230

Sport
Posted on July 6, 2020 by David M Willis

230 thoughts on “Sport”

  1. Doctor_Who

    Last panel: Robin grapples with an emotion that can’t be described as a Skittles flavor.

    1. Radiance

      This is truly a sour apple to swallow.

    2. brionl

      Strawberry huh-wha with traces of lime yay?

    3. Amias

      I know there isn’t an upvote system in the DoA comments, but if there was, this would still be on top.

      1. Felix

        I mean, you’re not wrong.

  2. Kelli

    Is Robin growing a conscience?

    1. Doctor_Who

      After making her daily triple-shot espresso with five hour energy drinks instead of water, she looked down to see a tiny Leslie dressed as Jiminy Cricket standing on her shoulder.

      Normally she gets Tomo from Azumanga Daioh in a Tigger costume, so something’s up.

      1. jeffepp

        Where is the upvote? I can’t find the upvote!

      2. EvilMidnightLurker

        You win this week’s internet.

      3. Schol-R-LEA

        Still better than having Timothy Leary as you shoulder angel and William Burroughs as your shoulder devil, I suppose.

        (Hey, I didn’t make that up. Oh, wait, yes I did, in a Whateley Academy fanfic about Dr. Diabolik. My Bad.)

      4. bcb

        I did not expect to see Robin fanfic in the comments, but I love it.

      5. PB

        I needed that laugh. Thank you. ?

    2. Keulen

      I hope she ends up with a shoulder angel and devil like Kronk.

      1. StClair

        Definitely what I was thinking of.

    3. Wraithy2773

      She’s always had a conscience.

      That’s what the booze is for.

    4. thejeff

      Her problem has always been more a total lack of awareness than lack of a conscience. It’s hard to get her to acknowledge something, but once she does, she’s pretty much in the right place.

  3. Stephen Bierce

    *cues up Bark’s “Get Out Of Town” for the hacked Muzak*

    1. Stephen Bierce

      The answers are simple
      It’s so black-and-white
      So just show them some graphs
      And turn on their lights
      Maybe one day they’ll see things like you do
      Or maybe one day, you’ll get to walk in their shoes…

  4. Ana Chronistic

    Twitter: “PICS OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN”

    Becky: *shrugs and posts photos*

    Twitter: “FAKE NEWS LOL”

    1. Bicycle Bill

      Considering what one can do with a digital photo and the barest minimum of Photoshop or similar software, “PICS OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN” doesn’t mean diddly-squat any more.

      1. K^2

        There are some surprisingly simple methods of analyzing quantization noise and compression artifacts that will cut through all but most sophisticated of fakes. Not that it’s going to stop most people to blindly believe either way, which hasn’t really changed, well, pretty much since photography got invented.

        1. Delicious Taffy

          See also: Every single alien or Sasquatch photograph ever taken, no matter how badly we want them to be real.

        2. Needfuldoer

          Meanwhile, obviously fake images that support their worldview are held up as irrefutable proof that they’re right.

          It’s never about whether the images have been manipulated or not. :\

        3. LiamKav

          Yeah. That’s one of those areas where scientists-arguing-in-good-faith bump up against reality… like with climate change or vaccination, they assume that as long as you present robust evidence and prove what things are fake, that will convince the public. Same here. You’re not going to convince “USPatriot362341” that a photo is faked or not fakes by showing evidence, because they don’t actually want evidence.

        4. Lys

          In the interest of fairness, nobody wants evidence that doesn’t support their worldview. Good people are, however, more likely to accept it. For two reasons – one is that good people more readily accept that it’s not about how they feel (no matter the implications about “facts and your feelings” the “other side” loves to make). The second, which is more arguable and might be my own beliefs first, is that intelligent/rational people tend to be better people, notably for the first reason – if they understand that things aren’t about them, they understand more about being good to others.

      2. 3-I

        It didn’t mean anything THEN.

    2. hof1991

      https://www.amazon.com/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-Not/dp/0544574788

      Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tarvis. It is science that we won’t believe science.

  5. Mehe

    Oof she’s not coping well.

    1. Deanatay

      Nonsense! She’s got the Keeping Busy, Putting On A Fake Smile, Repressing Your Feelings, and Denying there’s A Problem parts down pat!

    2. Miles

      Any time she cracks a joke now, it also means something sad.

  6. Chris

    Becky really should know by now not to read the comments.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Except for ours, because we love Becky.

      1. ScarvesandCelery

        Well, unless she read the comments when people got mad at her for getting a haircut

        1. Twirls

          yeah have to agree with ScarvesandCelery even this comment section can get… bad

    2. Diane

      I never know if Becky would truly know to not read the comments, or function as a normal teenager because of how strict her parent(s) was/were. On the one hand, Ross kept her on a super tight leash as much as possible. On the other hand she snuck out of her house so many times, and was that good at hiding things early on that I wonder if her mother taught her those things before she couldn’t take their household situation anymore.

