252

Message
Posted on August 9, 2016 by David M Willis

252 thoughts on “Message”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    being a lesbian is more important, apparently

    [/oh Becky]

    1. Edhead

      Damn SJW… thinking they can do whatever they want just because they’re different. ..

      1. Reltzik

        ….. yeah, I can’t even tell if that’s sarcasm so I’m just going to back away slowly…

        1. Dave

          Ain’t no law but Poe’s Law.

        2. Disloyal Subject

          When everything is bait, nothing will be.

        3. Skai Cyan

          Lol, I guess Syndrome went from just looking like a troll doll to actually being one?

        4. Mordecai

          Hahahah.

      2. Furie

        Isn’t that SJP?

        1. Deanatay

          Social Justice… Pirate?

    2. Kris

      But not important enough, apparently.

    3. Kitty

      I don’t think she brought attention to herself by announcing she was a lesbian so much as she was probably noticed and argued, “But I’m a lesbian! I need to be with my kind!”
      As a fellow redhead, I can tell you we get noticed pretty easily.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        So the flip side on when Joyce sent Ethan back to his own kind?

      2. thejeff

        That’s far more likely, but I like the alternative better:
        Dina:
        Becky:
        Dina:
        Becky: “I’m a lesbian!”

  2. miados

    *taps dinas hat* delete

    1. Edhead

      SISTER BECKY! I KNEW YOU’D COME

      1. miados

        sorry i don’t get the reference.

        1. Edhead

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG6y-5OYc_0

        2. miados

          I was just picturing dina like an answering machine.

        3. Edhead

          Oh.Oh. I’ll guess I’ll see myself out then….

        4. Woof

          I got the reference, and it was WONDERFUL!

        5. Briny

          I got it as well. And so… I shall name you Skarsgard!

        6. Needfuldoer

          Which DoA character would have an answering machine as interesting as Marzipan’s?

        7. Emperor Norton II

          That…

          Was…

          Something.

          Yes. That was something. Something is very much what it was.

      2. SundaesChild

        Maybe she’d be less conspicuous behind a dilapidated boat?

  3. Some1

    Questing of Age

    Dorothy, Walky, Amber, Ethan, and Sarah arrive in Jocelyn’s secret location, under Round The Clock Family Restaurant.

    Ethan: Under one of the tables, just like she said.

    Dorothy: Too bad we had to knock everyone else out.

    Walky switches on the light and reveals a massive gym, including a swimming pool, rock climbing wall, court, track and various weapons and weights.

    Dorothy: So were meant to train here.

    Jocelyn appears

    Jocelyn: Let me explain that actually.

    Jocelyn picks up a vest lying on the ground.

    Jocelyn: During Joyce’s fight with Mary, you saw that they both wore weights.

    Dorothy: Yeah…

    Jocelyn: Three guess on what your training will entitle.

    Walky: You want us to train with vests on?

    Jocelyn: Very, very heavy vests.

    After a short while Jocelyn has everyone outfitted with vests, leg and arm weights.

    Jocelyn: Now train with these on, until you can move just as fast as you can without them. Also, every once in a while I will throw a ball at your head, don’t worry its made of rubber, but do your best to dodge it.

    Everybody nods.

    They start by just walking around, trying to get used to the weight.

    Eventually, they start seeing how high they can jump.

    After about a week of training…

    Amber: I’m starting to get used to this.
    Ethan: Our speed has increased dramatically.

    A ball wizzes towards Ethan, who leaps out of the way.

    Jocelyn: Good work.

    Ethan: Thanks.

    They continue to train for another week. Eventually they start competing

    Walky: Hey Dorothy, race you to the top of the rock wall.

    Dorothy: You’re on!

    They both climb as hard as they can, and get there around the same time.

    Jocelyn throws a ball at them, which they dodge.

    Eventually

    Jocelyn: Okay, time to remove your weights!

    The weights crash to the ground.

    Walky: Damn that feels good.

    Jocelyn: Okay, you’ve all trained hard, and I have made a plan. We need to get Joyce, Becky and Dina. I’ve determined that they’re probably being held in the church basement.

    Sarah: What should we do?

    Jocelyn: I’m going to hold of my mother. Dorothy and Walky, you two fight John. Sarah, Amber and Ethan, I need you to rescue Joyce, Becky and Dina.

    Everyone: Got it.

    Dorothy: It’s a risk.

    Walky: But it’s the only chance we have.

    Amber: I just hope we’ve improved enough.

    Ethan: We can’t afford to wait any longer.

    Jocelyn: Get some sleep; you’ll need it for tomorrow.

    1. Liliet

      :>

    2. Cerberus

      Jocelyne’s getting down to business to defeat the Huns.

    3. Falling Star

      I’m seriously going to start from the beginning and draw all of this.

  4. John Lee

    Same, Ruth.

  5. Cattleprod

    This seems to be a violation of lesbian/patient privilege.

    1. AngelBadman

      Oh, those words are going to show up on someone’s search engine. Maybe. It in that order…

      1. AngelBadman

        Maybe not in that order…

  6. Chonos

    That nameless nurse is my hero.

    1. miados

      is it because they have five fingers and a thumb?

      1. Chonos

        That too.

      2. JessWitt

        Like an Electabuzz.

      3. Charlie Spencer

        Stanley and Stanford Pines’ missing half-sister?

