[0136] There’s Still Hope
Monday, 8 Feb 2010 by Novil

[0136] There’s Still Hope

One day your mouth will be your tiger, Larisa. <– awesome Indonesian saying

I also want to point you to my recent news post about Gunnerkrigg Court and The Webcomic List Awards 2009.

  • Girl: Have you heard that… {whisper} {whisper} Sandra… {whisper}
  • Zoey: Hehehe.
  • Sandra: Why are Zoey and the other girls so mean to me?
  • Larisa: They’re just jealous that a five like you has such a super hot ten as a boyfriend.
  • Sandra: I’M NOT A FIVE!
  • Larisa: Don’t worry, Sandy, there’s still hope. If you grew some nice boobies, you’d easily become a six.
  • Larisa: Everything in life comes at a price.
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • MySpace
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us
  • email
└ Tags: , , ,

Discussion (57)¬

  1. Ambi says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    By having Larisa describe Sandra as “Six”, did you mean this?

    http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourPointScale

    If you meant an actually honest scale, it would work better with 5->6 or even 4->5.

  2. MalixDexide says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Lock Zoey and the other jealous girls in a room and force them to watch sh**** movies 24/7 for the rest of the decade!!! That’ll teach them!

  3. Novil says:

    Ambi says: By having Larisa describe Sandra as “Six”, did you mean this?

    http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FourPointScale

    If you meant an actually honest scale, it would work better with 5->6 or even 4->5.

    Go and tell your girlfriend/wife when she’s in a bad mood that she’s slightly more attractive than an average woman in your eyes. Then please come back here to report her reaction.

  4. Alsritt says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Wow. Well, let’s hope larisa has learned her lessin. *Snicker* Yeah right….

  5. Ambi says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    But it wasn’t Cloud who rated her but Larisa. I’d regard the 6->7 thing as harmless teasing, unless Larisa also said that Sandra is way below her, or way below Zoey.

  6. Novil says:

    Ambi says: But it wasn’t Cloud who rated her but Larisa. I’d regard the 6->7 thing as harmless teasing, unless Larisa also said that Sandra is way below her, or way below Zoey.

    I’m not sure of that. Maybe the one or other female teenager or young woman among our readers could give us some insight which would be the best number to use for this strip.

  7. Ambi says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    PS Then again, Zoey and gang obviously rate themselves at 10… Sandra has to learn that that doesn’t mean anything.

  8. mystery penguin says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 19

    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

  9. Devin de Gruyl says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

    Wow. I love Larisa, but she begged for that.

  10. Novil says:

    Okay, I changed it to “five” for the time being. It may work better for Sandra being so upset about it.

  11. Shany says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Larisa always says the best things. haha
    But she did deserve what she got. Don’t think she’ll learn her lesson anytime soon. =P

  12. Onyxcarabiner says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 2

    As a general 6ish girl all my life (7-8 with makeup and knockers) I would deck anyone that would say that to my face, even my best friend…Its just kinda an unspoken part of the ‘girl code’
  13. Iron Ed says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    I think Larisa knew in advance what she would be in for with that dig at her friend. She just obviously decided it would be worth it. :-)

    Powree did a great job on the art for all of this one; especially Larisa’s face. And that’s definitely a 5-ish blouse on Sandra. ;-)

    Excellent strip all through; writing and art!

  14. Strife says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

    SO they are boyfriend and girlfriend now?

  15. BobisOnlyBob says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    I spy a Libby in panel one…

    http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheLibby

    …and Iron Ed is right, unless she’s trying to play Flower Girl to Cloud, she could do with a snappier outfit. XD

  16. Random says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Wow Larisa,you should have known better. Don’t stoop to Zoey’s level!

  17. Kasumi says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Anyone notice the teacher from the whole Larisa accused of druggie storyline?

  18. cannedbreadmaker says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2

    I wasn’t aware that people gave eachother arbitrary ratings. Are you sure? Sandra and Woo #136 seems rather unrealistic.

