Wine
Posted on June 20, 2015 by David M Willis

402 thoughts on “Wine”

  1. Jen Aside

    uh oh drunk Danny, that can’t be good

    hide the cars

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Hide the sausage!

    2. Wack'd

      Man good thing Ruth has no idea who he is in this ‘verse!

      1. timemonkey

        She’ll never see it coming, Billie just improved her life without even realising it!

        Who am I kidding, depressing downward spirals of mutual destruction it is.

    3. Julez

      Drunk Ethan too… maybe they’ll get lost on the way back to their wing.

      1. Spencer

        I sure do want Danny’s exploration into his sexuality to start by drunkenly making out with Ethan when his inhibitions and ability to consent are lowered. I can’t possibly see anything wrong with that at all.

      2. Tenn

        Et tu, Ethan.

    4. Meebo

      Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll act with integrity and there won’t be ANY regrets! 😉

      1. Rorror

        Did we have that saying in DoA already? I only remember one occurrence in R!/IW! each, both by my favourite character respectively.

    5. DavidMcG

      Wow, how do you up-vote posts in here?

  2. DarkoNeko

    Aaah they snitched on her. Hoped that wouldn’t happen.

    1. DarkoNeko

      …oh damn, even Ethan is drunk.

    2. timemonkey

      Like it wasn’t obvious.

      1. newllend(henryvolt)

        Ya like who the hell else would it be?

        1. DarkoNeko

          Ok, ok, you have a good point XD

        2. Captain Batson

          Perhaps Dina’s up to something sinister. Nobody’d see that coming.

        3. maxyai

          “Let’s bone.” This is how comedy works, yes?

        4. DarkoNeko

          It is funny because it is written on my T-shirt.

    3. Deanatay

      Lesson to learn – don’t give alcohol to minors. Their alcohol tolerance is too low – after a drink or two, they’ll lose their inhibitions, and won’t be able to keep your secret. That you gave them alcohol.

      Plus, illegal, I suppose.

      1. Jen Aside

        They should quickly go to like France or that

        Legitimized!

        1. Zanosuke_Kurosaki

          Don’t you love how Dorothy is just drunk enough to be using the logic “drank wine in France = okay to drink here, in not-France”? XD

        2. Tenn

          She isn’t, though. She’s just saying “general abstinence does not equal complete and permanent abstinence”.

        3. NotFred

          What I’m curious about is why Dorothy changed her mind about not doing something illegal.

        4. Jen Aside

          she unknowingly kissed Walky and got contact-drunk

          or she meant “completely illegal” vs. “illegal here but not elsewhere”

          or it’s a Joyce party and ain’t no way there’ll be a Ryan there

          or fuck it

        5. Jen Aside

          or hey as A5PECT linked below: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/option/

        6. NotFred

          “or fuck it”

          I was being serious. Seems like a big step for a character like Dorothy.

        7. DarkoNeko

          She got really tired of not being able to relax, i guess.

  3. Nono

    Drunken confessions to Ethan/Amber time go?

  4. Stephen Bierce

    Flask not what your classmates can do for you, flask what you can do for your classmates.

    1. a4lbi

      This would’ve been the perfect shirt slogan in college.

      …especially around finals time.

      1. Phoenix90384

        This would still be a perfect slogan for a Celtic or German heritage festival

  5. TheOthin

    Oh god, Danny too, around both Ethan and Amber. This can’t end well.

    1. GoogerGeiger

      Ethan is drunk, too! OH MAN OH MAN

      1. Nono

        I didn’t even notice that til you pointed it out.

        1. Amazistool

          Fitting gravatar!
          Because it’s almost a classic Danny line

    2. Disloyal Subject

      Oh yes it can!

    3. newllend(henryvolt)

      Who wants to bet Becky is drunk too and is in the middle of getting Dina drunk as well?

      1. DarkoNeko

        I bet both of them are still sober.

      2. Deanatay

        Becky: Still too much Bible in her brain. Won’t imbibe.

        Dina: May be persuaded. She is curious, and interested in experimenting with social situations.

  6. Disloyal Subject

    Way to go, Danny.

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      “Dannying things up” is back people !

      1. Someone

        Does it really count as Dannying something up if everyone else did the same thing?

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Yeah, but he basically pointed at Billie and shifted blame towards her. Not cool.
          I could care less about the drinking itself; that’s Joyce’s problem.

        2. Spencer

          He pointed where he, and everyone else, got their booze. It’s an inevitability that someone would say “we got it from Billie.” Just because Danny did it doesn’t make it an example of an overused meme.

        3. Tanarin

          Indeed, I mean there is only one drunk in the group. I am sure even Joyce would have put 2 and 2 together in a few minutes, assuming she was not ratted out by anyone else.

  7. Captain Batson

    Danny and Ethan are drunk, everyone! This is not a drill!

    1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

      Two words: Slip Shine

      1. merbrat

        Sip Shine

        1. merbrat

          *hic*

      2. Spencer

        Yeah I seriously can’t wait for the kid who isn’t even sure if he’s in the closet to start drunkenly groping his crush in front of his girlfriend.

        Just… let him figure stuff out, I guess. Give him time and let him come to terms with his sexual identity. Beyond that there’s a huge leap from “I have an equal attraction to both men and women” and jumping Ethan’s bones three days after he fantasized kissing him.

        1. raffriff

          True. And them sexing/making out at this point would just feel like a cheap plot twist or something.

          But I’d love to see another cute awkward attraction moment! ^_^

        2. Spencer

          Sure, they are usually pretty cute and hilarious, but that’s all we’re going to see for a very long time between Danny fully understanding his sexuality and the practically zero chance of him making a move before he and Amber end things, if that does happen at all.

          Basically I just wish there wasn’t so much insistence that Danny needs to immediately bump uglies with Ethan. Let alone when they’re both drunk. That’s hella creepy, comments section.

      3. Li

        Nah. I don’t know that they’re buzzed enough for loss of inhibitions anyway, but Willis already said he wasn’t going to do drunken sex slip shines. Alcohol-fueled sex makes consent seriously muddy.

        1. merbrat

          *Like*

      4. Rycan

        Dat a kind o moonshine?

  8. Rich

    Huh. Amber really is uptight about drinking. Unusal for that personality, although maybe a good thing. Probably not a happy or stable drunk if she did tipple.

    1. Cephalo the Pod

      She’s probably compensating for her treatment of the Roller Derby Girls.

      1. Rich

        She’s given Billie a free pass in the past, though. Same night as that incident, even.

        1. TheOthin

          Which is why she doesn’t feel compelled to beat anyone up, but still doesn’t like all this.

        2. Amazistool

          Important to note that Amber gave Billie a free pass.

          Amber was not so sure then if Amazi-Girl would have given Billie a free pass.

    2. Cedrick

      Dude, she’s Amazi-Girl! Were thwy outside right now she’d likely kick all their asses! Lol

      1. Steven

        I’m surprised none of the “bad guys” she’s punished have pressed charges.

        1. LiaHansen

          against who? A shadow in the night? a phantom do-gooder (who everyone knows is actually Sal)?

        2. Rich

          Realistically, campus security and the town police would be looking for A-G by now anyway. Real law enforcement takes a dim view of vigilantes, costumed or not, especially when they show up in newspapers. Then again, this is a comic strip and realism is secondary to the needs of the plot – and comedy.

        3. Disloyal Subject

          They might be, actually, but I’m guessing most of her assaults have gone unreported.

        4. Mitsukara

          Didn’t her dad that asshole Blaine (or somebody who saw maybe) report him getting beaten up mysteriously? I think that was a thing.

        5. Rycan

          Well, he showed up in the hospital, but didn’t identify his attacker.

        6. Spencer

          Blaine has stated that he was attacked two large men, if I recall correctly. If he told the truth, it would eventually come to light that he practically abducted Danny with the intent of luring his daughter away from the college presumably to attack her.

        7. Kamino Neko

          More people think Amazi-Girl is Other Rachel than think she’s Sal.

        8. Mitsukara

          Ah, but the audience knows she’s secretly Sal, yes? It’s so obviously true, they look exactly the same and have the same accent and everything.

    3. Safgaftsa

      Well, she is extremely introverted, a trait that frequently involves aversion to risk.

      1. Mindlink

        Speaking as an introvert myself, that is definitively NOT true, at all!

      2. Li

        Introvert means nothing about your personality. At all.

        Introverted people recharge best alone, extroverted people recharge around other people. It’s a question of what you instinctively want to do to make yourself feel better after a long tiring day, not a question of whether you like other people, or whether you’re capable of or enjoy being social. It definitely doesn’t have any associations with risk-aversion.

      3. Li

        Also I like how both of us defending Amber have Amber gravs. That’s kind of hilarious. If only they looked disapproving!

    4. timemonkey

      She’s aware she’s batshit crazy with self control issues. People like that don’t want to drink, it shatters their illusions of control.

