Well, honestly she’s basically right. Or has been up to now that the meds are starting to kick in.
Hasn’t that been a basic point of the depictions of Ruth’s depression?
Sometimes anger. Mostly just nothing. Flat.
Elisto
Everyone has feelings, even if they aren’t visible.
thejeff
Even to herself. Ruth talked about not being able to feel anything.
Scott
Pretty sure here while suicidal thing is common knowledge, isn’t it?
We don’t know Rachel’s back story so we dont know what shes been through in the past but we do have an insight into Ruth’s behaviour the previous year (and this year as well) plus Rzchrl hasn’t been privy to Ruth’s progress the way we have so giving stick to a possible victim of Rutha previous bullying just doesn’t sit right with me
Bladeglory
I’m well aware. Rachel could totally have an abuser that kept getting multiple chances.
…but now we’re making possible excuses for telling suicidal people that they can’t ever improve. Woo!
Bladeglory
(I’m trying to say this is a cycle of “Everybody’s an Asshole.”)
PSadlon
Well yeah, college.
Dana
You’re saying we shouldn’t kick people when they’re down? Crazy talk!
Bladeglory
…funny you should say that, considering today’s It’s Walky…
Regalli
Also the splash damage there included Joyce – who needs to hear that she’s capable of growth – and Amber.
The Ryan stabbing occurred not much later that night. She probably would’ve stabbed him regardless,* but it’s entirely possible Amber being told she was doomed to be a terrible person forever influenced the ferocity of the stabbing.
* Or beat the shit out of the guy, either way she probably would’ve been more than minimum force necessary. And I’m not crying over Ryan, but that stabbing DEFINITELY worsened Amber’s headspace dramatically.
kitty
honestly now i want to know what happened to her so that she thinks this way
dethtolldotmid
The fact that she chose to stick around rather than transferring to another dorm is very telling. This isn’t a personal grudge. She just revels in being a bully to people who “deserve” it.
In that way, she’s no better than Mary, even though Mary is an objectively worse person overall.
BBCC
I think it’s pretty clear swapping rooms takes a long time in this school. Malaya put in for a transfer on the first day and still had to wait a month and a half, and even she only got moved so quickly because Billie got bumped to the top of the list to get her out from under Ruth’s authority.
Even if Rachel has put in for a different dorm, she’s gonna be waiting a while.
dethtolldotmid
We’ve seen no sign that she’s actually done that. In fact, in all her appearances in the strip, she doesn’t actually start pushing back against Ruth until AFTER the suicide attempt, when Ruth has already been broken down.
BBCC
That’s why I said ‘even if she has put in for a new dorm’. My point is that her still being in this dorm is not evidence she had no personal grudge against Ruth.
dethtolldotmid
And the point I’m making is that there’s no evidence that she’s put in for a new dorm, and she clearly seems to not mind talking shit in Ruth’s presence.
And, lest we forget, it really doesn’t matter what the background is. Telling a suicide risk they’ll never ever be a good person means you ain’t shit.
BBCC
“Well you didn’t leave so clearly you didn’t mind before now” is a really really weak argument.
I’m not talking about whether or not Rachel’s a good person or not, I’m talking about the idea that she didn’t leave being ‘telling’. Fuck THAT noise. Even if she hasn’t put in for a transfer, that’s not evidence she’s been okay with Ruth.
Inahc
I agree, and suspect that she’s one of the many students on a long transfer list wasting away in Chloe’s filing cabinet.
I also agree that Rachel’s redemption spiel was awful regardless. I think I everyone’s in agreement on that now.
dethtolldotmid
I never said that she was “okay” with Ruth. What I’m saying is she didn’t see Ruth as a threat to her personally, just another bully to take down. And she picks AFTER the suicide attempt to do that “taking down.” Yeah, way to speak truth to power.
So, to reiterate: Rachel ain’t shit.
BBCC
That’s bull. The argument someone must not be threatened if they haven’t left is BS. Also, yes you did like one or two comments down.
“but I don’t see Rachel asking for a transfer to another building to get away from her. Which says that she’s perfectly fine being in Ruth’s presence”
dethtolldotmid
You know what’s bull? Your argument for something that’s not at all borne out in the comic itself. And again, even if you’re right and she’s switching rooms at some point, so what? *It doesn’t matter.* That doesn’t excuse what she did and what she’s continuing to do, especially since she KNOWS Ruth struggles with being suicidal. All she has to do is avoid Ruth until she moves and be done with it, and you know it.
