Bittersweet Candy Bowl

I second that. Not fine indeed.

Not even close to it

Perhaps dead inside, even

Seems likely end of the same day if I had to guess. Definitely not too long after, even if a day or two.

I want both Lucy AND August called out so hard.

Mike was horrible for what he did, but how is what they did any different?

You can’t rectify one evil/horrible thing with another

Like, don’t get me wrong, we can all agree Mike needs to face his consequences and learn from it

But NOT like this…

The fact Lucy has no qualms of letting this happen last chapter and even manipulated and turned Paulos words against him just made my stomach turn.

Shes becoming someone different. She is healing, but in the wrong direction

100% agree

They aren’t wrong for how they feel and went through, but they aren’t right for what they did or what is happening now either.

Tbh I’m having a speculation/theory that at some point this is going to boil over to the point that neither group are going to take sides, but leave Lucy AND Mike to move on.

Their drama has been on going with no real resolution ever since.

funniest comment award

The 2 biggest things that Lucy went through was:

1.) the obvious alleyway scene.(PTSD)

2.) the painful rejection from Mike.(Abandonment issues)

(Which all came from an anxious attachment style)

But the diagnosis doesn’t excuse the actions. For any of them.

And, like any clam, I expect attempts to pry will cause it to snap at you.

And yes I did add that second part because it made me feel clever

Honestly, this what made me dislike Lucy and August after the last chapter, THIS.

He was horrible for what he did, but how is what they did last chapter any better or at all????

This isn’t real healing or facing his consequences. This is a repeating cycle of pain and isolation.

i came here just to comment this same thing!! the visual story telling in this comic continues to be amazing

/s if anyone needs it LMAO.

One evil/horrible thing shouldnt ever be rectify with another that August pulled.

This isn’t making him learn or grow, this is a cycle repeating but now on Mike.

How is this ok??

How is what any of what happened evil? Mike never should have agreed to stay inside if he had no intention to. He intentionally broke his word to Augustus. Augustus just confronted him about it. What Augustus did wasnt evil, it was confrontational yes, but not evil. He wanted Mike to understand how pissed he was. Mike shouldn’t have to stay inside, but he shouldnt have agreed. At any rate, it cost him his golden boy good guy facade to break in front of James.

Mike attacked Augustus, was trying to drag Lucy down, and then got left behind. All Lucy did was remind Paulo of his own words. Also, only Sue and David are fully team Lucy. Mike still has Paulo, Daisy, the rest of the track team, his girlfriend. He isnt all alone at all. He is distancing himself from Paulo right now and thats his choice.

It doesn’t change what they did was wrong.

Neither Mike or Lucy aren’t right or wrong.

This drama they have for one another has been ongoing with no real resolution ever since

It may look like it’s finally moving forward, but this is just only a beginning of something else that’s going to happen.

And tbh, this makes me scared of what’s going to happen that’s going to be the true Boiling point

I think this is progress. This is the start to a dominoe effect leading Mike to therapy, opening up to his mom, maybe even breaking up with Sandy since he doesnt even love her anymore.

Ok serious question: who is going to get him to therapy? Last we saw Mike with his family, his mom was all, crudely summarized, “Mike is my golden boy and can do no wrong, which is why I treat him better than his siblings and thus implicitly tie my love to his status as a golden boy.” I don’t see him opening up to her about his problems anytime soon. There are no forces here pushing him to get that kind of help. And there’s no way our self-destructive Mike is going to do it himself. Who’s it gonna be, then?

Im really hoping he opens up to her soon. With all the panels of him at home making him look like he’s forcing a smile, he’s bound to break eventually. I think this whole incident may be the catalyst to that very thing happening.

Do you think opening up to her in this state will make things improve?

I think him opening up to ANYONE at this point will make things improve. He just bottles everything up and then explodes. So yeah, im here to see him finally open up and breakdown and let others help him.

Let me pitch an alternate scenario that I find more likely. It’s been established at the end of Second String that his mom puts him on a pedestal for being the golden boy, her perfect child, etc etc. It’s why she treats him better (Evidence: “Chris shouldn’t be your problem” + “Haley doesn’t ace her exams (and that’s why I make her watch Chris)” + “But YOU never ask for anything. Michael. My diamond.”). So when he inevitably bottles too much and has a meltdown, she is not going to be comforting. She’s going to be disappointed in him. “Why is my perfect boy acting like this? I guess he’s not perfect after all…:(” And he’s just going to spiral further.

I dont think we’ve ever seen that toxic of a side from Mike’s mom. She’s overworked and fighting with his dad, but she loves her kids. I am hoping she would realize the pressure she has been putting on Mike and would comfort and care about him. Even his sister is concerned about him, which shows they were all raised to be compassionate people. I dearly hope his mom doesnt end up being a twisted horrible mother. If that happens, sure, Mike might try to off himself. But I just dont see the story going that way.

I should clarify I don’t think she’s going to be a horribly evil twisted mom either. The writer is too good to make her one-note like that. But I DO think that if/when Mike has a breakdown in front of his mom, it’s going to be a big, dramatic, and ugly misunderstanding. As has been shown before, Mike is the violent crash-out king, lol. His mom, who is definitely well-meaning but doesn’t seem to understand what’s up with Mike or how she might have contributed to this, is probably not going to understand what the issue is right off the bat. She’ll just be like “wtf? What’s with you? This isn’t like you” or something like that, which…will not help Mike realize he isn’t alone

It might start off with “Mike, what has gotten into you?!” but once the tears start flowing and she sees something is most definitely wrong, the conversation should turn more sympathetic and i hope she goes full momma mode for him.

Haley is the only one in Mike’s family who has shown any signs of seeing the cracks in Mike’s facade, yeah. But at the same time, she’s a teen herself, and clearly doesn’t want to be literally and emotionally responsible for her family members beyond what should be expected of a sibling. She’s disappeared multiple times because she knows any time Mom wants to go out, she gets stuck with Chris. Which, in turn, means she’s not around Mike all that much. It’s not that their Mom isn’t trying her best, she’s in a difficult position as a single mother. But at the same time, she’s trying to parentify Haley, which is a form of neglect and abuse, whether she knows it or not, and it’s make Mike’s home life strained as well, though not to the same degree as his social life.

I think we all need to understand something here. In the eyes of both Mike and Lucy it is hard for them to understand what is right and wrong because they are two very emotional and hormonal teens who are going through what is an extremely messy divorce in their book, all because neither of them have made the needed steps to finally end heir pent up feels for each other. And what progress they both did make was sadly destroyed when they had that kiss. A kiss they are both 1000% at fault for, with Mike causing it and Lucy not ending it when it first happened. And that very kiss is why the current spiral for them both is happening. Lucy with her twisted way of healing and Mike in his eventual fall from the edge.

Which is was why it was so important for Paulo to have checked on him right when it happened, this is gonna be a rough ride :/