Bittersweet Candy Bowl

guys i don’t think mike is ok

anyways time to manfight about it

She most likely is she may have complicated feelings for mike but Augustus is her boy she’s gonna do SOMETHING

Augustus did nothing wrong~

I dont feel bad for him getting what he deserves hes bullying mike clearly but I do wish this wasn’t how mike responded its only gonna get worse for him

You can see in his reaction he was not anticipating Mike about to throw hands with him at all. And something tells me he’s in for a rude awakening

I’m not pro them fighting, but Augustus is severely underestimating Mike’s ability to lash out when backed into a corner. On Mike’s end, he has so many things he can use against Augustus regarding abuse and Lucy as well. Aug did assault Daisy, and he worked for the person who assaulted Lucy. But instead of fighting words with words, Mike is going to give the cast (not the readers) more reason to be upset with him.

Ooooh yeah.

I’m against alot that’s happening, but unfortunately if this is going where I think it’s going, One way of the other, someone going to get floored and the other will pay for the consequences.

I’m surprised August didn’t connect what would happen if he pushed someone who is capable of physically fighting back to their limit

You’re on point yup. I wonder if he just doesnt particularly care? He strikes me as the type to take a beating to hold it against you. Case in point, when he taunted Abbey just to flip it on him that “he was just like his dad.” I’m hoping David does his comical intervention but we have too many pages left for this to be resolved so soon.

Mike is a smart kid, and does have enough dirt on Augustus. it would be interesting if he actually pulled this stuff out! but he’s had plenty of opportunity to do so, and playing the Daisy card at any point would likely be enough to get people who don’t know Augustus to disregard him, so it’s not looking likely

I am to a degree baffled that Augustus didn’t think through what would happen when taunting a guy who managed to beat up his former gang boss. while drunk. pretty sure Lucy’s told him about that incident

I think Mike is at the boiling point and that he won’t care about the after effects until we’ll after he beats the dog shit out of him. Augustus better hope Lucy steps in.

Probably Mike getting hospitalized, seeing how the narrative is so willing to trash him repeatedly.

Augustus isn’t the physically confrontational type, so unless Lucy steps in and begins retaliating in his place (which is feasible), I can easily see Mike beating the shit out Augustus for the next few pages until he has to be physically restrained by James. I predict that Augustus will be physically destroyed by the end of this chapter while Mike will be emotionally destroyed.

Betting on Mike trying to end his life next chapter. The question is whether anyone will care.

Mike’s not going to lose the fight. physically, anyway. Augustus is a weenie and it’s been established in draw streams that he loses in a fight to nearly everybody, while Mike is one of the strongest members of the cast

morally, and if/when consequences come around? lol get wrecked Mike

Augustus isnt a fighter but he is cunning maybe this was the end goal. Not a very morally correct plan, abit scummy, but it is possible

Very good point, I constantly underestimate just how cunning Augustus can be. I could see him going to the lengths of getting himself badly injured if it at least meant in the end James can see just how “dangerous” Mike is and be more convinced to cut ties with him. If that IS the case, he’s really determined to make Mike finally face the music and experience that same feeling of soul crushing isolation that he put Lucy through.

YES EXACTLY

This is it right here.

EXACTLYYYY All of his friend groups are still there for him!!!! he’s just only focusing on the people who previously liked him romantically !!

Added to the ever-growing list of similarities Mike and Lucy have

Truly the wildcard

He truly fascinates me. The one consistently drama-free, happy-go-lucky dog amongst cats caught in perpetual melodrama. He’s been in the group from the start yet never involves himself in anything. Will he ever step in, or continue allowing the story to unfold while he does his own thing? Only time (and Vero) will tell

She’s seen it during Halloween but she didn’t really say anything about it

In this case Auggy played mind games with the wrong person. I’m glad Mike finally snapped his mouth shut, he was way out of like with this. But if Mike actually punches him then I hope Lucy beats his ass LOL

Mike had to hear it all from someone who won’t cut him some slack. Knowing you did something wrong and actually HEARING it being said outloud are two different things. It hits differently. There were many opportunities for it to be done peacefully, but Mike preferred to avoid those. It all reached an ugly boiling point. I said what I said, rooting for violence is wrong, where are all the people who kept attacking Lucy’s physical aggressive behaviour past? Why is it ok now? There are other ways to cut a conversation.., and I don’t wish for Lucy to hit Mike back…

I wonder if Lucy will be freed from her feelings of Mike if he beats Augustus’s ass

EXACTLY

Yeah Mike 100% needed to hear all of this from someone and in front of Lucy too and Auggy is the best person to do it! I am sure hearing all of this at least gives her some of the closure she deserves. But Auggy dragging James right into this in such a way is so ASS to me that I’m not surprised an emotional disaster like Mike finally snapped. Mike is shutting Auggy up with his hand but if he lands a punch I hope Lucy steps in.