    3. Reltzik

      Well, she’s kind of the feed’s admin at this point, so she might have to.

  7. Sirksome

    I mean her dad hit her (possibly regularly!!!??!!!) and tried to kill her friends. I wouldn’t cry for him.

    1. Foxhack

      … did he? Was that mentioned in Patreon strips or something?

      1. poofdepoof

        He hit her once in that car chase scene (before he knew they were being chased I believe)

        1. Meagan

          I just re-read that section and can’t find that.

        2. Newllend(henryvolt)

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-6/01-to-those-whod-ground-me/restore/

        3. Sirksome

          And the fact Becky had no real reaction to this implies that might not be the first time he hit her.

        4. Reltzik

          She did react — she recoiled and looked a mixed of hurt, horrified, and terrified. And Ross’s dialogue suggests that this was a new departure for him.

        5. Sirksome

          I have to disagree. At least in my interpretation of it. Becky was recording the whole thing which implies she expected him to eventually incriminate himself somehow. I read her reaction as surprise that he saw the phone, not at being hit. That all makes me think that Ross at least had a temper and if he wasn’t abusing her might have abused someone else. But I don’t want to theorize too much on that subject matter without it being confirmed. I know Ross made a lot of regretful looks last chapter but he was not a good person.

        6. Reltzik

          Check the phone again. She wasn’t recording. She had an open line to 911, something they could track with the phone’s GPS. Good move for someone who’s just been kidnapped.

        7. Regalli

          The open call on 911 could have audio is well, is what I think they’re getting at. Either way, Becky did not particularly want it discovered so her expression is… somewhat ambiguous, especially since she never says anything about him hitting her afterwards as far as I remember. Ugh, fuck Ross.

        8. thejeff

          She expected him to incriminate himself, but not necessarily by hitting her, just by talking. She also made sure to mention, after dialing 911 a couple strips before that: “You kidnapped me, dad” and “wave a gun at me and my friend”. Damn smart thinking when you can’t openly talk to the 911 operator.

        9. geno

          Sirksome nobody ever argued Ross was a good person just that he might not have been quite as evil Blaine.

    2. Regalli

      Yeah, I think she has been upset about what could have been and never will be (because feelings are complicated,) but Ross as he was? Very little to grieve over.

      If Hank could change, then maybe, MAYBE someday it wouldn’t have been impossible for Ross to change. (Just INCREDIBLY unlikely.) Now there is no potential there, and I’d bet it’s bringing some Sads About Bonnie’s Death back up to the surface as well.

  8. jufreire

    hey I deal with trauma like that too. sickening pragmatism and JOKES! nice.

  9. Phil

    it’s always the anime avatars…

    1. Phil

      Actually, I guess it’s not ALWAYS them, there are pieces of shit with all kinds of avatars, but having an anime avatar is a huge red flag in the first place.

      1. Viktoria

        It’s them and the “White dude in a truck with sunglasses and an operator beard” avatars that are like 80% of the problem.

        1. Foxhack

          Don’t forget the frog avatars.

        2. DrWattson

          And of course the default avatars. Usually with a nonsensical string of numbers at the end of their name.

        3. Delicious Taffy

          Hi, I’m Firstname Bunchanumbers and I have very strong, very incoherent opinions regarding brown people and women.

        4. Pedantic Jerkass

          Or anything at all, really, if it’s wearing a MAGA hat. It could be an avatar of Mother Theresa or Gandhi or Mister Rogers, but if it’s edited to have them wearing a MAGA hat, it still counts. Could just be a MAGA hat by itself (perhaps wearing another, smaller MAGA hat).

        5. BarerMender

          Operator beard. I had to look that one up.

        6. Needfuldoer

          Often paired with a shaved head because their hairline retreated to the crown by the time they were 35.

        7. BarerMender

          Wearing a beard when you’re bald makes your head not look so naked.

        8. Miles

          //started losing hair at 18//

          Yeah? Well something unnecessary about your body.

          ?

        9. Zee

          Let’s not forget the middle aged white woman in the “I’m a racist” sunglasses, you know the ones. Generally any profile pic that looks like it could be a Facebook picture is worrying

      2. DrunkenNordmann

        Specificially anime GIRL avatars, in my experience.

        1. Phil

          Anime girl are all they want in someone.
          Anime girls exist solely to be cute and cater to their desires. Anime girls cannot judge them. Anime girls have no free will.

          Also, some might feel it makes their shit opinions less shit if it’s delivered by a “cute” girl.

        2. Mariah Hardnett

          I dont know some anime girls would beat the shit ou of you if you harassed them and arent tsunderese basically emotional abuse would not be a great idea in real life.

        3. He Who Abides

          Hey, what did Plaz do to you?

