And she knew Ruth would kill her if she got the whole dorm worrying about the little ginger. Billy understands the need for a little dignity – like, in case she was wrong for worrying.
That was an interesting night. It apparently took me a minute or two to wake up; my roommate was getting worried. Also, funfact, the cause of the alarm was that someone lit a roll of toilet paper on fire and threw it down the fire escape stairwell. At 3AM.
We think it was the same kid who 1. once kept a piglet in his room 2. Managed to get a bathtub into his room 3. flooded one of the bathrooms in a totally different dorm by plugging the sinks and turning on the water. It only takes one of these people.
At my college there were a couple false alarms set off during my first year because some people in my dorm building reeeaaallly liked smoking weed. They would seriously manage to smoke so profusely (always around midnight) on school nights that they set off the building’s alarm. Twice.
I go to a school with a very lax substance-abuse policy, and you had it easy if it was just twice. Our alarm goes off at least once a month. We’ve started ignoring it, but apparently that’s illegal?(???)
And that’s why at my college there was a scholarship named after an RA who died saving students who ignored a fire alarm. She didn’t, of course, save all of them.
No idea what she was like. The fire was 10 years before I was a student. I just know that they took fire safety seriously, and they ran through and checked all rooms before they let anybody back in after a fire alarm so they could catch people who didn’t evacuate properly.
Oh, that’s not a very good sentence, is it? Let’s try again.
I just know that they took fire safety seriously. For example, they would check rooms to catch people who did not evacuate properly when the fire alarm went off. After firefighters had cleared that it was safe, of course.
I once forgot to bring my indoor school-shoes (a thing we had, I guess to avoid dragging grime from outside into the building?) to my locker a few days after summer break ended. A fire alarm went off — either someone pulling it or one of the rare cases of an actual fire, though it wasn’t too serious — and out I went. Through the park. In socks. With lots of scattered branches, chestnut shells and pinecones on the ground. I remember that there were lots of other students who seemed to have forgotten too, since some were sharing shoes, wearing one each and hopping on one foot, and some were piggybacking on shoe-holders.
Neat effects on the ‘bulging panels’. But if you are going to kick in a door, don’t kick it in the center of the door. Kick it as near to the door knob as you can, that’s the weakest link and gives the fastest results.
Obviously, Ruth isn’t in the trash compacter. So, she is in the room. What could she be doing to scare Billie into hollering ‘Ruth’ that way. Doubt that it’s a lesbian encounter, that wouldn’t ‘scare’ Billie: especially not the way Ruth nailed her in the hallway, nothing straight nor just friends about that kiss. Not Ultracar? Nah. So she’s holding a gun to her head? or other sad bad endings? Aggg. Can’t wait.
It’s quite probable Billie simply doesn’t know better so is just kicking it in the center. Sometimes with writing you have think what the character would do and knows, not what would actually be best.
What’s the deal with the fire-alarm, though? Did she need her dorm-mates out of the way? Does she need an excuse for caring about Ruth? (“You were in danger! You see? It’s nothing personal.”)
Funny. I’ve read through all the comments and am I really the only one who thinks Ruth isn’t in there? That she’s out buying more booze after spilling her last bottle?
This is a serious and dramatic moment that is and has been constructed very well.
And yet…I keep being drawn to the ‘BROOP BROOP BROOP’ at the top of the panel. Sure, ‘BEEBEEBEE’ would probably be sillier (not to mention reserved for the bee alarm!), but it just looks a bit goofy.
Willis would never kill off a major canon character? Theory: Buy more Kickstarter or Ruth gets it. Or even more likely buy more Kickstarter, if you want Ruth/Autocar Slash/Sexytimes.
This strip right here is one of the best strips I’ve seen in Dumbing of Age, Willis. I absolutely love the panel warping, and the whole strip builds an increasing feeling of dread, punctuated by Billie’s perfect shout at the end, full of emotion. That, I’m afraid, is a face that is seeing her worst fears confirmed. That Ruth is either unconscious, or in the process of committing suicide, or dead. It’s not sexytimes that she just broke in on, because then Billie’s face would have confusion in it, with maybe a ? on the RUTH! And if Ruth was conscious I would think she would have heard the fire alarm. This is a comic that begs to be a Friday cliffhanger, but a webcomic makes every page a possible cliffhanger. In any case, bravo, Willis, bravo.
Well, if you’re an awesome person, you read the comic at midnight when it first goes up. So you have twenty-four hours until the end of Friday, then another twenty-four hours until the end of Saturday, and then another twenty-four hours until the end of Sunday, when the Monday update goes up.
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She’s got legs, and she knows how to use them D=
Not your thing, I see?
She could use better shoes.
mmmmhmhmmhmmm leeeeeeegs… 😀
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nZniMYCZp4
I’m saying, don’t stand in the way of her high kicks.
