Suddenly James feels sorry for Mike's girlfriend.
>>151076143Finally, we go to the table
>>151076143>*pulls cord*THERE'S A JAMES IN MY BOOT
>>151076154But does Mike get shit on? Does someone talk shit about Mike? Do they all conspire how to make Mike feel more miserable by being the worst group of fairweather friends possible? Or, do they all just line up to suck whitecat dick?
Posting so we can skip this argument today, or go full retard about it, not like today is any good for the comic
>>151076182We already know James shits on Mike and Paulo's told to stop talking about it.
>>151076143
>>151076183Kek, excellent work, anon.
gofile dot io/d/w96V75Trick or treat! Get your BCIs this MIKE BADoween! Soliciting Two-Time Love, All or Nothing, Falling Back and especially the Jabbeyween chapter if any kind soul would like to make a donation!
>>151076154The fucking position of David relative to Lucy does make it look like one of those BLACKED shitposts, good job not making Lucy look like a whore Taeshi
This is some weird shit storytelling
>>151076154we know paulo is the only one questioning lucy's return afterwards but I hope he's not welcoming her with open arms right now because daisy is probably gonna
>>151076177kek
>>151076143Edit Paulo instead of Mike, edit James balloon to say "I feel sorry for your mother". Boom
guess mikes not allowed in the track team fuck club anymore
I am genuinely incapable of believing the comments under each page are supposed to be taken seriously anymore. There's no possible explanation for typing that. It's just bait at this point.
>>151076248Daisy will welcome Lucy with open arms despite resenting her presence deep down. Daisy has every reason to be worried Paulo still carries a torch for Lucy, and she's never really seemed to like white cat much.
>>151076314Even the Patreonfags didn't like James saying that, well except the ones who didn't give a fuck that he's a homewrecker they were just happy that Mike was having his feelings hurt.
>>151076314If you imagine them in a snarky jeering tone then a lot of them make more sense while also inspiring contempt toward their writer.
>>151076311James still thinks he is going by the dialogue in this leaked table pages
>>151076314>the rancid cherry atop the shit sundaeNo BPD diary is complete without delusional thinking that borders on pathological selfishness.
>>151076314I've told you guys that she's too irony poisoned to take seriously, never believe anything she says unless it's written on the comic itself, and even then don't take your eyes off it or else it'll be edited too
>>151076335
>>151076343>james hate fucking mike during the after track orgyyeah i can see why he's not opposed
ALL RISE FOR THE GREY CAT NATIONAL ANTHEM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5knxRl3I0I
>>151076154Gonna be real, it’s not gonna work. If it does work then Taeshis a hack who can’t write for shit. Patreon Leaker, if you could knock this one out of the park from this Ecuador misandrist cheating whore I’d be most grateful.(Context: Taeshi had a coming out of a closet to her blob of a dyke friend so she’s now bi/pan/ whatever cause she saw a hot chick.)
>>151076343I'm curious about what James expects to happen now. As in, both he and Mike are in the track team together. Are they just supposed to just pretend the other doesn't exist or what? Mike of course has every reason to drop out now that James hates him and of course that does not even occur to Mr. Quickfoot McSlowneuron.
>>151076393I believe Taeshi is bi as much as I believe Daisy is bi (so not really at all’
Blah blah blah nothing really of note next page David shows Lucy-baby off and everyone shits themselves that the abusive cunt that doesnt like them is back FINALLY!!!Only thing is that Paulo himself doesn't seem to give much of a shit
>>151076314>I am genuinely incapable of believing the comments under each page are supposed to be taken seriously anymore. Yeah, Taeshi jokes from time to time. Your autism is showing anon.
>>151076314
>>151076411Chad Paulo. The best kind.
>>151076393>Suitcase is such a terrible husband he turned his terminally possessive co-dependent wife into a man-hating pseudolesbianThe optics will never stop being funny.
>>151076427Literally nothing has changed over 10 years from the forum days, bitch is still a fucktard
i think we should beat james with hammers
>>151076411I swear to god if this chapter ends with Lucy doubling down on her retarded paranoia because Paulo's not happy enough to have her back
somebody needs to stop these white cats
>>151076411Why is she giving Paulo bedroom eyes?
>>151076411>Only thing is that Paulo himself doesn't seem to give much of a shitAt long last the soggy bitch simping wienerpillar threatens to emerge from his cocoon as a true chadderfly.
>>151076458Oh I would love that
>>151076314It is absolutely bait, Taeshi is not above baiting her audience
>>151076314Is this her just shitposting at this point? It's hard to tell with her
>>151076343I can't wait for the inevitable wave of amnesia when we reach that page. "Yeah, why isn't he sitting with the track team? I guess it's because they're not pining for him!" Because every time somebody says something negative about Mike they must be correct.>>151076411She sure looks happy to be back.
