[0717] Dropping The Bomb
└ posted on Thursday, 10 September 2015, by Novil
I expect at least 300 comments. Don’t disappoint me.
- Larisa: Hi, Landon. Are you enjoying the hiking trip with your dad?
- Larisa: I’m glad you two are having some fun despite the ugly divorce.
- Larisa: Sooo… did you like the pic I sent you?
- Larisa: You’re cute when you stutter. I can’t wait to give you your real birthday present once you’re back!
- Larisa: Haha, you will! See you soon, sweety!
- Sandra: Didn’t you just forget something?
- Larisa: Like, what?
- Sandra: For example, mentioning the national scandal you caused half an hour ago?
- Larisa: Pfff…
- Larisa: I’ll be blind in ten years and dead in twenty. I don’t give a damn if some puritans have a problem with my naked body.
![[0717] Dropping The Bomb](/comics/2015-09-10-0717-dropping-the-bomb.png "[0717] Dropping The Bomb")
GreatLimmick wrote:
She’s a teenager. Being overly dramatic is kinda required at that age.
I’m a type one Diabetic too, I’m twenty years old, and I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome a week ago, trust me, that’s the right attitude.
@ Mechwarrior:
While she’s clearly in good health, it’s a more of an exaggeration than over dramatization. Pretty bad complications are an eventuality of diabetes, not a possibility. I’m type 1, and I have lived my whole life with the knowledge that this is what I will die from, even if your friend has never shown it, I’d wager he/she has lived their life with the same knowledge and it too has flavored their life philosophy.
My first comment.
Norvil: Damn, why am I crying?
Thor: thanks for a ray of hope 🙂
And, people might want to check: http://www.wolframsyndrome.co.uk/funds.html
Well, holy moly. I don’t think humans have dared make bombs large enough to compare this to. Golly.
Larissa’s mom
http://www.sandraandwoo.com/2010/06/14/0173-a-look-into-the-mind-of-a-troubled-girl/
Marxist_Iguana wrote:
Generalisations are dangerous, everyone is different. One person’s type 1 diabetes is not another person’s type 1 diabetes (yes, I also have type 1 diabetes). I for one do not consider it inevitable that horrible complications will develop, but there is the constant threat that they will, and I do try to keep glucose tightly controlled to minimise the odds (it doesn’t help when your in-laws habitually forget to take it into account when planning dinner-parties). So far, this works, but the kicker is: there is no guarantee that it will, and what works for one person does not work for another.
That said, yes, there is the constant realisation that the odds are against reaching (very) old age, let alone getting there in good health, so I do try to get more life in before I retire. Dying young is not guaranteed either though, so it’s a balancing act.
Anyway, back to the comic. If this indeed does refer to Larisa’s health outlook (meta information suggests that it does), I fully understand her attitude. I’d say she has something a bit more than diabetes though. From the last panel, Sandra isn’t quite as stunned as I would expect, so I assume the full impact of what Larisa just said hasn’t registered with her yet…
Wolfram syndrome, well that explains alot, shes living the long life she should have in the short life she will have.
The odds she will become a minor celebrity for a while fom this are high, there will be a few things on her bucket list that may well take care of.
Landon becomming the creator of the cure as has been suggested, and thats possible, but as was also said its unlikely he’ll do it for her lifetime, but even when she dies he’ll keep trying because that will save anyone else from going through what he has, he seems like that sort of person.
We are all discussing Larrisa but lets get some feels for Landon too, his parents are getting divorced, his mum is a bit of a fruit loop but shes still his mum and he loves her, as does she love him, this is not going to be a good time.
I really hope this is handled well, that Landons parents do this the right way and reduce the trauma of this for him.
Several bombs were dropped.
Landon’s parents getting a divorce ( wonder how his, seemingly, very religious mom will take it) and a very bleak outlook for Larissa.
I sympathise with her “Life is now” and no-nonsense approach to certain people and things, there is always hope.
Medical science does make progress, even if it’s slower than we would like.
Could also explain why she seems to be a bit .. promiscuous.
Hopefully, she’s smart enough to use protection when needed.
Well, that happened. With the Landon’s dad and mom’s conflicting views I’m surprised that marriage lasted that long.
DanialArin wrote:
Thanks, I had actually just remembered the strip where she waited for her friends to leave before she took several pills. I can only wonder exactly how many ailments she may have.
D-does Landon know this yet?
Fuck this hits home hard if it’s hinting as I feel it is, but that outlook on life is beautiful for those who are afflicted with such things.
Damn!
Right in the feels.
