Bittersweet Candy Bowl

As much as i like mike i really wanted to see him crash out for once

Me too but this was uh…..not what i was expecting.

This shit embarrassing to watch bro mike can’t help but make the worst choice when given an option I dont even think there was a worse option to make here

Mike is my fave character but honestly? this kinda rules. Bro needs a hard reset

@Anubi this wouldnt be his first crash out though. He is giving auggie the paulo treatment right now.

Something tells me this is going to be their biggest blowout yet.

And it’s going to only get even more worse for both of them even more before it can really get better

Yeah, you’re right. Both are in their wrongs but man do the drama feels needed. Mike really knows how to say the wrong things at the worst times lmao but Lucy returning back to being physical as well just shows how both really still have a long way to heal.

Would it be safe to say both are hypocrites?

I personally feel like they won’t be friends at the end just agree that what they had was so mishandled and they’re such different people since then it just won’t work out even as friends.

To be fair lucy did have a conversation with mike after returning where she admitted that the way she treated him in the past was completely unacceptable. Im not saying mike hasn’t done the same but to be honest i cant really remember if he has or not.

Okay but one got therapy and admits she was wrong and he’s still doubling down that he did nothing as bad as her.

I mean isnt the whole this right now is Mike is completely guilt ridden (as he should) by the whole parasite thing and the kiss after the “breakup” right back to texting

@Red Miso It’s true that that’s the case right now, but I think a key point in it that makes it different from Lucy’s healing journey is that Mike hasn’t actually done anything to change his behavior, and keeps digging a deeper hole for himself. He can call himself terrible and an awful person and feel guilty for what he did to her, but that’s not the same as actually taking the necessary steps to be better; Lucy on the other hand, has actively tried avoiding him since she got back because that’s what was best for her, and the only times she’s interacted with him since have been because he’s approached/followed her around.

That doesn’t change how badly she treated him.

Yeah both are very wrong here

But I guess logic is now thrown out of the window, cause right now

Everyone’s ready to start throwing hands

And it’s going to get even worse for them

….OH MY GOD THATS RIGHT HE REALLY IS STILL MAD?!?

ohhh my god. oh my god you’re right. he focused on her rejecting him once when they were kids. i just. i can’t

an hour later I’m still crying, this is the funniest way this could have gone down

Honestly

Augustus I think just made things worse

And probably destroyed of any chance of real healing or true reconciliation

This boy was on a war path and wants Mike destroyed

Honestly, the entire reason he started hanging out with the cast was from Alejandro to keep an eye on them.

Starting to think he hasn’t actually had a change of heart and is trying to torment them on purpose

Technically Lucy kissed him. Plus Sandy manipulated him back into a relationship he clearly no longer cares about.

Ok yes but Mike was still definitely playing with Lucy’s feelings there, it’s not exactly fair to characterize what happened under the tree in Eternal Flame like that

part of me wonders if he went and got the rest of the friend group to try and help de-escalate? like “uh oh i am in over my head on this one, time to call for back up”

That’s what I’m hoping tbh

I want a David Lucid moment so bad…

Give my boy some love.. qup

I can agree with this… But I also am waiting for a lucid David moment… Like very much so…

i don’t even know who’s side i am on anymore this shit is just bonkers

I think the correct take is “everyone sucks here (except James and David)”. Augustus for harassing Mike, Mike for lashing out with violence and also showing his ass, and now Lucy for also getting violent

this is truly just the perfect storm of everyone spiraling while we experience a Live James Reaction and david is just MIA

In reality this honestly shows how much both still haven’t fully “healed” and still have their old habits when they come into a argument

She turned the other cheek for so long. Attempted to keep her distance. He led her on not long ago and KISSED her while “breaking up with sandy”. Then he goes on a tirade after beating someone up they she was the problem and double down the crap that almost killed her? Yeah no way he deserved it.