      3. Victoria

        Hey… D; As a fairly successful women I’m gonna assume I’m throwing zero red flags with my anime avatar (ok it’s animal crossing now but it was Love Live).. and go back to watching cute anime over here. ;__;

        1. Victoria

          Woman* dang phone correcting me

  10. Cattleprod

    Having Ross in the worst parent poll feels vaguely unfair now that he’s dead, he can’t get any worse… ah crap, there’s going to be a video will that manages to make him worse.

    1. Mra

      Blaine murdered his only serious competition. Securing him first place.

      1. King Daniel

        Really, it’s looking almost unfair with Blaine being allowed into the poll. He’s crushing it by a landslide – and this against eight other competitors.

        1. Proxiehunter

          You might say he’s hammering the competition.

        2. Keulen

          I mean, he did kill someone, which none of the other parents have managed to do as far as we know, so it doesn’t surprise me that Blaine is doing so well in the worst parent poll.

      2. BarerMender

        I had to vote for Linda. Stealing Sal’s money was more brutal than anything Blaine came up with.

    2. Opus the Poet

      As far as we know there’s only one murderer on the list, so Blaine wins by default.

      1. Mra

        Voting for someone other than Blaine is just trying to get them into second place.

    3. Bicycle Bill

      I’m voting for Carol.  Blaine is a bad parent, and he KNOWS he’s a bad parent.
      Carol, on the other hand, is a bad parent but she doesn’t know it – or at least refuses to acknowledge it.  She is still able to convince herself that she’s on the side of the angels, so in my opinion that makes her worse.

      1. He Who Abides

        Ditto. Carol’s refusal to accept her bongoness is horrifying, especially since we know that there’s one kid that’s been completely removed from the family.

      2. Azhrei Vep

        I mean … Blaine may be a murderer, but look at the victim. That almost, almost, earns him a positive point in my book.

        But not quite. And he’d still be waaaay deep in the red even if he got it.

      3. Mra

        Checking in on the polls the morning after I voted I was surprised she beat out Ross, I guess people feel pity for him now that he was murdered.

        1. Regalli

          Ross can no longer directly impact Becky’s life, so at least there’s THAT.

          I voted for Linda because objectively, Blaine and Ross are worse, but I really, really hate Linda and Blaine’s a shoo-in anyway. There are very few parents as bad as Ross. There are PLENTY of people as bad as Carol and Linda.

    4. geno

      Yeah Blaine and Ross pretty thoroughly take the top spots. Linda is bad, but like there could still be a redemption arc or something. Blaine and Ross were never going to change.

  11. JetstreamGW

    M’kay, Becky, this is a little beyond compartmentalization and going right into creepy.

    1. Opus the Poet

      My vote is for some form of PTSD, because seeing your not very-loved parent getting killed in front of you either makes you catatonic, or like Becky.

      1. Miri

        Thankfully, while she saw him die, she didn’t see him grappling with his murderer. Or overhear his murderer consider killing her and her friends to “still win” after her father blew the plans and “got himself murdered through his own stupidity” for that matter, but I’m pretty sure there’s a law that if you see your parent grappling with somebody trying to beat them around the head with a hammer (again), you’re obliged to do more than hop past them to freedom. And that bit where she would have had been restrained and unable to do anything else in practical terms would have been a bit awkward…

        1. temperaryobsessor

          Just to be clear, someone may feel they should do more to defend their parent instead of escaping, but hopping past them to freedom is often the right choice in that situation. Even if your parent didn’t get in that situation by being horrible hopping past them to freedom is often the right move. Most parents would tell their children to do just that in that situation and mean it, and plenty of parents would take some comfort in the fact that at least they were able to give their child a chance to escape. I’m pretty sure that’s the definition of parent.

      2. BarerMender

        I dunno. Seeing either one of my parents killed in front of me would’ve been a shock, but I would’ve gotten over it soon.

    2. Azhrei Vep

      Seems like a reasonable response to me.

  12. Newllend(henryvolt)

    Pretty much just as bad as the Sandy Hook deniers.

    1. abysswatcher1993

      I blame Infowars.

  13. NinjaNick

    There’s always an avalanche of conspiracists somewhere. Ugh!

    1. abysswatcher1993

      Conspiracy theorists are the scum of the earth. Nazis and rapists are radioactive waste that harms that make the earth not able to sustain life.

      1. abysswatcher1993

        that makes the earth not able to sustain life.*

    2. jmsr7

      When considering a crime, you have to establish motive, means and opportunity. Conspiracy theorists leap on motive and completely ignore the other two, even if it means violating logic, natural law or even temporal causality.

  14. Ray Radlein

    Robin’s expression tho

  15. Mra

    On the poll for worst DoA parent I was utterly unsurprised that Blaine held first place, but I was surprised that Leslie was even on the list, does she qualify as a parent?

    1. Nono

      She’s a pseudo-mom. Really more of one than half the options.

    2. Needfuldoer

      I think a handful of respondents misinterpreted it as a ‘best parent’ poll.

