>>149152748 (OP)
Finally Mike grew a spine. Is it just me or is Veronica letting something good happen to him for once?
Also, pissed Augustus = satisfaction.

What was the point of this chapter even

>>149152748 (OP)
Finally, after years of mike being a spineless bastard, he got to do something for himself once - and without chimping out, to boot

Now all he needs to do is to dump Sandy, and there might be some hope for this comic yet

You just know Lucycord is having a melty over this right now

>I-I do!
KWABOTY

BAAAASEEEED
BASEDBASEDBASEDBASEDBASEDBASEDBASEDBASEDBASEDBASED
MIKE IS BACK

>>149152823
Perhaps, ideally keeping her as a friend, or find a way to make it work.
But yeah, I feel like I want to celebrate on Mike's behalf just for this little stroke of confidence. We should throw him a party.

>>149152835
I'm calling the Patreon responses.
"Nooooo, fuck you Mike, your supposed to be miserable!"

Looks like filler is back on the menu, hope I'm wrong

>>149152748 (OP)
He's going to be drawn and quartered for this, but for now it just feels good to see him regrow a vertebra or two.

>>149152861

>>149152797
With Taeshi, who knows? But I'll take a stab at it by assuming basic logic applies.
1) To elaborate on/confirm Mike's inner hangup when it comes to James and presumably others who fit a still unestablished criteria.
2) To give Mike a little character progression. He starts the chapter by caving to an unreasonable demand out of guilt, then ends it by growing a spine and prioritizing his own happiness.
3) To set Mike up for yet more punishment. After all, he's "betrayed" Lucy yet again, broke an agreement, and has put all his eggs in James' basket instead of moving on.
4) Potentially to further a forced parallel between Mike and Lucy, which the comic has done a very poor job of setting up.

>>149152895
For your own sanity, don't actually check them. Hopeless headcases, nearly the whole lot.

>>149152902
Some spoiler panels on Taeshi's bluesky showed Madison and James discussing Sue's play.

>>149152921
plenty of examples. Look at Mike's pose on this one, Old Mike would never look like that.
>>149152882
Nah man, dump her and never look back. It'd be best for both of them

You just know Taeshi is going to bring this up as an excuse to rain hellfire on Mike and her cult will justify her

>>149152941
Oh but they can be very analytical, then again from The Fannel to Lackofatrocities they all are too.

>>149152797
>Forget about making OTHER people happy for a moment
>Do something that makes you happy!
What makes Mike happy? Not crazy Lucy, James.
>>149152902
Sue chapter

>>149153013
>Sue chapter
Sue breaks her other leg, hilarity ensues

>>149152902
Now we need four people to tug his limbs. Let's see, Augustus, Jordan, Sam. Maybe Lucy.

Holy shit, he actually went outside. Interesting that Lucy seems more worried about Augustus, and she seems mostly OK. Genuinely, what Asusguts was asking for is stupid since it wouldn't work. 30 minutes without Mike is not going to help Lucy. Mike should talk to the others on the track team too.
>>149152983
Nta, but I agree with you, dumping is find but I question if a friendship would still be possible. If it was a break up, fine but not due to the cheating.

>>149153033
The irony of a play write breaking BOTH of their legs.

They changed Lucy expression
She was angry/sulky, now she is worried

>>149153075
Can you post the original panel?

We know Augustus will talk James away from Mike after seeing him here in revenge and that’s why he’s all pissy in a later chapter, but the important thing here is Mike grows a backbone for once

>>149153075
>They changed Lucy expression
>She was angry/sulky, now she is worried
Really, ya got a source? Also, why? THis whole thing doesnt make sense since Mike is not even near Lucy. Plus, neither she nor Augustus are eating, couldn't they just spend Lunch in the library? People are allowed to do that in high school.

>>149153075
I have the sinking feeling that suit is a little closer to knowing which patron you are now

>>149153108
>We know Augustus will talk James away from Mike after seeing him here in revenge and that’s why he’s all pissy in a later chapter
That's a supposition. All we know is that Augustus is pissy at Mike right now. For all we know, in the upcoming chapter, Madison will tell James Mike is the worst person in the universe and the reason why Lucy tried to an hero.

>>149153104
Dont want to risk a ban sorry

>>149153060
>30 minutes without Mike is not going to help Lucy.
I -think- that Augustus is hyperfocused on Lucy getting all PTSD at lunch because she saw Mike. For all we've been shown, it's only ever happened once. In today's page she doesn't seem terribly troubled at all, because her moods might as well be based on coinflips.

>>149153112
Yeah I know, it was strange. She was still looking at Mike but It didnt make sense unless Augustus told about his encounter with him?

>>149152895
We got some interesting ones.

>>149152924
I'm just confused on what the takeaway is supposed to be.
>Augustus asks something stupid and his idea of how to deal with Lucy's problems is completely idiotic
>track team suggests Mike hang with them instead of chasing James, which is definitely the healthiest thing he could do, but he brushes them off
>Mike finally "does something for himself" but it's chasing a guy he's unhealthily attached to
It's just frustrating, especially since James is apparently going to wind up hating him within the next two chapters. Wonder if that'll be framed as his own fault, since he "couldn't even do this one thing for Lucy" or whatever.

>>149153275

lol

>>149152748 (OP)
Mike is right, finally!

>>149152797
Set up a future conflict between Mike and Lucy because Mike disrespected her majesty's wishes

>>149153033
I will accept any form of Sue bullying even though physical harm may go a bit far

>>149153198
Wouldn't that make Augustus incrediblely stupid then? You need to establish a pattern before assuming it's something like that or she would be getting ptsd in class too. Stuff like that is not unique to dreams. Meta wise, it doesn't make sense to associate Mike with alej or the others with him since Lucy herself has gotten nothing but confirmation that her dreams involving her others friends are bullshit. Comes off more like paranoia from her.
>>149153279
>he "couldn't even do this one thing for Lucy" or whatever.
Since the arcade he had been avoiding her, right? It didn't seem to help ar all. Also, they weren't exactly going out to hang out prior to ED. Ef breaking Lucy would mean she wasn't actually progressing what is wrong.

>>149153279
I don't think that there is any intended takeaway. This is just Taeshi playing with her doll, Mike.

>>149153295
Oh my goooood
The irony Is that those people totally hate a Lucy in their real life already, they just dont do the connections

>>149152765
How is Mike breaking his word to shamelessly chase a boy who blew him off two pages ago him growing a spine?
I'm confused why /bcb/ is cheering this on, if it's just because he made Lucy and Augustus mad then I'd get that but this is clearly a bad thing for Mike, he chose another oneitis over having normal track friends.

>>149153295
>the bare minimun

Anons, be careful. There are real Lucies out there. Don’t let one of those close to you

>>149153360
>Wouldn't that make Augustus incrediblely stupid then?
Incredibly lazy, I'd say. All Gus knows is that Lucy saw Mike, then got all PTSD-addled angry baby who couldn't be reasoned with. Then she was suddenly his problem, and he tried to fix that by making it Mike's problem.

>>149153385
Because the fact that Mike is finally putting aside his guilt and putting his own wishes before an insane ask is the first hint of personal progress Mike has shown in years. Therefore it massively outweighs the ball and chain Taeshi would have attached to his ankle in some way or another anyhow.

>>149153295
Peak irony is that Lucy looks way more worried about Augustus than Mike on today's page, so clearly gray cat's presence isn't affecting her that much.

>>149153272
Why would Lucy giving Mike an angry/sulky look be strange? She more or less hates him now.

>>149153385
People are celebrating because Augustus is a dickhead asking for something stupid and Mike should have just told him "no", and this is the next best thing to them.

I just find the entire chapter intensely annoying because Mike has once again landed in the worst possible position through indecisiveness, like a dozen times before. It's not drama it's just boring anxiety.

>>149153385
>How is Mike breaking his word to shamelessly chase a boy who blew him off two pages ago him growing a spine?
Cause hanging out with a friend is more important than honoring a completely unreasonable agreement that he made to Augustus FOR Lucy. maybe the girl herself attempting to explain it would hit a bit harder for this shit (but the issue there is that in brings up why Lucy just doesnt sit somewhere else for lunch). The track table stuff we sorta agree on, I think Mike should hang out with them and James, but his kowtowing to anything Augustus desired was stupid in the first place. Oh, and pining is the wrong word here; he does not want James romantically, and any attempt at parallel falls flat on its face with Lucy.
>>149153295
>bare minimum to accommodate Lucy
Hmm, not Augustus taking her somewhere where she can't see Mike, or a different angle out of sight. No, Mike should completely change his newfound hobby and life just for someone who is avoiding already. The attempt at blocking off outside was directly just trying to add an unfair stiup to something they already agreed upon.
> Started skipping school with her parents blessing
A retard is writing this comment, do you think they would do that after the last time Lucywas not feeling well mentally? They are gonna ask what is wrong and either talk to her or get her help or both. Something that should have happened a long time ago if Lucy's mental state is this fragile. Especially since even in the image, Lucy isn't worried about seeing Mike but more worried about Augustus here.

Should Mike get in a poly relationship with James and David?

>>149153385
Because it was an unbelievably shitty ask that seemingly Lucy didn’t even ask for, and he finally breaks the cycle of being subservient to other’s demands that were hurting him

>>149153571
David doesn't particularly care about James (word of god) and is actively hostile to Mike. Get him the fuck out of there.

>>149153559
BCB is now just a comic about Mike torture, broken up by nothing side-characters and a ship with all the passionate chemistry of tepid water. Any development Mike shows must enable a further, yet more intense suffering.

>>149153310
there is one patreon dude who gaslight and blames a russian user for bringing an EXAMPLE of what Mike situation can be read as. And is not the first time they pressure and blame an user when they DARE be against Lucy.
But Mike? Nah Mike can be shitted all you want, alongside most of the cast. Only Lucy is when you cross the line
"Dont bring stuff onto fictional character. Anyway here is 101 reasons why you should hate a fictional male character"

>>149153610
It's all so tiresome

A few chapters later, Mike will be go back to be a spineless loser

>>149153554
Because Mike is still getting his distance from her and Is moving on. As I said, It would not be if Augustus told her about his interactions with Mike. But if not, why would she be angry for Mike to just exist?

>>149153636
The spoiler pages show Mike is about to suffer the emotional equivalent of a major car crash. His spine coming out intact would be a miracle.

>>149153618
>there is one patreon dude who gaslight and blames a russian user for bringing an EXAMPLE of what Mike situation can be read as.
>there is one patreon dude who gaslight and blames a russian user for bringing an EXAMPLE of what Mike situation can be read as.
Really, what was it? How do these said readers even reconcile Lucy's past abuse or Mike with Lucy and Mike's relationship/lack of it?

>>149153636
Yeah, no way Tasehi lets this end well.

>>149153647
>Because Mike is still getting his distance from her and Is moving on
Why would Lucy of all people give a fuck about that? She was mad at Mike just for showing up at the arcade. And wouldn't her alternate reaction suggest that Augustus had indeed told Lucy? Remember that she knew Gus had extracted a promise from Mike to avoid her and Lucy seemed just fine with that arrangement.

What is this comic even about anymore? I remember reading about it on the Bad Webcomics Wiki nearly a decade ago, thought that article hasn't been updated since 2016 so it's horribly outdated and i remember it being about some white cat trying to bang another cat and dumb drama happens

>>149153702
Torturing grey cat.

>>149153702
Mike punished his longtime abuser and for that he must suffer because she was a girl and also the author's blatant self-insert. That's it, that's the summary.

>>149153695
Idk I would expect her to react more like... The first time they shared the playground? Ignoring him trying to be cool? www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c120/p15

>>149153065
Break a leg they said.

>>149153702
You see the comic is called "Bittersweet Candy Bowl" because it refers to the tumultuous relationship between Mike and Lucy who were best friends but go through the trials and tribulations of high school and experience their relationship shattered and repaired over and over again as they try and accept one another.

The Candy Bowl part represents all the useless fags who make up the side character roster (everyone but Lucy and Mike)

>>149153283
We need to protect Mike, die for Mike, and kill for Mike.

