The year of 21st birthday parties is a truly excellent one. The last time a string of house parties this dope came around — the year of 18ths — you were stressing about your final exams and probably weren’t even old enough to buy booze.

Now that you’re in your 20s, we bet you’ve moved on from UDLs to craft beers, have significantly upped your fashion game and probably haven’t seen your old friends for yonks. The pettiness of high school drama is a thing of the past, and you can finally reminisce about the good times over a (soon to be regretted) line of tequila shots.

But as the year of 21st progresses, you’ll start to notice the same sorts of characters cropping up.We guarantee you’ll see a few — if not all — of these types of people at a 21st.

The Group Of New Friends

By the time 21st season rolls around, the majority of guests are friends from high school and token family invites. Then there’s the group of new uni or work friends you’re not fully sure how to approach. Depending on your relationship with the birthday person, you might even start off feeling a bit jealous or territorial.

But it’s OK, the new friends are here to party too. Embrace them, ask them a little about themselves and they may end up being your new friends as well.

The School Friend Who’s Better Now

There’s nothing worse than spotting an old mate from school, running up to say hi and… they’re kind of rude to you. Like, alright, Natalie, we used to swap fart jokes in sixth period Society and Culture. Don’t pretend like your fancy law cadetship has made you better than us. *Rolls eyes forever*.

The year(s) between high school and uni are jam-packed with change, so it makes sense that people are a lot different. But there’s always one person who likes to rub that change right in your face. Don’t let it bother you too much though, your attention is much better spent at the cake table. Byeee!

The Unnecessary Security Guard

We’re not sure why, but every parent ever reckons they need to hire a security guard for a house party. Well, hire one or get the birthday person’s older cousin and his friends to do the job.

While this is probably helpful in the long run, there’s nothing more awkward than rocking up to a house, music pumping in the distance, and giving your name to the intimidating stranger to tick off the Facebook invite list. What’s even more awkward is when you forget to click “attending” and have to get the security guard to find the birthday person to confirm you are, in fact, invited.

You’ll need the free bar tab to drown out the excruciating feels.

The Loose Cannon

There’s no such thing as a brewski or two for the loose cannon. It’s all or nothing. Quite literally. They’re either stripping down and drunkenly jumping in the pool by 9pm or sadly lamenting that they have to drive because they have work in the morning. There’s no in between.

Not only are they the first one to fill up the yard glass and encourage the birthday person to drink as excessively as they are, they’re always the first one passed out down the back behind the shed.

Oh, the loose cannon. Always gone from the party too soon, but never forgotten.

The Guy Whose Name You Forgot 

You definitely recognise their face and you’re pretty sure you had heaps of classes with them in high school but… you just can’t seem to remember their name. Surely it’s Andrew? Or Simon? Maybe Patrick? Something extremely basic like that.

Make sure you leave the conversation before you exhaust every type of “mate” “buddy” “dude” or *incoherent mumble that might sound like their name* you can think of. You’ll make a note to ask someone else for their name before the next convo but alas, you never will.

The Awkward Cousin

The awkward cousin doesn’t know anyone but still makes an effort to chime in and try to keep up with the group banter. He’s also only there because his mum is drinking rose and eating cabanossi with the other parents in the kitchen. Bless.

The awkward cousin is a harmless but necessary addition to every single 21st birthday party. We wish them no ill will, we just feel deeply sorry for them. Have a drink and chill out, my dude.

(Lead image: Super Bad/Columbia TriStar)

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Josephine Parsons is the Editor of Uni Junkee.