234

Darling
Posted on June 5, 2015 by David M Willis

234 thoughts on “Darling”

  1. Jen Aside

    I got hit by a swarm of yellow jackets once, and that wasn’t half the shit of what’s on those other cards =(

    1. Rycan

      The Midwest is that bad?

      1. Person

        Not everybody no, but enough that people feel bold enough to be pricks in public sometimes out here. It can be…nerve wracking at times. “The worst” no, not really, but “painful” sure.

      2. Benjy

        Yes. I was lucky enough to escape. Not very many people are.

      3. Random Opinion

        I mean, I don’t think it is…

      4. Dante

        Yes

      5. No Name

        The Midwest includes Indiana.
        You tell me.

      6. apostateCourier

        The Midwest includes Wisconsin.
        You tell me.

        1. -Sentinel-

          Is Wisconsin that bad? I think it looks pretty okay on paper — Scott Walker notwithstanding.

        2. Bicycle Bill

          Normally I would have said that Scott Walker does not represent Wisconsin, and you should not judge Wisconsin based solely on Scott Walker.  But given the fact that he was able to get elected — twice — plus survive a recall gives me pause for concern about some of my fellow Wisconsinites and their willingness to swallow whatever the media feeds them.

        3. Fred

          I currently attend (and work at) UW Parkside. Even the more conservative people on campus (and we do have a few) are much less happy with Walker than they were a few years ago.

        4. Wafflebob

          I like WI. Madison is ranked at #10 in the top 50 cities for LGBTQ people in the country. And Milwaukee is at #22. And my city has 2 very popular gay bars, a yearly pride festival and a LGBTQ resource center. As far as Scott Walker winning, the dems haven’t put up a good candidate to rally the party behind, so dems just don’t vote. The last election had one of the worst turnouts in history. Pretty much everyone who voted were over the age of 50 and just voted for whoever the incumbent was.

        5. BAppleman

          obviously, it’s that bad, that’s where god sent Loki and Bartleby when Loki refused to smite for god anymore at the suggestion of Bartleby.

        6. Dante

          Being from Wisconsin myself. Yes. It’s that bad. It’s just so boring here.

      7. Halloween Jack

        No. I mean, being stuck in a small town that’s really far from a big city or even a decent-sized college town can be deadly, but that’s true anywhere. I’ve known plenty of people who thought so, moved to one of the coasts, and insisted that they were having a much better time than they obviously were.

      8. Sarah

        My dad’s family is from a rural town in the Midwest. I’m a queer atheist woman. I have to go back every Christmas and listen to hunting talk and slurs. So, yes.

      9. Jamie D

        Detroit, Michigan is also in the Midwest. Not exactly a happy place. And large swaths of Ohio need some serious help.

        1. Jamie D

          And then there’s Chicago…

    2. Cheryl

      Gezz when you cant even believe in the heart of the cards…

      1. Kamino Neko

        Oh, Becky believes in the heart of the cards. It’s just a cold and lonely heart, full of loathing for her.

  2. Rycan

    Well, GOOD THING NOBODY’S JEALOUS.

    1. Rich

      Dorothy continues to fulfill her role as unintentional Becky nemesis. She’s Joyce’s favorite bony poindexter.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        At least Dotty hasn’t become Joyce’s favourite poindexter to bone.

        1. Ryuksan2021

          That may be a few years down the road, but a man can hope it’ll happen eventually

    2. Charles RB

      I was wondering about that “we’re enemies!” joke she did with Dorothy and now we know where Becky got that idea from. Nicely set-up, Willis

  3. Knifleman

    It’s funny because it’s depressing! Ha ha ha ha…

    1. TheZachariah

      C’mon man, that’s not funny. I mean, we’re dealing with hornets here. Angry ones. That is seriously depressing.

      1. marianne

        Let us never forget the angry hornet massacre of ’13. Too soon, Willis. Too soon.

        1. Deanatay

          Look on the bright side – once all the bees are extinct, I’m sure hornets will be the next to suffer from Colony Collapse Disorder. 😀

        2. Rycan

          Hey, it was me or the hornets. I regret nothing.