>>151076458Nothing ever happens
>>151076468Right before this Sue stands up too fast and hurts herself so they're all coming out of a "Well... THAT just happened" moment
>>151076458Assuming she not too wrapped up in her own affairs and actually noticed, yeah of course she would. It's what happens every time these people fail to read her mind or somehow fall short in the ass-kissing department.
>>151076488It’s not BCB without a little Sue humiliation
>>151076475Taeshi hates Goldie and therefore Sandy, so it's blatant sarcasm. James may even get punished for it later.
>>151076458Would be dope but won't happen. Always bet on Lucy's life being perfect if Mike isn't involved.
>>151076427>>151076448>Taeshi makes entire 4chan threads ree and screech by merely typing 8 wordsActually, this is based
>>151076488>Sue tries to be a character>Taeshi teleports under the table to break her leg with a crowbarShould have stayed with McCain and followed him out of this comic
>>151076507If James doesn’t get his delusions about David painfully crushed I’ll be disappointed
>>151076475It's either that or she's an abusive partner
so how long before James gets written out? from what I'm getting, nobody on either side seems to like him and I don't think Taeshi intended for that to happen
>>151076379Based.This one also kinda workshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI3nnt8uVgw
>>151076474>not above baiting her audienceWhat is she above? Because this is some pathological shit.
>>151076526If she didn’t intend that she’s retarded, James has no redeeming traits anymore
>>151076442every woman is bi to some degree or another. Yes, even the e-larping tradwives
>>151076539What do you mean? She's saying shit to deliberately upset you because she thinks it's funny. And it is.
>>151076526When he asks David out and David says "lmao no way fag" Taeshi has been repeatedly spoiling that David has zero interest in James and just likes being the center of attention so she's dying to get that out of the way.
>>151076526Jokes on you. Now that nobody likes him, he's the perfect BCB character
>>151076565Would you say that David is leading James on? That he just enjoys having him pine for him without intending to commit?
>>151076411>She's already back to "annoyed and above it"
>>151076512"At least your mother fucking loved you" was indeed the literary high note of the decade, true, but you miscounted.
>>151076526She'll keep him around the same way Amaya is still in the comic for some reason despite barely contributing. James can always kiss Lucy's ass at random despite having no reason to.
>>151076561>What do you mean when you jokingly ask if this woman has any standards? How can't you see she's just shit talking and not a walking cautionary tale about being an untreated cluster BLMAO.
>>151076585Woah now, that pottery is a little too logical for BCB to follow up on, don't you think?
>>151076561She’s actually easy to rage bait all you gotta do is say her writing is garbage and make consistent points and make fun of her shit friends and she gets all uppity for a short ass whore
>>151076625>what do you mean you can’t see how genius she is? The fucking cunt was just pretending to be a screeching harpy.
>>151076586>be Lucy>get what you allegedly want>actually you hate itAnother reason why dealing with her is fundamentally impossible. James says he dodged a bullet, but frankly--even after all this bullshit--I'd still say Mike is the better candidate. It's the rest of them who have to put up with Worst Cat now.
>>151076585Yes but that’s fine because he’s David.
>>151076665All Mike will do is be a depressing fuck about his life. Lucy will have a meltdown if you didn’t say hi to her that one time.
>>151076154>Carrying Lucy in like a trophyDavid knows how to treat her right
Is James ditching Mike for David the second Mike voiced his unwillingness to smash/a better option presented itself repsentative of the modern gay man's eternal quest for ass?
>>151076314>People think this is bait/jabNah, she's just this insane
>>151076586I hope EG is doing well these days
Honest question for the thread: Does it actually matter what a fundamentally insane woman means when she types anything? Is it worth fighting over?
>>151076585Woah woah anon let's not think to deeply that if Taeshi means for this to be pottery then if>Line in the Sand = December>Mike = Lucy>James = Mikethen ergo>David = Sandy = Goldie
>>151076586>>151076665Again they just came out of a wacky comedy moment with Sue being injured again so they're all looking exasperated at the moment. Lucy was all dainty and shy until that, and Paulo asking David how she managed to twist her arm into coming back (which he responds shes there willingly)
>>151076716YesHe's just a little slut
>>151076585No because the "problem" with Mike is that he's aware or semi aware when people have a crush on him. She's probably gonna pull out something about David being clueless despite being the "media literacy" guy.
I wonder how long will it take before we see the NY news of some rando man found stabbed to death in the apartament
>>151076731No, none of this shit matters. We just like shitting on an almost 20 year old webcomic and the fucking author can’t stop being a retard with her Aussie shitbag cracker Outback Steakhouse husband who enables her.