    3. Cyrus

      Seriously, if Leslie is on there, Ruth’s a-hole grandpa definitely should be.

  16. showler

    Ah yes, this reminds me. Kent Mansley can go F himself.

    1. King Daniel

      …the guy from The Iron Giant?

      1. showler

        Correct.

    2. BigDogLittleCat

      Agreed. He was well beyond being a jerk.

      Dogs, I love that movie!

  17. BBCC

    She’s fine. 🙂

  18. Sirksome

    Also I don’t think I like Robin’s followers/possible voters. If covid was happening in this comic they’d probably be anti-maskers claiming it’s an overblown leftist hoax despite new cases and deaths being reported everyday.

    1. Jay

      Agreed. I think Robin already knew to an extent just how awful many of her voters are per her discussion with her sister ages ago, but the past few days has been rough for her world view and even harder on Becky’s well being.

      1. C.T Phipps

        Are they her voters anymore?

  19. Bicycle Bill

    It’s early yet, Becky.  There ain’t no way this isn’t going to be a news story by the end of the day, and then you can watch all those anime-avatared followers choke as they try to swallow down their helping of crow.

    1. Newllend(henryvolt)

      It won’t stop them from calling it a fake news conspiracy, even if you show them photos of the corpse sprawled out in the morgue.

      1. Wizard

        It’s just a crisis actor.

  20. sharktrs

    who the fuck voted for Hank

    1. Rose by Any Other Name

      who the fuck voted for Leslie?

      1. Sirksome

        Someone voted for Leslie? As opposed to fucking Blaine?! Has to be an accident or a troll right?

        1. Kamino Neko

          As of right now, 4 people have voted for Leslie.

    2. Diane

      I more wonder who voted for Leslie. She tries to be a better parent than half that list.

    3. Reltzik

      Someone who misclicked, I’m sure.

      How does Leslie have more votes than Robin?

      1. Kamino Neko

        Or Charles. (Luckily, unlike about a half hour ago, she’s behind Linda, now…)

      2. Doom Shepherd

        Certain people with anime avatars on Twitter angry at being called out?

      3. NotPiffany

        Robin’s more a clueless big sister (both literally and figuratively) than a parental figure.

    4. BBCC

      I hate Linda the most but I think Blaine’s the worst and have reluctantly given him my vote.

  21. Newllend(henryvolt)

    By the way that new poll is one I ca get behind. Would have been more interesting a year back but now its just a contest for 2nd place now…. kind of wonder why Naomi’s not up there either.

    1. Rose by Any Other Name

      The second place race would have been FAR more interesting if we’d been able to vote for our top three rather than a single one. As it stands, second place is decided entirely by people who don’t think Blaine is worst, which is a… bold stance to take.

      1. He Who Abides

        Speaking as someone who didn’t vote for Blaine (Carol, for the record), I honestly thought that including Blaine is “corking the bat”, as it were. He’s undeniably a few tiers above the next few on shittiness (and an Everest-height above Leslie, Willis why?), so I voted my #2 choice because I thought putting him here was just too obvious.

        Kinda surprised that Yuri’s not on here, though.

        1. Regalli

          Given Naomi and Clint aren’t there, either, and they’re both obviously terrible, maybe it was parent inclusion by number of tags?

          And yeah, I voted for my #2 (well, 3, but second still living) because the ones who’ve kidnapped their daughters are obviously 3,000 times worse than even the objectively terrible ones and Blaine is therefore obviously going to win, it’s not even a contest, let’s just put some shame on the other sucky ones.

        2. He Who Abides

          Danny’s mom’s absent too, and she’s an objectively terrible person.

        3. Regalli

          Both Wilcox parents are terrible, frankly. Pretty sure it was the dad who told him to stick with Dorothy because she’s going places (and implicitly, he is not.)

          The Wilcoxen: For once in this comic, a roughly equal level of ‘Wow! Please go fuck yourselves!’

    2. Keulen

      We’re definitely gonna need a 2nd worst parent poll without Blaine.

  22. Lex

    Blaine is easily the worst parent by a wide margin on this poll. There’s plenty of parents who aren’t good parents in DoA, but Blaine goes above and beyond. Most of the others at least seem to actually love their kids, even if they have distorted views of what’s best for them and don’t treat them as well as they’ve convinced themselves that they do.

    1. Newllend(henryvolt)

      Blaine is in a League of his own when it comes to shity parent Olympics.

  23. DailyBrad

    Blaine was going to get my vote, anyway, but surprised Naomi wasn’t on the poll, as she’s possibly even worse than Linda. Like holy shit is that woman awful.

    1. Diane

      Ooh, good point, hating and judging your son for being gay is not exactly parent of the year material.