>>149153760
I could easily see Mike's defiance overriding Lucy's other moods.

>>149153760
It got changed to this because Taeshi realized Lucy scowling at Mike and giving him the sideeye would mean she knew, and approved of, Augustus' plan to make Mike go away which would be strange

The boy cat isn't allowed outside?

>>149153818
Why would it be strange? Lucy knew Augustus told Mike to stay away from her, and this would just be an extension of that demand.

>>149153812
So her feeling sad/scared at seeing Mike is easily overwritten by her anger at defying Augustus' commands? Making the entire reason for Emo's actions pointless?
>>149153818
>Augustus' plan to make Mike go away which would be strange
I think it's cause blame can fall on Lucy since it would make her come off as unreasonable, Mike was already avoiding her. Distancing Luy from it removes culpability from Lucy.

>>149153676
>How do these said readers even reconcile Lucy's past abuse
Literally by pretending the abuse was not that bad or never actually happened. I'm serious, some of them have actually gone that far.

>>149153836
Not if that ever inconveniences girl cat!

If everything else was exactly the same except Taeshi was a guy, which character do you think people would call his blatant self-insert?

>>149153895
This is the stupidest high school drama.

>>149153885
>Making the entire reason for Emo's actions pointless?
Of course not. Dealing with pissbaby Lucy would be impossible either way.

>Distancing Luy from it removes culpability from Lucy
This. Taeshi hates to give her fursona actual flaws.

>>149153695
>she knew Gus had extracted a promise from Mike to avoid her
What I wanna know is if she's asking Gus to do this or if he occasionally just shows up and tells her he convinced Mike to fuck off and she's just like "ah sweet." Must be pretty rad to have a minion who just goes around doing your dirty work for you, possibly unprompted.

The weird thing is it seems like she should hate this since she gets uber pissed when anybody, even Augustus, tries to act like she isn't completely fine. Going out and "protecting" her like this seems like it implies a lack of faith in Lucy's mental fortitude.

>>149153900
Does this version of Taeshi have the exact same life history, whether or not everyone else's genders are also flipped?

Lucy's facial expression makes no sense to me. Even if she was paying enough attention to notice Augustus seeming angry, why would she look outwardly worried? When has that ever been her reaction to someone seeming out of sorts? Just a bizarre chapter overall.

>>149153702
White cat to this day can't get over said another cat not wanting to bang her and author spent decade and more personally torturing guy for not wanting to bang white cat because what he said >>149153732 . Other stuff with other characters happening in background but in the end amounts to nothing. Fans can be easily separated by which of the two they want to see being happy, white cat or the guy or neither, hard to find person whose answer would be "both" despite that being author's intent (outside of shipping of course)

>>149153900
Hard to say, how much of the personal life and story posted online over the years would be exact same? Probably still Lucy if exact same

>>149153836
No her white knight/security blanket Augustus thinks he can police other people's life because the female white cat has BPD and literally cannot handle reality.

>>149152748 (OP)
Honestly what the fuck was even the point of all this? It's less interesting (as expected) then I assumed.

Augustus can get fucked with a rusty spoon.

>>149152924
Oh it's DEFINITELY 3.
Taeshi has to brow-beat the audience about Mike's betrayal towards Lucy because of her own personal hangups.

>>149153863
It would be strange because the last time we saw Lucy while Mike was outside she was pretending she was fine and getting mad at Augustus for trying to help, so why would she suddenly be okay with him helping, especially the way he did it

>>149153900
Mike or Paulo.

>>149153938
Your observations are correct. Augustus is not likely the big exception to the rule since Lucy has both defied and screeched at him for doing exactly that. So that leaves Lucy herself telling him to be a good little minion and play go-between.

That's if we were depending on logic, of course. There is no way that Taeshi could bring herself to commit, so she'd make certain to absolve Lucy of guilt no matter how little sense it makes.

>>149153959
My personal theory is that they made multiple versions with different expression to sus out the person posting leaks itt, and they just didn't think very hard about which one was the "real" one. This version is as good as any since it means only Augustus looks pathetic, impotently glaring at Mike for using the track.

>When has that ever been her reaction to someone seeming out of sorts?
Ironically, during her first interaction with Mike after Eternal Flame

>>149154007
>Honestly what the fuck was even the point of all this?
Definitely a setup for the future, most likely Augustus going too far on his own and degrading back to old self to ensure that he will have easier time managing Lucy in peace

>>149152748 (OP)
Its gonna backfire and somehow the whole track team will know about Mike and Lucy's bad history together and the team will isolate Mike as a result.

>>149153959
Lucy has been inconsistent as fuck ever since her return. Almost like she has a major neurochemical imbalance. But the reality is that Taeshi lives vicariously through Lucy so whatever she does is based purely on Taeshi's own moods.

>>149153995
>White cat to this day can't get over said another cat not wanting to bang her and author spent decade and more personally torturing guy for not wanting to bang white cat
I could swear that Mike confessed to Lucy at one point and she rejected him, did that not happen?
>>149153900
Writing might end up too different to say. If exactly the same, it would be confusing and read more like Taeshi hates himself if Mike is the SI. Paulo would not be much better since the relationship with Daisy feels more like a pity win than anything, combined with a string of relationships where Paulo comes off like a bad partner or too caring of one girl's opinion who doesnt even like him romantically (or like a friend with her behavior).

>>149153836
No, because the girl cat will always spawn at his exact location. It could be the mall or the park or merely in front of the same walk path as him.

>>149154031
Because trying to please Lucy is a game of five fingered fillet, which technically has a win condition.

>>149152748 (OP)
Fuck off Aug you and Lucy can sit fucking anywhere at lunch.
Everyone in this comic is so fucking retarded because their writer keeps having them do schizo shit to create drama while being completely unaware of how petty and stupid all of them are being.

>>149154102
>I could swear that Mike confessed to Lucy at one point and she rejected him, did that not happen?
Yes and that used to be a legitimate plotpoint that established why their failed friendship was so tragic. But nowadays it doesn't matter at all because gray cat bad, white cat good.

Why do you fags even read this shitty comic?
From what I’ve seen of it it’s:
>catboy/catgirl are flirting
>one fucks up
>tears flow
>apart for a while
>try to get back together
>rinse and repeat

>>149154102
This was flashback to the past as kids, before Mike even got his scarf, supposed to be a setup for this whole mess and depressed Lucy realising how far back in the past she fucked up everything

>>149154147
Why do you pretend you're new here?

>>149152748 (OP)
No wonder he's pissed, she's about to try molesting him again

>>149152748 (OP)
I musta missed a page, what the fuck was he avoiding??

>>149154147
It's stupider than that even because you make it sound like it's a fast loop but the cycles take like five years each.

>>149154102
Lucy would still come off as the self-insert because of the suspicious irl/ic parallels, and because she isn't written as anything less masturbatory. Everyone would suspect Taeshi is trans or lazily flipped all the sexes.

>>149154162
Lucy/Augustus

>>149154162
The chapter started with Augustus guilt tripping Mike into staying inside so Lucy wouldn't have another meltdown or something.

>>149154173
I'd almost assume this would just be a worse and western rental girlfriend, cept no one in this gorup has any money or is getting paid.
> Everyone would suspect Taeshi is trans or lazily flipped all the sexes.
Yeah, this comic would go over great with a gender inverse.

>>149154202
Keep spamming your r63 shit in the threads, it's appreciated

>>149154202
Gender-inverted BCB would look like the author went buttfuck insane, pulled a reverse Sinfest, and started gleefully torturing women.

Anyway, any new AUs/fanfic idea discussions that happened while I was away?

>>149154222
It's true, I do indeed appreciate them quite a lot.

>>149154222
I don't have much else saved since I forgot to save the Stacy comic in its entirety, so sue me.Also, we have sorta lost a few artists over the years, they might still lurk, but shit aint fun.

Any drawfag left to draw Mya in BcB art style?

>>149154227
No, and I think that's because we've been balls deep in another Michael torture cycle that runs on pure bullshit. Detachment is not fertile soil for creativity.

>>149154262
Sad!

Not a much on my end outside a one-shot idea where Mike and Lucy accidently end up sitting next to each other on a Transatlantic flight.

>>149154289
Does the flight crash?

>>149154293
Yes, and then it turns out it was just a dream (adult) Mike was having

>>149154289
Mike and Lucy are most interesting when their extant relationship is ignored or heavily tweaked. Both necessitate that the two cats are written to be considerably less insane.

>>149153385
did you read mike's monlogue throughout this entire page? the point isnt that he's chasing after james (regardless of the fact that mike clearly has some sort of feelings for him) the point is that he's allowed to exist and go wherever he wants without having to tread around lucy and her pet augustus. no shit people are rooting for that

>>149154321
The whole thing is lampooning the insanity of it from the perspective of them talking about it now that they are older and more mature.

anyway been thinking of this again. Still no motivation.

>>149153385
Its a matter of self respect which he has been in next to no supply for him. That faggot basically went "Hey I dont care about your feelings or problems. Just stay inside so this girl I am crashing with has dominion over outside so her feefees might not get hurt."

Maybe if he was nice about it, but the moment he went "I don't" when Mike inferred about not caring about his side of things was more than enough for Mike to tell him to go fuck himself.

>>149154260
You mean Mia? Feels like the only fitting way to draw her bcb style is how Gnukko drew her in ancient times

>>149154227
Paisy glazing attempts and Mike torture wasn't exactly a well of inspiration. For official server as well. Look at Ao3 it's pretty dry there as well

>>149154356
So you're saying that a saner version of Lucy only exists in adult Mike's own head.

Not sure why he went after those two but as long as he's getting his spine back...

>>149154391
Son of Mike and who?

>>149154512
Pretty sure that's Amaya and Mike's spawn.

>>149154510
>growing a spine by third-wheeling for a guy who used to be into you
we are in hell

>>149154502
Yeah. Its basically wishcasting from Mike, who now lives in Chicago and has not been in contact with anyone from Roseville for several years by the time the story starts.
>>149154512
Mike(who died of cancer) and Amaya.

>>149154510
That's a nice drawing anon and I'm sorry for this, but
>you're a mean one
>Mr. Mike

>>149154222
>>149154235
>>149154249
I'll post the whole miny-stacy-replacing-lucy.arc, I have it saved. It's 12 pages in total

>>149154556

>>149154556
Thanks anon.

>>149154556
page 3

>>149154556
page 4

>>149154289
My other "Adult Mike and Lucy meeting again" idea is them both reuniting at a high school reunion. Mike is a marketing executive in Chicago and Lucy a pop star who lives in LA. They fuck and it gets leaked to paparazzi and chaos ensues from there.

>>149152748 (OP)
>Tfw you will never be chasing a blonde himbo twin for their bubble cheeks
OWARI

>>149154556
page 5

>>149154556
page 6

>>149154556
page 7th

>>149154556
page 8

>>149154556
page 9

>>149154556
page 10, almost there

>>149154556
To think this is what BCB once had the potential to become.

>>149154712
I think there Is a Page between those two

>>149154556
page 11

>>149153385
>How is Mike breaking his word to shamelessly chase a boy who blew him off two pages ago him growing a spine?


Because Augustus's demand was unreasonable as hell in the first place. After a certain point it's up to Lucy's family to get her some professional help instead of making sure mike manages his entire life around not trying to upset lucy by just being in the same area. Plus he was really just a dick about it. So fuck him

>>149154556
And last page. Man, I really miss when people did these...

>>149154510
He's pissed because they took his fucking ears

Cute drawing tho, a good Mike pic is water in the desert

>>149154731
I don't think so, but I do agree that it sort of cuts a bit suddenly. Maybe I missed one and forgot to save it back in the day

Here's a Stacy as an apology in case I did

>>149152748 (OP)
>next chapter: Augustus threatens to shoot up the track team club room unless Mike obeys
>Track team thinks Mike has betrayed them due to a falling out with James
>boot James out
>James goes psycho faggot and joins Mike's group
>Mike too guilty to hang out with track team group
>isolated at lunch now on the rooftops or something

>>149154731
I don't think so, but I do agree that it sort of cuts a bit suddenly. Maybe I missed one and forgot to save it back in the day

Here's a Stacy as an apology in case I did

>>149154556
I'm not bothered by the fan edits themselves because this is great. But I'm more bothered by this showing just how easy it is to make BCB not shit and how the mall chapter could ahve been a fun reprieve from all the drama Taeshi vomits out.