Yeah i mean he definitely instigated him to do it on purpose I can’t think anyone i know who would’ve sat there and let someone do that ti then without speaking up then Augustus keeps attack him on a personally level cause he didnt listen to his order not to go outside everyone here would be upset if someone did that

Yeah he’d get suspended for this in my area

I would hope so but the staff at Roseville High are 5x consecutive winners of the IDGAF award. Maishul smashed Paulo’s face into a lunch table so hard his nose bled and Sue was the only one we saw go after him. Not the mention the numerous arguments that’ve happened in the hallways.

100% this!! Augustus is for sure taking this pretty far, but this IS behavior Mike has been displaying for a while now, and it is a problem. Not just for others, but himself as well. He’s got a serious issue with other people moving on, and keeps trying to drag them back into a spot HE’S more familiar with—which isn’t good!! Case in point: his behavior towards James recently. If he had confided in James as a friend he was genuinely trying to be close with, they’d have had a conversation about it by now, and it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as it is…

He did it to embarrass him hes literally bullying him. I dont like how mike handled this and defended himself but I mean he is being bullied here Augustus shouldn’t have done this even if he thought he was bullying mike in the name of lucy, a person with a still going active crush on mike this all feels so misguided

I absolutely see where you’re coming from; this is probably awful for Mike to go through.

I still think that the way Mike could have defused the situation was to admit what he did and give James the context. Finally admit that it was Sandy’s influence that pushed him to be so nasty to Lucy.

He had every right to be resentful of Lucy; she was terrible and abusive for years with no pushback. But it wasn’t until he had Sandy validating him that he gained the courage to call Lucy out. Like Daisy said, his moments of standing up for himself come too late, so he explodes.

I think Mike needs to be honest with himself, with Sandy, and with his friends. He needs to stop carving off pieces of himself to satisfy others♥️

I think its a choice hell never make actively, lately he keeps messing up and it feels like hes beyond spiraling hes PLUMMETING and doesn’t know what to do and doesn’t know how to ask his friends and now that theyre all so happy probably doesn’t feel he can. Explains why he tried to focus a completely separate friend group but now David’s in it and hes just been pushed to the sideline. Dude is so flawed rn but hes not evil just lost

What did he do? He has kept to his word of not bothering her. Augustus shouldn’t have even asked him to not be in her sight when it is impossible when they are in the same spaces at school.

Augustus did acknowledge to Mike that he knows Mike and Lucy have to see each other in class. He only asked for Mike to give her the lunch period to have a mental break away from being constantly around each other.

He’s just outside man she can’t see him at all? She’s infront of him in class its not like she is seeing in there either if we’re being honest. Let’s be real we’ve had people we didnt like in our classes it can be real awkward but being outside with them also being outside and not near you is alot easier then sharing the class with them and atleast outside she has Augustus with her to balance it out I dont understand how we even got her its just Augustus being over protective

they hang out by the breachers, not just “outside”

The last chapter where Augustus was mad at him they were like behind the school sitting so I assumed they changed spots sometimes

100% this! :0

Augustus likes playing the emotional manipulator, but tbh I’m not sure if he’s as good a read of people as he thinks he is. like going all the way back to Love My Way, he managed to correctly figure out how to make Abbey have a complete mental breakdown, but somehow missed that Daisy would hate that. similar here. he knows how to make Mike break, but never bothered to figure out what that looks like

Or know that Mike is capable of throwing hands and didn’t connect what could happen if he pushed him to his limit

Yeah I don’t think he knew that Mike could fight. I suspect he’s going to learn a very painful lesson very soon.

On god always gonna root for him

Lol the fan base has such a clear cut divide

Putting hands on someone isn’t healthy, even if it’s to “just shut them up”

I mean this ain’t healthy…. he is asserting himself but this is wrong no matter who did it

Sorry, I meant for my comment to portray a bit of sarcasm. The only thing clear is how unhealthy this interaction is.

Isn’t that interesting !

I also don’t recall seeing near the level of outrage during that chapter he smashed Paulo’s face into the table and screamed at Sue

Who said that???

Its that situation all over again where he holds in emotions then blows up a definitive vice of his and one i never defended. Its on of his biggest flaws and stems from him being too big of a people pleaser

I can’t speak for other people, but with me it has to do with the nuance. In order for Mike to slam Paulo into a table, or for him to clap his hand over Auggys mouth to shut him up, his buttons have to be pushed over and over to the point of him snapping. Which sucks because in both physical cases his “buttons” involved things he NEEDED to hear! All jokes aside, I really hope Mike doesnt actually punch Auggy here, but also I do love drama in my Crying Cat Comic, so here we are, haha.