      1. saki

        I’m trying to think of a way for this comment to seem any more judgmental and literally if you were dressed in a judge’s outfit and were wielding a gavel it still couldn’t sound any worse because then it’d just be funny .-.

        1. saki

          Dangit, pressed Post Comment to early. ^^”
          Then again Amber is being overly judgy herself here. I get she doesn’t want to drink, but I hate when people try to impose their own personal standards of what they’ll let themselves do on others.

        2. Kryss LaBryn

          Amber’s not the one doing that here, though. If anyone is, it’d be Joyce (who hasn’t yet expressed judgement; just that if anyone does, I expect it to be her). Amber just pointed out the law and said that’s why she’s not drinking. She didn’t take it any further (“And neither should you guys!”).

        3. saki

          She didn’t say anything judgmental per se, but just look at her face. “I’m judging you” is practically written on her frowny forehead.

          Now for Joyce… I mean, yeah, that’s exactly what I hate about religious fundamentalists. Trying to impose their own standards on others. But I’m willing to give Joyce a pass.
          First off, because, well, I that kind of thing from her, so although it really bothered me at first, now I just go “eh”.
          But also, I think she’s been getting gradually better. I mean, just look at the recent change in her view on homosexuality. She’s slowly growing more accepting of things that don’t conform to the fundie way of life that’s been drilled into her since childhood. That shows a certain open-mindedness (though it may in part have had to be slightly forced open by Becky’s closet-nuking). And I think she has been making efforts to better herself in those aspects. So even though she may judge at first, if this party against all or expectations goes well, after seeing Dorothy of all people drinking and it being fine, I think she has high chances of changing her mind.
          Amber on the other hand… She’s pretty open-minded, sure, but she seems like the stubborn type. Even if this party miraculously goes down without problem, I don’t see her suddenly turning around and going “Oh okay I don’t mind underage drinking after all. The legal drinking age is stupid anyway“.

        4. Amazistool

          Don’t forget Joyce defended her ATHEIST (hic!) friend Dorothy against her parents.

        5. saki

          … I did not expect this rant to turn out this long. Sorry. I’m not very good at explaining my reasoning in a concise manner. ^^”

        6. timemonkey

          Amber is unstable and knows it, it’s the driving force of her character right now. It’s a simple fact. She needs to maintain control of herself because she gets violent people when she looses control.

    5. DarkoNeko

      ..if I had that much repressed anger I’d never want to drink alcohol either ^^;

      1. winter

        Understandable that Amber doesn’t want to drink. But her statement seems to be meant in judgement of the other party-goers, judging by the expression on her face and the way Danny goes on the defensive. That’s pretty dickishly uptight for a girl who breaks the law on a regular basis.

  9. Cephalo the Pod

    Man, a drinking age of 21 sounds proposterous to me (Canadian).

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Also to me (Australian) 18+.

      1. LiaHansen

        lawless commies every one of you

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          Commies? We’re a nation of badass convicts dammit!

        2. LiaHansen

          stealing from the rich to feed the poor I bet. ridiculous

        3. Disloyal Subject

          Perhaps your ancestors were 😛 Australia seems to be a relatively lawbound place from what little I know of it.

        4. WonderRabbit

          Actually we have one of the largest piracy rates for TV and film in the world.
          We’re pirates yo. I mean yarr.

        5. Mitsukara

          Isn’t that kind of like saying you’re in the top 5% of countries for Jaywalking?

        6. Deanatay

          Hey! Communists are PLENTY lawful, that’s kinda their problem – the whole ‘totalitarian government’ thing, and all. The expression you’re looking for is ‘GODLESS commies’.

          (Personally, I’m neither)

    2. CarlaGriffin

      Yep (also Aussie) I waited until I was 18 to drink, and I’d like to think that I wouldn’t drink underage if I was American, but I probably wouldn’t have waited for 21.

      1. Adam Black

        Drinking is ubiquitous on College Campuses.
        Small Dorm Party in a private room in Public University = They are all high or sloshed .

        The difference between “hanging out” and calling it a party means people drink more.

        1. Meebo

          Not every public university. Where I went it was a dry campus and that was brutally enforced. An actual dorm party like that and there would have been expulsions.

    3. Rich

      It’s goddamn ridiculous, and I live in the US. My state had an 18-year old limit before the Feds stepped in, and I was just old enough to get seven months of legality before the hammer came down back at the end of 1984.

      1. Ancestral Hamster

        It’s also goddamn hypocritical. When I was 18, Reagan reinstated the draft. So I could die so his cronies’ corporations could turn a higher quarterly profit, and I could legally try to vote him out of office, but drink legally?! Why that way lies chaos! Oh, but have a pack of cigarettes as consolation.

        1. Kryss LaBryn

          I thought if you were in the military and drinking at the mess, you could do it legally? Or am I getting that mixed up with being able to drink when you’re deployed at the legal age of the country you’re in (which is probably going to be lower, given the 21 age in the States).

          Twenty-one is too high. It’s nineteen in a lot (most?) of the Canadian provinces (I think 18 in Quebec) and that seems to work fine. But twenty-one? So you’re old enough to drive, take part in the democratic process that governs your country, and sign legal papers, but oh good lord do not have alcohol you’re too young and irresponsible!!1! *clutches pearls*

        2. Tanarin

          Kryss, the simple explanation is… It depends. For the most part military bases are to respect the laws of whatever land they are in when it comes to drinking (USC 10, Section 2683.) So MOST US bases (And most oversea bases) are indeed 21+. The exception is when a base is within 50 miles of a location where the age is lower than the age allowed for the location the base is located. In that case the Base commander can opt to adopt the lower age as the age allowed on base.

        3. Tanarin

          Also to add on to this, some states, while having adopted the 21+ rule, have exemptions that allow ACTIVE military to drink at 18+ with their military ID. Usually this sort of exemption is ignored when determining compliance of the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Law.

        4. Mitsukara

          Before being revived by his (and everybody’s) true overlord and forced to work in his toy store, which taught him the true meaning of life (and before he eventually disappeared into the night after giving surprisingly decent advice to a girl pondering her sexuality and what she wanted out of life), Ronald Reagan was in fact an elistist racist supervillain who liked to ruin the lives of the poor for generations to come, especially in Colombia.

          It sure is a good thing real life is full of reviving technology (???).

          (Say, doesn’t that make him one of the few Walkyverse characters that isn’t alive in Dumbing of Age?)

        5. Lord Stoneheart

          There’s quite a few Walkyverse characters who aren’t alive in the Dumbiverse. (Or in many cases either don’t exist, or exist as fictional characters in th Dumbiverse).

        6. Roborat

          Yes, as an Albertan, I have always thought that the drinking age of 21 is stupid (personally I think it should be 19, if it cannot be 18). You can get drafted and /or join the military, are considered an adult for legal purposes, get married, vote, etc., but somehow you are not responsible enough to be allowed to drink? I also felt sorry for my university floor mates from other provinces, and the U.S., who could drink here, but not when they went home.

      2. Disloyal Subject

        At times, I feel like it’s practically meant to teach young adults that they can get away with breaking the law, and that an internal moral compass is more important. I can’t think of anyone who gives a damn whether free adults enjoy a drink here or there.

    4. LeslieBean4Shizzle

      It is absurd.
      Others have noted the hypocrisy of the laws, so I will just say that my first experience with drinking was actually remarkably similar to this. Except instead of a flask, it was a case of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. And instead of a make-Joyce-feel-better party, it was a “Marathon VHS tapes of Twin Peaks” party.

      1. Mitsukara

        I know that’s a real product (I’ve heard of it before, it’s popular in the southern U.S.), and that your story is in earnest, but all I can imagine is a young Mike Warner’s 5 cent ‘lemonade’ stand.

        1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          Mike’s is the best alcohol ever. I still love the stuff, although these days I prefer to get the Mango lemonade or the Limeade. SO tasty.
          I can’t stand the taste of normal beer, but Mikes is delicious.
          Although I’m not sure where you got the “southern” thing – it’s plenty popular here in the North as well.
          And yes, I easily imagine Mike selling Mike’s.

    5. skitchyskitch

      I’m Australian, so I could have drunk at 18… but then I don’t drink, so meh.

      One thing I’m not sure about is having the legal age to drive and the legal age to drink be the same age… because it’s definitely a good idea to practice how to be responsible with both of those at the same time.

      Of course being a non-drinker I don’t understand any of you guys. 😛

      1. Cephalo the Pod

        Well, in Canada at least (or just Ontario?), you can get your G1 the moment you hit 16. You’ll probably be legally allowed to drive a car by yourself by the time you hit 17. Does America have something similar?

        1. Usayasha

          Yes, but we’re a year earlier, at getting your learner’s permit at 15 and being eligible for a license at 16. (At least in my state, Texas, where everything is so spaced out that a care is a necessity.)

        2. Rabid Rabbit

          And the legal age for guns is 11. Or at least so it seems to those of us from outside your borders.

        3. Li

          I’ve seen younger kids owning guns in photos of proud parents on Christmas. I don’t think a specific state was attached though.