  4. Doctor_Who

    Becky may be the first person in history to be sad while playing Apples to Apples.

    1. abacuswizard

      I’ve been sad while playing Apples To Apples.

      Sad that I’m not playing a game that I actually enjoy. 😛

      1. JaneDoe

        Yeah, I’ve never really understood the “fun” of that game. Of course, that could have to do with the fact that the one time I’ve played it was with my sister and her friends, none of whom share my rather odd sense of humor 😛

        1. lipsticksuckerpunch

          Ya, you have to play with the right group of people.

        2. John

          The one time I played, it was with people who didn’t think it was funny when I played “Adolf Hitler” on “sexy”.

        3. Kelly

          They didn’t? They have no taste!

  5. LiaHansen

    “Giving a H-“?

    im imagining what the rest of that could be but it doesnt seem like something that would be in this version of the game

    1. lejwocky

      ug?

      1. LiaHansen

        OH. ohhhhhhhhh

        1. DarkoNeko

          Your mind, out the gutter XD

    2. thebombzen

      “Giving a Hug” is an actual card.

      1. A Scientist

        As is “Getting a Hug,” if I remember correctly, and when played in conjunction, magic happens.

        1. SmartAlec105

          Once the word was Cartoonish and the cards played were something like Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, and The Simpsons. We had to rule that one as a draw.

        2. A Scientist

          The only fair decision, really.

    3. Justin

      Based on how much space is left on the card, I’m going with “Hug”.

    4. DarkoNeko

      Giving a hoot ?

    5. Dean

      ‘Giving A High Five To Your Best College Friend, While Your Best Childhood Friend Watches.”

      1. Dana

        Painful.

    6. TJ in Pittsburgh

      -andjob?

      DAMMIT WILLIS, COMICS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY!

      P.S. Becky should become a tarot card reader.

    7. Deanatay

      andjob?
      ummer?
      oroscope Reading?
      eil Hitler Salute?

    8. Mimur

      Heh I saw that as an Fu… If it’s “Hu-” I wold go with Hug.

  6. Yumi

    Oh the Midwest…

    1. Doctor_Who

      I live there, and I often feel sad about it too.

      1. Yumi

        Me too. If I was judging this round and someone played “The Midwest,” they’d probably win.

  7. HMRC4EVR

    Watch out everyone: incoming feels!

  8. Opus the Poet

    Becky has some really personal cards there in relation to the green card.

  9. DarkoNeko

    …life is giving Becky bad cards 😐

    1. DarkoNeko

      seriously, the more I re-read the panel… fuck that’s depressing.

    2. Kryss LaBryn

      She should make bad card-onade! Wait…

      1. Gigafreak

        But they’re not lemons

        They’re APPLES

        1. Opus the Poet

          Bad card cider then.

        2. Gigafreak

          Becky wants a certain someone in cider but sadly that someone does not reciprocate

  10. Kris

    I feel this strip would have more impact if I knew how to play apples to apples.

    1. chris73

      Same, this is quite confusing

    2. David M Willis

      Becky explains the mechanics in yesterday’s strip.

    3. otusasio451

      Green card with an adjective is put in the center of the table. One person is appointed the judge. Everyone else picks a red noun card that they feel best matches the green card. The judge picks whoever they thinks has the best card, and gives the green card to the winner. The judge changes every turn, and whoever has the most green cards by the end wins.

      1. A Scientist

        Also, you then use the green cards you won to describe yourself, in some wrinkles of the game, which is always fun.

        Though, my collections are generally rather unflattering.

      2. chris73

        Ah ok, cheers

      3. AgentKeen

        I must be Dina, because every time someone explains the rules, then describes the example round, I don’t get it.

        1. tal

          You gather a group of people, preferably ones you know and like. Everyone gets some red cards, which have nouns and explanations of those nouns on them. One person starts off as the judge, they pick a green card which will have an adjective (like “round”) on it, then everyone else goes through their red cards looking for something they think the judge will agree works with “round”. The goal is to be lucky in the cards you have but also in how well you know the judge, if the card is “round” and my mom is the judge, you better not play “cat”, but if it’s my sister she will laugh and go with it.

