1092 Party Girl.

by

It got here in kind of a roundabout way, but in my defense Carol’s boobs take a long time to get around. This page was originally going to cut back to Thomas and Constance, but I decided that the original reason for Carol’s story was going to get lost in the cut. I needed a place to break the conversation that would leave people remembering what she’d said. To that end I moved this part ahead, which will require a LOT of renumbering, because I had a couple weeks of pages ahead of this section before. Every so often I have one of these moments where I realize that my scripted plan works in my head, but not so much in practice. Luckily it usually only results in a rewrite, but I’ve been so distracted that I didn’t catch this as fast as I might have otherwise.

I’m still having significant trouble adjusting to my new office. The door is at my back so I’ve been scared nearly to death a couple of times now from people sneaking up on me. I hate to keep it closed because the room is so hot otherwise, and with the computer in it the problem is compounded further. Right now my plan is to make a system of ducts to pipe the cold air from the vent out into the room rather than under my bed, which is a big part of the problem and always has been.

On the plus side the glare from the windows and lights has been reduced, so once I actually start working I’m not fighting that nearly as much. Hopefully I’ll be able to sort myself out before too long.

Here’s a little tidbit of story.

Julius was the first to wake up and he busied himself with the fire until the others rose. After a quick meal, and a cleanse with Niona’s magic container, the group began their quest in earnest. He’d kept quiet for quite some time so Julius decided to venture a very obvious, yet still unanswered question.

“What was the original team looking for?”

“You’ve probably sensed it,” Alina began, as she slid open one of the massive stone doors. “the evil aura of this place, I mean.” Julius nodded. “It was built over something. What it is exactly isn’t clear.”

“The texts I found called it the vein of the demon.” Interjected Niona. “It’s supposedly a site where an evil creature was slain, but its defeat cause negative forces to flow to this spot.”

“And a bunch of stupid humans decided to dig down to it…” Regalius drolled.

“I sent the first group here the see if it had been disturbed” Continued Alina. “I think places like this are where the skeleton king draws strength.”

Julius almost asked what would posses someone to build something like this, but his brain caught up to his mouth before it spoke. There was always some group of jerks doing stuff like this. Making trouble for no good reason. This was just another one of those places left behind when trouble caught up to them.

The long hall was faintly lit by round baubles stuck at intervals along the walls. The source of their light wasn’t clear, but the sickly glow suggested it was the negative energy of the site itself. Their dim light was perhaps testimony to its waning potency. So much the better as far as Julius was concerned.
Alina led the way for a fair while before Julius’s wits came to him. Her natural leadership made him forget his function.

“Hey, wait!” He exclaimed. “You guys need to get behind me.” The sudden outburst was enough to make the others obey without question. They quickly repositioned themselves behind him and made ready to fight.

“No, no…” He explained waving their weapons down. “There’s nothing around. I just need to be first in case of traps.” Niona laughed.

“You know, I don’t think we ever had a thief who went before the party before.”

“Well you still haven’t.” Julius corrected. “I’m much more like a locksmith. A craftsman.”

“Do you pick pockets?” Alina asked. Julius considered his answer for a moment.

“Yes.” He replied. “But only if they mark is a known jerk. I have standards.”

45 Comments

I’ve been really drunk just once. I was an active duty U.S. Marine, and one of my buddies was having a birthday party. I was being cheap, so I decided to get drunk for his present. I did go and get a huge bottle of Double Bastard Ale. My friend having the birthday kept the bottle, so that probably counted as his present.

To the point. I don’t know if it’s just me, or because I only got drunk once at one party, but I remember the whole night until I passed out. Even though I couldn’t walk straight, my thoughts still seemed lucid, if a bit slow.

The one thing I’m not entirely certain about is my buddy having the birthday later told me they put on porn, and they said I was watching with them. I remembered passing out, but I don’t remember waking up to watch porn.

Either it happened, or he was pulling my chain.

I know I drank 8 glasses of 8 oz. of that beer, and I had two shots of Tequila. I also wasn’t keeping track of those Jell-O shots before I decided I needed to slow down with them. I had a gallon of water I was drinking on throughout the night, as well. That really preempted my hangover, so I was only a little sick the following morning.

So, yeah. Blacking out and not remembering things is not a thing I think I experienced when I got drunk. I guess the last major thought I had was something along the lines of, “Okay. I’m done. I’ve had enough to drink.”

I’ve never really liked not feeling sober. I have to admit, the process of getting drunk is fun, but I don’t like it so much once I actually get there.

