265

Hurrah
Posted on February 14, 2019 by David M Willis
It's a new t-shirt!  Because those Stucky fanfics won't write themselves.  It's 30% off for the first three days! I send a buck to Planned Parenthood for every one of these I sell!  That's pretty great!

265 thoughts on “Hurrah”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    Billie in the closet multiple ways? How does she know the Sorting Hat if she doesn’t nerd

    1. Cholma

      She *does* have an amazing amount of nerd knowledge in that alcohol-soaked brain of hers, doesn’t she?

    2. Doctor_Who

      She’s so in the closet about her nerdiness that Mr. Tumnus is inviting for her to lunch.

      And she would get that reference.

      1. DailyBrad

        I wonder if Joyce would, or if the whole “Jesus is the Lion” thing would have precluded her from being allowed to read it.

        1. AntJ

          “This near-exact Biblical allegory is sinful because it promotes the idea that Jesus has a fursona”

        2. Jenny Islander

          Or: “…because animals don’t really talk and pretending that they do is OCCULTIC and leads to SATAN”

          Or: “…because all stories requiring use of the imagination are PERVERSIONS of REASON; only books of facts are good (and of course the Bible)”

          Or: “…because all reading material except the Bible and tracts from this particular exact church is dumb and unnecessary and may lead to THINKING and SATAN”

        3. Ferret

          Madam, are you implying that the Bible is not a book of facts?

        4. Dana

          Worse. She’s implying there are facts not contained within the Bible.

        5. Mr. Bulmbin

          If it were, then I would have found a dragon by now. Jesus apparently stumbled upon a den of them.

        6. dethtolldotmid

          Or because C. S. Lewis is Catholic.

        7. Felgraf

          He wasn’t, though! Tolkein was Catholic. C.S. Lewis was this.. weird, interesting, non-denominational blend, from what I understand?
          (Like, some of which would probably be considered SUPER HERETICAL by a lot of Christian Sects. Till We Have Faces is.. fascinating)
          I believe Tolkein was bummed he couldn’t get his friend to fully convert to Catholicism, even if Lewis did step away from Atheism.
          This is not to say I agree with a lot of Lewis’ theology (or even any of it), and T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon’s take on The Problem of Susan, is dead-fucking on in my book.

          (.. Then again, if I were to describe myself as ANYTHING theologically, it would be as a “Pratchettist”, and so I s’pose it’s no surprise I also align with Ursula Vernon’s thinking on a lot of things…)

        8. Felgraf

          I haven’t read it, but from my understanding, for instance, The Great Divorce would be considered Super Heretical by… like. Most main christian denominations?

        9. Oz

          From what I gather Lewis spent an inordinate ammount f his time complaining about other Christians, he literally wrote a book were a Devil says that religious pride is the best way to attract people to Hell… so, yeah, I’m guessing a lot of Christians would have some beef with him…

          I’m not Christian myself but Lewis seems like an alright guy, you know, except for the Susan deal.

        10. drs

          Lewis considered himself an orthodox Anglican.

        11. BBCC

          I’ve heard rumours Lewis was going to write another novel about Susan (probably her rediscovering faith as an adult like he did) but he died before he could write it.

        12. Bysmerian

          I have read The Great Divorce, and iirc he says in the introduction that his intention isn’t to portray how he thinks the hereafter works, but to show how certain things can get in the way of faith, akin to the Parable of the Sower.

          Of course, people might still look at it and say that the damned there are given the ability to escape hell, which is wrong, but y yeah, pet sure it wasn’t remotely intended literally.

        13. Jenny Islander

          @BBCC: He sort of did: Till We Have Faces.

        14. Roborat

          I kept thinking of the church lady bit from SNL as I read your comment.

        15. Makkabee

          Or just “promotes Catholicism.”

        16. Erik

          AntJ wins the Internet for today.

    3. Yotomoe

      It’s common enough knowledge I think. I mean back before I saw Star Wars I could tell you the entire abridged plot of the first 3 movies without much issue.

      1. Deadjolras

        The same thing happened to me with both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Now that I’ve watched both, I’m actually surprised by how much I knew about them through the power of pop cultural osmosis alone.

        1. Roborat

          But have you read the Lord of the Rings books?

      2. Dana

        I read this and thought “I’ve never seen or read any Harry Potter outside of the quiddich scene, and even I know “my pants” isn’t one of the houses”

      3. Kamino Neko

        I’ve got that going with The Big Lebowski.

    4. Needfuldoer

      I’ve somehow never read any of the Harry Potter books or seen any of the movies, but I know about stuff like the Sorting Hat, Quidditch, and Harry’s magic owl just through osmosis. The series has been around for going on 22 years, and picked up steam pretty quickly after it debuted. Most people aware of western pop culture whose formative years fell in that window know at least a little about it.

      But yeah, Billie’s a closet nerd alright. She casually drops references that dig a bit deeper than that general baseline awareness. Remember earlier she used “padawan”? Most anyone from late boomers to today knows who Darth Vader is, what the Death Star is, and has some awareness of The Force as some kind of magic. How many people who aren’t Star Wars fans know what a “padawan” is?

      1. HeySo

        “How many people who aren’t Star Wars fans know what a “padawan” is?”

