It's Fine She's Fine
Added 2025-02-18 01:38:37 +0000 UTCBrains: no thanks
Comments
I just want to say all of the patrons here are such a good group of humans. So many people opening up and showing real personal vulnerability and not a single mean-spirited comment.
Clifton Royston
2025-02-23 19:50:19 +0000 UTC[slow clap]
Clifton Royston
2025-02-22 06:53:17 +0000 UTC@Corvus I hear you. I have been pleasantly surprised the last few years to see more people feeling safe to be "out" as multiple systems in some contexts. Right off the bat I can think of 3 multiples I'm casual friends with on Mastodon, including Irenes who actually wrote a guide on how to come out as multiple at work.
Clifton Royston
2025-02-22 06:46:15 +0000 UTCSo, again, not a professional, just a person who’s been through some stuff and did too much reading? But I thought about it, and that still sounds like fighting to me. You couldn’t fight physically, but you pushed back how you could: by making your feelings known. There are a lot of ways to fight back. But it could have been freezing in a way — you’re the only one who knows what you were experiencing when that happened.
Wednesday
2025-02-20 08:20:18 +0000 UTCThere's also Amber/Amazi Girl over on Dumbing of Age, a system who we have seen go uncooperative and gradually start communicating again. One of the funnier things was AG complaining about Amber's method of getting to sleep and that she (AG) was usually the one left cleaning up the mess.
Opus the Poet
2025-02-20 07:00:23 +0000 UTCThis is the only place on the interwebs we’ve considered as “safe” (such as this exists today) to be a little open. Long time lurker(s) ha Edit to add: solidarity fist bump 💕 Edit 2: because the world Jeph has built is the one we all need and deserve, so those who comment here are the actual good people.
Corvus Cardia
2025-02-19 15:33:10 +0000 UTCIf ever there was a situation where Hanners would break down and give a hug, this should be it!
alphanor
2025-02-19 14:41:34 +0000 UTCLove to all 3 of you, because I know a little too much of what you’re talking about.
Clifton Royston
2025-02-19 10:02:15 +0000 UTCProbably TMI but oh well. Seems like lots of people here who know what I’m getting at.
Clifton Royston
2025-02-19 09:58:25 +0000 UTCHonestly, as someone with a long history of dissociation, it is usually a bad way to deal with things. Once you get the habit it can all too easily become the way you react to anything unpleasant or threatening. But sometimes it’s the only thing you’ve got and you’ve got to use it. (Especially when you are young or stuck in a powerless situation.)
Clifton Royston
2025-02-19 09:57:15 +0000 UTCIt was "fight" when I could actually fight back. Before that, it was "scowl and glare contemptuously because I'm too small to fight back". Is that freezing or fawning?
least_rectangles
2025-02-19 06:15:33 +0000 UTCThere's never an Elliott around when you need him!
ValdVin
2025-02-19 03:22:15 +0000 UTCOh, Winslow is such a cinnamon roll! You don’t want his name associated with something like orbital bombardment.
Elf Sternberg
2025-02-19 02:39:57 +0000 UTCIf the rude caller has a Southern accent, be sure to work the phrase "Well, bless your heart" (in an affectionate tone of voice) into the conversation after they say something nasty.
William Burns
2025-02-19 01:30:02 +0000 UTCBack in my call center days I usually just entertained myself in those situations by silently making rude gestures at the phone. Or non-silently, if you are feeling confident in your mute button skills.
BookBeard
2025-02-18 23:19:37 +0000 UTCIs dissociating a good way to deal with things? Because sometimes I'm not sure what to do when someone is really rude on the phone. I can't tell them off because I like my job.
Kuragari
2025-02-18 22:15:30 +0000 UTCFriends/(maybe) family are those at ground zero when these things happen; we’re grateful for the Hanners in our life, for sure.
Corvus Cardia
2025-02-18 18:31:13 +0000 UTCI wish Willow weren't relatable.
Merle Blue
2025-02-18 18:04:08 +0000 UTCTake care of yourself ❤️❤️❤️❤️
enchantedsleeper
2025-02-18 16:41:01 +0000 UTCHa, I can't remember what I got but it was definitely sus 😅 I can fortunately switch to Reader mode to avoid them but it makes the experience of navigating the site less optimal. I wonder why the site seems to be so afflicted. It can't be a great experience for non-Patreon readers...
enchantedsleeper
2025-02-18 16:40:14 +0000 UTCIt has it's moments.