She’s got sole, and she’s super-bad.
But what really knocked me out was her cheap sunglasses
So, why did she pull the alarm if she was just going to break down the door?
Get rid of witnesses.
Witnesses ruin everything.
And she knew Ruth would kill her if she got the whole dorm worrying about the little ginger. Billy understands the need for a little dignity – like, in case she was wrong for worrying.
So no one would catch her breaking down the door.
So she would have an excuse about why she broke down the door
*ding* *ding* *ding*
We have a winner!!!
Because people are less curious about doors breaking down when there’s a fire alarm going off.
Because if people saw her kicking down the door they might figure out she’s Amaz-Girl.
This! Obviously.
See, this makes so much more sense than anything else I was thinking.
She had a plan! Why did I doubt her? Oh, right, I remember.
Oh god there’s a truck in there, isn’t there. Damn you, Willis!!!
=P
Ruth and Optimus Prime are going at it.
Munkey NOT Trukk?
So she’s surprised that Ruth isn’t a lesbian? Or what would you classify a Human/Robot Relation anyways?
Malayism.
That is simply absurd.
Ruth’s drinking with Ultra Car.
Two redheads going at it, now that’s what I call FANSERVICE!
Until Ultra Car hits that.
I mean, uh, hits her.
Randomly fell straight from the sky into her bed.
http://www.itswalky.com/auctions/noregrets.jpg
She got one of those race car beds, only hers is a truck! And then she hit her head on it! NOOOOO!
DYNAMIC ENTRY!
Is that what they’re calling it these days?
Yup, it’s the IN thing to do. 😀
It apparently cost 42K to make rashly break down ruths door … worth every penny
Rashly? Is that what they call Jim Rash when he’s an adverb?
ACTION~
“RUTH! MY GOD HOW COULD YOU SPILL BOOZE ON THE FLOOR?”
Alcohol abuse!
Sarah looks even more sour than usual. Reminds me of every fire drill I ever had in college.
At least it’s nice out. My fire drills in college were all during winter and/or pouring rain.
Mine was sunny and stuff. It wasn’t too inconvenient, I wasn’t exactly doing anything.
Did you ever have one in the middle of the night?
That was an interesting night. It apparently took me a minute or two to wake up; my roommate was getting worried. Also, funfact, the cause of the alarm was that someone lit a roll of toilet paper on fire and threw it down the fire escape stairwell. At 3AM.
I… what?
WHAT THE FUUUUUUCK?!?
“I did it for the lulz… because I’m /b/-man!”
COLLEGE LIFE!
We think it was the same kid who 1. once kept a piglet in his room 2. Managed to get a bathtub into his room 3. flooded one of the bathrooms in a totally different dorm by plugging the sinks and turning on the water. It only takes one of these people.
Was there a murder investigation soon after?
At my college there were a couple false alarms set off during my first year because some people in my dorm building reeeaaallly liked smoking weed. They would seriously manage to smoke so profusely (always around midnight) on school nights that they set off the building’s alarm. Twice.
I go to a school with a very lax substance-abuse policy, and you had it easy if it was just twice. Our alarm goes off at least once a month. We’ve started ignoring it, but apparently that’s illegal?(???)
Yes. Because people can DIE trying to get you out, as Pat says below.
I keep a frisbee at my desk in the lab I study in for fire drills on nice days.
Mine was at 4 am on a night I had stayed up til 2:30 am. ._.
After the first couple false alarms I started to just play 3DS with noise-cancelling headphones on whenever I heard the fire alarm.
And that’s why at my college there was a scholarship named after an RA who died saving students who ignored a fire alarm. She didn’t, of course, save all of them.
Wait, RA who dies saving an idiot? Does that mean Ruth existed in our world?
No idea what she was like. The fire was 10 years before I was a student. I just know that they took fire safety seriously, and they ran through and checked all rooms before they let anybody back in after a fire alarm so they could catch people who didn’t evacuate properly.
Oh, that’s not a very good sentence, is it? Let’s try again.
I just know that they took fire safety seriously. For example, they would check rooms to catch people who did not evacuate properly when the fire alarm went off. After firefighters had cleared that it was safe, of course.
I once forgot to bring my indoor school-shoes (a thing we had, I guess to avoid dragging grime from outside into the building?) to my locker a few days after summer break ended. A fire alarm went off — either someone pulling it or one of the rare cases of an actual fire, though it wasn’t too serious — and out I went. Through the park. In socks. With lots of scattered branches, chestnut shells and pinecones on the ground. I remember that there were lots of other students who seemed to have forgotten too, since some were sharing shoes, wearing one each and hopping on one foot, and some were piggybacking on shoe-holders.
I think I see the basis for a new currency here.
Ruth, you’re Amazi-Girl?!
No, Spider-car.