        By my experiences, every single one. Forget fans, that’s a term that everyone I know who not only never watched Star Wars, but who actively ignore both films and pop culture knows. And, not surprisingly- while other terms are mostly presented as more elaborate memes and in-jokes, Padawan is one of those terms that got adopted into casual usage as a pet name, much like its Karate Kid counterpart of “Grasshopper”.

        Well, another way to look at it is, there are twice as many google results for padawan as sorting hat. Even if there’s no direct correlation that we can pull from that, it does imply that padawan isn’t a more specialized reference than sorting hat.

        Generally speaking, it’s complex lore points, mechanics of lore systems, plot transition points, etc that neophytes tend to lack information on. Basic terminology, be it “force” or “padawan” or “sorting hat” or “midichlorians” is easy to pick up on- while, as you noted, what exactly Force entails, that’s far less likely to be picked up on just by passive acquisition.

        1. HeySo

          *much like its more obscure Karate Kid counterpart 😛

          Though maybe Cobra Kai’ll get us to revive it at some point.
          Should only be a few more months till the next season.. =O

        2. thejeff

          There’s also the thing where you pick up and use a reference without even realizing where it’s from – though that’s unlikely with either “padawan” or “sorting hat”.

          I did go “Oh, so that’s where the ‘Grasshopper’ bit comes from” though.

        3. Roborat

          Actually it is from the Kung Fu TV series.

        4. HeySo

          You are completely right. I confused which old “kid mentored by a martial arts master” show it was from. ..That said, I’m not sure, but I think that actually further validates my point about how individual terms are easy to keep track of, even when context is forgotten or unlearned. 😛

      2. thejeff

        They’re also children’s books. It’s quite possible and even likely that she read them/saw the movies as a kid – even if she’s now a little young to have done so at their height – but that she sees them as a childish thing she’s outgrown. That’s not uncommon.

        Probably not really true in Billie’s case. It’s more likely tied to clinging to her cheerleader persona and casting off things that don’t fit it, whether she likes them or not.

    5. Emily

      You can learn a lot through cultural osmosis without ever consuming a piece of media.

      1. Ana Chronistic

        Ok ya got me

        Once, Mum started talking about something and I didn’t catch the first part, but the rest went, “it’s not JUST a match-three…”

        Me: Are you playing Candy Crush

        *has still never actually seen Candy Crush*

        1. Needfuldoer

          It’s just Bejeweled with a Facebook Mom friendly coat of paint.

          And microtransactions.

  2. butts

    wow she’s so drunk her gaze is parabolic

    1. King Daniel

      Given that we’re looking at it from an angle instead of head-on, it might be a hyperbolic-trajectory gaze instead?

    2. Marsh Maryrose

      I’m glad you brought that up, because I was mistakenly wondering why Walky was parabolically gazing at her.

      1. Khno

        A parabolic gaze is implying Lucy’s wish to know Walky biblically.

    3. showler

      This is the meaning of “so drunk I can’t see straight”.

      Although that phrase could also result from being in a Willis comic where “straight” is rare enough that you have a hard time seeing it.

      1. Portland

        Sometimes I get so drunk I can’t see straights, but unless there’s something we don’t know about Walky, it looks like Billie isn’t there right now.

        1. Clif

          Billie may be drunk, but she isn’t completely wrong.

        2. Abel Undercity

          “Alcohol doesn’t make liars, only fools,” according to some half-remembered country song I heard back in the Long Ago…

  3. shadowcell

    Dumbing of Age Book 9: [goddammit the last panel again]

    1. BarerMender

      “I See what You were Up To, Y’horny Little Weirdo” might be adequate.

      1. Needfuldoer

        That describes half the cast, but the cover art will make it more specific.

      2. HeySo

        “I See what You were Up To, Y’horny Little Weirdo” might be adequate.

        I didn’t realize we were getting a Slipshine book. 😛

    2. Marsh Maryrose

      “I Know How You Think, Nerd”

      or

      “All the Responses Are, ‘My Pants'”

    3. Keulen

      DoA Book 9: So, Like, Exactly How Drunk Are You Right Now?

      1. HeySo

        Yeah, that one seems spot-on. 😛

  4. King Daniel

    Where’s the kaboom? There was supposed to be a relationship-shattering kaboom!

    1. Yumi

      I know there’s a coincidental tradition, but I don’t really think Willis plans months in advance just to hurt us on Valentine’s Day.
      I know. I’m disappointed too.

    2. Cholma

      Seems someone forgot to supply the “Illudium Q-36 Explosive Relationship Modulator” ! (although, technically, the “kaboom” happened a few days ago when Billie walked out on Ruth)

    3. Marsh Maryrose

      “I was told there would be a kaboom.”

    4. Lingo

      Billie kaboomed the Walucy ship before it even set sail.

      1. AGV

        Walucy for Smash

        1. Cholma

          I can’t stop thinking of Lucy wearing a Waluigi hat! DAMN YOU LINGO.

        2. Lingo

          Mwa ha ha! Just as I planned!

    5. Michael Lanting

      “No boom *today*. Boom tomorrow. There’s always a boom tomorrow.”

      1. Ed Rhodes

        Boom yesterday, boom tomorrow. But never boom today! – with apologies to Lewis Carroll!

