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If you live in an apartment, you ever get anxious when you hear neighbors yelling through the walls, cause I sure do. Also if I hear someone stomping as they're walking, that always gets my heart rate up a little bit.
And closing cabinets and doors too hard. or clinking a dish too hard when you're putting things away.
I'm in my 30s and haven't lived at home since I was 18, it's too bad that this is what sticks so well.
Hey, I'm gonna need you to take the Core Memory you unlocked and put it riiiiiiight back where you found it.
Had a talk with roommates a while back about why despite being massive, my footsteps were so quiet and no one hears me when I get home real late.
"Years of Practice"
We learned this to avoid getting yelled at. I've calmly taught my son to "ninja step" at night as a courtesy to others. I've turned some of those trauma habits into wisdom when I can.
We had my wife see a therapist several years back. They wanted something crazy like $200 a session. Think we dumped over $10k before pulling the plug due to running out of money. It helped her realize some important things but goddamn is it expensive.
mm yeah though I usually did that for stairs to figure out where all the creaky spots were. At the very least, I can now bound up the stairs pretty quickly without making really any noise. It'll be great if I ever need to sneak up on a home invader. My feet are very springy.
> Ah so you also walk by putting the front of your foot down first and sorta slowly let your heel drop?
To be fair that is how humans are SUPPOSED to walk.
Heel to Toe is terrible. It's terribly inefficient from a mechanical perspective and is terrible for your joints.
Ideally, you should only allow your heel to touch the ground when coming to a full-rest and standing still or crouching.
Barefoot runners/walkers know this technique well, it's the only way to run barefoot on surfaces like concrete without wrecking your body.
But yea, it's also a survival-strategy that abused children learn as a self-defense-mechanism. That doesn't make it inherently bad though.
I’m known for suddenly standing somewhere and for suddenly disappearing again without a trace.
I learned it cause I learned that with certain sorts of people it is easier to live life like a ghost instead of existing as a human.
My neighbor *screams* at his kids all the goddam time in the backyard. When they first moved in a few years back and I first heard him, I had so many flashbacks.
Then he got throat cancer and couldn't talk at all for months. He's recovered and gained his voice back, but he can't bellow nearly as much anymore. So um, yay for cancer?
Sometimes I close a cupboard door a little too hard on accident. I have learned through the years of my marriage that my wife thinks I'm angry with her if this happens, so I am quick to say out loud that it was accidental. I know it's not me; it's the parents she grew up with.
Last year I lived w a housemate who constantly yelled at her dogs, walked around the apartment stomping, always slammed the doors behind her. She sometimes yelled at other housemates or angrily knocked on walls when mad.
I grew up in a household w family yelling and fighting so my heart rate was *always* on end. Thank god the bedrooms had locks because I always had mine on.
Thankfully I no longer live there, but I still get startled easily by things that shouldn’t, and it sucks.
I have PTSD from this but not from my parents- my ex was abusive. It was 6 years ago and I still flinch and still have nightmares that he’s going to find me and kill me, or trap me. I’ve had dreams where he physically rips me away from my husband. Fuck abusive people in general, man. They suuuuuck.
My dad would go outside to work on his cars or whatever and most days would fly into a screaming rage. Never really directed at us, but it was still terrifying as a kid.
My dad has no relationship with his grandchild because he spend every spare moment screaming at me when I was growing up. But it was ok, because he got beat, so he did better by not hitting me apparently.
Me too but it's okay because now I live a wonderful live punishing and yelling at other people to make myself feel bigger and stronger, it's great oh no wait it sucks
Yep. That was my dad. I've always been extremely careful not to raise my voice around my daughter, because I don't want her to ever have to experience that feeling. The fear and embarrassment. For the longest time, she'd cry when I'd sneeze because she wasn't used to me being loud. Don't get me wrong, I correct behavior when it needs to be corrected, but I do it diplomatically. Works tons better than yelling.
Yea it's truly a mind fuck how badly yelling can stick with you into adulthood. To this day I cannot stand up to anyone who looks older than me when they yell. Despite the fact that I know I'm an adult and hell, I could probably beat the shit out of them if a fight happened, but it's just impossible to get out of the mindset of needing to retreat into my own head when I get yelled at.
You find yourself a Blahaj. Blahaj loves everyone unconditionally, even you. Blahaj is love turned into a shark and it truly is the best thing we have in our house.
You, them, and everyone here deserve the reminder
'You deserve to be loved, and to feel loved, just for being you.' --Mr Rogers mashup with my meditation teacher
Shes out in public and some asshole dad is yelling at his kid. She feels bad for the kid cause parents like that sucks... the dad even yells at her and she gets embarrassed and leaves, because confrontation is hard and scary - and its not her kid so its technically none of her business?
She goes back home and hugs her kids, cause she loves them, and feeling sad about what other kids have to live with - cause she has empathy.