    2. Newllend(henryvolt)

      Let’s dissect Naomi’s track record, openly told Ethan he was a disappointment to his face because he was gay and blamed Amber for making gay in some idiotic way, but the last flashback she was in reveals that she was on to Ethan being gay way before Ethan and Amber were dating but she decided blame Amber for it to begin with. Naomi sucks so bad it’s almost surprising she doesn’t make the list.

      1. SuperFroakie82

        I don’t remember that flashback. Was that a patreon strip or something?

        1. Newllend(henryvolt)

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/04-of-mike-and-men/remainder/

          She Knew, she knew before he was even aware of it himself but she blamed Amber for it any way.

        2. NickG

          She probably expected Amber to fuck the gay out of Ethan, the same way she expected Joyce to. Naomi is an awful person.

  24. Diane

    So, anyone else concerned Becky is gonna keep bottling and hiding her frustrations to the point where she gets suicidal just like her mom, despite her promise that she wouldn’t see her for another 80 years?

    1. Reltzik

      Not me.

      Dina would intervene.

      And yes, Dina would figure it out, at least based on her perceptiveness regarding Amber.

    2. Nick

      I think that Becky is definitely not nearly as okay as she pretends to be, but that someone (other than Robin) is going to notice before something cataclysmic happens. I think we’re going to see that. Dina is indeed a good candidate, but I can visualize a lot of characters being the one to call her on it.

      1. Diane

        Ugh, I had a long response, but my internet ate it…So I’ll be briefer: You two are right, Dina would intervene, and I did not think of that so late last night. I also agree that I think someone would have to point it out to Dina due to Dina’s personality, but also believe that it’s possible she could notice herself, since being with Becky, she has slowly realized more, so she might got this all herself.

    3. Azhrei Vep

      No? She seems to be handling it in a pretty decent fashion. If people like Robin keep bugging her to be more obviously upset, and she doesn’t back off twitter, then she might start to get frustrated, but probably not suicidally so.

      1. Diane

        I will assume you may not read between lines often then, because this is deflection of the greatest art form, and one of Becky’s favorite coping mechanisms. And deflection of concerns is a thing suicidal people will do.

  25. Axel

    I’d like to see the poll reposted sometime without ross or blaine, to make it more of a puzzle

    1. Bicycle Bill

      Or pick the top three….

      1. Needfuldoer

        Ranked choice voting reflects the public’s actual opinions more accurately than first-past-the-post.

  26. Puckish Rogue

    Its a shame theres been so many fake hate crimes that’ve been shown to be made up that when a real one happens its disbelieved

    1. Corneel

      Sarcasm?

      1. Puckish Rogue

        Not sarcasm. When a hate crime turns out to be a hoax or misreported or whatever (especially if its high profile) then, much like Peter and the Wolf, people are more likely to respond in a disbelieving manner

        1. thejeff

          It does cause problems and the fake ones tend to get more publicity, but “so many” is kind of misleading. They’re really pretty rare.

          It’s much like false rape accusations. Rare but amplified and used to discredit the real problem.

          But with something like this, it doesn’t really need actual fake hate crimes. This is more the conspiracy theory version and those need no evidence. “Fake news” and “crisis actors” and all the usual bullshit. There’s never been anything like that.

        2. Puckish Rogue

          Sure they’re rare but thanks to social media and news media not doing their jobs and being more interested in being the news rather than reporting what actually happened its what we get

          Maybe its what we deserve

  27. Icalasari

    Robin be all, “She’s going to snap and take me with her isn’t she?”

    Becky needs some HARD CORE therapy

  28. Icalasari

    Also, how did Joyce’s dad get even that one vote when characters like Blaine exist?

    1. Heavensrun

      How does anybody but Blaine get any votes?

      He kidnapped his daughter’s friends and put one of them in a coma, and literally murdered a man in front of them.

      Literally nothing anybody else has done is even remotely close to -that bad-.

      If you voted for anybody else, you are objectively WRONG.

      1. not someone else

        Ross kidnapped his daughter and threatened to do things of that nature, which I think counts as close, but otherwise I agree.

        1. Heavensrun

          Yeah, but like…This isn’t a defense of Ross, he’s crazy and wrong about everything, but at least his -intent- was to save Becky’s soul from what he believes to be eternal torment. It doesn’t make -any- of it okay, but….
          Blaine just wanted to stop paying tuition.

      2. Eldritchy

        You know, this might be like the Umbridge is more hated than Voldemort thing. Blaine is just a bit too extreme to feel realistic for most people, Ross and other parents? That’s something that can might feel familiar with people and might cause loads of negative emotions.

        1. JBento

          It is. People might not know any (open) Voldemorts, but EVERYBODY knows an Umbridge. Also, Voldemort was an evil murderous racist motherfucking nazi, but Umbridge was an evil murderous racist motherfucking nazi who was also petty.

      3. Regalli

        Oh, Blaine’s obviously the worst. I voted Linda because NO ONE thinks Blaine’s a good parent with redeeming qualities, so he’s gonna win in a landslide. I want to make my displeasure at the ones people actually defend known. (Carol’s strict religion bordering on cult means I could well have voted her as my #2 still alive spot if she’d appeared in the last few days rather than Linda, but you know. Recency bias.)

