Do we actually know that McAwesome’s serves saké?
Or is this a post-last binge overture: I’m asking you out to a place without alcohol to show you I’m going to stop tempting you with it.
Unfriendly reminder that when Ruth first tried to go sober Billie lied through her teeth for several days until Ruth caught her out-and-out in her lie.
This is performative so she can get Ruth “back,” nothing more.
It’s certainly possible. I think this is different, at least as far it all being much more serious now.
That she was out on one last binge suggests that she at least is thinking about stopping, not just pretending.
She is very likely to fail of course, but I’m not convinced it’s all performative.
All of which of course is sort of beside the point: Even if it’s performative, that means she’s not asking Ruth to go out to the drinking place. If McAwesome’s does serve sake, then it’s not even performative.
My wife and I come from very different backgrounds regarding arguments. In my family, it’s just the way you talk to get a word in edgewise. Where she was from, you either agreed all the time or you were a broken couple. It’s led to a lot of confusion when I don’t even remember a fight ten minutes later. We’re celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this year.
Just make sure to apologize if your wife looks upset. 😉 She might understand on an intellectual level that it’s just how you were raised, but it doesn’t negate any hurt feelings on her part. Over many years, this can lead to a slowly building resentment that eats away at a marriage, the literal straw that breaks the camel’s back, even though you might never event realize it. This is what happened to my parents. My mother is extremely good at arguing and debating and was always taking my father’s eventual silence for assent. It wasn’t. He just knew that he couldn’t win in an argument and decided to “give way” for the sake of peace. Well, after years and years of giving way, he finally decided he had enough of his opinions “not mattering”. And by then it was too late. The damage had been done.
I doubt she’s completely sober already, but her tolerance is higher than someone who doesn’t drink constantly so she doesn’t show it as much. If any of the other main characters drank as much as Billie probably did today (to get to the point where we saw her at movie night), they’d be flat on their ass.
Also, with alcoholism, sometimes you NEED (well, “need”) booze to be able to appear normal. I’m fairly certain she’s just less drunk than earlier and Actually Sober Billie will look quite a bit closer to death.
That’s after years of drinking, though. When you get severe withdrawal symptoms (like hallucinations and tremors) when you don’t drink. Billie is definitely not yet at that stage, she hasn’t had enough time nor has she been drinking enough and regularly enough.
Alcohol is bad, but it doesn’t get that bad that fast.
Ruth’s shown withdrawal symptoms when she’s first quit. I suspect in both their cases though, it’s more likely a bad hangover that they normally just drink more to mask.
TBF, the first time we saw Ruth was three days later. Is it possible to still be hungover after three days? Genuine question, I do not know. I think it is likely to be actual withdrawal symptoms.
Frankly, even mild withdrawal bites. My only personal experience with it though is coming off seizure meds I’d been on for 16 years, but it was unfun. Ruth’s withdrawal was shorter (so far as I can tell) but she’s also (presumably) not been drinking for 16 years.
I actually sympathize with Billie to an extent here. Ruth has completely changed her personality and perspective on life (at least to an exterior) so that everything they had in common before (fighting, alcohol, nihilism) is no longer present.
Ruth is having difficulty letting Billie adjust to that kind of dramatic personality change or even if she wants to.
I’m not even sure it’s a dramatic change in personality? I mean, maybe from Billie’s perspective. But Ruth’s always wanted to recover, it’s just that it used to seem impossible to her.
Billie put a lot of effort into helping Ruth turn things around, too. She was very pro-recovery until it started being her own recovery that they were talking about. Ruth could very well be experiencing a similar shock.
Her personality has *not* drastically changed. She is controlling her anger better, but she still has it. She still thinks pretty much the same about people as she did before, she is just managing it better. Her actions might have changed, but the underlying person is still the same.
Billie is not some unsung victim of Ruth’s improvement and desire to be respected like you keep acting like she is.
You’re comparing guns and ban as, and I hate bananas.
I don’t remember them doing that after they were a couple, and even, or rather especially then, they never let each other get away with anything. They demanded effort from each other.
Ruth treated Billie badly in the past and so Billie is justified in treating Ruth badly now. – Does not follow.
Ruth’s personality has changed drastically and so Billie is justified in treating Ruth badly. – Does not follow. (Also the premises is wrong. The only difference in Ruth that we have seen is an absence of the very worst of her depression. As we saw in her interaction with Amber, the niihilistic snark is still there.)
Having huge fights and then ignoring it gave Ivy anxiety, therefore it is bad for Ruth and Billie. – Does not follow. (They are very different people.)
I’m not gonna take bets, but Billie now has a confirmed superpower: sobering up at an inhumanly fast rate.
Let’s say that Lucy’s movie night began at 7:00 PM. Flight of the Navigator runs 90 minutes. So a little after 9:30 PM, Billie stumbles into her room in Forest clearly plastered, drinky bubbles around her head and all.
Now it’s what, at most 11:30 PM? And Billie is not only apparently sober, but she is so sober that Ruth can’t smell alcohol on her breath when they are nose to nose.
So remind me again, why is drinking a problem for Billie, as long as she doesn’t get behind the wheel of a car during the 90 minutes it takes her to completely sober up?
I don’t know why this irritates me so much when gross violations of the laws of physics don’t bother me in the least.
Anyway, yeah, DYW is pretty clearly gonna break them up in the next two or three strips.
Friend of mind back in college had what she described as 10 minutes of reserve sobriety: In a crisis the adrenaline would kick in and she’d be functional, hopefully long enough to deal with it, then the alcohol would take over again.
I suspect that’s what Billie used back at the party when she went from boozles and slurred speech to treating Joyce and checking her for injury in minutes.
You and Nono are right, and she would have had time to walk off the drinky bubbles. I withdraw my objections on that count, but I’m still not so sure about the alcohol breath. That comes from alcohol in the blood, and the liver just doesn’t metabolize alcohol all that quickly.
If you’ve ever had repeated close contact with someone who drinks a lot, the smell of alcohol breath is unmistakable. That smell doesn’t come from the booze itself. It comes from alcohol in the bloodstream being exhaled in vapor form through the lungs.
Trying to hide alcohol breath is like trying to hide cigarette breath. It only works if the person you’re talking to doesn’t know what it smells like.
Years ago, I had a boss who would regularly show up at maybe 10:00 am, on those days when she didn’t just call in sick (she was supposed to be there at 8:00). Trust me, even at a normal conversational distance, you can smell it, and mints are not going to cover it up.
This was back in the day when reporting on your supervisor for something like that was unthinkable. Hopefully things have changed since then, but I’m guessing probably not as much as one would hope.
Next chapter Billie’s liver rips its way out of her chest and goes on a rampage in the nearest liquor store, drinking the entire stock and getting larger every minute.
Billie’s alcoholism is an element of her incredible toxicity. She doesn’t address her problems, she skipped class to get day drunk, she’s inviting her *recovering alcoholic* girlfriend to go drinking. It encapsulates pretty much every genuinely negative aspect of who Billie is as a person and driving her to make poor decision after poor decision, none of which have to do with being drunk and everything to do with her *desire* to be drunk.
And that’s why Billie’s drinking is a problem thanks for coming to my TED talk.