In regards to the divorce;
hard on people, not very pleasant (depending on the parents/families involved), but it happens…..sometimes it’s better to let go. (Been through a bad one myself).
in regards to Larissa;
I LOVE her outlook on life, i’m sad she has such a horrible disease and such a short life span, but my utmost respect for her outlook. Regardless of her age, she takes life head on and while she makes mistakes, sometimes rather big ones, she knows that in the end it won’t matter. I don’t doubt, even though it’s Larissa, that she struggles with her (short) life expectancy, but I respect her determination to do as much as possible in the years she has. (Funny to see that a comic character can make you realise/feel stuff like this, I tip my top hat to you Oliver)
in regards to the sexting/sex insinuations;
let’s be real here! Probably most of us here, me being 31 years old myself, have at one point or another done some sexting.
Teenagers these days are more sexually active then before, but also better educated on the risks and dangers, including the use of protection(depending on your country obviously, in most of europe anyway ). The comic just shows that aspect of life……..
I really wonder why people are so touchy about it.
I wonder, since Larisa says that casually and Sandra don’t look shocked at all, does that mean she already knew about it?
@ yellow103:
It’s possible Sandra’s found out by now what Larisa’s disease(s) is(are).
I’m helping reach the 300 comments goal. Also, why would she go blind in 10 years?
As to her not being ‘extremely shocked’ her brain might be doing just what many people in this thread are doing: trying to decide if this is just ‘Larissa being Larissa’ or her being serious, and the resultant look is something approaching confusion.
Ok, I wanted them to grow up faster, I guess now i don’t
Hmm, is this a case then of if you are going to do the time, you might as well do the crime?
IE, you know what is coming so get what you will out of life before it is over.
@ Novil:
So if one of my colleagues at UWash come up with a small molecule therapy (something akin to Lumacaftor or Ivacaftor for CF) or viable PSC treatment in the next few years do we get to mess with your plot line?
On a personal note I admire the researchers out there who take an interest in these little lost causes. They’re dogged they’re determined, and occasionally they get lucky. I hope that for Larisa and her real life counterparts sake they do. How she would cope with a different prognosis would be an education in itself.
Due Wolfram’s Dicease is genetic it explains what she said to Zoe about missery seem to run in her family. I sometimes have the same thoughts due to having reumatism since i was six (30 now) wish isn’t nesserary terminal but stil a great pain in the but and understand that what some say that even if they find a cure, the damage allready done may be beyond repair.
I’m 26 years old in october, and the last doctor I mentioned on the subject told me that I’d be blind in my left eye by 30 at worst (unless it stabilizes), and that I’d be lucky to live past 60.
complications from getting blown up suck, and brain damage is a thing. I feel for larisa. it’s not as drastic as her condition, but I’m in the same boat. I’m constantly being told by people “man, you have a story for everything!” well it’s because I get out and LIVE.
my heart goes out to that girl. no one should have to suffer like this. here’s hoping she keeps being the same awesome person we’ve seen in this strip.
@ Logan:
on THAT note, her dad not being too upset with her over this makes, morbidly, a lot more sense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWcI8eJeZ5I
I was quite remembering this song 🙂 Earth 2160 ending credits… Live your life, do as you like…
gosh that keeps me back… I really would love to see Earth 2170… well maybe Eden 2170 though….
Thing is… the game DID have flamethrowers…. (even when I prefered Cryon artillery as unit 😀 😀 :D)
@ Paeris Kiran:
But well… I plan to live forever 🙂
Saw it coming, still shocked.
People have already talked about the evidence, so I don’t really feel the need to go into detail.
That’s not a good reason, Larisa, sorry. What you’ve done is distribute child porn to millions of people. That’s quite illegal. Someone is definitely going to get in trouble.
Adding to the trove of comments. Since I really like Larissa, I hope the comic universe finds a cure or at least is able to delay things for her.
@ Jerry:
Diabetes; don’t know if type 1 or 2, which are opposite conditions. Type 1 is too little insulin and type 2 is too much.
…dang. Nothing quite so bittersweet as finishing an entire archive binge.
@ Shanunu:
Given that the effects of Wolfram Syndrome are effectively destroying portions of her brain and nervous system over time, it wouldn’t exactly be hard for an attorney to argue mental incompetency, if it ever became a legal issue. I really doubt a prosecutor, even a severely conservative prosecutor, would attempt to wage a case against a terminally ill teenage girl. That’d be political suicide, especially now that she’s infamous.
Well, I thought Larissa already had diabetes type 1. that means the diagnosis of Wolfram syndrome is a good one, based on the limited amount of information.
But it seems Larissa is even a but optimistic about her chances. Since Diabetes is one of the first symptoms and she is dealing with that for quite some time, chances are that she will be blind in 5 years. She would already be losing some of her vision, needing to wear glasses.
@ MidoriLuna:
Which would basically leave the providers of the app service as the only remaining people to be prosecuted. Though I’m not sure how the law in the US handles their responsibility.