Lucy, on the other hand, admitted that she was bossy and violent towards Mike for years. I’m not saying that how Mike is handling this is right though! But getting his buttons pushed at the “wrong place and at the wrong time” isnt exactly a surprise to me, as a reader.

I mean i said I didnt want this multiple times definitely the worse outcome possible this is just him doing the same thing he always does. Hold everything in and then explodes in the worse way possible to where its too much. I know people like thag irl and it adds to my irritation with this but a big part for atleast this one is Augustus feeling like hes saving lucy (a good friend but misguided actions he really is just bully mike to do what he wants rn) and mike and lucy inability to talk about their problems with each other without it going bad it literally ALWAYS DOES

Oh yeah, Mike slamming Paulo’s face into the table was incredibly shitty. It’s possible he learned that behavior from Lucy, since her buttons were pressed easily and her fastest way to shut it down was to get physical. Admittingly, I also enjoy the drama in my crying cat comic lol. It’s why I’m still here reading over 10 years later.

If the shoe doesn’t fit, then the comment wasn’t directed at you. In any case, no worries. Iirc, Sue is like the last one to call him out about how he explodes at people… but he’s still doing it unfortunately. In real life, I don’t think I’d agree with Augustus’s approach… but in fiction I admittingly enjoy him taunting Mike like this lol I wouldn’t go as far as to say I hate Mike, but his little mopey act rn does irritate me

And thats fair at the end of the day its a drama and we are allowed to pick who we like and what we enjoy

Augustus is right about Mike, I think, even if I question certain elements of what is going on and how it was initially handled. Ah, even so it is grating how he chose to handle it. I don’t think most people would actually follow through with the logic he is working on.

Specifically: is the school truly that small? I attended a small school in a town with a population that barely broke 10k in recent years. I have never seen a school or connected play space that is so small you can’t avoid another person. It feels…disingenuous, I guess, and more like a moneyed or popular person’s concern, considering the actual distance between them.

It has been gnawing at me since this started, as nothing about what Augustus has said has been untrue, and I think Mike is a spineless dude and a bad friend.

Everything about this just feels -weird-

Unfortunately I can verify that high schools in small towns are indeed that small. Like I only had places to hide because my position in my chosen club meant I had keys to a room that was usually otherwise locked. It can be really hard in a small town school to avoid people you don’t want to see. *Especially* when they regularily seek you out

That sounds awful. I am sorry you had to deal with that. I can relate somewhat, as a person who tried to use the library to hide from abrasive people.

But, like, those were instances of people I didn’t like harassing me directly, and not coexisting in a space with me. I guess “all of outside” is a weird boundary when the trespasser is technically an athlete.

Ultimately it is on Mike’s head for being so cruel and inconsiderate knowing who he is hurting. But this policing on Augustus’ part feels dirty to me knowing the alternative on Mike’s part is “just stay inside every lunch from now on because you hurt my friend, and outside she can’t help but see you.” It just…feels like not quite the same thing, I guess is what I am trying to work out.

Equally sorry for the wall of text and the rambling. This is a layered situation and it takes me awhile to gather my thoughts.

well he’s doing something!

not particularly about that but depending on James’ reaction it might accidentally do something about it anyway!

He actually cheats on sandy with Daisy, so it’s not that. It has to do with that Augustus has observed that Mike wants to be around James because James wants/wanted to date him and even though he is with sandy he likes the attention James gives him. Augustus is aware of daisys past feelings too. James is new so he doesn’t understand that daisy sue Stacy Lucy (and Paulo) have all had a thing for Mike but he’s only ever entertained Lucy. Lucy only understands that Mike has benefited off her love/care for him AFTER therapy, but there is still that hold because it’s been like this for their whole lives. It’s easier for someone like James who barely knows Mike, to be told this behavior and decide that yknow what it’s shitty that you’re using me in that way and I don’t want to be apart of it, and then just choose to walk away. WHICH HASNT HAPPENED YET BUT Mike is afraid of this possibility

I wouldn’t say mike has a cheating complex hes definitely insecure about what happened with sandy and feels he deserves to get even which is a terrible mindset to have in a relationship (just break up if you cant forgive) and has been addressed with daisy but I do think hes probably bi and not confident to address those feelings for James and for another guy especially while STILL being with sandy (god I hope they breakup)

Do you ever think back to those moments in Model Girlfriend where Mike tried to get Sandy to play video games and race him to the tree — things he used to do with Lucy before everything happened between them — but Sandy tells him to grow up instead? How they don’t actually get to sit under the tree that he associated with Sandy when he shared (and would share) far more moments with Lucy there. How instead he had this manicured bonsai tree and two plastic figurines of him and Sandy in place of what he could have been having with Lucy this whole time?

