193

Scrapbook
Posted on December 29, 2015 by David M Willis
2015-12-patreon1previewThis month's first of two bonus strips is up at the Dumbing of Age Patreon!  And I guess you guys voted for the lady in the red car who caught Amazi-Girl, sorta.  So, sure.

193 thoughts on “Scrapbook”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “What about the scrapbook? ‘Hey, here’s the S from my irreplacable cheerleading uniform you MALICIOUSLY DESTROYED’? I totes want that”

    1. Ana Chronistic

      (and I totes would do that for you, alt-text, if it weren’t year end)

    2. Fish Facade

      And here’s the bottle cap from the seventeenth bottle of alcohol we shared that led to ruinous mistakes. Or was it the eighteenth?

  2. EdHead

    Undertale looks good.

    1. Spencer

      meh its ok i guess

      i dont get why anybody likes it

      1. Mr. Random

        …. You seem sarcastic. I like that.

        1. DarkoNeko

          Sans is a born comic.

        2. Roborat

          I see what you did there.

      2. Wire Segal

        I like it a ton.

        A skele-ton.

        1. Spencer

          I feel like I should give up this grav to you just because I didn’t make that pun/

        2. Jacknoir

          but then you’d be sans your skeletal avatar…

        3. Durandal_1707

          It is a really creative game, although it’s extremely sensitive to spoilers.

    2. Lia47

      ?

      1. EdHead

        I was referring to Ruth acting like Undyne and Billie acting like Alphys.

        1. Drake

          Billie is absolutely not acting like Undyne. There’s way too little shouting and 100% PASSION going on here.

        2. Spencer

          Ruth really needs to CHERISH HARDER.

          ‘Sides, Amber would make a better Alphys.

        3. Drake

          Ruth I mean. Blagh.

        4. lightsabermario

          Ruth is Tsunderplane.

  3. Just A. Thinker

    Anyone willing to draw the scrapbook? 🙂

    1. miados

      I am really tempted but my art would make peoples eyes bleed to death sadly.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        If my eyes bleed to death, I’d much rather they do so angrily, or happily.

    2. Ana Chronistic

      gimme a week

  4. AnvilPro

    When this comic ends, I hope it ends with them getting pedicures and Billie pouting

    1. Doctor_Who

      That would be an interesting relationship dynamic. Ruth tries to be the ultimate tsundere by doing nice things for Billie that just aren’t quite the nice things she wanted.

      “Billie, I brought you some ice cream, but because I hate you it’s butter pecan.”

      1. Sambo

        Butter pecan is far superior to chocolate, prepare for destruction.

        1. Captain Button

          Remember that soft serve is the great peacemaker.

        2. Doctor_Who

          I like butter pecan fine, it’s just the stereotypical “unpopular” flavor, so it’s what Ruth would buy to try to be mean without actually being mean at all.

          Rum Raisin might work too, but I can’t see either of these girls being opposed to the flavor of rum.

        3. Sambo

          noooooooo you missed the reference xD

        4. Doctor_Who

          Oops. I fail at internet savviness.

        5. Sambo

        6. Sambo

          I do too, apparently. That was meant to be “Enjoy” with this link:
          https://youtu.be/nmIlL0gOTDY

      2. Jacknoir

        somebody needs to let Ruth know she’s only allowed to be that way once a week, on Tsunday.

        1. Unerringly Errant

          I have read a great many bad puns in various webcomic comment sections; you just made my new favorite. Being a fan of MSPA just wins you extra points. 😀

        2. RubyDroplets

          Ahem, it’s Wednesdays… Everything happens on Wednesdays.

        3. RubyDroplets

          I have seen the error of my ways. Excellent pun, went right over my head. but everything still happens on wednesdays… just to inform the public. I do apologize for my indiscretion.

  5. Spencer

    Well, it’s a good thing that Billie is moving past the suicidal idealization. She’s not just clinging to Ruth until they’re both dead; she genuinely gets something real out of this relationship and wants to keep it.

  6. Mr. Random

    … I mean, it could work once they leave college and….oh yeah.

  7. Kernanator

    And here’s the time we did The Drugs and thought that the world was being invaded by aliens.

    1. Spencer

      “I had this dream you died saving this one dork who white knighted his way out of my pants.”

      1. Doctor_Who

        I think it’s usually “into”. “Out of” makes it sound like he was being held in her pants against his will, but made a cunning escape that somehow involved white knighting.