This is what BCB could be if, at minimum, she could actually resist tossing shit at Mike for a while.

>>149154831
Damn she THICC

>>149154844
>This is what BCB could be if, at minimum, she could actually resist tossing shit at Mike for a while
I'm pretty sure that's when we get Paisy material.

>>149154844
Yes exactly, I completely agree. It'd take so little to make this story so much more enjoyable, but for some reason lame, incoherent decisions are chosen all the time, just for pointless drama's sake... Its frustrating.

To this day I still don't get why Taeshi just went off the rails post december. Instead of Lucy having to actually better herself as a person and face consequences for years of bad actions, it all just gets heaped onto Mike for daring to lash out at her in the first place.

It's like the guy is being punished on a cosmic level for daring to get mad at the comic's undeserved golden girl.

>>149153075
Another confirmation of this.

The more I think about it, maybe this was just a last minute change instead of a leak finding measure. Mike could've originally been meant to glare at both Lucy and Gus instead of just Gus. As much as I think it makes more sense for Lucy to still be pissed, I kind of appreciate that this is one of the rare changes where Mike looks better afterward. Him beefing with Lucy when Gus seemingly made the request of his own accord would be kind of a bad look.

>>149154892
Oh, you don't know? In shorts, reasons are tier to irl, and it's not just in the comic Tae went off the rails

>>149154963
Dish?

>>149152902
>Looks like filler is back on the menu
I have journeyed into the Great Forest, where after many hours of searching I finally cornered the Spirit of the Forest while it was in the form of a bear feeding upon the Salmon of Wisdom. I wrestled it with all might until I was at last able to pry a single scale of the Salmon out from its jaws, whereupon I ate it myself and had it revealed to me that Friday's page shall be Jess offering up notes and snacks in an attempt to gain Rachel's forgiveness.

>>149154701
>>149154712
I had to look so much and almost gave up until I found this! It felt like too random but at least I know Im not crazy

>>149154963
>reasons are tier to irl
>>149154977
are you having a stroke? am *i* having a stroke?

>>149154955

>>149154892
I think that meta explanations are unavoidable here
>Taeshi has BPD and obsesses over past relationship drama
>writes a webcomic that revolves around suspiciously similar relationship drama
>suffered an actual irl mental breakdown around December coinciding with Lucy's
>considered ending the comic but decided against it
>then spent years working inside of a steadily shrinking echo chamber that got rebooted a few times because she and her husband kept poisoning it with their toxic attitudes
>the final heavily sanitized version became infested with asskissing tumblerites
>Taeshi enjoyed next to no criticism from an audience that glorified mental illness
If BCB was always Taeshi's method of coping, it is no wonder that it became her shameless BPD outlet.

>>149155000
So even dipshittified Jessica realizes she's fucked up with Rachel, huh? I guess that's nice to know. Half expected her to be a clueless ditz about the whole thing, or in denial.

>>149155091
>I didn't want that to be misinterpreted as being because of Mike
Well it's weird then that a later revision has her looking right at Mike, but ok. Mystery solved, she doesn't want Lucy to be reacting to Mike in this scene. Thanks anon.

>>149155091
Taeshi always gives the least satisfying reasons. But her being a lazy dumbass who gave up is not implausible.

>>149155091
If not becuse of Mike, then... whom, Augustus?

>>149155198
>two different cute gay/bi dudes who make longing faces while looking at or thinking about him
>he sticks with his shitty phone girlfriend while chasing the shallow manslut who already moved on from him
stupid fucking grey cat

>>149155198
My guess is she's trying to keep this as a beef just between Mike and Augustus. First draft Lucy was intended to not even notice them glaring daggers, but I guess it looked too much like she was deliberately looking away from Mike.

>>149155270
>I guess it looked too much like she was deliberately looking away from Mike
Why wouldn't she? Lucy already did as much the first time around.

>>149155019
Aaaah dude! Yeah, I remember this page now, good find!
Thanks anon, now the collection is complete!

>>149155091
>intended to be a strictly Augustus/Mike quarrel
This is interesting but I will not allow myself to be optimistic in imagining how it could play out

>>149155198
She knows that if Augustus spergs out then she can't stop Mike from beating him up like she did with Paulo.

>>149155334
Simp vs Simp.

On one hand it's thematically interesting to pit Mike against his own replacement with no outside input. On the other it washes Lucy's hands of the whole affair even though her magically-vanished trauma led to it in the first place.

>>149155337
Mike getting in a fight with Augustus and getting him expelled would be good, as it'd disqualify good ole final fantasy cat from getting a scholarship. Meaning the former gang member can't go to college and escape Roseville.
Give Mike a real sin to feel guilty about.

>>149155337
>infuriating Mike to the point he would throw down with Lucy just to get his hands around Gus' neck
That would have to be the mother of all fuck-ups.

>>149155494
Augustus would have brought that on himself though. Not that Mike wouldn't end up paralyzed by the guilt anyway, especially as Lucy degrades in real time.

>>149155251
>if Mike just did x then the comic wouldn't turn that into yet another wellspring of suffering
lol
lmao, even

>>149155508
Augustus sic'ing Alejandro on Mike to get rid of him?

>>149152748 (OP)
>Mike grew a new vertebra
>He is no longer a spineless invertebrate
RUH OH someone is going to bust his knees and shatter that new spine before it can get taller. While also knocking him down even shorter. All so he can show off to Lucy, demanding she ride him hard cowgirl all night. Finishing off in reverse anal cowboy(girl) as he grabs her phat kitty titties. Fuck I bet pull Lucy down after busting Mikes shit in demanding she fuck him right then and there in front of Mike to prove their dominance. And when Lucy pulls out he cums all over Mikes face. Mike starts crying even louder like a bitch, then the two of them piss on his face together while making out hard. While finally BRAPPPPP Lucy flat out sharts all over Mikes face. Causing the two of them to not stop laughing as they put their cloths on quickly to flee the scene of the crime.

And then Paulo finds Mike beat up crying face covered in shit,cum&piss while also being completely soaked head to toe in piss. Mike tries huging him unable to stop crying, causing Paulo to freak out swing his arm back and straight forward to punch Mike in the face because he is totally no gay. Only to stop last second letting Mike hug him his single eye twitching hard nonstop as all Mike can say is LululuAgagagag


Literal shitposting aside ho lee fuk patreon&discord must be raging mad right now wanting to strangle Tae for ending the Mike abuseporn allowing him to grow a spine. Shit must be in civil war right now with B&'s being handed out left&right on both sides, as Tae deactivated all the mods powers seconds before releasing the chapter knowing damn well the hell she was about to release. cuckcase&Tae must be fucking hard while reading all the rage&hate comments licking the screen ohhh thats it paypiggies sqeeeeeeel for mommy thats right i own you pay me more you tiny/chopped off dick faggots or else ill make Mike even happier!!!

>>149155657
If Gus resorted to that, I think Lucy would be the one to throttle him.

>>149155494
>Give Mike a real sin to feel guilty about.


It would have been Augusts's fault for even picking the fight in the first place. He's handling this entire thing stupidly

>>149155724
He's being a good little white knight. Hopefully an even nastier one than Mike ever was, just so that things actually happen.

>>149154701
>>149154712
>>149154725
>>149154740
>>149154756
DAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY TOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNEEEEEE AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH *bad engrish singing continues*

man arcade racing games fucked hard shit was so fun to play with people. Always wanted to try mario kart DX or wtv the arcade game is called again.

>>149155508
>Gus violates the NAP or some shit and Mike goes nuclear
>starts kicking his ass
>Lucy is physically unable to get past the blocks and counters of Miguel con Espina Dorsal, can't stop him
>beatings continue until morale improves
>Lucy has the mother of all Confrontation flashbacks, Michaeljandro finally fully revealed
>turns into a blubbering mess just begging him to stop
>gvilt nvke
>Mike exiles himself

>>149155837
Unironically better and more interesting than whatever we'll get.

>>149155694
Yeah, just trying to figure out would cause Mike to snap and beat up Augustus.
>>149155837
Funny but would never happen.
Also:
>Michaeljandro
stealing this

This page was so satisfying

>>149155887
>Yeah, just trying to figure out would cause Mike to snap and beat up Augustus
Oh that should be easy enough. Dropping the suicide nuke to destroy Mike's reputation and isolate him, then trying to mindbreak him for good measure only for it to backfire horribly.

>>149155887
>Yeah, just trying to figure out would cause Mike to snap and beat up Augustus.
His home life detroaites and Auggustus make a very shitty comment on the fact that his parents are getting a divorce.

>>149155091
So it confirms Lucy's nightmares aren't related to Mike at all?

>>149156015
Imagine getting that line from the school's resident pseudo-rapist. That should be enough to provoke -something-. Still, all that's happened so far is Mike passively defying Augustus. His ability to push back in-person has not been tested.

>>149156046
Then I don't see why the fuck Augustus reacted with dread when he first saw Mike out on the track. Nor why Lucy acted like his concern was valid but unnecessary.

>>149155251
>It should been me not him
>t. Anons every time they see the gray cat fuck It up

>>149156123
He saw Lucy having Vietnam flashbacks while Mike was outside and then she got bitchy when he asked her, he could only assume it was Mike's fault again, which we know doesn't make sense because the table is part of said nightmare and she has no trouble not only handling them but berating them. It's more about Lucy closing herself to her supposed white knight because that's what she always does, ignores the hand extended open in front of her and cries she's alone and misunderstood

>>149156200
No no, I mean before that. The moment Mike walked out onto the field.
https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c120/p13

Followed by Lucy's reaction:
https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c120/p15

Mike's presence was recognized as a problem by the both of them.

>>149156015
Okay I could see that. Though if this was the case I wonder what the aftermath would be, Mikes inevitable guilt nvke aside.

>>149156338
A part of me imagines the fighting with his parents only gets worse since the golden boy is acting up, and Mike's guilt increases and spirals from there. In his Mind, it might be like he poured gasoline on the fire and destroyed his family. Maybe just have him deteriorate as he stops eating as a form of self-punishment, would need to do it slowly, cause whichever parent is around might notice he isn't eating, if they care to pick into their son's life.

>>149156338
That depends on whether the incoming fuckery derails Mike's course or solidifies it. If it's the former, he sits there and takes it. In the latter case, Mike holds Augustus by the collar and says he's pretty damn sick of getting judged by the same guy who tried to rape Daisy.

>>149156200
>ignores the hand extended open in front of her and cries she's alone and misunderstood
Sounds more like Mike
>Brushes off Felix and the track team
>Paulo and the other main group
>Abbey and his gamer group
All to chase a guy who already moved on to David

>>149156386
I was referring if Mike choke slammed Augustus
>>149156376
Isn't that already kind of happening though? But I agree, wonder what would happen to Augustus(and Lucy) though. Lucy is going to be pissed undoubtly, at who though is the question.

>>149156376
>A part of me imagines the fighting with his parents only gets worse since the golden boy is acting up, and Mike's guilt increases and spirals from there. In his Mind, it might be like he poured gasoline on the fire and destroyed his family.
I like this, it sounds very in-character. However Mike seems to already be starving himself.

>>149156417
>Paulo and the other main group
A terrible option, best avoided.

>Abbey and his gamer group
Not an option to begin with.

>>149156418
>>149156433
>Isn't that already kind of happening though?
Yes, pretty sure Paulo has mentioned Mike not eating, but you could always have him make himself throw up to make it worse, and having to deal with his younger siblings during the whole thing, especially poor Chris & Haley.
>>149156449
Less of not an option & more like the character doesn't wanna write that arc. Except for Haley, no one at that table would have issues with Mike being there.

i think i might try reading this just to see what all the drama is about
any warnings going in?