    6. DahliaRose

      How don’t you all see the relationship shattering kaboom? Um hello? Billie/Alcohol!
      Billie is in her drunken stupor here saying she is willing to give up alcohol for Ruth. Like hold crap that is BIG. I mean sure, who knows if she’ll actually manage to do so. But the fact that she entertains the thought really shows how much Ruth means to her.
      Also it was suddenly as if hundreds of alcohols sellers and bar owners cried out and were silenced all at once as Billie quit drinking and made them all go bankrupt. hehe

  5. Kathleen

    goddamn it, Billie.

  6. DarkoNeko

    Probably the last time, she says. Yeah, right. heh.

    1. dralou

      She means it, though. Her determination will probably wane real fast as soon as the alcohol is washed out of her system (is this a correct use for “wash out” ?), but she means it.

      I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to stick to her claim, while diminishing its scale: from “No more alcohol ever !” to “Never THIS shitfaced ever”…

      1. Sazazezer

        This is the scary thing about alcoholics who says this. They’re fooling themselves more than anyone else.

    2. thejeff

      That’s actually encouraging as hell though. Even though she’ll likely fail, it’s the first sign we’ve ever seen that she’s even planning to try.

      1. Poofdepoof

        @thejeff This is also how I felt 🙂

      2. Jenny Islander

        I’m just wondering whether she’s like this guy I once knew who was all “I’m HORRIBLE for doing this and this is a HORRIBLE way to live and I will NEVER do this again EVER and I am SO going to get help….” until he sobered up. And then it was, “Who, me? I don’t have a problem. I can so handle it.”

  7. AnvilPro

    In two weeks of comics I’ve gone from neutral to Billie to thinking she’s the biggest jerk in the entire comic. Bigger than Mary. At least Mary’s hate is institutionalized, Billie really is destructive

    1. DailyBrad

      Oh dear lord, not agreed.

      1. AntJ

        Mary is like the collegiate version of Dolores Umbridge. Billie is like Sirius Black.

        1. Tom T.

          Nice extension of the theme.

    2. Bryy

      Mary is a psychopath.

      1. Emily

        Don’t pathologize damaging behaviour it perpetuates harmful stereotypes about mental illness. Mary’s a bigoted, egotistical asshole she’s not mentally ill.

    3. timemonkey

      Billie is self-destructive, but unlike the others who are nobody’s made a breakthrough with her yet.

    4. Keulen

      How can Billie be the biggest jerk in the comic? She’s not even in the same category of jerk as Blaine, Toedad, and Ryan. I’d say Mary’s a bigger jerk than Billie as well.

      1. DailyBrad

        I kinda assume that, unless someone says otherwise, they’re not including Blaine, Ryan, or Ross, otherwise we wouldn’t really single out Ethan’s mom, for instance, for being an absolute terror, since yeah, she sucks, but she isn’t on that stratos yet.

    5. Fart Captor

      Mary is a transphobic, homophobic bigot who blackmailed someone and pushed them towards suicide. Even after it was made public that Ruth wanted to die, Mary tried to INTERFERE WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO ENSURE SHE DIDN’T.

      Billie is a trash fire, but she doesn’t come even remotely CLOSE to the kind of harmful Mary is.

      1. Alanari

        .. Yet. Alcoholics can easily be as mentally damaging to those around them as Mary.

        1. thejeff

          Alcoholics can be, therefore Billie must be.

        2. BBCC

          I repeat: Mary intentionally tried to drive someone to suicide. And tried to stop someone from helping her. And even after learning Ruth wanted to die, asked Billie to be ‘given’ Carla to torment so she could ‘get rid of Carla’ for Billie.

          Billie can become mentally damaging as an alcoholic, yes. Mary is monstrous.

    6. Emily

      I’m a trans lesbian and I would still much rather deal with Mary than Billie. At least with her brand of overt bigotry and just being a general shitbag nobody is going to side with her when you lose patience or claim you’re being too sensitive.

      1. Azhrei Vep

        Almost nobody. Only almost.

        Sigh. At best.

        1. Emily

          Ugh it’s true and I hate it.

      2. JBento

        That would depend on where you are, I guess? Meanwhile, in the US the current administration is trying to pass laws that would let doctors not treat LGBTQIAA folks, and I assure you it’s getting PLENTY of support.

        1. Emily

          Well, yeah I live in a country that isn’t a completely socially backwards cesspit.

        2. JBento

          As do I. *cesspit-free high-five*

  8. Stephen Bierce

    “You don’t choose the wand; the wand chooses you.”

    1. Clif

      Is not likely something Billie would say.

  9. newllend(henryvolt)

    Well least she’s going to put an actual effort into her sobriety and not fake It, only problem is I don’t expect her to last a week.

    1. Yumi

      Can’t really count on the promises and commitments someone makes when they’re wasted.

    2. ktbear

      A week huh? Well I guess that’s several years worth of comics. Or did you mean an actual RL week?

    3. timemonkey

      Where’d you get that from? Billie’s instinct when caught drunk is to lie.

    4. Marsh Maryrose

      “I’m going to get sober and quit drinking tomorrow” promises made when you are drunk mean absolutely nothing. I am speaking from personal experience here.

      1. newllend(henryvolt)

        Ok so what I’m getting here is Billie is so full of crap that even my outright skepticism sounds too optimistic.

        1. Marsh Maryrose

          I wouldn’t say she’s “full of crap.” I would say she’s an addict (to use modern parlance). She feels like she needs that beer in the morning. She feels like she needs that whiskey in the afternoon. And as long as she can get it, she will probably will get it, unless and until something tumbles her out of that cycle.