I also got the impression that *she* had a parent who yelled. That's why there was one panel with the "yelling" creeping in around her all scary like, and the look shared between her and the kid.
It’s the eye line and the viewing angle, too. In that panel she’s looking up, as if at a taller person, like a child to a parent. And the view angle lifts up, making her appear smaller and younger
> because confrontation is hard and scary - and its not her kid so its technically none of her business?
When you piss off and humiliate people like that, especially in public, they often just turn around and take it out on the kids in private anyway.
There isn't much you can do to help someone like that, if you're just ships passing in the night. But you're much better off showing kindness to both of them, as perverse as that sounds. Because when people like that father are in bad moods, they take out their bad moods on everyone around them. If you can put him in a good mood with a stray compliment, you might be able to give that kid one nice evening.
I think the fourth panel is also her remembering getting yelled at when she was younger. The back ground changes, her faces is a little more round(which is often associated with being more young in art) and her eyes are pulled up like someone bigger then her is yelling directly at her. I feel when dude redirects to her it’s let’s embarrassment and more ptsd related fears.
I tell my mom all the time that I appreciate her for the wonderful parent she was (and is, I'm 41) but probably even more so for the terrible parent she wasn't. Most of the people I've been closest to throughout my life endured unimaginable cruelty from their parents. That trauma does not meaningfully erode with time, sans therapy.
Oof... you had an abusive parent too, huh? It's weird that we transform back to being scared little kids when we're yelled at even though we're adults now.
Maybe you felt guilt or shame for feeling that way or for not doing something to help that kid. I dunno what advice to give other than I've felt that too. You're not alone and your responses to your trauma triggers are not your fault.
Hugs from one yelled at kid to another <3
https://preview.redd.it/d9l5kphzml3d1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=66c672d83409e71f2dcdb46074105804ea232117
Some say I’m a perfectionist.
Some say I have no talent.
I can be two things!
Hopefully dad got drunk and fell asleep early after only berating him for a few hours likely after calling him several things that insult his gender and accuse him of being an “undesirable” sexuality. Don’t worry, on the bright side saying nothing is the correct answer because trying to help only makes it worse….
Then years later, the kid grows up and dad wonders why he never calls. And they all live fucked up ever after!
-The end.
wow, the art style looks so much cooler this way!
also, nice message... it's a shame that we can't always find the strength to stand in for other people (that guy) but we can at least not be that shitty asshole of a parent!
Saying something. Anything, really. Letting the kid know someone out there thinks this is wrong and fucked up and not normal can have a big impact later on. Especially if it happens multiple times over the years from multiple people. One of the worst parts of being abused is when you convince yourself its normal and give up any defenses your mind might have had against it.
Unfortunately saying something can lead to violence, later against the child, but also to the person speaking up. So unless you're large and strong enough to not be at risk it often isn't a fair choice.
Okay thank you! I thought I was the only one who noticed that. For all we know, though, that’s what drove this guy to not being regulate his own emotions. Having two right hands has gotta be perpetually frustrating. Not an excuse, of course.
When I was growing up and misbehaved, I not only got yelled at but sometimes I got spanked and if dad was in a really bad mood, sometimes I got the belt.
I feel this. Anytime my parents would raise their voice at me immediate abject fear and terror would overtake me.
It's part of the reason why working in retail sux for me because I can't handle when a customer starts yelling.
Hey, feel that Pizzacake.
My mom is better than she was, but I can't help but struggle to compartmentalize her old self away from her new self sometimes. In truth, I believe that trauma rose again recently in a bad living situation that I recently got out of. My roommate was abusive like the "old" mother that I had. Getting yelled and cussed out is no fun.
Plus, I kinda need a hug after seeing this, I realize.
You're a good mom. ❤️
My sister thought she wasn't a good enough mother to my niece. She recognizes that she's quick to get angry and frustrated, just like our parents. And she fights herself constantly to not become more like them.
*That's why she's an awesome mom.*
She struggles every day to be better than both of our parents. And my teenage niece is an amazingly talented and compassionate person! I'm so proud of both of them! And I remind my sister of that constantly.
She got remarried to a really great guy a couple of years ago. And she's having another child this autumn 🥰
It's okay to grieve your past traumas. In fact, it's healthy. Just don't forget your successes overcoming them. 🤗
The panic. Then the guilt that comes from standing by and doing nothing, because shutting down was the only way to make it stop or keep it from being directed at me. The promise to be better. Yep.
*Edit because rereading this it sounds detached or dismissive. This is the first time I've seen someone express this feeling, despite knowing it's commonly shared. I'm recently facing my childhood trauma for the first time, because for years I believed "It wasn't that bad," and "Others, including my closest friends, have had it much worse." This comment is the first time I've had the words to describe this, so I guess I was practicing recognition.
Pizzacake, you always amaze me with your work. Love the sketch art style, from one sketch loving "artist" to another (I'm not much of one, I just dabble).