I bet Mike does. At least I hope he does

Yeah mike and sandy couldnt be any more different and incompatible at this point I’m stuck between thinking the biggest reasons hes so still so invested in this relationship is either a sunk cost fallacy where he feels hes lost so much h to be with her he should stick it out and its his first crush and he can’t shake his feeling for her (just like lucy for him)

I agree with you 100% I think without a friend like lucy hes gonna keep spiraling but for the love of God that friend rn should NOT be lucy she also doesn’t deserve to be put in a situation she mentally can’t handle for thr sake of someone else they’d just be switching roles

Mike has always been comfortable with his sexuality and Gender, and David and James are both out. Lucy Jordan and jasmine are the token straighties of the bcb world. Augustus is using “boyfriend” so everyone is aware that Mike is using someone’s feelings selfishly for his benefit. He’s trying to shame him for taking advantage of someone’s feelings like he has done to Lucy countless times.

Mike might be comfortable with it, but that’s not the same as open. he never really talks about it, and Taeshi’s played along with gags that his orientation isn’t really that clear as recently as the end of last pride month. and tbh I do think that Augustus is in part trying to provoke a violent response, that’s not beneath him, it’s what he did to Abbey. and getting Mike in trouble is an easy way to fix his problem. probably wasn’t expecting it to go like this tho

Yeah I don’t think Vero would use internalized homophobia so carelessly here. Daisy Paulo and David stalked Mike and James on their date. Boy toy came out in 2015 and Mike not only reassured Paulo it was okay but said he hasn’t had a crush on a guy but at least not yet. It would literally be coming out of no where that Mike displays a complex like Paulo.

I dont want to be rude to them so I’ll just say I think a big reason is they havent read the earlier chapters in awhile and memory isnt a reliable source so they treat mike as though hes always been a jerk and hes way more calculated and malicious than what he actually was

Yeah, i honestly had the same problem with Lucy untill some discussions made me want to reread the comic and get a new perspective

I honestly recommend anyone doing that.

While i still have my problems with how Lucy acted it’s quite the eye opener to read the story again actively trying to empathise with a character you disliked

I don’t view her in the same malicious way anymore

to counterpoint, it’s interesting when people treat what Mike was doing as just words instead of attempting to socially isolate Lucy. which is exactly what he told her he was doing to her. I’m not sure why you think Augustus would be willing to listen to a reason to allege that all of Lucy’s friends dislike her so much that Mike can get everyone to abandon her just by eating lunch somewhere else, aside from maybe proving the point that what Mike did in that moment was wildly disproportionate. if he had simply made it about himself, then maybe he’d be able to look justified. maybe

I think because Lucy isn’t a perfect victim they think we are just imagining and making false memories of shit that has happened in the story. Even in the beginning “And I couldn’t help it. I pictured Sandy beside me. And I knew she could tell”. And he even realizes in the same chapter if Sandy didn’t leave Lucy wouldn’t have been apart of his life. He knew since confrontation that at the time Paulo was very shallow for how he liked Lucy and how Daisy thought she was unnecessarily mean. But Daisy and Paulo don’t know/understand that Lucy has not only had to go through comments about sexism but also being sexualized as a child. So their friendship is already fragile and Lucy is not able to become closer to them because they can’t see past the walls she put up and don’t have intention on trying until she returns. Mike uses this to his advantage during the December chapter. Mike even tells Sandy maybe everything will be better if she died. Child dream Lucy confirms this “you did. You wanted me dead.” And when Lucy returns and Mike is like I didn’t mean all those things I said she’s like “so what did you mean” and the background is painted the same as the scene with dream Lucy. Like…. Ok sure im reading the story with my eyes closed

‘Lucy was worse’ isnt good justification to be gleeful that Mike suddenly and forcefully grabbed someone elses face to hold their mouth shut, especially if constantly going on about how wrong violence is. Im not an abusive teacher for thinking this way but thanks for making that comparison anyways?

I’m not gleeful? I literaly said that Mike isn’t doing the right thing here.

The comment was directed to people who compare Lucy’s abuse and Mike lashing out here

If you are just upset that Mike is resorting to violence then what i said isn’t applicable to you. We’d even agree on that front

If you try to justify Lucy’s behaviour cause Mike resorts to violence when being harrassed then sorry but yes you are like that abusive teacher stereotype.

Also i don’t think violence is wrong, abuse is wrong.

there are situations where violence is good. Neither of these situations are ofcourse but for example in confrontation things would have been way worse if Mike and Lucy couldn’t be violent and protect themself

I didnt say you were gleeful. Personally havent thought anyone has been saying ‘now that Mike has done this, Lucy was never wrong.’ but yeah if thats all you meant, you arent talking about me either. Hard disagree on violence being good- theres a huge difference between having violence forced upon you and having to defend yourself, and directly being violent. Neither are good.