189

Counselor
Posted on January 12, 2017 by David M Willis

189 thoughts on “Counselor”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “what about you–wait I know, booze”

    1. Ana Chronistic

      (tbf I totes bought a binder b/c it looked super cool and organizey)

      1. Skizz

        A two ring binder and portable two hole punch are the most organizey gifts you can ever buy yourself. So easy to use and file. And you can put physics quote stickers on the covers. One each, don’t want to get carried away.

        1. Clif

          Three ring binders and hole punches give you greater security. When one hole finally goes, you still have two which will hold things in place until you have time to buy a box of those little repair holes or make emergency repairs with tape. With just one hole holding it in it flops around and is soon gone along with the important notes you scribbled in the margins.

        2. Clif

          Also the organizy of computers vastly outweighs that of binders. And when organization fails there is the miracle of content addressable search. Not to mention external and internal embedded links.

          You want to know happy? Consider a life that consists of interesting bits seperated by vast tracks of soul-crushing bordom. And then Al Gore invents the internet.

          But I may have little plastic boxes of index cards stuck away anyway.

        3. Clif

          Computers and tablets and suchlike come with their own mysteries of couse. Why would a spell correct change organizity to organizy when neither are actually words?

        4. Confusedinmorethanoneway

          This, ladies and gentlemen, has been a series of “Clif’s Notes”

        5. Stevarious

          Organizy is the name of a brand of helpful list-making and checking apps.

        6. keithcurtis

          That worked really well with your gravitar.

        7. Skizz

          Computers do not have the same poetry as a well organised two ring binder, indexed and properly labelled.

        8. Skizz

          That is what those little round, holed stickies are for.

        9. Ana Chronistic

          1. I keep physical drawings in it!
          2. page sleeves =p (I did have and use a hole-punch, but it was horrible that I was tearing up ORIGINAL ARTWORK just for storage reasons)

        10. Ana Chronistic

          (idk where to thread this, but I figured it’d appear toward the end of my post’s thread(s) anyway)

          ((FUCKING WHY ARE YOU REDIRECTING TO SOME SHITTY COMCRASH SURVEY, BROWSER, THAT’S LIKE THREE TIMES TRYING TO POST THIS COMMENT))

        11. Skizz

          It’s the computers of the world, challenged by the beauty of binders as organisational tools.

          Also, binder insert sleeves, in A4 and letter size.

          Don’t forget the band logo, drawn in Sharpie, on the binder cover.

  2. butts

    billie is not amused by your introspection

    1. Mr. Mendo

      Billie is not amused by Dorothy having nothing fundamentally in common with her.

      She’s trying though, bless her heart…

      1. Pablo360

        Actually, there is one thing they have in common – they both do a journalism.

  3. Foxhack

    *stares at ridiculous movie / music / game / book collection*

    WELP.

    1. rachel

      100% same and lolsob

    2. Foxhack

      I meant the buying a thing thing.

    3. Leorale

      Little art supplies! I have so many ribbons. ^.^

    4. C.

      I’d upvote that if I could.

    5. Dean

      One day, my corpse will be discovered under a giant pile of books.

      1. DarkoNeko

        At least they’ll already have all the fuel to cremate it

        (sorry)

        (not sorry)

      2. Tualha

        Grin. From my “R.O.D the TV” fanfic-in-progress, Nenene telling Maggie about Yomiko:

        “She needed a keeper—she lived in a big office building that was completely full of books. I swear I don’t know why she didn’t choke on the dust, or break her neck tripping over them. When she disappeared, I wondered if maybe she had, and was buried somewhere in the pile.” She grinned ruefully. “A morbid thought, but it did seem possible. I’m sure she would want to die surrounded by books.”

    6. Ana Chronistic

      I have a collection of collections!

  4. Nono

    Commercialism your way to happiness.

    1. Bagge

      I’m actually a bit sad the punch line is not Billie agreeing on the joys of comfort shopping.

      1. dralou

        Seeing how her parents seem to be of the “wasting money on her is totally like spending time with her, right ? right ?” variety, she may have built up a tolerance to this specific brand of temporary happiness boost as well as to booze…

    2. Sev

      Just think of it as your little way of boosting the economy. Bonus points if you buy from a local independent retailer.

  5. Barf Ninjason

    Noids, amiroight

  6. Doctor_Who

    Put Lisa Simpson, Hermione Granger, and Twilight Sparkle in a blender and you’ll get a horrible mess that will have you arrested for murder and mutilation.

    But you’ll also get Dorothy, who will perform your court-ordered psych eval.