>>151076638I mean you are one seething enough to call her names, you are easily baited too anon.
Ts comic pmoI hate this gross mischaracterization of David. He was a favorite and a cute comic relief for over a decade. What taeshit is having him do in this chapter is malicious ooc bullshit!
>>151076733See, that arrangement makes sense. But for some reason the comic's narrative is saying that James is Mike's own Lucy replacement and I don't get what Taeshi is going for. Like, is someone going to tell Mike>"no gray cat this pining over James like you did Lucy shit is total nonsense">"your ACTUAL sin was abandoning Lucy for Sandy you fucking monster"?
>>151076586>A WIP from a future chapter, featuring Lucy talking to someone off-panel, with a judgemental expression, hand resting on her chin. Looks like she's going to be picking a fight with Paulo real quick. Why'd this bitch even want to come back if she doesn't like anyone at the table and doesn't want to spend time with them? Just the ego trip of getting them to pick her over Mike?
>>151076785Taeshi can’t stab people, she can barely handle violent video games. She will probably get sued for being a negligent loser in a discord spat that causes someone to kill themselves.
>>151076816Because Lucy loves the fact of being the center of attention. She does want it. All the time.
>>151076745We know from the previews that Lucy is back to her old unenthusiastic self pretty quick. Pretty on-brand for her to be annoyed at Sue hurting herself rather than showing any concern, of course.
>>151076818A BPD femoid can do anything. If you don't believe me then check 'Dear Zachary' documentary
>>151076816>Just the ego trip of getting them to pick her over Mike?Yes.
>>151076834Fuck you’re right Anon. But this is a short little woman.
>>151076776>David is actually super smart and an awesome problem solver you guys>oh shit incoming consequences>naw actually he's just a lovable dumbass who can't be held responsible for his own actions lolTruly the best "character" in BCB.
>>151076834Taeshi's BPD is nerfed by her being autistic as fuck
>>151076832You might be illiterate
>>151076369bruh
>>151076816>Just the ego trip of getting them to pick her over Mike?Absolutely. Plus this way she can punish Mike without getting her hands dirt(ier than the already are).
>>151076834Taeshi's too much of an anxious loser to live up to her bad person disorder.
Daily reminder that Mike is in the right
>>151076183Amazing
>>151076868Wrong, I just don't care about Taeshi's bad attempts at comedy or about giving Lucy an inch of slack anymore.
>>151076886Well, sort of. The narrative has bent itself into pretzels in order to both de-legitimize him AND fulfill his ancient prophesy, so it goes both ways.
>>151076526Hopefully he dies
>>151076927This comic is so inconsistent about how serious violence is supposed to be
>>151076927*dies inside. True death is rather final and I think James deserves to squirm for a while.
>>151076942One second it’s so serious but then another second we’re supposed to say eh they’re kids
>>151076970David delivering an ego death to him would be a nice start
>>151076985It's almost like Taeshi's grown worse and worse as a writer thanks to being held to nothing but her own standards.
>>151076909Yep. Lucy may not be the bane of all existence but she’s still a fucking idiot who hits her friends, acts like a bitch, and gets moody and sad when people say for her to leave her alone
whoever posts screenshots of Odd Taxi, thank you, because that got me to start watching it and i like it so far
>>151076526James winding up with nobody, begs Mike to take him back, and Mike tears him a new asshole is probably the best case scenario.
>>151076987It'd never happen, but I'd love for an emotionally done-with-it-all Mike to give James a good scorching with cold fire.>"i don't care what you have to say anymore">"you're a stupid, careless person, full of lies"
>>151077052And then he leaves James behind in a puddle of tears, yes
>>151077042>"Mike you have to understand">"sometimes i just say things i don't mean"I'd say the absolute worst thing Mike could do to James in that moment is forgive him, but James is probably too stupid to notice the irony and thus feel the millstone of guilt hanging around his neck.
>>151076816Pretty much. Its just her wanting to ""win"" while simultaneously wanting to make Mike suffer without directly getting her hands dirty. She'll deny it of course but she basically admitted it with her response during Eternal Flame VS her recent response. She's just a piece of shit
there is no way for tae to write a good ending the way she wants to.mike x lucy is supposed to be endgame. she said that ages ago, we've known it and its the obvious conclusion to bcb.but mike x lucy doesnt work and shouldnt happen. mike x lucy happening would be the ultimate slap in the face. they are horrible to eachother, and shouldnt be around eachother let alone date.there is no way to write her way out of this especially with her writing skills. i dont know if the worlds best writer could even.i also dont want mike x sandy even though they seem happy with eachother. sandy cheated on him (did she? i didnt really get if she actually fucked the stylist or if it was just some fling)i *was* banking on mike x james even if it was just a short few dates. they were really cute together! but hey, lucy boo boo had to come in and david had to be retarded.reading this comic is like being in an abusive relationship. i hate this.i think bcb should just forget the main cast exists and pivot into being a lesbian love comic about sue and amaya. they deserve the world
>>151076143James isn't even flanderized, he's just a completely different character at this point. How the fuck do you go from intentionally trying to pull a taken guy away from his girlfriend to pitying said girlfriend over bullshit accusations from two wackos you haven't had a single positive interaction with?This is total bullshit, Taeshi isn't writing characters, she's just writing plot devices and her plot fucking sucks.Every time I see spoilers or early sketches of future events, EVERY time my brain inserts a logical if batshit crazy way for things to turn out that way and EVERY time Taeshi manages to be even more batshit than that. I want them all dead now, either because they deserve it or because that's the only peace they'll ever know.