          So the judge has set out the green card, everyone’s found their best pick of their red cards, and they set them in a pile face-down. Then the judge looks at all the red cards and picks the one they like best, and the person who played that red card gets to keep the green card to keep score. Everyone but the judge draws a replacement red card and the next person is the judge.

          It’s a great game for mixed groups of adults and kids, because they will like different card pairings and it’s not pure luck, so winning isn’t random but isn’t something the adults will always be able to do.

    4. caesaria82

      Becky explained it yesterday. I hadn’t heard of it either (non-American here). You have to pick a card in your hand that relates to the word/phrase on the green card , in this case, ‘painful’. And then the person who called out the word on the green card picks whatever they like best. Like, I personally would probably pick The Midwest for painful b/c it’s funniest to *me*. But everyone has a different sense of humor, which I guess makes this game fun and unpredictable.

    5. Kris

      Y’know I think I preferred being ignorant, cause now I’m sad. 🙁

      1. redsquirrel

        You can join the sad part now! It’s got balloons and party favors, but no one had touched them, and everyone is avoiding (teary) eye contact with one another.

    6. Just saying

      It’s a little bit like Cards Against Humanity

      1. George

        It’s *exactly* like Cards Against Humanity, but with different cards.

        1. Random832

          Does A2A have the “Draw 2 Play 3” cards too?

        2. No Name

          No. Also, A2A doesn’t have any green cards that require two or more reds, while CaH does have black cards that need two or more whites.

  11. otusasio451

    Stop being a jerk, Apples to Apples.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      I recall something about some people wanted A2A changed so it’s less inclined to cause triggering.

      1. Rowen Morland

        Is this a story from real life or is it a internet hyperbole triggering story?

        (That’s nit me accusing you of anything btw Plasma, I’m just if you remember where you heard it from.)

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          I recall reading about it in one of the YouTube comments, so to try to answer your question I looked for any references and discovered it was Cards Against Humanity not Apples To Apples that caused the triggering issue. http://nothingismere.com/2014/06/23/cards-against-humanity-against-humanity/

        2. Kaoy

          Seriously? That is beyond ridiculous. The entire point of the existence of CaH is to be as awful as possible. It is right there on the damned tin. I hate hipsters for stealing this word, but the entire fun of the game is to be as ironically terrible as you can be. If someone isn’t into that sort of fun, they shouldn’t play it. Not everything has to be for them.

        3. Li

          Right, because “passable transvestites”, “roofies”, and “date rape” were such great cards… those darned oversensitive people.

          Pro tip: rape jokes are really funny to rapists, and help normalize the idea of rape. When you, a non-rapist, make this joke in a room full of people, you might be making it in front of a rapist, which will make that rapist very comfortable, and will probably make them think you are also a rapist. (Rapists rationalize their behavior by telling themselves everyone does it; you’ve just reinforced that.)

          So no. Fuck those cards.

        4. chrisashtear

          theres a card on there that says ‘ethnic cleansing’.

          Its for people who like dark humor. If you cant deal with it, dont play it.

        5. David M Willis

          Ethnic cleansing likely hasn’t happened to people you’re playing CAH with. There’s sadly a good chance someone in your game has been sexually assaulted.

          These are not equivalent cards.

        6. Kaoy

          Except for Jewish people with relatives who survived the holocaust, African immigrants of various ethnicites, or any Muslims (what with Shiites and Sunnis both being groups that seem to exist in the middle east just to methodically eradicate the other). It is a fringe example, but Eugenics makes a comeback every few years or so with some asshat claiming to have perfected a surefire way to prevent homosexuality.

          Willis, that is an argument I am going to have to say you didn’t think through entirely.

        7. David M Willis

          *facepalm*

          I was talking about relative likelihoods, and I did not rule out anything absolutely. Please read the words I used more clearly.