  7. Reltzik

    And Ruth’s speaking now. That’s… a good thing, right?

    …. actually, she was speaking back in the murder cave, so that’s not really improvement.

    1. Fart Captor

      The last time she spoke it was also to express that death sounded nice, and she used a full sentence for that, so if its an improvement, it’s not a huge one.

    2. WhoWasI

      But now she’s speaking in italics. That’s important.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Funny, she doesn’t look Italican!

        I’ll be here all week, folks. Try the veal.

        1. WhoWasI

          I’ve always wanted to learn to speak Arial Bold, but it just comes out as Sans Serif.

          Don’t forget to tip your waiters.

        2. HMRC4EVR

          Comic sans for the win or gtfo!

        3. Reltzik

          Wingdings. Everyone speak in wingdings. Starting now.

        4. Charlie Spencer

          

          Sumbich, they won’t paste.

        5. TotemicGuy

          Beware the man who speaks in hands.

        6. Mara

          Comic characters can easily speak in Wingdings. We poor noncomical people – not so much.

        7. Yet_One_More_Idiot

          If we could speak in Wingdings, would it sound like Simlish?

          I can only speak fluently in two fonts – Times New Roman and Verdana.

        8. Dean

          I tried speaking in Courier Bold once, but people started to avoid me.

    3. Cerberus

      A tiny bit? She’s still monosyllabic and all her statements are still about wanting to die, so… not as great as it could be, but it’s good that she’s at least back to responding at all.

  8. Umbrella Paint

    Homosexuality is the key to the sexy lesbian death cult slay that heathen

    1. miados

      than whats the lock? I mean a key is worthless if it doesn’t open anything.

      1. Umbrella Paint

        The lock is your will to live

  9. Wheelpath

    I get that this is one of those common off-panel/off-screen gags, but Dina should notice when the warm hand of her girlfriend leaves her’s

    1. John

      Also, the superglue peeling off the outer layer of her palm.

    2. miados

      but she is actually three atrociraptors. maybe the hand happens to be one of their claws which cant really notice heat?

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        The hand can sense the lack of heat, but the right side atrociraptor is the only one who knows that, because the twitch code to communicate with the head atrociraptor does not cover that possibility.

        1. Emperor Norton II

          Imagine all the upgraded codes that they will need as “Dina” and Becky gradually develop physical intimacy.

        2. DSL

          The right atrociraptor doesn’t know what the left atrociraptor is doing. *sigh* Ain’t it always?

        3. Deanatay

          The third atrociraptor knows, but doesn’t say. She’s a poor communicator.

    3. Woobie

      Rule of Funny.

    4. Disloyal Subject

      She was extremely focused on what came next, and forgot to monitor the present.

    5. Liliet

      Based on my experience, it’s not THAT weird. If she was focused on something… it’s not hard to miss MUCH more obvious things.

  10. TheNinthShader

    Freckles.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Becky sort of looks like a lost member of the Weasely family.

      “Yer a lesbian, Becky.”

      1. miados

        and you would make a great bear hagrid.

      2. Reltzik

        Given how many boys they had, I’m surprised they youngest turned out apparently cis and straight.

        … unless Ginny was trans, and they detected and magically transitioned her really early, because Wizarding society is cool like that. …. okay, I know this isn’t likely at all, and it’s not really my headcannon, but it’s kinda trying to be like a secondary headcannon?

        1. Doctor_Who

          They implied in the last book that Molly wanted a girl, so she just kept plopping out kids until it happened.

          Maybe after the 8th boy in a row she just said “Fuck it, I got top marks in Transfiguration. I’ll let Arthur buy that muggle car he wants if he keeps his trap shut.”

        2. Doctor_Who

          7th boy, I mean. 7 kids total. Though with that family, would anyone notice if one got misplaced?

        3. Orion Fury

          Um…

        4. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          Wouldn’t change Ron’s sexuality.

        5. Heather

          Honestly as much as Rowling…. tries… in interviews the very idea that a place like the Wizarding world she invented with all their notions of blood purity and inheritance and blahblahblah being cool with LGBT-ness seems… unlikely to me. (I mean come on even the Weasleys were somewhat bigoted/thoughtless after all- Ron who aired out his baseless opinions as fact, Arthur who treated muggles condescendingly and Molly who acted like they were pests at the station constantly or though muggle stuff was junk…. meant the family were kind of a great example of why WW society even outside of death eaters wasn’t all that great- and I could just see Molly… in her own well meaning way, having this insistence that to be happy her kids all have to be hetrosexually married with their own kids- and by gum she will make sure her kids are ‘happy’!)

        6. thejeff

          In theory, it’s quite possible for a society to have one prejudice and lack others.
          In practice, in this case, you’re probably right.

          OTOH, it’s not like much about Wizarding society bears close scrutiny anyway, so why not. 🙂

        7. timemonkey

          It kinda makes sense. Since they’d rather a pure line die out then get polluted with muggle blood then they’d be less bothered by a child whose unlikely to produce an heir. And even if they still want kids there’s likely magical ways to bypass the hard parts. They also seem to largely lack any racism among wizard, a bit against foreigners but they don’t care what colours you are as long as you’re local. Basically since the wizarding world has a bigger primary prejudice it would trickle down and affect the others.