        1. Cerberus

          Still a better plotline than the Danny-Billie relationship in “Roomies”.

        2. Spencer

          You think so? Much as I rip on Roomies, the Danny/Billie stuff was pretty good.

          Like all things Roomies, it got better in It’s Walky!.

        3. Cerberus

          Eh. I really like Willis, but the Danny/Billie stuff was what got me to stop reading his stuff back in the Roomies days (well, that and the awkwardness of his early attempts at queer inclusion). And definitely agree on It’s Walky! and then later Shortpacked! as where things really started to find their groove.

        4. Cerberus

          One of the ironies of being such a huge fangirl now is back then I kind of felt he was a bit of a holy roller. It’s funny in hindsight knowing his growth and development over the years. And I think the artist story there is as much of an inspiration as his dedication to inclusion and the amount of representation I find in his work now.

        5. Kryss LaBryn

          I love how inclusive and representative it is. –Do you know, it has not one, but two trans characters? That we know of? (Yeah, I know, but it just now hit me afresh, lol).

          You know what might be awesome? If Jocelyn met Carla. Awesome for Jocelyn, I mean. Especially if, while it was happening, Joyce (in front of her) found out Carla was trans and didn’t care.

          She always said she did wish she’d had a sister…

          Man, I can’t wait to see Jocelyn again. Maybe when Joyce goes home soon.

        6. modulusshift

          Well, both Carla and Jocelyn are in storylines in March, we might get lucky.

  8. Mr. Mendo

    I like how it looks like Billie’s not wearing any pants. It keeps the scene from being too heavy. 🙂

    1. Sara Hysaro

      Who wears short shorts? She wears short shorts! :p

      1. Sambo

        She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers?

        1. Carriethedragon

          Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you’re looking for is someone who doesn’t try to place herself above her romantic competition by slut-shaming?

    2. John

      Billie’s cheerleader thighs make everything better.

  9. Stephen R. Bierce

    Bed of Roses/Bed of Nails…

    1. Cerberus

      That’s a really apt metaphor for their relationship. Or maybe just the bed of roses part. It’s sweet, it looks nice, it may even feel nice when you first stretch out on it, but the thorns keep pricking.

      1. Captain Button

        Remember that the trick with a bed of nails is to keep the weight evenly distributed. Carefully lie down on all of the nails at the same time.

        1. inqntrol

          Yeah sure, if I were a fakir!

  10. Skizz

    Now KISS!

  11. anonymsly

    My, Ruth. You’re putting a lot of thought into a future you claim not to want.

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      Or she does want but knows and just admitted won’t last.

  12. tim gueguen

    Does anyone else think Joyce is a scrapbook kind of person?

    1. Bladeglory

      I think she was a scrapbook kind of person. Now any scrapbook would just be full of happy memories with telling gaps in its history.

    2. Steven

      I am sure that Joyce has a scrap book dedicated to each of her friends, even now she has a fully black scrap book titled “Lie” in death metal scroll.

      1. Cerberus

        … I’m imagining the Becky scrapbook just being filled with obvious in hindsight moments that foreshadowed her coming out.

        1. Spencer

          She probably didn’t get too much done because she was too busy playing with her scissors.

        2. Cerberus

          “Becky, stop scissoring and help me with this friendship scrapbook. Now, which picture of you kissing my cheek best encapsulates our eternal friendship and mutual support in following the paths Jesus has set for us?”

    3. Rosicrucian

      I would not trust Joyce with scissors lately…

  13. Steven

    Oh woe is the idiot who thinks sitcoms and romcoms are real life. Ruth is just in love with her own sadness

    1. Spencer

      Okay no. nonononono.

      Ruth isn’t “in love” with her own sadness. She’s in a state of mind where it’s one of the only things she can process.

      1. -Sentinel-

        Are you speaking from personal experience?

        1. Spencer

          Kind of. At my worst I was in a point where I basically ran a mental checklist of why I deserved to be miserable. I just started feeling numb to everything.

          FTR I’m okay with talking about my personal experiences and I think it’s healthy to share them if you want to, a good step I’ve taken is to be able to talk about it without thinking it’s embarrassing or shameful, but a prompt like that isn’t really okay unless the person you’re talking to is clear that they want to talk about it.

        2. Cerberus

          Yeah, the numbness is annoying and it really sucks pulling out of it and just being stuck with numbness and sadness as the two emotions you can feel. I’m still regaining my full range of emotions, but I’m glad I’m no longer there.