I suspect “completely sobering up” is not what’s happening. Really practiced at presenting herself as sober when she’s still drunk, but not completely smashed is more like it.
She’s down to baseline Billie level of drunk, that’s all.
Maybe she’s planning to surprise Ruth by going sober. If she fails, Ruth doesn’t have to know because Ruth wouldn’t expect it and would be saved from disappointment. That seems to align with Billie’s thinking.
Considering that she told Lucy it was probably the last time, this is probably the case. I’m unsure if it’ll be a SURPRISE but I’m fairly certain Billie is at the very least CONSIDERING sobering up for Ruth’s sake.
I’m not sure I’ll be commenting here going forward, but I just wanted to say how much I appreciate various members of this comment section. I’m not gonna name names because I’m sure I’d leave people out, so just go ahead and assume this means you, person reading this.
So Billie took space to make peace with giving up alcohol, then went back. Also, yes. Couples have fights. It’s natural to have conflicts, especially in regards to life changing developments and decisions.
It is natural to have conflicting points of view and need to discuss things. Not fights where one of you has to remind the other that you don’t want to die for them to accept your decision and decide to respect it only where you can’t see them do so and then they pretend you were never in conflict even though your feelings are unresolved.
I’m not sure if Billie not acknowledging that she has given up drinking for her is either an awful sign (she has already given up) or really good (she isn’t just doing to win Ruth back after the fight). I do not look forward to seeing which is which.
Unrelated to the strip, I’m looking at transitioning (as in ‘transitioning’) and I’m not really confident talking about it without the anonymity provided by the internet, soooo any advice?
Don’t really know your situation but, like… go for it? I mean, whenever you’re ready is absolutely the right time.
Do you have any specific concerns? I mean, I think I’m kind of in the same place as you are, but I’m certainly happy to give my perspective if that’s something that you think would help.
I think what holds me back most is I’m afraid I’m going to wake up one day and it will have all been a phaze. And I’ll regret any and all things I did, and every one who supports me will be mad that I wasted their time and anyone who doesn’t will be like “ha, told you so.’
What’s your thought process been like? It would be great to hear someone else’s perspective on this kind of thing.
If you tell people you love this is something you’re trying to work out and they love and support you, they will continue to support you while you work it out.
You can also maybe try out how things feel in private, in anonymous spaces, or with select individuals, and work out if your gender assigned at birth or the one traditionally associated with interlocking genitalia (or gender-fluidity or agenderedness) feels more comfortable?
You definitely don’t need to order an entire new wardrobe, complete with binder/padding, to arrive by X date, and on X+1 date burn your old wardrobe and announce to the world that you are now to be known as NewName and by nee pronouns. You can give yourself the time and space to do it at a pace that you are comfortable with.
Worrying that it’s somehow not real, or that you’re making a mistake, is understandable and perfectly normal! I spent ages convinced that I was somehow faking wanting to be female, for example.
As others have already covered, the great thing about transitioning is that you’re allowed to take things at your own pace, and that it’s okay to change your mind at any time later. A lot of folks assume there’s a correct way to transition, but I think almost anyone who goes through it will agree that that’s not true.
Try on different clothes. Go by a new name. Get a different haircut. Take the steps to get on hormones. Decide you don’t like something you changed and change again (or even go back) later. Be like me and never get around to doing half those things in the first place because you already did the stuff you actually wanted to (: D). The only thing that matters is that you’re allowed to figure out what works for you. It’s hard to know what does and doesn’t work for you until you give it a try, right?
It’s also perfectly normal to worry about what other people will think. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for what you do, but Miri’s right- the people you care about should understand as long as you tell them what you’re going through. Personally, I’ve found the people in my life to be far less judgemental than I thought they would. Sometimes I’m actually disappointed that they don’t ask more questions, but I’m more okay with that than I expected I’d be.
I hope that whatever you decide is magical and exciting for you! But if it turns out not to be, that’s okay too! At least you’ll understand yourself better!
Gender fluid is a thing too! So, if it isn’t anxiety from people but sometimes being less sure about a transition because you’re more comfortable in your current body on some days, then you should also consider that. Have a friend that thought they were trans but then ended up stopping part way through transition because the Andro/gendefluid feeling ended up being more true to how they felt.
Also have multiple friends who, when they got through worrying about societal expectations, felt like themselves for the very first time in memory after the process. It will be a roller coaster. There will be doubt. It’s huge differences that might take time to adjust. People have a hard time adjusting to many physical differences that can occur through life. That doesn’t mean your decision is wrong! It’s just hard to make a you new and find that place in the world. But, it IS still YOU. Gender identity, gender rolls, sex, orientation are all complicated and messy things that can become a tangled knot. One at a time, get it all down on how you feel, and whatever you do won’t be wrong because you’re a work in progress like everyone else. Sometimes we make a turn we don’t like, but that lets us learn to make he one we do. Unfortunately, this is a bit more under the public eye so it can be harder but we’re here for anonymous support!
I have a friend who is TG but, at this stage, she’s not really looking to do more than get hormone treatment. I can’t really give much more advice than talk to your doctor about what changes you might be considering and I’d suggest talking to someone you trust, you’re probably going to need the support. But be choosey! In my friend’s case her mum has been very supportive while her brother has been borderline abuse.
I can’t say I have much advice, Catman but I hope you have a good experience! May people be cool, your doctor be helpful, and family and friends supportive!
One thing (good and bad) about transitioning is that it is a gradual process. You don’t have to change things suddenly. If you try something and it doesn’t feel right you can stop or try something different that you are comfortable with.
Perhaps, since we are on a webcomic comment board, comics about transitioning might be for you? Super Late Bloomer:My Early Days in Transition by Julia Kaye has good reviews on goodreads.
…I’m not sure what the rules are for for mentioning other comics? Hopefully this is cool. If not, my bad, Willis.
Seconding ‘it’s gradual’ – I’m based in the UK and they basically enforce gradualness here. Short of surgery, nothing you can do will ruin your life. Chase that happiness.
Social transitioning is the best place to start. Test the waters, experiment with your selfhood. Find safe spaces and work out from there. If you want to take it slow, take it slow. I realised I was nb four years ago and I’m still only out to half the people in my life.
Heather Flowers is also right – it’s about the journey. I often find transitioning is like a second adolescence, and not just when hormone treatments are involved. You’re doing that self-discovery, and it’s scary but oh so worth it.
From someone who’s been transitioning for two and a half years now, you’ve got this. If it’s for you, you’ll know right quick, and if it’s not for you, you’ll also figure it out soon enough. Just remember that it’s all about the journey, not the destination, and that it’s okay to change your mind. The fact that you’re asking these questions at all is amazing, and no matter what you find the answer to be, you’ll be able to go into the future knowing more about yourself. There’s no shame in that.
I’m here if you want to ask any specific questions. I don’t know your situation, and I don’t want to presume anything, but I wish you the best of luck 🙂
Congrats to Billie for sobering up really quickly and returning to Ruth before the end of the day, I guess? I honestly did not expect her to return tonight sober. She may have a completely unrealistic goal of giving up alcohol forever after one last bender, but if so, at least her intentions are good.
Also, I can’t remember McAwesome’s being mentioned in the strip before. Anybody remember any earlier references? Is that the place that Joyce tried sushi for the first time?