      3. Leafirebender

        I READ THAT IN HAGRID’S VOICE OH MY GOD

  11. Nono

    So if Dina is the most invisible cast member and Becky is the most visible does that mean they cancel each other out?

    Also if Dina can make other people invisible with sustained touch, does that make her Shadowcat?

    1. Doctor_Who

      It just occurred to me that, since we’ve never seen any indication that Dina is only into girls, it’s probable she likes guys as well.

      She’s a bisexual with a visibility problem.

      Well played, Willis.

      1. Portland

        I don’t have the time to look for the specific comic right now, but shortly after she and Becky got together, I think Dina said something like “I am uncertain if gender matters to me”. So it sounds like she may be questioning bi/pan, but with little enough experience of romantic attraction that she doesn’t feel she has enough data points yet.

        1. Emperor Norton II

          Almost exactly the wording!

          And also, there is this: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/04-walking-with-dina/unsure/

        2. Leafirebender

          Yeah Dina is definitely pan.

        3. Cerberus

          She’s also very likely somewhere on the ace spectrum as well (my guess is grey-ace or demi), so she’s got double invisibility powers working in her favor.

          Plus she’s a member of the “invisible racial minority” in that she’s asian and asians tend to be overlooked in most conversations about race in this country.

          So combine that all up and it’s no wonder no one can ever spot her.

        4. Gigafreak

          I call it “flying under the racism radar.” Asian may not be “American society’s default race,” but it sure does feel like the one least impacted by systemic racism.

          Which isn’t to say there aren’t the occasional strangers demanding to know if I’m “Japanese or something,” of course…

        5. Rutee

          By the numbers, its’ really only true for East Asians, and not even all of them, but it’s good you’re not seeing the worst.

        6. Rutee

          Wasn’t she trying to bang Mike in the first universe?

        7. Spencer

          Kinda sorta. It’s complicated.

          Dina never slept with Mike when he was drunk, and they did actually when he sobered up, but IIRC at that point Dina was in a huge depression; she hadn’t just lost Walky, but she felt she was never going to connect with anybody.

        8. Cerberus

          Aces can have sex and grey-aces and demisexuals can experience sexual attraction either infrequently or intermittently (grey-ace) or under specific circumstances often after getting to know someone after a long period of time (demisexual).

          Dina’s admission that she has not yet experienced sexual attraction before the age of 18 makes me suspect she’s somewhere in the ace lands, likely in or around these two identities given the behavior of her otherworld counterpart, but the narrative will likely make that more clear as Dina continues to develop as a full main character.

        9. Rutee

          Hm, I see. Someone with limited relationships would be in a pretty good place to have been that all along, yeah.

          And she didn’t get horny til 18? Dina has way too many strips, but it sounds like you more or less recall where it was when she was talking about it.

        10. Fart Captor

          Here’s where she mentions it

        11. Eukie

          Dina is not questioning. A better word for her would be “unconcerned”.

          Also, sexualities are consistent from Walkyverse to Dumbyverse, and Dina in the Walkyverse by all accounts seemed to be into guys.

        12. HMRC4EVR

          Dina reminds me a little of Julie Power of Power Pack in that when she likes someone it’s the person she’s attracted to not the gender (she was/is seeing Karolina from The Runaways.)

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Dr Benardo, the mad scientist, will capture them to fuel his sexuality-based doomsday machine.

      1. inqntrol

        You have to be a really desperate mad scientist if you come with a plan like that.

        1. Fart Captor

          If you could build a sexual doomsday machine, why wouldn’t you?

        2. StClair

          as compared to, what, the reasonable ones?

        3. Emperor Norton II

          Actually, I think that is the most foolproof doomsday machine.

          “People of Earth, I have now activated my sexuality doomsday machine. Now the only way it can be stopped, is by everyone denying their own sexuality and stop having sex* forever! MOWAHAHAHAHA!”

          I mean, he could announce his plans to the entire world and it would still destroy the world! That is how foolproof it is!

          *Mad professors are probably even less aware of asexuals than average people.

        4. StClair

          I think he and his machine would be immediately tracked down and completely obliterated, with a great deal of definitely-not-sublimated violence.

    3. Disloyal Subject

      I think today’s strip proves that they do not cancel out.

      1. Pedantic Peanut

        Mostly it proves Becky has yet to learn that the good thing about people not caring that you’re a Lesbian is also the bad thing about them not caring that you’re a lesbian.

  12. Leorale

    Yay for exploring the boundaries of Dina’s superpower.

  13. lia47

    I hope this continues until the whole cast is in the room

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      I saw that movie!

  14. Stephen R. Bierce

    *reprises the Ringo number from the other day on the hacked Muzak*

  15. TheNinthShader

    Replays West Side Story on the hacked lemon radio.

    1. TheNinthShader

      West side story – cool.

  16. Flynn58

    Can Dina and Becky, possibly, respect the privacy & boundaries of two people they barely know, whom are both suicidal and in full-crisis mode?

    1. miados

      As time does skip we don’t see their minor interactions so we don’t know how much interaction they have I do get your point and do think becky is being more pushy right now than she needs to be. dina is just along for the ride at this point i think

    2. Fart Captor

      Sure, in real life, they should have stayed in the waiting room, and followed whatever the hospital’s procedure is for visiting a patient in these circumstances.