        3. Emily

          I’m so glad transitioning has largely put an end to the goddamn numbness. I mean it replaced it with a notable increase in crying but now there are times where I’m not sad and I’m not proverbially staring into the abyss.

    2. Cerberus

      It’s her oldest friend and the only thing that never leaves her.

      And that’s not entirely snark. After a certain amount of time living with depression, it can almost feel like an old friend. An old abusive, destructive “friend”.

      1. fogel

        “Hello darkness

        1. fogel

          … my old friend, I’ve come to talk to you again.”

        2. Opus the Poet

          Exactly, “Sounds of Silence” is a pretty good description of a depressive episode.

        3. Bicycle Bill

          I think this one sums it up better:
          “… and a rock feels no pain;
          and an island never cries.”

        4. Unerringly Errant

          I think neither really works… Sounds of Silence is a reflection on our increasing isolation from one another, and I am a Rock is about self-imposed isolation in response to a traumatic event. In my experience, at least, depression is not so much being deliberately walled away from others as it is falling in a lightless abyss in which you know there are other people but you can’t find a way of reaching them. It’s being lost, alone and blind, desperate for someone to help you stop your fall and make your way back to a normal world you only dimly remember.

          But hey, that’s just me.

        5. Edupoet81

          “Can you help me remember how to smile?/ Make it somehow all seem worthwhile?/ How on Earth did I get so jaded?/ Life’s mystery seems so faded.”

        6. Unerringly Errant

          Ooh, that one’s much better! Yay, new bad mood song!

        7. MrZombieScordo

          I have more in common with your way, but I think it can take multiple forms. Ruth seems to be a mix of ours and the rock quote. She’s alone and depressed and can’t connect to others but she pushes away, hard, when somebody tries. I assume it’s a some variant of the “other people only hurt/betray you” sentiment.

        8. Time Sage

          Dread Lord: “Yes? Darkness, hey, what’s up? The Demon Hunter left you a message? No I don’t have his number.”

          Valla the Deamon Hunter: “Hello? Who is this? I don’t know any ‘Darkness’. Look, I think you’ve got the wrong demon hunter. Yeah. Yeah, good bye.”

      2. Rabid Rabbit

        Hello darkness, my old friend,/I’ve come to talk with you again…

        1. Captain Button

          So is Joyce going to be down in the subway tunnels now?

        2. Rabid Rabbit

          She’s got to find those billion dicks somehow.

        3. DinaWho

          Well, that or the Yeti…

    3. winter

      Yeah. I’ve been there in the happiness-seems-so-shallow-and-passe-compared-to-my-unending-sadness funk. I feel for Ruth, but I want to tell her to wake up. Happiness is a real thing, and it’s not stupid for people to want it and work towards it, even in the face of failure.

      1. Heavensrun

        “Wake up” is not productive. Depression is not something you can just will away. It’s a mental illness. Telling somebody to snap out of it is like walking up to somebody with cancer and going “Dude, having cancer is really dragging you down. Why don’t you just quit it and be healthy again?”

        Ruth’s brain is lying to her. It’s selecting out the bad possibilities and presenting them to her as the only option, and when she tries to force herself to see the very real good possibilities, it twists them to seem improbable and silly so that she’ll dismiss them. It does this without her input and definitely not with her desire.

        She’s not “in love with her own sadness”, and fuck the guy that said that. She’s depressed. She needs therapy, and a support network, but mostly she needs to learn that the things her depression is telling her are NOT TRUE.

        1. winter

          In my experience with depression, there is at least a certain portion of the healing process that requires conscientious monitoring – rationalising and dismissing negative thoughts. Learning that your brain is lying to you, as you put it, and also making an effort not to give those thoughts weight.

          I realise Ruth isn’t in a place to learn the skills to manage this by herself right now, but I was expressing frustration that she continues to spiral down, and put down other people in the process, instead of realising that she needs help. It wasn’t all at once, but eventually had a point where I ‘woke up’ and realised things weren’t going to get better unless I did something different. And I would like Ruth to get to that point sooner rather than later.

          So, in effect, I don’t really disagree with anything you’re saying. But I can’t help but find your comment a little presumptive and condescending.