Yelling Bird
2025-02-18 16:14:30 +0000 UTCIt's partly about tenses and partly about aspect (many languages differentiate completed vs. incomplete actions separately from tense!)
Stephen Wells
2025-02-18 15:46:18 +0000 UTCNice of Hanners to demonstrate in practice how to Point Fingers At in panel 2 :)
Stephen Wells
2025-02-18 15:44:44 +0000 UTCAh geez, I've been at this level of dissociation before. Someone get Willow a good trauma therapist, stat!
Josh Moberly
2025-02-18 14:01:28 +0000 UTCOh god. I missed the last Willow comic and the whole dissociation. Willooooooooow. 😩😩😩
legobil
2025-02-18 13:26:30 +0000 UTCBeen dissociating a lot lately. The flood is real. Thanks, Jeph - QC is an important part of my days. 💜
Melissa
2025-02-18 13:18:20 +0000 UTCFor a DID system, Moonknight, particularly as depicted in the series, is a powerful representation. We’ve since had family watch it to help them understand a bit about us and our world. We’re very fortunate though because we’re (now) aware of each other and have a toolbox of coping mechanisms (yay therapy!).
Corvus Cardia
2025-02-18 12:49:58 +0000 UTCOh this one hits a little *too* close. This hurt my feelings a little. Oh no
Dylan T
2025-02-18 12:39:18 +0000 UTCYou too, enchantedsleeper? I love QC, but the pop-ups that are showing are definitely questionable (it's porn, basically).
David Paul
2025-02-18 10:27:30 +0000 UTCaaa oh no oh love 🥺
Boots McGoot
2025-02-18 10:23:09 +0000 UTC...You chose your avatar perfectly.
Shannon Woodbury
2025-02-18 09:43:01 +0000 UTCIn my experience: If you feel like you've just woken up (despite the fact you were already awake) and you can't recall anything from the last few minutes, then it's time to call your therapist. (NB: In the Marvel series Moon Knight, the Writers / Director actually got it pretty much spot on....)
Shannon Woodbury
2025-02-18 09:40:29 +0000 UTCDid NOT see the emotional backlash I'd feel reading through Willow's recent trauma. Seems to be a worrying self-indicator there that I feel a dire need to duck away from for some reason...
Chris Godsey
2025-02-18 09:33:41 +0000 UTCCue up the "Flight of the Valkyries / Carmina Burana" play list folks.... cause here comes Iris!! (D-Types can always intuit when their little one's in trouble).
Shannon Woodbury
2025-02-18 09:30:38 +0000 UTCSo, you want the Banner in She-Hulk? Because that's how you get Hulk as a separate personality. Hulk is an alter.
Opus the Poet
2025-02-18 09:02:19 +0000 UTCThat’s how it goes. Sometimes it comes out empty, sometimes it comes out shaky. But if you’re new to it chances are you’ll cry
Maximum Turtle
2025-02-18 08:35:21 +0000 UTCI forgot that happened xD Also, I'm getting some nasty pop-ups on the QC site...
enchantedsleeper
2025-02-18 08:19:18 +0000 UTCI like the idea of Willow Chaneling anger. It presumably involves spraying someone in the eyes with expensive perfume while wearing an LBD.
Philip Masters
2025-02-18 08:18:05 +0000 UTCWhat should Hanners be doing instead? (As in, what is the 'correct' response in this situation?)
enchantedsleeper
2025-02-18 08:17:22 +0000 UTCShe's doing her best as Willow's friend 😅
enchantedsleeper
2025-02-18 08:16:21 +0000 UTCMy favourite version of fine: Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.
Carrie
2025-02-18 08:13:46 +0000 UTCFor myself I am not present when I have disassociated so suddenly it's a different time and place and I don't know how or why I am where I am.
Carrie
2025-02-18 08:04:35 +0000 UTCLook, I’m not saying Iris is right. I’m saying i’d help her hide the bodies.
Hakurei06
2025-02-18 07:38:53 +0000 UTCI came to comment , I am seeing Iris in a new light that i was not expecting from this angle, this would be carer burnout you could not imagine.