  19. Jim says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1

    Larisa deserved that.

  20. Someone says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    Okay…
    I expect to get thumps down for this,
    but would anyone care to explain this number-stuff to me? XD”’
    It’s the very first time I hear/read something about that.

    From comic and comments I come to know that higher is better and I think it might be popularity or look/beauty or something like that…
    But that’s all. I have no Idea what it actually is :?

    In either case I think I’ll agree with Ambis third comment.
    You can’t rate people like that.

  21. Canuovea says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

    @ Someone

    No no no, you can rate people like that. All it is, is your opinion… it is a free country after all.

    Oh and it does have at least one effect if you do seriously rate people like that. In my professional, and not so humble, opinion it makes you a Jerk. There are a lot of Jerks. Cheers.

    Good night/day!

  22. Iron Ed says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    @Someone…
    There was a movie called “10″. The ’star’ rated girls on a scale of 1 to 10 for looks, 10 being the best. Larisa calling Sandra a 5 was saying she was pretty dog-gone plain looking. :-) Notice Larisa’s wink as she said it though. That was an indication that she was just teasing. Sandra was already feeling low about it, though, so the wink did not save Larisa from a thumping. :-) :-) :-)

  23. jup-reindeer says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2

    Rank…Meh!!!

  24. Novil says:

    Strife says:

    SO they are boyfriend and girlfriend now?

    Isn’t that obvious? You know kissing would be the max at that age and they’re ready to do it.

    cannedbreadmaker says:

    I wasn’t aware that people gave eachother arbitrary ratings. Are you sure? Sandra and Woo #136 seems rather unrealistic.

    Yes, tweens, teens and immature adults do that. Although usually not in such an obvious manner. But it’s Larisa. She’s always saying what she thinks.

  25. Serastroph says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3

    I am very, very confused.
    Which age group IS this comic directed to?

  26. Novil says:

    Serastroph says:

    I am very, very confused.
    Which age group IS this comic directed to?

    This strip is not exactly rocket science, and it’s not even close to most “The Far Side” cartoons. I can’t understand at all how someone could be “very, very confused” by it.

    More generally, not every comic has to be written for a target audience as narrow as “16 to 24 year old male gamers”.

  27. DanialArin says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    One of my friends starts a number of her college-era stories with “Back when I was a Perfect 10…”

    Also, is it my imagination, or is this perhaps the first time Larisa has actually felt Sandra’s wrath? We know Cloud has before (though that aspect of their relationship seems a lot like Ranma and Akane).

    And finally, I can hear a trace of Russian accent in Larisa’s voice as she makes that nasty little comment, more so than I usually do…

  28. Dragonpoker says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Ranma and Akane… It’s nice to see an obscure comment I actually get!

  29. Lunaroki says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Larisa better watch out for the piranha-plant. They hate it when you clog up their pipes like that. :D

  30. Someone says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    @Canuovea
    finally someone who shares my opinion about mankind itself :D

    @Iron Ed
    thanks for advising me ;)
    I really had no Idea about this rating stuff.
    Maybe it’s more commen in the USA than in Europe. (?)

    @DanialArin & Dragonpoker
    An interesting Ranma½ reference…
    I can already see a fancomic with a female Cloud… but joking aside:
    I don’t think their relationship is like that.
    Ranma and Akane don’t even admit that they love each other.
    (at least as long as I watched that show)
    I think Sandra and Cloud finally got over that edge. (didn’t they?)

  31. Mort says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

    Ouch, 5/10 = 50% = F
    Does personality count for extra credit?

  32. Ambi says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Back in “Russian Revenge” Sandra was the calm one regarding Zoey, now Larisa takes it easy… is it just because Zoey switched targets, or is that a result of them aging and getting further into puberty? In that regard, Larisa always seems a step or two ahead of Sandra…

  33. Mic-Gold says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Ah, the sub-Helenic scale! A 10 would actually be 0.0001 Helens, with 1 Helen being beautiful enough that 1000 ships would go to war to impress her. There are still plenty of people for a 5(0.00005Helens). It’s not like she’s in the negatives(so ugly ships sail away from her)!