    1. Bagge

      Well, before you manage to hit the switch you will have three completely different kinds of shit kicked out of you, carefully labelled and put in a three-ring binder, but yeah, I get your point.

      Dorothy is best pony.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        If Twilight or Hermione were well and truly riled up I’m not sure there’d be enough left to clamp between the binder rings.

        1. Bagge

          I hope you don’t suggest that they WOULDN’T find a way to organize what’s left. They can organize ANYTHING.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          I suppose Twilight might have fine enough telekinetic control to compress and jar the atomized remains, and Hermione would have to be incredibly upset to take the time to cause that much damage… she keeps a pretty cool head and reacts with calculated ruthlessness a lot of the time, so she’s probably more likely to transfigure the blender-user into a beetle and skewer it with a needle to be filed in a glass case of beetles sorted by species.

    2. transgressingwaffle

      You win the comment section

  7. Bagge

    Heh, now I kinda want to know what happened Billie in Summer Camp.

    And I love how Dorothy breaks script here.

    “Come on, you are supposed to be the uptight one, coming with well-meaning plattitudes without getting how little you understand of my real situation”

    “Dunno.. I’m not sure I understand your real situation.”

    “Dammit!”

    Eh, don’t worry Dotty, everyone feel like that sometimes. And I really don’t think your goals for tomorrow make you sacrifice today’s hapiness. There is Caramel boy and Joyce and friends and the freminity with Roz and a rapidly expanding circle of friends and experiences. You are fine.

  8. Jay Eff

    Tomorrow:

    DOROTHY wakes up with a pounding headache, buried in an avalanche of three-ringed binders

    DOROTHY: “Oh, no– I must have gone shopping again…”

    1. Bagge

      *Looks around with bloodshot eyes, finds Walky perched on the bed, looking with her with a frightened expression*

      “Did I…. organize something yesterday?”

      *Walky nods*

      “…what did I organize”

      “Everything”

      1. Disloyal Subject

        And that’s how Equestria world peace was made.

        1. podian

          For that you’d need Cadbury egg cereal, not alcohol.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          Different strokes for different folks. We haven’t seen Sugar Rush!Dorothy that I recall, but Inebriated!Dorothy has been consistently magnificent.

      2. DarkoNeko

        Well;, think of all the places where you could put three rings.

    2. Jason

      In an alternate universe, Dorothy works in a Staples in Delaware with wacky coworkers Billie, Sarah, and Danny, and spends her off-hours searching other office supply stores for rare collectible clipboards.

      1. podian

        If DoA is Roomies! 2.0, that would be Shortpacked! 2.0.

        1. Deanatay

          I think it would be called ‘Three-Ring-Bound!’

        2. Roborat

          Or: “Where do I find the staples?”

  9. Keulan

    Dorothy Sparkle

    1. Bagge

      Everypony here is CRAZY!

      1. Disloyal Subject

        *all the ponies in this town

  10. Stephen Bierce

    There I go, Turn The Pa~a~a~age…

    1. Charlie Spencer

      I hear a saxophone. Lisa Simpson must have wandered down here from Doctor_Who’s post.

  11. Joey245

    Wow, I’m actually early. I should post something really clever and meaningful so that everyone who reads the comments will see this.

    Um.

    Um.

    Dorothy and Billie have nice butts!

    1. Bagge

      That is in fact the truth.

      1. butts

        Agreed.

        1. Clif

          I would agree also, but then my comment would be in arrears.

    2. Roborat

      And that’s no lie!

  12. Emperor Daniel

    Oof, that bit from Dorothy (panels four through six) is really something that…does something to my heady space? Sorry, I’m usually better with words.

    I’ve been reading this comic for years now – first found it around when Dina gave her first sympathy via light contact to Becky – but now’s when I finally decided to take the plunge and dive into the comments. Hi, everyone.

    *draws in a deep breath* please don’t let my gravatar be Mary, please don’t let my gravatar be Mary…

    1. Bagge

      Jocelyne! High five!

      Yeah, it’s a strong and very honest sentiment from Dorothy. And it shows how much pressure she is under. So many people says what she wants is dumb, that all the work she does is pointless. …are they right?

    2. Sev

      Congratulations, your gravatar’s not Mary!

      It’s kind of hard to say, but I thiiiink I felt the same way about Dorothy’s bit. It definitely, um, did something to my headspace, anyway.

    3. Disloyal Subject

      It seems we have another Emperor.
      Welcome to our little cesspit of goofiness.

      1. Bagge

        Long live the Emperor!

        1. Roborat

          I say we lock them in a small room and let them fight it out.

        2. Bagge

          That IS the formal rule of succession.

      2. ety

        Hm, I wonder what this one is emperor of.