>>151077052Eh he should just ignore James and if James tries to start shit, tell him to go fuck a garbage disposal
>>151077098If he forgives him it should be in an uncaring manner>"Okay I forgive you. Now leave me alone."
>>151077129>i *was* banking on mike x james even if it was just a short few dates. they were really cute together!Yeah real shame. Taeshi may hate faggots, but she does good queerbaiting.
My neighbor started a garden and everything grew way too fast. Like tomatoes the size of pumpkins in two weeks. I mentioned it was weird and he just laughed and said "special fertilizer". Then my cat went missing. Then two more cats from the neighborhood. The garden keeps growing and I stg I saw something with fur in the compost pile>Empty face punished mike looking down kicking rocks being emo>Mutters some shit like theres really nothing after all>Starts to check his phone>Ends with "Mike?" from off screen
>>151077040I was obsessed with the show back when it was airing. I feel like if it had two extra eps it would help with the ending's pacing a lot.
>>151076526The only plot point left with him is that they share a track team with a guy they now hate and that comes to a headEither James and David are forced out for being toxic and it makes further interesting developments, or Mike leaves or is kicked out (which would be insanely OOC for them after they know James’ shit, but this is the most OOC I have seen a character in a comic anyway) and there is nothing left to do with them. Not even background cameos since no one likes him now
Are there actually any people(ignoring Tae) who want Mucy endgame? I know it will happen no matter what, but are there legit tards who want this shit?
>>151076526Taeshi had Felix, a character that has supposedly spent a lot if time around James (including a previous relationship) imply to Mike that while James isn't necessarily a bad guy he's kind of a fairweather fuckboy who is willing to say a lot of things to get what he wants. Taeshi planned this but only in the name of grey cat suffering
>>151077214Are you drunk?
>>151077133This is literally how BPD people work, their opinions of others flip-flop on a dime.
>>15107721898% chance Mike just leaves of his own accord or stops showing up. Then when questioned James and David will reveal the dumb shit. Whether the team calls them both tards or just roll with it could go either way but Mike won't be involved in the conversation.
>>151077099This might actually be Lucy at her absolute worst. >standing by while her live-in pet rapist vilifies her former abuse victim>uses her martial arts knowledge on said victim (BIG no no in the practice) not because he shoved said pet to the ground but to shut him up because he speaks the truth>visibly realizes she fucked up>buries the guilt by victimizing herself with some insane schizo take on her own past bullying>calls the abuse victim who took care of her for years a selfish user whose grabby hands she had to fend off while he failed her as a friend/would-be lover>up in the air whether she knows it's bullshit or is huffing tanks full of copium>accepts David's invitation to forcibly displace the abuse victim for the sake of her own ego>has every reason to still hate most individuals present at the table so will be miserable>it's explicitly her own choice but she will surely deny that much like she always doesTaeshi's made some noise about everyone acting like a horrible prick, including Lucy, but I really doubt she'll make good on that in any way. So far, Lucy's need for character development has been kept within the range of hypothetical to implied. Why would Taeshi switch tracks now, when there is so much more Michael torture to be done?
>>151077214Fake and gay leaker or time traveler?
>>151077222There are a rare few for some bonkers ass reason but pretty much everyone else on both sides see it as fucking shit. Mayyybe some Lucyfags might solely because Lucy might potentially want it and seeing it as her getting her "happy ending" that she wants but yeah
>>151077129>did she? i didnt really get if she actually fucked the stylist or if it was just some flingShe replaced Mike with the guy in terms of priority and then dumped gray cat in favor of him, so yeah that's cheating.
Happy halloween, /bcb/!
>>151077214>DON'T STOP-
>>151077294That post is nothing but autism, the next page is the lunch table, we even see as much in the preview shot
>>151077129Maybe she changed her mind, haha
>>151077214But the page preview shows no such thing.