      But still, these are kids. Medical privacy is not an issue that has likely crossed their minds. They’re just trying to get in to offer emotional support and encouragement for two people they know who are severely depressed, not pull off some kind of college prank on them.

      1. Cerberus

        That, and Becky is genuinely in panic mode having lost a mom to suicide and having been the one to discover her mid-attempt. So in her mind, I imagine getting in there to show love and support feels important because she’s been on the flipside of over-respecting the boundaries of suicidal folks.

        So, basically, she’s massively triggered and that’s driving a lot of her actions and emotions right now.

    3. Darkoneko

      No.

  17. Spencer

    “This is the first time being a lesbian hasn’t worked out in my favor!”

    1. The Recreator

      Well, aside from that time her dad kidnapped her from college at gunpoint, right?

      1. Tacos

        On the other hand, it did get her in a cool car chase, help from a superhero, and get her asshole of a father arrested.

        1. Orion Fury

          As well as got Joyce to punch Ross, and she started swearing.

          Wait.

    2. Jason

      Took me a couple minutes, but I finally remembered where I’ve heard that before.

  18. Jay Eff

    When you think about it, Ruth’s reply actually makes sense.

    I mean, she is gonna die at some point…

    1. tyersome

      NOT die, pass!

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        I thought passing was the whole idea of college.

        1. tyersome

          … that’s kind of degrading isn’t it?

        2. inqntrol

          “STUDYING”. Notice how they conveniently put “DYING” at the end of this word.

        3. DSL

          Man, Stu just can’t get a break.

        4. Orion Fury

          Oh boy, just had a bad LotR joke.

  19. Plasma Mongoose

    Becky explosive lesbian closet powers makes her too noticeable to be able to sneak around.

    1. inqntrol

      She probably shouted in the hallway that she’s a lesbian and got caught by the nurse.

    2. Reltzik

      That and the red hair.

      1. Bagge

        Curse her hi-vis hair color!!!

        1. Cerberus

          Yup, I want to imagine that three seconds before that Becky panel was her getting intervened with because of her hair color and Becky responded to the demand to halt and being grabbed away by yelling “You don’t understand, I’m a lesbian on a mission”.

        2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          A Lesbian on a Mission?

          Does she get an earpiece so she can get support from QUILTBAGCOM??

        3. Cerberus

          SHE DOES NOW! 🙂

        4. thejeff

          I like that, but I also sort of like the idea that Becky just saw someone she hadn’t informed yet and had to tell her she was a lesbian.

        5. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Is this like having to talk to everyone in town in a video game RPG?

        6. thejeff

          Or like one of those old school video game RPGs where the unimportant NPCs only had one line.
          A redhead labeled “Becky” saying “Hi. I’m a lesbian.” to every stranger that comes along.

        7. Bagge

          “I used to be a lesbian like you but then I took an arrow to the knee.”

        8. Spencer

          “I’m a lesbian!”
          “Welcome to Corneria.”
          “I’m a lesbian!”
          “Welcome to Corneria.”
          “I’m a lesbian!”
          “Welcome to Corneria.”

        9. Orion Fury

          Who’s playing the role of Thief? Mary?

        10. Fart Captor

          Just, AS SOON as you enter town for the first time, you hear, faintly echoing from down the street “HEY! I’M A LESBIAN”

      2. StClair

        Not so much red as safety orange.

      3. saltchocolate

        Speaking of which . . . what’s with the Asian women and their red-headed girlfriends in this strip?? That hair has powers!

        1. Trolldrool

          Well, we all have our fetishes, some weirder than others. Some more mundane. Some of which find their ways into our daily activities. Maybe this just happens to be Willis’ ones.

        2. Historyman68

          To be fair, Billie had an affair with Ruth *before* she was Asian.

          (In a previous universe.)

        3. Spencer

          Don’t forget Ultra Car and Malaya in Shortpacked!.

  20. Rukduk

    So Dina’s invisibility doesn’t extend to others, but it does make them unnoticeable to herself when she tries to use them on someone else. Interesting.

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      She needs to get a feat next level to fix that.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        I hope her class gives enough bonus feats that she can, otherwise she’s stuck waiting for the next multiple of whatever.

    2. Mara

      So her invisibility works like Thrawn’s cloaking device? Fascinating.

    3. Orion Fury

      That was the penalty that allowed her to be able to get Hide in Plain Sight at such a low level.

  21. John

    Becky was taking Dorm Residency 101 pass/fail. She’s in now!

  22. Kris

    In Rith’s defense that was a pretty weak pitch there Dina.

    1. miados

      The dinosaurs died and i love them. I don’t want you to die only for someone to love in a few million years.

  23. Mr. Random

    Well, at least we know Dina’s unaware powers don’t have extension capabilities.

    1. Nemirthel

      Oh, they still might. They just aren’t sufficient to keep people from noticing exploding closets.

    2. Tacos

      Oh she might still have extension capabilities. Maybe she’s just trying to figure out how to use them correctly. Superpowers don’t come with instruction manuals yo.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        To the Danger Room!

      2. Roborat

        Or they do, but someone lost their manual.

    3. Needfuldoer

      She needs to train until they’re strong enough to counter Becky’s hyperconspicuousness.