        2. Unerringly Errant

          I think I fall into a middle ground somewhere between you two. I largely agree with Heavensrun, but with the caveat that “it’s a mental illness” or “it’s a chemical imbalance” is too often something people say to just say that they need to be on meds for life like they have a thyroid problem or something. Mental illnesses are unique in that they respond to mental activity, such as you engage in with therapy.

          I also agree with winter in that there are definite, clear states of mind that one passes through with or without therapy. I know that when I bottomed out, there was nothing I could do but curl up in a fetal position and cry or spend hours staring blankly into space feeling numb. There really is nothing you can do to help yourself in that state. It took me days before I was able to drag myself out of the apartment so I could get myself something to eat other than multi-year-old canned soup. At some point during my long, slow upswing, I reached a point where I was able to take useful steps, like making an appointment with a therapist.

          That being said, that process was a slow, natural one, not one that could have been sped up by telling me to “wake up.” I actually have had people accuse me of being “weak-minded” and tell me to “snap out of it.” Believe me, there are few things more insulting to someone in a depressed state than that. Just as the “in love with her own sadness” comment does, it presumes that we want to be in that state, which just demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the excruciating existential agony associated with it and an absolutely breathtaking presumptuousness.

        3. winter

          Hmm. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going on meds, but there’s definitely a corrective behavioural portion of getting over depression that I think people sometimes refuse responsibility for.

          But, yeah… I wasn’t that sensitive to Steven’s phrasing, but I probably should have realised – I can see now how it can be taken as that shitty cavalier attitude some people take towards depression. Having people tell you to snap out of it or get over yourself can be really shitty – and it’s not helpful when you can’t even tell what’s wrong, or have no idea how you might go about fixing it.

        4. Unerringly Errant

          Oh, I never intended to suggest that there’s something wrong with going on meds; I’m currently stuck on them myself. The problem I have is when people thing that meds are THE solution, as though saying “it’s a chemical imbalance” suddenly means that there is no work you need to do on your state of mind. People still don’t really have a good handle on the whole brain = mind thing, so they think that if their brain is behaving abnormally, then that absolves them of any responsibility they have to do the hard work of fixing the things in their lives and mental processes that lead to their issues. (Please note that this is much more relevant to depression/anxiety than to some other disorders like schizophrenia)

        5. winter

          Actually, I do disagree with one thing. The ‘fuck the guy who said that’ part.

          I agree that Ruth isn’t actually “in love with her own sadness”, but we were obviously understanding Steven’s comment differently. I don’t know what the original intention was, but I took it as acknowledgement that sadness can be romanticised and that, if you’ve been in Billie’s shoes and somebody implies you’re an idiot for wanting a “goddamned happily ever after”, they’re not to be trusted.

        6. Spencer

          I mean, Ruth can be a bit swallowed in the hopelessness of the situation, at times it feels like she doesn’t want to get better (or probably more accurately, doesn’t think she can), but she’s way more complex than just being in love with her own sadness or something.

          I think Ruth can believe in a happy ending, she just doesn’t think one’s going to happen for her.

        7. winter

          I’m pretty sure everyone is more complex than that, Spencer.

          Maybe I took it for granted that everyone thought so, and that’s why I didn’t take Steven’s comment as an evaluation of Ruth’s depression or situation as a whole. More like a soundbite on what she’s saying in this moment and how it comes off.

          It was naive of me, I admit. For the record: I agree with what you’re saying.

    4. Historyman68

      Emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness
      And cleanliness is godliness, and god is empty just like me

    5. Roborat

      What? doesn’t everybody’s life come with a soundtrack, and all problems are solved in 22 minutes?

  14. DinaWho

    The way Billie says it in the last panel just makes me picture Ruth’s bit as a Jedi mind trick. xD

    1. inqntrol

      “This is not the nails salon you are looking for.”

      1. saltchocolate

        ^ this.

  15. Cerberus

    Ah, that stage of depression where you have a really hard time seeing/believing in a future, even with people you care about. Everything gets so focused on short-term survival that long term plans become like phantoms and disappear.

    Ruth seems to be struggling here. She’s at that level of depression and is definitely in the “planning things out” level of suicidal ideation. But she also does feel something, a confusing something with Billie, but doesn’t trust that it’s more than a temporary distraction from her mental state.

    And in a way, she shouldn’t, not because Billie isn’t important to her (in a way), but because viewing any romantic partner as what is saving you from having no future, then that’s a) putting way too much pressure and demand on the partner and b) asking for a really really bad turn if when the relationship ends.