        4. kdmw

          In Alberta you can get your Learner’s at 14

      2. saki

        Where I live you can drink the “weak stff” like beer and wine from age 16 and then everything at 18. You can get your learner’s permit at 18 as well. I think it’s a good idea to set the drinking age before the driving age; you have time to learn how to drink responsibly before you’re allowed behind the wheel.
        Most of my friends drank (well more like tasted a little) all sorts of stuff before they hit 18, and several even before they hit 16, but only started getting sloshed after 16, so they’d get less trouble form their parents. Anyways, they got the “drinking till I vomit” mostly out of their system before they were able to drive, so I think it’s good that way. As good as I can see it being anyway.
        Then again, this all is just anecdotal evidence as it is based solely on my few friends. (I didn’t talk about myself as I am irrelevant to this issue since I despise the taste of alcohol.)

        1. yomi

          I’m from Germany where stuff below 15% alcohol is legal with 16 years and the rest is legal with 18 years, too.
          I drank my first alcolhol (prosecco) with 14 years, but I never drank enough to vomit, nor enough to be in the state Sal was after that beer (because luckily, I’m not in that state after 3 or 4 beers…).

    6. fudo81

      Yeah, a legal drinking age whatsoever sounds preposterous to me (Italian).

    7. CptNerd

      As an Older-American, it sounds stupid to me, too. *cue banjo music* When I was a teenager, the drinking age in different states was as low as 18, some might have been lower, it wasn’t until the Feds decided to throw their weight around that the new peck-sniffers got their way and created a Federal age of intoxication.

    8. Tanarin

      The whole drinking age in the US is an odd subject. TECHNICALLY at the federal level it is indeed still 18(Via executive order.) The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act made it so States had to change their minimum age to 21 or lose federal funding for road and highway work. It was legally upheld as not in violation of the 21st amendment (the 21st being the one making it so states can set their own rules with alcohol and ending Prohibition.)

  10. JessWitt

    Maybe Amber shouldn’t have said that aloud – to not blow her cover?

    1. Wack'd

      Who here actually knows that Amazi-Girl takes issue with underage drinking (insofar as it allows her to live out gratuitous revenge fantasies?)

    2. Cephalo the Pod

      Come to think of it, being so uptight about laws is kinda a great cover in itself. Vigilantism is illegal, right?

      1. JessWitt

        So if AmaziGirl is against everything illegal and she herself is illegal, does that mean AG ceases to exist?!

        1. Disloyal Subject

          No, she just has to beat herself up.
          She seems to have that covered.

        2. Cephalo the Pod

          Nah, she just hates herself.

  11. CarlaGriffin

    How are they all getting drunk off a single flask? They don’t hold that much.

    1. JessWitt

      They all have really low alcohol tolerance. Or Billie’s just made of flasks.

      1. Captain Batson

        That would explain Ruth’s fondness for some… uh… stuff.

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      Billy must have used firewater, that or they all have low tolerances for alcohol.

    3. CarlaGriffin

      I guess most of them haven’t drunk much before. And I wouldn’t put it past Billie to have multiple flasks.

      1. Rich

        She’s not even wearing pants. How many flasks can that outfit conceal?

        Although admittedly, we can assume she showed up after some extensive pre-drinking, so the heavyweight in the room didn’t need much on site.

        1. saki

          I can see Billie being quite the expert at concealing flasks on her person.

    4. GoogerGeiger

      There could be a bit of a placebo effect going on. Some of those bubbles above their head are placebo bubbles.

      1. Rich

        Cue another nocebo post.

        1. Li

          I actually disagree that it’s a nocebo case. In scientific terms, “positive” and “negative” aren’t “good” and “bad”, they’re “more” and “less”. As in, it’s positive reinforcement to shock a rat (because you’re ADDING a stimuli) and negative reinforcement to take away their food (because you’re REMOVING something).

          So since they’re getting drunk off the sugar pill of a small amount of alcohol, that’s a *positive* result, and should be a placebo effect.

        2. someguywithakatana

          Taking away their food is actually negative punishment. You’re removing a thing they like. Negative reinforcement would be removing a thing they didn’t like when they performed the desired action. Like having a loud screeching noise that stopped whenever they did the thing.

      2. neeks

        Placebubbles?

    5. Opus the Poet

      Combination of nearly pure alcohol with a bunch of lightweights and Billie Pre-gaming the party, that flask looks to be about a pint. Also really crappy mixers sometimes speed up the intoxication process, particularly the crappy caffeine-free varieties. The sugar high-fructose corn syrup speeds up absorption, and no caffeine lets it work faster and longer.

      1. tim gueguen

        At least some of theme may be drinking Sprite, since that’s what they offered Dina a few strips ago.

    6. Adam Black

      Good point. Maybe its 151.

    7. Amazistool

      There’s stuff with 80 percent alcohol, it really helps if you just want to watch the world burn.
      (more than 50% alcohol -> burns).

      1. yomi

        80% rum is also great for baking ^^

  12. Plasma Mongoose

    Billy’s villainy is the best sort of villainy.

    1. JessWitt

      Billainous!

      1. Wack'd

        Yes, Jess. Yess.

      2. Plasma Mongoose

        😀 +1

    2. Mandy

      She is now Amazi-Girl’s greatest arch-enemy!

      1. Rich

        The Intoxicator?

      2. Captain Batson

        I thought that was Sal. Wait… no, I guess Sal’s more like her Joe Chill than her Lex Luthor.

        1. Rich

          Sal’s more like the Intoxicated.

        2. Mitsukara

          So her Rogues Gallery consists of:

          – The Whiteboard Ding-Dong Bandit (currently caught)
          – The Intoxicator
          – The Window-Jumper (AKA Batman)
          – Some jocks who tried to beat up Danny
          – Spiders

        3. AdmiralChucK

          And Blaine the Evil

  13. LiaHansen

    Amazigirl’s about to appear and lay the beat-down on this whole party

    1. Steven

      I feel like that would be more illegal then underage drinking, for the most part they are not hurting anyone and they all live in the building so they won’t be going into public.

      1. LiaHansen

        that’s just what a criminal would say… *maintains eye contact as i back away into nearest closet*

        1. Rich

          With Becky around, the nearest closet is probably Ethan’s room. You’ll probably get there and find Jacob and Raidah have a sock on the door by now.

        2. DarkoNeko

          Oh my

        3. Rich

          Wait, I’m being unfair. That’s only their second date. Third date is sexy times these days, right?

          Never did understand that “rule” myself.

        4. Disloyal Subject

          There are rules? Man, I’ve been going about things all wrong.

        5. DarkoNeko

          a rule of thumb, if you will.

        6. Amazistool

          Rule of thumbasprung, if you’re Willis!
          (OK, searched for that half an hour the archives, but worth the time!)

    2. Pinja

      Because that’s legal

  14. Rich

    That’s what, maybe a 12 ounce flask and she’s managed to get four other people and herself lit off of it? I know Walky’s a lightweight and the rest of them may be as well, but cripes, these kids can’t hold their alcohol if they’re really feeling it from maybe 2 ounces of even the hard stuff. Billie must have done some serious pre-drinking as well – surprised nobody noticed when she showed up, especially Sarah.

    1. LiaHansen

      She has several other flasks stashed away on her person at all times.

      …of course, she’s not sharing those. they’re all just lightweights.

      1. Stephen Bierce

        Like Gene on the ABC version of LIFE ON MARS? Yeah, good role model for Billie.

    2. CarlaGriffin

      Pre-drunk is Billie’s natural state.

    3. taekwondogirl

      It’s Billie. Let’s be honest, she pre-gamed.

    4. timemonkey

      You think Sarah would have done anything but roll her eyes at the alcoholic being drunk again? We’ve passed the point where even Joyce is surprised, she just expects billie to be drinking now.

    5. Flimsyfishy

      Or she went and used straight up Everclear, or some Bacardi 151 in which case I would not be taking straight hits of it.

    6. BenRG

      Maybe that’s really, really strong stuff. Billie’s a habitual drinker, after all; she may need a serious dose to get buzzed. Strong enough so that even a small, diluted dose can take a normal person right out of the game. These inexperienced kids didn’t stand a chance!

    7. oldFart

      I could get drunk from two ounces of hard stuff. I often dump out half of a 12 oz. beer because I don’t want to get any drunker. Livers differ.

  15. Sam

    Don’t take drinks from people you barely know Danny.

    1. Rich

      Oh, he knows Billie. Hard to forget the girl you nearly had sex with minutes after meeting the first time.

  16. AnvilPro

    Amazigirl’s new foe: Billie Piper, armed with her infinite flask, she can get an entire party of youngsters intoxicated within a few rounds of Apples to Apples!

    1. Nono

      The secret is the game is that the apples are actually in the cider.

    2. Wack'd

      That’s the wrong Billie and I am not amused.

    3. Opus the Poet

      Billie’s real name is Jennifer Billingsworth. If I had a name like that I would eagerly seek a nickname too.

