Bittersweet Candy Bowl

Story & Characters

Want to learn a little more about the comic? Well, maybe you should go read it. But if you are lost, confused or otherwise craving incidental information and pictures, this page goes into detail about the characters, story and background of the comic.

Oh, if you stumbled over here with the idea that it’s a good way to get into the comic, good on you—but you might be better served at the “Introduction” page. It gives you a rough idea of what is happening, and even a suggested way to catch up on only the plot-related chapters of the story!

The Story

Bittersweet Candy Bowl is essentially a high school drama-comedy. Or, “dramedy”. It follows a group of friends from middle school to junior year, and focuses on the relationships between each character. Lucy, Michael, Paulo, Daisy, David and Sandy grew up together at the same schools, and in the comics posted here you see the most interesting years of their school days.

There’s a lot of small plots about everyday things the characters engage in (which could annoyingly be called “slice of life”.) The more drawn-out ordeals depicted in the comic concern the introduction of characters like Abbey and Augustus, Lucy’s ongoing struggle to figure out what she really thinks about Mike, Daisy’s deliberations about her self-image, and Abbey’s efforts to confront family issues from his childhood. The comic is written in chapters for a reason: it’s most rewarding when read in depth, as each storyline builds upon another.

Cast of Characters

A full list of the major and minor characters of the story follows—basically anyone who appears more than a couple of times! Click any character image to see an expanded picture.

Major Characters

Lucy

First Chapter: #1
Birthday: Nov 7
Age: 14

Our potentially bipolar female protagonist. An occasionally friendly Khao Manee, Lucy has a sensitive side and is wrought with insecurities, but would rather punch you in the face than expose them.

Michael

First Chapter: #1
Birthday: Aug 10
Age: 15

Our humble male protagonist. A generally easy-going, thoughtful Korat, Michael (or “Mike” or “Maishul”) is adored by most girls but they end up causing most of his problems. He is an excellent runner, much to Lucy’s dismay.

Daisy

First Chapter: #1
Birthday: Sep 27
Age: 15

Smart and cheerful, Daisy spends a lot of her time studying alongside cheerleading. A Selkirk Rex and Ragamuffin mix, she longs to be considered more than the group’s “little sister”.

Paulo

First Chapter: #1
Birthday: Apr 16
Age: 15

Bold and brazen, Paulo regularly hits on girls and is often competitive with his friends. Always interested in impressing others, this womanising Somali genuinely concerns for his friends and is a good confidant.

David

First Chapter: #1
Birthday: Feb 22
Age: 14

An eternally chipper, dimwitted chocolate Labrador Retriever and Paulo’s best friend, David could generally be considered as the comic relief of the story but he sometimes makes very astute observations.

Abbey

First Chapter: #23
Birthday: Jul 25
Age: 15

A chivalrous new member of the group, Abbey’s struggle with his troubled past sometimes shows in his behaviour. He is kind and helpful to others, but if this Abyssinian’s moral code is broken, he can lash out.

Minor characters

Yashy

First Chapter: #1
Birthday: Sep 1
Age: 6

Lucy’s first pet. Yashy is something of a prodigy, although her intelligence is put to questionable use (like insulting others). She is bratty, loudmouthed, and harsh, but remains well-beloved.

Chirpy

First Chapter: #1
Birthday: Apr 7
Age: 2

Childish and innocent, Chirpy is attached to Yashy as she believes her to be her mother. Always in awe of the world around her, she follows others but always tries to do the right thing. She tends to give everyone simplistic nicknames.

Lily

First Chapter: #1
Birthday: Dec 20

Another pet, Lily is a voice of wisdom for her owner Lucy and others that come to her for advice. She is understanding and patient and is usually able to steer people in the right direction. Basically, a plot device.

Blur

First Chapter: #2
Birthday: Jul 12
Age: 7

Mike’s pet, he was rescued from a fire when young and suffers from amnesia (hence the name!) He is best friends with Yashy and they are constantly playing together, arguing, or annoying Mike and Lucy.

Sue

First Chapter: #4
Age: 15

Always hanging around behind the scenes, this European Burmese’s interest in the dramatic doesn’t always extend to the conflicts between Mike, Lucy, Paulo et al. Bright and easygoing, Sue would much rather be acting, directing or taking photos, honestly.

Amaya

First Chapter: #4
Age: 14

Local popcorn merchant Amaya is a surprisingly quiet Tabby, at least most of the time. In fact, she is essentially a mute, choosing not to speak out of some weird plot continuity decision on the part of the author. Her job at the cinema is sometimes useful to those who know her.

Katie

First Chapter: #5
Age: 15

A precocious Golden Retriever, Katie spends her time worrying about how to look and what to wear, and is rewarded by her position as probably the most popular girl at school. She’s not necessarily mean and cruel in her actions.. she just doesn’t think too much about others.

Stacy

First Chapter: #6
Age: 15

Katie’s best friend. Inexplicably fluent in the written word, Stacy’s peers haven’t deterred her from a passion for reporting, fiction and poetry.

Sandy

First Chapter: #15
Age: 16

The Sunny Funny to Mike’s Parappa, Sandy is the enigmatic light on the horizon that ensures Mike’s frustrating unavailablity. After moving away and starting the long-distance relationship, she has had some success as a model, and constantly breaks promises to come back for a holiday.

Flower Girl

First Chapter: #9
Age: 16

Known by nothing other than the name to the left, this mysterious girl is absent from just about everything besides David’s fantasies. While she remains unaware, she has completely captured David’s affections, and he spends a lot of his time clumsily stalking her.

Jessica

First Chapter: #32
Age: 17

A year older than the main characters, Jessica is an approachable member of the cheerleading team that, while kindhearted, is never afraid to offer an opinion on things important to her. She does not get along very well with Tess.

Rachel

First Chapter: #32
Age: 17

Jessica’s closest friend, Rachel is soft-spoken and cheerful. Like Jessica, she holds a grudge against Tess for reasons nobody wants to talk about.

Molly

First Chapter: #39
Age: 10

Molly seems to have an endless reserve of childish positivity, despite suffering the same setbacks as her older brother Abbey. She is a dedicated member of the local girl scouts troop, and loves her brother dearly.

Augustus

First Chapter: #31
Age: 17

You may know him as “Final Fantasy Cat”. Augustus is calm, composed, and has biting wit. A lot of people end up hating him because of it, but he doesn’t seem to mind, as long as his purposes are served.

Tess

First Chapter: #19
Birthday: Dec 13
Age: 17

Half Ragdoll and half Bengal, Tess is a filthy rich rebel. She met the group as they entered high school, and has hung around them ever since. Tess drinks a bit and likes to help others, but she’ll have to move on pretty soon.

Kizuna

First Chapter: #14
Age: DECEASED

Madly in love with David, Kizuna never has any luck getting David to notice her, let alone consider her romantically. Airheaded and clumsy, Kizuna is nevertheless a skilled cook, sadly for David.

Carter

First Chapter: #19

He loves Lucy.

Carson

First Chapter: (Intermission)

Carson is a manifestation of the his creator’s heartfelt objection to the pervasiveness of the “token” gay stereotype in modern pop culture. (He blindly loves Michael, dresses flamboyantly and borrows his name from “Queer Eye”.)

McCain

First Chapter: #32
Age: 16

Alec “McCain” McCain is one of those background characters that remains detached and logical in any situation, even if it doesn’t earn him any points with the others. He is most often seen being told to shut up by those who don’t value his blunt pronouncements.

If you’d like, you can head back to the home page!

Page last updated April 14th, 2010.