>>149154652
> Mike shooting himself in the chest
Heh, these were the times… Thanks, anon, I thought I'll never find these again! God bless your heart.

>>149156488
If only "do not read this comic" anon were still here.

Anyway uh, don't skip the early volumes and know that the version of those volumes listed are basically remakes of the originals. You can get a PDF of the og versions but idk where the link is. A lot of anons think the changes for webtoons are poorly conceived.

>>149156418
Lucy would be pissed with Augustus for crossing that line and terrified of Mike after he went on a rampage right in front of her. He's been so pathetic and then suddenly her PTSD paranoia turned out to be a prophecy. Everyone else would be giving Mike a wide berth for fear that he's gone back into sperg mode with a dash of unstoppable violence. As for Mike, it still depends. Either he's plagued with guilt and horrified at himself or frustrated and lonely.

>>149156488
>>149156595
Here's the link.
https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/archive.html#obsoletevolumes
The changes are like 20% good and 80% bad. It's better to read the originals. It'd be like a journey to the past. Taeshi used to be quite creative with the pensil and her artstyle used to change and evolve a lot. After the first three volumes you can just switch to their site.

>>149156470
Abbey's table is made up of teenage girls who Mike does not relate to. Even he and Jasmine rarely interacted back in the day.

>>149156672
Fair point, but i can't remember, ain't Stacy there and Abbey? It would be better than constant fighting or drama at the main table. What, you want him to hang out with the track team? Like that would be allowed without something stupid happening.I am the genuine opinion that having some chatpers with Mike winning some shit and other characters progressie in their lives and goals would be good for the comic and it wouldn't even have to change the status quo too much

>>149156636
Makes sense, I do wonder how injured Augustus would be, and it would affect a lot of things. If just a couple of scraps and bruises things might not be so bad, but if he tears a muscle, breaks a bone or worse...

As for the others, isolating Mike would make sense, even track team would keep their distance, though I wonder how they will find out about it. Word of mouth probably. Maybe Paulo, Daisy, or even Sue sees it happen.

For mike maybe Schizo Mike can be deployed and swing back and forth between the two states. I think how is family responds will be big here.

Also, how would the BCB community(Pateron, Discord, /bcb/) react?

>>149156535
You're welcome man, bless ya too. I'm glad I saved those, I just wish there were more of these these days. Those were from 2022, had many creative drawfriends in the threads at the time

>>149156758
>how injured Augustus would be
Depends on how much red Mike is seeing. And I don't mean that angrier Mike = a more fucked up Augustus but pretty much the opposite. Raging out of control Mike could easily mount and throttle Augustus but then get dragged off by Lucy before he can do much damage. Now, if Mike's anger was white hot and focused into a surgically precise need to inflict punishment, yeah, Augustus is turbo fucked. He'd best pray that Lucy gets through to Mike before he goes too far.

>though I wonder how they will find out about it
If Mike snaps during a lunch run, everyone will know about it in short order.

>I think how is family responds will be big here
It's BCB so the answer is clearly not going to be therapy.

>Pateron
HOW DARE HE

>Discord
HOW DARE HE and maybe some legit discussion that gets downed out beneath the tide

>/bcb/
Popcorn and fireworks

>l-look i'm only hugging you to say sorry that Augustus ruined your life for my sake
>it doesn't mean anything
>baka!

>>149157280
I'm going to assume moderately damaged, with heavy scrapes and bruises, but before Mike goes too far, Lucys breakdown causes him to cease and back down in shame and if during lunch the others coming to get him off Augustus. This also makes me wonder how the others(Paulo, Daisy, Sue, etc) would react?

Also with no therapy the family situation will further deteriorate meaning bad news for Mikes mental state. Possible Schizo Mike? Ill let you decide.

>>149157316
>Lucy and emotionally numb Mike have an affair
>have to keep it a secret bcuz friends would go insane about them hooking up after all the bullshit
>Mike's cold dead heart starts warming up again and he is both afraid of this and still too numb to change course

>>149157578
I assume this would be post-spoilers so the already hostile table would be shocked, disgusted, and frightened of Mike. I'm sure his parents would be informed of the incident and he'd get read the riot act.

>>149157316
>>149157613
Perfect. Consider the following:
>As Mikes heart starts to warm up, he starts accidentally getting more flustered/nervous around Lucy, which she doesn't pick up on due to her own numbness.
>Augustus notices though and tells him to back off.
>The one day they stay at the tree together to long and Daisy and Paulo both see them kissing.
Ill let you guys decided where this goes from here.

>>149157613
Oh I'll bet Lucy is warming him up again alright.

>>149157716
>due to her own numbness
What numbness? Lucy acts like a broken faucet that goes from ice cold to scalding hot at a touch.

>>149157761
Fair switch it to "her own emotional issues" or whatever.

>>149157794
Daisy: Shocked, hands over her mouth, blushing.
Paulo: OH COME ON ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

>>149152748 (OP)
Wh... WHAT??? HOLY SHITTTTTTTTTT

>>149157831
Mike would probably just be shocked that they saw it, wonder how Lucy would react though?

Is that sweat or a tear?

>>149159033
Taeshi draws her tears differently. What I want to know is whether Lucy is concerned about Augustus or trying to get his attention.

>>149152748 (OP)
Huh, would you look at that.

I guess Taeshi will postpone Mike's beratement and suffering for a few chapters.

>>149159142
>for a few chapters.
I think that might be a little overly optimistic

>>149159033
gargantuan pimple

>>149152748 (OP)
Based edition.

>>149159897
Kek

>>149153900
Augustus, duh. He's the too-cool-for-school cynic with a tragic backstory who always knows everybody's secrets, almost like he read the script.

>>149156449
>Not an option to begin with.
Says who? Mike gets along great with Abbey, and he's friends with everyone in the group.

>>149160080
>Sue
Lucy simp. Probably still hates Mike. Definitely not best friend material.

>Stacy
Could be best girl but too focused on pleasing Katie. Refuses to embrace the part of her Mike could relate to.

>Abbey
Only shared interest seems to be the MMO and possibly related nerd shit. Not enough to go on.

Mike is clearly not opposed to having friends. What he seems to want more than anything is a best friend.

>>149152748 (OP)
I'm so going to kill that little shit.

>>149152748 (OP)
Augustus, please calm down...

>>149160829
More like
>Augustus why you no pay attention to me

>>149160253
The idea that Mike just wants a best friend is ridiculous, James is completely focused on David right now and they both ditched him to run outside before Mike tagged along as a third wheel, I don't know how people try to justify Mike choosing James over literally anyone else let alone Abbey and Stacy who he's never had a problem with

>>149160902
Neither Abbey nor Stacy has ever clicked super hard for Mike. The arcade chapter ended on a page showing that James had become the new light in Mike's life after both Sandy and Lucy fell through. Mike's stupid not to let go, but I can see why he doesn't want to.

>>149154543
We really are
>>149154553
Thank you anon
>>149154804
Thank you too anon

So is this "Mike" being emotionally tormented out of authorial spite, or is the series too wishy washy to commit to the torture for my sick satisfaction at watching a cute cat boy reduced to an emotionless husk... I mean what?

...Or is this more a 'SoL that goes nowhere for 15 years' kind of thing?

>>149161710
Somehow, all of the above. But you already knew that.

>>149161779
There is a part of me that wants to see how far Taeshi can take it without the echo chamber becoming sympathetic to Mike. I'm interested in the work from a partly 'fandom case study' perspective. Basically, the question, "How loud can the echo chamber feedback loop get?"

>>149161892
Mike could get raped and then fall into a coma and the top comment would still be "now he knows how Lucy feels, still not enough"

>>149152797
So that when Augustus starts beating the shit out of Mike everyone will know why

>>149152748 (OP)
Mike didn't act totally retarded. Watched the dark knight. Augustus is malding. Life is looking good.
You know, there isn't a whole lot about this comic that really makes it sit in the late 2000's, only Paulo dressing up as the joker and nobody being on social media all the time.

>>149161990
>Augustus randomly goes from punk ass bitch to fighting god just so Mike suffers even harder

>>149161892
It'll only go as far as momentary pity however bad it gets for him. Real sympathy involves being willing to run defense for a character when they're actively fucking up. People were talking about how bad they felt for Lucy when she was trying to force herself on Augustus. The people that do that for Mike will always be a minority.

>>149161990
Unless he finds a way to guilt Mike first, he isn't landing any hits. The switch has flipped and Mike's directly defying him.

I can only assume he's gonna start spreading rumors. The next chapter starts with Rachel and Jess, and we saw in Double Down that Gus is part of their group now.

>>149160902
Stacy and Mike waiting Abbey to go home all together after SATs or whatever the american testa are called

>>149161975
I have zero doubts more than one people would say something along that line.
>>149161990
Augustus is a wimp, he is not the physical type at all. At most he will do some low blow stuff like pitting Mike's '''friends''' against him, or gaslight Mike into thinking he did some irreparable damage to Lucy.

>>149161975
I have zero doubts more than one person would say something along that line.
>>149161990
Augustus is a wimp, he is not the physical type at all. At most he will do some low blow stuff like pitting Mike's '''friends''' against him, or gaslight Mike into thinking he did some irreparable damage to Lucy.

>>149162176
>Gus is part of their group now
I completely forgot about that. Idiot could cause some major damage thanks to loudmouth Madison playing bullhorn.

>>149153610
Maybe Veronica will subvert that by rewarding Mike more.
>>149153774
He could marry both Lucy and Sandy, be twice as unhappy.
>>149153784
Yeah, I imagine Bittersweet refers to the tone and Candy Bowl for the characters and their diverse designs and personalities.

>>149154147
The intriguing character interactions, personalities, and emotional weight from the verbal conflict they produce.

>>149152748 (OP)
So, this chapter was pure filler.

>>149154227
I don't really want to spill spoilers about my crossover idea.
Aside from my W.I.P fanfic I have every intention to write Paulo and Rachel fucking.

>>149154260
You mean that korat O.C who likes Mikie?>>149154289
It's not much but my crossover idea will feature Robert's Taeshi insert as a villain, along with Thorne potentially, and an Augustus variant. It will also most likely cross over to Marvel.

>>149154319
Aww man.
For the record I had this idea that was "characters get stranded on dinosaur island".
>>149154391
Dude, please, please do this! This is a juicy story!

>>149162368
Looks like it's setting the stage for Mike's exile.

>>149154391
>>149154537
>>149154545

>>149154391
I'm intentionally adapting other's A.Us as opposed to making my own, since it is a multiverse crossover concept.
Valentine's Night is the only one I can really brag about and my primary motivation for making it is to give Veronica an "I called it" by the off chance if she writes it.

>>149162231
Reminded me of the future chapter that has James and Madison talking about the Mike/Lucy play

>>149156758
Mike flipping back and forth between personalities might be mixed recieved depending on how audiences prefer Mike to act.

>>149157280
Nah, /bcb/ would be a mix of all. Some How DARE HEs and legit conversation along with popcorn and fireworks all mixed into a single cauldron.

>>149157733
I hope Four Play by Acethepenlord becomes canon. Mike and Lucy are friends with benefits while Sandy is away.
After all, there's 0% chance of jealousy in a polycule.

>>149161975
Ouch, that, sounds like something she'd say as a joke.

>>149162518
Probably next chapter going by the preview. Impressive how Sue's shitty incest play still lingers in Maddie's head

>>149163390
Plot twist, Maddison is into that and is projecting.

>>149162395
Taeshi cat

>>149163763
Ohhh, okay I remember.

>>149159977
Augustus also gets attention from girls no matter how much of a disinterested asshole he is, and even though the cast is prone to random outbursts of violence, he never gets hurt by the people he bullies.

I think that makes Augustus a Mary Sue.

>>149153618
I was curious about this and found some info about the girlbossing dude.
Yeah... Mhmh... p/bcb is a lost cause

>>149162176
>>149162231
>Augustus pulling rumor mill moves to help Lucy without her knowing.