My heart aches for her knowing how she’d already mentioned wanting to stop hitting/kicking people when she came back :[ I had a feeling it was coming but man…

That being said Mike you’re acting like a moron (doesn’t warrant getting hit in the groin)

i will say while i like 99% agree with you, it does feel worthwhile to point out that lucy is responding to violence with violence, which i think changes the context a bit. mike escalated from words to violence. lucy isn’t escalating but she is responding at the same level. mike *did* just slam her friend on the ground so it doesn’t feel completely 1:1 to me. all that to say the best solution though is still for these kids to PLEASE DE-ESCALATE 😭

The context might be a little different but I’d still say it’s similar enough for me to say “y’all are being hypocritical to cheer Lucy on for this after we all just agreed Mike went beyond the pale with going violent”

i’m with you on that point, if someone is gonna shade one character for being violent and not the other, their problem is likely just with the characters themselves and not actually any sort of moral standing on violence. (i am of the camp though that while IRL violence as a response is Bad (tm), let these cartoon cats fight i am EATING THIS UP (BUT ALSO SOMEONE PLEASE DE-ESCALATE MY GOD this is getting out of HAND!! my BLORBOS))

They project themselves onto Lucy too much for that.

nah it’s not lol. the context is different, dont b slow

I’m not being slow. Lucy let her temper get the better of her and resorted to violence. Mike let his temper get the better of him and resorted to violence. Both had different instigating factors (Augustus’ provocation and dragging Mike’s friend into this, Mike pushing Lucy’s friend down and insulting Lucy), but both characters could have metaphorically walked away, gone to an adult, etc. But no, they both lost control and put their hands on someone else.

I’m not condeming Mike for “throwing hands”, I’m condeming him for having the nerve to say Lucy strung him all along, specially after his actions in Eternal Flame. He was the one to insist they should have a talk, he took part in that kiss they shared and he was kick to throw all that down the drain the moment Sandy decided to resume their relationship.

Him saying that was definitely out of line; I’m just saying it doesn’t justify a kick to the groin. Just like how Augustus going out of his way to harass Mike and provoke him doesn’t justify getting thrown onto the ground. If people are going to be (rightfully) appalled at Mike for getting physical, then they ought to hold Lucy to the same standard

Could be multiple factors, but the fact she didn’t strike immediately after Mike threw Augustus down seems like she somewhat could understands Mike perspective as Augustus was literally forcing them to meet but it was mikes comment about how she was the one stringing the feelings. Something clearly shows that they still have some sort of connection but just are both heavily deep down in their own pains that neither wants to admit their issues to meet a mutual agreement

Of course, this is mainly what I wish would happen…buuuuut as we know, vero gonna vero 😂 thanks for coming to my Ted Talk!

0/10 comic, minor plot hole detected

I’ve always been confused about the comments regarding eternal flame. I went back to re-read that chapter. Mike stopped lucy from leaving a second time and told her about picking the scarf for her eyes. He walked up to her and they kissed in the next page. Mike led lucy to believe he was done with Sandy and ultimately was interested in her and then he broke her heart again. I fail to see how that interaction was her leading him. Lucy walked away from him twice. He kept calling her back. He hugged her. Told her he missed her. He never stopped thinking about her. Smh. Just to go back with Sandy because he felt guilty. None of this justifies her regressing into violence, however, it baffles me how anyone could have watched that play out and say Mike was the victim over a kiss he technically set up, reciprocated and obviously wanted more from.

I’m not talking about what Mike directly said, I’m talking about the comments in the forum that keep mentioning Eternal Flame in reference to what he said. That’s why I said “confused about the comments…”

yeah the who kissed who in EF has always been irrelevant (tho it could be argued that Mike initiating it would be even worse on him, what with everything else he did that chapter). as a whole, there was only really one way to read it; Mike led Lucy on again, made her be his source of emotional labour again, and immediately dropped her for Sandy again

Not your fault lol I can see how it reads weird.

Exactly this! That kick was more than deserved tbh. If Mike is going to accuse Lucy of stringing him along, he really needs to be reminded that he was the one to insist on talking to her, telling her all that stuff and going as far as to kissing her just right after he had a mental breakdown because he found out his girlfriend had been cheating on him and (temporaily) dumped him on the spot only for him to take Sandy back at the first chance. Edit: Apparently I need to clarify that all of this happened during Eternal Flame, when Mike & Lucy met at the god ol childhood tree.