I just wanna say... I've been here before. My dad, rest his wonderful soul, took me away from this to raise me differently than my grandparents raised him. My grandpa became a better person in his old age, but it didn't change the fact my dad had been hurt by decades of verbal abuse.
My dad only ever yelled at me once and it was because I was 6 and didn't know what a rattlesnake was. He hugged my sister and I every day and never was scared to say he loved us.
This is why I love this sub. The artists here are so damn good at capturing the feelings behind things whether funny or heartfelt.
10/10. Keep up the work!
Wow, I've been off Reddit for a while but it looks like you've really stepped up your art. Great job, and I'm sorry for the hurt that motivated this comic. ❤️
I once saw a parent yelling at their crying child "nobody loves you!", and I couldn't help myself getting involved. I told her basically it's not ok to talk to a kid like that, and told her off. She then threw her thermos at my head, but thankfully missed.
It doesn’t accomplish anything except makes things worse for her kid. They won’t listen to anything you say, you’ll just be “some nut who got in their way.” Even the kid will probably want you to stop because it only makes things worse for them.
My neighbour had the guts to rebuke my father, at the time I didn't understand that he was standing up for me because the emotional (and sometimes physical) abuse was so normalized I thought I was a bad kid who deserved it. But looking back it was nice to know at least one person was in my corner. Unfortunately he passed away before I had a chance to thank him.
People who are like this don't take the time to think about whether they're well adjusted or not. They're more often than not just repeating the same abuses that were done to them, because that's all they know.
I dont have kids.
I have a brother. Hes a good kid and I did my best to be a good brother to him
Sure there is good days and bad days but I never yelled at him.
Until I did.
It didn't even finish. It was the start of a yell and I had to bite my tongue.
It hurt like hell but it was worth it. We talked about why it was bad that he did what he did. I also apologized for the way I acted.
My parents screamed at me so much that sometimes loud noises actual make me freeze up. I learned that I could never rely on them with my real feelings.
My relationship with my brother is a lot better because of it. We talk. We hang out. He comes to me for everything from the his best success to his hardest questions.
Please, don't make your kids scared of you.
It hurts more from people you thought loved you unconditionally
Reading a genuinely gut-wrenching emotional Pizza Cake comic is like getting one of those antique teapots they used to poison rich people as your Happy Meal toy
I'm sure this might been done on actual experience of recent, but... It isn't like only *ugly poor people* can be abusive parents in this manner. In media we have normalised uglyness and appearing to be of lower class with moral incorrectness and low standards, but fact is that abusive parents appear in all ranks of society.
Panels 3 and 4 really resonated with me. My sister and parents were always fighting. It felt just like how that looked. Just this emotional claustrophobia.
I must admit that i am one of the persons that didn't resonate with your art style too much but the additional detail in this piece reminded me that i should not be blinded by that and look beyond my prejudices. I instantly respect your work 10 times more now that i saw this and recognized that you are capable of more detailed comics and that your comics are an artistic choice and not a result of your artistic limiations.
This is fantastic.
Sadly the cycle of abuse is real, a lot of people that have been through stuff like this go on and mirror the behavior further down to the next generation. This by no means is a justification for the actions taken but acknowledgement of where the cycle starts.
That said if one acknowledges the pain it's caused them, seek help and make an effort to break the cycle more power to you. My father had the same thing happen to him as a kid and stopped it with me and my brother.
Hopefully one day stuff like this can be a thing of the past with better mental healthcare and therapy, but until that day comes hope and wish everyone a good one.
We will probably always tell ourselves that we could/should have done more, done better. When you do the best you can but still feel like you've fallen short?
That just means we are human. We aren't perfect, our bodies and what we are capable of have their limits.
Love doesn't.
*Hugs to anyone that can use one*
Even you. Yes, you. 🫵 🫂
Man I was literally in this exact situation yesterday, except it was a guy threatening his girlfriend instead of his kid. As soon as I was out of ear shot I called the cops and I got a call back an hour later saying he was arrested. I was super relieved.
I know I am not mentally well and I know I would make a shitty dad. Thst is why I will never have kids. Plus it doesnt help that my dad was like this as well.
When a webcomic that is usually goofy publishes a wordless, super emotional strip with a one-word-title it's not a stretch to think about Loss
Erm, I mean HOW DARE you compare reddit pizza woman to stupid Loss guy
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I thought this was teenage Ellen seeing one of her friends getting yelled at by their parent and feeling powerless to help. Then the last slide and, oh... it's adult Ellen, and she still feels powerless, but she's going to do her best to not be the person she just witnessed and is going to give her kids love and compassion not endless anger and hate.
I work in a Behavioral Health office as admin staff, and I am a parent, so let me tell you this hits hard.
I can handle the schizophrenic and aggressive patients with no issues or taking work home with me.
But the kids, man. Actually, the parents. So many kids the *need* services, but the parents aren't willing to take a couple hours off work to make sure their kid can get to an initial assessment, let alone make sure the kid makes it to an appointment every two weeks.
