I noticed that not a lot of attention was paid to Ruth’s statements when she was lying in the pits of depression, about taking care of Howard. I think Ruth needs to go home, not because she wants to, but because some part of her has to realize that killing herself isn’t a way to make her brothers life better, being with him is.
Although, I suppose if she got a job off-campus, Howard could come live with her. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of the dweeb, and he’s like a watching punchline.
or they could get jobs to rent an apartment, she lost her R.A job she hasn’t been kicked out of college, besides people are blaming it on depression and I doubt the schools reputation would survive expelling someone for a psychological issue.
An off-campus apartment would open up an opportunity to get Becky a legit place to live, too. (This kills the “Becky has to hide from the new RA” subplot though.)
TheAnonymousGuy
things just work out that way sometimes. Plus it’d open more interesting story possibilities
trlkly
No, it doesn’t. She’d have to hide for a while before it happened.
TheAnonymousGuy
I was actually meaning Becky stay with Ruth and Billie in the apartment until the next semester.
And she hasn’t even lost the RA job yet. Her status is pending an investigation and review.
Sadly, schools have expelled kids for psychological issues in the past including for depression and suicidal ideation, because in the minds of some schools, having the kid die off campus is better than them dying on campus as far as lawsuits go. ADA lawyers have been fighting this practice, but it’s pretty low down the list, unfortunately.
Actually, school treatment of suicidal people could improve in a lot of ways, though luckily campus health services are usually confidential for things like seeking care for depression.
Honestly, no matter what, I don’t think we’re going to see Ruth completely disappear as a major character or go home. We might however see what is depicted expand out of Beck Hall more, especially if multiple off-campus characters need to bunk together for panel-time.
I just noticed that the left and right arrow keys are able to navigate to the previous and next comics in the It’s Walky reboot, but not here. I wonder why that is?
Different WordPress plugin. This is ComicPress, and IW.com is on ComicEasel. (DoA will not be moving to ComicEasel as it is incompatible with its needs.)
You can add access keys to the HTML, though, like xkcd does. Just add, for example, accesskey="p" to the a tag.
It will require you to press a key combination to use it, though. On Firefox on Windows or Linux, it’s alt-shift-. Chrome, it’s officially just alt-, but alt-shift- is also usable. On Macs, both are Ctrl-Opt-
It also links you to the standard keys you’re supposed to use, like P for previous and N for next. That helps it work better for people who have disabilities and use a keyboard to navigate the web.
…I swear to God, I had something witty to say a moment ago, but I caught your username scrolling down and now I’m off to re-read the bulk of the Ghosts series until Warmaster comes out…
Tanith seems to live forever after all.
Roz was at a party, drinking, with both of these two present.
Kryss LaBryn
True, but (a) I’m pretty sure that Roz is of legal drinking age; and (b) that wasn’t in a dorm room on campus.
anonymsly
Roz is the same age as Dorothy, or at most a few months older. They’re both freshmen and thus in the 18-19 age range. If Dorothy’s not legal drinking age, neither is Roz.
thejeff
And certainly drinks far more than Dorothy, though as far as we know far less than Billie.
Of course that might not matter – attacking your opponent for what you do yourself is a time-honored political technique. In this case it’s more likely to tarnish Dorothy’s clean “professional” image and appeal than turning the attack back on Roz would affect her social, relatable image.
Even if it was something Roz might stoop to (which I doubt), ratting someone out for underage drinking seems like a poor strategy for getting college students to like you.
It’s still a sandwich that contains cheese.
Ham on anything grilled is kinda gross IMO, though. Grilled turkey & extra-sharp cheddar, though… maybe with a slice of pepper jack…
fighting for happiness looks a lot like selfcare and admitting you need antidepressants and therapy. most people think that stuff makes you weak, that strong people don’t need therapy, but it actually takes a lot of strength to get help. moving mountains to be happy looks a lot like being on a 2 month waiting list to see the psychiatrist, a month of evaluations, and then another 2 months for the meds to kick in, all while keeping your promise not to commit self-harm.
*sincere applause* It’s a much harder thing to do than people think like you said, especially if you have a crappy insurance supplier that won’t cover the meds.
Crappy insurances suck >:-( But not everyone lacks caring. Doctors will prescribe generic meds if there is one available if they know you can’t afford the name brand or work to find another cheaper alternative or one that your insurance will cover. A lot of doctor offices (psychiatrist included) will be given discount cards that can be used at pharmacies. Just because something seems impossible on the surface, doesn’t mean it is. I’ve even known some doctors who give “free samples” of meds they were given as a promotion from some pharmaceutical so that you have something to help while other options are explored and implemented to help you
On an extra positive note, people are working on meds that will kick in faster which should hopefully make the ordeal easier for people in the future (waiting say even a week instead of two months would be a killer improvement on an individual level).