That’s not quite what happened Jessie Lou…

@Latrell Walker Are we reading the same comic? Because even if my wording wasn’t the best, I was talking about the very same events Aesthete Noire metioned. I don’t see your “correct” retelling of that either.

He was manipulated into taking her back. Granted, no one else knows that but the audience and Mike but still. And yes, I’ve read the comic. I’m not sure you have.

i don’t think she knew she’d be doing it literally LOL but this a very wholesome way to look at it aw

I imagine because she abused him and pushed him away.

I was doing a reread today and Mike’s first complaints about that go even further back - chapter 38, Rising Temperature. Which, ironically enough, also has Abbey accuse Mike of that same laser-focus on love interests Augustus was just talking about

First thing he said was that she treated him like shit. Y’all love playing blind.

He’s citing her “stringing him along” as an example of treating him like shit, which makes no sense given all the valid things she did that Mike could have mentioned and also the hypocrisy of Mike accusing her of that after what he pulled in Eternal Flame

Honestly August is disgusting during this course of the chapter.

Nah, Mike has only himself to blame. Augustus was cordial to Mike after Eternal Flame & even politely heard him out. He even gave Mike a heads up that Lucy wasn’t doing well and to give her space (to which Mike agreed and then Mike blatantly did the opposite of that). Then when Augustus did the same thing to him, Mike had the audacity to resort to violence first. Now he’s saying Lucy led HIM on!? It’s one selfish thing after another with this self-righteous brat!

Augustus was an asshole this entire chapter and in the last one. Mike wasn’t beholden to shit, especially not something someone bullied him into agreeing to. Augustus had it coming. Honestly should’ve gotten worse.

Uh, No? Augustus didn’t bully Mike into agreeing. Like literally word for word he’s nothing but polite during when he asked Mike to stay away. The only part that was cold was when he said he doesn’t care about Mike which is fair cuz he is NOT Mike’s friend. There was no threat of violence or blackmail so it wasn’t bullying. He was only asking for space for his unwell friend. It’s the classic Mike routine. Mike just lets everything build up till he explodes thinking his nice guy act will justify things. It is Mikes’s own responsibility to verbalize things he’s not okay with so the people around him will know. From Augustus’s perspective, Mike lied straight to his face. Augustus has a reason to be pissed not Mike.

Reposting this from a previous post because it applies here too: Augustus basically steamrolled Mike in their last interaction. He gave Mike little room to speak, and kept interrupting him before Mike could finish what he was saying. Mike was clearly pressured into acquiescing to an unreasonable demand. EDIT: removed off-topic stuff

That being said, Augustus has every reason to feel the way he did because yes, Mike did go back on his word

Regarding Augustus steamrolling Mike: The thing I’m stuck on is what Mike told Augustus in Burnt Bridges. Mike told Augustus that he cares about Lucy more than anyone else, was upset he couldn’t apologize or do anything to console her after the Eternal Dlame train wreck, and asked Augustus to look out for her. In context of all that, I really don’t think Augustus approaching Mike in First-Degree Burn was out of line or bullying at all. If you take everything Mike said at face value, what was so terrible about Augustus telling him the person Mike allegedly cares so much about could benefit from a mental break from Mike during the school day? Mike was soooo remorseful right up until he got asked to actually make a (tiny!) sacrifice for the person he cares so much about that he acknowledges he treated poorly since her return.

The merits of Augustus’ request are a separate topic (though that’s on me for bringing it up. I shoulda just cut that part out from the repost because that wasn’t my focus.) The intent behind my post was to push back on the narrative that Augustus had simply asked politely. No he didn’t lol, he clearly pressured Mike into acquiescing

He cornered him in the hallway. A taller guy cornered him in the hallway and pressured him into agreeing. That’s bullying.

You can’t “I was the one who wanted to be with HER” this because like. well you certainly didn’t try very hard if that was the case man, sorry. You had a whole back and forth in your mind when you first got in contact with Sandy about whether or not pursuing that relationship was worth it to you, you had been given advice to maybe move on and try actually asking Lucy out, and you picked Sandy.

