As an adult, I have to admit that I wish there were more opportunities during the day to use sick burns. No, I probably wouldn’t deliver them anyway because I’m too scared of hurting other people’s feelings. But I would think them in my head and give myself silent high-fives! Thankfully, however, many people have found the perfect place to use amazing comebacks: the internet.

The This You Comebacks subreddit is a wonderful place to share your own roasts or applaud others for theirs. In this community of over 80k members, you can find some of the most brilliant comebacks that have ever been posted online. We’re not just talking about “Yo mama” jokes or “I know you are, but what am I?” These “This you?” remarks have receipts, and they’re ready to leave politicians, celebrities and more feeling "Boom! Roasted!"

Responding to someone with a comeback is often a risky move. Especially if you’re calling them out publicly, there’s always a risk that your reply will fall flat. What if it doesn’t land? What if it’s not actually as funny out loud? Or what if you mess up the delivery and end up looking like a fool yourself? The risk is high, but the reward can be as well if you manage to pull it off!

If you need some tips for concocting a fire comeback, Kletische has shared their best pointers on their site. First of all, be sure to listen fully to what the other person has said before starting to present a comeback. You have to have all the information and understand the entire context of what they’re saying to ensure that you can burn them in the most brutal way.

The next tip for coming up with a sick burn is thinking of your comeback “shell.” As someone is talking and you’re considering in your head where you’ll go with a comeback, you’ll need to decide exactly which points of their argument you want to attack. Perhaps they said something embarrassing, you caught them in a lie or they made a mistake. Grasp onto that information, and combine it with an element of surprise to create the perfect comeback. After all, the best burns include a component that will shock listeners and the person being roasted, so you’ll have to be quick on your feet.  

While you can’t fully form a comeback without having all of the information from the other person first, you might be able to have a bit of skeleton prepared and then simply fill in the blanks to ensure you serve up the most fire comeback possible. Having a few comeback formats ready to go can also ensure that you can deliver great roasts on a moment’s notice in any different setting. And once your friends and family know that you’re the master of comebacks, they’ll be sure to watch what they say around you!    

Unfortunately, one of the most painful aspects of being able to come up with brilliant comebacks is when they come to mind just a moment too late. Someone bumps into you on the sidewalk and yells, “Watch where you’re going!” And then they get away right before you think of a brilliant burn. Or your middle school bully leaves the bathroom just before you came up with a sick burn to roast him with. If you’re wondering why we always come up with these lines just a moment too late, thankfully, the Good Men Project has explored this frustrating experience.  

According to the Good Men Project, one of the reasons why we always think of brilliant comebacks when it’s too late to use them is actually because the part of our brain that we need to use to do so is still relatively new. The high functioning brain evolved fairly recently, so it can’t always work properly when a threat is perceived. If you’re being insulted by a bully or threatened by someone on the bus, you’re definitely not going to be your wittiest and most clever self at that moment. And sadly, you might miss out on the opportunity to deliver a great comeback.

Once the stress hormones leave us alone and we start to feel calm again, then our brains are capable of working at full capacity. We get a sense of clarity once we’re relaxed, and that’s when the great comebacks come flooding in. “I should have just said this!” Or, “Why didn’t I just say that?” It seems so obvious later, but you can’t blame yourself for not coming up with these burns sooner. Just keep them in your back pocket for next time.

The great thing about delivering “This you?” comebacks is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home, sitting on your couch responding to posts on X or sharing screenshots on relatives’ Facebook posts. You have time to reply to ensure you don’t misspeak, and you have the chance to provide receipts to back up your claims. These comebacks are well researched and well written. What more could you ask for? 

We hope you’re enjoying scrolling through this list of epic burns, pandas. Keep upvoting the pics you find particularly hilarious, and feel free to share any classic “This you?” moments from your own life in the comments below. Then, if you’re interested in checking out even more amazing comebacks, you can find Bored Panda’s previous article featuring the same subreddit right here!