>>151077270and its going to be even worse when they inevitably try to bring Mike back so they could all be friends again like nothing happened. Mike should tell them all to fuck off and deliver a December 3 THE REVENGE on the entire table
>>151076396If he had any common sense, he'd leave that shit and just not interact with most of the other characters at all.>>151076411Paulo FINALLY not giving a fuck about Lucy is the only satisfying thing to have happened in this comic in years.>>151076541I don't think so, many women hate each other.>>151076585It is the case, a hundred times more than Mike ever did, but nooo, poor David can do no wrong!
>>151077218Either >Mike leaves on his own because there is no joy to be gained and the track team clearly does not need him so long as David is there as star runneror>Mike's performance suffers due to depression and drags down the team's performance so he's quietly taken aside and "subtly" prodded to drop outNaturally, he'd still have to notice the intent and thus suffer all the harder.
>>151077350I don't buy it with Paulo. He pulled the same schtick before only for him to be ready to throw Mike under the bus for Lucy points. Until he calls her out on what a horrible gaslighting bitch she is, I won't believe he's made progress.
Hey Tae how about we get another chapter of like uhhhh it's one where Daisy just eats burgers and ice cream.
>>151077393Yeah that is true, but I want to believe, for my own sanity. But some things do give hope that he won't take her side:>he is on a relationship already (even though in practice it feels kinda meh so far)>the previews so far have shown him with dissonant expressions towards the other members of the table
>>151077393Paulo is so fucking frustrating as a character because Taeshi loves to hit him with the reset button. That includes his relationship with Lucy.>gets led on at the carnival then shot down and ordered to do shit he doesn't want>calls Lucy a bitch for it behind her back>she cries some crocodile tears during Halloween and he's solidly back on her side>offers to throw Mike under the bus for her>gets used and tossed aside like garbage>back to distrusting her>Lucy incidentally gets both him and Daisy back together>now Paulo has reason to forgive white cat AGAIN
>>151077133>Self-describe as stalking Mike for months>Notice that Mike's depressed, decide you can cure it with the d (even though you have no clue whether Mike likes guys)>lovebomb the depressed kid until he says you're the only thing that makes him happy>get turned down>go back to lovebombing him again with double-barrel no glove yes love handholding action>then toss him aside because David's faster and will say flirty and suggestive things>Mike spirals because you got him emotionally dependent on you but he's realizing that nothing you did was special, it was just how you treat all the boys you're crushing on>still lingers on trying to cling to that lifeline>then he doesn't defend himself sufficiently well to you in the middle of an almost incoherent fight so you hate him>not really for any of that other shit they were talking about, just that he might be cockblocking you from the guy who clearly isn't into you>guilt trip him about how his girlfriend (who you wanted to homewreck) deserves betterThis is a really horrible direction for the plot to go, what the hell
>>151077382He's starving himself as is. I think the latter is more likely.
Michael with the glasses? Very kissable!
>>151077472Yeah... It really sucks man, it sucks how unfair the whole thing is, Lucy never ever gets called on her bullshit or has to face any consequences due to her actions, she never apologizes, she never learns from her past misdeeds, she never truly regrets her actions, she completely lacks humility. She is right all the time and everyone should throw themselves at her feet. It's annoying.Same goes for David, the other favorited one, that never has to face any negative consequences for his actions.>>151077534Yeah, and what is worse is, judging by the fact that Taeshi keeps putting him in official artwork, he might be here to stay, despite being THE worst new character ever.I don't think there's much than can be done to salvage him as a character to be honest.
>>151077629It does fit Mike, and gives him a more unique look. Feels like a good addition to give him once he's past all this crap and entering college.
>>151077629That's a cool art anon, well done. He gives some Harry Potter vibes, what with the round glasses and scarf and all
I love Rachel!
>>151077672Oh its not mine i took it from Candybooru, it's by "PowerHawk"
>>151076143At this point, is there anyone that grey cat would warn not to come to school tomorrow?
>>151077645>she never learns from her past misdeeds, she never truly regrets her actionsThat's not quite true. We have seen her learn at learned enough to not routinely abuse Augustus (though she got real lucky her brand of "humor" apparently matches his own) and she at least regretted snapping at Paulo in the hallway. But those moments are so few and far between they are just plain anomalous.
>>151076314I have never taken the author comments below the page seriously.
>>151077723Mike doesn't have it in him to be a school shooter. The one thing stopping him from just laying in bed and starving himself to death is his perceived obligations.
>>151077129>did she? i didnt really get if she actually fucked the stylist or if it was just some flingEven if it was just a fling it'd still be cheating, dumbass
>>151077214APATHETIC MIKE KINO INCOMING
>>151077723His sister's table maybe but like >>151077752said, he doesn't feel like the sort who'd go shooter. He's more of the sort to quietly off himself in some out of the way manner if he ever got to suicide territory.