I’m really done with this discussion. Rachel ain’t shit and people who defend her actions ain’t shit either.
BBCC
I didn’t say she was for sure switching rooms. What I said was that regardless of whether she is or not she was transferring, her being there does not equal being okay with Ruth’s presence because that’s victim blaming horseshit. I didn’t say Rachel was right to say anything to Ruth or she was a good person.
thejeff
“All she has to do is avoid Ruth”
Who not only lives on her floor, but is in charge of it. And whose superiors don’t seem to care about her problems or her bullying. If Ruth wanted to go back to bullying, avoiding her wouldn’t be that simple.
Again, I do think Rachel went too far, but much of what she said was justified and much of the abuse she’s taking here is over the top.
Inahc
I dunno if agree that it’s over the top (I’m not even clear on the meaning of “ain’t shit” beyond it being negative), but I can agree that it’s not fun to see a stream of non-constructive negative comments about Every Single Character (minus Becky?) when they appear. Even the ones I agree with. The pattern as a whole bugs me, but since it’s often different people it seems sorta unsolvable.
the final pam
Absolutely no one here in this thread was defending Rachel or any of her actions, and you could see that if you took a step back and stopped being on the defensive.
The point you and BBCC were debating over has no evidence either way. There’s no evidence or mention if Rachel has put in a transfer to another dorm or not. To claim that because Rachel hasn’t left, even though we have no knowledge of if she’s attempted to do so or not, is somehow telling of her character is a fallacious argument. Simply put, we don’t know either way. Rachel could be on the waiting list, like BBCC said. Rachel could not have even bothered, like you assumed. It’s not come up in comic, so it could be either way. And simply pointing that out is not automatically a defense of Rachel or anything she’s said or done in comic. It’s just pointing out that you’re arguing about a facet of her personality that you have no evidence for.
I agree that Rachel’s argument regarding abusers was inappropriate and misguided and toxic. But I do not think she is a bully going after people who ‘deserve’ it. She has had limited interactions in this comic, and of those, the only two people she has really fought against are Joe and Ruth, with primary focus on Joe. She has, unlike what you think, stayed away from Ruth. But it’s kind of hard to do that when she’s the RA in the dorm you live in and you have to share common spaces, like in this comic. Rachel said her piece to Ruth, as inaccurate and full of harmful beliefs as it was, and she is done with it. She’s not harassing Ruth at every turn, yelling that she’s irredeemable. Scoffing that Ruth doesn’t have feelings doesn’t help, but she’s not going out of her way to interact with Ruth.
BBCC
I’m not even arguing that Rachel’s for sure on the list or not – my argument is regardless of whether she’s on the transfer list or not, her still being in the dorm is not an indication she’s fine with Ruth’s presence and claiming it is and that she isn’t against Ruth’s behaviour because she hasn’t left is a serious load of victim blaming.
dethtolldotmid
I’m sick of this argument. I was sick of it the last time it came up and I’m sick of it now. It super double doesn’t matter what your “back story” is when you’re basically telling a suicide risk they’ll never be a good person. Ruth could be a controlling bully (thanks to mental illness and alcoholism) but I don’t see Rachel asking for a transfer to another building to get away from her. Which says that she’s perfectly fine being in Ruth’s presence, especially since she now essentially gets to hate on the mentally ill suicidal girl without repercussion.
Rachel ain’t shit.
Eldritch Gentleman
Having a sad backstory might make you understandable but not excusable. As Jake said “Cool motive, still murder.”
Schpoonman
Ugh, I need to get caught up. I still haven’t seen all of season 5, and none of season 6.
Yeah, no, you can go fuck yourself if you think “People don’t change; you’ll always be a monster,” are ever appropriate words to say to a suicidal person.
That shit could have pushed Ruth over the edge in a universe where “God” wasn’t literally willing no one die during this period. I don’t care for the idea of suicide, but if someone really really really wants to end it, it’s ultimately their life and their choice. But to take someone who is actively seeking to right wrongs that they’ve committed, trying to step away from the edge, and shove them back over?
Rachel can get fucked until she apologizes to Ruth.
You obviously have had RA or their equivalent before. At her worst she was average for the position and at her best she was one one of the better ones.
thejeff
I don’t know. My RAs never physically threatened or assaulted anyone. Nor did they have sex with any of the students they were supervising and bullying.