    And the other half of it is that Billie is not at that level of depressed yet, even though she’s in a nasty self-loathing hole. She still has dreams of futures, even if she doesn’t really have an idea of what it should look like.

    But I guess it’s the perfect imperfection of this pairing. On one hand, they complement each other and do provide respite for certain issues and thought patterns and they have genuinely sweet moments. On the other hand, Ruth is continuously abusive to Billie, they are complementing each other’s self-destructions, and they are both putting way too much pressure on the relationship to “save” them.

    And so you’re just left knowing it’s doomed, but still wanting to cheer them on and fix their shit anyways. It’s… odd.

    1. Rutee

      Honestly, they’re only doomed because Willis has a happy lesbian ending without them. Shit is 100% salvageable. I mean, it won’t. They’re Dumbs. The strip lives on drama, and Becky and Dina means they don’t have to have a happy ending. But it’s totally salvageable. It just won’t be. That suits me fine too. Even without Becky and Dina, what I ravenously feed on in fiction is drama, not happiness. I prefer happiness abstractly, but drama is so delicious.

      1. Cerberus

        Oh yeah, and that’s part of why I want to cheer them on. They could find ways to really make those sweet parts work and if not find a nice level of mutual support, at least separate so much healthier for having known each other. It’s so close to them, but they’ll probably fuck it up so bad and part of it is for the reason you mention.

        1. Rutee

          Honestly, yesterday lynched it for me – even what you’ve been calling abuse is at worst failed S. It’s the primary confound that didn’t exist in my and wife’s relationship (Well, also being older and a bit more used to our wounds for it). And it’s a really important one here. I looked back on everything since the suicide pact a couple of days ago – there’ve been two moments that were remotely borderline. And one of them is Ruth calling Billie a dummy, which is pretty low grade. Given Ruth’s stumbling over trying to sound mad, I’m pretty sure Ruth is mostly playing into her idea of what Billie wants. Given that Billie’s almost never seemed hurt for it, SO FAR she has succeeded. Here’s the problem: That isn’t sustainable.

          We saw an example of what happens with that already – Billie coming in, hurt, and needing support. Now, this time it didn’t seem to cause problems, which, well, hooray. Maybe Billie’s just really god damn tough, maybe she kept some emotional armor up because she knew Ruth would misunderstand her entry, I dunno. You can’t rely on either forever though. They need to have a completely frank dialogue about what they want. That’s not an obvious step though, especially if you come in from a less educated background on this. “Aren’t I ruining your fantasy by making sure in advance everything’s good, and by giving you an escape route?” is an easy trap to fall into. And sure, talking to someone more experienced shouldn’t be that hard (Hell, lifestyle guides will tell you this for free), but therein comes what I said yesterday – they think they’re broken. They’re probably positive that this is new ground for the human race, and certainly that nothing they do can be done healthily (It’s sort of implied with Ruth today in as many words or less). And they’re already young and dumb, like pretty much everyone. And even if Ruth is trying to play into Billie’s fantasy, hurt is hurt is hurt. It’s why it’s a hard kink and why there’s a community with like, rules and stuff.

          I don’t think Ruth’s been abusive, but she’s going to hurt her love. And I don’t think it’ll even be the thing that ends things, but then a lot of their fucking catalogs will come crashing down around the rest. At least, that’s my guess.

        2. Kraken

          I agree!

          (Also I think that was supposed to be “yesterday clinched it for me”)

        3. Rutee

          Fucking phonetic typos.

        4. ThatGuy

          I’ve seen nothing in his writing to suggest that he, the author would go that route with these characters. The most intense deaths have been Ruth and Dina in Its Walky from what I understand and they were just plot devices who got recreated in Dumbing of Age. I mean there can be TWO Lesbian couples in a story. He’s not shoehorning these characters in just to meet a quota or establish a trope. In recent news Willis i belive has expressed several times that despite the well developed characters the story still revolves around Joyce. From a narrative perspective killing off either of these characters would be fairly worthless. She doesnt know Ruth, and though she considered Billy a “friend” she really doesnt KNOW her either. Only purpose it would fulfil would be to send Joyce further down the cynic rabbit hole. And since this is the glorious love child between his Bibliography and his OC’s that isnt likely to happen. I think it COULD go as far as a permanent or temporary breakup and even a near death experience. But the fact is these are Supporting characters, 1 being a supporting supporting character. If one wanted to “create drama” I guess it would be best to go with the trope of “they try to fix each other but have their own problems and so combust but after breaking it off they still watch out for each other and whether or not they end up together they know they have someone who truely tried to save them” and all that character development jazz. I mean that is half the point of this comic! Playing with, discussing, bringing into light the horrors of, and playfully making fun of humanities nuances, sins, vices, hypocracies, dedications and sincerity. Supporting characters that make each other better in a flawed mentally ill way that actually represents tons of what real people go through their entire lives is exactly the type of thing this comic (In my opinion) seeks to address. its why I love it.