>>151077629Nice job!
>>151077723Mike's not that kind of guy. He'd probably walk into a forest and hang himself. No mess, and he wouldn't burden his family with a cleanup.
>>151077129The ONLY way Mucy could work is with a big time skip after they kinda sorta reconcile but Mike leaves her at "yeah there's way too much bad baggage here, let's just agree to leave each other alone and not freak out at each other's presence alright?Lucy is left bellowing in the proverbial wind losing out on the one person she truly cared about but not in full blown hate either (even though Mike by all accounts should despise her). Jump forward to post college and maybe they run into each other to have a fresh start after hopefully working on their own issues. Although then again you could twist the bittersweet knife there by having them run into each other again and be friendly only for a new girl to arrive and be revealed as Mike's fiancee leaving Lucy forever in the friendzone...but hey he doesn't hate her anymore!
>>151077854>his familyAt this point, that's might be the only thing keeping him in the realm of the living. Mike probably would love to go kill himself right now, but his mom just made a big deal about depending on him and that's the supposed canonical reason why he got back together with Sandy in the first place. Plus, I don't know, maybe Paulo will come give him a pep talk so Taeshi can snuff the light out of his eyes again later.
>>151077890I think it could work in a big stupid dramatic fashion, but it would take the kind of personal effort and character development that seems entirely foreign to Lucy. At this point, she's the biggest problem and thus the only one who could actually solve this mess.
>>151077906>Paulo will give him a pep talkGiven the glimpse of the supposed double date, I doubt it will ultimately play out that way.
>>151077941I dunno, that panel could be Paulo trying to get through Mike's terminal dead-eyed depression. We know orange cat gets frustrated easily and frequently takes the less effective routes.>"Mike why the fuck are you giving them the time of day?">"Lucy's a stupid bitch Augustus is a prick and James is flighty just IGNORE THEM"
>>151076526I'm hoping this chapter is where we finally stop seeing him. Dude was shoehorned in just to be another way to shit on Mike, and it's insane that he even has "fans" despite being here for such little time.
>>151078008>be a happy-go-lucky moron who seems to sincerely care about Mike>which basically makes you a unicorn since David is not a real characterI'm not shocked that James amassed a fanbase.
>>151076143With every passing page the catharsis of this parody increases... only I want more blood now.
>>151078077There's no way to say this without being weird, but I do like how macho Mike looks in the last panel. It's a good shot.
Lame, see you monday
>>151078182I like that he's fending off his inner demon before it goes out of control, implying things could get so much worse for everyone involved.
>>151078077good ending
>>151078077I earnestly wonder what could drive Mike to break the conditioning this hard. He's sperged and gotten violent before, but he always regrets it and comes to blame himself. It's never a clean snap and abandonment of his tormentors.
>>151078191Bye
>>151078304Having a Carrie moment is about the only thing
I want to see these cats in the style of Louis Wain. This piece always reminds me of Daisy
>>151078373i love this artist
>>151076314Time to date Felix, Mike.
>>151078008>Implying There's one thing people are ignoring about things going awful in Double Date; James works there too, so he can still be squeezed for yet more drama that could give Paulo an alibi to not be completely responsible in demonizing Mike. Remember, James is a retard to fling at anything with no consequences so you can throw him at the date to protect Sandy from Mike
>>151078443That would be cute, but Felix would inevitably turn on him too
>>151076183You know what, that's pretty good. Out of respect for the effort, I recant any idea of Mike leading Daisy on.I still think Mike was incredibly fucking dumb for going along with "Oh it's just a friend date" though
>>1510783041) Alejandro showing up 2) Him getting a new friend group that appears to be supportive but is encouraging his toxic traits for their own ends.(I could see Finn doing something like this considering his pragmatic streak). 3) >>151078327
>>151078455>I feel sorry for your girlfriendHe's gonna tell Sandy Mike led him and Lucy on and she's gonna break up with him, I can't believe I didn't see it beforeWhy are they going on a date to a fast food restaurant?
>>151078455>James works there tooI do not believe the double date will take place at the burger place. Yes, I know there is the preview panel, but it's only Paulo and Mike in frame, not their dates, so I think it's either beforehand or the disastrous aftermath. Either way, James could be on-hand to glare at Mike and make him feel worse than he already seems to be.
>Inb4 Sandy never shows up
>>151078518>The track team sharpens Mike's spergery into a finely honed weaponInteresting direction. It kind of vilifies them but at this point who isn't terrible and/or retarded?
>>151078526I'm pretty sure that if that happens, it'd be temporary. Lucy can't truly have Mike until he's the one who breaks up with Sandy, not the other way around. It all goes back to the stupid Goldiemalding.