          And if you’re playing with someone who survived a genocide, like your 90-year-old Jewish immigrant grandmother, you’re probably going to know. Sexual assault is not so damned transparent, in addition to happening to hundreds of thousands of people in just America per year. You will know not to have “ethnic cleansing” in your deck when playing Cards Against Humanity with your 90-year-old grandmother. You might not know not to have “roofies” in your deck while playing it against your sister or your friend or your friend’s friend.

        8. Kaoy

          Oh, and anyone who lost someone during The Troubles.

        9. Li

          “Can’t deal with it”

          Dude, I love dark humor. CAH’s use of it just frequently fails to be… you know, actually funny in any way.

          I also tried fairly hard to point out that rape jokes have an affect on rapists specifically because I did not want to have an argument over whether it’s “oversensitive” for anyone else to find them awful.

          The rapist playing CAH with you isn’t “offended” by your rape jokes. That rapist is enjoying them, and thinks they mean you’re pro-rape, possibly even a rapist yourself.

          If that idea doesn’t make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, I’m very glad I probably won’t ever meet you in person.

    2. Svankensen

      Shes imagining them. Theres 5 cards in her hand. When she pulls angry hornets (nowhere to be seen in the fifth panel), she is left with only 4.

      1. No Name

        You get seven cards, and we only see six in the first panel (the cards she had left after “Darling Dexter”). She then draws her new seventh, which is “Angry Hornets”. I don’t think she’s imagining anything.

        1. Svankensen

          Damn, thats even worse.

        2. TheGrammarLegionary

          See, I saw it a little differently. I thought Becky was just looking at the cards in her hand in panel 5, then panel 6 is Dorothy looking at what she been given to match ‘painful’. And how, I wonder, did Becky’s card get there…

  12. A Scientist

    Dina’s hat does not approve of Joyce’s decision.

    1. Bagge

      Dina’s hat gives no fuck

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        I thought Dina’s hat was a dinosaur not a honey badger.

        1. DSL

          The honey badger learned the ways of not-giving-a-fuckness from distant descendants of dinosaurs.

        2. Gigafreak

          Birds?

          Well there ARE certain birds that are particularly disinclined in the “giving a fuck” field

  13. Marissa

    Here, just take all of them.

  14. caesaria82

    Oh nooooooo this is so sad. Ouch. That actually really hurt. Poor Becky. I feel you. It gets better :3

  15. Vinny

    I love Dina in panel 4.

  16. Captain Batson

    Now I’m sad. I hate being sad, and THAT MAKES ME ANGRY!!

    1. DarkoNeko

      HULK NOT LIKE SAD !
      APPLE SMATCH !!

      1. Nono

        I read that as APPLE SNATCH, which suggests something completely different.

    2. Tacos

      And how does anger make you feel? Hungry? Gassy? Frisky?

      1. 6Qubed

        Pensive, actually.

      2. Rich

        Sad, obviously. Vicious circle of emotions.

    3. Deanatay

      Must… think… angry thoughts… like… kittens… NO! ANGRY kittens… covered in spikes…makes me angry! RAAAAHHHHH!!

  17. Pteropine

    i know that feeling depressingly well, when you can feel your best friend(s) (and in this case crush/love) slipping away from you and can’t do anything about it but sit there and watch helplessly as your heart breaks in front of you

    1. marr

      Go to am ex- whatever’s wedding. One that you thought you were going to get back together with once you moved back, sorted things out, got your act together. Go to the wedding she invited you to when decided she was the one, and screw this stupid self-imposed temporary separation. When you finally have a life plan and she figures into it. Go to that wedding and wish her the best because you love her and would do anything to make her happy; even give her up.

      1. Inyo

        Or even worse in that situation get brainwashed by an alien before going to the wedding.

  18. HeinousActsZX

    I always say play to the judge, so family reunions would work for Joyce.

    1. Eolirin

      Dorothy is the judge for this hand, not Joyce.

      1. Yumi

        On that note, I feel like Dorothy could dig “The Midwest” for this one.

        1. Kennerly

          Painful Angry Hornets might be the name of a Dexter and Monkey Master episode.