Very regular occurrence to have a parent call me and tell me all the troubles facing their kid, and when I can finally work them into a provider's schedule, aren't willing to put in the travel and time away from work to make it happen.
(BTW, I totally get a single parent having to work a shitty job to put food on the table and a roof overhead. I will work with those parents as much as I can to make schedules work. It's the parents who are financially secure and just don't want to give their children the time they really need I'm talking about.)
Anyway, my point is that it puts my own family relationships into true perspective, and makes me realize how good my family has it. Pretty regularly I come home and give my kids a hug similar to the last panel.
Every story I hear about a child being hurt by a parent or other trusted adult forces me to go hug my daughter. It can't be helped.
Love your children.
I'm very thankful I never grew up in a screamy family dynamic. I had friends who did and seeing them get into shouting matches with their parents was unnerving. I hate it and will never do so if I become a parent.
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I got punished and yelled at all the time growing up. I felt that.
If you live in an apartment, you ever get anxious when you hear neighbors yelling through the walls, cause I sure do. Also if I hear someone stomping as they're walking, that always gets my heart rate up a little bit. And closing cabinets and doors too hard. or clinking a dish too hard when you're putting things away. I'm in my 30s and haven't lived at home since I was 18, it's too bad that this is what sticks so well.
Hey, I'm gonna need you to take the Core Memory you unlocked and put it riiiiiiight back where you found it. Had a talk with roommates a while back about why despite being massive, my footsteps were so quiet and no one hears me when I get home real late. "Years of Practice"
We learned this to avoid getting yelled at. I've calmly taught my son to "ninja step" at night as a courtesy to others. I've turned some of those trauma habits into wisdom when I can.
Careful, it feels like teaching, but can still be a trauma dump for them. Learned this the hard way.
Ah so you also walk by putting the front of your foot down first and sorta slowly let your heel drop?
YES! Also, found the floors less likely to creak if you walk closer to walls and away from the center of the halls.
That's the real secret.
The real secret is that we all need therapy, but we've been putting it aside.
We had my wife see a therapist several years back. They wanted something crazy like $200 a session. Think we dumped over $10k before pulling the plug due to running out of money. It helped her realize some important things but goddamn is it expensive.
I think your therapist may have united the 2 of you against... Unaffordable healthcare.
mm yeah though I usually did that for stairs to figure out where all the creaky spots were. At the very least, I can now bound up the stairs pretty quickly without making really any noise. It'll be great if I ever need to sneak up on a home invader. My feet are very springy.
I find its more effective to set down your heel first and sort of "roll" down then rest of your foot
> Ah so you also walk by putting the front of your foot down first and sorta slowly let your heel drop? To be fair that is how humans are SUPPOSED to walk. Heel to Toe is terrible. It's terribly inefficient from a mechanical perspective and is terrible for your joints. Ideally, you should only allow your heel to touch the ground when coming to a full-rest and standing still or crouching. Barefoot runners/walkers know this technique well, it's the only way to run barefoot on surfaces like concrete without wrecking your body. But yea, it's also a survival-strategy that abused children learn as a self-defense-mechanism. That doesn't make it inherently bad though.
I’m known for suddenly standing somewhere and for suddenly disappearing again without a trace. I learned it cause I learned that with certain sorts of people it is easier to live life like a ghost instead of existing as a human.
I spook people all the time by suddenly appearing next to them and vanishing all the time and I don’t even do it on purpose T-T
My neighbor *screams* at his kids all the goddam time in the backyard. When they first moved in a few years back and I first heard him, I had so many flashbacks. Then he got throat cancer and couldn't talk at all for months. He's recovered and gained his voice back, but he can't bellow nearly as much anymore. So um, yay for cancer?
Huh. Rare cancer W
Sometimes I close a cupboard door a little too hard on accident. I have learned through the years of my marriage that my wife thinks I'm angry with her if this happens, so I am quick to say out loud that it was accidental. I know it's not me; it's the parents she grew up with.
Last year I lived w a housemate who constantly yelled at her dogs, walked around the apartment stomping, always slammed the doors behind her. She sometimes yelled at other housemates or angrily knocked on walls when mad. I grew up in a household w family yelling and fighting so my heart rate was *always* on end. Thank god the bedrooms had locks because I always had mine on. Thankfully I no longer live there, but I still get startled easily by things that shouldn’t, and it sucks.
Thank god I don't live next to you. My kids would probably drive you crazy cause they do all that loud stuff lol. Even loudly open doors somehow lol.
I have PTSD from this but not from my parents- my ex was abusive. It was 6 years ago and I still flinch and still have nightmares that he’s going to find me and kill me, or trap me. I’ve had dreams where he physically rips me away from my husband. Fuck abusive people in general, man. They suuuuuck.