No, Gary Oak.
FALCON KICK!
SHOW YA BEWBS!
That avatar… that comment… perfect!
Wait… so the door opens inward and she was pulling on it with all her might in the other strip?
Not the smartest of rescuers.
Maybe she was just kicking REALLY hard.
“My legs give me super strength!”
It was mentioned somewhere that that was based on an art error; initially, Billie was supposed to be kicking it in.
Relevant Willis tumblr, assuming I am posting the correct link correctly.
Billie looks scared, so by extension I’m scared too.
…I really hope Ruth didn’t hang herself or something.
First thing I thought.
I think she might be unconscious from alcohol poisoning.
No! Ruth, don’t change the light bulb with your mouth!
http://www.fecundity.com/darkdung/darkdung.php?page=11
How many RA’s does it take to unscrew a light bulb?
It’s okay, it’s not like she’s been talking to Danny recently.
Don’t worry, she’s just trying to make herself taller!
I’ve got an urge to do Billie-as-Chun Li fanart now.
It probably won’t happen, because I’ve got too much other stuff on the “to be drawn” pile, but hey.
Already did it a few weeks ago, John. No Worries
FLAWLESS VICTORY!
*closes eyes*
I’ve got an urge to do Billie-as-Juri Han fanart now…
*opens eyes*
Sorry. I’ll only do Billie as someone as plump or muscular as Billie.
Flawless defeat…
Ruth’s going to be mad that Billie ruined her game of drunken solitaire.
Where I come from that means she’s drunk and playing with herself. NSFW on the next panel?
Oh right, I was like “I hope Willis gets some Sunday cliffhangers going!” but. If it’s 7 days a week there aren’t any cliffhangers. Oh well.
Looking forward to a cliffhanger is like bending over before a punishment.
nothin wrong with a little masochism once in a while, right? no..? huh…
Well, he could up-date every 23 hours and then, after the sunday strip, wait 30 hours to up-date.
THE WAIT IS UNBEARABLE.
…I hope it lasts.
There’s going to be a creepy shrine to Billie, isn’t there?
Made of her discarded bubblegum, like on Hey Arnold.
Nah, it’s Billie, her discarded beer cans. Must be a big shrine.
It’s got some big….CANS….if you catch my meaning.
Dina stop being so freakin’ cute.
Does this help?
Sorry, was watching that show tonight, first place my brain went.
Even sorrier I was too tired to put more than 2 minutes into it, but it’s after midnight and I’m bushed.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
To some, cuteness; to others, TERROR!!
(can’t stop laughing…)
So… how many man points does one lose for, upon seeing that, immediately bursting into squealing, embarrassing cute overload? Just hypothetically.
NOW I HAVE 24 HOURS!!! Longest 24 hours ever
This situation is entirely unacceptable!
Could be worse. Could be 72.
I demand it be a number the power of 2 so it must be either 32 or 64 hours. :<
How about 16?
Out of curiosity, am I the only one who wants to see more Sierra?
I really love the panels buckling on this one.
Holy shit you’re right, I legitimately did not notice that.
That’s a pretty cool effect.
She nearly kicked right through the forth wall!
I almost thought *I* was Ruth for a second.
*I* almost thought *I* was the door handle!
That’s a mad nice effect.
So glad this isn’t a Friday cliffhanger anymore. The damning of Willis would be heard for miles.
Fus! Roh dah!
I hope this ruth is not dead
agreed.
You know, I don’t think Broop is an appropriate choice for the sound of white noise
Also, how much you wanna bet Ruth’s just chilling on her bed and is gonna be pissed off that Billie broke in?
Or chilling on her bed with a beer in one hand and the other down her pants looking at Billie’s cheerleading photos.
Two questions:
1) how does a hand look at photos?
2) why does Ruth keep said photos in her pants?
Upon closer reading, it’s the pants that do the looking …
Cue Vader “Nooooooooooo”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF_lJTGKFP0
So… shall we start placing bets on what she finds in there?
I’m putting five bucks on “Lesbian Shenanigans”.
This is a pretty rad scene.
Sarah has the face I had when we got simulacrums xD
omgggggggggg
I am thinking soooo many scary things! 🙁 PLEASE BE ALIVE RUTH aahhhhhhhh
Neat effects on the ‘bulging panels’. But if you are going to kick in a door, don’t kick it in the center of the door. Kick it as near to the door knob as you can, that’s the weakest link and gives the fastest results.
Obviously, Ruth isn’t in the trash compacter. So, she is in the room. What could she be doing to scare Billie into hollering ‘Ruth’ that way. Doubt that it’s a lesbian encounter, that wouldn’t ‘scare’ Billie: especially not the way Ruth nailed her in the hallway, nothing straight nor just friends about that kiss. Not Ultracar? Nah. So she’s holding a gun to her head? or other sad bad endings? Aggg. Can’t wait.
