The Return To Innocence

There was this webcomic that I found a couple months back, but I forgot to come back after the first few strips and I've been thinking of it again. It's in black and white. I have no idea what it's called. All I can remember is that at the start, there was a very depressed young woman delivering a monologue in what looks like a temple. She's wearing a tank top and has long dark hair. She's looking for a man, I think a man named Tom. I don't remember the girl's name; I believe it started with M. I'm pretty sure she used to have wings, or wanted wings, or something like that. I think there was something to do with angels or some other supernatural creature. Very melancholy, very odd. It won't leave me alone.

http://www.macguff.fr/goomi/unspeakable/vault00-cast.html
Funniest webcomic ever. I found it through this strip, which is hysterical.

http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/index.php

Shiny.
So shiny...
Yes, that kind of shiny, too.

Go read. Now.
It's REALLY pretty.
And awesome.

http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/index.php

Shiny.
So shiny...
Yes, that kind of shiny, too.

Go read. Now.
It's REALLY pretty.
And awesome.

http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=190

***

(When I decided to finally see my doctor about the symptoms that were later diagnosed as fibro, I got shit from a few people who actually accused me of seeing doctors too much, accused me of hoping for a diagnosis so I could make excuses for being tired or in pain. It was one of the most horrible things anyone had ever said to me. "Why do you keep needing to be diagnosed? You probably don't even have these problems. You're acting like a hypochondriac."
I cannot help having these conditions. Something is wrong with my body and with my brain, stemming from problems with my birth and childhood. Problems will keeping happening, because whatever is wrong has not been fixed, although I am trying, and my doctors are trying. I did not ask to develop all these problems. I may never be "fixed." I may always have health problems. That's life.
A diagnosis is not an excuse. It is a confirmation; it is an acknowledgment and understanding that what you have is real, with a name, with options for treatment.* FMS and epilepsy, as disorders themselves, might not be life-threatening (although the symptoms can become threatening), but they are serious medical conditions that require a doctor's treatment. Some people don't believe that bipolar disorder and depression are "real" conditions either, and yet have no problem pretending that they suffer from such conditions in order to get out of one thing or another, or to gain sympathy.
You can go online and fill out a symptoms checklist, yes, but checking nine out of ten boxes does not a diagnosis make. That does take a doctor. You can absolutely say, "I think I might have X condition according to my research, but I need to check with my doctor." However, that last step, that doctor's appointment, is crucial.
Nobody wants these illnesses, these disorders, these diseases, these syndromes. Nobody takes any pride in saying, "Yes, I have all these medical problems." Why would we want to be so sick?
It's not a contest. There are no prizes. There are only daily medications, appointments with specialists, often painful tests, consistent symptoms, sympathy and understanding from friends, and help when we need help. To pretend you have a definite medical condition without consulting a medical professional will gain you no pity, only scorn. The desperate need for the kind of attention and pity that comes from this kind of thing really bothers me. If you want so much attention and pity, why claim you're sick when you're not? You don't win anything. Life isn't that sort of game.)
/end rant

*EDIT:
Because of some debate on the concept of a doctor's diagnosis confirming that an illness is "real," I feel the need to expand on this:
Whether or not you get diagnosed by a doctor, your symptoms are always real. There's no doubt that something is wrong. But it also comes down to personal perspective and emotional reassurance. See, for me personally, being diagnosed is a way for me to confirm the reality of an illness in my own mind. If I have symptoms of asthma, and personally have ruled everything else out, it's pretty obvious I have asthma -- it just hasn't been confirmed and recorded by a doctor yet. Same with sciatica, or Raynaud's disease, or a migraine disorder. It's fine to be able to say, "Yes, this is real" but really, I feel that getting the diagnosis from a doctor just means "I understand you've been tackling the symptoms on your own, and that's great, but now we can go ahead and treat this under medical supervision, etc."
I knew deep down that I've always had epilepsy, but it was not until an official doctor's diagnosis that I could finally accept it. So for me, a diagnosis is very important. However, I can see how for other people, it's not quite as important as immediate treatment.
I hope this clarifies.

http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=190

***

(When I decided to finally see my doctor about the symptoms that were later diagnosed as fibro, I got shit from a few people who actually accused me of seeing doctors too much, accused me of hoping for a diagnosis so I could make excuses for being tired or in pain. It was one of the most horrible things anyone had ever said to me. "Why do you keep needing to be diagnosed? You probably don't even have these problems. You're acting like a hypochondriac."
I cannot help having these conditions. Something is wrong with my body and with my brain, stemming from problems with my birth and childhood. Problems will keeping happening, because whatever is wrong has not been fixed, although I am trying, and my doctors are trying. I did not ask to develop all these problems. I may never be "fixed." I may always have health problems. That's life.
A diagnosis is not an excuse. It is a confirmation; it is an acknowledgment and understanding that what you have is real, with a name, with options for treatment.* FMS and epilepsy, as disorders themselves, might not be life-threatening (although the symptoms can become threatening), but they are serious medical conditions that require a doctor's treatment. Some people don't believe that bipolar disorder and depression are "real" conditions either, and yet have no problem pretending that they suffer from such conditions in order to get out of one thing or another, or to gain sympathy.
You can go online and fill out a symptoms checklist, yes, but checking nine out of ten boxes does not a diagnosis make. That does take a doctor. You can absolutely say, "I think I might have X condition according to my research, but I need to check with my doctor." However, that last step, that doctor's appointment, is crucial.
Nobody wants these illnesses, these disorders, these diseases, these syndromes. Nobody takes any pride in saying, "Yes, I have all these medical problems." Why would we want to be so sick?
It's not a contest. There are no prizes. There are only daily medications, appointments with specialists, often painful tests, consistent symptoms, sympathy and understanding from friends, and help when we need help. To pretend you have a definite medical condition without consulting a medical professional will gain you no pity, only scorn. The desperate need for the kind of attention and pity that comes from this kind of thing really bothers me. If you want so much attention and pity, why claim you're sick when you're not? You don't win anything. Life isn't that sort of game.)
/end rant

*EDIT:
Because of some debate on the concept of a doctor's diagnosis confirming that an illness is "real," I feel the need to expand on this:
Whether or not you get diagnosed by a doctor, your symptoms are always real. There's no doubt that something is wrong. But it also comes down to personal perspective and emotional reassurance. See, for me personally, being diagnosed is a way for me to confirm the reality of an illness in my own mind. If I have symptoms of asthma, and personally have ruled everything else out, it's pretty obvious I have asthma -- it just hasn't been confirmed and recorded by a doctor yet. Same with sciatica, or Raynaud's disease, or a migraine disorder. It's fine to be able to say, "Yes, this is real" but really, I feel that getting the diagnosis from a doctor just means "I understand you've been tackling the symptoms on your own, and that's great, but now we can go ahead and treat this under medical supervision, etc."
I knew deep down that I've always had epilepsy, but it was not until an official doctor's diagnosis that I could finally accept it. So for me, a diagnosis is very important. However, I can see how for other people, it's not quite as important as immediate treatment.
I hope this clarifies.

http://www.xkcd.com/311/

I miss Firefly. *sniffle*