        1. Ed Rhodes

          The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream!

      3. Emperor Norton II

        Now you can be twice as disloyal!

        And also receive twice the punishment for your disloyalty!

        1. Disloyal Subject

          As actuator of punishments, I shall set the seditionists to work slaving in the cake-kitchens.

        2. Commodore Counterintuitive

          If the two emperors give conflicting orders, would I have any option but to be disloyal to both?

          Would the emperors punish each other?

          WHO EMPS THE EMPEROR!?

  13. Shay Guy

    “The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn’t a search for meaning. It’s to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually, you’ll be dead.”

    1. Bagge

      “Eat at Arbys”

      1. Rukduk

        While reading Nietzsche.

        1. Reltzik

          And commenting in webcomics sections.

        2. Clif

          You also forgot the joy of random thrashing around trying to be not dead which gives life meaning.

        3. Reltzik

          I thought that fell under “Eat at Arby’s”.

        4. Roborat

          I thought that was having sex.

        5. Reltzik

          It’s a broad category. A lot of things fall under it.

  14. StClair

    s/three-ring binder/game on sale on Steam/

  15. Bicycle Bill

    At one time I thought there was a cartooning term — like “boozles” or “boozicles” —for the ‘drunk bubbles’ that indicate someone is intoxicated.
    If not, there sure should be.

    1. StClair

      “Boozles” is what I know them as, care of a classic Bloom County strip reprinted here.

      1. StClair

        a little more research also suggests “squeans”, per The Lexicon of Comicana (Mort Walker, 1980).

  16. miados

    i relate to madam president in this comic. honestly i can’t remember what it feels like to be happy its been so long.

    1. Cerberus

      That will eventually change. I spent a long time not remembering what happiness felt like. Getting on the right medication for depression and a lot of therapy and distance from traumatic events helped a lot for regaining the ability to feel happy.

    2. Roborat

      Short term suggestion: place hand on sexy bits, start rubbing, continue until happy. Stop before stars being floating out.

      1. Commodore Counterintuitive

        Alternatively: Save up money, go out to a nice restaurant, order creme brulee. Guaranteed 90% effective.

        If you don’t like creme brulee: I dunno, parfait? Cappuccino? Human flesh? What do other people eat for fancy dessert?

  17. A Scientist

    As far as I’m concerned, happiness *is* being busy. Not swamped by mountains of work, necessarily, but simply occupied with pursuits which matter to you. Those pursuits could be anything from lounging about to video games to science to art to love to anything else you want it to be.

    1. Deanatay

      Perhaps you’re right. Or, perhaps you couldn’t tell the difference for so long that you gave up trying.

  18. newllend(henryvolt)

    “Banking on future happiness” wouldn’t be such a risky bet if it wasn’t for the fact that it depends on planning everything out which sounds like Dorothy. But what if things don’t go as planned because 50% time life will throw a monkey wrench in those plans, do you have a back plan ?

    Honestly she is right though, no one has all the answer to that one. I just appreciate the simple things while they last.

    1. C.T. Phipps

      I don’t think Dorothy has ever failed at anything. The idea of Roz beating her despite the fact Roz is incredibly underqualified is costing her SAN points. Which makes me wonder if Dorothy was as sheltered as Joyce in her own way.

      1. Leorale

        She did fail to get into Yale (or any other Ivy League). She tries for big things, she can’t win ’em all, but she tries to be graceful, and practical, and to rally for another go at it.

        As Billie pointed out, she hasn’t failed at something that gets to the level of a life-threatening event.

        1. Needfuldoer

          Did she? I thought she was doing the first-year gen ed classes at IU and transferring to one of the ivy league schools for Sophomore year.

        2. trlkly

          Yes, but only because she failed to get in at first.

      2. newllend(henryvolt)

        The higher the pedestal the harsher the fall is going to be when it eventually comes.

    2. Cerberus

      Yeah, plus plans can derail and hard and the person you are can change as well which changes your priorities.

      And for Dorothy, she’s set herself up for a hard road, because what her goal is is one day being president which is awesome. But even if she gets it, she’ll probably have 4-8 years of intense sexism while having it and one of the most high-stress jobs on the planet.

      As such, I’m glad she’s got the happiness of small moments and treasures those more, because that’s what’s going to sustain her.

  19. Doom Shepherd

    Yep. Many times the only thing that’s kept me alive was the fact that there were things I needed to do, or stuff I wanted to see happen, or stuff I wanted to buy. All for that brief burst of joy when it happens.

    Now I have a subscription to buy every one of a certain brand of sci-fi trinkets, so as long as the production run lasts (2 a month and they’re going to at least 130 items), I’m effectively immortal.