The established convention is that each storyline takes place in a single day. Of course, it’s not an ironclad rule or anything, and Willis could certainly mix things up any time he chooses. But the current storyline still has two more strips to go.
I think it’s pretty close to an ironclad rule.
The only exception I can think of was the pajama jeans timeskip early on and even that had 3 panels of one day and then the rest of the storyline took place 4 days later.
I want them to talk. Like, when Billie said she was having her last drink ever, has she communicated that to Ruth in any way, shape, or form? Billie’s acting more flippant here than she was about it with Lucy, and that’s kind odd to me.
I don’t think Billie doesn’t care and isn’t taking it seriously, since that isn’t supported by what we’ve seen form her in the past, but it does feel like she’s walling herself behind a front of being flippant. I am just stuck on the why.
Yeah, I think this is Billie’s half-assed effort at a peace offering. She’s just scared to admit it was necessary. We’ll see if that’s enough to fix anything.
This is what I expected after the way Billie went into the fight (before it was even a fight). She wants to just never put work into things, which I guess probably worked for her in high school (for her, not necessarily for everyone she was with), but this apathy is going to kill the relationship.
I think it’s much less apathy and more her fear leading to her being somewhat in denial. starting to feel like she’s having difficulty accepting how different Ruth is in such a short period of time, though I feel like it’s less that Ruth has changed and more that she’s trying to enact change. Like, the Amber talk definitely shows Ruth’s still got the wrath in her, alright.
No, it isn’t and wasn’t solved by Billie. Sushi places commonly serve alcohol and I’m not holding my breath that this is the one that doesn’t. You can’t solve a conflict by ignoring it ever happened – Ruth still has feelings about this that aren’t going to go away just because Billie decided to ignore they had a fight.
OTOH, “McAwesomes” sounds more like like a fast food kind of place that serves sushi (because it’s Awesome!) than a traditional sushi place.
I do think this is where a good deal of the divide on interpretation of this strip comes from: We don’t know at this point whether Billie’s continuing her old practice of suggesting places where she can drink, ignoring the fight they just had over that or making an overture by suggesting a place where they can’t.
Yeah, I read this as “let’s go to McDonald’s Stand-In”, and therefore booze-free. I’m pretty sure that’s how Billie means it, too. Remember the conversation with Lucy? She seems to at least understand that trying to put Ruth around alcohol is a no-go. I don’t think she’s fully learned anything, but we’ll see.
We don’t KNOW but we can try and guess – word of Willis is McAwesome’s takes the place of Restaurant Ami (IIRC) the same way Galasso’s does Mother Bear’s. There’s no beverage information on the menu, but pictures of food have what look like water, green tea, and yep – white wine, sake and beer. Based on that, I’d guess it has alcohol.
Assuming that’s so, it does look like Billie is just completely blatantly ignoring what Ruth said in their fight. Which would be really shitty.
And doesn’t seem to follow from what we saw of her earlier.
Well, it’s only a guess, and it’s a guess based on the assumption that the menus are identical. They may well not be. Or it could be that Billie doesn’t realize they serve alcohol (or, if she does, doesn’t intend to order any).
Ah! I didn’t know this. The real-life Ami is like two blocks away from Read Hall, but it closes at 10:00 PM, which is why I assumed that they’d have to walk a little further for their late-night sushi.
The Yelp page for Ami says that they serve beer and wine only. Not sure if this includes sake, which usually falls into the fortified wine category, alcohol-wise.
If I’m reading the Indiana Code correctly, sake falls into the “wine” category as long as it’s less than 21% alcohol, which is true of almost all sake.
The serving of alcohol can vary depending on the local laws. Not sure about Bloomington, but where I live there’s strict control on the supply of liquor licences for restaurants, so they tend to go for astronomical prices. A lot of small restaurants then end up being BYO type places, including many of the sushi places
I’m gonna say something that maybe isn’t great but….. isnt fighting their version of flirting? If Ruth doesn’t want that to be so anymore then she should say something, cuz Billie might still think that’s the case.
Where there’s a market, it will be served. Reminds me of grad school when we’d go into Chinatown in New York at 2 or 3 in the morning. Damn that was tasty!
I’ve been to chinatown many many many times at 2, 3, 4,even 5am in the morning. I also would never get sushi if any of them served it (yuck). Also Indiana isn’t NYC 🙂
Also China isn’t really known for its sushi. 😉 … But, I had sushi in Alberta once, and never again. Ugh. Indiana seems to be about as far from the ocean, so I’d be suspicious of what it calls sushi too…
it’s not but some how lots of Chinese restaurants serve it here (nyc metro, not sure if that happens in chinatown too though). Also there’s a huge section of the population that still equate Chinese, Japanese, Korean as the same 🙁 If a Hong Kong style Seafood restaurant in chinatown served raw fish, it would probably be very good though. Just those places don’t stay open that late. Hong Kong seafood places are the ones where half the menu is still alive in fish tanks when you walk in. The best thing to get is usually called “live shrimp” (for us English only speakers). The live refers to their current state though, they are cooked before you get them. The best is getting them steamed with a side of garlic sauce. But you can’t be squeamish cause they come with the heads on still so you have to pull the heads off in addition to peeling them. That said I don’t think I’ve ever seen raw fish at a Hong Kong seafood place.
In China one of our teachers introduced us to a dish that is actually live shrimp 🙂 they’re supposed to die on the table, but they were taking too long so eventually he just ate them anyways.
This fight is different from every other fight because it is literally a fight over control of her own life, Billie. She doesn’t want alcohol anymore and you need to acknowledge it!
Billie has both self-image and ego issues. So, trying to change for the better is hard for her in lots of ways. She’ll need support but I don’t know if she’d accept it. I also wonder if she can stick the course if her self-image demands that she deny that she even needs to change.
Also I don’t understand why people are saying Billie keeps pushing Ruth to drink. Nothing in this strip says anything about booze unless you count the fight that Ruth is referring to. Are people just misreading the last panel as Billie saying “sake”, did Willis Freudian slip that panel and then go back to fix it, or are some of us just done giving Billie the benefit of the doubt? (Which is fair.)
Where I’m at on the subject is that while people generally DON’T change, that doesn’t mean they CAN’T. It just takes constant conscious effort and incentive to do so. To my knowledge this is the first time she’s really had any of the latter to put any of the former toward any change in her habits. So we shall see.
I think people are just assuming that any sushi place will have booze/any place Billie suggests will have booze. Without knowing if McAwesome’s actually does, it’s hard to read where this strip is going and thus easy to let your own interpretation of the characters drive it.
I’m reading it as Billie intentionally suggesting a place without alcohol to let Ruth know she’s going to try, but I know that’s as much hope on my part as anything.
Interesting. Almost every restaurant in my country serves alcohol. So it would be safe to assume that there would be sake. And beer. And whine. And sometimes harder stuff. It didn’t occur to me that there might be a sushi restaurant without alcohol.
Meanwhile I’ve never heard of a sushi restaurant that DID have alcohol (or at least, a sushi place where thinking of it would immediately bring alcohol to mind).
Then again, I can’t eat raw fish so I don’t eat a ton of sushi, so what do I know?
I know of exactly one non-mall sushi place that doesn’t have alcohol, and it’s at a university. Conveniently enough, they are also at a university. So… Yeah honestly I wouldn’t know what to expect from mcawesomes.