>>151078579final nail in the coffin
>>151078507Mike is stupid for putting faith in his awful friends, over and over again.
>>151076411nice drawing anon
>>151078579>Sandy does show up>but her reservation at Fancisons or whatever got canceled or she fucked it up because airhead lol>they end up at the burger place instead for plot reasons>Paulo and Daisy are having their date there because fat cat has really low standards and thinks it's super romantic
>>151078599It is an interesting idea, and it’s a subplot in a fanfic I am working on(though by this point Mike and Finn are in college). I doubt Taeshi would do it though.
Hey remember a few chapters ago when James first came into the picture, and Michael was allowed to be happy for like 2 chapters?Yeah, that was fun
>>151078663It's kind of funny how the only true good parts of BCB these days are blatant bait and the rest is just transparent torture porn, plot-enabling bullshit, white cat asspats, """drama""", and the least interesting or plausible romance in the universe.
>>151076369>thank you for the emotional gurothese fucking people
>>151076488>>151076513Why does Taeshi hate her own characters so much? Mike is cursed to suffer at all times and in all ways, no matter how much causality must warp to facilitate it. Taeshi hexed Sue to have spun-glass bones and terrible luck. Daisy is "it's so over" personified. Even Lucy "parasite" Whitecat is constantly miserable because she's insane, hyper-fixated and delusional.
>>151078599As for how it could work, I could see Finn staging a coup and removing James(and possibly David) from the track team somehow.(“damaging team morale” or something like that). Then he trains Mike along the lines of “Imagine every person who has wronged you being your opponent”. Could get interesting with Finn setting up dummies of Lucy and/or Augustus along the track to motivate Mike and them finding out. Or maybe Finn staging a fight between Mike and Paulo to further separate him from the group.
>>151078718I guess it's karmic punishment. Sue does get unreasonably arrogant given her own shortfalls and limitations. And if she does forsake Mike for Lucy, well, I don't feel too sorry for her.
>>151076541Every *person* is bi to some degree or another. It's been known since that study in the 60s, the one they named that scale off of, the Kinsey.
So this is just December again. Except pants-on-head retarded.How long do you think we'll have to wait until Mike's inevitable suicide attempt?
It's funny how after all of this Sandy is still a better pick than Lucy lolCuckshit > insane whore
>>151078699tis what happens when the comic goes from a passion project to fulltime job
>>151078737I'm not sure that Mike has enough self-respect left in him to feel wronged by others. I could see him getting manipulated into being violent, but kind of in this loyal broken attack dog way.
>>151078786>How long do you think we'll have to wait until Mike's inevitable suicide attempt?Probably another ten years.
>>151077322I thought that was official til I opened it, good work anon very cute
>>151078817This could be a point of tension within the team. Felix genuinely trying to rebuild Mikes self-respect and unnerved by the violence, while Finn is all in on making Mike as violent and as loyal to him as possible.
>>151077974>Stop being miserable, you stupid piece of shit.is basically Paulo's default attitude since Daisy called him out during Rachel's party for being a mean asshole and a bad friend.
>>151078887What would be Finn's endgoal, though? Mike could be an effective gun of sorts to have in his pocket, assuming he could no longer be guilted into backing down, but what use would Finn have for such an asset?Honestly, at this point I could see Mike cling to Sandy for some small degree of warmth and end up her quietly sad but strangely intense live-in boyfriend/bodyguard. All the more useful as her career takes off over the years.
>>151078304Maybe having a legit friend group who has his back and gives him confidence to bite back. Basically take the Augustus encounter but have James be a bro>Oh hey you're that girl from the arcade (she was pretty mean back then wonder what's up)>(insert nonsensical shit that occurred her up to Mike starting to bite back and shoving Augustus)>"Yeah dude was pretty over the line here. We're cool Mike.">Cue Augustus doing his keikkaku shit>"Oh he's THAT kind of faggot. Okay fuck this dude. Let the Mike say his side of the st-">Lucy gut/nut punts Mike>"What the fuck was that lady!? You alright bro?">Lucy pulls her schizo ramblings>"Nah forget you lady. From what I am seeing, Mike's right about your abusive crap. Take your Sephiroth reject there and leave us alone.">Mike probably whimpering about being wrong and his depressive shit at this point>"Nah screw that. Give your side of the story. Besides, even if its rough I know from my time with you that you're a good guy at heart. I got your back bro!>Mike finally gets confidence by having someone genuinely in his corner and a true friend that he lashes back with facts and logic
>>151078806Mike's asexual anyways, so a girlfriend who satisfies herself with flings and friends means he doesn't have to deal with gross icky boy/girl parts. It's win/win/win all around.
