2260: Reaction Maps

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Reaction Maps
If Google Maps stops letting you navigate to (Clay County District) A in West Virginia, you can try Jump, OH -> Ina, IL -> Big Hole, TX.


Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by an EMOJI OR GIF. Why is Ponytail's pun so bad for Cueball that he wishes to end the friendship over it. It is not just a joke. Any explanation for this would be great. Also might be good to include a table of the towns and some info about them? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.

This is another one of Randall's Tips, this time a Texting Tip. Randall suggests that readers send a set of driving directions as an intense / extremely annoyed response (a "Reaction Map", named after the "Reaction Face", "Reaction Gif", and other memes). The words "Reaction Map" in Chemistry refer to a diagram that shows how compounds react to form different compounds; an example can be found here.

In this comic, Ponytail texts the following car pun/joke:

You should name your new Honda Civic The Treaty of Edinburgh
Because it's a Tudor compact ["Tudor" pronounced "two-door" in some USA accents, "tyudor" elsewhere.]

The Treaty of Edinburgh was a treaty drawn up in 1560, which falls during the Tudor period of the history of England, while a compact is another word for a treaty -- hence a Tudor compact. A Honda Civic is a compact car, which has a coupé body model with only two doors (there are also hatchback and 4-door sedan versions) -- hence a two-door compact. The joke is thus a double pun on the similarity of the words "Tudor" and "two-door", as well as a pun on the words "treaty" and "compact."

Pronouncing "Tudor" as "Tyoo-dor" (i.e. without American-style yod-dropping) rather than "Too-" may hinder comprehension of this pun.

Puns rise and fall in popularity, and some people dislike them at all times. Recipients often groan, sometimes even while laughing or smiling. Because of this pun, Cueball gets so mad at Ponytail that he replies twice, first that their friendship is over and second that he hopes she falls in a lake. Both times he uses driving directions to do so because he wishes to show how mad he is by spending time finding cities with relevant names just to do it.

The list of map destinations, Truly (MT), Saari (MI), Toulouse (KY), A (WV), Friendship (SC), This Way (TX) is a way of saying, "Truly sorry to lose a friendship this way". The list of map destinations, Hope (NY), Yoe (PA), Fallin Lake (AR) is a way of saying, "Hope you fall in [a] lake".

"A" is one of the three districts in Clay County WV. The others are "B" and "C".

In the title text, Randall offers a different option if "A" is removed from Google Maps, Ina (IL), to make this response: Jump (OH), Ina (IL), Big Hole (TX) ("Jump in a big hole".)

In 2245: Edible Arrangements, Cueball was irritated by a pun from Megan which was also themed on English history ("Vore of the Roses"), but in that strip, he evidently didn't get angry enough to send a map expressing that he would "Cancelada Arrangements" he had bought for her -- he simply told her so in person and then walked away when she kept punning.


[Caption to the left of the comic:]
Texting Tip
Is your reaction too intense to be expressed in an emoji or gif?
Try using driving directions!
The extra research it requires shows how strongly you feel.
[A split panel, showing Ponytail texting Cueball with her text messages shown above in gray and Cueball reading the texts angrily below]
Ponytail: You should name your new Honda Civic The Treaty of Edinburgh
Ponytail: Because it's a Tudor compact
Ponytail: Get it
[Cueball replies to Ponytail, with his text messages shown above him. Ponytail's last text ("Get it") is shown. Cueball sends Ponytail a screenshot of driving directions that go through Truly, Saari, Toulouse, A, Friendship, and This Way]
[Cueball continues to text Ponytail, with his text messages shown above him. He sends Ponytail a screenshot of driving directions that go through Hope, Yoe, and Fallin Lake]



Damn bro, you got the whole squad laughing.
















Missing the point(e) ?