There are only two types of high that I’ve been. The first is high in the air in an airplane. (Other than an airliner. The PT-19 is still my favorite experience. It’s an open-cockpit trainer from just before World War II.) The other type is a runner’s high. When I was in the Marines, I ran quite a lot. It was a part of the job. I was actually in good enough shape to push myself quite hard occasionally. It would take me about 5 minutes to stop gasping for breath with all of my might, but 30 minutes later, the endorphin rush would kick in.

I’ve never been artificially high, but there’s no feeling in the world quite like a natural high.

Well, I’ve never had a drink, so all my stories are second hand. That said, alcohol has only ever damaged my family, so there’s some stuff I’d rather not know first hand. I sure as heck never felt good from running, or doing anything active really… I’m also terrified of heights, so that’s out. XD

I could not get a runner’s high right now. It would probably take me 8 months of rigidly sticking to an exercise routine to even be able to hope to get another runner’s high. I’m only about 40 pounds overweight, too. My last was about 12 years ago. There’s no telling how much age will affect my abilities once I get back into shape.

Much of my ability came from natural youth being honed into a weapon. I had a three surgeries and light duty for about a year. I lost much of my natural strength during this time. I wasn’t used to the idea of having to build myself up again, so I let myself go. I regret it now, but I can bring it back. I’ll just have to work 10 times as hard (or long) as if I had kept it up.

I’m reading between the lines a little, but I will say this. The only people I know who hate alcohol and aren’t Christians are the guys I know with alcoholism in their family.

Thankfully, I was never compelled to continue drinking. I kind of got it mostly out of my system in that one night. (That beer was good, but REALLY strong! Kinda killed my taste for beer for awhile afterward.) I known a Marine whose dad was an alcoholic. I’ve known one alcoholic who could not stay out of trouble. I’ve known reformed alcoholics. Hell, I’ve even started to meet some people who’ve been hooked on drugs. It’s new to me, but I recognize they are people. I just don’t know exactly how to handle them right now.

I really have to watch out for these tangents I can get on.

Ah, jeez. I didn’t even comment on the terrified of heights thing!

So, why does a cropduster fly so low?

Moving on.

In practice, flying is different than standing on a precipice or bridge. I’m afraid of heights, too. My perspective is so different when I’m in a plane vs when I’m standing on something looking down.

It really just looks like I’m gazing down at a really well-built model train set when I’m in an aircraft. (Other than an airliner.) The clouds are surreal when they’re at eye-level and going past so fast. That’s not even bringing up what you see when you fly over the clouds and look at the airplane’s shadow on the clouds.

Find out for yourselves. **Spoiler** It’s AMAZING! **End Spoiler**

I decided to write in the first-person in case your experience is different. I will say that I have a tendency to get airsick in Aeronca Champs.

I’ve never thrown up while airsick, but it’s pretty bad. Based on how I have felt in the past, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does eventually happen.

I feel your pain man. Former US Navy myself, we were welcoming back one of the members of the squadron back from a detachment. Ended up drinking the night away, myself it was to the tune of half a bottle of Jose, an entire bottle of SoCo 100, and a couple budweisers. Ended up mooning the neighborhood and asking one of my female shipmates out for a date. Didn’t even know any of that though till the next morning when I reported in and all of 1st LT was laughing their ass off about the stupid shit I had pulled.

I wonder how many times Ed got carded.

All the times.

My 21st birthday is coming up…I’ve mentioned before my shortness, but in general I always have people thinking I’m a lot younger than I am. Even my boyfriend says I look sixteen. It won’t be the first time I’ve had alcohol by any means but the first time I can order my own wine or margarita at a restaurant…there is a point to this rambling, though…

I expect to spend the next 20 years being carded every time I order something…

There are worse fates…

Ultimately, the real problem of looking a lot younger than you are is the lack of respect from anyone who thinks you’re just a kid/teenager. I’ve also had a few stores refuse to take my job application because they didn’t believe I was even 18…

I don’t believe you either… You’re a stack of kids in a coat, like that time I worked voter registration!

I remember being in middle school and feeling very self-conscience about not having a chest and stuffing. Badly. I had no idea how to be convincing faking having breasts. It was pretty obvious, and I stopped abruptly.

Then about 2 weeks later my breasts HAPPENED. And they DID get bigger than any female in my family, save my grandma. The whispers started again, until gym class started. Then the jaws dropped.

However being a gigantic nerd in a town that favored the preppy, no one paid any mind.