  24. Randomguy

    So how’s everyone finding Willis’ portrayal of depression?
    I’d say better than in Looking For Alaska and on par with but more depressing than in Will Grayson Will Grayson

    1. miados

      from my experience some of it is familiar some is not, but i can only speak of my experience with hospitals, meds, game over attempts, etc.

    2. Ross

      It took me half that book to figure out that it was an odd, poetic depiction of depression, and not some complicated metaphor that had gone over my head.

    3. ruhrow

      Wait, who said Looking For Alaska was supposed to be a portrayal of depression? That seems like a bit of an…oversimplification, I guess. The whole point was that you can’t just figure these things out from the outside sometimes, no?

    4. Eukie

      As an (artificially) redheaded gynophile university student with glasses and a lingering depression, I find Willis depiction of depression to be spot-on. I see a lot of how I was before I got medication and therapy in his depiction of Ruth, from how people loving me feels like a burden because it means people would care if I died, down to individual symptoms and coping methods like being irritable and angry at stuff because it was one of the few ways I could feel anything but sadness and numb apathy.

    5. Cerberus

      It’s fairly accurate to places I’ve been and places loved one’s have been. Especially pre-medication.

    6. Spencer

      Pretty goddamn real. Ruth just completely shutting down reminds me a lot of how I felt.

      Like the way Amber hits on a lot of the same notes with how I deal with my anger and sense of self worth, Ruth’s a mirror of my past struggle with depression. I’m a lot more functional now, but this summer has been weird for me and I’ve been feeling myself slipping back into my worst habits.

      1. Cerberus

        *hugs* Hang in there.

        1. Spencer

          Aw, thanks Cerb. It’s been weird, to say the least.

          For the entire month of May I woke up every morning having some kind of anxiety attack. That particularly was really scary to me because I never felt that, and I guess a way to put it is that I’ve been feeling a lot of extremes. Like there’s days where whatever I think about I don’t stop being sad, or angry, or happy. It probably didn’t help that I assumed that my meds were to blame and tried different stuff, and now I’m on my old, higher dosage. I haven’t had the attacks since June so that’s great. So like, lately I’ve been feeling really emotionally unbalanced? I think that’s why I’ve had such an extreme reaction to seeing personal stuff in the comic for the last while. It’s like eventually I get locked into feeling one kind of way for hours on end, that and I feel so much more jumpy and anxious about stuff and for whatever reason I’m starting to stutter a lot when I try to talk. I hit myself again a while back and I hadn’t done that in years up to that point.

          So, yeah, it’s been weird. I’m kinda hoping getting back to college for my last semester ends up helping things. My doctor upped my dosage on my anti-depressants and I think that’s mellowed me out, but I think this is the worst I’ve been since I went on medication in the first place.

        2. Bagge

          *hugs*

        3. thejeff

          Sympathy through light physical contact.

        4. Leorale

          It sounds hard, but also like you have some very good support? Good luck! <3

        5. Spencer

          Thanks guys.

          I’ll make it past it, I always do. It’s just another hurdle to jump over.

          I’ve stopped treating myself like I’m broken, or that the bad days define me. They just happen. It’s okay for me not to be at my best every day.

        6. Erin

          Hey Spencer, have you ever tried any mindfulness exercises or DBT? That stuff can be really helpful with some of the specific symptoms you’re describing.

        7. Spencer

          I’ve never heard of either of these. Could you tell me more?

    7. Leorale

      @randomguy Totally plausible depiction. My depression was different, but that’s because people are different.

      Depression can manifest in many different ways — it’s kind of like saying you have “cough”. What kind of cough, and why, it doesn’t tell you. Do you have a cold, or strep throat, asthma or emphysema? Did you blow out your vocal chords at a football game yesterday? Dunno, just “cough”. “Depression” is like that, but moreso, as we don’t really have ways to differentiate between types, except for what medicine seems to be working.

  25. StClair

    A word! She speaks!

  26. caesaria82

    LMAO oh, Becky. I love you so much.

    1. miados

      you can’t have her she belongs to dina the dino

  27. JessWitt

    Dina’s hero alias: Ninja-saurus.

  28. Some1

    Ruth appears to have no interest in the philosophers stone.

  29. Dandi_Andi

    I am troubled deeply by Ruth’s response. Does “Pass” indicate her disinclination to not die? Is she merely dismissing Dina? Maybe I can cling to some deluded hope that this is positive? It doesn’t read that way, but she IS talking.

    Also, I love how Dina seems genuinely surprised that Becky would draw attention to herself.

    1. Fart Captor

      She’s definitely passing on the relayed “not dying” suggestion, though it’s not actually worse than the last time she spoke

      1. Cerberus

        This.

        She still very firmly wants to die and she’s down to monosyllabic communication which is less than she was capable of last time she spoke, so yeah, it’s pretty bad.

        But that’s actually pretty good given that she’s in the doctor’s office and is being checked out, because she’s bad enough that she’s likely to be believed about the depression* and so has a good chance of being prescribed anti-depressants (which sadly take a month to start working, so even best case scenario, she’s going awhile struggling with this stage of depression).

        *Can be a huge problem for folks with mental health stuff looking for help or for disability problems that are “invisible”, especially when one is a girl or enby as there’s a measured reduction in belief and care for those folks compared to their male peers.