Ruth had her good moments, but her bad ones were really bad.
dethtolldotmid
That doesn’t negate the fact that Rachel ain’t shit.
You don’t tell a suicide risk they’ll never be a good person.
Oh, those are coming. I meant right in this first wave of Spontaneous Shower Emotions. Give the complex stuff another couple days, right now ‘crying’ is an emotion in its own right.
PSadlon
Indeed, Some meds seem to make me a big green rage monster.
Joyce is 5’4″ according to the wiki, and the gallon jugs for her shower shoes are probably cut off at 4 inches (any higher and you’re in the handle part), so Rachel must be close to 6′ tall.
failed intervention for girlfriend’s drinking problem + driving away the one person who had your back for this entire time, and took your abusive behavior + actually feeling emotions thanks to your meds.
A lot of sadness and regret in that shower room right now.
205 thoughts on “Bawling”
Ana Chronistic
never had to suppress those feels at work, nope, completely unrelatable
butts
definitely never snuck out of work to cry into a five guys milkshake and fries, no sir
Schpoonman
Obligatory “Fuck you, Rachel.”
chris73
Why?
timemonkey
“Ruth doesn’t have feelings”
thejeff
Well, honestly she’s basically right. Or has been up to now that the meds are starting to kick in.
Hasn’t that been a basic point of the depictions of Ruth’s depression?
Sometimes anger. Mostly just nothing. Flat.
Elisto
Everyone has feelings, even if they aren’t visible.
thejeff
Even to herself. Ruth talked about not being able to feel anything.
Scott
Pretty sure here while suicidal thing is common knowledge, isn’t it?
Scott
*her whole
Bladeglory
“People don’t change. You will always be an abuser. Just like your grandfather.”
chris73
We don’t know Rachel’s back story so we dont know what shes been through in the past but we do have an insight into Ruth’s behaviour the previous year (and this year as well) plus Rzchrl hasn’t been privy to Ruth’s progress the way we have so giving stick to a possible victim of Rutha previous bullying just doesn’t sit right with me
Bladeglory
I’m well aware. Rachel could totally have an abuser that kept getting multiple chances.
…but now we’re making possible excuses for telling suicidal people that they can’t ever improve. Woo!
Bladeglory
(I’m trying to say this is a cycle of “Everybody’s an Asshole.”)
PSadlon
Well yeah, college.
Dana
You’re saying we shouldn’t kick people when they’re down? Crazy talk!
Bladeglory
…funny you should say that, considering today’s It’s Walky…
Regalli
Also the splash damage there included Joyce – who needs to hear that she’s capable of growth – and Amber.
The Ryan stabbing occurred not much later that night. She probably would’ve stabbed him regardless,* but it’s entirely possible Amber being told she was doomed to be a terrible person forever influenced the ferocity of the stabbing.
* Or beat the shit out of the guy, either way she probably would’ve been more than minimum force necessary. And I’m not crying over Ryan, but that stabbing DEFINITELY worsened Amber’s headspace dramatically.
kitty
honestly now i want to know what happened to her so that she thinks this way
dethtolldotmid
The fact that she chose to stick around rather than transferring to another dorm is very telling. This isn’t a personal grudge. She just revels in being a bully to people who “deserve” it.
In that way, she’s no better than Mary, even though Mary is an objectively worse person overall.
BBCC
I think it’s pretty clear swapping rooms takes a long time in this school. Malaya put in for a transfer on the first day and still had to wait a month and a half, and even she only got moved so quickly because Billie got bumped to the top of the list to get her out from under Ruth’s authority.
Even if Rachel has put in for a different dorm, she’s gonna be waiting a while.
dethtolldotmid
We’ve seen no sign that she’s actually done that. In fact, in all her appearances in the strip, she doesn’t actually start pushing back against Ruth until AFTER the suicide attempt, when Ruth has already been broken down.
BBCC
That’s why I said ‘even if she has put in for a new dorm’. My point is that her still being in this dorm is not evidence she had no personal grudge against Ruth.
dethtolldotmid
And the point I’m making is that there’s no evidence that she’s put in for a new dorm, and she clearly seems to not mind talking shit in Ruth’s presence.
And, lest we forget, it really doesn’t matter what the background is. Telling a suicide risk they’ll never ever be a good person means you ain’t shit.
BBCC
“Well you didn’t leave so clearly you didn’t mind before now” is a really really weak argument.