      2. A Scientist

        OH! They’re going counter-clockwise with the judging! Dina judged in yesterday’s strip, Joyce is to her right, and now it’s Dorothy’s turn!

        I had been assuming they were going clockwise, since that’s how I always play, and I couldn’t figure out what Dina was doing yesterday if not judging, and today I couldn’t figure out whose turn it was at the end of the strip.

        But now, thanks to your comment, Eolirin, I’ve finished mapping the circle, so that’s not bothering me anymore.

        1. Kennerly

          Or they might be playing it that the winner of the last round is the judge.

        2. A Scientist

          Don’t ruin this for me, Kennerly.

  19. L!ghtn!ng

    Oh, crud. Ouch. I wish I could hug Becky right now!

  20. TheLurkerAbove

    Only Willis can make Apples to Apples depressing.

    1. Gigafreak

      I once read about a round where the adjective was “spicy” and someone played “JFK Assassination”

      …Why does Apples to Apples even have a JFK Assassination card

      1. Rich

        It’s written for multiple generations, and that event was a big standout for anyone who lived through it, lots of strong associations. People tend to remember where they were, who they were with, what they felt. More modern equivalent for US citizens might be 9/11. If the game had come out twenty years earlier, Pearl Harbor might have made it into the mix.

        1. Rich

          That said, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it actually played. Maybe it’s only in some editions?

  21. ozaline

    Poor Becky, your hand deserves the the sad Super Mario RPG music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_SDejECbS0

  22. Bicycle Bill

    But who is passing Becky the extra “Angry Hornets” card?

    1. David M Willis

      and why did her other hand disappear

      1. JessWitt

        Mysteries upon mysteries, I say! ?

        1. Tacos

          It’s a conspiracy I tells ya!

    2. Yumi

      She’s pulling the previously unseen red card from her own hand to play it. You typically have seven red cards at a time.

      1. Bicycle Bill

        But they already played one round (“Darling” matched with “Dexter the Head Alien”), so wouldn’t she now be down to only six cards?

        1. A Scientist

          You replenish after each round.

        2. Rich

          There’s a variant (maybe homebrew) where you refill to seven only once you’re down to one (or three, or whatever) cards. Makes your choices harder, and the rounds where everyone’s low on cards tend to be surreal because you have so few choices available. They probably aren’t playing that way, though.

        3. Yumi

          You play one and then draw one each turn.

        4. Lyssie

          You draw a new card for the next round. Becky might be drawing “Angry Hornets” right now.

  23. boomwolf

    If you heard the sound of sometbing cracking, it was… a window. That I punched in frustration at Becky’s apparent plight. If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go find a paramedic, that window was more fortified than I thought.

    1. caesaria82

      I heard something cracking, too. It was my heart.

      1. boomwolf

        Mine broke weeks ago. Granted it was over something else, but it broke all the same.

    2. MeghanTheWorldEater

      I thought the cracking was the sound of frozen soft serve shattering into bits

      1. boomwolf

        Wait…. OH CRUD, MY FRIDGE!! And with that, I know lose a month’s supply of soft serve. Forget it, I don’t even care anymore, I’m eatin the tapioca.

      2. Rycan

        With you, I’d hardly be surprised. Leave it to Meghan to bring soft-serve down to the cryogenic temperatures needed to make soft serve brittle.

  24. JessWitt

    Hornets? Butterflies? Are we in for more entomological delights?

  25. Rich

    Huh. Hard to be sure, but from the gap it looks like she’s picking the second card from the top there at the end, so if she just inverted them without shuffling that makes it…Spooning???

    Still the cheeriest option, really.

    1. Leorale

      Sometimes spooning can be a little too cheery
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/06-strange-beerfellows/cuddles/

    2. Yumi

      I’m confused by this comment, so I’m not sure if this makes sense as a response, but we can see the card she’s choosing to play. She didn’t flip over her hand, the cards are still facing up. The card she’s choosing wasn’t featured in the previous panel.