        1. Dandi_Andi

          “she’s bad enough that she’s likely to be believed about the depression”

          Both my father and I suffered from depression (I still do, but he’s passed on). I was hospitalized and treated after a suicide attempt. I had a great team of therapists who helped me to learn exactly what my symptoms are and how to recognize them before they become severe and to develop coping strategies to keep me stable in spite of those symptoms. I had a psychiatrist who took the time to get to know my symptoms and figure out exactly what medications were helping and what medications were causing unacceptable side effects.

          My father, on the other hand, never attempted suicide. He saw his children experience depression and saw how much happier and healthier we were after we found the right help, so he decided to get help for the depression he had been suffering from in silence for years. He had multiple therapists who didn’t take him seriously and one who actually told him they thought he enjoyed being depressed because he wanted the attention. He offered a few choice expletives and never went back.

          I’ve seen such a vast gulf between what mental health care can and should be and what is often is. I have wondered before if my father would have gotten better help if he had attempted suicide; if people would have taken him more seriously. Of course, if he HAD, then there would have been a very strong chance that help would never come at all.

  30. Hwajaemae

    I keep hoping that this particular arc will get better but it keeps depressing me more and more.

    1. Bagge

      Ruth is at the Health center, she is talking and the extremely damaging status quo with her and Billie separated and Mary sniffing around is broken.

      Depressing as this is… it already IS better… or rather, it was even WORSE.

    2. WhoWasI

      On one hand, Ruth’s life is in shambles, but on the other hand, she didn’t die. Sometimes things have it get worse to get better. Just remember that in the Dummiverse, things almost never get resolved quickly.

      I try to look for the possible positive outcomes that have yet to be revealed. Such as, the reason the dorm floor was nearly empty is because everyone is busy tying Mary to the fountain.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        I hope they aren’t reviving the whole trial by ordeal thing.

    3. Cerberus

      Depression is really depressing.

      Though seriously, she’s actually moving in a really positive direction as, unless Health Services really drop the ball, she’s probably getting meds and scheduled therapy sessions (and possibly a trip to residential) which can all help a ton given that she’s been completely on her own with managing this for awhile.

      1. Reltzik

        Unless she loses access, because she gets kicked out of college for not being able to afford tuition next turn without her job, or has to quit before then because she needs to get a job that gives her shelter and food.

        1. Spencer

          Being an RA probably wouldn’t give her enough money to pay for things on her own. Chances are she’s financially dependent on her grandfather.

        2. Reltzik

          It gives her food and rent which are two big make-or-break expenses, so it might be the difference between college and no-college.

        3. thejeff

          I’m sure she’s still financially dependent, but we know he’s willing to pay for this much. Will he keep that up and also cover room and board if she fails as an RA?

        4. Mav

          She could also take out student loans, if she’s eligible as per her financial aid forms. “My guardian refuses to pay for my schooling” is a good way to get a loan. If you think about a loan they will throw a loan at you. Loans are great for the schools, because it means they’re getting paid *now* rather than running after people in arrears, payment plans, etc.

          Of course, we have a student loan debt problem, but that has more to do with astronomical costs of tuition and the fact that student loans can’t factor in when someone declares bankruptcy among other things. But loans in and of themselves are not evil – so many students wouldn’t go to college *at all* if not for loans – there simply isn’t a job in the world you can get without needing a degree that’ll pay for all tuition.

          And who knows, being financially separate from her granpa might be a first step in having self worth and independence- when she gets well, of course. And when she’s not under his thumb, she’s in a better place to help her brother.

        5. thejeff

          OTOH, she’s seriously depressed. Any courses of action that require her to take positive action aren’t likely to happen.

        6. Cerberus

          That could happen and would be bad in the long run, but they’ll likely send her to residential before that happens so that there’s not a direct link between “student kills self after being blackmailed” and “school kicked her out after discovering depression and blackmail” so in the short term at least she’ll be receiving care and ideally medication that might start the process of recovery.

          I also don’t think she’ll be kicked off campus completely because that would make it really difficult for her to still remain a main character. My guess is fired but tenderly treated so she’s transferred into another dorm room she has to pay for. Or severely rebuked for her trespasses and watched much more closely by Chloe.

  31. Bagge

    Stupid people caring about her making it really difficult for Ruth to just lay down and die. Geeeeeeez.

    1. Emperor Norton II

      Ruth: “What you just said but without the sarcasm.”

  32. Bagge

    “NO, NO, YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, I AM ON AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT LESBIAN QUEST THAT HAS TO DO WITH LESBIAN STUFF AND ALSO I AM A LESBIAN AND INCIDENTALLY I LIKE GIRLS!!!!!”

    1. Bagge

      “I don’t understand what went wrooooooooooooong”

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Huh. I can’t help but read that in Derpy’s voice, which really clashes with my voice for Becky.

        1. Gigafreak

          Thanks to the pose of that Gravatar, I imagined Becky sticking her head into the door for that first post, and that second one is being spoken as the nurse drags her away from said door.

        2. Bagge

          That is a very likely scenario.

    2. Emperor Norton II

      Becky: “WHAT YOU JUST SAID BUT WITHOUT THE SARCASM!”

      1. Bagge

        I’m on a roll today 🙂

        1. Emperor Norton II

          Aren’t you always?

