important than buying alcohol.

  28. Candle

    My brother-in-law had a similar reaction after drinking on medication he was warned not to drink alcohol on. He then spent a good day or so heaving over the toilet.

    Just saying, Billie might want to turn Ruth around.

    1. Needfuldoer

      ♫ Turn the Ruth around
      To avoid the vom-iiit ♫

  29. HeatherJean

    While giving up the only friend she’ll really ever need is dramatic and all, why doesn’t Billie just call an Uber and hustle Ruth off the Emergency Room, bypassing the stringbean with the bowtie?
    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/01-move-in-day/card/

    1. Bagge

      Heh, Nice ironic callback!

      Dunno. She’s probably in panic mode, and also realises that if there is only her, Ruth is far more likely to try to weasle out of it.

      Billie: Questionable longterm judgement, but a fudging GODDESS in the short term.

      1. Hazel

        That last sentence is spot on

        1. Bagge

          AAAAAAALPHA BONGO!

  30. Hazel

    BILLIE YES!

  31. PB

    (Sniffles) Don’t mind me… I have some pride and relief stuck in my eyes…

  32. FacelessDeviant

    I can never wrap my head around how they won’t allow people at age 18 to get drunk, but they have no problem in letting those same people vote to elect who is to run the entire country.

    If you’re 18 you’re supposed to count as a grown up for all legal purposes. So why not drinking age?

    1. FacelessDeviant

      I mean, one can even enlist in the armed forces and go to WAR. But not have a beer. What?

      1. Clif

        Well, it’s like this. Every so often we need a large amount of cannon fodder to play out the power fantasies of our leaders. Eighteen is the perfect age for this as they are young and stupid enough to believe themselves invulnerable, old enough to be useful, and still socialized to do as they’re told. If you have them go out and die but don’t let them vote on the people who are going to send them out to do the dieing, it’s bad optics. Besides it’s not like enough of them are going to actually vote to make any difference. On the other hand, if you let them drink then being young and stupid and believing themselves invulnerable , they’ll do things like get behind the wheel and kill an unacceptable number of real people.

        Clear?

        1. HeatherJean

          That’s why the voting age was dropped to 18, to give the appearance that all draftees would have some say in the government that drafted them. But with 2-, 4-, and 6-year terms, you’d pretty much have to allow 14-year-olds to vote, to make that a reality.

          (See 1968’s Wild in the Streets or the comic books based on it. Some parts seem relevant to current politics.)

        2. Clif

          That may be an overly cynical way of putting it, but it’s not wrong.

        3. HeatherJean

          Huh? That’s precisely the reasoning we were given for it in school, way back when, in a special assembly. As I recall, I asked why the voting age wasn’t being lowered to 15, if that was the rationale. Never got an answer either.

    2. HeatherJean

      Yeah, weird isn’t it? I remember when the ages were reversed: 18 for drinking and 21 for voting.

      1. Sunny

        Here you’re allowed wine or beer at 14 under parental supervision, you can legally buy beer and wine once you turn 16, and any liquor you want at 18. You’re allowed to vote in local elections at 16 and all other elections at 18. Minimum age for smoking is 18 (used to be 16). You can join the armed forces at 17 but only if your parents allow it, and they’re not going to send you into any warzones until you turn 18 (now there’s a birthday present…)

    3. Eve

      I admit on a theoretical level I agree, but when put into practice I thought lowering the drinking age causes massive spikes in drunk driving? I realize it’s not the case in other countries so I think it has to do with how our culture deals with alcohol and alcoholism and if we somehow fix that we should totally lower the drinking age.

      1. Sunny

        I think it’s probably a cultural thing as well. My parents let me try small sips of wine and beer fairly early on (wine was ok but weird, I didn’t really like beer) so alcohol was never some big, mystical thing that you only got access to once you reached a certain magical threshold of being old enough. You also are allowed to drink alcohol in public so it’s a lot more visible than I hear is the case in the USA. Taken together, I think those things drastically lowers the “coolness factor” of alcohol. Drinking it isn’t really a thing you can use to rebel or to show how mature you are. At the same time I and pretty much everyone I grew up with had it drilled into us to NOT DRINK AND DRIVE. Legally you’re allowed to have like one beer and still drive a car, but noone I know would have even that much if they know they’ll be driving. Sure, you do get people driving while drunk and causing accidents, but considering how many people there are here and how densely populated everything is it’s really quite rare.