      1. Rich

        You think the last panel is Becky passing her selection to Dorothy? Guess I can see that. I was assuming she was fiddling with her cards face down and pulling her choice in the last panel. Lot of people around here do it that way – keep their cards face down as much as possible regardless of what card game they’re in. Worried about people seeing their hand, I assume, although that doesn’t help with ATA.

        1. No Name

          It’s Becky drawing her new seventh, which is “Angry Hornets”.

  26. caesaria82

    The more I look at that hand, the more I realize that legit ALL those cards are incredibly sad and relevant to Becky’s really sad life at the moment. I’m just gonna go cry now, bye.

  27. Cthulhu's Intern

    She should’ve played the “Giving a fuck” card.

    1. Bagge

      Nah, she and Kaitlin got found out before that.

      1. DarkoNeko

        oow ouch.

    2. No Name

      Also, Apples to Apples doesn’t have swears on there cards. That’s most likely “Giving a Hug”. Still painful though.

  28. Idon'tcarenomore

    Poor Becky, sad cards.

    Just makes me wonder why it’s such a big deal for Joyce to have 2 good friends at one time. Becky is her best childhood friend, Dorothy her best college friend. (If Joyce doesn’t let them play her as to who she likes most, and Dorothy not apt to do that).

    1. Eolirin

      It’s not so much that it’s such a big deal that Joyce has multiple good friends as much as that Becky is in love with her, and she’s not in love back, *and* she’s drifting away from Becky toward other people at the same time.

      If the first thing weren’t there, it’d be pretty much fine, allowing for a little time to adjust to the idea that the sort of relationship that existed between them wasn’t unique anymore. But because it is there, it’s a lot, lot, harder.

      1. Yumi

        And reading this, I had the realization that I may have feelings for a friend of mine.

        1. Li

          There IS such a thing as platonic jealousy, especially if you only have the one friend and aren’t friends with their new friend, but I can only talk about this in theory because I’ve had a few crushes on my friends that confused matters.

  29. Plasma Mongoose

    Dina kinda looks sinister today.

  30. Peter Sadlon

    I think I’d have gone with angry hornets as well.

    1. Bagge

      They way her life is going I bet that’s next.

  31. LeslieBean4Shizzle

    Oh come on Becky. The obvious choice is “My Life”. Embrace the pain… and the possibility of an “irony win”.

    1. No Name

      Ah, but the “My” cards are from the perspective of the Judge. And Dorothy’s got it pretty good right now.

      1. Deanatay

        Plus, Becky MIGHT be subconsciously wishing Angry Hornets on Dorothy right now. Maybe. Just a guess.

    2. hof1991

      Those cards are all be in her head. She hears “painful” and just about everything is painful right now, even watching Joyce being happy. Thats the hand that life has dealt her. Then she can numbly play her actual cards.

      DYW is being deep and artistic here. Kudos, even if it goes over our heads. (Nothing goes over my head, I am tall and quick).

      1. chisci

        they… don’t necessarily have to be all in her head….. specially considering that the My Life card stayed right there…….. had that card changed into something more inconspicuous I could agree…………. but otherwise it feels like overanalyzing her bad luck

  32. Nono

    Family Reunions should have been a gold card if half the group didn’t actually like their parents.

    All abut reading the crowd.

    1. Yumi

      But Dorothy does like her parents, so it wouldn’t have been great on the turn when she’s judging.

      1. Gigafreak

        Dorothy was present for Joyce’s family reunion and it was kinda painful for everyone involved!

        1. No Name

          Also, just because you like your parents doesn’t mean you don’t like your other relatives. Everyone’s got at least one cuckoo in the family tree, and not all of them are benign.

  33. advancecasette

    not the first nor the last person to burst into tears during game of apples to apples

    1. DarkoNeko

      I hope you’re not speaking from experience.

  34. Jimbo

    she did NOT have that card in her hand in the previous panel!

    1. Bagge

      Don’t you draw new cards occasionally? (don’t actually know the game)

      1. TheZachariah

        The card she did have in her hand was “My Life”.

  35. Kernanator

    I can’t believe it took me nearly 45 minutes to get the joke.

