232

Allergies
Posted on October 18, 2011 by David M Willis

232 thoughts on “Allergies”

  1. Jen Aside

    “Billie, you know way too much about roofies.”

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      I guess roofie knowledge & detection is a necessity for a cheerleader.

      1. Beautifail

        It’s required before you’re allowed to get your uniform.

        1. Wix

          But after you go through cheerleader hazing, and I’ll say this right now. Jello wrestling was much worse, especially when you aren’t allowed to use your hands.

      2. Wandering Meme

        or sluts. don’t forget sluts!

      3. MichaelHaneline

        Sadly, its kind of a necessity for any girl who goes to big parties or clubs. If you want to be safe, at least.

      4. Gerardo

        Is a necessary for an alcoholic

    2. Logress

      I guess Billie is thinking “Yeah, been there, done that”.

  2. Black Bumblebee

    Awwwee… they’re bonding. Now kiss… 🙂

    1. SW

      No, no, we’re not shipping Billie & Sarah. We’re shipping Billie & Ruth.

      Billie has to go be punished by Ruth for underage drinking. And, as we all know, the punishment is a spanking.

      1. Joraiem

        I dunno, I think Sarah might be the new Joyce after that Big Damn Heroes moment.

        And by that I mean, SHIP HER WITH EVERYONE

        1. Wandering Meme

          Sarah’s a real thug! she’s showing Joyce how assault and aggravated battery is done thugnificently!

      2. Valdrax

        What? Why not!? They were in a panel together. Isn’t that how this works?

      3. nothri

        ……is it a bad sign that I can recall Billie doing something useful for someone other than herself? I’m not trying to rag on Billie, I’m really not, but I can’t honestly recall any situation before this where I felt something for her other than pity or rage.

    2. turkishproverb

      I was about to say: And thus, Sarah/Billie became obvious..

      1. phildog

        I support this ship!

      2. Jen Aside

        Not… Sarah/Joyce??? D=

        1. thatgirlwiththeglasses

          Combine them! Billie/Sarah/Joyce!

  3. David Herbert

    Detective Billingsworth here to solve the case. And get smashed.

    1. Plutonium Kitten

      Probably not in that order.

      1. calendarman27

        the booze is what makes her such a great detective!

        1. Robert in San Diego

          The conventional opinion is that if you’re drinking to get drunk, the higher level though processes are the last to go. This explains some absolutely smashed professional chessplayers making mincemeat out of the opposition in tournament and match play (looking at you, Alexander Alekhine). On the other hand, given that it’s Billie, it may be likely her mental “what to do in event of a party brawl” checklist is active only when she’s inebriated.

        2. JBO

          Seems like she…
          *Puts glasses on*
          … had a little too much to drink.
          YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

        3. Static Air

          And that, kids, is how Billie became Lieutenant Horatio Caine.

  4. Andy

    woo go billie

    1. fellixe

      Really! Dr. Billingsworth, Party Medic with the save!

      1. Andy

        indeed

  5. Mkvenner

    Wasn’t billie drunk a few seconds ago?

    1. Joraiem

      That’s what I was wondering! She stopped being absolutely wasted pretty damn fast. That’s a handy skill to have.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        She has a bionic liver.

      2. ViralBiae

        She possesses a superpower that most Irish and New Zealanders possess: the ability to become even more useful and effective at everything they try at a certain point of drunkness. This extends to Guitar Hero, Poker, any form of karaoke, Pool, darts and basically everything except for driving.

        1. Pat

          Many people think they have this power who do not actually possess it.

        2. bhtooefr

          Programmers have it too, though: http://xkcd.com/323/

        3. Fren

          One can drink themselves right on through drunk and clear out the other side into a kind of blinding sobriety. It is known.

        4. Kindof Awesome

          So… the Irish are like Batman?

      3. iSaidCandleja-

        I’ve witnessed the super sober powers several times. Usually just after a person realizes they should feel guilty about something, but have no idea what that something is and must be sober to find out.

      4. Wandering Meme

        no no no…that’s her body double. you know, the one that acts intelligent in her place?

        Shes actually off in the background getting alcohol poisoning from her 22nd keg.

        1. Valdrax

          Holy crap! So that’s who Amazi-Girl is!

    2. Jetstream

      She’s still drunk. Plenty of hard-core drinkers can maintain semi-lucidity even with a shitload of alcohol in their systems. I knew a guy once who you couldn’t even tell he was drunk unless you paid close attention to how he walked when he’d been drinking.

      He was definitely not safe to drive, but he could hold a conversation just fine.

    3. Kateastrophe

      People can sober up really fast in emergency situations, especially if they’re trained to handle it. They’re still drunk, but competent/helpful drunk.

      1. Jackson

        The situation is already pretty sobering in itself.

        1. Jackson

          My avatar is entirely too cheerful for that comment. Kateastrophe, can I borrow your Danny for a moment?