        5. Historyman68

          I think the point the OP was trying to make is that with representation, if you have some people of one “group” represented positively, it can counteract more “negative” portrayals bc you’re showing that not all of that group are like that. You can have Mary as an asshole Christian because Joyce and Sierra exist as friendly ones. Carla and Jocelyn exist so what one of them does isn’t necessarily representative of the transgendered experience alone.

          That said, I’m pretty sure Willis won’t ACTUALLY kill some characters, just because he can.

        6. Rutee

          He’s not going to kill them. Nobody is going to die. But their relationships, on the other hand…

          It’s also fundamentally misunderstanding the comic to view everything from the lens of Joyce. Many, many, many plots have nothing to do with her.

      2. Emily

        At this point I’m like completely inured to tragic queer stories because that describes like 93% of all queer stories, especially queer lady stories.

        1. Spencer

          Yeah, I know that feeling. It’s really disappointing that some writers objectify queer relationships as either “tragic whirlwind” or “perfect magic sex pixies” (totally excluding Willis in this equation, by the way).

          I guess another way to put it is that Ethan kind of started in a bad position: The sad gay friend to straight protagonists who spends most of his time dealing with that sad gay angst, but since his storyline has been genuinely well written, and more importantly, about him as a person and how he deals with the pressures, and not just having Joyce or Amber hang around feeling sad for him, I can dig it. It’s well trodden ground poorly soiled by bad writers, but that doesn’t mean that a good writer can’t make something out of it.

        2. modulusshift

          Wow you have a good avatar.

  16. Opus the Poet

    Ruth is laying the sarcasm on a bit heavy, isn’t she?

    1. Rosicrucian

      That’s not sarcasm. That’s her saying she can’t see any of that in her future.

  17. Rutee

    In fairness to Ruth, putting together a motherfucking scrapbook would probably make me hate myself too.

    You go, Billie. You tell her what you want, unambiguously and maybe with a bit more pride (Or shame I guess, if that’s your thing; lord knows I’ve been THERE too).

    Willis, do you really want an MSP horror? Because I might oblige (I won’t, let’s be real)

  18. Tacos

    And what would be in this supposed scrapbook? Pictures of a pillow fort you two built? Made in part with the femurs of your vanquished foes of course (it does need structural support y’know).

    1. MeghanTheDreamCrusher

      Wait there were supposed to be femurs in there? I’ve been doing it wrong my whole childhood???

  19. Captain Button

    Picture an alpine meadow with Ruth and Billie running towards each other in slow motion…

    1. Solenoid

      The hills are alive with the sound of MUSIC!

  20. Just Here

    Damnit Ruth.

    You are with someone you like, and who likes you. Enjoy the moment and don’t look for ways to be a buzzkill. That is all.

    1. Rabid Rabbit

      Your avatar is appropriate.

      Am tempted to tell you to go fuck yourself on behalf of all people who have ever had to deal with depression, but I’m currently too apathetic to do so.

      1. Captain Button

        Why are you complaining about your asthma? There’s plenty of fresh air in here!

        1. Needfuldoer

          What do you mean you can’t breathe? Just inhale!

        2. inqntrol

          Where’s a Darth Vader suit when you need one?

        3. Edupoet81

          You need to quit whining about being an amputee. Just will those lost limbs back through the power of positive thinking!
          http://www.robot-hugs.com/helpful-advice/

        4. Lumin

          I love Robot Hugs. They make the best comics. Okay, the equally-best comics.

      2. Just Here

        I know right where Ruth is because I’ve fought that fight too. Still fight it sometimes. I got through it with the help of friends and family. The hardest lesson to learn was the reflex to automatically look for the downer in things.

  21. JessWitt

    Scrapbooking. It’s like art but for people who can’t draw. Or paint. Or sculpt. Or &c.