Now I hope they work this out and go there together so we can see what it’s like! 🙂
I’ve been to exactly one sushi place and nobody asked for alcohol iirc, so I wouldn’t know. Thinking back, my boyfriend’s dad may have got beer. I’m not sure.
Sushi places in America tend to serve sake to pair with it. McAwesome’s might be the only sushi place nearby that does not in fact serve alcohol, but I am not holding my breath about that.
How is it Ruth can still assume Billie is trying to do anything that makes sense….
… While Billie tries to bond with past Ruth because that’s who she relates to, and how she calls her depression by any other name through many routes, one being the normalizing of toxic, self perpetuated habits that Ruth knows enough about by now to be as desperate to escape from them as Billie is to embrace. Lazily. Like the shit won’t gouge your heart out given glacially entombing pressure conditions. Billie thinks she is empathising but she is not. I believe Ruth spots someone digging a deeper hole out of misguided, but understandable minimalist dreaming.
“Imagine none of that’s a problem for a minute. Ok now keep going.” Thaaaaaat works… like frozen mud right in the burning hearth.
One flying in needing validation that it “isn’t” depression, or at least that it’s ok if it is, the other so imbedded in all that shit so eager to look beyond. Just a bit pissed that’s all. Gotta pick up after aaaaall my goddamn babies.
Billie needs to stop being a cute pluck, and get her shit together. Ruth needs to try and take it step by step. And Ruth should threaten… Something, here, in highest exasperation. I dunno what faces she’s been practicing.
Billie is trying, but she’s also trying not to try. It’s not going to go well.
If she really does intend to try to quit drinking (and her wanting to go to McAwesomes actually supports that she’s sort of trying), she should open with actually acknowledging what happened, and saying what she intends to do. But admitting that she’s going to try means admitting she has a problem, Which She Doesn’t. So she wants to just squirm her way back into Ruth’s good graces, changing her ways without admitting that she needed to.
Even by this charitable reading, Billie’s making some bad calls today.
I think I need Ruth to teach ME to turn on lights. Because it looks like the switch is in the up position in Panel 1 with the lights off, and then it’s still in the up position in Panel 2 when Ruth’s turned on the lights, and I have no idea how she actually turned on the lights.
I’m kinda reading it as the light switch is down in the first panel? then up in the second. Which is still odd to me as it’d be the other way up down here on the bottom of the world.
One red flag for me that I haven’t seen raised yet is that Billie is mocking Ruth’s progress viz. the light switches. This stinks of toxic jealousy to me.
Billie entered this relationship believing she and Ruth were as bad as each other and therefore there were no stakes if she was shitty, which she has been today. Now that Ruth has good things in her life, that illusion is challenged. And Billie is not handling it well.
Folks I’m all for noting Billie’s dysfunctional and toxic behaviors but can we please not ignore that Ruth initiated this imbalanced relationship in a predatory way and that Billie’s issues, while not originating there, certainly didn’t improve during the codependent death spiral Ruth dragged her into?
Loading ...
“No I don’t want to get saké at McAwesome’s!”
“…I said sushi.”
“And my Billese to English translator caught it.”
“I’ll have you know, I’m not in the mood for salmon sushi anyway!”
“We both know that’s not what you mean.”
“But you’re the one who said sake!”
“I’d smack you if you weren’t right.”
This is very good, thankyou
Do we actually know that McAwesome’s serves saké?
Or is this a post-last binge overture: I’m asking you out to a place without alcohol to show you I’m going to stop tempting you with it.
Unfriendly reminder that when Ruth first tried to go sober Billie lied through her teeth for several days until Ruth caught her out-and-out in her lie.
This is performative so she can get Ruth “back,” nothing more.
It’s certainly possible. I think this is different, at least as far it all being much more serious now.
That she was out on one last binge suggests that she at least is thinking about stopping, not just pretending.
She is very likely to fail of course, but I’m not convinced it’s all performative.
All of which of course is sort of beside the point: Even if it’s performative, that means she’s not asking Ruth to go out to the drinking place. If McAwesome’s does serve sake, then it’s not even performative.
All of the Lights is the best Kanye song
My wife and I come from very different backgrounds regarding arguments. In my family, it’s just the way you talk to get a word in edgewise. Where she was from, you either agreed all the time or you were a broken couple. It’s led to a lot of confusion when I don’t even remember a fight ten minutes later. We’re celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this year.
This isn’t a difference in communication styles. Billie has outed herself as an unsafe person for Ruth to be around.
Although for a moment there, my ever-optimist heart thought she had come to apologize.
Just make sure to apologize if your wife looks upset. 😉 She might understand on an intellectual level that it’s just how you were raised, but it doesn’t negate any hurt feelings on her part. Over many years, this can lead to a slowly building resentment that eats away at a marriage, the literal straw that breaks the camel’s back, even though you might never event realize it. This is what happened to my parents. My mother is extremely good at arguing and debating and was always taking my father’s eventual silence for assent. It wasn’t. He just knew that he couldn’t win in an argument and decided to “give way” for the sake of peace. Well, after years and years of giving way, he finally decided he had enough of his opinions “not mattering”. And by then it was too late. The damage had been done.
You only feel better right before it gets worse.
I don’t like Billie
I think Billie doesn’t like Billie either.
I had hope for her earlier in the series, but since moving to that new dorm… well its not gone well.
Aaand, haw much did you drink, Billie?
Hm. . . . She LOOKS sober right now. Is this still the same night as the movie night?
From the family of alcoholics:
“If you need to get sober quickly, the best way is by inducing vomiting.”
-actual quote
I doubt she’s completely sober already, but her tolerance is higher than someone who doesn’t drink constantly so she doesn’t show it as much. If any of the other main characters drank as much as Billie probably did today (to get to the point where we saw her at movie night), they’d be flat on their ass.
Also, with alcoholism, sometimes you NEED (well, “need”) booze to be able to appear normal. I’m fairly certain she’s just less drunk than earlier and Actually Sober Billie will look quite a bit closer to death.
That’s after years of drinking, though. When you get severe withdrawal symptoms (like hallucinations and tremors) when you don’t drink. Billie is definitely not yet at that stage, she hasn’t had enough time nor has she been drinking enough and regularly enough.
Alcohol is bad, but it doesn’t get that bad that fast.
Ruth’s shown withdrawal symptoms when she’s first quit. I suspect in both their cases though, it’s more likely a bad hangover that they normally just drink more to mask.
TBF, the first time we saw Ruth was three days later. Is it possible to still be hungover after three days? Genuine question, I do not know. I think it is likely to be actual withdrawal symptoms.
Frankly, even mild withdrawal bites. My only personal experience with it though is coming off seizure meds I’d been on for 16 years, but it was unfun. Ruth’s withdrawal was shorter (so far as I can tell) but she’s also (presumably) not been drinking for 16 years.
. . . .Billie no. Ruth yes. Billie No.
On the plus side at least we know that Billie is a quick study. Picking locks is a incredibly valuable skill. Just as the Bethesda Murder Hobo.
The Bethesda Murder Hobo is the official state bird of Maryland.
And of West Virginia!
… Well, the post-apocalyptic one.
This comment section is infinitely educational.