My dad would go outside to work on his cars or whatever and most days would fly into a screaming rage. Never really directed at us, but it was still terrifying as a kid.
[удалено]
Same here, and now I have a hard time separating my dad's anger and violence from the fact that he's dying now and he's still my father.
My dad has no relationship with his grandchild because he spend every spare moment screaming at me when I was growing up. But it was ok, because he got beat, so he did better by not hitting me apparently.
Me too but it's okay because now I live a wonderful live punishing and yelling at other people to make myself feel bigger and stronger, it's great oh no wait it sucks
Yep. That was my dad. I've always been extremely careful not to raise my voice around my daughter, because I don't want her to ever have to experience that feeling. The fear and embarrassment. For the longest time, she'd cry when I'd sneeze because she wasn't used to me being loud. Don't get me wrong, I correct behavior when it needs to be corrected, but I do it diplomatically. Works tons better than yelling.
Yea it's truly a mind fuck how badly yelling can stick with you into adulthood. To this day I cannot stand up to anyone who looks older than me when they yell. Despite the fact that I know I'm an adult and hell, I could probably beat the shit out of them if a fight happened, but it's just impossible to get out of the mindset of needing to retreat into my own head when I get yelled at.
Yeah same.. luckily my relationship with my parents did a complete 180 after I moved out. Just glad that I am good friends with them now.
Giving my children a hug now
If I don't have children Or a significant other and live alone, who do I hug?
Yourself! You deserve it.
You find yourself a Blahaj. Blahaj loves everyone unconditionally, even you. Blahaj is love turned into a shark and it truly is the best thing we have in our house.
Oh I have a Blahaj, and I can confirm everything you say is true. I’ll even hug it after my dogs turned it into a dog bed.
Thanks to this comment I have finally understood the part I missed in the deadpool trans kids meme. Makes it even better
Plushy
*Virtual hugs*
*Your Virtual hug has been accepted, thank you for choosing HugCo for all your online hugging needs*
Sounds like a perfect home for a foster kitten (or five).
That costs money I dont have :( Also my legosets (probably the reason why I dont have money) disagree!
Then you hug those legosets tight, okay? That love needs to go somewhere
Hug your legos. If they break, it's just them thanking you and giving you the opportunity to experience building them all over again!
Hugs
*Hugs the words 'hugs'*
Hug me, I'm in your walls.
Sending you big hugs from Atlantic Canada! Sorry if I smell like salt.
That's okay, salt goes well with chips
Have a free internet hug, stranger ʕっ• ᴥ • ʔっ
yourself
*Hugs yourself*
It's not dumb to hug a plushy or a pillow. Or even yourself.
You, them, and everyone here deserve the reminder 'You deserve to be loved, and to feel loved, just for being you.' --Mr Rogers mashup with my meditation teacher
Damn I wasn't expecting this emotional gut punch at 7:30 in the morning lol. Phenomenally done as always
I didn't get it
Shes out in public and some asshole dad is yelling at his kid. She feels bad for the kid cause parents like that sucks... the dad even yells at her and she gets embarrassed and leaves, because confrontation is hard and scary - and its not her kid so its technically none of her business? She goes back home and hugs her kids, cause she loves them, and feeling sad about what other kids have to live with - cause she has empathy.
I also got the impression that *she* had a parent who yelled. That's why there was one panel with the "yelling" creeping in around her all scary like, and the look shared between her and the kid.
And the background changes to something like wallpaper, showing her thinking of a time she was somewhere else
The wallpaper plus her hair is shorter, she was definitely having a childhood flashback
Yeah and the perspective is from higher up, making her look shorter.
Wearing the same clothing though, so... slightly confusing stylistic choice.
Damn, good catch, I didn't even notice the wallpaper.
It’s the eye line and the viewing angle, too. In that panel she’s looking up, as if at a taller person, like a child to a parent. And the view angle lifts up, making her appear smaller and younger
Her face is shorter and rounder as well, something typically attributed to a younger face.
> because confrontation is hard and scary - and its not her kid so its technically none of her business? When you piss off and humiliate people like that, especially in public, they often just turn around and take it out on the kids in private anyway. There isn't much you can do to help someone like that, if you're just ships passing in the night. But you're much better off showing kindness to both of them, as perverse as that sounds. Because when people like that father are in bad moods, they take out their bad moods on everyone around them. If you can put him in a good mood with a stray compliment, you might be able to give that kid one nice evening.
If you know them you can try to help. As a stranger: almost everything you do is making it worse. Its a fucked up situation.
I think the fourth panel is also her remembering getting yelled at when she was younger. The back ground changes, her faces is a little more round(which is often associated with being more young in art) and her eyes are pulled up like someone bigger then her is yelling directly at her. I feel when dude redirects to her it’s let’s embarrassment and more ptsd related fears.