She’s chopping up Billie’s cheerleading uniform.
It’s quite probable Billie simply doesn’t know better so is just kicking it in the center. Sometimes with writing you have think what the character would do and knows, not what would actually be best.
1
2
3
Rider….erm….Cheerleader Kick!!
“BROOP”?
Where’s the wailing klaxon? The air-raid siren? The flashing red strobe lights?
Why didn’t she just do that in the first place? >_>
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/03-answers-in-hennessy/hrah/#comment-121402
Thus the action lines attacked panels 2, 4, and 5, and the dramatic atmosphere increased by 10 points…
Cannot
Wait
For
Tomorrow
That’s
Me
Erryday
Billie is at least as awesome as AmaziGirl!
What’s the deal with the fire-alarm, though? Did she need her dorm-mates out of the way? Does she need an excuse for caring about Ruth? (“You were in danger! You see? It’s nothing personal.”)
O, wait. http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/03-answers-in-hennessy/hrah/#comment-121402
Panel 1 – Apparently only women respond to fire alarms…
Fire alarm’s in the girl wing. No reason for the guys in their wing to be concerned, because their building’s not on ‘fire’.
The fire alarm’s for the whole building, but girls are going to file out of the exit doors for the girls’ wing.
Funny. I’ve read through all the comments and am I really the only one who thinks Ruth isn’t in there? That she’s out buying more booze after spilling her last bottle?
This is a serious and dramatic moment that is and has been constructed very well.
And yet…I keep being drawn to the ‘BROOP BROOP BROOP’ at the top of the panel. Sure, ‘BEEBEEBEE’ would probably be sillier (not to mention reserved for the bee alarm!), but it just looks a bit goofy.
I heard it in my head akin to the Enterprises’ Red Alert Klaxon.
Oh no! ‘Q’ is causing Discord on campus!
(or is Discord causing Q on campus??)
Heh.
*holds breath*
I love Sarah’s expression in panel 1!
Willis would never kill off a major canon character? Theory: Buy more Kickstarter or Ruth gets it. Or even more likely buy more Kickstarter, if you want Ruth/Autocar Slash/Sexytimes.
Oh no! It’s Ruth that’s on fire!
The Ruth, the Ruth, the Ruth is on fire?
For that horribly yet wonderful pun – that I am kicking myself for not thinking of – you win the Internet.
Yes.
Yes.
We don’t need no water let the motherfucker burn? Wow, I know some people don’t like Ruth but that seems awfully harsh.
Next we will find Ruth laying on the floor with a head injury caused by Billie kicking the door into her as she went to open it.
I TOLD you that door opened inwards! 😛
It does now
I was actually sorta hoping Billie’s leg would break. The best time to invoke “reality ensues” is when it’s the absolute worst time to invoke it.
Yeah, but, let’s face it–dorm room doors are not exactly the sturdiest of their kind.
Plus, most doors are designed so they can be broken down in case the fire department or the police need to get in.
She’s more like Picard?
This strip right here is one of the best strips I’ve seen in Dumbing of Age, Willis. I absolutely love the panel warping, and the whole strip builds an increasing feeling of dread, punctuated by Billie’s perfect shout at the end, full of emotion. That, I’m afraid, is a face that is seeing her worst fears confirmed. That Ruth is either unconscious, or in the process of committing suicide, or dead. It’s not sexytimes that she just broke in on, because then Billie’s face would have confusion in it, with maybe a ? on the RUTH! And if Ruth was conscious I would think she would have heard the fire alarm. This is a comic that begs to be a Friday cliffhanger, but a webcomic makes every page a possible cliffhanger. In any case, bravo, Willis, bravo.
I hadn’t noticed Sarah being slightly cross-eyed in the last panel. It does a nice job of cementing the sentiment of “this is it. This is hell.”
Willis, if you killed ANOTHER Ruth….
Yep. Tomorrow we’ll find out she was in a fatal auto collision in her dorm room. I blame Ultracar.
she’s not in there, is she?
What is Dina looking at?
A: Sarah’s nosehair.
B: Billie’s foot.
C: Our browser tabs.
Well,.. Amazigurl does need a “Robin” to her “Batman”.
Call her “Cheerleader?”
Billie gets Ruth out of the room while the song “I will always love you” plays in the bacground.
Wait…why would it have been thirty-six hours instead of forty-eight?
Well, if you’re an awesome person, you read the comic at midnight when it first goes up. So you have twenty-four hours until the end of Friday, then another twenty-four hours until the end of Saturday, and then another twenty-four hours until the end of Sunday, when the Monday update goes up.
maaaaaaaaaaath
That’s seventy-two.
Lawd, Billie got some strong laigs.
That alt text. seriously, that alt text. It’s cruel. whyy.