Damn it, this is gonna turn into another fight.
I actually sympathize with Billie to an extent here. Ruth has completely changed her personality and perspective on life (at least to an exterior) so that everything they had in common before (fighting, alcohol, nihilism) is no longer present.
Ruth is having difficulty letting Billie adjust to that kind of dramatic personality change or even if she wants to.
I believe the nihilism is still there.
I’m not even sure it’s a dramatic change in personality? I mean, maybe from Billie’s perspective. But Ruth’s always wanted to recover, it’s just that it used to seem impossible to her.
Billie put a lot of effort into helping Ruth turn things around, too. She was very pro-recovery until it started being her own recovery that they were talking about. Ruth could very well be experiencing a similar shock.
Her personality has *not* drastically changed. She is controlling her anger better, but she still has it. She still thinks pretty much the same about people as she did before, she is just managing it better. Her actions might have changed, but the underlying person is still the same.
Billie is not some unsung victim of Ruth’s improvement and desire to be respected like you keep acting like she is.
We won’t need bright lights
No, no we won’t
We’re gonna make our own lightning!–Neil Diamond
Well… I mean… she’s being honest? I guess?
Billie has a point. Ruth used to physically threaten, yell at her, and proclaim she wanted her to die with her.
What’s so special about this argument by comparison.
You’re comparing guns and ban as, and I hate bananas.
I don’t remember them doing that after they were a couple, and even, or rather especially then, they never let each other get away with anything. They demanded effort from each other.
Ah, yes. This looks like the way my dad deals with having huge fights with people, especially with his wife and offspring.
Hint: It doesn’t work and in fact has given me a portion of my existing anxiety.
Again, Ruth used to yell and do much worse to Billie as part of their daily relationship.
Ruth can’t actually act like her current personality is the normal one in their relationship.
At no point did I say Ruth was an innocent party so I don’t know where this defensiveness is coming from
Ruth treated Billie badly in the past and so Billie is justified in treating Ruth badly now. – Does not follow.
Ruth’s personality has changed drastically and so Billie is justified in treating Ruth badly. – Does not follow. (Also the premises is wrong. The only difference in Ruth that we have seen is an absence of the very worst of her depression. As we saw in her interaction with Amber, the niihilistic snark is still there.)
Having huge fights and then ignoring it gave Ivy anxiety, therefore it is bad for Ruth and Billie. – Does not follow. (They are very different people.)
Can we take bets on whether Willis is gonna break up two couples in one storyline NOW? 😛
I’ll get a piece of that action. I believe in the mad lad
Not going to bet, but I’d be happy to hold the money. 😉
I’m not gonna take bets, but Billie now has a confirmed superpower: sobering up at an inhumanly fast rate.
Let’s say that Lucy’s movie night began at 7:00 PM. Flight of the Navigator runs 90 minutes. So a little after 9:30 PM, Billie stumbles into her room in Forest clearly plastered, drinky bubbles around her head and all.
Now it’s what, at most 11:30 PM? And Billie is not only apparently sober, but she is so sober that Ruth can’t smell alcohol on her breath when they are nose to nose.
So remind me again, why is drinking a problem for Billie, as long as she doesn’t get behind the wheel of a car during the 90 minutes it takes her to completely sober up?
I don’t know why this irritates me so much when gross violations of the laws of physics don’t bother me in the least.
Anyway, yeah, DYW is pretty clearly gonna break them up in the next two or three strips.
I knew a guy who could go from blackout drunk to completely fine in 30 minutes. Obviously we still never let him drive but shit was scary
Friend of mind back in college had what she described as 10 minutes of reserve sobriety: In a crisis the adrenaline would kick in and she’d be functional, hopefully long enough to deal with it, then the alcohol would take over again.
I suspect that’s what Billie used back at the party when she went from boozles and slurred speech to treating Joyce and checking her for injury in minutes.
Just a slight correction on your math, but if FotN was 90 minutes, Billie would stumble in right after 8:30pm, not 9:30.
Coupled with the “11:30” estimation, that would put this as being about three hours later.
You and Nono are right, and she would have had time to walk off the drinky bubbles. I withdraw my objections on that count, but I’m still not so sure about the alcohol breath. That comes from alcohol in the blood, and the liver just doesn’t metabolize alcohol all that quickly.
True, but I’m sure Ruth suspects that Billie has been drinking, so if she noticed the booze-breath she probably didn’t feel the need to comment on it.
Mint?
Wonder if Ruth can tell the difference between Tic Tacs and Rumple Minz. 🙂
If you’ve ever had repeated close contact with someone who drinks a lot, the smell of alcohol breath is unmistakable. That smell doesn’t come from the booze itself. It comes from alcohol in the bloodstream being exhaled in vapor form through the lungs.
Trying to hide alcohol breath is like trying to hide cigarette breath. It only works if the person you’re talking to doesn’t know what it smells like.
Fair enough. I have not had repeated close contact with someone who drinks a lot.
Years ago, I had a boss who would regularly show up at maybe 10:00 am, on those days when she didn’t just call in sick (she was supposed to be there at 8:00). Trust me, even at a normal conversational distance, you can smell it, and mints are not going to cover it up.
This was back in the day when reporting on your supervisor for something like that was unthinkable. Hopefully things have changed since then, but I’m guessing probably not as much as one would hope.
Next chapter Billie’s liver rips its way out of her chest and goes on a rampage in the nearest liquor store, drinking the entire stock and getting larger every minute.
Billie’s alcoholism is an element of her incredible toxicity. She doesn’t address her problems, she skipped class to get day drunk, she’s inviting her *recovering alcoholic* girlfriend to go drinking. It encapsulates pretty much every genuinely negative aspect of who Billie is as a person and driving her to make poor decision after poor decision, none of which have to do with being drunk and everything to do with her *desire* to be drunk.
And that’s why Billie’s drinking is a problem thanks for coming to my TED talk.
I suspect “completely sobering up” is not what’s happening. Really practiced at presenting herself as sober when she’s still drunk, but not completely smashed is more like it.
She’s down to baseline Billie level of drunk, that’s all.
Agreed.
Maybe she’s planning to surprise Ruth by going sober. If she fails, Ruth doesn’t have to know because Ruth wouldn’t expect it and would be saved from disappointment. That seems to align with Billie’s thinking.
That’s what I was thinking. The first part. Billie will eat the sushi without the saki. Then they’ll talk.
Considering that she told Lucy it was probably the last time, this is probably the case. I’m unsure if it’ll be a SURPRISE but I’m fairly certain Billie is at the very least CONSIDERING sobering up for Ruth’s sake.
I really hope they can work through this but I feel Billie will destroy the ship with her stubbornness and love of booze.
Sometimes what used to spark an argument, years later only provokes a shrug. Getting through those years can be dicey, sometimes. 26 and counting.
I expect Billie to destroy her relationship with Ruth by eventually admitting she prefers the Old Ruth.
I’m not sure I’ll be commenting here going forward, but I just wanted to say how much I appreciate various members of this comment section. I’m not gonna name names because I’m sure I’d leave people out, so just go ahead and assume this means you, person reading this.
Everything okay?
Yeah, this is a little abrupt. You don’t owe us an explanation, of course, just… color me concerned?