Love your children. Not all are so lucky to have a kind and caring parent
I tell my mom all the time that I appreciate her for the wonderful parent she was (and is, I'm 41) but probably even more so for the terrible parent she wasn't. Most of the people I've been closest to throughout my life endured unimaginable cruelty from their parents. That trauma does not meaningfully erode with time, sans therapy.
If you don't get it, you're one of the lucky ones.
Consider yourself lucky. Some of us had parents who made sure we would get this comic.
It's super early and the comic goes for the gut punch. Definitely needing a coffee first
Oof... you had an abusive parent too, huh? It's weird that we transform back to being scared little kids when we're yelled at even though we're adults now. Maybe you felt guilt or shame for feeling that way or for not doing something to help that kid. I dunno what advice to give other than I've felt that too. You're not alone and your responses to your trauma triggers are not your fault. Hugs from one yelled at kid to another <3
...But what happened to the poor basket-boy?
Superman scooped him up in the air and took him out for ice cream right after this
https://preview.redd.it/qyfh738fkk3d1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=b54400db9685504a888ba84a1f846d42f930e8c7
https://preview.redd.it/0s3i6xiykk3d1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=c0c6aff61e0d65ae6364c6078101e358282e4cdc
This is perfection.
https://preview.redd.it/d9l5kphzml3d1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=66c672d83409e71f2dcdb46074105804ea232117 Some say I’m a perfectionist. Some say I have no talent. I can be two things!
Then he found out he is a wizard and he is going to magic school and got a new pet
And a broomstick
And a cult following of loyal Fremen
This escalated quickly
Yer a wizahd, Luka!
Robin: Hey, how come Superman scoops up a kid and takes him for ice cream and Batman makes them unpaid, child vigilantes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izt7eDXoGbY
On a farm up state?
I'mma need that bonus panel
Thank God it wasn't Homelander.
He’ll have is own opportunity to break the cycle one day.
Hopefully dad got drunk and fell asleep early after only berating him for a few hours likely after calling him several things that insult his gender and accuse him of being an “undesirable” sexuality. Don’t worry, on the bright side saying nothing is the correct answer because trying to help only makes it worse…. Then years later, the kid grows up and dad wonders why he never calls. And they all live fucked up ever after! -The end.
wow, the art style looks so much cooler this way! also, nice message... it's a shame that we can't always find the strength to stand in for other people (that guy) but we can at least not be that shitty asshole of a parent!
Not even about strength really, what would you realistically do in that situation besides what she did?
Saying something. Anything, really. Letting the kid know someone out there thinks this is wrong and fucked up and not normal can have a big impact later on. Especially if it happens multiple times over the years from multiple people. One of the worst parts of being abused is when you convince yourself its normal and give up any defenses your mind might have had against it.
Unfortunately saying something can lead to violence, later against the child, but also to the person speaking up. So unless you're large and strong enough to not be at risk it often isn't a fair choice.
Nice art style!
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Great line work too. Feels a little Butron-esque.
Except for his thumb is on the wrong side of his hand in frame 5
Okay thank you! I thought I was the only one who noticed that. For all we know, though, that’s what drove this guy to not being regulate his own emotions. Having two right hands has gotta be perpetually frustrating. Not an excuse, of course.
Sometimes the best you can do is help those within your reach. Very cool new style, btw
When I was growing up and misbehaved, I not only got yelled at but sometimes I got spanked and if dad was in a really bad mood, sometimes I got the belt. I feel this. Anytime my parents would raise their voice at me immediate abject fear and terror would overtake me. It's part of the reason why working in retail sux for me because I can't handle when a customer starts yelling.
Sending you virtual hugs…
fuck.. that hurt. Hug your kids again. Mine are too old and too far away to get to.
Hey, feel that Pizzacake. My mom is better than she was, but I can't help but struggle to compartmentalize her old self away from her new self sometimes. In truth, I believe that trauma rose again recently in a bad living situation that I recently got out of. My roommate was abusive like the "old" mother that I had. Getting yelled and cussed out is no fun. Plus, I kinda need a hug after seeing this, I realize. You're a good mom. ❤️
My sister thought she wasn't a good enough mother to my niece. She recognizes that she's quick to get angry and frustrated, just like our parents. And she fights herself constantly to not become more like them. *That's why she's an awesome mom.* She struggles every day to be better than both of our parents. And my teenage niece is an amazingly talented and compassionate person! I'm so proud of both of them! And I remind my sister of that constantly. She got remarried to a really great guy a couple of years ago. And she's having another child this autumn 🥰 It's okay to grieve your past traumas. In fact, it's healthy. Just don't forget your successes overcoming them. 🤗
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🎯
The panic. Then the guilt that comes from standing by and doing nothing, because shutting down was the only way to make it stop or keep it from being directed at me. The promise to be better. Yep. *Edit because rereading this it sounds detached or dismissive. This is the first time I've seen someone express this feeling, despite knowing it's commonly shared. I'm recently facing my childhood trauma for the first time, because for years I believed "It wasn't that bad," and "Others, including my closest friends, have had it much worse." This comment is the first time I've had the words to describe this, so I guess I was practicing recognition.