Hehe. All the people that are shocked or saddened by Larissa’s outlook are making me smile. Take it from my brother and I,when you have something that’s going to kill you by 40, you make really twisted mortality jokes! 8D
Nice to get another clue about her illness, and the fact that Sandra knows is cool too. And that she can tell her said twisted mortality jokes. it’s hard to find a friend who can swallow information like that, and then be able to see their friend joke around with it without freaking out.
……Just Damn……
I can’t remember if it was the in the comics or if I’d guessed at hints in the comics, but I figured it would be something fatal. Having it out there like that ends the plausible deniability.
Hmmmm….. Given the time limit she has & what Wolfram Syndrome is doing to her, It puts some of her “Oh that Larissa is joking again” Landon sex jokes in a new light. Could she be TRYING to get pregnant to experience that before she dies? We saw in a previous comic that her secret play time with her dolls was about a mother(Larissa?) & Cloud with their daughter. This I believe was before she met Landon when she still had a thing for Cloud.
This comic does get serious at times between the humor. Think of all the comics involving Burma.
……Just Damn…..
Yes, I agree it sounds like type 1. I’m very grateful that mine is late-life type 2. I do salute the authors for deciding to deal with a difficult and emotional subject. Do it well…
FINALLY! And judging by Sandra’s look, seems we’ll be getting an actual explanation, too. So once more, FINALLY!
athroughzdude wrote:
No kidding. Sacre bleu, that’s dark.
I was researching the syndrome and looking at comic 127, and I think now that Larisa’s nasal spray and tablets were probably Vassopressin. Vassopressin is a pituitary hormone affected by Wolframs, the lack of which causes thirst amongst other things. It can be supplimented with a nasal spray or tablets. There are also contraindications for use in animals, which would explain why she was so alarmed when Woo tried to get into it.
Walter Bushell wrote:
It isn’t. Type 1 diabetes occurs because the immune system destroys the insulin producing cells in the pancreas, type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance in the body (or possibly by insufficient insulin production for other reasons than type 1). They’re very different diseases, apart from some superficial symptoms.
Rhadamanthus wrote:
I don’t think one can say that type 1 or type 2 is better or worse, they’re just too different. As my doctor put it at the time, the advantage of type 1 is that you generally diagnose it well before complications occur, whereas you may not diagnose type 2 until the damage has already been done. The flip side of that is that type 1 kills you quickly if you don’t treat it properly, while type 2 kills you more slowly.
I guess it sucks either way…
@ Lukkai:
In that case, the app maker could be held liable, since their badly designed app caused the problem in the first place. But they couldn’t be held culpable, since they had no real foreknowledge that Larisa would use the app that way. So they could be sued, but probably not criminally prosecuted.
@ MidoriLuna:
I have to apologize for this. Wolfram Syndrome in itself is not a mental disorder, although it can cause certain disorders by way of physical brain degredation. I was exceptionally wrong to say it could result in mental incompetency.
It’s just that what we know now about Larisa, pretty much dwarfs anything she did a few comics back, tbh. I suddenly found myself massively *not caring* about the legal ramifications of her stunt.
Well, that was… hmmm… not quite unexpected, but stilll…
Still, I hope for some eucatastrophic plot twist.
Unfortunately, I doubt Yuna will develop a cure. She appears to be a pretty focused physics prodigy.
Further, I suspect Seeoahtlahmakaskay wouldn’t be able to offer any help, since it’s outside her jurisdiction.
For a general cure for all those rare life-ending diseases, let’s hope we get uploading perfected by the time Larisa reaches adulthood.
I suspect she’d make an excellent Ghost in the Machine. They might want to lock down NORAD a bit tighter first, though.
Well of course shes gonna be dead in 20 years, she has a blackhole in the fount yard, works on engies, and does all sorts of stuff that will make you die fast. I really dont think she will even last 10 more years
I really thought I was ready for this. Thanks to all the clues, I was already almost certain that Larisa’s life would be a short one. Surely (I thought) a formal confirmation won’t really change anything? Well, it does. Seeing her mortality up there in black and white, beyond all room for doubt, really puts things in perspective…
First symptoms: “loss of colour vision”, according to Wikipedia. Damn, so the first thing she’ll lose is her ability to paint? Well, let’s hope Seeoahtlahmakaskay will manage to make up with God in the end.
Is she dieing of some sort of illness or dirty defect? Is that the secret she told Zoey!? That’s…..that’s depressing.
Martin Pollard wrote:
Somehow, I can’t see Larisa as a lab rat. For one thing, she has accepted her life, as is, the good and the bad. She would not grasp at straws for her own sake. She might volunteer to test new treatments for the benefit of others.
I always knew those pills would come back into play. Do we finally learn what she has?