We haven’t interacted at all, but I want you to know I like reading your comments and I’ll miss seeing you around. Take care!
We didnt talk much but you will be missed. Good luck in the future
Hey, we appreciate you, too. You’re cool in my book.
You cool. Hope you’re also okay.
So Billie took space to make peace with giving up alcohol, then went back. Also, yes. Couples have fights. It’s natural to have conflicts, especially in regards to life changing developments and decisions.
It is natural to have conflicting points of view and need to discuss things. Not fights where one of you has to remind the other that you don’t want to die for them to accept your decision and decide to respect it only where you can’t see them do so and then they pretend you were never in conflict even though your feelings are unresolved.
I’m not sure if Billie not acknowledging that she has given up drinking for her is either an awful sign (she has already given up) or really good (she isn’t just doing to win Ruth back after the fight). I do not look forward to seeing which is which.
Unrelated to the strip, I’m looking at transitioning (as in ‘transitioning’) and I’m not really confident talking about it without the anonymity provided by the internet, soooo any advice?
Beer. Lots of beer
Yeah… That was my strategy for a small while… It didn’t work out well.
Don’t really know your situation but, like… go for it? I mean, whenever you’re ready is absolutely the right time.
Do you have any specific concerns? I mean, I think I’m kind of in the same place as you are, but I’m certainly happy to give my perspective if that’s something that you think would help.
I think what holds me back most is I’m afraid I’m going to wake up one day and it will have all been a phaze. And I’ll regret any and all things I did, and every one who supports me will be mad that I wasted their time and anyone who doesn’t will be like “ha, told you so.’
What’s your thought process been like? It would be great to hear someone else’s perspective on this kind of thing.
If you tell people you love this is something you’re trying to work out and they love and support you, they will continue to support you while you work it out.
You can also maybe try out how things feel in private, in anonymous spaces, or with select individuals, and work out if your gender assigned at birth or the one traditionally associated with interlocking genitalia (or gender-fluidity or agenderedness) feels more comfortable?
You definitely don’t need to order an entire new wardrobe, complete with binder/padding, to arrive by X date, and on X+1 date burn your old wardrobe and announce to the world that you are now to be known as NewName and by nee pronouns. You can give yourself the time and space to do it at a pace that you are comfortable with.
Don’t forget to be kind to yourself.
Worrying that it’s somehow not real, or that you’re making a mistake, is understandable and perfectly normal! I spent ages convinced that I was somehow faking wanting to be female, for example.
As others have already covered, the great thing about transitioning is that you’re allowed to take things at your own pace, and that it’s okay to change your mind at any time later. A lot of folks assume there’s a correct way to transition, but I think almost anyone who goes through it will agree that that’s not true.
Try on different clothes. Go by a new name. Get a different haircut. Take the steps to get on hormones. Decide you don’t like something you changed and change again (or even go back) later. Be like me and never get around to doing half those things in the first place because you already did the stuff you actually wanted to (: D). The only thing that matters is that you’re allowed to figure out what works for you. It’s hard to know what does and doesn’t work for you until you give it a try, right?
It’s also perfectly normal to worry about what other people will think. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for what you do, but Miri’s right- the people you care about should understand as long as you tell them what you’re going through. Personally, I’ve found the people in my life to be far less judgemental than I thought they would. Sometimes I’m actually disappointed that they don’t ask more questions, but I’m more okay with that than I expected I’d be.
I hope that whatever you decide is magical and exciting for you! But if it turns out not to be, that’s okay too! At least you’ll understand yourself better!
Gender fluid is a thing too! So, if it isn’t anxiety from people but sometimes being less sure about a transition because you’re more comfortable in your current body on some days, then you should also consider that. Have a friend that thought they were trans but then ended up stopping part way through transition because the Andro/gendefluid feeling ended up being more true to how they felt.
Also have multiple friends who, when they got through worrying about societal expectations, felt like themselves for the very first time in memory after the process. It will be a roller coaster. There will be doubt. It’s huge differences that might take time to adjust. People have a hard time adjusting to many physical differences that can occur through life. That doesn’t mean your decision is wrong! It’s just hard to make a you new and find that place in the world. But, it IS still YOU. Gender identity, gender rolls, sex, orientation are all complicated and messy things that can become a tangled knot. One at a time, get it all down on how you feel, and whatever you do won’t be wrong because you’re a work in progress like everyone else. Sometimes we make a turn we don’t like, but that lets us learn to make he one we do. Unfortunately, this is a bit more under the public eye so it can be harder but we’re here for anonymous support!
I have a friend who is TG but, at this stage, she’s not really looking to do more than get hormone treatment. I can’t really give much more advice than talk to your doctor about what changes you might be considering and I’d suggest talking to someone you trust, you’re probably going to need the support. But be choosey! In my friend’s case her mum has been very supportive while her brother has been borderline abuse.
I can’t say I have much advice, Catman but I hope you have a good experience! May people be cool, your doctor be helpful, and family and friends supportive!
One thing (good and bad) about transitioning is that it is a gradual process. You don’t have to change things suddenly. If you try something and it doesn’t feel right you can stop or try something different that you are comfortable with.
Perhaps, since we are on a webcomic comment board, comics about transitioning might be for you? Super Late Bloomer:My Early Days in Transition by Julia Kaye has good reviews on goodreads.
…I’m not sure what the rules are for for mentioning other comics? Hopefully this is cool. If not, my bad, Willis.
I’ll check it out. Thank you
Seconding ‘it’s gradual’ – I’m based in the UK and they basically enforce gradualness here. Short of surgery, nothing you can do will ruin your life. Chase that happiness.
Social transitioning is the best place to start. Test the waters, experiment with your selfhood. Find safe spaces and work out from there. If you want to take it slow, take it slow. I realised I was nb four years ago and I’m still only out to half the people in my life.
Heather Flowers is also right – it’s about the journey. I often find transitioning is like a second adolescence, and not just when hormone treatments are involved. You’re doing that self-discovery, and it’s scary but oh so worth it.
Be brave. You won’t go wrong.
We’re allowed to mention other media, including comics, so long as it’s relevant, to my knowledge and experience. You’re good.
This list might have more helpful resources: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/91823.Trans_Books_by_Trans_Authors
From someone who’s been transitioning for two and a half years now, you’ve got this. If it’s for you, you’ll know right quick, and if it’s not for you, you’ll also figure it out soon enough. Just remember that it’s all about the journey, not the destination, and that it’s okay to change your mind. The fact that you’re asking these questions at all is amazing, and no matter what you find the answer to be, you’ll be able to go into the future knowing more about yourself. There’s no shame in that.
I’m here if you want to ask any specific questions. I don’t know your situation, and I don’t want to presume anything, but I wish you the best of luck 🙂
http://assignedmale.tumblr.com/page/20 🙂
Thanks for the advice everyone. It really means a lot.
That’s how I solve all my problems. Got really hard with that open wound but I powered through.
Linus, in Peanuts: “No problem is so big or so complicated that it can’t be run away from!”
I mean how doo you resolve unresolved fights?
Sorry, but let’s get sushi?
All Billieneeds is the “Sorry”!
Billie, n-… y-… Hm. Billie, maybe.
Billie maybe.