        2. Zuche

          Here, take mine.

    4. Shade

      Adrenaline rushes can have a pretty potent sobering effect on people.

    5. AliaPie

      I had a friend who was drunk but then one of our friends and I were in a car accident, and he sobered up very quickly and came to help out. It’s amazing how functional you can be if you need to.

  6. The Sound Defense

    Billie is astoundingly perceptive given how intoxicated she is.

    1. Sheen

      Drunkards with aspiration are WINNING!

  7. arjay2813

    at least its some kind of wealth, b/c without that all that would be left is alcohol and her fake ID. mostly the ID

  8. Kaos

    She burns off booze faster than you can say “Whut?”

    1. Bickendan

      “Whut?”
      Damn, you’re right.

      Well played, Willis. Well played.

  9. Plasma Mongoose

    Billie is awfully coherent and conscious for someone who has drunken as much as she has.

    1. Wandering Meme

      She’s got a good recovery time. she’s obviously done this before ya know!

      Gonna hurt like hell in the morning though.

    2. Bekah

      It’s amazing how quickly you sober up with you find out your designated driver is in the bathroom puking her guts out and has only had one and a half beers since getting to the bar.

      Or in Billie’s case, it’s amazing how quickly you sober up with your acquaintance hasn’t had any drinks and is passing out after clocking her would-be date-rapist with a glass of Sierra Mist.

      1. Bekah

        I guess what I’m saying here is that adrenaline has that effect.

        1. johannhowitzer

          Adrenaline alters metabolism, providing the energy to back up its effects. This would likely cause the body to rapidly process any alcohol – explaining why a crisis can cause people to “sober up.”

        2. evee

          One time I had a clandestine party at my parents house and someone threw up on the speakers and tv
          I was so terrified of leaving party evidence I sobered up near instantly after having previously been laying on the floor yelling “BIRTHDAY SHOTS GUYS GUYS BIRTHDAY SHOTS”

        3. Valdrax

          No, adrenaline has the opposite effect on alcohol metabolization. It puts blood away from organs not essential to fight or flight, including the liver, where alcohol dehydrogenase is produced.

          Adrenaline just counters the effects of alcohol on the brain temporarily. You have just as much in your bloodsteam — it just doesn’t have as much effect.

  10. steve

    w00t go billie

    infinite wealth of horrible wisdom

  11. cmglothlin

    So, uh, where was Amazi-Girl anyway? I know she was at the party.

    1. iSaidCandleja-

      She’s right there. She said she was hoping she wouldn’t be seen (out of costume).

  12. Locarno

    The drunkenness is only a disguise. It’s Billie’s spandex superhero costume. Drunk-mode on when entering party. Drunk-mode off when fighting crime!

  13. Conuzor

    Billie used “Instant Clarity”
    It was Super Effective!

  14. Joraiem

    Responsible Billie to the rescue!

    I guess Willis does want her to be a positive figure sometimes. That’s nice!

    Also, I’m actually (legitimately, no sarcasm) pretty thrilled that while tons of people were worried that Sarah was gonna kill Ryan, no one here gives a shit. Plus he’s probably okay, just a couple hits and a crotchstomp.

    1. iSaidCandleja-

      The other partiers have been desensitized to violence by Amazi-Girl’s previous intervention.

      1. NakedDumblydore

        Cue in-comic speculations about Sarah being Amazi-Girl.

        1. Bickendan

          Sarah is UltraCar?

        2. Wandering Meme

          Of course! Sarah was originally a female decepticon turned autobot from cybertron, that ended up pulling off the greatest transformation ever: transforming to flesh and blood! having lived as a sophomore for an entire century, she moonlighted as ultracar and used her luxury car status to pay off her student loans, and gain millions off of those unlucky saps that would buy her (the government knows where she hides the bodies; don’t ask me where – THEY’RE WaTChInG mE!)

          Witnessing the inequalities of the world, she became ultragirl, adding another persona to her already growing dementia, initially caused by lack of concentrated energon!

          Soon she’ll transform into the evil overlord and take over the world!

        3. Henry

          If Sarah’s going to take over the world…wouldn’t that make her Galasso?

        4. Djw175

          This conspiracy goes deep don’t it?

        5. johannhowitzer

          She even has the angry eyes down.

        6. Henry

          Now I want to see a ‘shop of Sarah yelling “FOOLS!”

        7. Wandering Meme

          oh mY GOD IT’S ALREADY HAPPENING!!!!!!!

  15. Plasma Mongoose

    I half expected words to hover over the clues like in that new series, Sherlock.

  16. Dhund

    Right, so, I think this settles matters pretty nicely.

    Sarah is Amazi-girl. Not sure why she took off the costume before rescuing Joyce though.

    1. ryan

      joyce doesn’t need a shock like that. not today.

  17. Ellllllle

    Most people I know tend to sober up to an extent during an emergency.. Perhaps that’s what is why Billie seems clear headed for the time being.