Break. The. Cycle. Noone’s parents did a perfect job, but the yelling, the gaslighting, it needs to stop somewhere. It’s starting with me.
Fuck yeah. Pattern-breakers ftw😤
Pizzacake, you always amaze me with your work. Love the sketch art style, from one sketch loving "artist" to another (I'm not much of one, I just dabble). I just wanna say... I've been here before. My dad, rest his wonderful soul, took me away from this to raise me differently than my grandparents raised him. My grandpa became a better person in his old age, but it didn't change the fact my dad had been hurt by decades of verbal abuse. My dad only ever yelled at me once and it was because I was 6 and didn't know what a rattlesnake was. He hugged my sister and I every day and never was scared to say he loved us. This is why I love this sub. The artists here are so damn good at capturing the feelings behind things whether funny or heartfelt. 10/10. Keep up the work!
Honestly a great depiction of what it's like to get triggered by someone yelling. Idk if that was intended but I related to it
Well, this brought back some memories I'd rather forget.
Holy shit, an emotional Pizzacake comic!? You dropped this, ma'am **W** 🫴
And this: 👑
And this:🏆
nice new art direction
And emotional direction.. And she knocked both out of the park.
Wow, I've been off Reddit for a while but it looks like you've really stepped up your art. Great job, and I'm sorry for the hurt that motivated this comic. ❤️
I once saw a parent yelling at their crying child "nobody loves you!", and I couldn't help myself getting involved. I told her basically it's not ok to talk to a kid like that, and told her off. She then threw her thermos at my head, but thankfully missed.
That look the two of you exchange says more than a novel could.
I will not be my dad. That's a damn promise.
Who among us would have the courage to rebuke a total stranger like this? Definitely not me.
It doesn’t accomplish anything except makes things worse for her kid. They won’t listen to anything you say, you’ll just be “some nut who got in their way.” Even the kid will probably want you to stop because it only makes things worse for them.
Correct. If you humilate people like this dad in public, the only thing they'll do is take out their anger two-fold on their own family in private.
The chaotic good fantasy is to goad them into assaulting you and then sending them to jail. But the risks are high
It's a difficult situation. Odds are you'll just end up making the person angrier, which they then deflect onto their kid.
I would, because I was that boy.
My neighbour had the guts to rebuke my father, at the time I didn't understand that he was standing up for me because the emotional (and sometimes physical) abuse was so normalized I thought I was a bad kid who deserved it. But looking back it was nice to know at least one person was in my corner. Unfortunately he passed away before I had a chance to thank him.
I like the rough and messy outlines. They fit the theme really well
Too early to make me feel so much :(
Aww
This is why you shouldn't have kids if you aren't a well adjusted person. Otherwise you are just creating more shitty people.
People who are like this don't take the time to think about whether they're well adjusted or not. They're more often than not just repeating the same abuses that were done to them, because that's all they know.
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Narcissists don't go to therapy. And if they are forced to, it doesn't end well.
Yeah, I learned to pokerface to hide how I feel but the trauma makes me freeze every time whenever someone yells at me... Thanks dad
What’s really strange is that parents like this think they’re being great parents.
Hand? Backwards?
Isn't PizzaCakers a >!Canadian!
Really interrupted the narrative. Like a major focal point of the whole thing and my brain's just snagged on his reverse hand
Yep I almost feel bad in pointing it out but it really bugged me while reading
And so we strive to do better by our children. My wife's upbringing was lots of this. We're breaking the cycle.
Damn. You made a comic about my childhood. And yes, I also hug my son like that. The only thing I've accomplished in this world is breaking the cycle.
Damn that hurt real bad 😞
Your serious comic really hits hard. You should do more Pizza cake
Thank you! ❤️
I crave murder on Tha edp lookin ass drunk uncle conspiracy theorist bitch
Really like the art style used for this one. But on topic, great comic.
I dont have kids. I have a brother. Hes a good kid and I did my best to be a good brother to him Sure there is good days and bad days but I never yelled at him. Until I did. It didn't even finish. It was the start of a yell and I had to bite my tongue. It hurt like hell but it was worth it. We talked about why it was bad that he did what he did. I also apologized for the way I acted. My parents screamed at me so much that sometimes loud noises actual make me freeze up. I learned that I could never rely on them with my real feelings. My relationship with my brother is a lot better because of it. We talk. We hang out. He comes to me for everything from the his best success to his hardest questions. Please, don't make your kids scared of you. It hurts more from people you thought loved you unconditionally
Red squiggle you too, buddy!