Congrats to Billie for sobering up really quickly and returning to Ruth before the end of the day, I guess? I honestly did not expect her to return tonight sober. She may have a completely unrealistic goal of giving up alcohol forever after one last bender, but if so, at least her intentions are good.
Also, I can’t remember McAwesome’s being mentioned in the strip before. Anybody remember any earlier references? Is that the place that Joyce tried sushi for the first time?
Yup, answered my own question: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/02-threes-a-crowd/ami/
I think this might be like a next day, since I was under the impression Amber and Ruth’s two convos weren’t one after the other.
The established convention is that each storyline takes place in a single day. Of course, it’s not an ironclad rule or anything, and Willis could certainly mix things up any time he chooses. But the current storyline still has two more strips to go.
They’re also still wearing the same outfits as this morning.
yea the key thing is they haven’t changed their clothing
I think it’s pretty close to an ironclad rule.
The only exception I can think of was the pajama jeans timeskip early on and even that had 3 panels of one day and then the rest of the storyline took place 4 days later.
Oh god dammit Billie please don’t do this.
Billie would very much that their earlier conversation did not take place.
Dang it, Billie, you can’t just call out the lightswitch thing like that! I bet you don’t even recognize the metaphorical implications, either!
Sounds like a very midwestern approach.
I want them to talk. Like, when Billie said she was having her last drink ever, has she communicated that to Ruth in any way, shape, or form? Billie’s acting more flippant here than she was about it with Lucy, and that’s kind odd to me.
I don’t think Billie doesn’t care and isn’t taking it seriously, since that isn’t supported by what we’ve seen form her in the past, but it does feel like she’s walling herself behind a front of being flippant. I am just stuck on the why.
Because walling herself behind a wall of flippant is what Billie does. I think she is communicating that to Ruth here, in Billese.
Yeah, I think this is Billie’s half-assed effort at a peace offering. She’s just scared to admit it was necessary. We’ll see if that’s enough to fix anything.
This is what I expected after the way Billie went into the fight (before it was even a fight). She wants to just never put work into things, which I guess probably worked for her in high school (for her, not necessarily for everyone she was with), but this apathy is going to kill the relationship.
I think it’s much less apathy and more her fear leading to her being somewhat in denial. starting to feel like she’s having difficulty accepting how different Ruth is in such a short period of time, though I feel like it’s less that Ruth has changed and more that she’s trying to enact change. Like, the Amber talk definitely shows Ruth’s still got the wrath in her, alright.
I can’t believe Billie is the least healthy part of this relationship. ….then again…
Actually, the conflict was solved by Billie not drinking in her room, nor suggesting they go somewhere and drink. Lets give credit where its due.
No, it isn’t and wasn’t solved by Billie. Sushi places commonly serve alcohol and I’m not holding my breath that this is the one that doesn’t. You can’t solve a conflict by ignoring it ever happened – Ruth still has feelings about this that aren’t going to go away just because Billie decided to ignore they had a fight.
OTOH, “McAwesomes” sounds more like like a fast food kind of place that serves sushi (because it’s Awesome!) than a traditional sushi place.
I do think this is where a good deal of the divide on interpretation of this strip comes from: We don’t know at this point whether Billie’s continuing her old practice of suggesting places where she can drink, ignoring the fight they just had over that or making an overture by suggesting a place where they can’t.
Yeah, I read this as “let’s go to McDonald’s Stand-In”, and therefore booze-free. I’m pretty sure that’s how Billie means it, too. Remember the conversation with Lucy? She seems to at least understand that trying to put Ruth around alcohol is a no-go. I don’t think she’s fully learned anything, but we’ll see.
It’s kind of irritating, only because they both know whether McAwesome’s implies booze or not, but we don’t.
We don’t KNOW but we can try and guess – word of Willis is McAwesome’s takes the place of Restaurant Ami (IIRC) the same way Galasso’s does Mother Bear’s. There’s no beverage information on the menu, but pictures of food have what look like water, green tea, and yep – white wine, sake and beer. Based on that, I’d guess it has alcohol.
Fair enough. I didn’t remember that.
Assuming that’s so, it does look like Billie is just completely blatantly ignoring what Ruth said in their fight. Which would be really shitty.
And doesn’t seem to follow from what we saw of her earlier.
Well, it’s only a guess, and it’s a guess based on the assumption that the menus are identical. They may well not be. Or it could be that Billie doesn’t realize they serve alcohol (or, if she does, doesn’t intend to order any).
Ah! I didn’t know this. The real-life Ami is like two blocks away from Read Hall, but it closes at 10:00 PM, which is why I assumed that they’d have to walk a little further for their late-night sushi.
The Yelp page for Ami says that they serve beer and wine only. Not sure if this includes sake, which usually falls into the fortified wine category, alcohol-wise.
If I’m reading the Indiana Code correctly, sake falls into the “wine” category as long as it’s less than 21% alcohol, which is true of almost all sake.
Makes sense. I only mentioned it because I saw a sake bottle in one of the pictures on yelp.
The serving of alcohol can vary depending on the local laws. Not sure about Bloomington, but where I live there’s strict control on the supply of liquor licences for restaurants, so they tend to go for astronomical prices. A lot of small restaurants then end up being BYO type places, including many of the sushi places
Well let’s see how this turns out. This could go well (“I am going to honestly do my best to stop drinking, and will stop inviting you”), or in murder
I’m gonna say something that maybe isn’t great but….. isnt fighting their version of flirting? If Ruth doesn’t want that to be so anymore then she should say something, cuz Billie might still think that’s the case.
In other news, I love Ruth.
breath not smelling like a wineyard anymore ?
theres no way this could end badly
How is it still early enough to get sushi but Billie appears to be sober already?
I just checked Yelp and there’s a sushi place just 15 minutes from Read Hall that is open until 3:00 AM Tuesday through Saturday. For reals.
Where there’s a market, it will be served. Reminds me of grad school when we’d go into Chinatown in New York at 2 or 3 in the morning. Damn that was tasty!
I’ve been to chinatown many many many times at 2, 3, 4,even 5am in the morning. I also would never get sushi if any of them served it (yuck). Also Indiana isn’t NYC 🙂
Also China isn’t really known for its sushi. 😉 … But, I had sushi in Alberta once, and never again. Ugh. Indiana seems to be about as far from the ocean, so I’d be suspicious of what it calls sushi too…
it’s not but some how lots of Chinese restaurants serve it here (nyc metro, not sure if that happens in chinatown too though). Also there’s a huge section of the population that still equate Chinese, Japanese, Korean as the same 🙁 If a Hong Kong style Seafood restaurant in chinatown served raw fish, it would probably be very good though. Just those places don’t stay open that late. Hong Kong seafood places are the ones where half the menu is still alive in fish tanks when you walk in. The best thing to get is usually called “live shrimp” (for us English only speakers). The live refers to their current state though, they are cooked before you get them. The best is getting them steamed with a side of garlic sauce. But you can’t be squeamish cause they come with the heads on still so you have to pull the heads off in addition to peeling them. That said I don’t think I’ve ever seen raw fish at a Hong Kong seafood place.
In China one of our teachers introduced us to a dish that is actually live shrimp 🙂 they’re supposed to die on the table, but they were taking too long so eventually he just ate them anyways.
I was wondering if this is
(a) the next day, or
(b) before Billie came home drunk really late.