SpookyPenguin
2025-02-18 07:23:09 +0000 UTCNoooo Willow :( she needs a hug
Krestus
2025-02-18 07:16:41 +0000 UTCWilloooooooooow! 😭
Katrina Urmson
2025-02-18 07:00:00 +0000 UTCwillow need's a vacation
angrytoast777
2025-02-18 06:46:43 +0000 UTCHow does one stop dissociating and how do i know once I've done it? (Seriously asking)
Davus Otho
2025-02-18 06:02:33 +0000 UTCPoor Willow. Too pure for this world.
Uniquitous
2025-02-18 05:41:47 +0000 UTCI wish you had never had to experience that. We currently understand there to be four broad classes of trauma reaction: fight (as you experienced), flight (run! run now! get away!), freeze (stop moving, dissociate, lose executive function, everything slows to a crawl), or fawn (placate, please, bring calm back by folding). Everyone is capable of any of them, but factors such as upbringing and cultural expectations will encourage us to adopt defaults, especially if we learn they’re effective at getting us through incidents which activate those responses in us. Note: I am not a trained medical or mental health professional, and this is an overview from memory.
Wednesday
2025-02-18 05:41:43 +0000 UTCLemon is outside the shop, waiting for the perfect ‘slightly too late’ moment.
Andrew
2025-02-18 05:34:16 +0000 UTCMy wife used to have many explications of FINE, including F**ing Insane, Neurotic, and Excitable.
Clifton Royston
2025-02-18 05:28:25 +0000 UTCOof.
Clifton Royston
2025-02-18 05:21:44 +0000 UTCDissociating the peasants and their THATCHED ROOF COTTAGES!
Grace Kieser
2025-02-18 05:19:04 +0000 UTCShe may not be a therapist, but she's spent most of her life in therapy and has a fair amount of personal experience with emotional abuse.
Grace Kieser
2025-02-18 05:03:18 +0000 UTCtotally not what my first time in therapy was like for me
Minzoku Bokumetsu
2025-02-18 04:57:33 +0000 UTCoh no
Minzoku Bokumetsu
2025-02-18 04:56:58 +0000 UTCMy ghods, that's heartbreaking.
Maurice Kessler
2025-02-18 04:50:14 +0000 UTCRelease the (v)Iris.
Opus the Poet
2025-02-18 04:34:33 +0000 UTCThat's what they keep telling me.
Opus the Poet
2025-02-18 04:32:41 +0000 UTCOr the straightjacket and padded cell.
Opus the Poet
2025-02-18 04:31:18 +0000 UTCIt's a weird sort of relatability for me. I've been abused as a kid, but my response was to just get angry and to fight back when I was finally able to. I sympathize with Willow for the most part (because the world needs optimistic, cheerful people who aren't bitter old cynics like me) but part of me felt slightly contemptuous at how... servile her attitude was. It being a coping mechanism makes a bit more sense.
least_rectangles
2025-02-18 04:28:21 +0000 UTCNo, the last thing we need is a vigilante robot telling dad jokes as she kills her targets.
Miyaa
2025-02-18 04:28:01 +0000 UTCSounds pretty normal to me. You must have a boring life. I wonder what that's like?
Opus the Poet
2025-02-18 04:25:52 +0000 UTCI’m not sure if the Coffee of Doom even has paper clips.
Miyaa
2025-02-18 04:25:08 +0000 UTCBTDT 😢
Opus the Poet
2025-02-18 04:23:36 +0000 UTCAn AI covered in blood and guts startling someone prone to dissociation and causing them to faint? I dunno, that seems like a pretty far-fetched scenario... https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3897
BookBeard
2025-02-18 04:23:13 +0000 UTCProtect Willow at all costs!
Andrea Andrew
2025-02-18 04:22:05 +0000 UTCEh, it’s not like Hanners is some emotional wizard herself. She’s come a long way but it wasn’t so long ago that she’d be the one in the chair.
AlexKorobeiniki
2025-02-18 04:15:15 +0000 UTCSorry, that is not the current password.
Dale Nielsen
2025-02-18 04:10:55 +0000 UTCWhen that reality wall hits like an hour later....yeah, that's rough.
Anthony Gaglianese
2025-02-18 03:55:14 +0000 UTCThe people that resulted in Willow being hit with a bolster. The latter… I’m not sure if any individual/group could be held accountable for that. While violence — Not strictly physical. Violence takes many forms and varies in degree— is sometimes necessary to protect yourself, I think that is better addressed through community and therapy. Willow, the beacon of positivity and good vibes that she is, has been wounded long before that bolster ever entered the scene. I can only hope that she gets the help she needs to heal. And, a group of friends prepared to support and fight for her might be a start.