This is legit going to blow back in his face. Lucy is going to go nuclear on him either because of "Muh Agency" or because Mike gets hurt in all of this somehow.

>>149164038
The important part is that Lucy's hands remain clean despite her vindictive streak. Someone else must sin in her place, like a sacrificial goat.

>>149164434
Nobody is safe from being sacrificed to make lucy look better. I'd say the closer you are, the higher the chances of it happening and being messy.

>>149164575
I miss when Lucy's flaws were acknowledged in more than passing.

>>149154193
Oh right. I seen the very first one. Hella awkward. Why is Lucy's nightmares even important tho

>>149164696
Suddenly, the main fandom forgot the end of both Curtain Calls and Breaking Up, not to mention all the time Lucy emotionally manipulated someone (but butbut she scaaaredd- the fuck cares, it is still manipulation) + all the time she used Mike as a punching bag
But I mean, sure, Lucy never did anything wrong while Mike never felt any remorse at all- She is a child after all! No wait that does NOT apply to Mike, he can kill himself

>>149165731
>>149166398
As much as I hate seeing Mike getting tortured, I must admit that the thing he did in Eternal Flame or Burnt Bridges or something was a complete douche move. It being somewhat unealistic makes it even worse.

>>149166469
His reasoning was to give Sandy a second chance.
Also if you want Mike torture, read Love Me, which is also the most gorey story I read period.

>>149152748 (OP)
For my dignity's sake I won't mention how long this took.

>>149166469
You know what's a really fun fact? Mike's ooc end-of-chapter amnesia isn't even what Lucy (and thus the comic) holds against him. No, against all rationality and common sense, Mike's heinous crime was...taking Sandy back. That's it. That's all Lucy has been griping about since. That's all Mike has thought to apologize for. That's all he had to explain to Augustus the first time they talked. Taeshi sabotaged the point she was trying to make through sheer incompetence.

>>149166469
It's Taeshi's fault for not making a clear excuse to his actions. All she needed was to make Mike terrified of a sobbing Sandy saying she'd kill herself if Mike left her, cashing on how much feeling guilty about Lucy affected him, and taking her to be her boyfriend - teddy bear. Her "nuance" killed any good will Mike was getting from being cheated on

>>149166598
Mike taking Sandy back shouldn't even be a problem. Yeah it was a stupid choice, but it was also based on empathy and guilt, not malice toward Lucy. But oh noes, since Sandy is back in the picture, Lucy just can't function. Now she's having PTSD nightmares and they're getting blamed on Mike because somehow he's responsible for Lucy's faulty neural wiring.

>>149166640
I think what fuxked things over with the readers was Mike coming to school lifting Sandy over his shoulders after "working things out", it really gave the wrong impression that he was very happy about the whole ordeal and that was enough to make Lucy close off and not want to hear anything about it. If he kept quiet about it and pulled Lucy aside to talk about it, when if she had the same reaction, it would look way better

>>149166671
What crucified any residual goodwill was the fact that Mike walked in glued to his phone, not noticing when she greeted him, and then only remembering that she existed after telling Paulo and Daisy. As if what happened the night before meant less than nothing to him.

>>149166671
Yes exactly. The fact he showed up all cheerful singing praises to Sandy and whatnot gave a terrible impression that he was a complete manipulative douche, that all the stuff he said to Lucy meant nothing. In her defense, anyone would feel like shit in her place, and mad towards him, too.

Now, if he was emotionally coerced into it, if he was feeling sad, embarrassed and guilty and went to talk to Lucy in private, that'd be something else.

>>149166724
I have to assume that the entire reason Taeshi has not corrected this "misunderstanding" is that she enjoys watching her readers shit all over Mike in favor of Lucy (up to some vague point, of course).

>>149153060
>Interesting that Lucy seems more worried about Augustus, and she seems mostly OK
Yeah, that was the most interesting part to me. It seems more like Agustus is jumping to conclusions on Lucy's behalf and making it Mike's problem. Lucy probably has no idea the conversation even happened.

>>149166751
You know damn well Taeshi had no idea about how to make Mike take Sandy back and excused herself as it being "nuance". The three different versions of the phone call are all badly done and answer nothing, if anything it made it look like it was Sandy who thought Mike would kill himself and the guilt made her want to take him back

>>149166800
Au contraire, anon. It did indeed take an incompetent three stabs at coherent explanation, but from those we could piece together that Mike took Sandy back because she had sacrificed career prospects to focus on him. Thus making him feel obligated to give her a second chance and try to make it work. Does it make any sense? Barely, and Mike's overactive sense of empathy is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Now, what doesn't track is why and how Mike sobbed as he thought back to Lucy during the phone call, then happily forgot about her come next morning. How she factored in is so ambiguous and suffers under such a heavy contradiction that it might as well mean nothing at all.

>>149166704
It's almost salvageable. The version of the phone call in the archive makes it seem like Mike thinks his thing with Lucy is the same as Sandy's with Francis. Just nudge the morning after scene so that he's deliberately avoiding Lucy, fully convinced that what happened was a mistake, instead of him seemingly forgetting she exists. Looking back on those pages, it wouldn't even take much changing. She's revised the chapter already, hasn't she? I guess this angle kind of doesn't work anymore anyway now that he's "cheating" with James.

It would still be an unnecessary return to the status quo, but at least Mike wouldn't look like a sociopath.

>>149166788
Even outside here people seem to think there's some coming rift between Gus and Lucy because of his behind the scenes meddling but
>Lucy knows about and is fine with the first promise Gus extracted from Mike
>Augustus is objectively right to conclude that Mike's presence fucks Lucy up (she was thousand yard staring after barely hearing him through her deaf ear)
>Lucy has been more aggressive in her interactions with Mike (see the arcade)
I foresee her being totally fine with Augustus fucking with Mike, even if she isn't currently aware of their latest interaction. I mean whatever happens to destroy Mike's social life, her reaction is to take advantage of the situation and move back into the cafeteria.

>>149167440
>She's revised the chapter already, hasn't she?
Yes, and the fact she left so much unchanged, including the kiss which she's had to explain time and time again, baffles me.

>I foresee her being totally fine with Augustus fucking with Mike, even if she isn't currently aware of their latest interaction.
You have no idea how much I hope that will be the case. Because it'd keep Lucy on track as a careless vindictive cunt and prevent any convenient random flash of compassion that masks her flaws.

>I mean whatever happens to destroy Mike's social life, her reaction is to take advantage of the situation and move back into the cafeteria
It is not beyond Taeshi, I think, to funnel Lucy there against her will. If Mike is no longer at the table, she's lost her excuse for staying away. One hopes it is not fodder for yet more oh-woe-is-Lucy-goddess-of-put-upon-generosity-toward-her-inferiors that characterized the Sperg Mike Era.

>>149166398
>not to mention all the time Lucy emotionally manipulated someone (but butbut she scaaaredd- the fuck cares, it is still manipulation)
>brownoid ESL making shit up as usual because he's assmad

>>149168238
>pointless sperg resorts to insults as per usual

>>149168349
That first paragraph is a real shame because now it's clear there are no sane patrons left.

>>149168238
How do you call having sex to the guy who pines for you, disappearing, came back hot n cold, accepting their date, breaking the news you used him, pin him against the ferris wheel, screaming you will never give him a chance, and after all that... flirty approach him to get something in return?

I also liked when she refused Mike, but also kissed him, but also it was not serious, but wait it was

>>149168502
>turning down a boy who kissed you is emotional manipulation
>having boring sex with a boy who wants to bang you is emotional manipulation
Stop foisting your highschool incel trauma on to the story it's pathetic

>>149168553
Do you stop at the first letters? Dude I believe in you, use your brain, read it all, you can do it
Doing hot n cold to assure yourself a backup plan by exploiting their emotions is...?

>>149168617
She's using absurd reductionism to argue in bad faith, ignore the creature.

>>149168349
Genuinely unwell individual, but I almost appreciate their presence. They're making the therapyspeak mode of textual analysis look bad by taking it to an extreme and pointing it in the "wrong" direction. God's work, as far as I'm concerned.

>>149168819
Too bad the other patrons lack the brains needed to make that connection. All it really boils down to for them is Lucy good, Mike bad.

>>149168349
Lol

>>149168349
>first paragraph
What the fuck you guys told me all the patrons were brainwashed Lucystans what is this?
HANS
ZE GAS CHAMBER
HE HAS BROKEN ZE CONDITIONING

>>149168349
He may not be right, but he's definitely based.

>>149169149
Don't worry, the other patreons constanlty bully them every chance they got. This page was a special one as various patreons left nasty remarks, passive aggressiveness, false accusations of misogyny and one dude even paid to join the harassment. All because of this guy personal reading on the chapter and the Lucy/Mike situation.
Funny enough kiall was against Mike before a re-reading, and no one batted an eye. But now that it is about Lucy, how dare they be negative towards their arian cat?! She is just a fictional character, you moron. You should seek therapy for even using an example of your life to backup your dislike over a fictional cat, how dare you expose us on your personal trauma who is so vague I have no idea what happened? Anyway- YOU FUCKING RETARD. SHE IS JUST A FICTIONAL CHARACTER. GO FUCKING KILL YOURSELF NOW. DONT TOUCH M'LUCY

>>149168349
I was going to challenge the idea that Augustus has no clue Lucy was an abuser, but maybe it's not so outlandish after all. From what I can tell, Lucy never internalized how horribly she had treated Mike. Up until December all she ever sulked about was how Mike chose Sandy over her, said sorry exactly once, and just kept pining and pining instead of making any basic restitution. Yeah she understood that losing Mike was a consequence of bad behavior, but all she focused on afterward was her own personal loss. So I can imagine Lucy never discussed her culpability in depth. Then she got put on a bus and came back in full girlboss mode. Showing zero regrets for past behavior and acting like the sole victim. One single time she admitted that Mike had every right to hate her, and that came off like another attempt to shake him off. She sure as hell wasn't fessing up past crimes to Augustus, not while shaming him over Daisy.

>>149167440
>I foresee her being totally fine with Augustus fucking with Mike, even if she isn't currently aware of their latest interaction
I dunno, Lucy's aversion to Mike seems more predicated on avoiding contact, because she too easily slips back into becoming emotionally invested if she let's herself.
Yeah, she has no problem guilting Mike and making that his problem, too. But she always framed that "you have your friends" thing as some self-sacrificial act on her part to incentivize Mike leaving her alone. So her wanting to splinter that "incentive" seems counter-intuitive.

>>149169678
That is a solid point worth considering. However, there are still a few ways that Lucy might be okay with the Fuckening.

Option A: Lucy believes that her stay at the table is a temporary affair. Obviously the friend group will gravitate back toward Mike eventually. She's just humoring them like she did before. He'll be fine in the end and so can take a few more well-deserved kicks while he's down. She has nothing to feel sorry about. Really, she doesn't.

Option B: Mike admits to Lucy that he lied and the table would never abandon her. Lucy may or may not have to be pulled off of Mike as she pummels him and screams. Lucy rejoins the friend group full of vindication and spite, more than happy to see Mike burn. At least for a while.

Option C: Augustus convinces Lucy this is the only way to keep Mike away for her own good. Otherwise he'll just keep breaking his promises. Lucy goes along with it, reluctantly, but also takes some pleasure knowing that Mike finally got what was coming to him.

>>149162518
Why is this going to be brought up again?

>>149169982
Its going to happen, not because of any plot reason or whatever but because Taeshi loves making Mike suffer, and there is no way on Gods green Earth that Mike gets this(slight) W in this chapter without his spine being shattered once more.
>>149169264
>false accusations of misogyny
Reminds me of my headcanon that Lucy is going to be a rabid misandrist TERF in the future.

>>149169678
>her wanting to splinter that "incentive" seems counter-intuitive
She doesn't have to splinter anything. Remember Witch Hunt? She says herself that she's using Augustus to keep her old friends away, but has no problem leading them all away when Mike pisses them off. He's going to freak out and she'll girlboss her way back into the building. I think it's a mistake to think she's purely avoidant when she's still more than willing to assert herself. Remember the arcade chapter?