    1. HumboldtRobin

      pretty sure that crosses the threshold for not being insulting.
      Statistically speaking I’m almost certainly not the only person that knows a scrapbooker.
      And you just insulted everyone who enjoys scrapbooking.
      so go forth and try not to play your bongos in the comments section.

      1. JessWitt

        Yeah I figured I might have shot myself in the foot with that one.

        If it’s any consolation I have limited memories to fill a scrapbook myself.

    2. Sara Hysaro

      Scrapbooking is putting together photos in a pleasing way, isn’t it? Photography can be an art in itself, and I imagine putting it together involves color coordination, themes, and making sure it’s uniform without stepping into being repetitive. I haven’t done it myself, nor looked through many scrapbooks, but I get the impression that it’s simple in concept but has a lot of room for creativity.

      1. Sara Hysaro

        A lot of this comes from me being the sort of person who has no idea where to start with projects, though, so perhaps I note complexities that may or may not exist once I sit down and force myself through the beginning.

  22. Leorale

    I, too, anxiously await the scrapbook. Idyllic picnics. Pony-rides at a renaissance festival. Conquering their enemies in blood and thunder. You know, girly stuff.

  23. John

    “Do you, Jennifer Yunru Billingsworth, take this Canadian to be your lawfully wedded girlfriend, to backpack through Europe, get manicures, and live happily ever after with?”

    “I do. I want the manicures.”

    1. Lumin

      🙂

  24. Rabid Rabbit

    Out of curiosity, does anyone know if the Patreon strips going to be included in the books?

    1. Rosicrucian

      Yes. They haven’t thus far because they were a more recent thing, but I think the next book will have the first batch of them included. Assuming babies don’t eat Willis’ life, the Kickstarter for that should be in a month or two.

      1. Dean

        The babies don’t have teeth yet, the worst they can do is gum the corner of it a bit.

        1. Tacos

          Don’t underestimate the bottomless pit that is a baby’s stomach.

        2. David M Willis

          Oh, there’s definitely a bottom. That’s where all the poop comes out.

        3. ninja_jesus

          The mouth and the anus technically are connected by one, long-ass series of tubes. So, people technically ARE bottomless pits, because there’s nowhere for the poop to go but out.

        4. Gordon

          I’ve read the analogy that we, with regards to digestion. are essentially meat doughnuts that we rub food on the center hole of to continue living.

        5. zoelogical

          i feel like that would be a really good robot supervillain insult

        6. Rabid Rabbit

          So you’re saying that the digestive system is the internet? (Wait, is making fun of that guy still funny?)

  25. mister gray

    someone needs to draw that scrapebook! 🙂

    1. JessWitt

      A real scrappy book by the sounds of it.

  26. Ashley

    🙁 Aw, Ruth, no, don’t be like that.

  27. lime sheep

    deep down we all want the manicures

    1. Deanatay

      They say self-care is an important part of any healthy relationship, right?

      MANICURES COUNT

  28. CommentSpawn

    I had to go listen to some Taylor Swift after reading this.

    “The Story of Us looks a lot like a tragedy nowww.”

  29. winter

    I want the manicures too. Please let them have the manicures.

  30. chris73

    Run while you still have the chance Billie, you need to look after yourself first

    1. Dorje Sylas

      Where should she be running to? Part of the reason this relationship is even happening is neither of them feel they have anywhere else, other than No Where. Billie was running (with bottle in hand), and ran right into Ruth. At this point running again would, just have her running even deeper into the bottle, instead of with it.

      Although really she should be running both of them to a netural 3rd party.

      1. Captain Button

        Going Nowhere mighty fast.

    2. Spencer

      Billie doesn’t know how to be happy with herself right now. Her confidence has been totally shot.

  31. Dumb Idiot Is Who I am

    That question couldn’t be more loaded if it had six in the magazine and one in the chamber.

    Or… gun lingo, look, shut up, it’s 2am.

    1. Chris

      … couldn’t be more loaded if it had a drum magazine and one in the chamber.

      1. Chris

        (military and role playing experience and WAY too much FO4)

        1. Leorale

          Couldn’t be more loaded if it was stuffed with cheese and guacamole. (potato and burrito experience.)

        2. StClair

          Couldn’t be more loaded if they both brought bottles of whiskey. (Ruth and Billie experience.)

  32. BenRG

    I think that we’ve just been told what Ruth wants in her future but simply can’t believe that she’ll ever have. We also see that she’s correctly tagged Billie Cheerleader Captain vanity! 😉

    1. chiscii

      I could definitely see her wanting the scrapbook and the backpacking trip through europe, but I wouldn’t think she wants the manicures

      1. BenRG

        Specifically a ‘happily ever after’.