Chauncey
2025-02-18 03:47:01 +0000 UTCHanners has grown so much <3 I was just reading some of the early strips with her, and she's really blossomed since her earlier issues. I would take life advice from Hanners at this point!
Sean Brannon
2025-02-18 03:45:04 +0000 UTCAww Willow :( Ayo, come hug her for Hanners!
Cole Blackblood
2025-02-18 03:44:56 +0000 UTCI need to hug her like right now
Joel Bateman
2025-02-18 03:38:16 +0000 UTCBut upon whom? The people who threw a pillow at her? Or the people who instilled in her an abject terror of holding others responsible for the wrong they have done to her?
Daryl Sawyer
2025-02-18 03:37:30 +0000 UTCI feel like Iris would definitely lean more into The Punisher. Batman's core belief is supposed to be that he doesn't want to see any more innocents hurt, and that doesn't feel like Iris' vibe.
JCfromNC
2025-02-18 03:20:58 +0000 UTCNot sure if I prefer picturing Iris as Batman or The Punisher.
Taigan
2025-02-18 03:15:06 +0000 UTCAre you suggesting we send Iris to walk the path of vengeance? I could agree with that.
Joseph Bonnar
2025-02-18 03:08:53 +0000 UTCDroid 06: “I just like to fight.”
Chauncey
2025-02-18 03:08:47 +0000 UTCYour life sounds a lot more exciting than mine.
Carl
2025-02-18 03:08:31 +0000 UTCCould we add Droid 06 to the mix? Please?
Joseph Bonnar
2025-02-18 03:07:35 +0000 UTCI don't know if you have stopped or not. I don't even know if I've stopped dissociating myself!
Joseph Bonnar
2025-02-18 03:06:35 +0000 UTCOof, I've been there. You think you're good but 😭😭😭
Jenea Ylinen Fredrickson
2025-02-18 03:06:19 +0000 UTCI’m looking to send a message, not remove someone from the census. That’s why Bubbles is there to manage the chaos. Iris is the danger. Bubbles is there to manage. Crushbot is there for intimidation/snacks. Elliot is there strictly for himbo vibes. And Faye is there for the mental beat down..
Chauncey
2025-02-18 03:02:22 +0000 UTCLike many things, you get better at it with practice.
nbarnes
2025-02-18 02:55:49 +0000 UTCWait -- have _I_ stopped dissociating?
Ursus Ridens
2025-02-18 02:53:24 +0000 UTCDissociation is a powerful defense mechanism
Todd Ellner
2025-02-18 02:52:53 +0000 UTCI too follow a path of forgiveness. It has it's limits though. Last time I broke from it I had to kick the ass of a coked-up bass player at a party thrown by a dominatrix friend of mine. Trust me, he earned it.
Yelling Bird
2025-02-18 02:51:10 +0000 UTCBrun and her harpoon seem to be missing from this list.
David Durant
2025-02-18 02:50:45 +0000 UTCIs it Zen or is she in shock?
Edward Clayton Andrew
2025-02-18 02:41:52 +0000 UTCI’d invite Yay and Hannelore. But, that would likely leave the block the fight takes place on looking like the aftermath of an Avengers battle.
Chauncey
2025-02-18 02:31:55 +0000 UTCWhy do I feel the need to fight a fictional character? That’s it. I’m assembling a team. Iris, Bubbles, Crushbot, Elliot, and Faye. We must avenge our precious Willow.
Chauncey
2025-02-18 02:29:57 +0000 UTCIn a worse comic, Willow would dissociate a whole different personality that would Chanel all the anger she doesn’t let herself feel. In this one, she has Iris for that.
Taigan
2025-02-18 02:28:30 +0000 UTCYou're saying Willow is Batty?
Sean Kinlin
2025-02-18 02:26:20 +0000 UTCThank goodness it wasn’t Lemon or the lesser known Kumquat.
Miyaa
2025-02-18 02:14:56 +0000 UTCCertainly that is not an ideal approach to someone having a dissociative episode, and I'm sure with the benefit of hindsight Hanners would agree, but in fairness she only fully realized what was happening in the last panel.
BookBeard
2025-02-18 02:11:11 +0000 UTCI read it that way the first time, but going back and reading the last 2 strips (in this sequence) and then this one, I don't think Hanners is pushing hard. Willow said it was her fault, and that is not something that she should be taking on.