I’m confused about the timeline here.
It is the same day, as the chapter hasn’t ended yet.
This fight is different from every other fight because it is literally a fight over control of her own life, Billie. She doesn’t want alcohol anymore and you need to acknowledge it!
Nobody has mentioned the alt-text as I compose this. I guess nobody caught the Itchy and Scratchy Show reference?
To be honest, I forgot it existed.
Billie has something like Uber Eats, doesn’t she, that would allow her to have booze delivered to her door.
Jimmy brings is the one I know
Huh….It feels that we’ve come to a weird place where as Walky becomes more mature, Billie is becoming more immature. Crazy.
Solve conflicts by ignoring them? Yeah, that sounds like the sort of solution that Billie would prefer!
Outside of actual villainous characters (Mary, Blaine, Linda), Billie is by cosmological gaps the worst person in the cast.
I can’t wait for the story to no longer focus on her.
Change “cosmological” to “astronomical”. Definitely forgot “astronomical” was a term for a minute.
Billie’s trying to fix her behaviour without admitting there was a problem in the first place. Curious to see how well that works.
Billie has both self-image and ego issues. So, trying to change for the better is hard for her in lots of ways. She’ll need support but I don’t know if she’d accept it. I also wonder if she can stick the course if her self-image demands that she deny that she even needs to change.
B I L L I E
stahp
Right now
Thank you very much
I don’t know if Ruth is glad to see Billie or not. Possibly Ruth doesn’t know, either. Yet.
I’m fucking horrified that people are STILL blaming Ruth for this fight.
Billie. Will. Kill. Ruth. If. She. Keeps. Pushing. Her. To. Drink.
In what terrible fucked-up universe does Billie actively resisting changing for the better make her the victim in this scenario?
Agreed.
Jesus this is hard times, sorry Ruth
Dumbing of Age Book 9: So We’re Solving Our Conflicts by Ignoring Them?
Also I don’t understand why people are saying Billie keeps pushing Ruth to drink. Nothing in this strip says anything about booze unless you count the fight that Ruth is referring to. Are people just misreading the last panel as Billie saying “sake”, did Willis Freudian slip that panel and then go back to fix it, or are some of us just done giving Billie the benefit of the doubt? (Which is fair.)
Where I’m at on the subject is that while people generally DON’T change, that doesn’t mean they CAN’T. It just takes constant conscious effort and incentive to do so. To my knowledge this is the first time she’s really had any of the latter to put any of the former toward any change in her habits. So we shall see.
Fun date idea!: Alcoholics Anonymous.
(But really.)
I think people are just assuming that any sushi place will have booze/any place Billie suggests will have booze. Without knowing if McAwesome’s actually does, it’s hard to read where this strip is going and thus easy to let your own interpretation of the characters drive it.
I’m reading it as Billie intentionally suggesting a place without alcohol to let Ruth know she’s going to try, but I know that’s as much hope on my part as anything.
Interesting. Almost every restaurant in my country serves alcohol. So it would be safe to assume that there would be sake. And beer. And whine. And sometimes harder stuff. It didn’t occur to me that there might be a sushi restaurant without alcohol.
Meanwhile I’ve never heard of a sushi restaurant that DID have alcohol (or at least, a sushi place where thinking of it would immediately bring alcohol to mind).
Then again, I can’t eat raw fish so I don’t eat a ton of sushi, so what do I know?
I know of exactly one non-mall sushi place that doesn’t have alcohol, and it’s at a university. Conveniently enough, they are also at a university. So… Yeah honestly I wouldn’t know what to expect from mcawesomes.
Now I hope they work this out and go there together so we can see what it’s like! 🙂
I’ve been to exactly one sushi place and nobody asked for alcohol iirc, so I wouldn’t know. Thinking back, my boyfriend’s dad may have got beer. I’m not sure.
Sushi places in America tend to serve sake to pair with it. McAwesome’s might be the only sushi place nearby that does not in fact serve alcohol, but I am not holding my breath about that.
yo billie i get it addiction is hard and so is overcoming it, but for god sake blatantly ignoring a problem solves nothing
Where’s Ana Chronistic?
How is it Ruth can still assume Billie is trying to do anything that makes sense….
… While Billie tries to bond with past Ruth because that’s who she relates to, and how she calls her depression by any other name through many routes, one being the normalizing of toxic, self perpetuated habits that Ruth knows enough about by now to be as desperate to escape from them as Billie is to embrace. Lazily. Like the shit won’t gouge your heart out given glacially entombing pressure conditions. Billie thinks she is empathising but she is not. I believe Ruth spots someone digging a deeper hole out of misguided, but understandable minimalist dreaming.
“Imagine none of that’s a problem for a minute. Ok now keep going.” Thaaaaaat works… like frozen mud right in the burning hearth.
One flying in needing validation that it “isn’t” depression, or at least that it’s ok if it is, the other so imbedded in all that shit so eager to look beyond. Just a bit pissed that’s all. Gotta pick up after aaaaall my goddamn babies.
Billie needs to stop being a cute pluck, and get her shit together. Ruth needs to try and take it step by step. And Ruth should threaten… Something, here, in highest exasperation. I dunno what faces she’s been practicing.
So are they about to fight about fighting?
It bizarrely meta but it does seem likely!
If this isn’t over, it could be good for Billie.
If it isn’t good for Billie, it could be bad for Ruth.
If it’s bad for Ruth, I hope it’s over.
Do the right thing and toss her out.
Billie is trying, but she’s also trying not to try. It’s not going to go well.
If she really does intend to try to quit drinking (and her wanting to go to McAwesomes actually supports that she’s sort of trying), she should open with actually acknowledging what happened, and saying what she intends to do. But admitting that she’s going to try means admitting she has a problem, Which She Doesn’t. So she wants to just squirm her way back into Ruth’s good graces, changing her ways without admitting that she needed to.
Even by this charitable reading, Billie’s making some bad calls today.
I thought Billie would still be hungover at this point she hasn’t even changed clothes.
I think I need Ruth to teach ME to turn on lights. Because it looks like the switch is in the up position in Panel 1 with the lights off, and then it’s still in the up position in Panel 2 when Ruth’s turned on the lights, and I have no idea how she actually turned on the lights.
;p
With Spite!
I’m kinda reading it as the light switch is down in the first panel? then up in the second. Which is still odd to me as it’d be the other way up down here on the bottom of the world.
One red flag for me that I haven’t seen raised yet is that Billie is mocking Ruth’s progress viz. the light switches. This stinks of toxic jealousy to me.
Billie entered this relationship believing she and Ruth were as bad as each other and therefore there were no stakes if she was shitty, which she has been today. Now that Ruth has good things in her life, that illusion is challenged. And Billie is not handling it well.
Folks I’m all for noting Billie’s dysfunctional and toxic behaviors but can we please not ignore that Ruth initiated this imbalanced relationship in a predatory way and that Billie’s issues, while not originating there, certainly didn’t improve during the codependent death spiral Ruth dragged her into?
It’s like yes, Billie is frighteningly immature compared to Ruth but who exactly pinned who against a wall and sexually assaulted them?
In those moments before the refresh brings the next strip…
Didn’t Ruth already give Billie a key? Did the powers that be make Ruth take Billie’s key away?