          By the way, attended a burlesque show on Friday. Silly jokes, good singing, plenty of boobs. My wife could not have bought me a better father’s day present. 😀

        2. Bagge

          I REALLY look forward to Becky discovering burlesques.
          Becky: *rad overload*
          Joyce: *overload in general*
          Dina: “That costume does little to capture the likeness of Oryctolagus cuniculus”

        3. Emperor Norton II

          It will be Becky’s bachelorette party for sure.

          In fact, there were no less than three bachelorette parties in the audience that night.

        4. Falling Star

          Joe: normal Friday night

        5. Bagge

          Daisy: By mistake walks into the 7 eleven next door instead. Unsuccessfully hits on the cashier all night.

        6. Orion Fury

          But she’s so fluffy!

  33. Zmm

    So. Was that pass. Ilk die
    Or is it how I read it at first.
    As in you pass. Where as everyone elses messages were tossed out. Someone finally and straightforwardly said. Do not die. No tip toeing no kind phrAsing just a straight forward statement
    Really odten it is a straightforward statement that is needed

    1. Orion Fury

      I’m thinking the first one…

  34. Reltzik

    Huh. And lecturing-Becky-Nurse-or-Doctor doesn’t get a name or tag…

    1. Fart Captor

      If Willis tagged everyone who Becky told about how she’s lesbian, that would seriously eat into the time he has to spend drawing more Becky

  35. Saaaam

    …the salt? the pepper? the ball?

    1. David

      Gas.

      1. Falling Star

        The buck.

  36. David

    Well, to be fair, not dying is the privilege of the undead. And it’s rather a good sign that she is not into all that pathetic-depressive vampire and whatnot gunk.

    1. Bagge

      It’s probably a fair guess that Billie has bullied vampire larpers in high school.

      On the other hand, Ruth would be a KICK-ASS gangrel.

    2. SgtWadeyWilson

      Uhh… I think you missed the defining part of undeath there, David. It’s a state, usually after death, in which something is neither dead nor alive.

      So dying is often required just to join the Vampire(and whatnot) Club. Plus most of them can “die” again. It’s less of a pass on death and more of a gamble for more time, then probably a second death.

  37. Idontcarenomore

    I think Ruth is saying that she is going to Pass that suggestion “Do not Die.”
    She is practically catatonic in depression and she is not going to get better overnight. So it would seem to be a good sign that she even answered.

    Good for the nurse. Becky may have her heart in the right place but her body doesn’t belong in the back room, nor does Dina either. Walky should also remove himself imo.

    I do like Dina’s straight forward statement, no pissing around, just “Don’t Die”.

    1. figureaddict

      Walks is there for Billie, not Ruth.

    2. Cerberus

      The best part about that short response by Dina is that you just know that Becky was babbling a billion miles an hour about suicide and how important to keep people alive and so on and Dina just summarizes it into its most basic form.

      “Okay, seems like ‘telling them to not die’ is the major takeaway here. I will pass this along if somehow my gf is incapacitated.”

  38. Arian

    I think ‘Pass’ means ‘I’m making no commitment on that’.

  39. Liliet

    RUTH SAID A WORD

    …granted, it wasn’t anything good, but at least she’s like… present

    1. Eukie

      Even better, her facial expression changes to very annoyed. Anger isn’t the healthiest way to cope with depression, but that she’s managing to work up enough emotional presence to be annoyed means she’s momentarily gasping for air instead of drowning in the sea of depression-induced apathy.

      1. Liliet

        Yessss

  40. Keulan

    I don’t know why I thought Becky would be able to get in there, I already know she’s not good at being unnoticed, unlike Dina who apparently has “rarely being noticed” as a superpower.

  41. saltchocolate

    Today’s strip: whiplash, hilarious to sad. *hugs Ruth*

    Elsewhere . . . Willis, your twins are absolutely adorable! Espeocially the one Joel Watson is holding in that photo! (I’m sure it’s bad netiquette to discuss an Instagram post [that I found through a Twitter feed] in a webcomic comments section, but I’m doing it my way.) ?

  42. BenRG

    I got the impression that Ruth means she has to pass on answering whether or not she’s planning to die (actively or passively) right now. However, given where she’s just been that isn’t surprising.

    Meanwhile, I think that Becky has learned the limits of tolerance: No alignment gets you a free pass through doors marked ‘Staff Only’ when you’re not staff!

    I’m just loving Walky’s nonplussed expression. He’s finally met someone odder in a social context than he is!

  43. Ryek Hvek

    “None shall pass!”

    1. Falling Star

      “Wait…”

  44. Time Heist

    I know from experience that it’s not likely, but I hope all this attention will, eventually, help Ruth to see that she is wanted, and her existence has made a positive difference.

  45. George Wiman

    Seemed to me that Ruth was passing on the admonition not to die. But she is being pestered by people who care about her – and these are people she threatened with femur removal! Knowing people care makes it annoyingly more difficult to die.

    1. Cerberus

      She’s noted that before and been annoyed by it. Damn people’s feelings and humanity connecting her to her life enough to make killing herself all fraught and shit.

  46. Slartibeast Button, BIA

    Recalling Terry Pratchett, I wonder if Dina is part bogeyman. Hiding behind doors, mental shift from covering her head with a blanket jacket …

    1. Bicycle Bill

      Thinking along the Terry Pratchett line — No doors can stop her, always there exactly when required, and completely not in sync with the human world.  I wonder if Dina is Death.