    I am, of course, rapidly running out of room in my house, and that makes me sad.

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Clearly the solution is to just keep adding basements and sub-basements until you hit adamantine or Balrogs.

    2. Roborat

      You are going to need a bigger house.

  20. C.T. Phipps

    Dorothy is going to be completely devastated when she realizes being President isn’t about merit but popularity, isn’t she? Getting into a good school doesn’t necessarily mean anything versus networking and manipulating the masses.

    1. Jothki

      She’s getting practice in right now.

    2. thejeff

      Though she may not realize it, networking is the point of getting into the good school. Make contacts among the elites, not the masses.

  21. Mav

    Wow, I don’t usually identify with Dorothy but this is some real stuff here. I’ve been that way most of my life, the classic “I’ll be happy when X happens” or “I’ll accomplish y and THEN I’ll start living my *real* life”.

  22. Bluewind

    There are a lot if little things that make each person happy even if it’s only for a moment. A 3 ring binder isn’t that weird of a thing. Maybe they are pretty with art, 3D, or patterns on the front. Maybe they can be used as a diary or for poetry or art. Maybe it’s a place to put down how to keep moving forward, how to coop, or create a plan. Maybe it’s a place to put interesting images or get lost in a project. Maybe it’s a minor bit of OCD coming trough that gives her peace. Maybe she just gives them away to students in need. Whatever the reason, it’s valid and good and it helps her without causing harm. How can that be stupid?

  23. Fiona

    I also relate to Dorothy here. I placed all my happiness in the future, telling myself I’d start being really happy once I achieved what I wanted. I’ve just now started to really get to the point I’ve been working towards, and probably not coincidentally I’ve also just now been diagnosed with depression.

    I hope Dorothy looks into those feelings more. It’s not good to place all your happiness on “someday.”

  24. lia47

    pls dont actually make her get out just bond like semi normal people for once

  25. JessWitt

    Dorothy, your Leslie Knope is showing.

    1. jj

      They’re pretty much the same character.

  26. Reltzik

    See, this is how we know Dorothy’s only a partial nerd.

    True nerds buy 5-ring binders.

    1. MichaelLanting

      Over here they only have 2, 4 and 23 ring binders, not 3 or 5 ring.

      1. podian

        How would a 23 ring binder be even useful?

        1. Clif

          But you know you want one.

        2. Random832

          It allows the holes to be punched in the paper closer to the edge since each one doesn’t have to be as strong, which allows you to use a smaller binder while still holding a reasonable number of pages.

        3. Random832

          Incidentally, in trying to google some related information I discovered two things: Standard comb/spiral bindings in the US have 19 “rings”. A comb binding is commonly referred to as a “binder” which fouled my attempt to find out whether actual binder binders exist for this standard.

        4. podian

          Yeah, but I imagine you’d need to use specialised tools to punch these holes.

    2. Roborat

      Hipster nerds bind their own books.

  27. C.T. Phipps

    Dorothy, you are happy. You have a nonthreatening for funsies relationship, friends, and aren’t desperate for money to survive. This is a bit First World Problems isn’t it? I mean, yes, being President will NOT be about fun and games but horrifyingly stressful with compromise to get the slightest change but the fact you BELIEVE it will make you happy is a sign you’re not broken yet.

    1. butts

      Having a generally solid living situation does not automatically make you happy. The human brain sucks like that.

      1. Leorale

        Can confirm, if you’re unhappy, you can go all the way up Maaslow’s hierarchy til you are all safe and warm but you can still be upset about your existential crisis and lack of self-actualization or whatever.

    2. CJ

      Yeah. If you start comparing yourself to people lacking the security from the base of Maslows hierarchy, you feel extra shitty because you have “everything” (a home, money, incredible amounts of physical safety compared to, … say, someone in Iraq) but that doesn’t make up for the fact that you are not happy, because something you want doesn’t happen or that you lose your energy in being busy with stuff that does generate energy and good feels.
      Which might be what Dorothy is experiencing: She works a lot and things that ar important to her, and they have started to feel like a chore.

      (BTW: The German term would be “Jammern auf hohem Niveau”, but I couldn’t find a translation that sounded right. “self-pity in high places” is the best I found, but I’m still not convinced. Any ideas?)

      1. CJ

        Doesn’t generate energy
        (Where is the edit function when you need it)

      2. Cerberus

        There’s a saying, I don’t remember who first coined it, but it was “depression doesn’t discriminate”.

        Meaning that having depression doesn’t change your life circumstances and someone can seem to have “everything” and still be unhappy, can still suffer from clinical depression.