  34. Ziggy Stardust says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Young female reader here! Not quite as young as our heroine, thankfully. I’d say Sandra is a… middling six, appearance-wise. Larisa does love to get her digs, eh? In my eyes she’s a little prettier than Sandra, a seven really. But times have changed, and with them style. I think Cloud will always be cuter than the rest, though. ;)

  35. ShadyKitsune says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Just wondering, since it hasn’t been brought up, but what age are these kids anyhow?
    Call me old fashioned (and hell, I’m barely past 20) but it’s kinda weird for kids to talk like teenagers about each other before they even seem to hit puberty. (Really, I’m judging Sandra at the age of 12 at best.)

    Rambling aside… Great comic, started reading todayehhhhh, tonight. Going right to my bookmarks. ^.^

  36. John K says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2

    that will teach him…. never talk about boobs in mixed company

  37. ShadyKitsune says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    John K, you DO realize Larisa is a girl too, right?

  38.     Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    ShadyKitsune, I had worked with schools and kids are like that, have a ton of little sisiters and they are like that, How Novil can be so realistic? is he a teacher or something?

  39. Elektro says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    This comic reminds me of an old George Carlin routine.

    “I never [censored] a ‘ten’, but one night I [censored] five ‘twos’, and I think that oughta count.”

  40. ShadyKitsune says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Whats next Gerardo? 7 year old girls on the prowl for boys?
    It’s not like they’d really understand it anyhow. >.>
    The day gradeschool becomes such drama as TV highschool… Would be a very strange day indeed.

  41. Novil says:

    ShadyKitsune says: Whats next Gerardo? 7 year old girls on the prowl for boys?

    Her name is Sally Brown. I’m sure you have at least heard of her.

    ShadyKitsune says: It’s not like they’d really understand it anyhow. >.>

    Compared to my classmates I was a really innocent boy at Sandra’s age, and I understood everything.

    ShadyKitsune says:The day gradeschool becomes such drama as TV highschool… Would be a very strange day indeed.

    You have not watched many cartoons in your life, have you?

  42. Blackqhat says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Shady, did you grow up in a private school? at public schools this would be a good day compared to what normally happens at a public school…

  43. Someone says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    (test for ripping the new way to qoute :P )

    ShadyKitsune says: It’s not like they’d really understand it anyhow. >.>

    Novil says: Compared to my classmates I was a really innocent boy at Sandra’s age, and I understood everything.

    Same here… sometimes I thought I’m the last normal human on earth (or at least on my school) and on other days I thought I’m the one who’s strange…
    (I think you know what subject I’m talking about. I can’t name it, for reasons everyone should know XD’ )
    Our society is getting worse and worse… and it’s starting earlier and earlier…

    @Blackqhat
    I don’t think private schools are much better…
    If you ask me: The average-jerks are just richer ^^

  44. Novil says:

    Someone says: Our society is getting worse and worse… and it’s starting earlier and earlier…

    Our society is getting worse. But I blame 50 year old politicians and banksters, not the youth. My parents are living next to a “Realschule” (~ middle school) and though they have to bear the occasional littering and shrill screams my father has also said that pupils today are probably more well-behaved than they were at his time.

  45. Pizzasgood says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    My elementary school was probably anomalous, but we weren’t nearly that bad at 11-12 (I’m a month away from 22 now). But we were a small school way out in the boondocks.

    Now, by the time I was in highschool we had moved across the country, and little elementary kids on the bus were saying things that make Larisa sound like an angel.

    So I think a lot is just based on the region.

  46. Someone says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Novil says: Our society is getting worse. But I blame 50 year old politicians and banksters, not the youth.