    1. Ellllllle

      what is why? what? herp. that is why*

  18. Platypus

    Very Sherlock Holmes, or more Watson I guess.

  19. Eddy

    Billy possesses the ability to be at once totally drunk, and at the same time can be really lucid and can access her vast knowledge of stuff (roofies in this case) if she wants to. That is why Billy is great.

    “I fight for my friends”

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      So she is a Zen Drunken Master?

      1. fellixe

        Did Willis forget to mention her cheer coach was Wong Fei-Hung?

        1. johannhowitzer

          First time I’ve encountered someone who knew about that particular Drunken Master film. Everyone seems to only know about the other one.

        2. fellixe

          Chan played Wong Fei-Hung in both the ’70’s and ’90’s film. Both are good, though.

        3. fellixe

          Tony Jaa does a tribute to drunken boxing in Ong Bak 2 that is also pretty remarkable. And typical to Jaa it is infused with Thai boxing.

        4. Wandering Meme

          she has to do shots that are at least 150 proof laced with poison off of a frat boy’s butt crack to get tipsy.

          Why do you think she ran in so fast?

    2. Doctor S

      LOL She’s Schrodinger’s Alcoholic both drunk and sober until you observe her blood alcohol levels.

  20. TheBenenator

    Aha! Amazi-Girl has a sidekick — Sarah!

    Aka Pessimistic Lass!

    1. Digidestined of Trust (Tim)

      Wow, that has a ring to it!

    2. Masquerade

      What about PessiMiss instead?

      1. gangler

        Not a sidekick name. She can use that one when she strikes off on her own.

        1. Zuche

          Robin and Speedy would like a word.

        2. TheBenenator

          You took the words out of my keyboard.

          How the heck did you do that, there are no keyloggers on the machine!!!

          STOP HACKING MY BRAIN!!!

      2. Plasma Mongoose

        PessiMiss Prime? 😀

        1. fellixe

          Cynica

  21. NCP19

    I love how Sarah had to mentally prepare Billie to hear a compliment from her.

    1. Candacey

      Might have given her a heart attack. Then they would have two problems.

  22. Ridureyu

    This isn’t much different as what happens when I’m asleep and the phone rings. Apparently I’m great at pretending to be coherent.

    1. Rex Hondo

      That’s nothing. Apparently, on more than one occasion, I have actually propped myself up, opened my eyes and answered questions, all without actually waking up and having no memory of it later.

      1. Ridureyu

        Indeed, point taken!

        I meant how I can answer the phone without the “i just woke up” voice.

    2. ryan

      i must be your opposite. every time anyone calls me, doesn’t matter the time of day, they always think i’m asleep.

  23. fellixe

    Oh, gee Willis. Your characters are so one-dimensional, I dunno…

    Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be coming into tonight responsible for one of those kind of comments. GO BILLIE! GO SARAH!

  24. Halbert Bernanke

    My goodness, Billie must have the liver of a god to get undrunk so quickly.

  25. Ridureyu

    SO, anyway, the purpose of inviting these people (well, one of them) to the party was to prove how awesome a “free,” wild-party lifestyle is.

    One fight broken up by Amazi-Girl, one drugging/attempted rape broken up by Sarah… sure, it doesn’t REALLY reflect on Roz, but man. It’s like how the one time you get your family to sit down and watch your favorite show, they play the ONE AND ONLY episode where everybody worships Satan and stabs jews.

    1. Mario!

      That was the worst episode of Transformers Animated!

    2. Kernanator

      Yeah, it is rather embarrassing, isn’t it?

      1. Ridureyu

        Of course, it could probably be easily avoided if I didn’t watch Nazi Satanists From Mars.

    3. Kryss LaBryn

      Yeah. >< Awesome.

      Yes, I'm that old..

      1. Kryss LaBryn

        Wait– where did the middle part of my reply, about going through EXACTLY that with “Mork & Mindy” (only with strippers) go?

        Anyways, yeah, been there, did that!

  26. Kernanator

    DOUBT.

  27. NakedDumblydore

    Sarah, you are the Maria Sharapova of backhanded compliments.

    I wonder if Billie’s hiding a bird behind that last speech bubble.

    1. CP

      I kinda disagree. Knowing a lot about terrible things is in no way a bad thing. Telling somebody they handle crises well isn’t backhanded at all.

      1. gangler

        As much as I agree that knowledge pertaining to terrible and horrific things is really the best kind of knowledge one can have, I’m pretty sure that Sarah did in fact intend it as a backhanded compliment. The implication seems to be that if someone was living a good life they would not know these things, much less have that as their only field in which they can be considered knowledgeable.

  28. Digidestined of Trust (Tim)

    I just laughed so hard at that last panel! I’m impressed at how sober Billie can be while drunk. She is indeed very perceptive

    1. Fauxlosopher

      Nothing like an emergency to sober someone up. I know this from experience.