        And that’s especially true when the “everything” is actually dehumanizing or otherwise unfulfilling (see the “feminine mystique” and all the people that thought that housewives shouldn’t be depressed because they had “everything” (house, husband, middle-class lifestyle), despite the fact that doing labor that is unremarked upon and unrewarded and treated more like a pretty prop does really terrible things to one’s sense of self).

    3. ischemgeek

      Wow, ok, so all I needed as a suicidal teen in an abusive household was to be sat down and explained how good I had it because I wasn’t starving? Why didn’t anyone ever figure that out?

      Oh wait. They did. And guilted me for my mental illness so I eventually got to the point where I bottled my emotions up and played happy so well that when my mental health was outed, people passive-aggressived at me about how I should be an actor.

      And I still have a hard time talking about negative emotions because there are people who have it worse and therefore in my head I have no right to be unhappy.

      1. C.T. Phipps

        Actually, Ischemgeek, I was making a point Dorothy should treasure being happy because happiness should be taken when it’s gotten. Sadness and pain are things all humans deal with and you can’t compare misery poker or you’ll destroy what good you have in your life.

  28. Professor Fate

    Buyin’ one of them chrome mechanical pencils cheers me up … that and a few Jack and Coke’s.

  29. Derek

    I’m reminded of that Calvin and Hobbes strip: “I’m content right now, you could even say I’m happy, but I’m not ECSTATIC right now and that makes me mad so I’m not happy anymore because I demand happiness out of life for every waking moment I have”

  30. Derek

    On a keeping busy note: today I organized my sewing box and while it didn’t make me exactly happy I did find it calming so overall it was a positive experience

    is it a low bar to have that the lack of negative things happening becomes equal to a good experience and therefore adding to happiness?

    1. Disloyal Subject

      We live on a fucking deathworld with more of our species. I think a lack of negative things happening at any given moment isn’t as low a bar as it sounds.

    2. Bagge

      Dunno, but well organized sewing box. There is LOTS of hapiness to be had from that thing.

      1. Emperor Norton II

        For a second, I read that as “organised sexing box”.

        And I thought “That’s something Dorothy would have, right?”

        1. Bagge

          Coming soon to slipshine…

        2. Clif

          Wait. Organized sexing is a sport now?

        3. Bagge

          I…. I will actually not link to an oglaf strip, but there is a perfect oglaf strip that answers that question with “yes.”

        4. Jason

          Most Oglaf strips in fact.

        5. Roborat

          Sure you are not confusing it with synchronized sexing. Would love to see that as a demonstration sport in the next Olympics.

        6. Cerberus

          I had one of those once… now it’s a bag.

    3. Cerberus

      In this political climate?

      Hell no.

  31. MatsuoTanuki

    Isn’t keeping busy one of the very things that supposed to keep your mind occupied so it doesn’t go down paths of thought that just depress you?

  32. Rukduk

    I don’t think there’s one universal answer for the question “what is happiness?” Because, honestly, how can someone even define that? It’s a jolt of warmth, a sort of inner glow that triggers without much rhyme, reason, or pattern. Sure someone could say in purely biological terms that “It’s an increase in your seratonin levels” but that doesn’t explain it either. How much is the increase? Where does it come from? What triggers the release? And why those actions or events?

    1. Bagge

      As the philosopher say…
      http://existentialcomics.com/comic/42

      1. Bucket

        Heh, 42. I thought there would be a link to the Ultimate Question, but it looks like it’s just coincidence.

        I like this one: http://existentialcomics.com/comic/13
        It ends in spite. Ruth is good at spite.

    2. Fart Captor

      It’s puppies

      1. Trolldrool

        Except for people with allergies.

        1. Clif

          And they can choose to suffer in the happyness of knowing it’s puppies all the way down.

  33. Dean

    THREE rings? Let’s not go crazy here.

  34. @zombieundergrnd

    I thought those moleskin notebooks were the new fad.
    Who uses binders anymore besides elementary kids?
    Get with the times, Dorothy! No wonder you’re not sure if you’re happy.

  35. BenRG

    Billie? Why are you surprised? You already noted that Dorothy is a nerd! 😉

    Seriously, though, Dorothy is right about one thing: Few people have formulae for happiness until they find it themselves and then it usually only works for people similar to them. The real trick to happiness is finding meaning; that’s sort of what adolescence is about, IMO: Finding the direction to take your life that has meaning.

  36. Reltzik

    Yeah, I get it Dorothy, happiness is a bit hard to pin down. The secret is a mixture of contentment, engaged passions, new experiences, and not having shit fall on your head. Sometime either next semester or next year you’ll read Maslow and you’ll think that’s what it’s all about, and it won’t be right but it’ll be close enough. For now, just empathize with Billie’s confusion, be human, and give her someone to feel superior to.