          And when I talk about personal experience, I mean that I went through a period of my life when, first thing in the morning, I would have a beer before my morning coffee because I needed the beer more than I needed coffee. I would need a beer several more times during the day, too.

          I wasn’t choosing beer over friendships. Beer just seemed to be more important on my own Maslowian hierarchy than anything else.

          When I did eventually cut down on my drinking, I had to stop going out with my drinking buddies. That was maybe more difficult than cutting down on my drinking, even if they weren’t really that good friends to begin with.

        2. thejeff

          It may mean little, but it’s still a step. One I don’t think we’ve seen before from her. This isn’t a pattern with her – drinking and promising to stop then carrying right on again.

          All right, there was that time early on she pretended to stop to get Ruth to stop. I think things are more serious this time.

          Mind you, I don’t think it’ll be that easy. She’s not going to be able to just stop, but that might lead her to realize how much of a problem she does have.

  10. Piotr W

    Is Billie channeling Eric Idle in the last panel?

  11. William Leonard Reese Jr.

    . . . The hell kind of low rent Porno Parodies has Billie been watching? And if this IS her last Hurrah then fine. But I fear that it will just continue into a further downward Spiral for her and her relationship.

    1. Yotomoe

      “Last Hurah”, hah. That’s what I say whenever I eat an entire chocolate cake all by myself. It’s never the last time.

    2. DailyBrad

      Billie thinks Wood Rocket makes documentaries.

      1. lilyliv --> ian livs

        Gonna be honest, I was convinced that Wood Rocket was something I’d hallucinated, and I’ve never been more dismayed to learn I’m wrong.

      2. Roborat

        I had to go look that up, now I am creeped out.

  12. Emily

    Billie’s so drunk she can’t even see straight.

    1. Yumi

      I’ve had that problem for over a decade myself.

    2. King Daniel

      Billie never sees “straight”, she’s bi.

      1. Yotomoe

        Doesn’t that mean she can only see straight only half of the time

        1. Lingo

          Explains the on-again, off-again glasses…!

        2. Dana

          It means she has more vision options than just straight mode.

      2. Deanatay

        She needs bi-focals.

        1. Lingo

          Oh dang this comment needs a star.

      3. Kamino Neko

        Heh…reminds me of a bit from Havenfall is For Lovers…The MC and her love interest, JD, are finally able to rest after some issues…

        JD: You’ve been up for 24 hours straight.
        MC: Nuh-uh.
        JD: You got a nap in there?
        MC: I solemnly swear I have been bi every one of those hours.
        JD: … … … I’m not even mad, I’d have made the same joke.

  13. Yotomoe

    I just learned that Billy’s vision curves in a powerful arc. I guess that’s what her glasses are correcting. She’s a human fish eye lense.

    1. Lawzlo

      I was thinking it was just because she was so drunk that even her eye-line couldn’t walk in a straight line.

      1. newllend(henryvolt)

        +1

  14. DailyBrad

    I wonder if Walky is rolling his eyes or just averting them in the last panel to avoid the awkwardness. Tough to tell with his peepers.

    Curious development with what Billie said. I’d thought she was walking out on Ruth, but I guess not? Not that I think that A. she can keep to this, and B. that Ruth isn’t interpreting it that way, too.

  15. meep

    I assume her frequent drinking must of given her quite the alcohol tolerance, so Billie would have had to drank quite a bit to be that out of it.

    1. DailyBrad

      True, though if she truly did skip lunch, she’s also doing this on an empty stomach.

  16. Kern Wallace

    Huh. Expected more drama today.

    1. Yotomoe

      Would you have preferred she walk in and just start making out with Walky? Or Lucy? Or both?

      1. Yumi

        Yes, absolutely.

        1. ktbear

          Maybe Willis planned this all along with his suggestion there’d be a break up on Valentines day then not delivering? I’ve never had cause to say this before but, damn you Willis!

  17. lilyliv --> ian livs

    I might not be a fan of Billie’s recent string of decisions (like… at all) but drunk!Billie makes some adorable faces.

    1. ValdVin

      The slightly-crosseyed one is my favorite. And the whole scene does give the reader the idea of someone considering themselves as less drunk than they are very effectively.

  18. Tacos

    Yeah somehow I don’t think this “last hurrah” is gonna stick.

  19. BBCC

    Well, hey, at least this Valentine’s Day strip is funny bad instead of soul crushing. Eh? Ehhhhhh?

    1. Bagge

      Says you

      But what if Lucy never gets to do the sorting hat thing with her pants????

    2. Emily

      I am disappointed. Where is my soul crushing drama Willis?

      1. BBCC

        Give it a minute. Maybe Ruth will turn up. 😛

  20. ValdVin

    The lettering for Billie in the last panel is a hoot. I love the little rising “IIIII”; I can hear her drunken voice rising up in the middle.

    1. Poofdepoof

      Ooh that is nice! I wonder how Willis does that with his font

  21. Roger

    So, probably the last time she says. Coming from the girl who was down with a “sexy lesbian suicide pact”, either she’s decided to start binge drinking so she could get sober after for Ruth’s sake (Which Ruth did not ask her to do no matter what comic CT’s been reading), or she’s going on a last binge because she’s been hit with a big relapse in suicidal ideation and she’s going into self destructive behavior, and she doesn’t know how she’ll be when she sobers up

    1. C.T Phipps

      I think she is planning to quit drinking and just decided to do “one last binge.”