I’m not talking about whether or not Rachel’s a good person or not, I’m talking about the idea that she didn’t leave being ‘telling’. Fuck THAT noise. Even if she hasn’t put in for a transfer, that’s not evidence she’s been okay with Ruth.
Inahc
I agree, and suspect that she’s one of the many students on a long transfer list wasting away in Chloe’s filing cabinet.
I also agree that Rachel’s redemption spiel was awful regardless. I think I everyone’s in agreement on that now.
dethtolldotmid
I never said that she was “okay” with Ruth. What I’m saying is she didn’t see Ruth as a threat to her personally, just another bully to take down. And she picks AFTER the suicide attempt to do that “taking down.” Yeah, way to speak truth to power.
So, to reiterate: Rachel ain’t shit.
BBCC
That’s bull. The argument someone must not be threatened if they haven’t left is BS. Also, yes you did like one or two comments down.
“but I don’t see Rachel asking for a transfer to another building to get away from her. Which says that she’s perfectly fine being in Ruth’s presence”
dethtolldotmid
You know what’s bull? Your argument for something that’s not at all borne out in the comic itself. And again, even if you’re right and she’s switching rooms at some point, so what? *It doesn’t matter.* That doesn’t excuse what she did and what she’s continuing to do, especially since she KNOWS Ruth struggles with being suicidal. All she has to do is avoid Ruth until she moves and be done with it, and you know it.
I’m really done with this discussion. Rachel ain’t shit and people who defend her actions ain’t shit either.
BBCC
I didn’t say she was for sure switching rooms. What I said was that regardless of whether she is or not she was transferring, her being there does not equal being okay with Ruth’s presence because that’s victim blaming horseshit. I didn’t say Rachel was right to say anything to Ruth or she was a good person.
thejeff
“All she has to do is avoid Ruth”
Who not only lives on her floor, but is in charge of it. And whose superiors don’t seem to care about her problems or her bullying. If Ruth wanted to go back to bullying, avoiding her wouldn’t be that simple.
Again, I do think Rachel went too far, but much of what she said was justified and much of the abuse she’s taking here is over the top.
Inahc
I dunno if agree that it’s over the top (I’m not even clear on the meaning of “ain’t shit” beyond it being negative), but I can agree that it’s not fun to see a stream of non-constructive negative comments about Every Single Character (minus Becky?) when they appear. Even the ones I agree with. The pattern as a whole bugs me, but since it’s often different people it seems sorta unsolvable.
the final pam
Absolutely no one here in this thread was defending Rachel or any of her actions, and you could see that if you took a step back and stopped being on the defensive.
The point you and BBCC were debating over has no evidence either way. There’s no evidence or mention if Rachel has put in a transfer to another dorm or not. To claim that because Rachel hasn’t left, even though we have no knowledge of if she’s attempted to do so or not, is somehow telling of her character is a fallacious argument. Simply put, we don’t know either way. Rachel could be on the waiting list, like BBCC said. Rachel could not have even bothered, like you assumed. It’s not come up in comic, so it could be either way. And simply pointing that out is not automatically a defense of Rachel or anything she’s said or done in comic. It’s just pointing out that you’re arguing about a facet of her personality that you have no evidence for.
I agree that Rachel’s argument regarding abusers was inappropriate and misguided and toxic. But I do not think she is a bully going after people who ‘deserve’ it. She has had limited interactions in this comic, and of those, the only two people she has really fought against are Joe and Ruth, with primary focus on Joe. She has, unlike what you think, stayed away from Ruth. But it’s kind of hard to do that when she’s the RA in the dorm you live in and you have to share common spaces, like in this comic. Rachel said her piece to Ruth, as inaccurate and full of harmful beliefs as it was, and she is done with it. She’s not harassing Ruth at every turn, yelling that she’s irredeemable. Scoffing that Ruth doesn’t have feelings doesn’t help, but she’s not going out of her way to interact with Ruth.
BBCC
I’m not even arguing that Rachel’s for sure on the list or not – my argument is regardless of whether she’s on the transfer list or not, her still being in the dorm is not an indication she’s fine with Ruth’s presence and claiming it is and that she isn’t against Ruth’s behaviour because she hasn’t left is a serious load of victim blaming.
dethtolldotmid
I’m sick of this argument. I was sick of it the last time it came up and I’m sick of it now. It super double doesn’t matter what your “back story” is when you’re basically telling a suicide risk they’ll never be a good person. Ruth could be a controlling bully (thanks to mental illness and alcoholism) but I don’t see Rachel asking for a transfer to another building to get away from her. Which says that she’s perfectly fine being in Ruth’s presence, especially since she now essentially gets to hate on the mentally ill suicidal girl without repercussion.