      No, not the real, true Death, but one of the lesser Deaths (like the Death of Rats) — the Death of Dinosaurs, maybe, and since they’ve been extinct for the past 50 or 60 million years there’s nothing more for her to do; she’s gotten bored and has started showing up here.

      This would also explain her insistence that dinosaurs had feathers.  If she can get enough people to believe that birds are the direct descendants of dinosaurs, she’s back in business.

      1. Gecko

        …I very much enjoy this theory.

        1. SgtWadeyWilson

          I like them both, but I don’t think half-death half-bogeyman works. So… I guess the Death of Dinosaurs sounds more fun.

  47. Cerberus

    Curse Becky’s hi-visibility hair and tendency to shout out that she’s a lesbian!

    It has undone her once again.

  48. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions:

    Panel 1: I love Dina assuming her invisibility powers are practically magic at this point and scientifically experimenting with her ability to smuggle in other people using it. And I love that it almost works too.

    And the beauty of it, is that the confidence she has in it makes it more likely to work because people who look confident and like they know what they’re doing tend to get stopped less when entering places they really shouldn’t be.

    Panel 2: Dina’s shock is just glorious. Like, oh, I was certain my plan would have worked, but alas, you are right. And it’s also such a good moment in how she processes things, because yeah, she is the type of person to get hyperfocused on one thing and lose the details of a lot of other things happening around her.

    And you just know she got hyperfocused on getting to that room because it was important to Becky to the point where she didn’t even notice when Becky got grabbed out of her grip.

    Panel 3: Okay, so it’s pretty likely canon that it was her hair-color that got her noticed, because it’s always been the hi-visibility hair color that’s been her downfall when trying to be covert (see being spotted by Toedad two times, being spotted by Ruth in the hall, etc…).

    But I love the implied follow-up cause Becky is in full-on panic trigger space mode and is thus at full Wacky Becky. So of course her first reaction to being caught isn’t some smooth downplaying of her trespass like she did when caught out by Ruth, but rather shouting something along the lines of being on important lesbian business.

    Oh, Becky. You sweet summer child.

    Panel 4: I love how Dina simplifies what was likely a long uninterrupted stream of Becky’s overall panic about the situation and desperate need to help into what Dina sees as the most important part.

    Like, oh, my gf is not here to do what she felt like she needed to do. Well, crap, what was the main gist? Not dying? Perfect, I will pass it along.

    And oh Ruth, monosyllabic and still desperately craving death. Probably putting all her willpower in just remaining upright on that doctor’s chair. She’s in such a bad state, but she’s also in a good position.

    She’s seeing doctors and she’s seeing doctor’s in a bad state where she’s more likely to be believed that she really is depressed. She’s got a troupe that’s been openly looking out for her and wanting her to pull through even though she doesn’t believe she wants to and she’s got her gf back holding her hand and is no longer under the cloud of blackmail from Mary. She’s probably going to pull through this and within the next year, she’ll hopefully have an anti-depressant that works for her and is in its “working” phase and has probably been “encouraged” to seek out therapy as well. And might even be put on suicide watch with actual doctors for the next few days, reducing the stress on Billie and Carla.

    And Billie may even see some treatment for her depression as well even though she’s somewhat in denial that it’s happening.

    For a depressing panel, this is probably one of the more hopeful moments for Ruth’s overall recovery we’ve seen in years.

    1. Falling Star

      This is right on the money.
      I’d like to see Ruth recover from this, and Becky to be able to tone herself down if need be.
      That being said, Dina, you are being perfect right now. Don’t stop.

    2. Bagge

      In panel 3 I also think Becky did one of her usual distractions. “Everyone pay attention to meeeeeeee so my friends can slip under the radar”. Not very goal-oriented in this situation, but as you say, she is in full panic mode (and it might have helped Dina to slip away unnoticed).

    3. Orion Fury

      And some of us have seen Ruth go all ‘No Regrets’.

      Does this comment make any sense? I can’t tell now.

  49. Falling Star

    No, Ruth. Don’t stop not dying.

    1. Fart Captor

      IF YOU WANT TO BE THE BEEEST
      YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHEN NOT TO STOP

  50. motorfirebox

    How did the loud girl with the signal flare-colored hair get spotted? HOW!?!?!?

    1. Cerberus

      It’s a mystery. I blame aliens.

      1. Some1

        Becky got her ninja skills from episodes of Naruto

  51. AlexHalstead

    Dina really is special….the power to slip into any place unseen and surprise the unsuspecting people…

  52. Floranna

    As someone whose mother and sister are nurses: You do not mess with health care professionals. THEY HAVE SUPERPOWERS.

    1. Bagge

      And they have already had their full share of crap.
      Today.
      This HOUR.
      And will take None Of Yours.

      1. Local Vigiliante

        Cosigned. They also seem to like telling you if your veins are good and where they can stick n IV.

        1. thejeff

          I was at this party not that long ago with a somewhat drunk nurse who was very excited about how good my veins were.
          That was a bit weird.

  53. Roborat

    As someone whose son is a biomedical engineering tech: If you want to find a way to break a machine, let a nurse attempt to use it.

  54. Crazy Potato

    i feel like i saw this yesterday am i going crazy?

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