    2. Yumi

      Was the unprompted callout necessary, though…

      1. Yotomoe

        I’d argue nothing she’s doing is.

        1. Yumi

          I was talking about the comment, not Billie.

        2. Yotomoe

          Oh sorry I misread. I mean, my answer doesn’t change. It’s not.

      2. Roger

        Yes.

        1. Yumi

          I really don’t see how. Like, I’ve disagreed with him in previous threads, but bringing it up out of nowhere seems petty. You can be right and a jerk at the same time.

        2. Roger

          Yeah pretty much.

  22. C.T Phipps

    Lucy is remarkably unlikable whenever she’s trying to hit on Walky.

    1. Deadjolras

      They aren’t even interacting in this strip! Like, we get it, you hate Lucy, but can it please be based on events that are actually happening?

    2. Sol Karas

      Dude what is even your damage there has been no actual cause for THIS amount of hatred for a character.

    3. dethtolldotmid

      You know, this kind of aggressive irrational hatred is only marginally more entertaining when Emily does it, because at least her choices sorta deserve it.

      1. Emily

        I don’t even hate most of the characters I constantly rag on (except Mike I hope he gets hit by a truck) it’s just cathartic to be able to be unreservedly judgemental of fictional characters because the fact that they don’t exist bypasses my usual tendency towards self-destructive degrees of empathy even for people who don’t really deserve it.

        1. BBCC

          There’s nothing wrong with hating and wishing bad things on fictional characters for doing crappy things.

          For instance, I regularly wish Petyr Baelish in A Song of Ice and Fire would get hit by a semi truck. Sure, he’s living in a setting without motorized vehicles but goddamn would it be satisfying.

        2. Emily

          I want Petyr Baelish to be chained down and eaten alive by carrion birds ala Prometheus.

        3. BBCC

          Oooh, even meaner! I like it!

        4. Emily

          Child predators can get fucking eviscerated.

        5. BBCC

          Especially when they’re also absolute bastards who started a war and had a hand in that child’s father’s death.

          But seriously, there’s nothing wrong with wishing bad things on characters. Heck, yesterday evening I was saying I hope the Walkertons get a divorce for no other reason than it would make them both sad.

    4. Keulen

      She’s not hitting on Walky in this strip at all. And I don’t get how you can call Lucy “unlikeable” when there’s several other characters in this strip who actually fit that description, like Blaine, Toedad, Ryan, and Mary.

    5. C.T Phipps

      I love Lucy. I just hate the Walky and Lucy ship because it distracts from the Walky and Amber ship.

      Which I was ambivalent on because it distracts from the Jason/Walky ship.

      🙂

      1. Deadjolras

        Can we leave ship-to-ship combat back in 2011 Tumblr and 2005 Livejournal where it belongs, especially when it involves incessantly ragging on a female character for absolutely no reason?

        1. Emily

          Seriously, hating female characters because they get in the way of your ship is so fucking boring and childish.

        2. Michael

          Why do you feel compelled to engage with something you feel is so fucking boring and childish?

        3. Deadjolras

          In my experience, ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. It only festers and gets worse.

        4. C.T Phipps

          I hate male characters who get in the way of my ship too.

    6. Fart Captor

      Why are you like this

    7. Delicious Taffy

      Stop making shit up.

  23. Mr D

    Sooo is Billie a closeted Harry Potter fan?

    1. Yumi

      I wonder if there was a time in their childhood where Harry Potter was a “cool” thing, but then they got to maybe middle school and Billie’s crowd decided it was a “nerd” thing, so she shoved down her genuine interest in it.
      Or she’s just secretly a nerd without the cool-in-childhood aspect.

      1. thejeff

        That’s pretty much my assumption.
        Though it could be even simpler: A lot of nerd things are just childhood things held onto into adulthood. The Potter books are children’s books. She could have liked them as a kid and just grown out of them, without them having been “cool” in one period and not in another.

        In Billie’s case though, there’s certainly some element of disdaining them because of her cheerleader/popular kid persona – whether or not she’s retained any interest in them.

    2. DailyBrad

      She’s definitely a closeted nerd, she’s mentioned Harry Potter before, I think, and would know Lucy’s a fan by now. She’s also dropped Star Wars references one in a while.

      1. Emily

        Literally two of the most popular and mainstream pieces of media to ever exist. They are so ingrained in our culture it’s almost impossible to not pick up details from them.

    3. Lingo

      Cmon, I’ve only seen the first movie and I know what the Sorting Hat is!

      Also, as Billie demonstrates, bullies gotta know a few references so they really know how to hit nerds where it hurts.

      1. DailyBrad

        I don’t really think Billie’s a bully, at least not intentionally. She is dismissive with Walky, Lucy, Joyce and such, but I don’t think she is trying to make people miserable or intimidate them. Her biggest crime is usually being inconsiderate.

        1. Deadjolras

          If I remember correctly, Billie used to shove Walky into lockers back in high school (either that or her friends did and she stood by while she watched them do it) so it’s very possible she was a bully back in the day.

        2. DailyBrad

          True, she has a bad track record previously.

        3. Emily

          Billie is absolutely a bully. She’s like a textbook high school comedy bully.

        4. BBCC

          To use her own words – she bullied the hell out of the goth kids in high school and hung around with people who shoved Walky into lockers.