>>149170113
The question for me is how James gets involved, since he's outside all the time. It's not too surprising for plays to get brought up with Jessica involved. Maybe Jess tries to defend herself by comparing the consequences of her play to Sue's.

>>149170113
To compare with Jessica's own wankfest of a play, since Rachel is still sore over that. And perhaps to kick off Mike's demonization, given everything that happened right afterward.

>>149170162
>Maybe Jess tries to defend herself by comparing the consequences of her play to Sue's.
That would be funny. Wonder how Rachel will react if that was the case.
>>149170179
The most likely answer.

>>149170162
>Remember the arcade chapter?
I remember Lucy was trying to prove she wasn't afraid of Mike, whatever that means. The question is whether that need to prove herself can be applied here.

>>149170113
Because Sue is the comic's 2nd or 3rd favorite punching bag, after Mike. Jessica's play may have been a total mess, but somehow everyone's still talking about Sue's casting mistakes.

>>149170192
>Maybe Jess tries to defend herself by comparing the consequences of her play to Sue's.
Blaming Sue's play for Lucy's suicide attempt to deflect blame WOULD be appropriately psycho for Jessica.

>>149170886
I'll throw Sue a bone on this one. Her play, though it suffered from terminal anime cringe syndrome, still had more innate dignity than Jessica's onstage jerkoff session.

>>149169678
Lucy seems like the kind of girl who gets mad at somebody over something that happened in a dream.

>>149171578
This is literally true

>>149171033
That's what I'm saying: Sue put effort and ambition into her play: she did special effects, and costumes, and props, and got Mike's family to play parts. It was cringe (and trying to use it to get Mike and Lucy to make up was a terrible idea), but at least it was sincere in its cringe.

Jessica's play was just her nursing a grudge she'd supposedly already dropped and moved on from, at the expense of everyone else she knows. There was zero effort put in, and her response to her friends going "what the fuck, why'd you make us all look like dumb assholes?" was to deflect, deny, and gaslight.

>>149173024
Also, didn't Rachel family suffer more from the tess stuff and she got over it?

>>149153571
David wouldn't count because he is not and never will be a real character
In the relationship he could be legally classified as a dildo that tells jokes here and there

>>149174310
He is also Paulo's best friend, which validates the fact that Paulo has no real friends

>>149170161
Well right now she's close to a naracisst who thinks God put boys on Earth to worship her.

>>149170162
Lucy is selfish, plain and simple. Although both plays left much to be desired in terms of writing they honestly didn't do much harm, Lucy's attempted suicide was also uniquely her decision.

>>149171578
She kind of is now. But instead of blaming real people for her dreams, her frustrations regarding dreams cause her to lash out.

>>149173024
I judge stories seperately from real authors, and yeah although it had good intentions, in terms of writing I found Jessica's play to be more intriguing and with less corny dialogue. Still they both could've been improved, and Jessica also wrote fictional inspirations of her friends. They could've exercised sensitivity but it was still fiction and I don't think her friends should've gotten as upset as they did, especially when nobody else seemed to associate the characters with their inspirations. They'd have more reason to get upset if Jessica wrote the real people (by name) into the play. People should fundamentally segregate fiction from real life.

>>149174330
I find it funny in a morbid kind of way that Paulo's best friend/stalker consistently encourages him to be worse.

>>149153571
YES!
I'm guessing David would be a dom, cause no way

>>149174310
If David was Mike's and James' dildo, they would blow up cause he's that big.

>>149174657
David does obviously have a crush on Paulo among others, he likely wants to see Paulo as the perfect image of him that David has in his mind. A admirably horny player.

>>149173051
We don't have enough information to go by, but Aaron did and Jessica got slammed into the lockers once, I don't recall Rachel being physically attacked.

>>149173051
Yeah. It was Rachel's younger brother that got his arm broken.

Jessica also supposedly got over it, hence why making the play a big revenge fantasy the year after Tess leaves is extra shady.

>>149173024
Somehow no matter how many times I have to acknowledge that Jess was objectively shitty, I just feel in my heart that she's based. Her sin is that she drew her entire social circle as the basedjak, it's funny as shit and gets funnier the longer she refuses to admit it. It feels less like Taeshi's usual "asshole ruins everything and gets away with it" comedy and more like a bit from IASIP.

>>149174330
To be fair, Mike does try.

>>149174850
Given what she did to Paulo though this play was nothing by comparison. Lucy also tends to get away with a lot. Seems to be by chance.

>>149174850
You know, when you put it like that it is pretty funny.

I think part of why Jessica is more fun than Taeshi's standard "loveable assholes" is because unlike them, Jess actually gets people going "What the fuck, why are you like this?" when she does awful shit, and it's funny to watch her try and gaslight her way out of that.

>>149175147
But the question is how much does Jess believe her own lies?

>>149175147
It's cartoonishly obvious gaslighting and she just plows ahead anyway. I love it. I'm earnestly surprised at going back and enjoying this scene given how the comic usually makes me feel.

>>149175337
You always think the good times are random filler chapters until they're gone

>>149175358
damn...

>>149175337
Actually that wasn't gaslighting, apparently Veronica said in a livestream that Jessica genuinely had no clue what they were talking about. They did take inspiration from her friends but disassociated them from her characters.

>>149175408
So Jessica is just absolutely buttfuck retarded, then.

>>149175457
I choose to believe that Jess doesn't know because she chooses not to know, curating her own preferred truth and attempting to materialize it through repetition. She's more than willing to admit inspiration from her life when she's getting praised instead of criticized for it. This is the professional tier liar and gaslighter's mindset. You must believe everything you say as you are saying it.

And it's funni because it just makes everything worse but she refuses to take the blinders off.

>>149175337
I desperately want to see the exact moment Madison realizes she's dating a psychopath and her fears and insecurities were correct.

>>149175578
It's kind of fucked up how many characters in this comic you have to assume that for.

Because it's either Roseville is a den of vipers, or Blasto! is 10% heavy metals by weight.

>>149175457
More like naive, with social difficulties.

>>149152748 (OP)
All these characters deserve to be humiliated and outcasted as the losers of ther time by a much bigger superior cast of characters.

>>149177493
Their kids in a next-gen sequel lol.

>>149176532
Well these are all flaws used to tell a story by making these traits a part of their characterizations. Perfect and tame characters don't make for as compelling stories, but they're good for wholesome slice-of-life.

>>149175408
You know what, taking the only interesting part of a chapter that seems to build up to something only to deflate it in the least satisfying way possible is such a Taeshi move I'm surprised I didn't assume Jess just had some sort of narrative blindness

>>149175337
>>149175747
Holy shit, Jessica really is a high functioning psychopath. She has thrown her virginity to the wind and, moreover, with a boy she doesn't even feel sexually attracted to, as she was pining for Lucy at the time. She either gaslights Rachel or has zero emphaty, which is more believable, and Maddie is obviously a replacement. Damn.

Bump.

>>149178673
Sadly Paulo likes "bad girls" including the ones who abuse and rape him like Lucy and Jessica, and Jessica seems to like the same type. They collectively seem to interpret toxicity and brutality as courage and confidence.

>>149178491
Jessica was being pretty naive and I think we're bound to find out how that will bite her back next chapter.

>>149166640
Even though it seems to have narrative purpose, Mike getting shat (Michael Murphy's Law) on seems to be an intentional phenomenon. Either this trend will continue no matter the plot or Mike will actually be genuinely happy and it'll piss off all of Veronica's Mike hating fans.

>>149166592
He wanted to give Sandy a chance out of empathy and faith that she genuinely cares about him, and hoped that Lucy would accept him as a platonic friend. But that clearly ddin't happen. Lucy wants Mike either as a boyfriend she can cling to or not in her life at all.

>>149164696
They are but without exposition, the characters constantly let her flaws slide. Probably cause she's a pretty girl, and they shit on Mike cause he's a material romance trophy who's obligated to be perfect to them.

>>149164575
You thik Lucy or Mike will die at the end of the comic? I can already imagine Veronica-stans bawling for Lucy which is fine, but they might for Mike while also thinking that he rightfully deserved it.
It would make me emotional if anybody die though.

>>149152748 (OP)
Test message.

>>149154831
Oh, this is so cute! I had no idea Apsel drew this!

>>149154871
At this point, someone like Stacy might be the key to Mike's happiness. Not even as a girlfriend but just a friend who values him intrinsically.

>>149154886
Even though I want Mike with Lucy or Sandy, I wouldn't even mind this ending. Plus Mike and Stacy would make great parents.

>>149154955
Hey, what website is this?

>>149179909
How many more messages till we reach bump limit?

>>149159033
Tear I think.

>>149158067
Yep. Mike grew such a big spine he might as well be a Spinosaurus.

>>149158424
Don't worry, Veronica will piss and shit on Mike next chapter, you just wait.

>>149152748 (OP)
Mike's spine right now.

>>149180248
Let's not get crazy, it's a protospine at best. Untested under stress.

>>149154042
I'd say more likely Mike.

>>149180392
Lol.

>>149180496
I'm not joking.

>>149152748 (OP)
Test message 2.

>>149180548
Why do you need test messages when you've obviously spammed the thread with reply after reply?

>>149180567
Trying to figure out how to sage the thread, it ain't working.

124 Posts Remaining Edition

>>149180594
Rachel Universe

>>149180585
Sage doesn't send the thread to page ten or undo anyone else's bump.

>>149180594
Aww fuck, well better luck next time to make a new thread.
Also god damn, Rachel seems to be forgiving her well. So much for directly continuing the play drama.

>>149180594
Jess continues to be a moron. Just man up and apologize, fuck.

Let's get the usual stuff out of the way

Archive entry, Sue's pissed

>>149180643
Hey, I'm not a moron! And I'm a woman, so I can't "man" up!

>>149180652
Lol, I'm wondering what could possibly cause that.
My money's on Stacy defecting, Paulo mocking, or Mike just, being Mike I guess. Maybe Lucy trash talks him to Sue.

>>149180652
Page description, no real plot details

>20 pages
>probably filler
see you guys in September I guess

>>149180594
Why does Rachel still tolerate Jessica's presence? Did she make the mistake of forgiving Jessica?

>>149180652
A Rachel chapter that transitions into Sue bullying? Count me in!

>>149180654
Absolute cringe

>>149180715
Early-mid August, actually. I'm holding out for the chance that James is in previews for plot reasons.

>>149180715
>>149180741
August

>>149180594
Bruh, she really is a psycho. She tries to make amends using material gifts because she has no empthaty and no idea how to stabilize the situation emotionally. She even praises herself and doesn't appear guilty at the slighest.
Captcha: X0RRY.

>>149180594
Hey guys, out of curiosity, if Bittersweet Candy Bowl ended right now for some reason, would you be sad?
I know I'd be. It's like 33% of my incentive to live.

>>149180741
>James is infected with Madison's brainworms and thinks Mike is only using him as a replacement for Lucy
Sad!

>>149180696
Okay, that's a cute outfit.

>>149180696
Oh hey, I completely forgot to point out that Jessica, Rachel, and Sandy will turn 18 this year (in the comic canonically in 2009). That might make a lot of anons happy, for, reasons.

>>149180719
Lol, this whole comic is about forgiving mistakes. They've been best friends since childhood like the main characters we know, of course they'll look past each other's mistakes, and well we passed some time since the play, enough for some off panel forgiveness.

>>149180715
See you next page. You ain't gonna really wait that long to binge read the pages. Are ya?>>149180749

>>149180749
I, did not know this existed. But since I follow the pages religiously with enough passion to sacrifice a goat to Taeshi despite being vegan, I don't care how long the chapters go on.

>>149180868
Can you post all your answers in one single post, please? It's getting obnoxious.

>>149180749
Also, if not for the one page per week schedule we could've had at least 130 extra pages by now.

>>149180751
Well it's a start. She's making an effort.
Also, I love this art.
"Hey boys, could one of you fuck my girlfriend and give her a fat baby belly to fulfill our desire to be parents? Which we totally would be good at without any issues?"
Given how she raped Paulo, it's a good thing Jessica isn't asking him.