  29. Joraiem

    Panel 3 makes me wonder – do roofies have no smell or taste?

    I mean, it’s kinda weird. Joyce could tell the difference between Sprite and Sierra Mist, but couldn’t notice any difference in her – relatively mild tasting – drink when it had been drugged?

    1. AS

      From what I’ve heard, they don’t had any taste or smell. That way, victims won’t know they’ve been drugged until it’s too late. Sad, but true.

      1. AS

        *have! Thy don’t have any taste or smell. Also, I learned this information from Veronica Mars and college students, so it could be right and could be wrong.

    2. Chexwarrior

      Rohypnol and GHB are tasteless/odorless, if they had a taste they would be much less effective for guys like Ryan.

    3. Candacey

      It’s colorless, odorless, and tasteless. So don’t drink anything you didn’t see the bartender make.

      1. Wackd

        Roofies are made of iocane?

        1. isitsevenyet

          “I’d bet my life on it!”

    4. Rex Hondo

      Things that noticeably alter the flavor of the drink aren’t generally very popular as date-rape drugs. Predators can (sadly) be pretty clever that way.

    5. vlademir1

      Actually Rohypnol is statistically rare as a date rape drug (less than 1% of cases), in part because it has a reaction in alcohol that makes it bitter. Other benzodiazepines and GHB (as well products like GBL that metabolize into GHB) are significantly more common, though GHB also has a subtle salty taste. GHB is doubly scary as it’s one of those that, if consumed with alcohol, can actually kill you because of the way the side effects of both interact.
      Meanwhile the statistically most common date rape drug is alcohol, as it likely has been for most of human history. Though the concept of date rape is of very recent vintage, being at most 20 to 30 years old, the practice has likely been around since humanity first learned the effects of alcohol. Of course the word ‘rape’ itself only narrowed to the modern meaning within the past couple hundred years, and of old meant taking something by force in general and not sex specifically. ‘Ravish’ coming of similar etymological basis has a similar history becoming specifically of sexual note in the past couple centuries.
      I’ll stop rambling now, but the tl;dr is scum like this has been part of humanity as long as we’ve existed and alcohol has been, and remains, the main tool for this job.

      1. Doom Shepherd

        You command a wealth of helpful knowledge pertaining to terrible and horrific things.

        A suspicious amount of wealth.

      2. isitsevenyet

        Might explain why Joyce didn’t taste it then. She wasn’t drinking alcohol, so there was no reaction.

        (I am basing this hypothesis solely on the info in your comment since I know nothing of these things, myself.)

  30. Chase

    I’m very surprised how level-headed Billie is while drunk. o_O Very cool. She gets even more awesome-points in my book.

    1. Bill M.

      She’s been consuming alcohol so long that it now acts like the synthehol from Star Trek: The Next Generation, in that you can enjoy its effects, but when the drek hits the fan (I know, crossing sci-fi series for the metaphor) you sober up ASAP.

  31. TheAlucinaut

    God damn it. All I can help but think is “Well the first time poor Joyce went to a college party she got roofied by an almost-rapist.” That’s an awful first weekend of college, & will likely be extremely traumatic. & I just feel terrible for her…

  32. Ravux

    Is someone that plastered (or whatever they call it) supposed to be able to recall that much information? I wouldn’t know considering I’m not old enough to drink.

    1. RedScharron

      It’s not a general skill, but isn’t freakishly unusual in my experience. Of course my experience does include the time I had consumed QUITE a bit of vodka and then a friend of mine put his hand through a glass fronted bookcase, after which I not only bandaged the injury but asked if he was the one with a history of clotting issues (he wasn’t, that was his brother). I may not have been able to stand up without sloooowly tipping over, but by god I could check for glass shards and apply a pressure dressing.

      I’m not entirely sure I’m comfortable with this similarity.

      1. gangler

        I have a feeling that Billie could disarm a bomb if she’d had enough to drink.

    2. Zakrael

      It does depend on the person in question.

      In my case, my balance goes to hell and I lose the mental filter that keeps most of my stupid comments inside my head, but there has never been a situation where alcohol has impeded my ability to store and recall information. I always remember exactly what it was that everyone did last night, even if I spent half of it slumped in a corner mumbling incoherently. This has caused much embarrassment for people involved.

      Plus, as mentioned above, certain situations (like holy shit someone’s just been drugged and has cut their hand open hitting a rapist with a glass) can sober you up incredibly fast.

      1. Phillip Wilde

        My balance goes to shit when I’m drunk and I’m not so uptight, but that’s it. Once I even had a German person compliment me on my German while I was totally smashed.

    3. katzgoboom

      “Not old enough to drink” is a terrible excuse (loljk but seriously there is no drinking age in college).