        5. Lingo

          Maybe the term “Mean Girl” is more appropriate for her, but other than the physical violence (which Billie seemed to partake in anyway), there’s not much of a difference.

      2. ItsASecret

        I’ve consumed literally no harry potter media in my life and I know what the sorting hat is. Really don’t think billie has to have any actual interest to know as much as she does.

    4. Bagge

      She’s a fan of doing that sorting hat thing with her pants.

    5. Keulen

      Pretty sure Billie’s a closeted nerd in general.

  24. Deadjolras

    “Hmm,” said a small voice in his ear. “Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There’s talent, oh my goodness, yes – and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that’s interesting… So where shall I put you?”

    Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not my pants, not my pants.

    1. Poofdepoof

      Not your pants, not your pants*

      If Walky=Harry and Lucy=sorting hat

  25. stoodmuffin

    For someone who doesn’t nerd, Billie. You seem. Less illiterate than you want to be. In nerd.

    And. BOY have I never been more worried for you…

    Or.

    Ruth.

    Oh no.

    Noooooooooo. PLEASE tell me she’s okay, PLEASE.

  26. Josh Spicer

    I get that it’s probably going to be her last time.

    But it’s probably going to be her last time with Ruth too.

  27. Eukie

    She’s trying to choose Ruth over her own love of alcohol! <3

    Trying

    <3 <3 <3

  28. newllend(henryvolt)

    Now as for Walky and Lucy….well Lucy is patient, considerably thoughtful, selfless, and kind. Add that to how she seems more stable headed then most people in this cast then I would have to say she’s a good catch and would make someone a good girlfriend. But the problem is that I can’t feel any sparks here between these two.

    I don’t have outright toxic hate for this pair nor do I have mild hate, heck I don’t even have conflicting emotions about it like I did with others couples in DoA that I was originally against but eventually got on board with. I just don’t feel anything here no passion, no chemistry, nothing heartwarming it feels like a friendship if anything else….I just can’t get my heart behind this and that’s me trying to be honest.

    1. DailyBrad

      I think part of the issue is that we don’t really have much of a window into Walky’s opinion of her, if he’s formed one yet. I think that’s probably at least partly intentional on Willis’ part, either to keep us guessing since it’d kind of sink the strips with them if we already knew how he felt, or him just not giving a lot of thought about women in that way unless he’s already into them.

      Like, we never were given a lot of clues about him being attracted to Amber until she made her move, and we didn’t get a lot of indication he thought Joyce was hot until Dorothy pressed him on it when Walky was explaining how he’d pieced together that Ethan was gay before being told.

      Dorothy’s really the only time he’s been overt about it, so it’s kind of hard to figure out how Walky would think of Lucy, if he’s thought of her at all besides “she seems neat enough to watch a movie with”.

      1. Rabid Rabbit

        We also… don’t really know much about Lucy. We know some aspects of her character (sunny, sensible, slightly disappointed by life, occasional boundary issues), but yesterday was the first time I can remember actually finding something out about her background or whatever. That makes it hard to get invested in her sudden weird crush. It doesn’t help that it comes as part of the inexplicable ‘All the girls are hot for Walky!’ thing. With both Dorothy and Amber, there was a progression in the relationship — Dorothy slowly being charmed by the toy-throwing doofus, Amber sharing Garbage Roof with him. But in those cases, we already knew the characters. For instance, we knew that Dorothy dumped Danny because she had serious plans he couldn’t understand, and because (paradoxically) he was far too serious about their relationship; therefore, we could see how the uncomplicated fling Walky originally seemed to offer would appeal. But here, it’s just… flat.

        Admittedly, Lucy’s crush may perhaps be accounted for by the fact that according to the archives, Walky’s the only boy she’s ever seen. Or at least that has ever been in her presence. Well, except for offstage Jason and Galasso. But seriously, no other male has shared panel time with her.

      2. newllend(henryvolt)

        I guess that’s a reason but I’m not convinced, before the idea of Walky and Amber becoming a thing was actually plausible I remember a couple of times a small group of people threw the idea out there of Walky and Amber being a pair and I remember thinking “Maybe in another AU they would have a good thing going.” Because I thought you would have a fun dynamic between the two of them ( I was surprised to find out I was right to)

        And no one needs to see these two versions of Walky and Joyce hook up to know whether or not a relationship between the two would work because the Walkyverse has given us that awnser.

        But here though with these two well, even though this chapter has made me appreciate and cherish DoA Lucy more and makes me think she deserves better than what’s she gotten from the other characters. When I think pairing her off with someone like Walky I don’t see the two them playing off each other well enough.

        1. Chris Phoenix

          For what it’s worth, I agree with you. I like them both, I could see them liking each other well enough – but “like” is probably as far as it gets. Or maybe, there’s an awkward hook-up and Walky goes “Huh, this feels flat somehow” and Lucy goes “I was more attracted to you before I got you” and they drift apart.

        2. Rabid Rabbit

          Well, of course Walky would say that. His previous lady friends have spoiled him in the bosoms department, particularly the most recent one. But it’s not very polite to point that out. Which is why it’s not impossible Walky would.

          (Sorry, sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

  29. Gojira

    Wink wink nudge nudge, say no more.

  30. Raen

    “The last cigarette of your life tastes amazing. I should know, I’ve had dozens.”