      1. Rich

        What’s wrong with Jen? I used to date a Jen. She was a very nice girl.

        1. No Name

          There’s nothing wrong with “Jen”. “Jen” is perfectly fine. It’s “Jennifer Billingsworth” that’s the problem.

        2. Mitsukara

          What’s wrong with Billingsworth? It sounds awesomely British and classy. And like you’re the ultimate billiards master, lord of the pool cue!

        3. John

          The problem with “Jen” is that freakin’ everybody is named Jennifer. I was at an SCA event this weekend, and two-thirds of the women in our camp were named Jennifer. (Fortunately in the SCA, they have another name we can call them by.)

  17. dando

    Man i hope this drunk danny is nicer than the other drunk danny, he was a dick.

    1. Rich

      Well, he’s already throwing Billie under the bus. Not a good sign.

      1. CarlaGriffin

        It’s not like it’s hard to figure out who the alcohol was coming from.

      2. Catullus

        Under the bus is still better than in front of a truck…

        1. Opus the Poet

          Says the commenter who has never experienced either one…

        2. DarkoNeko

          LEt’s keep it that way, will ya

      3. timemonkey

        How dare he answer honestly when questioned by the party thrower.

    2. saki

      I hope drunk Danny is less awkward and less shy and less Imma-suppress-my-urges-to-hit-on-Ethan-y.
      Priorities.

  18. LiaHansen

    I might have to become a masked vigilante just so i can justify not doing drugs to my friends in that aggressive, faux-subtle way.

  19. Steven

    Hey Amber, you do know vigilantism is illegal, right?

    You have like no leg to stand on here.

    1. Lapin

      Considering most of what she does can also get her an assault charge on top of that, yeah. Amber is realllllllly grasping at straws here.

      1. Bagge

        That’s not Amber, that’s Amazigirl

        1. No Name

          And she has to keep them separate. And she knows alcohol will destroy that.

        2. timemonkey

          Because they’re not actually separate.

    2. saki

      Hm, I wonder what’s worse… Drinking a little bit of alcohol at a dorm party to help bear with Joyce’s playlist and try to forget about how you might be bi and how cute your girlfriend’s exboyfriend is OR assaulting people?

  20. Lapin

    Way to be Danny, Danny.

    In this case, everyone was drinking consensually in a safe environment (they are literally steps away from their own rooms and Sarah and Amber would make sure all their drunk friends made it to said beds safely) and no one was pressured. So while Joyce doesn’t approve (and neither does Amber), Billie isn’t the villain at all.

    1. Rich

      Think this is one of the “no consumption at all” states, so even in this case they’re technically breaking the law. Also a dry campus, so they’re violating that part of the school regs and could be facing expulsion if caught.

      So yeah, still a bit of a villain, even though I disagree strongly with the 21-year old drinking age.

      1. Lapin

        Yeah, I think they all knew they were breaking the law considering they live in the state. Billie didn’t pour the flask down their throats, they asked her to add some to their soda. She shouldn’t be breaking the law, even if it is asinine, but they actually /asked/ her for it. So no, she’s not a villain.

        1. Fellstrike

          Oh man tell that to the police. If I give a beer to a friend who’s under 18 or even my own niece/nephew in my own apartment I can be fined up to $ 8,000(as ‘corrupting a minor’). O-o so not villain but law breaking.

        2. Someone

          Of course she wouldn’t be corrupting a minor given that they are all 18

    2. Disloyal Subject

      Seriously. This is maybe the second time I’ve found him guilty of Danning the situation up.

  21. Jimmy

    Obviously, Billie’s creating a group of accomplices that she can potentially blackmail… Or am I giving her too much credit?

  22. Sunmaster57

    Can anyone find the tragic irony in the next statement?
    18 year old’s volunteer to fight in our military at 18 years of age to fight for our freedoms, but yet they cannot enjoy alcohol until they are 21? They might even get killed for something they cannot legally enjoy for 3 years?

    1. Lapin

      Fun Story: When my dad was flying home from the Gulf War, he was going all the way back home to Oregon (for like a second, and then he was going to the base he was supposed to report to) to say hi to his parents. He was 19, and the man beside him offered to buy him a drink after my dad got to talking to him. My dad explained he couldn’t drink, so the man ordered two drinks from the flight attendant since they couldn’t legally serve my dad, and then gave my dad the second.

      It’s very odd to me now to think of it, in that he was coming back from war, and he still was not considered adult enough to legally drink in this country.

    2. Rich

      It gets worse. There were many states that had minimum drinking ages of 19-21 years old during the long series of drafts from WW2 up till the Viet Nam War. Forget volunteering, you could be conscripted and still be too young to drink legally.

      Other things an 18 year old can do legally: Vote. Run for some political offices. Marry. Have sex. Raise a family. But hey, responsible alcohol consumption is way too much of a responsibility.

    3. Bicycle Bill

      If you can explain to me any valid connection between “serving in the military at age 18” and “drinking alcohol at age 18”, I’d be willing to listen.

      It’s just that there are sometimes rules that restrict people from doing things until a certain time/age.  For example, you cannot be a candidate for the US House of Representatives unless you are at least 25 years of age; US Senate unless you are at least 30 years old; or POTUS unless you are at least 35.  Why aren’t we as up-in-arms about that as we seem to be about having a brewski or a shot of Jagermeister at age 18?

      1. Rich

        What makes you think I’m not? I think any political office should be open to any citizen that’s reached 18. If you can get elected at that age, more power to you. OTOH, I also support stringent term limits and believe that all citizens should be limited to a maximum lifetime period of combined time in political office (no matter how many positions they’ve held) so if you start early, you’d better be ready to find something else to do with your life when you run out of time.

        As for a connection between military service and drinking, it’s a responsibility thing. I’m supposed to believe that an 18 year old is responsible enough to follow military law, fight and die for their country, and uphold the honor of the services, but they’re too young to make their own choices about whether to drink alcohol? BS.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Not to mention trusting them to safely maintain and use lethal weaponry. If you can’t be responsible with booze, I’m not about to hand you a firearm.

        2. Lumin

          I agree. Anything that hasn’t already become legal for a person at a younger age should become legal at 18. Legal adulthood should be exactly that.

    4. LouisvilleRobin

      Actually, unless it’s changed in the last decade,there is a loophole in the federal law specifically and explicitly allowing active duty military personel to drink at age 18. Some states may not recognize it (states are allowed to have more restrictive laws than federal) but even in those states, establishments with liqueur licenses on federal land allow service members to drink with their Military ID.

    5. timemonkey

      Alcohol is POISON, there’s no benefit from drinking it. There are benefits to protecting your country.

      1. Fellstrike

        And that’s why booze wasn’t and isn’t used medically. (except of course it is)

      2. Lord Stoneheart

        Doesn’t that logic suggest there’s no reason for alcohol to be legal at all?

        1. timemonkey

          There is no reason except that it’s so ingrained in our culture. Just like smoking. It’s all around bad for you but people insist on doing it.

      3. Lumin

        It tastes good, or at least many beverages with alcohol in them do. And it’s not dangerous in small quantities. There’s even evidence that a small amount of red wine can be good for you. It’s got antiwotssidents in it.

  23. Just Me

    It’s bad enough that the others were drinking, but Dorothy had to know it could ruin Joyce’s party. Very surprised at her.

    1. Just Me

      Just seems a bit out of character for Dorothy.

      1. Dusk Tornado

        She’s drunk what do you expected?

      2. Mitsukara

        She’s been repressing herself super hard with unrealistically (?) high expectations for a very long time, and it was getting to her, and she had a prolonged amount of time to cave in an try something. That’s why out of the drunk people, she’s acting the most different- she’s been all cooped up, and she’s like “BWAHAHA, I’MMA REBEL, I MEAN, GEORGE W BUSH GOT DRUNK PLEN’Y AN’ HE’S STILL BECAME A PRESIDENT oh god what have I become”

    2. Cephalo the Pod

      Dorothy is a smart woman. She knows that getting a bit drunk doesn’t inherently turn you into a complete asshole, or even that different a person. This isn’t TV (to them, at least). They can still have fun.

      What I’m saying is that having a bit of Billie’s flask is a pretty rational decision. Maybe not the absolute best one, but pretty rational.

      1. Nono

        I would have expected her to explain it to Joyce beforehand though, that she’s going to get some alcohol from Billie. Considering she knows Joyce’s trepidations pretty well.

    3. Rich

      This doesn’t seem all that ruined, at least not yet. Joyce is peeved, but she’s not having a breakdown or throwing anybody out yet, and maybe she’ll learn a lesson about inviting Billie to events she hopes to keep dry. For that matter, if she’s planning a non-alcoholic party, specifying that during the invite stage seems like a wise idea, even with underage kids on a dry campus.

  24. Kenjia

    At least it’s a safe space to be drinking? 😛

    1. Just Me

      After what happened to Joyce at the last party, no, it’s not a safe space to be drinking.

      1. Cephalo the Pod

        Are you suggesting that someone in this group is a serial rapist?