      But now for my serious point:

      Drinking doesn’t fundamentally change who you are, it just lowers your inhibitions. You’d be surprised how deliberate drunk dials are. With someone who is clearly a very experienced drinker like Billie, she probably knows this and went with it. It’s also highly likely that she’s been in a situation like this before, whether it was a friend or her personally.

      People rarely completely forget facts they have taken to heart, they just don’t react as quickly when the situation calls for it.

    4. Ravux

      I raise all your points and give you a ….My question was pretty stupid in retrospect. But on the up-side, learning! I learned things from you genius readers.

  33. Forsaken1ne

    Man, I just realized how weird it is that she had a cup made of glass. What kind of college party doesn’t have red plastic cups?

    1. katzgoboom

      Small liberal-arts colleges. They’re not sustainable.

      1. Forsaken1ne

        Heh, I went to a small liberal-arts college. Cost still trumped worries over carbon emissions, especially for people who threw keggers.

        1. isitsevenyet

          Could be they simply ran out of the plastic ones.

          Billie is there, after all. 😉

        2. katzgoboom

          I am going to one, and my school has steam tunnels that make energy somehow. Don’t ask me, I’m not a doctor.

          tl;dr: I actually don’t really remember using plastic cups very often at all the parties I’ve been to in the last 3 years.

      2. MM

        Don’t they just buy the corn-based biodegradable ones?

    2. Historyman68

      It’s at someone’s house. Very possible that Ryan, jerk that he is, grabbed a glass cup out of the cabinet when there was a perfectly good plastic cup available.

      1. gangler

        That Fiend! What kind of asshole would do that?

        1. calendarman27

          he probably didnt even use his own roofies, he used the house roofies. THOSE ARE ONLY FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS!!

        2. Zuche

          It would have been a pretty special occasion for Joyce…

  34. Terah

    I think Billie could have a high enough tolerance for her alcohol that she can remain aware enough to retain information.

    Remember? Earlier in this line, she said she keeps her hand over her drink to keep this from happening to her. She has to stay aware enough while getting drunk to keep doing that.

  35. roxyrocketeer

    It is unlikely, but in panel 2, I hope Sarah is squatting down to Fart on Ryan’s head.

  36. goatman95111

    Question: why hasn’t anyone hog-tied or otherwise restrained Ryan yet? Granted, he needs first aid, but surely he’s proven himself far too great a risk to pull a James Bond supervillain mistake, and simply let him have a chance to escape.

    1. George

      Sarah and Joyce did a number on him.. He’s not getting through that large a crowd in his condition.

    2. Magnus369

      that, and it’s a good possibility that sarah dragged him into the puked out bathroom and left him in there. I doubt very seriously she’d want joyce or herself anywhere near him at the moment.

      1. Magnus369

        Never mind, I didn’t see his head in the bottom of the second panel.

        1. dadman

          Could be that it’s just his head at the bottom of the panel, in which case he ain’t goin’ nowheres.

        2. Magnus369

          we can wish

    3. ryan

      dead people don’t normally need restraints.

  37. notquiteotaku

    Billie, Sarah, you are awesome incarnate. PLEASE tell me that this means someone is going to call the cops or at least take Joyce to the hospital. If they can get a blood test done and prove there are drugs in her system, Ryan’s probably looking at jail time.

    1. madd

      So is Sarah, if we’re being realistic.

      1. katzgoboom

        If they go up in front of a jury, it’s unlikely the jury will convict Sarah, since she was defending her friend from rape.

        And judging Ryan’s slip-up after Joyce didn’t go to the bathroom, it’s unlikely that he’ll keep it together in a jury situation and thus be convicted.

        1. Valdrax

          Nope. Once she continued the beating after he was down and out, that defense no longer works.

        2. katzgoboom

          Most of “winning a case” involves winning over the jury, in the case of jury trials.

        3. Rex Hondo

          Only if the prosecution can find somebody willing to testify that she did, in fact, keep hitting him when he was down.

  38. Liberal1337

    Damn sierra mist allergy! Same symptoms as roofalin

  39. Jacki

    Now let’s see if anyone has more god given sense than a cucumber and brings Joyce to a hospital.

    …please tell me they have that much common sense

    1. Valdrax

      And Ryan. Scum or not, he needs medical attention.

  40. Larson E. Jones

    Billie would make an amazing EMT. Except this knowledge is coming from a drunkard, which most emergency service workplaces tend to frown upon.

    1. Madock345

      …Have you ever worked in a hospital?

      Also, I checked out QLC, and am now reading through the Loserz archive, looks awsome.

  41. Sporkaganza

    Time to ship Billie/Sarah!

  42. Xi

    Dunno why people are so amazed at Billie’s ability to be coherent. I mean, sure she’s a one drink drunk, but people have pretty amazing tendancies to be apparently coherent. I’ve seen moments of clarity from several drunken people in my (admittedly limited) time. On another note, the actual glass thing isn’t that far fetched. Been to quite a few parties that we had only glasses for drinks.