Rachel ain’t shit.
Eldritch Gentleman
Having a sad backstory might make you understandable but not excusable. As Jake said “Cool motive, still murder.”
Schpoonman
Ugh, I need to get caught up. I still haven’t seen all of season 5, and none of season 6.
adjudicus
Appropriate gravatar.
Marsh Maryrose
Remind me again — how many people was Rachel in a position of authority over, and how many of them was she abusive to?
not someone else
We know basically nothing about her, tbh.
Schpoonman
Yeah, no, you can go fuck yourself if you think “People don’t change; you’ll always be a monster,” are ever appropriate words to say to a suicidal person.
That shit could have pushed Ruth over the edge in a universe where “God” wasn’t literally willing no one die during this period. I don’t care for the idea of suicide, but if someone really really really wants to end it, it’s ultimately their life and their choice. But to take someone who is actively seeking to right wrongs that they’ve committed, trying to step away from the edge, and shove them back over?
Rachel can get fucked until she apologizes to Ruth.
dethtolldotmid
Word. Rachel ain’t shit.
PSadlon
You obviously have had RA or their equivalent before. At her worst she was average for the position and at her best she was one one of the better ones.
thejeff
I don’t know. My RAs never physically threatened or assaulted anyone. Nor did they have sex with any of the students they were supervising and bullying.
Ruth had her good moments, but her bad ones were really bad.
dethtolldotmid
That doesn’t negate the fact that Rachel ain’t shit.
You don’t tell a suicide risk they’ll never be a good person.
Piotr W
Do we actually know why Rachel hates Ruth so much?
Blazing Ace
Does it actually matter?
C.T Phipps
When someone threatens physical violence on you or a friend, you might be inclined to think they’re dangerous and to tell them to stay away from you.
The femurs statement may have been taken as an implicit physical threat.
Zero
…you mean the explicit threat?
Marisa Mockery
Agreed
AnvilPro
Wow, Ruth with medication in effect is going to be a whole new beast… one that I don’t want to be further hurt by Billie
Nono
Ruth’s only here because Amber took up all the privacy chairs again.
Opus the Poet
Yeah, that happens with some meds. I know from personal experience.
PSadlon
Indeed
BBCC
Ah! Meds finally kicked in! At exactly the moment most inconvenient!
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Regalli
At least she could’ve gotten even worse emotions?
Reltzik
Replace “could’ve” with “could still”.
Regalli
Oh, those are coming. I meant right in this first wave of Spontaneous Shower Emotions. Give the complex stuff another couple days, right now ‘crying’ is an emotion in its own right.
PSadlon
Indeed, Some meds seem to make me a big green rage monster.
Delicious Taffy
You’re Norman Osborn?
Stephen Bierce
*plays Kix’ “Cold Shower” on the hacked Muzak outside the washroom*
Yumi
Maybe Joyce’s shower shoes can cheer Ruth up. I know I’m a fan.
Yumi
For those who’ve forgotten: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/03-the-thing-i-was-before/framework/
ShinyNeen
Carla’s engineering remains fuckin’ flawless.
Clif
Quality engineering is a thing of beauty.
Bicycle Bill
Those things are nose-bleed height!
foamy
And Rachel *still* overtops Joyce. She’s huge.
Needfuldoer
Joyce is 5’4″ according to the wiki, and the gallon jugs for her shower shoes are probably cut off at 4 inches (any higher and you’re in the handle part), so Rachel must be close to 6′ tall.
ktbear
Okay Yumi, that’s just scarey. For some reason Ana’s post for that day has been removed. I sense a conspiracy!
ValdVin
Shouldn’t “Semi-Giant Woman Shower Shoes” be tagged?
hof1991
Shower stilts ™
Pocky
failed intervention for girlfriend’s drinking problem + driving away the one person who had your back for this entire time, and took your abusive behavior + actually feeling emotions thanks to your meds.
A lot of sadness and regret in that shower room right now.
Grant Barnes
This is what the kids call a “big mood”
MM
I feel like Joyce’s shower shoes should have a tag.