    Sorry for the misunderstanding.
    I blame the whole society and not just youth or some kind of minority.
    Although it seemed that way when I said it in this context.(reffering to schools after all)
    All parts of our society are corrupted and there is no exception.
    (didn’t mean to sound that dramatic…)

    To make it more clear: I’m 21 Years old, not 40 or something ^^’
    I actually grew up with the youth I complain about.

    I don’t know how it was at your school,
    but at my school it was common that the whole school builds up a giant ‘circle’ when a brawl started.
    And I’m not talking about the game. I’m talking about people getting beaten up until they bleed.

    But yes, the corrupt bankers and politicians are definitely the bigger problem.
    (no sarcasm! (might sound like it after the last sentence…) )
    You could also say that they are the source of all this s**t.

    …but I kinda divagate from the toppic now…

  47. Ambi says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    I doubt the society is always getting worse, there are ups and downs. I remember giant circles around brawls with me as a victim about 30 years ago, so that’s nothing new. Looking back now, I can also say that the attackers were both a rare exception among the pupils, and that they were losers, desperately seeking victory so the won’t be the bottom of the heap. (Very little resemblance to the successful jock jerks I find so often in stories or films now)

    Back to kids’ stories: Sally Brown has already been mentioned, but that might not count as the comic was also written for adults. But do you remember “Doug”? In the very first episode in 1991 Doug (almost 11) and Patti (just above 11) fall for each other – it just takes them until the very last episode to become boyfriend and girlfriend, because whenever there was a chance before then, at least one of them (usually Doug) did something immature that ruined the situation. And “Doug” received critical praise back then.

    (Sorry for being several miles off topic now)

  48.     Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    I find stupid to think we are getting better or worse, also all that school of thoughts were already invented down the greeks in ancient times, or in XVIII-XIX (thats were was born comon sense as we know it)

    a 21 years old is more suseptible to sense the bad things, but that would pass soon, well some people may never get out of it (for good or worse)

    As Sabato writes, “I would think old times were worse if these times were not so atrocious”
    I would not like to had lived in the 50 or in the 70 (trough 2 decades U.S.A. burned and reaped my country by supporting dictatorships in all of south america, Haiti had one suported by the white house for decades too).

    PS: sorry for the politics I dont hate USA but sometimes I wish they care its own business and have people who lead their wars properly so they wont fail and became dead weight for others countries

  49. Canuovea says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    I find that talking of society as getting worse is a little dangerous, depending on the perspective being used some aspects will be seen as better and some will be seen as worse. There are, of course, fluctuations across the board in almost every area when it comes to what is “good.”

    But something that I find interesting is the fallacy of appeal to antiquity, we think something was better way back when or because it is old. This is sometimes true to an extent but care is needed. For example when I say that music was FAR better in the 60s 70s and 80s than now, we have to consider that all that is still popular from those times is the ‘good’ music (generally), and at the moment we are being bombarded by both the junk and the good stuff at the same time.

    As for politicians and others messing things up… well, that’s something I think everyone in almost every time period in history probably complained about, you could probably take a Mayan and a Roman (who are both not politicians) and they would both agree politicians are annoying. But I gotta say that I really am not impressed with the caliber of leaders we have had in the last ten years or so. And as far as I can see that does filter down into the education system.

    As for children behaving in a fashion similar to Larisa’s… common, if not even more so. But I wouldn’t bet it has gotten too much more prolific when compared to some other times in history.

    Good night/day

  50. ShadyKitsune says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    Since I can’t figure out how to make “replies” here, Novil, I meant that a 7 year old wouldn’t understand fully what “hitting on” is about.
    It’d be a pretty over sheltered child if they didn’t know about reproduction by the age of 12.

    And yeah, I had completely forogt about Peanuts.

    And what cartoons? Then again, back when I was a kid, I don’t remember much any school drama cartoons. Also could be the fact of where I live the TV networks are cheapstakes and even the bloody Simpsons come here SEVERAL SEASONS LATE.
    Just to give you an idea of TV service around here, back in the 90’s, if you got more than 4 channels, you had cable.