    … and now I’m seeing several people I know in relation to the DoA characters… Damn you, Willis, for having relatable characters!

    1. gangler

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/06-yesterday-was-thursday/fort/

      I think this is the moment when we assumed we wouldn’t be seeing a whole lot of coherent thought from Billie for the rest of the night. Not really an issue of being a one drink drunk, unless we’re assuming both those kegs and that headmounted piece of drunken genius count as a singular drink.

      She has been really, excessively drunk. In almost every shot of her everyone around her is hanging out, chilling, socializing as they sip their beverage while Billie flails around like a drunken jackass. Plus she was drinking before the party even started. Got “Pre-drunk” as she called it so that she could get superdrunk immediately upon entering the building. She’s likely more booze than person at this point.

      1. Seerow

        Billie strikes me as the kind of girl who uses alcohol as an excuse. She enjoys acting like the full on retard you’re expected to be while drunk. So she drinks some, and goes to party and blends in, but can quickly and easily snap to reality if actually needed.

        1. Zuche

          Yeah, I’ve met people who act more drunk than they are at parties. That’s not to say Billie’s sober, even if some of this was an act.

        2. artemi

          I think she just likes being drunk. If you drink, expect to get drunk, then just dive into the feelings without trying to resist them, you don’t actually end up as drunk as you would otherwise.

          You end up feeling and acting drunk, but you don’t actually have as much alcohol in your system. So, when needed, you can just start resisting the effects again and pull yourself back to sobriety.

        3. gangler

          So like that guy who always comes online and keeps repeating to the guild how drunk he is as he spends the day conducting himself as a moronic asshole, but is somehow still able to pull himself together and tank with perfect clarity when the time comes to delve into some crunchy dungeons.

          There’s a certain amount of showmanship to it. It’s more important to be seen as drunk so you can cut loose and let go of those inhibitions than it is to actually be intoxicated to the point of being incapable of making good decisions.

          Considering what we know about her, that actually makes a shocking amount of sense. She’s got a lot of frustrations, and seems to have a really rough time keeping herself in line all day. The opportunity to just let loose and forget about consequences for an evening is probably worth far more to her than the booze itself. Also makes it a bit more clear why she’s been so desperate for a party when she seems to have no problem getting drunk independently.

          I really like this angle. I hadn’t put any of that together before you pointed it out.

  43. Azukar

    Well I, for one, feel really bad about the situation Joyce is in… I guess it’s just a good thing she’s got friends there now, plus Sarah the Angel of Death.

    1. Azukar

      Also, I seem to get the same Dorothy Gravatar almost every single time I post… Is this deliberate?

      1. Djw175

        I’m pretty sure the gravatars are the same until the list of them is updated. I might just be insane though.

      2. artemi

        The Gravatars are decided when you first post, then stick with you until the get updated (Willis adds more? The moon rises red? Who knows what causes it).

  44. Plan D

    Joyce should still go to the hospital. My younger brother was once roofied and he felt like he was going to die, and he’s a muscular, 200 pound dude. You never know how much some creepo used and how your body will react.

    1. vlademir1

      I’ll second that. No matter the actual chemical mixed into that drink there’s a strong chance for an overdose there as scum like that don’t tend to stop at enough for their purposes and in fact will often go the “more is better” route, despite that being very potentially lethal. I unfortunately can’t find any specific LD info on any of the most common substances that potentially could have been in that glass, but found one for that class of drugs which taken with Joyce’s weight from Walkypedia suggests as little as 5-6 pills would be lethal to her, and 8-9 for your brother.

      I’m done being morbidly and cynically depressing for now I think.

  45. Muffinivorous

    Am I the only one getting the vibe that Billie has, at some point, worked in a pharmacy?

    1. Jeffrey Scott

      What is Billie’s Major?

      1. MM

        I want to say journalism, but I’m not sure if that was the other universe.

        1. Sporkaganza

          It hasn’t yet been stated specifically here, but she is apparently working for the school newspaper, so it’s probable.

  46. Mancuso

    Hehe, Zombie Joyce on panel 5.

    1. Gargamel

      Those weren’t roofies in her drink…
      Joyce: “Why does my skin itch so much?”

  47. Dan

    I’m suddenly getting flashbacks to that episode of Buffy where they have one beer and suddenly everyone is under attack by beer demons and the lesson is “underaged drinking is bad.”

    I don’t think that’ll be the takeaway here, but I do wish that there were more antics of Joyce, Queen of the Drunkards

    1. Jackson

      Well, the lesson here seems to be that roofies and rapists are bad. Billie has been underage drinking up a storm, and she’s perfectly fine!

      1. Dan

        Hah, yeah. I just meant, “Ugh, the first big party, and of course it ends in attempted rape and roofies and violence.”

    2. Mrelegos

      If I recall correctly, the lesson in Buffy was surmised thus:

      “What did we learn about beer?”
      “Foamy?”
      “Close enough.”