    1. BarerMender

      I’ve tasted cigarettes, and whatever other positive effect they have on you, I can’t imagine how anyone thinks they taste good. They taste like they were scraped of a truck tire in hell.

      1. Deathjavu

        Addiction is a hell of a thing- it’ll make the most vile concoction taste great. Your brain will come to love any flavor that regularly comes with your substance of need.

  31. Questionor

    I mean I’m sure it isn’t the last time but she’s thinking about it being the last time and that’s sweet. (awww)

    I’m sure this will result in a huge train wreck of drama and booze but it’s the thought that counts!

  32. Bagge

    Wow. This is actually WAY more hopeful than I had thought. Billie actually things in term of quitting drinking, not in terms of “everything is hopeless, might just as well give up.”

    Now, it might be said that the best initial step to stop drinking might not be to get plastered, but that’s exactly how Billie has dealt with stress this entire comic. To stop drinking is HARD and she will need help. Organised help. And this might be the push for her to seek it out.

    1. ninja_jesus

      I hope she takes quitting seriously this time.

    2. thejeff

      Yeah exactly.
      I didn’t have any expectation Billie was going to take this route. Go Billie!

      1. Emily

        I still don’t. The drunken resolutions of an alcoholic hold very little weight.

        1. thejeff

          I fully expect her to fail.
          Even considering it is a big step for her and not what I was expecting from her confrontation with Ruth.

        2. Emily

          I’ll be surprised if it sticks past the hangover.

        3. Fart Captor

          That she even accepts that she SHOULD quit drinking is more than I expected so quickly, tbh

        4. thejeff

          Exactly. Whether she’ll be able to follow through is an open question, but she has at least decided she’s going to. That’s not the impression I was left with when she walked away from Ruth earlier.

    3. Solenoid

      Cynically speaking, she’s using it as a dodge so that Lucy doesn’t bother her and fully intends to keep drinking.

      1. Emily

        Like, she even threw in that “probably” as an out.

      2. Bagge

        I don’t think she cares that much about Lucy one way or another, but I absolutely think she doubts her own ability to stop drinking.

        1. timemonkey

          It’s not about Lucy, Billie has reflex lies that she says if anyone asks.

        2. thejeff

          Does she? Has she ever said anything like this before?

          This couldn’t possibly have anything to do with that confrontation with Ruth.

        3. timemonkey

          Yes, when she was faking quitting with Ruth the first time Willis had to explain that she had an automatic lie and hadn’t even bothered since we took what she said as fact.

          She might not be here but there’s a good chance.

        4. BBCC

          Yup. To Ruth she said she was three days sober. To others she said she was three months sober. In reality, she was zero days sober.

      3. thejeff

        Nah, this has nothing to do with Lucy. She just happens to be there. This is all about Ruth.

  33. JessWitt

    That’s some nice comic-product synergy there.

    Billie, don’t push Lucy into the deep end! She’s just getting used to the shallow part a.k.a. first crushes.

    1. Poofdepoof

      I have a feeling this is not Lucy’s first crush! She’s not exactly a Walky

  34. abysswatcher1993

    I don’t want to know what Willis does with his wife on Valentine’s.

    Also, Happy Valentine’s to everyone here! I hope Walky takes away Billie’s keys.

    1. Delicious Taffy

      They hold hands and look at pictures of dinosaurs, I reckon. What else would they do?

  35. Torra

    “difficult, very difficult, now where to put you?”

    1. Shane Wegner

      Slither in

  36. BenRG

    I’m sort of waiting for Billie to make the transition from a cheerful and basically positive drunk to a weeping mess crying about messing up with Ruth.

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      Okay the bright side is if they can get past this somehow then there is nothing that can stop them. It all just depends on Billie being able to overcome alcoholism.

  37. Rowen Morland

    Wow look at that Lucy, people meddling in your relationship stuff with no subtlety really sucks.

  38. TheFlamingonator

    Bille i know yer drunk but Slytherin was RIGHT THERE

    1. Poofdepoof

      That’s a little too much nerd for her

      1. TheFlamingonator

        Ye, I guess she did not want to reveal that she would know the four nerd houses (or the 1 nerd house, the jock house, the pothead house and the uhh snake house?)

        1. Ike

          It’s typically referred to as “the nerds, the jocks, the evil ones and the stoners.” Not that I’m saying Slytherins are evil, that’s just what people say.

        2. TheFlamingonator

          yea i was gonna say that but slytherins dont like to be called that. they prefer ambitious or some other word that kind of also applies to slytherins?

  39. Nobody

    Why is drunk Billie more perceptive than sober Billie

    1. Bagge

      Dunno, we haven’t seen that much of sober Billie

      1. Clif

        If at all.

      2. thejeff

        Well, we’ve seen slightly drunk Billie and really drunk Billie.

        That’s pretty much all there is.

  40. Icalasari

    …I for some reason am expecting Lucy to just snap and clock Billie right in the face

    1. Delicious Taffy

      Turns out, Lucy is a master of the Satsui no Hado. She’s just too nice to use it.

  41. missilentmurmur

    what speech? I don’t get it

    1. Alanari

      The alcoholism is bad speech (which only works in soaps, but she’s young and idealistic..)

      1. Jothki

        Or at least the “please don’t bring alcohol into the dorm” speech, which is very slightly more likely to be successful.