I got something that worked really well, super fast, in like 4 weeks. Then they put me on something that worked even better, and with fewer side effects. Not everyone has that luxury,.. Just that those meds worked for me. My relative with ditto issue hasn’t found a med or combo that works, yet. And it’s been over a decade. Seems like everyone’s mileage varies, a lot. I tip my hat to your strength, and raise my coffee to your success getting treated, and wish you all joy and success overcoming any obstacles, and The Emporer should give you a unicorn.
altalemur
yeah. i’ve had friends who tried out 4 different meds before finding one that worked even moderately well. it can be very hard to continue getting treatment when you’ve tried several meds, and the doc just tells you to “stick to it” when you tell them the each med isn’t working… because it is difficult to tell if the med is right for your body chemistry or not until you’ve been on it for a month or two. so yeah. 2 months is just…. average. for some people it can take the better part of a year to do the waitlisting and then testing out one med or med combination after another…. and that’s if the insurance will even cover more than the two appointments a year and one med. my worst experience was with a gynecologist who put me on Yaz to help my mood fluctuations. i told him it made it worse to the point of unbearable, and kept telling me after 2 months that i should just stick with it. after personally seeking out an endocrinologist, i was told i have PMDD and that Yaz was the exact opposite of what i should be taking. so yeah. doctor ignoring patient concerns over prescription side-effects meant i wasn’t properly diagnosed for half a year. >_<
Yeah, this idea that “toughing” through suffering is somehow the ideal state is a really toxic message for a lot of people, but especially those with depression and especially those with depression who are socialized as men who are told that actually acknowledging and treating depression is a “weakness” that “makes them like a woman”.
Cause, no, seeking help when you need it, reaching out, getting care, getting medication that works, doing self-care when you need it, these are all key good things that keep folks alive and it’s kinda key to surviving depression.
I’ve “toughed” through depressive spells because it was before ACA and I couldn’t afford health insurance. It didn’t make me “stronger”. It made me an emotional mess who could barely take care of myself and do anything more than desperately send out job applications 12 hours a day and hate myself and it led to far more attempts and self-injurings than I would like to admit.
And yeah, getting that care. That is strength. It takes a lot when you’re depressed to do things that are good for you and I’m proud of everyone that manages it.
216 thoughts on “Conflict”
AnvilPro
Billie leaves college to be with Ruth?
Beef
Don’t write out Billy please 🙁
Maybe this would be his way of “killing off” Ruth in this universe without actually killing her
Unusually Angry Hippie
I noticed that not a lot of attention was paid to Ruth’s statements when she was lying in the pits of depression, about taking care of Howard. I think Ruth needs to go home, not because she wants to, but because some part of her has to realize that killing herself isn’t a way to make her brothers life better, being with him is.
Although, I suppose if she got a job off-campus, Howard could come live with her. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of the dweeb, and he’s like a watching punchline.
TheAnonymousGuy
or they could get jobs to rent an apartment, she lost her R.A job she hasn’t been kicked out of college, besides people are blaming it on depression and I doubt the schools reputation would survive expelling someone for a psychological issue.
Needfuldoer
An off-campus apartment would open up an opportunity to get Becky a legit place to live, too. (This kills the “Becky has to hide from the new RA” subplot though.)
TheAnonymousGuy
things just work out that way sometimes. Plus it’d open more interesting story possibilities
trlkly
No, it doesn’t. She’d have to hide for a while before it happened.
TheAnonymousGuy
I was actually meaning Becky stay with Ruth and Billie in the apartment until the next semester.
Cerberus
And she hasn’t even lost the RA job yet. Her status is pending an investigation and review.
Sadly, schools have expelled kids for psychological issues in the past including for depression and suicidal ideation, because in the minds of some schools, having the kid die off campus is better than them dying on campus as far as lawsuits go. ADA lawyers have been fighting this practice, but it’s pretty low down the list, unfortunately.
Actually, school treatment of suicidal people could improve in a lot of ways, though luckily campus health services are usually confidential for things like seeking care for depression.
Honestly, no matter what, I don’t think we’re going to see Ruth completely disappear as a major character or go home. We might however see what is depicted expand out of Beck Hall more, especially if multiple off-campus characters need to bunk together for panel-time.
Durandal_1707
I just noticed that the left and right arrow keys are able to navigate to the previous and next comics in the It’s Walky reboot, but not here. I wonder why that is?