  51. Someone says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    After making my comment yestersay, I knew I’ve started an avalanche >,<'

    I've red all your comments and have to admit that you're right.
    The society was always like that, the problems are just changing their forms.
    Overall it's always the same:
    People with might and power will always misuse their options for their own benefit.
    It doesn't matter if these a bankers, politicians or whatever.
    And in schools and other facilities there will always be mobbing and the like.
    The same is true for the job.

    That's somehow the reason why I dislike mankind itself…
    (Yes, that sounds really dramatic, but it I mean it like that)

    Gerardo Tejada says:As Sabato writes, “I would think old times were worse if these times were not so atrocious”

    I think I can sign this ;)

    PS: sorry for my awful english… I sure made some horrible grammar-mistakes o_ô’ *sigh*

  52. TheSlorg says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Greetings.

    I decided to have a look at this comic when it was advertised on the Spoony Experiment. Glad I did. Good job and will continue to read it.

  53. lilspirit16 says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    wow people always get annoyed when an average persom\n dates a super popular one. screw them! Dx they just want to get someone who isn’t using them…hopefully…wwell sometimes those 10s use the 5s for a talent of theirs. like their knowledge skills or something. In this case none of that applies. ^_^ besides I’m sure cloud loves Sandra and Sandra loves cloud. Thoses other girls are just jealous. well..I ghuess I beter end this comment now. xD way to long! O.O

    By the way…those girls who are whispering about Sandra are Ugly! Dx and total cowards for telling stuff to each other behind her back….bullies perhaps. :| Agreed? anyone?…*raises hand in air *
    oh and Larisa got owned! xD…guess it’s what she deserved. :3

    man..I’m commenting too much. -_- anyways…
    yes yes of course we teens do give easch other ratings. I hate them but they do it. Some consider me like a 2 [ the worst! D: ] others a 7. [ due to my personality ] my opinion to that….Phooey! I don’t give a flying -…….crap. :|
    So I’m in full agreement with Ju-reindeer.
    Ranking!!!…Feh! D:<

    EDIT BY NOVIL: MERGE OF TRIPLE POST

  54. Mystery Penguin says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    I didn’t know this website was a debate site!

    I WANT MEMBERSHIP!

  55. Squival says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Larisa must have seen that coming :P

  56. Elner says:

        Rate this comment: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Whats next Gerardo? 7 year old girls on the prowl for boys?
    It’s not like they’d really understand it anyhow. >.>
    The day gradeschool becomes such drama as TV highschool… Would be a very strange day indeed.

    From what I’m hearing, several of you commenters are in your 20s or around that. I am a 9th grade, 15 year old girl. And to people who say that this strip is unrealistic, I’d like to say “What fantasy world are you living in, and can I come join you?” You have NO idea, NO idea of what public schools can be like, and I go to a Charter/semi-public school and we have worse problems than this. I won’t go into the details, but we have several different cliques at our school, fights break out and people go to watch for fun, I myself have had someone try to dump a lunch tray on my head and a middle school boy attack me…At my previous school, girls were losing their virginity around 13 or 14. Several kids in my class had drug problems at some point. The 3rd graders wore makeup and had boyfriends (same at my present school.) My current school, I frequently hear K and up talking about sex and swearing. I’ve been sworn at and punched by a kindergardner on the bus, the same who fondled my friend’s chest. Welcome to today’s society, ladies and gentleman.

  57. Novil says:

    Elner says:

    From what I’m hearing, several of you commenters are in your 20s or around that. I am a 9th grade, 15 year old girl. And to people who say that this strip is unrealistic, I’d like to say “What fantasy world are you living in, and can I come join you?”

    [...]

    Welcome to today’s society, ladies and gentleman.

    You think that has ever been much different? Who says that has either just a bad memory or is suffering from a selective memory bias regarding his own childhood and adolescence.

Comment¬

Click here to see the HTML tags you can use for your comment!