>>149180891
I could but feel like I shouldn't since the thread already failed to get archived even when I didn't.

>>149180891
Saar doesn't know how to behave unfortunately you'll just have to ignore him and his useless takes on the comic
Somehow more annoying than fictional cats

>>149180785
I literally come here just to see how it will end one day. I want the ride to stop

>>149180891
He's been banned from like, 5 different discord servers without having the social awareness to take the hint that he's annoying as fuck, he's that type of autist.

>>149180652
>Sue finds out everyone thinks her play was so cringe that Lucy almost killed herself over it

>>149180696
If she struggled with it so much, then why not just change the damn outfit?

>>149180795
How the fuck would James have even seen the play if he went to a completely different school at the time?

>>149181114
It would be interesting and highly probable that this is over her play.

>>149181105
I see. Well, don't tell Veronica, you'll break her heart. I'm curious too but hope the ride never stops. I want college and next-gen continuations.

>>149180991
>i could be less annoying but didn't get the result i wanted so why bother?
Well, congratulations, you certainly belong on 4chan.

>>149181174
Hes into pedo shit of course he belongs here

>>149181148
Obviously he can be told about it, see a video recording, or probably pull a David and stalk Mike and the Roseville cast in his free time even before enrollment.

>>149181148
James was fibbing, he's been stalking Mike for years, not months. Very convenient when he transferred schools.

>>149181174
That's, not remotely what I said. I said the threads would ideally close sooner if I didn't which is necessary.

>>149181265
That's not even an excuse because the thread didn't close out and you're still blasting away with individual replies. There's literally zero reason to do this save pure laziness.

>>149181265
Listen to your mom bro she's not abusive, you're a man child neet who needs to learn basic social skills

>>149181230
This is actually fitting when you consider Veronica's Patreon comic about him conveniently being around the main characters. He probably lied through his teeth claiming he'd never bee to Silvershore too.

>>149181311
Good point. At least for this thread I'll keep reply messages to a minimum.

>>149181230
Wait a second, do we know for sure that James said he transferred schools to be near Mike? Because if that's true, neither timeline makes sense unless James is an even bigger manwhore than we thought.

>James dated Felix until the latter broke it off
>Felix goes to Roseville High
>zero percent chance of that happening before James transferred
>meaning that Felix would've had to be an appetizer before Mike as the main course

>>149181432
Or just, you know, compile them into singular posts.

>>149180715
>>149175358

>>149181477
Yep, that's included.

>>149181512
In reality, filler chapters invoke zero enthusiasm unless they fly off the rails, like what happened between Jess and Rachel last time.

>>149181464
Yeah, thinking about it, did James' friends transfer with him or already go to Roseville High before James came?

>>149181265
dude just tagging a rndom comment of yours: do you want to end this thread in 20 minutes?

>>149180652
Second broken leg here we go

>>149181636
More like damaged ego, which has proven far more delicate than Sue's paper mache bones.

>>149180652
>Sue being miserable in the thumbnail
Is this a stealth Sue chapter? I might actually have something to look forward to.

>>149181464
>I multitask on crushes sometimes
>Easily distracted. He definitely likes you
You only just realized Felix broke up with James because James moaned Mike's name?

>>149182060
>You only just realized Felix broke up with James because James moaned Mike's name?
Does Mike only attract crazy bitches and whores?

>>149181636
Sue stumbling through life breaking every limb in turn is the perfect analogy of nuBCB

>>149182196
There is only one girl who isn't a crazy bitch or a whore so yes, Mike has never landed best girl Jasmine.

>>149182344
Even Taeshi admitted that they would work really well if they landed together, but also that she really doesn't like this ship. Don't remember if those two facts are directly tied together or not, it was too long ago

>>149182344
What the fuck is Taeshi's point anyway?
>hates cheating so much that her personal definition is insanely strict
>Mike sticks with his "imaginary" long-distance girlfriend through thick and thin
>has his pick of the litter when it comes to girls but stands firm
>doubles down when he's accused of cheating because he wouldn't stop hanging out with Lucy or whatever
>gets nothing but shit for staying true
>long-distance gf devolves into a potato-brained whore
>gets caricatured as a sperg goblin then a sadsack cuck
>starts wishing he'd slept around as the school boytoy instead
>faithfully sticks with whore when an infinitely better option is offered on a silver platter
>promptly forgotten and replaced with lol radumb joke character

What the hell does she want out of gray cat?

>>149182543
Apparently it's because of some stupid meme from forever ago.

>>149182612
>What the hell does she want out of gray cat?
Suffering, no joke.

>>149180594
cyclops dog

>>149181114
If only there was a character edgy enough to make this joke

>>149182734
Ironically, but without surprise, her own self-insert is way worse about the whole infidelity thing and yet is rarely punished for that.

>>149180785
>It's like 33% of my incentive to live
Sorry to hear...
I legit would not be sad, I'd just be pissed for wasting so many years on a pointless story, but I don't think I'd actually miss whatever the characters and the story have become.

>>149181114

Got around to working on the one-shot I mentioned earlier.

>>149182612
Taeshi's ridiculous definition of cheating is the one thing I always forget about when thinking about why she tortures Mike so much. Like, I saw the posts about her insane annual mourning period, I just keep forgetting about it... maybe because I cannot fathom the mentality of someone who thinks like that.

>chapter about the girls
I skip

>>149184113
What's her definition?

>>149178673
Does Madison know that Jessica dragged Paulo to a club and fucked him in the bathroom as part of a convoluted multi-step revenge plan? I don't think she does, but I hope we get to see her learn.

>>149180751
You know, we really only have Jessica's word that Tess was ever "that bad"; The entire reveal flashback in Pillow Talk is framed as a story Jessica is telling. And since Jessica is a psychopath and a shameless liar, it begs the question of how much of that story was true.

>>149182212
I WARNED YOU ABOUT BCB, SUE!!! I TOLD YOU CAT!

>>149182612
>Mike is a cheater for sending Sandy letters while trying to date Lucy in middle school
>punished for the entire rest of the comic
>Paulo fucks Lucy in a public wardrobe and doesn't even wait until Lucy's out of the hospital from her suicide attempt to start banging Rachel
>still Taeshi's golden boy

>>149181565
I'm pretty sure that as long as they have a plot, no chapter qualifies as filler since this is partially a slice-of-life drama.

>>149182196
Hell yeah! Just look at Evelyn, Shirley, and Quinn. I wish he'd interact with Jasmine a few times though.

>>149181610
Well no but we could just make a new one if it does.

>>149182212
What about when she inevitably gets better and forgives the instigator who caused it in a few pages?

>>149183013
Ouch. That would be a depressing feeling. Honestly that's why fanfiction headcanon exists, if it ends now I'd still write my crossover idea and encourage other fans to make their own endings but there's a strong curiosity for Veronica's take. Even if we don't get a next-gen sequel, an ending for the current arc would be nice.

>>149185195
What they asked.

>>149185834
Knowing Madison, either she doesn't or Jessica told her so she does, and she thinks it's a hot confident girlboss moment instead of rape, cause obviously Jessica is the best and anybody who opposes her in any way is wrong.

>>149186031
Maybe she could Sue the author and make her pay for the injuries she endured from collaborating as a character in the story. Unfortunately she didn't read the fine print of Veronica's contract where it says that she has power over the characters and can make them suffer to any degree for plot.
At least she's not Aubrey, the creator of Happy Tree Friends.

>>149186650
Mike is on Cheaters Must Die challenge run difficulty while Paulo is playing on easy mode.

>>149186687
>Well no but we could just make a new one if it does.
Not without a new page. Jannies barely tolerate these threads as it is, any attempt to make it a literal 24/7 general gets multiple threads deleted.

>>149186650
This... can't be real, right? Mike's feelings originated from a childhood crush he could barely comprehend and most importantly he wasn't in a relationship with either Sandy or Lucy. He was trying to use Lucy as a Sandy replacement but for one, Lucy abused him, and two, his interactions with both girls were platonic since there wasn't an agreement to a romantic relationship among them till later. Paulo's stupid ass called him a cheater, but he was old troublermaker Paulo. I can't fathom Veronica vicariously supporting that logic. Lol, Veronicariously.
I hope Mike gets a big win later in the comic, that everything goes right for him like it did in my fanfic. The first one, not the second. Really hit the Lucystan Mike hater cult hard as he revels in the happiness of life.

>>149186748
Got it. Shame that this happened on Friday but it's cool, we can wait two days like always for the next.

>>149186748
I wonder if this is why Veronica liked Love Me so much. I'll admit my fanfic is literally nothing on the scale of Mike suffering compared to that. Knowing Mike he wouldn't choose either.

>>149185195
>>149186687
Just like this becoming emotionally attached in any way to another person even if you're not actually trying to cheat on your partner with them.

>>149186784
>>149186799
>>149186812
You're doing it again.

>>149182060
I think he was clingy abd obsessed in general before they met Mike, discounting simpy stalking.

>>149186886
Based. No shame in sentiment or affection.

>>149152748 (OP)
This comic would improve if Lucy and Augustus finally date.

>>149187203
Would make a lot more sense

>>149187203
Quite, but Augustus made it clear he likes her platonically and Lucy is NOT in the right mental state for a relationship. Plus she's obsessing over Mike even if she doesn't want to admit it.

>>149186886
>Just like this becoming emotionally attached in any way to another person even if you're not actually trying to cheat on your partner with them.
So, no friends allowed?

>>149187313
Those are friends, the people you become emotionally attached to.

>>149187339
I know, I was asking since by Taeshi's definition, you aren't allowed a best friend or friend in general. It would mean that none of the table members are really friends either.

>>149187376
Wow, yeah that's depressing. I'm not opposed to a romantic polycule but platonic friendship is just as valuable and shouldn't be discouraged.
The romance or nothing mentality is what's ruining Lucy.

>>149187510
>The romance or nothing mentality is what's ruining Lucy.
I would say that is what hinders a lot of the comic, IMO. Look at all Mike's relationships with his friends for an example, there, well, the ones he is allowed to hang out with in the story, at least. Heck, the discord foks trying to draw parallel dont seem to realize there was a clear difference between the relationship between james and like to paulo and lucy in relation to the "rebounds" too. They don't work as parallels, especially since Lucy was treating Paulo as a replacement here. it is actually a major issue with Lucy that she needs to grind on her teddy bears or constantly needs one. I typically have no issue with people needing or having a character that they seek comfort in, but Lucy treats hers like both a punching bag and chew toy as well. Plus, I believe in being able to give love back to said character, too.

>>149187628
I wouldn't say it hinders the comic, it's a form of conflict that generates good plot. It ruins the character's mental health though. Lucy has demonstrated selfishness, using boys for her personal comfort and validation while spitting on their faces. Not saying she's evil but she's not nice, and thus the primary source of confict. She's digging a hole and hopefully someone will pull her out, but if she doesn't shape up it'll just get deeper. Lucky for her, it seems Augustus will support her no matter what.

>>149187742
>I wouldn't say it hinders the comic, it's a form of conflict that generates good plot. ....Lucky for her, it seems Augustus will support her no matter what.
That is where we disagree. It would be a good conflict generate if the plot wasn't steered to view lucy as the only primary victim and then villanize the person she abused. We all agree that what was said on December was harsh and cruel but its impossible to ignore what came before it and after. If it maintained some sort of balance while continuing to make Lucy sympathetic as she changed (she can still distance herself from Mike, of course), it would be good. With this alej stuff it already has several points of conflict outside of lucy and Mike, but Taeshi took a strange route.

She deligitimized Mike's issues and only played lip service to them, and has on several instances demonstrated an unhealthy disdain for the korat. At best she plays lips service to them before then harming said kat, not by any reationa;/irrational actions a teen coudlt take but by him randomly sperging out or getting upstaged. Ausgutus is a whole issue in itself. His actions to save lucy from suicide are admirable but he ended up becoming her third teddy bear and one who has to be watching her a lot more than Mike or Paulo ever did due to her actions. Him supporting her to an absruud degree is already coming to a head here with unreasonable and borderline insane asks with Mike.