    1. thejeff

      Isn’t that what she’s doing?

      1. Reltzik

        Exactly.

  37. Neeks

    Even if Dorothy did know what happiness means for herself, that doesn’t mean Billie could necessarily follow the same path.

    Personally I was raised with the belief that I can do anything I want if I set my mind to it only to repeatedly draw blanks as to what I actually want. I’ve been narrowing it down as I go along, but I get the feeling it’s going to be a lifelong process and by the time I figure out what I want to do with my life, I won’t have any life left to do it with.

    *Death* is what happens while you’re making other plans; life happens anyway. (Arguably, death happens anyway as well, I guess.)

    1. Cerberus

      Yeah, what makes someone happy will vastly differ between person to person and may also vastly differ at different times in a person’s life.

      And sometimes trying to cling to what you believe will make you happiest is not a thing you should do because it will be more damaging to you in the long run or is actively/passively harmful to another person and their right to survive (assholes get a lot of happiness trying to goad my friends into killing themselves. And if that’s how they define happiness, they should not receive it).

  38. CJ

    Even though Billie agreed to drinking with Dorothy, she still expected some well-know spiel from her – and is not prepared to get some unvarnished Dotty.

  39. CoMa

    It’s funny, but sometimes simply buying things can make you happy. At least in my case, I always found that when I buy books and movies, it makes me happy all the time. It’s just about the potential entertainment that’s possibly hidden in the stories that does it for me – so I’m happy buying the books/movies, and ideally I’ll be happy while reading the book/watching the movie.
    Oh and cooking and baking. And doing sports, and other small things.

    But I suppose, if small things can ruin your day, it’s only fair that they can also make it.

    1. Clif

      But if it’s the possible content that makes you happy, you could achieve equal or greater happyness by stealing them or checking them out of a library.

      1. CoMa

        That may be true in some way for other people, the feeling is definitely very similar – like the excitement right before going to watch a movie you’ve waited for.

        I mostly – or actually only – buy books and DVDs I wish to keep – to be able to read or watch them when I want, where I want. I do use the library, mostly for my studies (my finances would definitely not allow me to buy all the books I need for my research), but with regards to personal entertaining, I’d rather own it than borrowing it (unless from friends) (also, I don’t have Netflix, or amazon prime etc., so I’d need to go out to a library). Also, not all the stuff I own is available all the time, not for buying, and not in the library (like, Doctor Who-DVDs).
        So basically it boils down to “owning” the freedom of accessing that source of entertainment whenever I want.

        Stealing it wouldn’t be the same, my personal ethics wouldn’t allow for such an action without weighing my conscience down with immense guilt, which would thus affect my ability to enjoy the book/movie.

  40. trlkly

    I agree that no one really knows “how to be happy” in some universal sense. Your emotions just happen, and you kinda learn what stimuli gives you those emotions.

    But, in this case, I think there is a clear answer. Billie is clinically depressed. So she needs to get that treated. Ruth was genuinely happy for the first time in a long time over just a little bit of treatment. (Though I hope that doesn’t set up Billie for a setback if it doesn’t go as quickly for her.)

    Until that point, all I can think she can do is think about what made her happy in the past, and see if she can find a common link. Unfortunately, depression can rob you of your joy in the things that should otherwise make you happy, so it might not be enough. But it can help tide her over until she can get treated.

    1. trlkly

      (As long as she doesn’t get more depressed because it’s not making her happy. It is, unfortunately, a risky idea.)

    2. Cerberus

      And the thing about depression is that it casts a dark fog obscuring old happiness. So, sometimes it’s hard to remember ever being happy or what triggered that feeling, so it can feel extra hard to escape and find that happiness again.

      Or trying to do the things that used to make you happy might just feel dull and lifeless.

      And yeah, very happy that Billie is scheduled to have therapy and hopefully meds soon.

  41. Illiriam

    When I was an angsty teenager, sometimes just going to Walmart and buying a new pen and notebook, with the occasional binder thrown in, made my day. Writing or drawing something, anything, on that fresh paper was just pure bliss.

    I obviously was not a very rebellious teenager, with few exceptions.

    Now as a jaded confused adult, I get my thrills from wearing a pair of socks for the first time, or from that first squeeze of a new tube of toothpaste.

    Now that I think about it, I think I just like using new things…

    1. CoMa

      I was a bit like that too as a teenager (not that I’m that much older now) – buying new things I could enjoy and producing things of my interest (sketches or writing stories) made me immensely happy.