David M Willis
Different WordPress plugin. This is ComicPress, and IW.com is on ComicEasel. (DoA will not be moving to ComicEasel as it is incompatible with its needs.)
trlkly
You can add access keys to the HTML, though, like xkcd does. Just add, for example,
accesskey="p"to the a tag.It will require you to press a key combination to use it, though. On Firefox on Windows or Linux, it’s alt-shift-. Chrome, it’s officially just alt-, but alt-shift- is also usable. On Macs, both are Ctrl-Opt-
The rest, you can see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Access_key
It also links you to the standard keys you’re supposed to use, like P for previous and N for next. That helps it work better for people who have disabilities and use a keyboard to navigate the web.
C.
There’s an It’s Walky reboot?
I know there are reruns on itswalky dot com, but I haven’t heard of a reboot.
butts
That’s what they meant, yes.
C.
Darn my dry wit.
Pablo360
My wit stays crunchy in milk.
Doctor_Who
A cheese sandwich would make me happy right now.
But that’s because I’m dieting. I had steamed carrots for my evening snack. Cheese sandwich sounds like heaven.
Disloyal Subject
It goes well with steamed carrots, too.
Thursday Violist
I want a cheeses sandwich but I haven’t got one yet.
Leorale
What a friend we have in Cheeses.
Rukduk
I’d offer to trade you, but I don’t know if you like the same cheese as myself. Which is mozzarella.
Questionor
dieting and lactose intolerant here 🙁 A cheese sandwich especially a grilled cheese sandwich would be heavenly 🙁
Commodore Jeep-Eep
Steamed carrots are vile; have them raw.
Deanatay
Everyone deserves Cheese Sandwich. He’s the Super Duper Party Pony!
Chukg
Why would you have steamed carrots instead of raw?
MatthewTheLucky
A cheese sandwich might make her happy.
Hopeful Sarcastic
“i also want a 7 foot tall pile of liquor and pain”
“…”
“well you DO deserve that”
pixiekhatt
I’ve never identified with Billie so much before. <3
(((Mkvenner)))
Don’t we all.
MasakiSayz
…I swear to God, I had something witty to say a moment ago, but I caught your username scrolling down and now I’m off to re-read the bulk of the Ghosts series until Warmaster comes out…
Tanith seems to live forever after all.
(((Mkvenner)))
I think at this point its more of an “if” than an “until”.
Jay Eff
Looks like Dorothy can’t hold her liquor like Billie can
Dana
We knew that going in. As did they. The only question is how much of a grip Dotty had on the implications of that.
Needfuldoer
Hopefully Roz doesn’t catch wind of this. Boozeghazi would be a powerful marketing tool in her favor.
Fart Captor
Roz was at a party, drinking, with both of these two present.
Kryss LaBryn
True, but (a) I’m pretty sure that Roz is of legal drinking age; and (b) that wasn’t in a dorm room on campus.
anonymsly
Roz is the same age as Dorothy, or at most a few months older. They’re both freshmen and thus in the 18-19 age range. If Dorothy’s not legal drinking age, neither is Roz.
thejeff
And certainly drinks far more than Dorothy, though as far as we know far less than Billie.
Of course that might not matter – attacking your opponent for what you do yourself is a time-honored political technique. In this case it’s more likely to tarnish Dorothy’s clean “professional” image and appeal than turning the attack back on Roz would affect her social, relatable image.
Fart Captor
Even if it was something Roz might stoop to (which I doubt), ratting someone out for underage drinking seems like a poor strategy for getting college students to like you.
Stephen Bierce
*plays Wham!’s “Everything She Wants” on the hacked Muzak *
Geneseepaws
How about, “All I need is the Air that I Breath(Just to Love You)”? Would that work?
Killjoy
How about All She Wants Is…
Or If She Knew What She Wants…
Or Under The Milky Way Tonight… (which makes sense if you know the lyrics)
Kernanator
Cheese sandwich is easy, but boring.
Now a grilled cheese with ham, on the other hand…
Disloyal Subject
It’s still a sandwich that contains cheese.
Ham on anything grilled is kinda gross IMO, though. Grilled turkey & extra-sharp cheddar, though… maybe with a slice of pepper jack…
Kernanator
I’ve had grilled cheese with ham and tomato a couple of times and really enjoyed it.
Khno
It isn’t so easy. Let’s imagine she wants only one of the 5000 sorts of cheese and don’t know which one…
Roborat
Cue John Cleese, and start the Cheese Shop sketch.
achallenger
omg this dynamic is too real right now. not sure if i hate it or this strip is exactly what i need.