        1. Captain Batson

          Could it be that Billie is Ryan in disguise?!

      2. Lapin

        Why? Joyce was drugged at that party, not drinking alcohol. She was having a good time beforehand playing SoC with the drunk people. They should not have been secretive about drinking at her party, yes, but no one drank alcohol without knowing, and everyone is having fun playing the card game.

      3. Bagge

        It was intended to be a safe space for not drinking

        1. Rich

          Which only two other people (Becky and Sarah) explicitly knew about. Young kids on a dry campus or not, if you want a dry party, tell people that when you’re inviting them.

        2. Bagge

          Billie sure realized it (“tampon”), but part of being an alcoholic means drinking even when it’s a bad idea

          Anyway, maybe no-one is at fault, that doesn’t change the fact that Joyce is not feeling safe at her own party in her own room any longer. That’s sad

        3. Spiny Creature

          If you’re at a party where the host doesn’t drink (and let’s be real, no one there thinks Joyce is a drinker), it’s beyond rude for all the guests to start passing booze around behind her back. She shouldn’t need to explain that in her invitation.

          Of course, no one expects a bunch of awkward 18-year-olds to be up on social etiquette, so whatever.

        4. Li

          Plus, Walky specifically got drunk because he thought Joyce’s party sucked. It was done OUT of rudeness.

        5. Kennerly

          Joyce wanted safety from people who might try to harm her, she never had a problem with other people drinking, at least Billie.

  25. CarlaGriffin

    So is Amber Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral?

    1. Cephalo the Pod

      Chaotic Good if you ask me, being a vigilante and all.

      1. Kennerly

        Amber is lawful good. Amazigirl is chaotic good.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          I’d say they both have some Chaotic Neutral in there, but as much as I love it the alignment grid is kind of a clusterfuck anyway.

        2. Kamino Neko

          There’s absolutely nothing Chaotic about Amazi-Girl.

          She lives by strict rules, she violently enforces rules on other people. She is the antithesis of Chaos. She’s also Neutral, rather than Good – she wouldn’t seek people out to beat them up if she were Good.

        3. timemonkey

          Amazi-Girl is chaos. She’s Ambers outlet for her violence, she simply targets criminals because she can get away with assaulting them. She was gunning for Sal even before she found her drinking.

          You have to remember, Amber doesn’t have actual multiple personalities, she’s just compartmentalising herself. It’s all just her and when she allows herself to express different aspects of her personality. The woman is unstable to a dangerous degree.

        4. Kamino Neko

          That’s not Chaotic. That’s Evil.

          Chaotic is ‘I’ll do whatever I feel’s best* in this situation’. Amber is a creature of rules. She has rules for when she’s Amber. She has rules for when she’s Amazi-Girl, she has rules for everyone around her. She is Lawful to the extent that Paladins tell her to lighten up.

          * What defines ‘best’ in a given situation changes by the personality and moral axis of alignment, and can range from ‘whatever is most likely to achieve my goal, regardless of the legality of it’ to ‘whatever is most fun’.

        5. timemonkey

          Chaos is unpredicatability, evil is selfishness.

        6. Kamino Neko

          Chaos is non-adherence to rules. Law is adherence to rules (externally imposed or internally). Being violent doesn’t make you Chaotic, or even non-Lawful. Being violent-for-the-sake-of-violence makes you non-Good. (Being violent to accomplish something works with every single alignment.)

      2. Captain Batson

        Pretty sure that’s Sal.

  26. Catullus

    “Consuming alcohol under the age of 21 is against the law! Also, I’m playing Mario Kart right now and being drunk would fuck up my times.”

    1. Kennerly

      Wait a sec…she has a transformer than turns into a Nintendo DS?

      1. Rich

        She had a backpack with her. Plenty of room for toys, electronics, and maybe a costume change and a grappling hook.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Don’t you go crushing my dreams. She could have scratch-built a DS Transformer.

        2. tim gueguen

          Products in the DoA universe may not directly reflect those in our universe in any case. Perhaps a DS Transformer was released as a tie in to one of the movies.

        3. Kennerly

          Perhaps this comic takes place is our future, and the Soundwave/Nintendo DS will be the hot toy of 2023.

        4. Kennerly

          The DS also standing for Decepticon Supreme.

      2. ThatGuy

        One thing i liked about one of the banners, despite it depicting a group of people , half of who hadnt officially been introduced yet (until this storyline) was that Amber was there and she was was on her D.S. to avoid direct socialization. Good for her!

  27. Idon'tcarenomore

    I drank in NY at 18, before the laws changed and pushed it up to 21. All the surrounding states were set at 21.
    Began to be a lot of people pushing to make NY go to 21 because, they said, the 18 year olds from out of state were coming in to NY to drink, and then wrapping themselves around trees on their way home at 1 or 2 am.
    And yeah, they were.

    Still, if you can fight for your country at 18, why the Hell can’t you drink?
    Common sense here?

    1. Kaoy

      The fact that they were driving across a state to drink and then driving back home while drunk kind of defines the problem with under aged drinking in a nutshell. You call for common sense; most folks at that age have none.

      1. Lapin

        And the 45-year-olds who drive drunk and kill themselves/others?

        1. Kaoy

          The NY situation was happening often enough that people were forced to take notice and developed a large enough movement to change a state law that others vehemently defended for decades. There are about 30 people in the entire country that die a day due to accidents involving drunk drivers. A long weekend could see 10-15 deaths just along the boarders of New York state in the halcyon days of yore. That is a massive statistical anomaly. It was a change that needed to happen.

        2. Rich

          New York didn’t change its drinking age to suit the neighboring states, we changed only when the Feds forced us to do so at the end of ’84 to keep our highway funding. At that, there have been a couple of fairly serious movements to tell Washington to go screw themselves. The projected revenues from increased legal liquor sales would almost make up for the Fed contribution to road upkeep, especially if the states around us kept to 21.

          DWIs never caused a change in the old days, and they won’t prevent a reversion if Albany sees a clear monetary benefit.

        3. CJ

          Sounds like convoluted reasoning to me.
          You make it illegal for someone allowed to drive to get a drink where they live. Others at the same age are allowed to drink just because they live somewhere else. So naturally, people will go where they are allowed to drink, drink to much because it was such a hassle to get there and they can’t do it every day, and some will wrap themselves around a tree as a result.
          We are talking about people, right?

          To my mind, the most important thing about learning to drink is learning that it gives you delusions about being cool and totally in control while fucking up your reflexes.

        4. Kryss LaBryn

          They could have lowered the age in the surrounding states to 18 (or compromised with everyone at 19) but, let’s face it, that’s not gonna happen. Which is unfortunate.

      2. Spiny Creature

        Actually, the fact that when the drinking age got raised to 21, college students started doing risky things like driving across state lines to find alcohol, when they could be in a bar surrounded by adults, or learning how to drink at dinner with their parents, shows exactly why the drinking age needs to be lower.

        I’ve lived among college-age kids for years in the US, and then for years in two European countries where the drinking age is 18, but alcohol isn’t a big deal and people learn how to drink “classily” with their parents and at restaurants long before that.

        Would you believe young Americans have an incredibly unhealthy attitude about alcohol compared to teenagers in most countries? Americans see it as much more important and taboo, and they drink more and faster than they should because it’s illegal and it took effort to acquire. Then they throw up and black out, surrounded by a bunch of other vomiting teenagers. And THAT’S how Americans learn what alcohol is. And that behavior pattern doesn’t magically go away when they hit 21.

  28. Bicycle Bill

    Of course it’s expensive; it’s probably cognac.  Remember that the title of Chapter 3, Book 3 — which dealt with Billie confronting Ruth about her drinking — was “Answers in Hennessy”.

    1. -Sentinel-

      In the old Walkyverse, Billie was from a well-off family, I think. I wonder if that’s the case in DoA as well.

      1. Rich

        Canonically yes. She hands out $20 bills like candy, has mentioned that her parents try to solve problems by throwing her money, and boasted about her 5-bedroom house to Daisy way back when.

        All that money makes her a good candidate for helping Becky get on her feet if she feels motivated to do so. And maybe she’s about to feel like she owes Joyce a favor for screwing up her party, eh?

        1. Reaver

          Hahahaha no, she should not help Backy out of some sense of owning Joyce, I’d rather her choose to do it because she’s not made out of stone instead.

        2. Rich

          Well, that would be better – but I suspect Billie wouldn’t mind using “I owe your friend a favor” as an excuse so she can still look like she’s too cool to just help out of the goodness of her heart.

      2. DarkoNeko

        Definitly. It’s been shown on screen on a few occasions (I can think of her giving Becky a twenty to sod off, the mall arc, and Billie boasting “the trifecta” to her journalism boss).

    2. AdmiralChucK

      Ahhhh Cognac… I totally miscalculated the alcohol content of that drink. Big mistake, now I no longer drink Cognac…

  29. Dusk Tornado

    after sharing with everybody and don’t run out of booze Billie might be the messiah

    1. Kaoy

      Depends. I very rarely drink myself, and a couple shots of Jagermeister nursed over about about an hour is enough to make me feel slightly inebriated. Mix any alcohol with sugary soda, and it will hit your faster.