  42. Jago

    Billie, no.

  43. Delicious Taffy

    Gryffindor my pants.
    Ravenclaw my pants.
    Slytherin my pants.
    Hufflepuff my pants.

    I don’t know what the hell that first one would even involve, but “Hufflepuff my pants” is the one that worries me.

    1. Eldritch Gentleman

      It would probably involve washing them, fixing them and ironing them, probably adding some nice scent to them too.

    2. BenRG

      Well, ‘Gryffindors Charge Ahead’ is the traditional phrase so that raises potentially painful consequences.

    3. JBento

      “Hufflepuff my pants” sounds like the fun one, actually.

  44. Solenoid

    Every time is the last time until there is a next time. And, knowing Billie, there will likely be a next time.

    1. BenRG

      Which will only add to her self-loathing, for which she will need the oblivion of alcohol to forget and then ad infinitum.

    2. mrnoidea

      The last time is never when you expect it.

  45. Guest42

    Billie, you are clitblocking Lucy badly.

    1. Emily

      Considering the complete absence of any chemistry whatsoever going on here I’d say no.

      1. JBento

        Reginald, Duke of Thingley is a NOBLE gas.

        1. Clif

          You made me laugh. You win the Internet for today.

  46. Ziggy

    If you ask any with a substance abuse prblum, not just alcohol, it will always be their last time. That is how they justify what they are doing to themselves. Eventually, that choice is going to be taken away from; hopefully, no one else will be hurt, when that times comes.

    1. thejeff

      Though we’ve never heard Billie say that before. Or even hint at it. (Barring that early deal with Ruth, that she clearly had no intention of following through on.) If you’d asked Billie yesterday, she’d have said “Nah, I’m always up for a drink. Let’s go get mimosas. Want a hit from my flask.” Nothing about a last time.

      Maybe you’re right and there’s no reason at all to think this is a turning point. It feels different to me.

      That doesn’t mean she’s actually never going to drink again. She’ll likely fail. But that’s different from not trying.

  47. ShinyNeen

    Wait. So the Forest Quad hanger-ons neither went to movie night nor stalked Billie?

    Oh geez, what did they get up to instead?

    1. Bagge

      …that’s an extremely worrying question.

      Hopefully they are just eating cheese and dreaming of the beforetimes.

      1. ShinyNeen

        Probably, but even then I worry about the part where they run out of cheese and have to venture out into the world again.

    2. BenRG

      Whatever they think would earn them Billie’s approval, which might actually be quite funny to see.

      1. Bagge

        Maybe they will realize Billie went to movie night after all and will all scramble to make it up to Lucy because now movie nights are cool again.

        And won’t that be fun?

  48. BigDogLittleCat

    Quick, I need Mary or Blaine to make an appearance to remind me that Billie is not the worst.
    Eh, she’s not *bad*- just extremely tiresome.

    1. Bagge

      DON’T SAY* SHIT LIKE THAT OUT LOUD! Blaine is still sneaking around out there, and with Amber’s life slightly brightening up, I’m sure he’s bound to show up.

      *) Or type. Whatever.

    2. PapayaPunkPixie

      Just remember toe dad

      1. Bagge

        NOPE

        1. JBento

          Remember, remember, that Toe come November,
          Shotgun-wielding who almost Becky shot,
          I know of no reason
          Why the Toedad should not be left to rot!

          Toedad in his evil,
          Did the scheme contrive,
          To shoot his own daughter,
          Better dead than gay and alive.

          Twobarrelled gun, aimed at the red,
          Cos if she was gay he thought she should be dead,
          But Dina he did catch,
          A clever girl with a snarl to match!
          With her girlfriend at stake,
          For Becky’s sake!

          He wouldn’t give her one,
          So from Joyce he took too,
          The better for them,
          That Toedad was through.

          A collar, a collar, for his damaged neck,
          Cos the whole ordeal left him a wreck.
          It would have been his spine that got done,
          But as a homophobe of those he got none.

          Holloa, folks! Holloa, folks! Now you can sing!
          Holloa, folks! Holloa, folks! Toedad’s no longer a thing!
          Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

        2. Lingo

          I’m posting this to give you appreciation for your effort. It’s a shame I don’t recognize the reference.

        3. JBento

          Aw, thanks. It’s a rewrite of The 5th of November.

          http://www.potw.org/archive/potw405.html

        4. Bagge

          I had some fun with that myself, back in the days
          https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3231030/1/The-Gunpowder-Treason-and-plot

        5. Bagge

          AWESOME!!!

        6. JBento

          Also, you should totally check this if you haven’t already:

          https://dumbingofage.tumblr.com/post/182809337302

        7. Bagge

          D’awwwwwwww.

  49. Amelie

    I like the extremely drunk line of sight in panel 4. xD

    1. Bagge

      It’s the only way to keep track of Walky at a party

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/amygrant/

      1. ValdVin

        Speaking of that arc: Is this the first time we’ve seen Billie with “drunken orbits” around her head and standing up?

      2. Emperor Norton II

        I just love that a couple of strips later, Becky asks Dina politely if they can sit together.

        1. Bagge

          I love that too, Emperor.

          I love that very much.

        2. ShinyNeen

          Aww, what a nice thing to remember in conjunction with that Valentine’s image Willis tweeted a little while ago : )

          That whole party sequence was one of my favorite parts in the whole comic so far, really.

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