Yes this honestly, and the balls to say this after the events of Eternal Flame. That’s so wild man lol. 🥲 we literally would NOT have this situation right now if not for this lmaoo

Exactly !! It’s just like. Oh My God Man. 😭He is the messiest guy in Roseville genuinely

It’s so peculiar!

Dudes been holding onto a THIRD GRADE crush for how many years now, considering he’s willing to smash his friends faces in over realistic concerns is already like wtf dude… hope this was the “kick” he needed to get back to reality. I’ve been im both Lucy’s and mikes shoes and they both freaking suck!

Yeah, seriously. Like, of ALLLLLLL the things he could justifiably complain about, he chose THAT?!

I keep wondering that. I thought he was going to say or do something pages ago. What is my boy thinking?

I desperately wish to have Lucid David moment… Where he is able to prop a mirror to everyone’s face and be far more deep than we expect him to be

Yeah :[ The thing that really gets me about Mike is that he gets so close to getting himself on the right track, only to throw himself off of it completely.

He says he’ll leave Lucy alone, he joins the track team and makes friends with them, he has heartfelt conversations with his own friend group, he gets so so so close… These are good first steps!! And then he starts defaulting to his previous behavior, and he makes assumptions about people, and he holds in everything until it explodes…. It’s just really rough.

Obviously nobody’s healing journey is linear, and Mike DEFINITELY needs some kind of professional help to really keep him on the right track, but man. The boy’s got some issues that’s for sure, and he really needs to confront them properly instead of wallowing in his own misery and self pity, or else he’ll be doomed to repeat them over and over again :[

Genuinely asking, when did she “string him along” like he claimed? I couldn’t find the chapter where she did that.

The only thing I can think of is in their childhood when he kissed her for the first time after showing interest and she told him to leave afterwards. But I wouldnt classify that much as stringing along, thay was teenagers not knowing how their feelings work

hell, they weren’t even teenagers yet. BCIs have pointed at other issues that I’m hoping the next pages brings into canon, but the page commentary around when Lucy rejected him pointed out the obvious reason; they were 12. how many 12 year olds do you know are mature enough to handle that?

Ever since Mike had the unfortunate event of seeing a lonely girl and deciding to be nice and be her friend. Stringing along doesn’t have to be strictly romantically, she was constantly in his face

Also does wether she stringed him along or not change if she was innocent in this ordeal?

Why is everyone trying to subvert the attention away from her abusive behaviour.

The stringing along part is debatable. The part that she was a terrible person is a fact

@Kiall Vun Myeret Lucy hasn’t acted innocent in this at all though?? She’s admitted her faults. She knows she’s done him wrong before, and that she treated him very very poorly. She was giving him the space he wanted, and staying out of his life. Mike has been the one to approach her Every time since her return. The whole reason this interaction is taking place is because Augustus started it, not Lucy.

It’s not her “eternal victim complex” if she’s literally a victim of him Also treating her like shit too. Just like Mike’s a victim of HER treating him like shit. They’re victims of their own past behaviors towards each other. It doesn’t make either of them okay, but they also can’t change their past actions either. They’re Going to fall back into bad habits, that’s a part of recovering sometimes, even if it’s ugly and not okay. Not to mention the fact they’re literally teenagers who don’t have everything figured out yet, both of them have a wide array of issues.

okay seriously

- how do you think Mike was going to finish that sentence

- why do you think he was trying to make it about that

Has she ever admitted it to anyone outside of Mike and Sandy? When she’s alone with Mike and feels like Sandy was out of the picture she could admit it. Now others are around she shuts him up with violence when he starts talking about it.

Her going on and on about how Mike brought her to her lowest point while desperatly trying to ignore the fact she mistreated him for years before that is very much a victim complex.

Is Mike not literally the person she Should be admitting it to???? if it’s literally a situation between her and Mike, in which Mike is still the one holding onto the fact she treated him poorly?? She’s done that. Sure there could be something to be said about her saying it to others, but she’s still in recovery and that takes time.