      There are a little more than 16 shots in a fifth, which is what I am assuming Billie’s flask holds. Lets say she drank 5 of those, that leaves 2-3 for everyone else who is drunk.

      1. Rich

        There’s no way that’s a 24 ounce flask she’s holding, those things are huge. Most likely 12, maybe 16, for 8-12 decent shots. The soda mixers will help, and most/all the kids besides Billie are probably easy drunks, but it’s still stretching it.

        1. Kaoy

          They do in fact make fifth flasks, and based on the size of the one she is holding, it is quite possible that that one is.

        2. Bicycle Bill

          Look closely at the flask as shown in this strip.  That flask is barely longer than her four fingers — which would make it maybe four inches tall (five inches, tops) — and remember too that flasks are narrow and flat so as to fit into hip pockets without creating so obvious a bulge.  Given those dimensions, this is probably no larger than a 8-ounce flask, and more likely a ‘lady-like’ 6-ounce size.  

  30. beetnemesis

    Billie is a bro

  31. Jake

    let’s see…
    Amber, Dina, Joyce – Lawful Good
    Danny, Dorothy, Ethan, Jacob, Raidah – Neutral Good
    Becky, Walky – Chaotic Good
    Joe, Mary, Sarah – Lawful Neutral
    Billy, Ruth, Roz – True Neutral
    Carla, Sal – Chaotic Neutral
    Mike – Lawful Evil
    Faz – Neutral Evil
    Blaine – Chaotic Evil
    Malaya, Marcie – Not Sure

    what do you all think?

    1. Someone

      I would tag mike as neutral evil and Blaine as lawful evil

      1. Jake

        I put Mike as Lawful Evil because he always follow the rules, but he still manages to work around them and get what he wants in the end, which usually involves other people being unhappy. And there is absolutely no way Blaine is Lawful anything.

        1. Majere

          Mike has shown no actual regard for rules or any kind of code of conduct whatsoever all he’s motivated by is whatever you will make the people around him unhappy he is textbook Neutral Evil. Lawfulness just requires the dedicated adherence to a code of behaviour and values, and Blane fits that archetype. He’s a shitty person but he is also very much a principled one it’s just that his principles are evil.

        2. Someone

          I would also tag Danny as lawful good.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      I’m not sure Blaine’s Chaotic, but I don’t really have enough data to go on; his tyrranical need for dominance doesn’t narrow things down at all.
      Joyce is Lawful Good at its finest.
      Also not enough data on Raidah, and I’m not certain of Becky or Walky either. In particular, Becky hasn’t yet expressed a confirmed “concern for the dignity of sapient beings;” she seems more motivated by personal relationships band her own wants and needs, which falls squarely into Neutral. We haven’t seen her in many situations yet, though, so she could easily prove herself Good. Not sure about Sal either, but I guess CN fits.

      1. Kaoy

        I would argue that Joyce is Neutral Good. She is willing to make exceptions in her otherwise long held views out the the attempt to be a good a person. Showing lenience while aiming to be good is Neutral Good.

        1. Jake

          I don’t think that’s quite it. She’s seeing parts of the moral code that she’s upheld for so long that she’s no longer happy with, so she IS removing those parts. However, she’s still sticks to the parts of her code that make sense, so I still think she’s Lawful Good.

        2. Someone

          I would say she’s lawful good but not lawful stupid. Following every rule makes you lawful neutral not lawful good

        3. Disloyal Subject

          Exactly; that’s why I called her “LG at its finest.” Black-and-white is for extraplanar entities and the mad.

        4. Majere

          I’d say Lawful Good but shifting towards Neutral Good as her unwavering faith in her code starts to fracture.

    3. Kaoy

      Sarah is aiming to be a lawyer and had a friend tossed out of school because she felt she needed help for her drug habits; she is VERY firmly planted in the realm of lawful good (Law = Good is basically the maxim of lawful good).

      Also, you could not get more to the perfect center of TN than Dina if you tried.

      1. Jake

        Being a lawyer does NOT automatically make you a Good person. Or Lawful, for that matter, though Sarah IS a very Lawful person. I guess I should reconsider the Neutral part, though, since I was only thinking of the image that she has for herself as being very self-serving, when in fact deep down she does care about the people around her and will help them. So yeah, I guess she’s at least going to transition to Lawful Good as she develops.

        1. ThatGuy

          Its good to remember that “Lawful Good doesnt mean Lawful nice”

          If anything basically everyone in Sarah’s college are enforcing her attitude by being sex crazy party animals.

          Also lets not forget that she’s dependant on a scholarship to stay here. Danny, Walky, Dorothy, all the locals (Billie, Joe) have been shown that they basically GET to be here whether they succeed or not by virtue of living her and there parents paying for college.

          I really hope that comes up, the fact that every day Sarah is bongoy about people being drunk, dramatic, and reckless, that alot of it is because if Sarah desides to act like almost any other character in this story, she could literally be taken away.

          Working myself up i’m starting to realize that Roz has so far been the only other person who’s been threatened with expulsion. Joyces and Ethan’s parents despite being psycho havent forced her into a Christian college or him into Gay correction-torture, Dorothy’s parents seem pretty confident that she can allow herself to coast through community college and are fully supporting her. Speaking of Coasting…Walky, Danny, Joe, Billie (does she even attend classes?!).

          Sarah has resigned herself to the fact that if she wants to get a degree she literally has to be hated by everyone and have no friends until she gets it.

        2. ThatGuy

          I did not expect to rant that much.

        3. thejeff

          Sarah’s definitely dependent on that scholarship, but that’s a matter of grades as far as we know. And a matter of cash – apparently her and her family couldn’t afford it otherwise. I don’t think it has anything to do with being “local”. Is Sarah any less local than anyone else?
          I’m not sure where you get the idea that everyone else are “sex crazy party animals”. Less so than I remember from my college days and we didn’t all fail out. Nor was I in a party animal crowd. Billie’s a party animal – maybe sex crazy too. (It’s not been confirmed she’s had sex with anyone other than Ruth in college. She seemed open to casual sex though.) Joe is. Arguably Roz.
          Dorothy and Walky are a couple. They have sex. They don’t particularly “party”.
          I think this is the first time any of the main cast, other than the alcoholics – Billie and Ruth, have been shown drunk. Could be wrong, but it certainly hasn’t been common.

          The only classes I recall seeing are Gender Studies and Math, neither of which Billie is in. We’ve seen her walking with the others, apparently going to class, so I assume she does.

          In theory, any of them could be kicked out for the underage drinking. In practice, that’s pretty damn rare. Otherwise Sarah isn’t going to be “taken away” unless her grades slip – which neither the occasional drink or even drunken night, nor a sexual relationship or even casual sex automatically cause.

        4. Amazistool

          Billie (does she even attend classes?!)

          Yes, she does!

      2. Kamino Neko

        Sarah didn’t have Dana tossed out. She told Dana’s father that she needed help, and he pulled her.

      3. Disloyal Subject

        Law=Good is one form of Lawful Good, but Lawful Neutral also reveres Law above all. LG has to strike a balance sometimes.

    4. podian

      I’ma butcher this alignment chart mercilessly. Let’s start:

      Mike isn’t Lawful Evil, Mike is Awesome Evil.
      Walky is Dorky Good.
      Faz is Neutral Disgusting.
      Amber is Psycho Good, compared to Sal’s Psycho Neutral.
      Joyce is Lawful Good Good
      Dina is Adorable Neutral.

      1. saki

        +1

    5. timemonkey

      Amber id in no way Lawful or Good. Maybe Chaotic Neutral.

    6. Tenn

      I think I would not have the guts to start a discussion thread for people to argue over the morality of most of the characters AND the correct definitions of D&D alignments. 😉

  32. Bagge

    The crown is heavy on the head of the queen of the drunk

    1. JessWitt

      She should dump out the alcohol from the beer cans on her crown then.

  33. Just Me

    So, there is nothing wrong with bring alcohol to a non-alcohol party and secretly slipping it to the other guests despite knowing that the party’s host would not approve? Seriously? Joyce was looking forward to a nice, safe, fun, non-alcohol or drugs party. Guess that’s not going to happen.

    1. Rich

      When did Joyce or Becky tell anyone this was a dry party?

      1. Kaoy

        Are you just trying to be contrary tonight or do you genuinely not get how someone like Joyce throwing a party immediately implies sobriety?

        1. Rich

          I genuinely don’t get it. She’s never expressed a particular dislike of alcohol or drinkers, and positively enjoyed being Queen of the Drunks prior to Ryan screwing things up. She’s really religious, but that doesn’t translate to raving Prohibitionist either. Lot of people assuming booze and drunks will act as a trigger for her, but it isn’t happening yet. Maybe if someone tries to force a drink (alcoholic or not) on her, but that’s no more likely a trigger than having to stand in line for the bathroom.