Kenneth Carlile
2025-02-18 02:08:13 +0000 UTCHanners is not a therapist and Willow is exhibiting very concerning behavior. I don't think Hanners had the right approach, but I can't blame her for not realizing right away...
Phaine Of Catz
2025-02-18 02:07:02 +0000 UTCWillow! My heart…
JMK
2025-02-18 02:05:35 +0000 UTCNuuu
Miyaa
2025-02-18 02:03:44 +0000 UTCSomeone is dissociating? *wall busts open* "LEMON TO THE RESCUE!" https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4351
BookBeard
2025-02-18 02:00:22 +0000 UTCAm I the only one with a sliver of anger at Hanners pushing so hard on this??
Richard
2025-02-18 02:00:13 +0000 UTCTomorrow: NOW Iris comes in, bloodied, dented, and happy but then sees Willow crying and just storms out again. Ayo, naturally, faints again.
Miyaa
2025-02-18 01:59:19 +0000 UTC*Dora runs in* "Cantilever! Cantilever!"
BookBeard
2025-02-18 01:56:42 +0000 UTCMake it so!
Melissa Wilson
2025-02-18 01:56:25 +0000 UTCOooOOOoooh…. FINE! Now I see. 💡
Melissa Wilson
2025-02-18 01:55:51 +0000 UTC"Station. Requesting orbital bombardment. Authorization Winslow two two"
schmod
2025-02-18 01:54:52 +0000 UTCFeelings In Need of Expression.
Dean Reilly
2025-02-18 01:53:47 +0000 UTCDig a grave for that poor man.
Jose Alfredo Villalobos
2025-02-18 01:53:14 +0000 UTCOof
djellafine
2025-02-18 01:52:07 +0000 UTCA tense moment indeed.
BookBeard
2025-02-18 01:51:44 +0000 UTCLater, Bubbles: "Why is my chair....wet?" Willow: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. A marriage on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched bolsters glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like my tears in your chair."
Mad Marie
2025-02-18 01:51:17 +0000 UTCYou're supposed to STOP dissociating?!
Ashlyn Crowe
2025-02-18 01:50:58 +0000 UTCI feel like if this goes much farther, Station might "accidentally" drop something.
Doug DeJulio
2025-02-18 01:48:08 +0000 UTCOne of those moments where tenses are *extremely* helpful
Nilbog Trog
2025-02-18 01:46:52 +0000 UTCOh honey child.
Holly Nelson
2025-02-18 01:46:39 +0000 UTC💔
David Neale-Lorello
2025-02-18 01:46:11 +0000 UTCSomeone give her a hug!!!
SpazzyC
2025-02-18 01:45:02 +0000 UTCBeen there.
A Dark Planet, Lit By No Sun
2025-02-18 01:44:49 +0000 UTCIt's time...
Doc Gumby
2025-02-18 01:43:56 +0000 UTCMaybe I developed a unique connotation for the word, but I think this is quite possibly the opposite of “fine…”
Melissa Wilson
2025-02-18 01:43:54 +0000 UTCcall Iris!!!!
Logan Nix
2025-02-18 01:43:19 +0000 UTCScarily relatable indeed
TheCaptainTrout
2025-02-18 01:42:06 +0000 UTCWeeping Willow ☹️ 😢
Sean Kinlin
2025-02-18 01:41:49 +0000 UTCThey made Willow cry. NOW we can unleash Iris!
Doc Gumby
2025-02-18 01:41:27 +0000 UTCPoor Willow! 💖
SilverbackRon
2025-02-18 01:41:25 +0000 UTCOh hey, i’ve done that before! Man, she probably should’ve gone home cause there’s prolly gonna be some turbulence upon re-entry
AlexKorobeiniki
2025-02-18 01:41:09 +0000 UTCI love you Jeph for writing something so fine and personal. I dislike you strongly for being so accurate about trauma and delayed stress responses that it's reminding me of my past. Thank you for making this comic.
Darth Hypno
2025-02-18 01:41:02 +0000 UTCWillow... D:
Armcannon Productions
2025-02-18 01:40:35 +0000 UTCdisassociating the countryside
Brendan Luster
2025-02-18 01:40:10 +0000 UTC…relatable.
Wednesday
2025-02-18 01:39:44 +0000 UTC