      4. Sombrero

        Blaine is soooo cartoony to become a non-parent. Some of the others feel creepily real, they could be your own parents or the parents of someone you know, and they are so bad they’re scary

      5. He Who Abides

        Heavensrun, I personally voted for Carol because, while Blaine is hands-down Worst. Parent. EVER, he’s also skewing the race because of his credulity stretching antics. Removing him and Ross (and Robin and Lealie, but for different reasons) would be a fairer representation of the non-supervillain-y parents while allowing other crapmeisters like Naomi, “Sir”, Yuri, and Danny’s hag of a mother to compete.

    2. Council

      I am wholly on board with Blaine being the worst human being on the list Overall.

      He doesn’t so much get brownie points for his parenting from me, more that he Attempts to parent(as much as his attempts are completely hijacked by his egotistic delusions).

      I voted Carol. What she does is indoctrination and gaslighting in parenting’s clothing – if she was Incompetent enough to act out to the same extremes Blaine did, I believe everyone would agree she was worse.

      Blaine did crimes, sure. Carol does the exact same kind of damage, much more of it when you add it together, over a longer period of time, but with the plausible deniability that allows her to keep going and never get punished for it.

      Lady gets under my skin fierce.

      1. Heavensrun

        Blaine didn’t just do crimes, though. He deliberately and systematically belittled and bullied his daughter for her entire life, and apparently physically abused her mother, and THEN did crimes, explicitly to get out of paying fucking tuition bills that he could totally afford anyway. And I don’t know how you can say Carol does the same amount of damage when Joyce is generally a fairly well adjusted person with some anxiety issues that aren’t Carol’s fault, and Amber is a hot mess with a disassociative personality disorder, cripplingly low self esteem, and a penchant for violent vigilantism

  29. Robbie

    I’m genuinely impressed by Robin’s response here.
    I apparently have a very low bar for her.

    1. Jhon

      At least she didn’t crash the pancake breakfast.

      1. thejeff

        where she stole the margarine?

  30. Zach

    I want to vote for Clint!
    Tell me I’m not alone here.

    He even uses one child’s safety as leverage against another.
    Overtly evil.

    1. Cyrus

      Make that two votes for Clint. Maybe it’s cause I relate too much to Ruth, but I really hate that guy.

  31. woobie

    For the poll, I went with Ross.
    What separates him from Blaine is the suicided wife and Knowing against whom he was acting.

  32. Plasma Mongoose

    Wouldn’t Becky’s story be in the news?

    1. Uly

      Does that stop people from saying it’s all fake nowadays?

      1. Needfuldoer

        If anything, it reinforces that opinion.

        Now if only FreedomEagle68429736 on Facetweetstagram posted shaky vertical potato-cam footage of the aftermath, then we’d know it’s legit.
        /s

      2. Plasma Mongoose

        If someone is claiming major drama happened, the news will at least confirm it happened, the truth or fakeness of the news is in how that event is interpreted by that particular news media, this is what happens when news is no longer about trying to just report the facts without mixing editorial opinion into it.

    2. JBento

      False flag.

      These people think all flags are false except the confederate one, which lasted a whole FOUR YEARS and wasn’t even of an actual country.

  33. abysswatcher1993

    This is the first time I share feelings with Robin. Becky, get help.

    Also, I hate all those assholes that use anime icons and behave like assholes all the time. YOU ARE GIVING A BAD NAME TO OTAKUS, YOU MORONS!

    Seriously, I have endured being mocked for being an otaku, but these douchebags make my hobby look bad on the eyes of everyone else. JUST STOP BEING SO STEREOTYPICAL!

    1. Nick

      Keep in mind that although WE know Becky to be a cool lesbian geek, the critics in question probably see her primarily as an extension of Robin, a conservative with no sense of shame; and are probably mostly people who already didn’t like Robin.

      Not saying that that makes their insensitivity okay; just that I think it says more about how they feel about people like Robin than how they feel about people like Becky.

      1. thejeff

        Unlikely, I suspect.
        The anime avatars are a stereotype of alt-right style trolls and that’s also the type likely to call gay bashing fake news.
        Beyond that, Becky’s boosted Robin’s social media profile and has apparently done a good job changing Robin’s image. At least her social media following is likely leftist fans and conservative haters – how that translates into her voting base is a different question.

        1. Regalli

          Yeah, the ‘denying an easily verifiable tragedy happened at all, you made it up to push a political agenda’ is very much an alt-right thing. (Hello, Sandy Hook deniers.) Conspiracy theorist left-wing people in my experience tend to be, like, anti-vaxxers.