          So, did anyone get told this was dry besides the planners or no? Because if not, Joyce and Becky are learning a valuable lesson about how widespread underage drinking is even on a “dry” campus. You want no booze, you specify it in advance.

        2. ThatGuy

          I think you are confusing her accepting the fact that other people are sinful people who dont know any better with being ok with hanging out with drunkards. Like, i liked it whenever she found common ground, but she did it by telling Ryan that “at least they got their timing right” after quoting that part in the bible that insults drunken party goers.

          This is the girl who brought a chaparone to a first date, brought out her Apples to Apples, and thinks/thought guys should be punched in the face for looking at a girl’s butt.

          Dont confuse Joyce’s acceptance and “love the sinner, hate the sin” mentality just because she suddenly realized she loves Becky more than God and she’s having a crisis of faith. She, from what i’ve seen, has never relented that her beliefs are wrong, and her “character development, has been focused on thinking of herself as sinful. She’s basically hit the magic part of “I love life, but life is sinful, so I’m a horrible sinner and should hate myself for being weak”.

      2. DarkoNeko

        Nowhere.

    2. Daashi

      Did Joyce tell anybody that she wanted a dry party?

      1. Rich

        Careful, people will think you’re being contrary. 🙂

    3. Daisy

      I agree – Joyce is Joyce, the lack of alcohol should be implied, or at least a consideration. I know Billie isn’t the most clear-sighted when it comes to drinking and Walky can be thoughtless, but someone like Dorothy who worries about Joyce should at least have the consideration to ask if it’s okay.
      My other issue with it beyond the lack of permission (when with Joyce you really should assume disapproval), is that she put the party together carefully with people she knows, and like it or not people are different when they’re drunk, which might make her feel less safe. And that’s not cool.

  34. GoogerGeiger

    Oh come on Amber. Don’t be such a stick in the mud.

    1. Arianod

      She’s the one who puts on pajamas and a cape and goes out at night looking for fights. I think I’d rather she stay sober o_Ou

  35. newllend(henryvolt)

    watch your step Billie, Amber might fight you over this in a food4less parking lot.

  36. LouisvilleRobin

    I’m with Billie on this one.

  37. DarkoNeko

    Now, does Dorothy prefers white, or red wine ?

    1. Rich

      Depends. Seafood, or steak?

      1. DarkoNeko

        Neither.

    2. -Sentinel-

      If she only drank wine a few times, chances are she likes neither kind for now.

      1. khno

        If she only drank wine in Paris, chances are that she only drank high priced red colored water, so she wouldn’t know.

        1. DarkoNeko

          Ha.

  38. Geg

    Amber, you are Chaotic Good, you shouldn’t care about THE LAW!

    1. DarkoNeko

      She’s most probably using that as an excuse

    2. timemonkey

      Hahahahahahaha, Good. She’s Neutral at best. Attacking criminals to satisfy your violent urges doesn’t make you a good person, it means you figured out how society will let you get away with it.

      1. John

        Dude, the discussion is about D&D alignments. Invading people’s homes, murdering them all, and taking their stuff is expected Lawful Good behaviour if the people in question ping on the Evildar.

        (Alignment is the single worst concept ever introduced to RPGs.)

  39. Weebles

    Just go take a road trip to Quebec, drinking age is 18. Still find it bizarre that you can get guns, join the military, drive a car, get married etc legally for years before you’re allowed to have beer. 😛

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Well, in California at least, you can’t buy handguns until you can drink. Rifles are fine, though, thank goodness.

  40. neeks

    Joyce: hey Billie–
    Billie: I know, I know, I’m ruining your party.
    Joyce: what? Of course not!
    [Five minutes later]
    Joyce: …………:(
    Billie: see?

    1. podian

      …you know, you have a point…

      1. neeks

        Self-sabotaging is a bongo

  41. Torra

    Meh, I don’t see this as a big deal, but the our legal drinking age is 18 so it seems even weirder to have a party without some sort of drinking. 21 is a ridiculous age to legally start drinking! I’ll never be able to understand the resoning behind that

    1. Disloyal Subject

      That would require there to be reasoning behind it.

    2. Benjy

      The big deal (as I see it, anyway) isn’t so much that’s underage drinking, but it’s underage drinking at a party hosted by/meant for a girl who has made it clear that she does not like underage drinking.

      1. Lord Stoneheart

        Where exactly did she say that? At the last party she said she wasn’t drinking because it was illegal, but she was also Queen of the Drunks. She seems shocked that Dorothy has been drinking, but that could just be because she’s so used to Dorothy being really straight laced in regards to these manners. I’d wait for her to actually condemn her friends for bringing alcohol to her party before claiming that she hates underage drinking.

  42. a4lbi

    …where’s Becky!? *is suddenly nervous*

    1. DarkoNeko

      ..where’s Walky ? he was between then a second before.

  43. TheLurkerAbove

    Danny’s panicked face is hilarious, considering who he was talking to.

    1. Spencer

      Yeah I mean, for all the talk in the comments about how he’s dannying things (because that meme hasn’t been beaten into the ground at all!), his superhero girlfriend is staring right at him and pointing that what he’s doing is illegal. Is it that odd to understand why he might try to say, hey, we all got some alcohol from her?

      How did that even happen, anyway? Was it just a big conga line of “oh, might as well?” Was Billie being a Booze Fairy, pouring it into the cups of all the good boys and girls?

  44. BenRG

    I’m afraid that I’m with Billie on this one. She didn’t force anyone to take it when offered. Either everyone’s under stress that only alcohol dulls or you really can’t face one of Joyce’s parties sober. More than likely, the silly children think that drinking makes them ‘grown ups’.

    So, what’s the likelihood that this is going to end up with Joyce and Amber throwing everyone else out so that they can commiserate over their peers’ scofflaw ways?

    Oh and Dorothy? One glass of wine does not mean you can handle that industrial stain remover that Billie’s drinking.

    1. feli

      Yea, it wasn’t okay from Billie to bring alcohol but she’s an alcoholic … so … that couldn’t be helped, sadly. And the others asked her and knew what they were doing, you’re right.

      Dorothy will learn that in the morning when hungover-man comes to visit and play drums in her head.

  45. Pinja

    Not sure how I feel about it. America’s stupidly high drinking age is obviously crap but it is kind of rude to come to Joyce’s party and drink when that wasn’t on the cards.

    These guys are super-lightweights to all get swirly off that little alcohol diluted in cola however.

    1. chris73

      Was it stated it was a dry party?

      1. timemonkey

        No, but they’re underage and it’s a dry campus so they really shouldn’t be. I don’t see it as some horrible thing to do for Joyce like others are but they really shouldn’t be.

      2. Suitora

        Everyone pretty much knew. Billie definitely knew.

      3. Pinja

        Yes, thank you, but Dina aside a social convention or consideration for another doesn’t need to be boldly stated for it to exist. When the party is for and about Joyce it’s kind of rude for reasons that I don’t feel the need to state. If it was Dotty or Ethan’s party I don’t think it would be rude to do it but it’s not their party.

        Honestly I wouldn’t even ask her if it was allowed, she doesn’t need the peer pressure.

        1. chris73

          As you state its a party, they’re at college and some of them want to have a drink so its no big deal

  46. Pinja

    Also since when are fucking vigilantes sticklers for the law?

    1. No Name

      When said vigilante is one drink away from going off the deep end. Seriously, Amber is fricked up, no small thanks to Blaine. If she drinks, who knows what will happen.

      1. Pinja

        Her objection isn’t personal abstinence, it’s legal against everyone else.

        1. No Name

          More likely it’s a good cover. Her secret identity seems the type to to grasp at any available straws to avoid peer pressure.

    2. Majere

      Most vigilantes are that’s why they care enough to personally try and enforce it. Yes, it’s hypocrisy but that’s how it is.

      1. Pinja

        You can’t get around hypocrisy with a shrug. Vigilante violence is as bad or worse than any crime it can be directed against. For sure Amber nightly activities are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay worse than under-age drinking.

  47. StClair

    Danny, you … Danny.

  48. Catty

    In Australia you can join the armed forces (and kill people) at 15, have sex at 16 (except in SA, where the age of consent is 17, the prudes), vote and stand for parliament at 18, so you damn well need to be able to drink by 18.

    1. chris73

      Yeah nah

      http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/recruitmentCentre/canIJoin/ageAndGender/

      1. Catty

        Back when I was thinking of joining the RAN the minimum age was 15.

        Can’t buy ‘Call of Duty’ until you’re 18 though.

    2. timemonkey

      Drinking is a horrible thing to do, you’re drinking poison. The longer you go without doing it the better.

  49. Majere

    What in the world is in that flask that it could get that many people that drunk including Billie who has an alcohol tolerance usually not seen outside of especially large elephants.

    1. notlegato

      my theory is that billie got pure ethanol that she’s been slowly mixing into a thousand liters of soda.