    3. Mrelegos

      If I recall correctly, the lesson in Buffy was surmised thus:

      “What did we learn about beer?”
      “Foamy?”
      “Close enough.”

  48. Palmetto

    I’m too old for this forum. ‘Shipping’, ‘roofies’, etc. Still, it doesn’t keep me from enjoying the comic.

    1. Zuche

      Roofies is just a new word for a practice old before pulp magazines started to mention mickies. “There’s nothing new under the sun,” as Voltaire wrote, and I’m pretty sure he stole that observation from an earlier writer.

      I’m pretty sure about half the commentators here are in their thirties and forties. You might not be as far from the norm as you think.

      1. isitsevenyet

        Voltaire didn’t write that originally. 😉 King Solomon did.

        Ecc 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

        1. gangler

          Since absolutely nothing new has happened since the days of King Solomon it’s the truest brand of truism 😉

    2. madd

      The term roofies has been around since the 90’s. Come to think, so has ship/shipping/shipper.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Before it was called roofies, it was known as slipping in a mikkie.

    3. begbert2

      Shipping means to take two characters, presume them to have a romantic relationship together, and then put them in a crate and deliver them to some far off location.

      1. Palmetto

        My gratitude to all who contributed to my enlightenment. “Mickies” I’m familiar with. “Shipping” may have originated in the ’90s, but it isn’t used in the (tiny) circles I move in.

        Thanks.

        1. begbert2

          Now I feel a built guilty – I hope it was obvious that I was totally lying about the crate thing. “Shipping” in this context is just about the (relation)ships.

        2. Fata Morgana

          Here, have an informational link!

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

          Warning, though: If you visit TV tropes and start reading, you’ll look up and blink and wonder where the last four hours have gone.

        3. Palmetto

          Ah. ‘Moonlighting’, where it all fell apart when Maddie and Dave fell in bed.

          Thanks for the link. Fortunately, I was already aware of the time sink capabilities of TV Tropes.

        4. Kryss LaBryn

          I believe it’s derived from “relationship”; “I ship A/B” means “I like to imagine A and B in a relationship.”

          Had to explain that to my husband myself recently. I’m dreading the day I have to define “slash” for him, ha ha…

        5. Palmetto

          I’m not gonna ask.

  49. Jeffrey Scott

    Okay, now what?

  50. Nakama

    YAY! They’re bonding! Whee!

    For bringing us togeher, we thank you, Rapin’ Ryan!

  51. Zuche

    That’s a reassuring scene. Must remember to trust the writer’s ability more. Sorry, Mr. Willis.

  52. Doom Shepherd

    What? They left him alive? Boo!

  53. Commander Clash

    Oh please…you’re all saying she drunk herself into sobriety. Surely it MUST be Billie’s little known second liver. Dr. Who has two hearts, Billie has two livers which would filter alcohol faster than most. The only comic person I know that CAN’T get drunk is Wolverine, he has confrimed that his healing factor filters out the alcohol too fast for him to GET drunk.

  54. katzgoboom

    This is going to be a very big generalization, but it seems like the people who find Billie’s sudden sobriety believable actually have had experience with drinking/being drunk in emergency situations, vs people who have had little experience drinking.

    Now, if she was also high, that would be another story completely…

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      If she had a FEW drinks, I could believe it, but she was drinking GALLONS of the stuff, that’s the hard to believe part.

    2. gangler

      I’ll admit to a lack of experience with drinking in either context. Most people don’t do well in emergencies when they’re sober though, and I can’t imagine being intoxicated aids this. Honestly I would not have guessed that Billie would be capable of this, sober or otherwise.

      Ultimately the question seems to be, is it more impressive that she played Sir Savien perfectly, or that she did so with a broken string? Personally I wouldn’t know. I just know it’s damned impressive what she did today.

  55. begbert2

    “Sarah, what are you doing here?”
    “Hoping you wouldn’t see me.”
    “Um, okay…and why did you bring a baseball bat with you?”
    “Err, there were some mailboxes on the way here that I thought were ugly, so I thought I’d…well anyway, I really need to get back to studying, so you guys take it from here, okay?”
    “Wait, where are you?”

    With that, Sarah grabbed her bat and slipped hastily into the crowd, and out the back door. Taking refuge behind some bushes, she set the bad down -and it suddenly began to change, bending and folding back upon itself. As it did so, Sarah reached up behind her head, and pulled-

    With the removal of her Sarah mask, the young woman’s true form was revealed: Amazi-Girl! Inexplicably her clothes had changed to her iconic superhero outfit (the version without the chest window), showing her in her true glory – though the only one who could see her was the thing that was formerly her bat.

    “Amazi-Stool? Take this, and go back to the AmaziCave. I need to get back in there before I’m missed.”