  33. Bagge

    Ruth and Billie’s scrapbook so far: torn part of Billie’s cheer leader uniform, blackmail photos of Ruth passed out with her booze bottles, the old spare key to Ruth’s door, fifty bottle caps and ten pages of EXTREMELY private selfies.

    1. Captain Button

      “This scrapbook is dedicated to Mary Bradford, for her tireless effort in gathering material which helped make it possible.”

    2. chiscii

      I know you probably meant like one person sexting selfies they could potentially send one another, but I laughed really hard at the idea of Billie stopping her doing the do, like pulling her hand away from Ruth to take a couples’ selfie with her, who’s there just deciding if her girlfriend will forgive her for ripping off her femurs yet

      1. John

        Nah, she just makes Willis draw it for her.

  34. yomi

    Backpacking through Europe where they are legally allowed to drink in most countries probably is indeed a thing they want…

  35. Gareth

    Dear Walky,
    Please let Ruth’s sarcastic vision of the future be an actual strip in the comic one day.

    1. Void

      Why are you asking walky? Is it because of him being a little cheesy in the old continuity?

      1. Spencer

        I like that I can catch the IW! references beyond “act with integrity” and “it was the best I could do”.

  36. Eukie

    That they’re trying to have this conversation, even bitterly and sarcastically, gives me hope that they’ll make their relationship healthier and be happier together. More Depressed Character 2 and Satellite Character 9 from DepressionComix, less Satellite Character 13 and her ex-boyfriend.

    1. ThatGuy

      yep #1 step is being open and honest not just about what you do but what you expect. I hear its also even more important for people with mental health issues

  37. DarkoNeko

    …people actuall do scrapbooks ?

    1. BenRG

      My mother did about 30 years ago but the current generation tend to prefer the electronic versions.

    2. tim guegue

      It seemed to be a popular thing in recent years given that there are shops dedicated to scrapbooking supplies.

    3. Guairdean Beatha

      My oldest daughter was an avid scrapbooker until her ex destroyed most of her work in a fit of pique. Scrapbooking is still a big business.

      1. Unerringly Errant

        Wow, that sucks. I’m endlessly astonished by just how many people out there apparently stopped their emotional development some time during the third grade…

  38. BenRG

    Honestly, I can’t help but smile at Billie’s firmly middle-class girl concept of a happy life! It tells you a lot about how good Ruth is at reading people that she was able to predict what it would be.

  39. Deanatay

    That scrapbook is as fictional as Amber’s Jacob/Ethan slashfic.

  40. Guairdean Beatha

    Both of them will regret not trying to make the relationship work. At some point in the future they’ll both look back and ask “What if?” and wish they’d at least tried. The biggest regrets in life stem from words not spoken, and chances not taken.

  41. Aislashu

    This is kind-of heartbreaking.

  42. Arianod

    It’s OK to want the manicures, Billie. Lots of people have wanted manicures at some point or other in their lives.

  43. Kelli217

    That Ruth could come up with that imagery speaks volumes, even if she sneers at it.

  44. HeySo

    Y’know, what does happen to that poor driver whose windshield was broken, and her travel interrupted by high-speed car chase and police follow-up?

    Do you think her insurance covers collision with flying vigilante?

    1. Dana

      The latest patreon subscriber only strip deals with it. Subscribe! One of the best bucks a month I spend.

  45. Jupiterror

    Oh hey, she still has Walky’s shoe on the wall.

    1. Captain Button

      But is she a Shoevian or a Sandalite?

    2. thejeff

      Isn’t keeping souvenirs of your abuse of the residents pretty close to scrapbooking? Just on a slightly bigger scale.

  46. Vangeln

    I can picture them!

    1. saltchocolate

      I can picture the manicures, but I can’t draw them! Little nails. Tiny brushes…

      Also, after lugging backpacks around Europe, pedicures should come well before manicures on the list!

  47. drai

    Ruth has a really terrible grasp on reality and how her job works, doesn’t she?

    1. Spencer

      Her “grasp on reality” stems from her depression, alcoholism and self loathing.

      She should be fired, though.

  48. Opus the Poet

    I prefer a pedicure myself, but that’s just because I can’t bend my leg and get to my toenails with the nail clippers.

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