        2. Nick

          I’ll admit to not really knowing what anime avatars are an indication of in the twitterverse. I assumed based on abysswatcher1993’s saying that they were acting “sterotypical” for otaku that they were at least associated with the left in broad strokes; but I agree now that you mention it that this behaviour sounds more far right than far left.

  34. Hazel

    Despite Willis’ desire to follow comic time and not have DoA be a period piece, just in 20XX, I think addressing or NOT addressing the whole.. unpleasantness… if it continues to fundamentally change our society… will be difficult either way. Whoops! Your bad Willis for not antipating a horrible worldwide tragedy! /s

    I can only imagine what writing future DoA strips right now is like, except just blocking out the world as it is and imagining one that remotely works. Not that we really had that before.

    1. thejeff

      There’s no real way to address it in comic, without totally screwing with comic time. The plague would be like a week or so in-comic. Maybe two. (We’re running about a week a year.) Plus – schools closing or going online sort of destroys the whole premise of the strip.

      Any long term changes will likely be reflected, but we’ll see what those are when we reach the new normal.

      1. Liquid Len

        I know of one upstate NY university that will be open in the fall, but with a much changes campus feel. Only Freshmen and Sophomores will live on campus, all upperclassmen will need to find off-campus housing. There will be a mix of on-line and in-person instruction, and a mandatory 14-day dorm quarantine when students arrive. SO from a comic point of view, there are real-world things that will allow the cast to stay oncampus.

      2. Hazel

        Yes, that’s my point. Thank you for adding to it.

    2. SuperZero

      I’m honestly not sure which thing you’re talking about.

  35. BenRG

    Only seven-hundred? And no bizarre conspiracy theories yet either? Wow! Becky must be persuasive to get figures like that!

  36. Mr. Random

    Robin looking at her own politically sociopathic behavior reflected back at her.

  37. BenRG

    “And Robin?”

    “Yeah?”

    “Please… all me ‘Becky’.”

    Honestly, that expression in panel 7 tells me that Robin is kind of worried that Becky is repressing but hasn’t got the faintest clue how to deal with it. So, she’s just trying to pretend that she cares about the poll numbers at this point because that seems to make Becky feel better.

  38. acher4

    It’s so awful to know that yes, if something like that happened in rl, some social media accounts would act exactly like that.
    :_(

    1. Needfuldoer

      If their avatar isn’t the default, it’s of a person sitting behind the wheel of a pickup truck, wearing reflective metallic sunglasses. The username is a couple random patriotic words followed by a random eight-digit number. Their bio lists “school of hard knocks” as their alma mater, and either says something about not listening to mainstream media or has a bible quote. Location is a random city in “America’s heartland” like Denver or Little Rock. Member since March 2016 at the earliest.

      1. thumb

        You have remarkable faith in human nature.

        1. Needfuldoer

          It’s almost as if these accounts were churned out of a factory or something.

  39. Bagge

    Too bad, Robin. Becky already has a mom/big sister checking on her, and doing a much better job than you.

    Not that it is a competition, of course

  40. Bagge

    Poor Robin. The one time she feels the situation calls for more than goof, and goof is all she got, goof is all she gets

  41. Needfuldoer

    [Announcer voiceover] Becky was not fine.

  42. Steven

    The ‘worst parent poll’ doesn’t have Ethan’s parent in it. I declare it invalid!

    Seriously, the pair of them are utter poison of awful:

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/blunt/

  43. Geneseepaws

    I believe b’lieve it is called whistling in the dark; like Leslie says, “I’m Fine!” Only I don’t believe it. She may have said her goodbyes, in the basement, but it’s a lot to process.
    There may be some relief as well, that he cannot condemn her anymore, but it is still there, “my Dad is dead.” I just hope Dina is there when it does.

    1. Geneseepaws

      (When the bough breaks)

    2. CJ

      Lots of other people who condemn her out there. Not really much of a difference.
      She said her goodbyes to him when he was in hospital after the shooting.
      Like a revenant, he came back.
      To do one thing that made it hard to condemn him entirely, while doing others well worthy of condemnation. Processing this will take time, but why look vulnerable when you still have no really safe space?

  44. C.T Phipps

    It’s not where it’s going but I wonder what it would be like if really did Becky flat out not care because her father was already dead to her.

  45. Rabisch

    I would be happy to understand WHY people with anime avatars are so often really horrible people. I once were sure it was a stereotype, but the huge amount of proofs against them it’s impossible to denied. Really, WHY?

    1. Mra

      Fandom culture maybe?

      1. thejeff

        4-chan.

        1. JBento

          Isn’t there an 8chan now, for people who thought (“thought”) 4chan was too tame?

    2. Sam

      Umbridge Effect.