        If the USA were to lower the drinking age it’s likely you would see a spike in drunk driving, you’d have a lot of people with driver’s licenses suddenly allowed to drink who have absolutely no experience with it. I think the number would go down again with time as they gain experience and learn what they can handle and how not to be an idiot.

        I’m not sure the “European Model” would completely work for the USA anyway. The USA are far more influenced by Puritan teachings with their emphasis on vices leading to crime, sin, and death. In Europe monasteries both catholic and protestant have been making wine and brewing beer for as long as they have existed, religion generally has an entirely different relation to alcohol here than it has in the USA and I think that shouldn’t be underestimated.

        I think if you want to resolve that dissonance in the USA a better way would be to raise the age at which you may join the armed forces to 21, and possibly also the age at which you may vote in federal elections. 18 years is definitely old enough to vote in state and local elections, however.

        1. thejeff

          Probably the biggest positive effect of lowering the drinking age is that under age kids could learn to drink with some adult supervision – rather than having their first experiences at some secret party, with all the potential for abuse and peer pressure and other crap.
          Adults could let the teens mostly alone, but check in to keep things from getting out of hand.
          Possibly even cut down on drunk driving – since kids wouldn’t have to leave the house and/or could admit they were drinking and needed a ride.

          I don’t think there’s any direct evidence on what lowering the drinking age does to drunk driving, since I don’t think anywhere in the US has lowered the drinking age since it went up to 21. And that was when drunk driving was nowhere near as stigmatized as it is today.

      2. Inahc

        Yeah that’s because your public transit tends to be shit, or nonexistent. I live somewhere where it’s just way easier to take a nightbus home.. heck, I never got a full license myself. Which is probably a good thing, because I’ve crashed my bike into nothing at all more than once. And also I managed to hit a garbage can that was on the sidewalk while riding on the street. 😛

  33. BenRG

    Jason, seriously, use your head. “Customer died because of an allergic reaction at the bar whilst I debated whether I should risk doing anything” is way worse than “Served someone who is less than 12 months underage”.

    1. Bagge

      But what about his priiiiiiiiiide?

      1. FacelessDeviant

        Dude wears a bowtie and a vest. That pride will be fiiiine.

  34. Booyahman

    Not shown due to space constraints:

    One beat panel of Jason’s eyebrows raised before returning to form

  35. gudhup

    I know I’m being picky. But he isn’t getting deported if he gets fired, he’s getting deported if he found to be working at a bar on his visa.

    I know, cause I am literally a PhD Brit in the US. You can’t work for any establishment that isn’t the university sponsoring your visa.

    1. Chris

      Not quite true. USCIS will allow an F-1 student to work off-campus in two circumstances: (I) severe economic hardship after being enrolled at least 1 year, and (II) emergent circumstances (i.e., those major issues which cause you to suffer economic hardship, such as wars, national financial crises, etc.). I’ve only seen this happen once – but it did happen.

  36. Kat

    So now we must ask ourselves the real question. Is Ruth truly bipolar and this is just a serendipitous string of events that result in Billy actually deciding to do something healthy for reasons that aren’t entirely selfish? Or did Ruth actually plan this as a sort of “calling Billie’s bluff”? I mean, being mildly bipolar myself, i can totally see this happening by accident. Sometimes things just go in your brain and you find yourself pondering what poetry you should write on the walls with a hunting knife in your hands before you realize that you’ll probably bleed out before the second stanza. (Mixed Episodes are the worst. And that was a long time ago. )

    But also I’ve been known to come up with incredibly manipulative and complex plans in the blink of an eye during my hypomanias. Things that make my fellow gamers remark “holy crap that’s brilliant! How long have you been planning that?” It’s a strange way to live life.

  37. Jhon

    Eh? A non-dumb decision. Who are you and what have you done with Billie?

  38. Theluxland

    For a while, I forgot 21 was the legal age to drink. Where I live it’s 18 so I had to read it again to understand

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