    The stool flexed its front legs in a nod, and Amazi-Girl placed the Sarah mask on its flat top. Then, as it began to hop away, she reached into a hidden pocket in the back of her cape, and extracted a pair of glasses – as she slipped them on her face, over her mask, her disguise become complete.

    Now dressed in her civilian clothes again, Roz left the bushes and returned to the party.

    —-

    Until I get a better explanation, this will be my reasoning behind the bat Sarah has with her. And by “better”, I mean “more awesome”.

  56. kazzellin

    You know, it occurs to me that we don’t know if Billie is smashed or tipsy. The circle-bubbles over her head could be for either, and I have no idea what her tolerance is. ^^;

    Regardless, at least she’s being useful, but I wonder if she’d be able to smell alcohol with however-much already in her?

  57. Wackd

    I know I’m worried about the wrong person, but a good knock in the head with just a fist can cause concussions. Two hits with a baseball bat?

    Really, I just don’t want to see Sarah carted off this early. Is “self-defense” applicable if you were actually defending someone else?

    1. zenofben

      I don’t know if it works the same way in the states but in the UK the law is self defence is defence of yourself or of another; so she would be fine.

    2. gangler

      I have to imagine there’s some law that covers you when intervening with an attempted rape. This being said, as others have pointed out it might only cover her for that first blow to the head.

      1. begbert2

        Joyce and Mike got away with blatantly unjustified assault – which even if Joe was too prideful to report it, was conducted in an occupied public place. I think Sarah will be fine.

        1. gangler

          Joe didn’t press charges. Just because they got away with it doesn’t make it legal.

          Though I do agree that Sarah’ll be fine, most likely for that very same reason. Ryan’s probably not looking to turn this into a “He said she said”. For all that he might win the case, afterward he’d have to deal with excessively well publicized and recorded accusations of rapist tendencies on his part. One thing to have a few rumors going here and there, but good luck getting anyone to let you near their drinks after that trial.

          Plus you just know that once it reached that point all his previous victims would come out of the woodwork to tell their stories to anyone willing to listen, be they law enforcers, courtroom workers, reporters, or just the student body. Really in his best interest to keep this on the down low.

    3. narmenduke

      The self-defense law in the US does extend to protecting others, yes. Although, if you keep attacking the person after they’re incapacitated and can’t do any further harm to you or the person you’re protecting, then you might still end up getting arrested. I’m slightly worried that Sarah might have strayed into that territory after delivering the second blow with the bad (“Stay down, and I won’t hit you again. *thwack* Whoops, I lied”)

      I also slightly worry that she might have accidentally killed him, what with delivering two blows to the head and curb-stomping him. That might also get her in legal trouble if that happens.

  58. Schequeerazade

    It was several pitchers of beer shared, and enough beer to overcome her natural heightened healing & stamina. That’s quite a bit different than one beer.

    Also, the point was less that underage drinking is bad, and more that drinking to that extent lowers your self-control to potentially dangerous levels, especially when you’re the Slayer so already capable of significantly hurting someone.

    Hell, it’s not even the only time they show Buffy drinking, partying, or drinking underage. The cast is shown drinking before most of them are 21 several more times throughout the series.

  59. Gargamel

    Huh so she didn’t actually smash the bottle in his face, just slash him with a shard. Kind’a disappointed.
    Hope we get a trial though,

    1. Valdrax

      I don’t. Not because I don’t think one would be merited IRL, but because it’d probably be a boring story.

  60. saturnwonder

    Man, Billie and Sarah are going WAY PAST my expectations concerning Joyce. GO GIRLS!!

  61. Tunasammich

    Maaaaaaaaan too many armchair lawyers read this comic

    1. Fata Morgana

      Seriously.

    2. zenofben

      I’m an actual lawyer, though I was sitting on a sofa at the time I read the comic. 🙂

  62. Techpri3st

    I’m actually worried about Joyce…A. whatever slimebag slipped into her drink; it reacted rather quickly with her…B. Is that blood on her hand it’s(I refuse to call it by a gender because what it did caused it to loose all rights as a living being) blood, her blood or a mix of the two…If that’s the case who knows what BBPs she may have picked up…Sorry it’s the former EMT in me screaming…

  63. Senf

    Why is Bullie wearing long pants now instead of her cute booty shorts?

  64. Asuka L.S.

    What…the…Hell? This is the same woman that was running around with a keg on her head not twenty minutes ago in story. How in the world did she suddenly transition from drunk as a skunk to resident EMT?!!

  65. Shifty

    I’m really impressed how put together Billie is, considering she was shit-faced drunk of her ass a second ago. I guess the adrenaline of finding your friend drugged and your… person you share a bathroom with beating the shit of out someone, is a sobering thing.

  66. Orima-Kazooie

    Awww, she snapped right out of her drunkenness as soon as she saw Joyce hurt. 🙂

  67. Lis

    Billie’s take charge here warms me to the core.

  68. BrokenEye, True False Prophet

    ““‘I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!””

    Ezekiel 16:6

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