  36. Dr. Smart

    Becky is such a jerk!

    okay actually I love Becky but this comment section was surprisingly void of Becky hate and I feel like the universe might implode.

    1. DarkoNeko

      Beware of the pygmallion effect.

  37. Jon P

    Hmm… Becky didn’t even say what she played the previous round, but Joyce is still declaring that it was funny.

    1. Rich

      Either they were all funny (quite possible) or she’s good enough at reading Becky that she knew which was hers (which makes this worse) or she was just being polite.

  38. Wack'd

    Remember: things could always be worse. You could be covered in bees. That’d be pretty bad.

    1. Rich

      I’ve been covered in bees. Unless they’re angry about something, it’s not so bad. Tickles, mostly.

      1. DarkoNeko

        [screams internally]

        1. Rich

          Did I mention I’m really allergic to the damn things?

          In hindsight it was fun, but kind of risky. Makes up for my never trying skydiving or bungee jumping, I guess.

      2. yomi

        Ok, I should not get covered in bees. Even if they are peaceful at the beginning and thus just tickle me, I’m very ticklish so I’ll almost certainly make some involuntary movements that’ll make them angry.

  39. DarkOracle

    For some reason I thought it was her turn to judge and was like “Who is giving her those cards!? Is the entire circle secretly Mike!?”

  40. Bagge

    “Shamed and cast out for being who you are”

    “Dad can show up at any moment and drag you away”

    “Didn’t even have time for a proper snogging”

    “Joyce likes Dorothy better than you (is that why she picked her card)?”

    Becky’s next cards.

    1. Dean

      Followed by ‘Why Not Just Kill Yourself?’ .

      1. BenRG

        My fears for Becky summarised in one sentence. God alone knows how or even if Joyce would cope with that.

        1. timemonkey

          It’s been stated nobody will die in DoA, Becky’s safe.

        2. Jess

          What if it’s a lie just to get all our guards down…
          Then when we’re least expecting it our feels just explode in sadness.

  41. beetnemesis

    Jesus Christ, Willis.

  42. kimmibeans

    Right in the feels!

  43. Catty

    I love the way Dina’s hat looks like it’s finally consumed its host and achieved a life all of its own.

  44. Victor Riley

    And Becky is learning why I don’t like Apples to Apples. You have just as much chance of winning by picking random cards out of your hand. After losing so many rounds, you start making the depressing connections to the word, rather than the funny ones.

    1. quix

      If you’re a competitive player generally, you have to intentionally stop thinking of it as a game and more of a social exercise.

      1. Victor Riley

        That’s just it… I’m not a competitive player, normally. I actually prefer the cooperative games, where everyone wins, or everyone loses. (Pandemic is so much freaking fun…even when losing.) For a while, I always got a little excited when Apples to Apples comes out at a party… but I soon realized that the games got tedious rather quickly.

    2. Kelly

      I can win at AtA or CAH, but it is pretty hard (excepting when it happens by luck). So much of it is *knowing* the other people, and *reading* them and the general mood on the fly… Very tricky for an Apsie!

      1. Kelly

        *Aspie, even. clearly I need sleep.

  45. BenRG

    It’s genuinely tragic, I think. Sarah is right, though. Even though Joyce’s actions are motivated by sisterly love, staying at the dorm is a torture for Becky. She’s so fixated on Joyce that she can’t even see that Dorothy is only her friend! All she sees is the girl that she loves in a relationship with someone else.

    For Becky’s sake, Joyce has got to somehow let her go! I know that she wants to help Becky but the fact is that she isn’t helping but instead is hurting her.

    1. timemonkey

      She can’t even see that Dorothy is the only one actively trying to be her friend as well.

    2. DarkoNeko

      Becky litterally has no one else, tho.

      …

      Actually, I’m wondering about Joyce’s sister. The writer one. She doesn’t seems to live too far.

  46. Very Good Karma

    Also, Becky, try not to forget that you pretty much exclusively use your humor to make Joyce uncomfortable, not make her laugh. Because making Joyce uncomfortable is what makes *you* laugh. Because you’re kind of a jerk.