I don’t think she’s “shutting him up” to prevent him from talking about her behavior, I think she’s just genuinely fed up with how he’s been acting. When she came back, he followed her and got mad at her while she tried to stay away from him, in Eternal flame he used her as a rebound only to break her heart the next morning, and ever since then she has gone back to ignoring him. Genuinely who has she gone “on and on” about him to?? When Paulo tried getting her to open up she refused to do so. Outside of Augustus she’s literally not talked to anyone about what Mike put her through, outside of saying she doesn’t want to be around him.

She’s also literally NOT ignoring the fact she’s mistreated him, when she brought that up to him and told him it was wrong, and has attempted to stick to Not repeating that behavior. She falters sometimes, and this page is one of those times, but faltering does not erase the fact she has made genuine attempts to improve herself and move on.

Not when she can only do it when she sees a chance to have Mike back without Sandy and drops it instantly the moment she learns she’s not gone.

Also don’t get me started on Lucy being upset about being a rebound for Mike when she’s the type of person that saw a love struck Paulo and decided to have sex with him for for a bit of fun knowing fully well she was suppose to leave forever after that. Another thing she “admitted fault” to and later blow up in Paulo’s face as “i did it cause i felt sorry for you”

Funny how ever since she came back she’s been so antagonistic against the 2 people that actually came to check up on her during her darkest moment

@Kiall Ok so I’m only responding to your first reply because I ain’t getting involved in everything else. I was asking when the stringing along happened because Mike specifically accused her of it. I just did a reread of the early chapters and I couldn’t find anything. You seemed to agree with his accusation, so I was wondering if you could point me to where you saw it. From what you said, it sounds like there wasn’t any particular specific instance of her leading him on romantically like he implied. I also fundamentally reject any non-romantic interpretation of “stringing him along” in this context because that’s clearly what he was going on about, ie “I was the one who wanted to be with (Sandy, I assume he was going to say)”

the first time she admitted fault (clearly, because she was trying to say something in the mutual apology in Pick Me Up but it got muddled by both of them trying to talk over each other) was TO SANDY, that apology is why Sandy thought Mike took things too far

and if you think that in Eternal Flame that she wanted him back then… no? just no? she tries to reject the possibility of going back to how it used to be for them, and outright says it is because he was right to hate her for what she’s done

@Kiall Vun Myeret She didn’t do it because she saw a chance to have Mike back without Sandy, she did it because she still holds care in her heart for him despite how he treated her. She’s absolutely allowed to be mad at him for using her like that, because kiss or not, she genuinely thought she was getting to treat him like a friend again. The reason she decides not to after Mike reveals hes still with Sandy, is because of how big of a heartbreak it was for him to get her hopes up like that and crush them. She doesn’t have to be around someone who does that. Mike literally acknowledged in that conversation that they were doing “Sandy’s thing” whenever they went up there together, and admitted to Daisy in the library that he treated Lucy practically like his girlfriend despite being with Sandy.

Yeah, Lucy used Paulo as a rebound, and it’s really fucked up that she did that. It wasn’t okay, and even though the two of them seem to be on neutral standing now, it still doesn’t make it okay, I’m not defending the fact she did that to him. But her doing that to Paulo doesn’t mean she can’t still be upset Mike had been using her. I really don’t know where you get the idea that someone does something bad and then can’t feel upset when something bad happens to them on a Separate occasion.

She’s been antagonistic because she’s always been cagey about her own feelings and opening up to people and being genuine with them, and she’s practically been a ticking timebomb for blowing up at people because her recovery has been so messy. It doesn’t make her actions okay, but shes a teenager with trauma and heavy emotions, she’s absolutely going to be messy about it.

Anyways I’m done here I really don’t feel like repeating the same points over and over again lmao

Exactly!! Every character here has layers of complexity to their thoughts and emotions, and they’re all teenagers who mess up!! They all need help in their own ways and seeing anyone place specific blame on any One person feels super unfair because they’re all at fault for acting the way they do

Hear hear

Amen…I’m honestly really scared how this will spiral even worse when the next page drop

Cause a lot of factors are at play here and it’s going to get worse for everyone

Augustus was bullying him. Let’s not act like Augustus was hit out of nowhere.