A series of four panel comics, rendered in pink and blue. The first comic: in the first panel, Emily stands, her eyes closed and sighing in exhausted resignation. Her narration begins: "I've been in a depressive dip for most of the week. It always happens this time of year." In the second panel, Emily is curled up under blankets in a bed, her head facing the wall. "I find myself torn between wanting the celebrations of this normal yearly moment," her narration continues, "and the feeling of barely being able to pull myself out of bed to face the loss it is always paired with." In the third panel, Emily now sits in the living room, a cup of coffee steaming on the coffee table in front of her. She smiles sheepishly as her roommate, Em, bursts into the room in a power pose, yelling "BIRTH!" "But thankfully, so thankfully," Emily's narration trails off. In the fourth panel, Emily, Em, and another friend, Kelly, are all sitting outside at a brewery, a rustic fence backing the scene. The three of them smile and laugh, a fresh change from Emily's prior malaise. Her narration concludes, "I do not have to rely on myself alone in these moments." The second comic: In the first panel, Emily sits among various other chairs outdoors. She is handed a glass of wine by a friend, Carisa, as she's heading to an empty chair. Emily's narration begins, "Tomorrow, when I wake up for work, I may regret staying out this late." In the second panel, a warm bonfire crackles, contained by a standing fire pit. Leaves from nearby trees frame the smoke rising into the sky. "But tonight," her narration continues, "I smell like a bonfire." In the third panel, Emily laughs, surrounded by friends all huddled around the fire. "And my cheeks hurt from laughing all night," she continues. In the fourth panel, the silhouette of a house and surrounding trees sits at the bottom of the panel, as smoke from the bonfire rises into the sky, speckled with clouds. The moon shines bright as a plane breaks up the quiet. "So apologies, future me," Emily concludes, "but I promise it's worth it." The third comic: In the first panel, the narration begins, "I've been tying to figure out some heart issues for the last few weeks." Emily stands in the middle of the panel, shrugging, with a pained and wobbly "yaaaay" escaping her. The narration adds an aside, "I still don't know if it's a physical problem or an anxiety one, honestly." In the second panel, the narration continues, "it's not an experience I recommend." Emily stands in the middle of the panel, in a different outfit than the first, her arms spread wide and a look of panic on her face. Cartoonishly, the outline of a heart thumps loudly from her chest as she yells "IS THIS A HEART ATTACK." The narration clarifies, off to the side, "it was not." In the third panel, a small prescription bottle from a pharmacy frames the continuing narration: "After a trip to the ER (that I eventually bailed on because I was sitting there for three hours) and a week of worry, I'm on the slow route to some answers. (Hopefully.)" In the fourth panel, the narration concludes, "regardless if it's my heart or my brain at the end of the day, at least it's lead to some fun discoveries--" Emily stands in the middle of the frame once more, hand softly resting on her chest. "Wait," she muses, "I'm NOT supposed to be able to feel my heart beating CONSTANTLY?" The fourth comic: In the first panel, a hand holds a cellphone. The narration begins as text on the screen: "I feel like I'm clutching onto optimism like a sword too heavy to carry." In the second panel, the hand is now holding a sword, with a braided hilt and small cross-guard. The blade is cut off by the top of the panel. The narration continues, "the last two winters like lingering wounds that haven't scarred over." In the third panel, a figure sits at the mouth of a small cave, sword stuck in the ground, her chin resting in her hand. The silhouette of a city can be seen in the distance. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to be alone again," the narration continues. In the fourth panel, the figure--Emily, though dressed in fantasy appropriate garb--sighs while looking off to the side, a motion of guilt and the weight she is carrying. The narration concludes: "And I know that weakness is selfish, considering what the risks are."

Thanks as always for reading.