    1. Tenn

      This really needed to be said in this particular comment thread. It is especially important to point out Becky’s well-documented flaws when they don’t obviously manifest themselves, lest we temporarily forget to moderate our amount of sympathy for her.

  47. Rheios

    Oh come on! Family Reunions and My Life are gold.

  48. Chengrel

    Oh boy. If Beck doesn’t cry tomorrow I’m gonna start wondering if she’s human or not.

  49. Willoughby Chase

    Singing the Becky Blues …

  50. feli

    See, people, you did it.
    All your Becky-hate made Willis think she deserves more punishment. Hope you enjoy it.

  51. Kamino Neko

    Good thing she had that Angry Hornets card. She might have ruined the party if she hadn’t been able to keep repressing.

  52. Manda

    Apples to Apples was a thing I never heard of before this comic (maybe it’s not a huge thing in the UK, idk) but now my impression is it’s Card’s Against Humanity’s baby cousin

    1. chisci

      joyce said it herself, it’s the christian cards against humanity!

  53. Kirkybobz

    “My first kiss”? Oooooooohhhhhhhh. That sucks.

    1. BenRG

      Exactly. Becky needs a hug, but not from Joyce. Probably not for very many years from Joyce.

      As bitter as it is (because Joyce is entirely innocent of any malice), Joyce is becoming poison to her and she needs to get away before it destroys her.

  54. timemonkey

    Trigon!Starfire Voice “I laugh at your pain! Hahahahahaha!”

  55. Spencer

    You have an impeccable talent for making Becky really sad in mundane situations.

  56. Greenygal

    Awww, Becky.

    Well, at least this party is achieving its stated goal of making Joyce happy…?

    1. BenRG

      It takes a lot to make Joyce unhappy, IMHO at least. Still, she’s forgotten the bad flashbacks at least.

      The thing is that I suspect this party will end up with its own unique memories that may or may not be welcome.

  57. John

    Go with “The Midwest”, Becks. Dotty’ll appreciate it.

  58. JBento

    So, not content with dealing Becky a metaphorical bad hand, life is now handing her a LITERAL bad hand.

    Congrats, life. I think you’re a jerk and I don’t even like Becky.

    1. JBento

      Ok, fine….

      *hugs Becky”

      See what you made me do, life? SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO?!

      1. Deanatay

        Now you’ve done it. You’ve got the Lesbian Cooties.

        1. JBento

          Lesbian cooties? As a straight dude, does that mean that I’m now MORE attracted to women?

  59. Bunk

    Is the first card “Giving a hug”? If so, just complete sadness in there for Becky.

    1. Bunk

      Whoops, wrong email

  60. chisci

    well becky doesn’t know this but painful first kiss would have been a great match for dorothy, you know

  61. Rodimiss

    Wow. Okay. I’ll play “this strip” for the word “painful,” here

  62. Havtorn

    My brain is broken. To me “Painful Spooning” immedately stood out as a very tasteless euphemism for what could happen to you in prison. o_o

    1. BenRG

      I think that this is why Dina was so suspicious of Becky’s claim that there are ‘no wrong answers’.

    2. winter

      And this is why I was so confused at people asking how Apples to Apples could be made erotic, dirty, or disgusting. All it takes is a little imagination and bam! One hand in and we’ve already got painful spooning.

    3. timemonkey

      I saw that episode of Oz. Wasn’t expecting him to use an actual spoon.

  63. emikochan

    This is why I never play these kind of games -_-

  64. Roborat

    Becks should just play all of them.

  65. Benvincible

    Oh, huh, what would Apples to Apples be like in other universes? Like, in the X-Men universe, there wouldn’t be a Wolverine card or whatever, because the subject of mutants would probably be too controversial for Apples to Apples, right?

  66. Tenn

    But I wanna know what Becky’s card waaaaaaaas… *whine*

  67. BMunro

    The apples laugh at her pain.

  68. Bagge

    Apples, stop being a jerk to Becky

  69. thesuicidalgiraffe

    ALL OF THE ABOVE!

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