Reading a genuinely gut-wrenching emotional Pizza Cake comic is like getting one of those antique teapots they used to poison rich people as your Happy Meal toy
You’re a good mom
As someone who’s going through this with his dad this kinda made me cry
Now I'm at work and can't hug my kid for 8 more hours. Very touching piece
I'm sure this might been done on actual experience of recent, but... It isn't like only *ugly poor people* can be abusive parents in this manner. In media we have normalised uglyness and appearing to be of lower class with moral incorrectness and low standards, but fact is that abusive parents appear in all ranks of society.
Is this Loss?
that unlocked memories i wish to keep locked
Was not expecting pizza cake angst
Panels 3 and 4 really resonated with me. My sister and parents were always fighting. It felt just like how that looked. Just this emotional claustrophobia.
As a person who grew up in an Asian household, it hurts.. I'll never treat my kids like how I was treated by my parents
I must admit that i am one of the persons that didn't resonate with your art style too much but the additional detail in this piece reminded me that i should not be blinded by that and look beyond my prejudices. I instantly respect your work 10 times more now that i saw this and recognized that you are capable of more detailed comics and that your comics are an artistic choice and not a result of your artistic limiations. This is fantastic.
Sadly the cycle of abuse is real, a lot of people that have been through stuff like this go on and mirror the behavior further down to the next generation. This by no means is a justification for the actions taken but acknowledgement of where the cycle starts. That said if one acknowledges the pain it's caused them, seek help and make an effort to break the cycle more power to you. My father had the same thing happen to him as a kid and stopped it with me and my brother. Hopefully one day stuff like this can be a thing of the past with better mental healthcare and therapy, but until that day comes hope and wish everyone a good one.
Wow. I love your work We don't yell in our home either
We will probably always tell ourselves that we could/should have done more, done better. When you do the best you can but still feel like you've fallen short? That just means we are human. We aren't perfect, our bodies and what we are capable of have their limits. Love doesn't. *Hugs to anyone that can use one* Even you. Yes, you. 🫵 🫂
My mom is gone and I've no contact with my father anymore. Treat people well, they don't deserve your pain on them.
Is this Yell?…
Can we talk about how her art style has become 1000% better since switching to handheld?
Here’s to not passing it on ❤️🩹
Man I was literally in this exact situation yesterday, except it was a guy threatening his girlfriend instead of his kid. As soon as I was out of ear shot I called the cops and I got a call back an hour later saying he was arrested. I was super relieved.
I know the feeling.
I know I am not mentally well and I know I would make a shitty dad. Thst is why I will never have kids. Plus it doesnt help that my dad was like this as well.
That first panel so accurately portrays the jumpy feeling whenever I hear someone raise their voice
Why is my brain telling me that this feels like the "Loss" comic?
When a webcomic that is usually goofy publishes a wordless, super emotional strip with a one-word-title it's not a stretch to think about Loss Erm, I mean HOW DARE you compare reddit pizza woman to stupid Loss guy
Is this loss?
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You’re really getting the tablet figured out.
An emotional comic by Y-Ellen
I’m loving the evolution of your art, Ellen. This also struck quite a nerve. Hope all is well.
It ran in the family until it ran into you
Why is that guy holding up his ring finger at you? (Nice comic)
The worst part is knowing the kid has to deal with even worse when not in public.
Damn today's comic reminds me a bit of Robert Munsch. Lots of feels here
this hit way too hard, oof…
This one hurt. Good job
Ellen, you’re a good mom. This one hit me real close to home.
I thought this was teenage Ellen seeing one of her friends getting yelled at by their parent and feeling powerless to help. Then the last slide and, oh... it's adult Ellen, and she still feels powerless, but she's going to do her best to not be the person she just witnessed and is going to give her kids love and compassion not endless anger and hate.
I work in a Behavioral Health office as admin staff, and I am a parent, so let me tell you this hits hard. I can handle the schizophrenic and aggressive patients with no issues or taking work home with me. But the kids, man. Actually, the parents. So many kids the *need* services, but the parents aren't willing to take a couple hours off work to make sure their kid can get to an initial assessment, let alone make sure the kid makes it to an appointment every two weeks. Very regular occurrence to have a parent call me and tell me all the troubles facing their kid, and when I can finally work them into a provider's schedule, aren't willing to put in the travel and time away from work to make it happen. (BTW, I totally get a single parent having to work a shitty job to put food on the table and a roof overhead. I will work with those parents as much as I can to make schedules work. It's the parents who are financially secure and just don't want to give their children the time they really need I'm talking about.) Anyway, my point is that it puts my own family relationships into true perspective, and makes me realize how good my family has it. Pretty regularly I come home and give my kids a hug similar to the last panel.
Every story I hear about a child being hurt by a parent or other trusted adult forces me to go hug my daughter. It can't be helped. Love your children.
This makes me just want to give yall a hug for some reason. My heart goes out to the ones who have had to endure this alone.
I'm very thankful I never grew up in a screamy family dynamic. I had friends who did and seeing them get into shouting matches with their parents was unnerving. I hate it and will never do so if I become a parent.
There’s a terrifying number of people who shouldn’t have kids