Crave, I’m starting to think about joining Twitter just because of the fantastic things you say that I wish I could respond to…and I hate social networking sites and avoid them like the plague…

I make Twitter worthwhile. There’s many ways to contact me though, from email to messenger programs. Contact info is available ever’where. I’m probably the most available cartoonist online. XD

btw, i have the sleek couch if you want, leaving my email above this time so you can contact me. I usually open my gates between noon and 4 or 5 central time, but tomorrow it’ll be later, so if we can arrange a time, anything in the evening should work.

cheshirekittensmiles(at)gmail.com

(because I’m too tired to think clearly enough to know if you can see this when it’s in the email bar of the submit form)

I understand Jo so much. I mean, I’m actually kind of busty but everyone else my age (20) is getting called beautiful and hot I’m getting called cute and adorable. I’ve had too many people thinking I’m 12-16 (most often 15 years old)! So getting carded and getting called adorable and being tired of it…I can understand that. Though most of the time I try to enjoy it, it still bothers me sometimes.

I prefer adorable to hot, which is why what I draw tends to be adorable even when I’m shooting for hot. Anyway, it’ll all be worthwhile when you’re 40.

2 things… maybe 3

First, black dude in the first panel looks like he’s going to jump her. kind of creepy. maybe that’s the point.

Second… Carol with long hair… O_O

Third… Yes.

One time when I was 26, 27 or so, my three-years-younger ex-girlfriend and I stopped into an Applebee’s for dinner. I don’t drink; I ordered a soda. She ordered a beer. They carded me, but not her. ???

I wear a full beard, which seems to add a couple years to my apparent age, too. My ex is built like Carol if you stretched her vertically six or eight inches. Brunette, though.

Hey Crave, I’m about a week late in getting animal crossing, but if you’re still interested in exchanging Friend Codes mine is:

3325 – 1288 – 0010

The shy, chesty girl gets drunked up by the sketchy college guys and doesn’t remember most of what happened.

Oh god. Why do I fear that this is some how going to circle around and have Carol or Thomas find out she was the star of some racy amateur videos?

You know, I just thought of a question that has been gnawing at the back of my mind when it came to this webcomic: How many of the cast finished college and what are their degrees?

Thomas didn’t finish for sure. Mike did. Ed didn’t. Jess is still going. Jo hasn’t gone and likely won’t. Those are all of them that have said that I can remember.

I was an early (and large) bloomer. I went from flat, 5 ft tall, and boyish at 9 years of age to a tall for a girl (at that time) 5′ 6″ and a quarter inches and bustier than my teachers at 10. It was not fun, at that age the boys only see something to make fun of and the girls are jealous. I spent the next three years walking hunched over carrying my books in front of my chest.

I was overly self conscious and felt gawky and rangy, I didn’t know till I got knocked up for the first time that high school boys thought I was hot. After my first pregnancy (at 13) I pretty much lost the hotness and tended more to fat and flabby. But carrying around a 9 pound 8 ounce baby in your body when your body isn’t even finished growing can ruin anyone’s figure.

I was stupid because I had been abused growing up, and equated attention to love. So the first guy that showed me any attention in a positive light I fell head over heels for and lied to him about my age. He was 16 when he got me pregnant the first time, and had no idea he could have gone to jail for statutory if my parent’s had wanted to press charges. But the fact that I lied to him about my age, kind of got him off the hook there.

Sadly he wasn’t the best guy to fall for and we wound up in an on again off again relationship for the next seven years. He would cheat on me and I would break up with him then take him back when he broke up with the other girl because he was cheating on her. I didn’t really learn my lesson till I got pregnant with my second child by him six years after the first.

So there’s my bad boob story. I hate having large breasts, they have gotten me nothing but trouble since they decided to show up, and much like Carol, they haven’t stopped growing and I’m in my 40’s now. My youngest child seems to have inherited my boob genes as well, as she’s more in Carol’s bracket of breast size, and due to the fact that she’s expecting her first child this year she’s also only going to get bigger.

A sad tale to be sure. I hope your kid benefits from your experience.

Thankfully both of my girls actually paid attention to my mistakes and have not repeated them. My oldest girl is and has been happily married for nearly 9 years now and my youngest is engaged to the father of her baby and will be getting married to him next year. Both did much better at choosing the men in their lives earlier than I managed to.

I love this comic. Your characters are awesome, your story telling is great, and your costume design is epic (Brooksie’s jacket reminds me of assassins creed.). Good work to be continued!

My start in working retail shifts marked my end of drinking any alcohol (except leftovers of beer used for cooking). Wasn’t quite an heavy drinker before, but there are sights one doesn’t want to become.

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