Opus the Poet
You can never be happy, you can only pursue happiness. It’s like a dog chasing a car.
Leorale
Once you catch the bumper of happiness, you are very surprised and have no idea what to do except tear it to pieces in your teeth?
Kernanator
I dunno, Monster Factory makes me pretty happy.
Chaucer59
Thank you Jacques Lacan.
Fart Captor
A dog chasing a car is usually pretty stoked about it, despite never catching it. Dogs have it figured out.
Koms
Last panel turned on my eye faucets.
Nono
But you can be happy with a cheese sandwich???
NF
Right in the feels. Willis, you monster.
Keulan
I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Masumi
Yes I am!
Bagge
That is, in fact, correct.
Rukduk
We all are dammit! There is no shame in tears!!
Deanatay
Okay, there’s a LITTLE shame in tears. But, it’s more than made up for by the camaraderie!
altalemur
fighting for happiness looks a lot like selfcare and admitting you need antidepressants and therapy. most people think that stuff makes you weak, that strong people don’t need therapy, but it actually takes a lot of strength to get help. moving mountains to be happy looks a lot like being on a 2 month waiting list to see the psychiatrist, a month of evaluations, and then another 2 months for the meds to kick in, all while keeping your promise not to commit self-harm.
RacingTurtle
Here, altalemur, have an upvote/like. With sparkles. **^**
Rukduk
*sincere applause* It’s a much harder thing to do than people think like you said, especially if you have a crappy insurance supplier that won’t cover the meds.
Terry
Crappy insurances suck >:-( But not everyone lacks caring. Doctors will prescribe generic meds if there is one available if they know you can’t afford the name brand or work to find another cheaper alternative or one that your insurance will cover. A lot of doctor offices (psychiatrist included) will be given discount cards that can be used at pharmacies. Just because something seems impossible on the surface, doesn’t mean it is. I’ve even known some doctors who give “free samples” of meds they were given as a promotion from some pharmaceutical so that you have something to help while other options are explored and implemented to help you
Sam
You win an internet dragon for that comment.
On an extra positive note, people are working on meds that will kick in faster which should hopefully make the ordeal easier for people in the future (waiting say even a week instead of two months would be a killer improvement on an individual level).
Geneseepaws
I got something that worked really well, super fast, in like 4 weeks. Then they put me on something that worked even better, and with fewer side effects. Not everyone has that luxury,.. Just that those meds worked for me. My relative with ditto issue hasn’t found a med or combo that works, yet. And it’s been over a decade. Seems like everyone’s mileage varies, a lot. I tip my hat to your strength, and raise my coffee to your success getting treated, and wish you all joy and success overcoming any obstacles, and The Emporer should give you a unicorn.
altalemur
yeah. i’ve had friends who tried out 4 different meds before finding one that worked even moderately well. it can be very hard to continue getting treatment when you’ve tried several meds, and the doc just tells you to “stick to it” when you tell them the each med isn’t working… because it is difficult to tell if the med is right for your body chemistry or not until you’ve been on it for a month or two. so yeah. 2 months is just…. average. for some people it can take the better part of a year to do the waitlisting and then testing out one med or med combination after another…. and that’s if the insurance will even cover more than the two appointments a year and one med. my worst experience was with a gynecologist who put me on Yaz to help my mood fluctuations. i told him it made it worse to the point of unbearable, and kept telling me after 2 months that i should just stick with it. after personally seeking out an endocrinologist, i was told i have PMDD and that Yaz was the exact opposite of what i should be taking. so yeah. doctor ignoring patient concerns over prescription side-effects meant i wasn’t properly diagnosed for half a year. >_<
Bagge
Yes. And help during that time can mean… everything. I’m so glad Billie has people around her who care.
Cerberus
Yeah, this idea that “toughing” through suffering is somehow the ideal state is a really toxic message for a lot of people, but especially those with depression and especially those with depression who are socialized as men who are told that actually acknowledging and treating depression is a “weakness” that “makes them like a woman”.
Cause, no, seeking help when you need it, reaching out, getting care, getting medication that works, doing self-care when you need it, these are all key good things that keep folks alive and it’s kinda key to surviving depression.
I’ve “toughed” through depressive spells because it was before ACA and I couldn’t afford health insurance. It didn’t make me “stronger”. It made me an emotional mess who could barely take care of myself and do anything more than desperately send out job applications 12 hours a day and hate myself and it led to far more attempts and self-injurings than I would like to admit.
And yeah, getting that care. That is strength. It takes a lot when you’re depressed to do things that are good for you and I’m proud of everyone that manages it.
Jess
Poor Billie. She looks so young without her glasses.
caesaria82