      That with the socks though…I’m still more paper focused – I love new books, their smell etc.

      Who doesn’t? I read that it has something to do with how the brain works (https://blog.bufferapp.com/novelty-and-the-brain-how-to-learn-more-and-improve-your-memory)

  42. DarkoNeko

    *clear throat*
    NERRRRRRRD

    1. BenRG

      What’s more, she’s proud of it! In fifteen years’ time, she and Walky will be stalwarts of the Monkey Master convention circuit!

  43. Emily

    The words of someone who has never experienced depression.

    1. faun

      I wouldn’t say that. Idk, maybe with the “punchline” but I got what she was saying and I’m pretty deep in a bad depressive episode right now. I don’t really know if my few remaining interests actually make me happy or just distract me here and there.

      Recognizing emotions is difficult.

  44. V.

    I’ve been on Tumblr reading about LGBT comics a lot lately, really a lot, so much that “binder” had a completely different meaning in my head, so when Dorothy said it I was like whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- (also I don’t live in a english speaking country, so sometimes words do that in my head)

    1. Cerberus

      … (shifty eyes)… Same.

  45. altalemur

    Dorothy is so adorable

  46. Mancuso

    In my flawed experience, happiness is more of a byproduct than an end in itself. So being busy totally fits the bill, yeah.

  47. Andy

    The juxtaposition of Dorothy’s expression in Panel 3 and her expression in the Slipshine preview panel breaks my heart.

    1. Bagge

      Me too…. but on the other hand, once Walky learns that how his already perfect girlfriend tries to help Billie I think Dorothy will have ALL the caramel she wants.

      1. Andy

        But does boinking Walky actually make her *happy,* or is it one of the little distractions, one of the “things that keep me busy,” keep her mind away from the idea that she doesn’t know how to be happy?

  48. BBCC

    Panel One: Yeah, Dorothy is kinda running low on steam on this one. She is really out of her depth, despite meaning well, and she knows it. And Billie is looking kinda curious, definitely expecting something.

    Panel Two: It sounds like Billie’s experiences with talking about her depression consist more of being talked at than talked to. Someone more interested in telling her how to fix her problems than helping her figure out why she can’t be happy. I’m not sure she’s ever had experience with therapy (I’d guess no, her dad seems like a prick and she never mentions a court order or any experience with it when the school ordered it), but hopefully it will go better than she expects.

    Panel Three: And yeah, it is hitting Dorothy she doesn’t fully understand the situation, but she doesn’t want to leave Billie alone, so she gives what little advice she can.

    Panel Four: That’s interesting. I’m sure many of us know how it feels to be happy and know what happiness is, but I’m not sure many of us think about how to be happy. We know things that make us happy, and to different degrees of happiness (for instance, a stable job, stable mental and physical health, a home, healthy relationships, etc. each offer larger degrees of long lasting happiness than, say, bacon). We know we’re happy when we feel it. But how to get there? That’s a hard thing to answer, and it is almost definitely different for everyone.

    Panel Five: And yeah, Dorothy is overall happy right now, but she’s also got a lot riding on her dreams for her future happiness, no matter how hard or far off it may seem. And for some people, that’s fine. Pursuing your dreams can make you happy. For others it could feel like chasing a ghost.

    Panel Six: As if that needs to be mutually exclusive! People at rest can be miserable, Dorothy. It’s valid to be happy to be kept busy. Though this makes me wonder – is Dorothy happy? Or is she so used to pursuing her dreams she doesn’t realize she’s wearing out now and isn’t happy with her current situation? It’d make sense – it’s stressful pursuing that dream, she has lots of work to do, she may be failing at pursuing her RA goal because of different skill sets with Roz, and she is worrying about Billie and Becky and Walky.

    Panel Seven: Ahhhhh, the joys of not having depression. I like this. Dorothy recognizes that, for herself, this funk is an easy fix, in comparison to Billie. She just needs a new binder. That makes her happy. Organizing makes her happy. Pursuing her dream and keeping busy makes her happy.

    But Billie’s fix is harder – she doesn’t have an easy feel good solution. She needs counselling and probably medication. She definitely needs to work on what will be going on with Ruth. She needs to taper down on alcohol and possibly quit drinking entirely. That’s not going to be easy, but hopefully it will be good for Billie and sooner than we think.

    1. Bagge

      I think Billie has experienced a lot more being talked at than talked to in a LOT of cases. I think that’s one reason she is so surprised Dorothy actually follows through talking with her, drinking with her and NOT dishing out platitudes first opportunity.

      I’m fairly certain wrapping a car around a three at 18 would be good for at least ONE therapist.

      1. BBCC

        I’d not be surprised. Might be one thing she and Sal have in common.

