About December 2023

Sep06
by on September 6, 2024 at 4:14 pm

A stitched image of several comics: ON DESPAIR A four panel comic, rendered in green and magenta. In the first panel, Emily, bundled up for winter, trudges down the sidewalk, looking straight ahead, tired and disconnected. The narration begins, "I've been talking to my therapist about despair days." In the second panel, she talks with a cafe worker outside of an outdoor window, ordering a sprinkle donut. The narration continues, "Those moments where, despite your best efforts and knowing that it's not productive, the hopelessness sinks in, finds purchase." In the third panel, Emily grips a paper bag in her hand. The narration continues, "But maybe it serves a purpose after all, they suggested." In the fourth panel, Emily sits on the couch with a blanket over her legs, her hands breaking the donut in half. The narration concludes, "A shut down to let the nervous system recuperate and pick up the sword of hope again tomorrow." -- ON LOW A four panel comic, rendered in green and magenta. In the first panel, Emily lies in bed, facing away from the camera, a black tangled cloud surrounding her head. The narration begins, "Days like this always feel more difficult in December." In the second panel, a desk lamp clock shows the time: 3:25 pm. The narration continues, "Especially now. I have all the tools in regards to my mental health, aren't I smarter than this? Don't I know how to avoid this?" In the third panel, we zoom in on Emily's face, partially obscured by a blanket and her pillow, one eye closed and the other with deep shadows. The narration continues, "I guess the loneliness is quite good at finding the remaining gap in the armor despite it all." In the fourth panel, Emily sits up from bed, the cloud still present but dissipating. The narration concludes, "And I know it'll pass quicker and easier because of those tools but still. The fucker." Emily, commenting to no one, says "ok, guess I'll shower at 4pm." -- ON A SCARF A four panel comic, rendered in green and magenta. In the first panel, Emily holds a box above her head, comically saying "packige" (meant to be a purposeful mispronunciation.) The narration begins, "I bought a scarf my friend made." In the second panel, Emily holds the scarf out, which weaves into the other panels. She comments "haha holy shit!" at the length. The narration continues, "They told me it was big, but it's literally twice as long as I am tall." In the third panel, the scarf weaves from the second panel through the space into the fourth panel. The narration continues, "A boon for the Chicago winds, for sure. But even more than that--" In the fourth panel, Emily wraps herself in the panel-breaking scarf, with the narration concluding, "The warmth of something made with love." -- ON FIT A four panel comic, rendered in green and magenta. In the first panel, Emily stands in front of the TV, holding the Ring Fit controller and bending her body to the left. The narration begins, "I'm trying to get back into an exercise routine." In the second panel, Emily sits on the couch, panting and holding her water bottle. The narration continues, "I've tried a lot of different things over the years, but none of them stuck. Any kind of structured work out eventually bored me, and I'd abandon it." In the third panel, Emily is standing again, stretching her arms, still breathing a little heavy. The narration continues, "It's difficult to breath the cycle of judging myself for that, especially coupled with the constant pressure to lose weight, set goals, ignore genetic predispositions, the fault is all on me--" In the fourth panel, Emily wipes sweat off her forehead, looking satisfied. The narration concludes, "I suppose that, too, is a muscle that needs to be trained." -- ON SUSTAINED A four panel comic, rendered in green and magenta. In the first panel, Emily holds her phone in one hand, typing with the other. The narration begins, "Breakdowns lately are sharp, like a too taught guitar string snapping under the pressure." The second panel is all green with text. The narration continues, "What can I say? That I wake up every morning to watch a genocide unfold across the ocean, and desperately search for more I can do beyond beg my reps to support a ceasefire." The third panel is all magenta with text. The narration continues, "Everyone deserves peace and safety and a place to be with the people they love without fear. This thought is not radical. And every day I see unimaginable violence in Gaza in between book promos, pictures of coffee, and I contribute to this dissonance." The fourth panel is all black with white text, and a small illustration of a watermelon slice in the corner. The narration concludes, "I reply to my rep's form email response. I simply say again, from peace, from safety, from a place where I'm with the people I love without fear: ceasefire now." -- ON UNTEATHERED A four panel comic, rendered in green and magenta. In the first panel, tea pours into a mug as music wafts in the background. The narration begins, "The unteathered days between Christmas and New Years." In the second panel, Emily sits on the couch wrapped in a blanket, clutching the steaming mug of tea in both hands. She blows steam off of the top of the mug as music continues in the background. The narration continues, "Simultaneously exhausted from the holiday, the year, many years." In the third panel, Emily takes a tentative sip from the mug. The music continues. The narration continues, "and excited for a prospect of a future--" In the foruth panel, Emily settles in, relaxes her shoulders, and closes her eyes as she holds the mug. The music continues. The narration concludes, "Even a fraction brighter than the now." -- ON MUNDANE A four panel comic, rendered in green and magenta. In the first panel, Emily sits on the couch, arms crossed and slouching over, her tablet sitting on the blanket over her legs. Off screen, her roommate comes home; they exchange "hewwos." The narration begins, "If I live on my own next year, I think I'll miss the mundane moments most." In the second panel, we see Emily in foreground drawing once again. Her roommate, Em, sits in the background, looking at their phone. The narration continues, "Sharing space, doing our own things." In the third panel, Em now sits in the foreground, looking sympathetically at Emily, who crouches over her tablet with a frustrated and tired look on her face. The narration continues, "tuned into a change in energy, a quiet understanding." In the fourth panel, Em presents Emily with a pizza box, beaming. Emily smiles with appreciation. The narration concludes with a quote of theirs, "'Do you wanna order pizza about it?'" -- ON CELEBRATION A four panel comic, rendered in green and magenta. In the first panel, Emily, Em and Arik stand in the foyer of Carisa and Kevin's house, the former greeting the group while the latter lifts a glass nearly off-panel in greeting. It's a New Years Eve party! The narration begins, "Standing at the precipice of a new year once again." In the second panel, Emily crouches down to pet an excitable small dog: it's Bandit! The narration continues, "Change known and unknown on the horizon, waiting, inevitable." In the third panel, we zoom in on Em, later in the party, looking at her phone as she observes, "oh, the time on the TV is wrong! It's 5, 4, 3, 2, 1-!" as others join in on the countdown. The narration continues, "coiled up in my chest, my stomach, waiting for its cue." In the fourth panel, the large group of folks yells "Happy New Year!" The narration concludes, "may the release bring ease, comfort, and unexpected joys."

Hey all! I’m taking a small break from SV this month in order to rest and be in my best form for things like SPX, but in the meantime, I’ll be updating the site with About comics! Here’s December of[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…

└ Tags: , ,