    2. saki

      She most likely got pre-drunk, AND I’m pretty sure 90% of the others’ “drunk-y” behaviour is due to placebo.

  50. Arianod

    Waaay to put your foot in it, Danny boy 😀 Is this the famous “dannying it up” people talk so much about? I think it’s the first time I’ve seen him do it.

  51. Rabid Rabbit

    Oh, those sweet, dear Americans.

    “I had a glass of wine once! When I wasn’t 21! Ha! I know how to drink!”

    It’s like every time they come up to Canada at the age of 18 and think they’re so hardcore getting drunk off a single beer. Admittedly, Canadian beer is actual beer, and not, in the immortal words of Monty Python, “fucking close to water,” but still. It would be sweet if there wasn’t the risk that they’d pull out a gun and shoot you for implying they’re not the toughest of the tough in the world.

    1. DarkoNeko

      Wouldn’t they get stopped at the frontier if they tried to bring a gun ?

      1. tim gueguen

        You can in fact bring handguns into Canada if you go through considerable paperwork, and those handguns fall under the restricted firearms category. Some handguns are prohibited weapons in Canada and are not allowed. You can’t carry them on your person or hunt with them. Canada Border Services Agency regularly seizes firearms from Americans at border crossings.

    2. saki

      I say we make Americans’ drinking age in other countries be 5 years older than whatever age they started drinking their fucking-close-to-water alcoholic beverages. You know. For everyone’s general safety. XD

  52. DarkoNeko

    So, now that the first wave of comments have passed.

    Have you noticed how Joyce pushed Walky away from his finger-licking habits ? Aren’t you afraid, provided she didn’t knock him out, what he’s up to now ? 😀

    1. saki

      I don’t know why but the first image that came to mind was him licking Dina’s finger instead. There’s got to be something very wrong with my brain, because that really makes no sense whatsoever.

    2. Willoughby Chase

      I only note that Dorothy’s eyebrows are at DEFCON 3.

  53. Sean

    The legal age to drink where I live is 18 (16 for some stuff? I don’t know!?), but seriously, the party seemed like just a fun gathering with board games, why would anyone feel like they needed alcohol for that? Then again, I don’t drink at all, so I might be biased. Even if it wasn’t established as a “dry party” (?), anyone who knows Joyce even a little could probably guess what she’d think of her guests getting drunk and the party meant a lot to her. I agree with many other commentors though: how drunk can anyone get from a glass or two of whatever they had mixed with soda?

    1. Li

      It’s a dry *campus*, and yeah I think Joyce and Becky both just assumed. 🙁 I feel bad for her.

      Also fwit I think the general assumption is that they’re mostly placebo-drunk, which is a very real thing, especially among people who have never had (this much) alcohol before. Teens and young adults who have never had alcohol can become hilariously “drunk” even on *non-alcoholic* beverages, provided they think they’re imbibing alcohol.

      1. Eric

        They could be ‘placebo drunk’, as Li said, or it could be “Comic Book” alcohol. Like comic book time puts dates in the past at whatever they need to be to make this strip Now, Billie’s flask contains enough booze to get anyone drunk that needs to be for the point of the plot.

  54. dull

    Ethan is drunk too. and so is Danny. Oish.

    1. saki

      That’s a really cliché wonderful no-sex-but-tons-of-making-out fanfiction premise.

      1. TheOtherDibbler

        No-sex-but-tons-of-making-out Danny/Ethan fanfic? Yes please and thank you.

        1. saki

          I wish I were good at writing those. T_T (Or at writing anything, really.)

          For lack of an edit thingie, let me add here: no-sex-but-tons-of-making-out-and-adorable-drunken-ramblings fanfiction.

  55. Benjy

    Okay, forget Billie, Dorothy, and Walky. I am REALLY disappointed in Ethan for being drunk at Joyce’s party.

    1. TheOtherDibbler

      Yeah, Walky and Billie I could excuse, but I am particularly disappointed in Dorothy and Ethan, and just the general fact that the majority of the people Joyce trusted to invite to her party decided to get drunk. That’s just disrespectful. She wanted to have a nice time with people she likes and feels comfortable with, and they all decided getting drunk was more fun than what she had planned – that’s one hell of a slap in the face.

      1. timemonkey

        Nobody told them this party was specifically to make Joyce feel safe, or that a little drinking would upset her. They decided to have a drink to de-stress and ended up drunk due to low tolerance.

        1. Paint

          Low tolerance is one thing, but god damn, look how many of them there are. That is some high octane stuff in that flask.

        2. claudewicked

          High octane nightmare fuel?!

        3. Benjy

          It’s Joyce.

        4. Li

          I mean I’m in the camp who doesn’t think this is inexcusable behavior? Just a poor choice, and a bit thoughtless. Especially because Walky is the only one we saw getting a drink, and he definitely did it because he hated Joyce’s party, so there is an insult there on just his and Billie’s part…

          …but still not inexcusable. I can picture Walky thinking, you know, it’s not that mean to do, while also picturing Joyce being very hurt by it.

          I think this is a case where the actions the cast took are going to hurt Joyce more than they anticipated, or even reasonably could. They didn’t think about it, which by definition is thoughtlessness.

  56. JohnnyO

    Lesson from experience: if you become known as the person who’s willing to get alcohol for underaged people, shit becomes like a chore.

    1. Eric

      The RULES say that at Ohio State University, all first and second year students have to stay in the dorms, regardless of age. I started here at 28. No fucking way was I going to be a booze shuttle for my entire dorm. So I lied and said I was ‘staying with family’ on some form, and rented my own apartment.

      Not only a chore, but probably a felony or someshit.

      1. Bicycle Bill

        I thought most universities accepted the fact that “non-traditional students” may have other things in their lives — such as a ‘real’ job, or a spouse, or a family of their own — that would preclude the “must live in a dorm” mandate and were a little more lenient.

  57. hof1991

    In Dorothy’s defense. Her boyfriend is tipsy and joint tipsyness is more fun than watching someone who is tipsy. Plus she is riding herself pretty hard, probably harder than her mother would (she is her own mother, twice). In her limited experience, she can handle a little alcohol – wrong.

    Love that Amber has a red gaming system, while others are using red cups.

    Billie was going to bring alcohol and shared it with Walky as a gesture of commiseration. Then it went viral, as tipsy is contagious. The room is full of lightweights. Kids who rarely or never drink show the effects of of even one drink, especially in a party atmosphere.

    Hurray for Amber for not drinking. A drunken Batman is a scarey thought.

    1. JohnnyO

      Why does Dorothy need a defense?

  58. Miles

    Amber confirmed for Lawful Good

    1. Arianod

      She’s basically Batman, so no surprises there ^^

  59. Marc in MN

    I’m well past 21 now and I’m still the one who isn’t drinking amongst all the people who do. I guess that makes me Amber (or Joyce) in this scenario. 😉

  60. PinkiePiecrust

    So I’m thinking next Ruth is gonna come in and bust this party…

    Petroleum to spark!

  61. Tunasammich

    Hahahahaha Amber and I could never be friends

    1. DarkoNeko

      SAme, as I don’t own a DS.

  62. Amazistool

    Joyce: So the name of your new lover is Gene Ross!
    But why are we now talking about your premarital hanky-panky!

  63. Ashley

    How does Billie manage to carry enough alcohol in that flask to get so many people drunk? I mean, it’s obvious they’re not too drunk but still.

  64. Kraken

    I wonder what’ll bother Joyce more, the fact that she’s around a bunch of drunk people (something she seems to have an issue with now*) or that her friends had to get drunk to enjoy her party. >_>

    Also, does anyone know which strip had Dotty insinuating that she doesn’t drink? I remember she didn’t drink at that party, but I feel like that was just good safety when you’re at a party with a bunch of people you don’t know.

    *I guess she conflated her bad experience at Roz’s party with the drunken behaviour at that party.

    1. A5PECT

      I think it was during her conversation with Danny about his bisexual curiosity.

      1. A5PECT

        Found it.

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

        1. Kraken

          Cool, thanks. I was kinda hoping for one with Joyce, but that strip at least shows that it could’ve happened off-screen.

      2. Lord Stoneheart

        I can’t link to it right now but she mentions wanting to start drinking to Joyce when Joyce tells her that Hymmel is live action. (It’s the scene right after Dorothy finds out Amazi Girl’s secret identity)

        1. Kraken

        2. Kraken

          Oops, formatting issue.
          I was able to find it based on your description! ^^;

        3. Lord Stoneheart

          Excellent, I’m hellllllllping. (Well if I waited an hour to make my post I could have linked that and saved you time. My bad)

          Maybe we should be surprised it took almost a week for Dorothy to start drinking after this comic: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-4/02-i-was-a-teenage-churchmouse/union/

  65. John

    Apparently “generous” is Billie’s pet name for Ruth.

  66. Church

    Amber is gr8 8/10 would date

    the other two being Danny and Ethan who happen to be dating each other.

  67. NF

    This is still one of Billie’s best punch-line.

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