        You would think, but we don’t know if that was court ordered or not, and somehow I don’t think her dad would be the type.

  49. Deanatay

    Strangely, the Slipshine ‘NSFW’ link on this page suggests that Dorothy does, in fact, know how to be happy.

    1. Andy

      O, as I said above, maybe Walkycock is one of the things that keeps her busy, rather than making her happy.

  50. Dov

    Long time reader, first time commenting. Dorothy just said in 4 panels what I spent an hour last week trying to say to my therapist. I’m just gonna borrow this and see if it helps and I can’t wait to see what our be-freckled atheists figures out about herself.

  51. Remington Steele

    Don’t worry! Be happy!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU

  52. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    Speaking of organization, does anyone have a recommendation for what android app to use to catalog my book/comic/game/video/[redacted] collections?

    (To make it easier to tell things like that I am missing volume 1 of DoA.)

  53. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions:

    Panel 1: As BBSS noted, Dorothy looks a bit lost as to how to proceed and Billie looks like she’s expecting something. And that’s understandable. Dorothy doesn’t have clinical depression and she doesn’t have a wealth of training in psychology.

    But it’s really key that Billie is looking at her and seems to be expecting something cause it’s a major sign she’s opening up and actually looking for emotional care in a way she hasn’t felt worthy of in a long time. So yeah, this is a major healing moment.

    Panel 2: There’s a lot implied in this and I’m suspecting a lot of it is going to give me new reasons to despise Billie’s dad beyond the fact that he actively goes out of his way to hurt homeless people.

    I mean, part of it might come from observing how Sal was handled by her parents, but I suspect young Billie was told a lot what she needed to do to be happy before her parents sort of drifted off towards completely neglecting her.

    And yeah, there’s definitely a story in the Summer Camp Counselor bit that I really want to know more about.

    1. Bagge

      The second-tier parent asshole corner is already pretty crowded, with Carol, Ethan’s mother, Sal’s mother and most likely Danny’s parents (the first tier being Blaine and ToeDad, of course), but yeah, I think we will have every reason to rank Billie’s parents higher once we know more about them.

      “Once in summer camp I…” Fill in the blank, Billie!

  54. Cerberus

    Panels 3-6: Oh, man, there’s so much in this.

    That pause and humility early on, that acknowledgment that she’s not clinically depressed and has little things that seem to make her happy in moments, but then also the acknowledgment that she’s got a lot of her sense of self wrapped up in her very long term dream. One that has in her universe never been given to a woman and which is in the midst of not giving it to one of the most qualified women for the job ever and instead to a literal nazi.

    And there’s a lot of factors of chance that govern whether or not her dream is even possible and its quite possible that she will spend her life working for it and never quite reach it.

    And that ending, that fear is real. That all this running around non-stop for a purpose feels like its building, but could just be her speeding around in her life as it never actually goes the places she wants, stressing herself out for nothing. That all the delayed gratification and worrying about future October Surprises and over-work might not actually manifest in the way she wants.

    And that’s a genuine question sometimes, especially for people like Dorothy who tend to keep themselves at such a high level of activity. Whether or not its all just busying or if its towards something that will feel as gratifying as you think (cause long-term goals are awesome but can also develop a mystique that makes the reality a crashing disappointment).

    And I’m glad she’s reaching out about these fears and being vulnerable and honest. I think she’s needed this. Someone she can feel vulnerable and flawed with because she’s put on such a pedestal by Walky and Joyce.

    Panel 7: Ah, orderly people…

    *whistles soft low whistle of the chaosmancer*

    1. BBCC

      Can I just say your insight is wonderful and I wish you were a teacher in this webcomic because these kids seriously need one this insightful?

    2. Bagge

      One thing that gives me hope is that Dorothy is very clear on her own situation. She knows the problems, she knows the hurdles and she keeps tab on her own emotional health and stress level. And she talks to people like Joyce, Walky and now even Billie. So I think she will figure it out.

  55. OceanMan

    I sure hope that means she’ll dump walky

  56. Tenn

    Penultimate panel: Ouch. Dorothy and I probably don’t see that sentence in exactly the same way, but to me, it’s a painfully accurate description of my experiences with depression. You can be so busy with life that you don’t realize that your emotions are drained. And once you’ve realized, and come crashing down, you have to keep being busy to take your mind off the fact that you’ve forgotten how to be happy, until you remember again.

  57. Tomas

    Is inserting fart noises into these comics still a thing? Because this one is a good target of opportunity.

    1. Fart Captor

      …I have been derelict in my duties

  58. Thursday Violist

    Those 3-ring Binders, though.

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