TLDR: If there was some sorta balance the coming would be a better conflict instead of "Everybody hates Mike". Lucy isn't really better she just has a third teddy bear who is losing character traits and becoming her babysitter.

Oh an Lucy attempting to force herself on Augustus while ironic does make her a bitch. What happened with Mike on EF is no excuse.

>>149187961
Normally I would chalk this up to being circumstantial. In fiction, assume that anything no matter how unusual can happen, including Lucy constantly being favored and Mike being the victim of bad luck.
For the record I sympathized with Mike, cause seeing the good in your abuser is next to impossible. Any concievable attachment may also result from Stockholm Syndrome instead of empathy.
I do keep hearing that Veronica has a biased favoritism for Lucy and thus overlooks and even intentionally writes Mike being harmed, but I'd interpret that as an in universe phenomenon where Mike suffers strictly for the sake of plot, where he's on a coincidental end of misfortune. I'd want to hear Veronica verbally affirm that she hates Mike and wants him to suffer to truly believe that if that's the case.
I often call Lucy a bitch for her attitude but don't hate her, she's a fictional character and I'm fine with going through whatever growth or regression arc it takes to write a satisfying story. It would be nice if the endgame of the comic was Mike bouncing to good fortune after suffering and Lucy getting her deserved karma before the two reunite and uplift each other. We'll just have to see.
I will say, if Veronica admits that she enjoys making Mike suffer, I'd consider that petty. Not that it takes away from her writing talent, but she should focus on how Mike's suffering builds him as a relatable character.

>>149188082
>I often call Lucy a bitch for her attitude but don't hate her, she's a fictional character and I'm fine with going through whatever growth or regression arc it takes to write a satisfying story. It would be nice if the endgame of the comic was Mike bouncing to good fortune after suffering and Lucy getting her deserved karma before the two reunite and uplift each other.
I actually used to love Lucy as a character, the reconstruction for he tsunere actions was interesting and how it had consequences plus her downward spiral. I enjoyed her attempts to get better and her regression during that era but ever since her return I have gone from that dislike to hatred due to how the story is written. THat where the stuff i typed ahd come from. I actually was someone who wanted her to return and Mike and her to gradually mmend their relationship and become friends again bt I cant really stand current lucy. I am unsure if Veronica will allow Mike to have any good luck or fortune that sticks till whatever is revolved with Lucy is dealt with and I feel that is a mistake.

I think Lucy herself is stuck and in my view, she has only regressed. EF can hurt, but Augustus acting like it reset her, tells me that she was never getting better, and everyone around her was just acting like business as usual. I am not being ironic when I say Lucy needs genuine mental help, especially since Veronica has started increasing the nightmares & none of Lucy actual issues have been touched or are getting through to her despite the actions fo her friends.

>>149188214
I still say that makes Lucy an interesting character even if not a good person. Well written characters don't have to be morally correct. Mike's suffering and the character's favoritism for Lucy is most likely circumstantial and ideally I would like for a happy ending but it would be interesting nonetheless to explore how these events impact both characters whether it be for the better or worse. The idea of Mike being negatively impacted to a grim stage of no return would make for a good dark ending.
Even if we want characters to act in a certain moral manner that's just not how people or life work, I just hope that the character's negative actions and decisions impacting them is shown cause that makes the story strong. That regression can have meaningful storytelling impact. Lucy does need therapy at the least and support from others, whether or not she deserves it can be subjective, and whether or not it actually happens, I'm confident that Veronica will be able to narrate a series of compelling and impactful events with either occurance.
Point being, whether what happens next is good or bad, or right or wrong, they should ideally be engaging and interesting to keep us invested. I'm pretty sure the characters will suffer some climactic misfortune that will challenge them to keep their sanities. Alejandro would actually be blessing, uniting them when they tear each other apart.

>>149187203
Augustus might be a jackass but he's not retarded. Or maybe he's both but luckily not into white cats.

>>149152748 (OP)
I don't read this comic but is the guy with a book going to kill him?

>>149188399
>I still say that makes Lucy an interesting character even if not a good person. Well written characters don't have to be morally correct.
Nah, we agree there, but it's more of the fact that Lucy is way too passive in the story for me, and Augustus acting as her speaker hinders her character IMO.
>Alejandro would actually be blessing, uniting them when they tear each other apart.
The only issue is bringing him in unless he starts looking for their school, which is unlikely cause he would get reported immediately. I can't remember if any of the characters have gone into the woods or somewhere less public or seedy in a while. I would suggest just having him kidnap Augustus and using him as bait.

>>149188214
Mark my words, Lucy's issues will go up in smoke the moment she sits back down at the table. She was on increasingly good terms with everyone until Mike "reset" her, and him getting booted will put her back on that path. As far as everyone in-comic and out is concerned, Mike bears sole responsibility for Lucy's maladjustment.

I reread Unwanted Gift for the example here, and damn, it's pretty hilarious that Lucy's birthday gift is Mike being miserable and alone. Like it's explicitly her birthday chapter, not just a chapter that happens to fall on her birthday, and all that happens is she girlbosses on Mike and everyone ignores Mike in favor of her. Did we really have to go in this huge loop just to end up where we already were five years ago?

>>149188482
All but literally, it seems that way.

>>149188502
Lucy isn't in the best circumstance to speak up for herself, she's suffering from nightmares and prone to tantrums, plus it looks like Augustus wants to and enjoys being her loyal supportive simp. Alejandro looking for the school is likely, wonder if Taeshi will go as far as to make him a shooter.

>>149188482
Lol, you should, it's a great story, and while Augustus isn't violent he might as well have such a thought about Mike.

>>149188425
The one cat Lucy would likely date is good old Liam who's a bigger simp than Mike.

>>149188692
Augustus will give him an earful at most. At least until Mike threateningly raises his fist and he'll back down like a pacifistic pussy. As for Lucy, considering her not-friends overlook her problems easily, yeah her issues will be overlooked. I can totally see Mike being casted out either maliciously or non-maliciously, with his friends preferring Lucy. I'm calling his inevitable isolated suicide arc.

>>149188692
The issue with the whole Lucy "reset" is that there was never any such thing. She was obviously just putting up a front, given how quickly her cool and collected facade cracked under enough strain. All EF did was re-open wounds barely stitched closed with denial and disdain. Even after Lucy goes back to the table, her insane PTSD won't magically fade since 3 out of 4 triggers are now omnipresent. Not unless Mike tells Lucy that he lied about the table abandoning her, which at this point I think is the only way she'd believe that.

>>149188803
You're right, and Lucy's negative traits often get rewarded while Mike gets punished for his positive ones. Her only true redemption would be validating Mike when he's at his lowest like in the Consequences comic.

>>149188836
Lucy's true redemption would require admitting that her hangups are in fact insane and ceasing to blame other people for them. And to care for another person when she will gain nothing from it.

>>149188881
Oh yes, absolutely. Hoping and praying that that one person will be Mike in his darkest hour.

>>149188214
>her tsundere actions was interesting and how it had consequences plus her downward spiral. I enjoyed her attempts to get better and her regression during that era
I'm kind of glad I'm not alone in this. Lucy was and is a misanthropic character to her core. She's not a good person but I never really found that a bad thing story-wise. It worked fine enough in the volume 1 era for comedy but during her suffering spiral saga, Lucy not having Mike as the primary target for that angst made for some fun conflicts.
Hell, December would never have had the emotional punch it had if it didn't seem like Lucy was actually recognizing the consequences that her actions had on people and was driving her to course correct.
But the comic really suffered when it shifted that misanthropy to "trauma response" because Lucy is eternally stuck in victim mode now. She can't just be an asshole anymore because it's always in the context of her being wronged by someone or she has a PTSD episode and can't be faulted for her actions.
I kind of just want her to be a villain who sometimes has her good moments and sometimes cares about her friends but I honestly can't see how Taeshi can pull that off anymore.

>>149188972
This. Characters doing negative things tells a story, it doesn't make a story badly written. I don't think Lucy was ever misanthropic though as opposed to cynical and kind of misandrist. Her feeling remorse for being abusive was an appealing characteristic though. She is being an asshole now by mentally clinging to Mike, envying Sandy, and lashing out at Paulo and Augustus instead of seeking therapeutic aid for her nightmares. She's working well as a conflict beacon for now, also likely softening as we saw her comforting Augustus.

>>149188972
You hit the nail on the head. Lucy sucks now because the universe never allows her to be truly in the wrong. She's always given some justification or an out, no matter what she does to other people. I'm kind of shocked that Lucy actually blamed herself for screaming at Paulo, but that could have just been a convenient plot move to get Paisy going.

>>149188803
I prefer this interpretation, too! But can we prove she's really just putting up a facade between Witch Hunt and Eternal Flame? That's about when the group shifts from Mike to Lucy. For as few chapters as that era lasts, I can't recall any evidence that she's still trying to push her friends away. She's still giving Mike the ice queen treatment, but he's a special case. I'm really asking, here.

I want to be wrong, but it really feels like we're about to get confirmation that everything is Mike's fault and everybody is happier without him.

>>149189068
A satisfying ending would be broken and isolated Mike and broken and isolated Lucy both pushing everyone away, reuniting and comforting each other, then their friends forgiving and comforting them. Maybe either with or without a second Alejandro confrontation.

>>149189038
Even that tiny bit of self-recognition from Lucy means something. Let's hope she can be truly wrong and that Mike can be truly right in the future.

>>149189038
>'m kind of shocked that Lucy actually blamed herself for screaming at Paulo, but that could have just been a convenient plot move to get Paisy going
I honestly forgot about that until you mentioned it. I think might have been the first inner-monologue we've had of her in what feels like a decade, let alone one that implied her realizing she fucked up.To your credit, it could still be an isolated incident but it's still something I'd like to see more of.

>>149189131
Same, it would be nice to see more after gaps of "assholery". Lucy may not reform too quickly unless it's arc-necessary.

>>149189068
It's not as if Lucy started hanging around with them of her own accord. Since her return, any social time she had with the table came once they reached out to her, not the other way around. Plus Lucy could ride high and mighty on the satisfaction of watching Mike suffer and make a fool of himself. Once he's "gone," Lucy will need another stress outlet.

>>149189154
She needs to be invited so that she can feel validated, and yeah, while watching Mike get cast out cause in her mind, he deserves it for not being her comfort blanket boyfriend.

>>149189131
What frustrates me is that the scene isn't even good evidence that Lucy realizes her PTSD is insane and doesn't justify screeching at people. Because she could have easily held it against Paulo that he rocked right on up as if Double Down never happened.

>>149189204
characters conveniently acting like the previous blow-ups they've had with each other didn't happen and bringing it up 30 chapters later is pretty endemic of the comic as a whole so I can never keep track of what issue any character is overreacting over in a given moment anymore, honestly

>>149189172
Can you change fandom please? I have no will to count your replies but I have a feeling you took 50 when you couldve done 5

>>149188803
Nah, Word of Taeshi: she's known that since Witch Hunt. Bitch is just crazy and just mixes up them talking shit about her with Alejandro trying to grape her

>>149189580
>Nah, Word of Taeshi: she's known that since Witch Hunt.
Proofs?

>>149189204
It at least shows regret on her part, even a bit.

>>149189256
They're just very forgiving.

>>149189372
I'm here primarily to converse with Bittersweet Candy Bowl fans, secondarily to art share. So no.

>>149189580
But when Alejandro actually does she'll beg to be saved.

>>149189580
>>149189650
I could absolutely see Taeshi casually destroy yet another source of legit drama and accidentally make the comic worse. No satisfying payoffs in BCB, no sir.

>>149189665
By the way I'm considering future Bleating Heart and Boxes of Chocolates threads, if anybody's interested in participating, or I could just share on these threads.

lucy is a tranny

Lets kill this thread, see you in Monday with the so anticipated filler chapter

>>149152748 (OP)
Mike's nose is too high in the top right panel, it makes him look like a skeleton