      People drawn to and that surround themselves with cutesy things and pink and pastels and cutesy topics and interests solely tend to be terrible, inconsiderate and cruel (even progressive views will be expressed with unneccessary viciousness and brutality towards any flaw or imperfection or slight, they kind of act like a chainsaw painted pink). Maybe it is to compensate for their terrible personality? Maybe it is to try to trick you? Maybe they’re trying to delude themselves into thinking cute = good therefore they are good? Maybe they’re just not willing to accept that they’re a hypocrite that loves content that preaches love, peace, non-violence and understanding while doing none of that themselves.

      While people with morbid interests not suited for everyone, leather jackets, mostly black and an unapproachable style. Are often considerate, accommodating and kind (and even if they express something they feel strongly about, they are often respectful to everyone).

      Why is this common? *I have no idea.* It isn’t a perfect hard and fast rule but it is a weirdly common trend.

  46. MegaBee

    ROBIN’S TWITTER: My friends have been kidnapped
    ANIME AVATAR: ALL KIDS MATTER

  47. thumb

    The worst person sincerely attempting to comfort the person who’s best at avoiding it.

  48. JessWitt

    What on earth did Stacy do to get in the worst parent polls?!

    Besides Dr. Richard, that is.

    1. Reltzik

      She’s not a GREAT parent — she deals with her daughter’s emotional trauma by trying to stuff donuts into it — but yeah, it makes no sense for her to make the poll when Naomi didn’t.

      1. Mra

        Or Leslie, she doesn’t even have any children, and if they are referring to her relationship with Becky as being maternal like she has been nothing but a blessing.

      2. Regalli

        I’m pretty certain it’s inclusion of parental figures by tags, because there’s no reason on earth for Leslie to be on there and Clint not to be.

        1. Mra

          Anyone who manages to be a parental figure without being a parent shouldn’t be on a worse parents list. If they aren’t related to you and they are nurturing then they become a parental figure, if they aren’t related to you and act like an asshole, then they are just an asshole.

      3. JessWitt

        Looking back on the Stacy comics, yeah, I see it now. She means well but she takes an oversimplified viewpoint regarding Amber’s problems. For me, her amiability clouded that particular trait.

        1. Needfuldoer

          I think she’s too accustomed to burying (or attempting to ignore) problems to get by.

          Thanks, Blaine.

        2. thejeff

          While it doesn’t help Amber, it’s worth remembering she’s also a victim of a long term abusive relationship.
          Thanks Blaine indeed.

        3. Reltzik

          Oh, sure. No one’s perfect, children don’t come with instruction manuals, Stacy’s had a harder row to hoe than most parents (Thanks, Blaine), and I’m willing to grant leeway for some basic good-faith mistakes. I’m just saying she’s not exactly batting .400.

        4. Regalli

          Agreed. Like, I definitely wouldn’t put her on a worst parent list in this comic, given how low that bar is, but I probably wouldn’t put her on a best one, either. At least not currently. I have some hope this arc has her finally starting to grasp that Amber’s issues are both real and in DESPERATE need of support, immediately.

    2. He Who Abides

      Stacy and Richard are similar, in that their hearts are in the right place. They’re just not great at parenting (Stacy’s unintentionally neglectful, and Richard’s “Richard” is in every place other than the right one).

      1. JessWitt

        Huh, more of a match for each other than I thought.

  49. Juanoku

    Welp, this can only end well

  50. Mra

    Forget Worst Parent, Blaine has one the title of Worst Human Being of DoA

  51. Regalli

    Gotta love when even Robin’s like ‘holy shit this is fucked up to put a kid through and you’re burying your emotions in jokes and I’m worried.’

    1. Makkabee

      Ditto.

  52. ziggy78eog

    You know things are bad when even Robin knows that this is not a healthy mind state.

  53. DarkoNeko

    Robin “oh my god someone help me please, I have no idea what to do”

  54. Daibhid C

    Do I see a Friends reference in panel 1?

    Chandler: When my parents were getting divorced, I got a lot of “sports”. Lot of “chiefs”, lot of “champs”. I once got a “skipper”.

  55. Sombrero

    C’mon Willis, you cannot keep this going any longer. You have to reveal now the biggest unresolved question in this strip: whose campaign is Grampa donating to?

    1. Sombrero

      *Gramps (dammit! autocorrect must be also on his payroll)

  56. PB

    Nice to see Robin growing a conscience. And responsibility.

  57. Toes14

    Newsflash Becky: Now you legally get your late father’s estate, which means once you sell the house, etc, YOU ARE NO LONGER BROKE!

  58. Dracke

    I think something snapped in her.
    She really needs therapy
    and has to sell a house, unless her father had a will giving it to someone else.

  59. Jim

    Sorry to bring this up, but it occured to me, now that Toedad has passed, provided he didn’t cut her out of his will when she came out, Becky probably inherits his stuff, right? Then she could afford off-campus housing, at least, right?

  60. BrokenEye, the True False Prophet

    Listen, all I’m saying is at some point, possibly in this century, Henry Kissinger’s cold mechanical heart is going to finally give out, and the Illuminati is going to need a replacement political mastermind. So… career goals?

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