>>151078945There have been times when Paulo tried to talk to Mike like a normal person, but then also times when he knew how easily Mike could be set off on a subject and still made a stupid joke basically tailor-made to set gray cat off. It's such a fucking roll of the dice with Paulo, but only when he's not upset. Because then he absolutely will do pretty much what you said.
>>151078526To me "I feel sorry for your girl/boyfriend" could be a new version of "at least your mother fucking loved you" lmao. It's THAT bad.
>>151079016That really emphasizes how all Mike needs is a true support structure to succeed, flourish, and become a better person. Meanwhile, Lucy is offered as much on a silver platter, repeatedly, and keeps knocking it to the floor in disdain.
>>151079064I feel like "You KNEW you were all I had!" is a decent contender.
>>151078991>but what use would Finn have for such an asset?nta but I guess you could vaguely tie it with something Finn said in the past "I don't care what Mike does as long as he's a good runner", a few things point out that Finn may be the leader of the track team
>>151078878You can see that it's AI because this Sandy has boobs
>>151076143Do you guys think the reception to Mike missery porn would be less hated if it came out all at once instead of page by page?
>>151079106Yeah, probably. It's just page after page of escalating bullshit that refreshes the baffled outrage. A single day's hateread is over and done with.
>>151078625I think Mike is just cursed to always make the wrong decision, no matter what. When his friends are messing with him, he gives them his full trust and makes no back-up plans. But when his friends are trying to help, he freaks out because he thinks they're out to trick him. When Sandy's available, he regards her with barely-tolerant exhaustion, but when she's not, he thinks she's his soulmate. When Lucy's actively trying to make him miserable, he feels too guilty to defend himself, but the rare times she's not, he's spiteful and aggressive.When Mike comes to a crossroads, the path he picks will be the thorny dead-end, never the well-maintained road.
>>151077229I don't think she really planned this or Felix wouldn't have gone along with the date knowing how bad James was. I think Taeshi genuinely believes that James is just a little flaky but is in the right believing this absolute horseshit from the white cunts.
>>151079106You want to put 9 years of misery porn into one chapter?
>>151079016Track team members really need to be these guys for Mike.
>>151078991“Violent” may not have not been the best word. More “perpetually Angry” and “Ultra-competitive”. The goal of course was to have Mike operating in peak form during the track meets so the team can win state. Maybe take him to college for the Track and Field National Championship as well(it’s that a thing.) Sandy is an interesting case, I don’t know if they would encourage him to breakup with her or just leave it be. Your scenario is plausible though.I also wonder what the reaction from the table would be. I doubt Lucy(outside a tad bit of concern) and Augustus would care, James wouldn’t either outside seething about being booted from the track team. But maybe Daisy, Paulo, and maybe Sue would try to intervene? Who knows.
>>151076143Yellow faggot needs to die
>>151079132Except that's not true. It's the case that no matter what road he picks, it's always thorns. See James for the most immediately relevant example.
>>151077129I'm really just praying Mike's low self-esteem leads him to "I need to avoid Lucy to protect her even if she thinks she wants me around" and not "oh I'm so greatful that Lucy would forgive a worm like me." All the external factors that soured Mike on Lucy in the first place have only gotten much worse, and we know guilt doesn't keep him docile forever.
>>151079092Finn has the quite the pragmatic streak and as that one Patron comment once said would make a great NFL owner. I wonder would could have caused that steak to develop? Maybe he once grew up on the bad side of town, maybe he already knows about Alejandro, Augustus, and Toby, etc etc
>>151079213>and not "oh I'm so greatful that Lucy would forgive a worm like me."Anon have you forgotten who the artist of this webcomic is and what it's really about
>>151079106Yes, absolutely. Mike's misery saga is "only" 2-3 volumes thus far, and Lucy's misery saga was 2-3 volumes as well. The more recent volumes are a lot longer in terms of page count, but not by nearly the degree to which they're longer in real time.If the last 3 volumes had come out over the course of like 2 or 3 years instead of 8, Mike would both seem more sympathetic to most readers, and seem less like he's cursed to suffer by a spiteful universe.
>>151079167Lucy would be seething with jealousy that Mike no longer seems to give a fuck about her. I do like the idea that Mike could be driven to do his best for Finn/the team out of sheer loyalty. He's certainly hyperfocused all his efforts on certain individuals in the past, so that tendency could indeed be weaponized into something useful.
>>151079016This really does crystalize why I hate this comic so much. It has the potential and watching wasted potential die by inches each week is grating. All this needs is ANY capable writer who doesn't have mental issues.
>>151079163>Alejandro attacks Mike>Instead of table fags going to his rescue its the TRACK CHADS
r/bcb actually talking shit about the comic nowthey hate the Patreon as well lmao
>>151079016Mike gets spared from having a character arc, brilliant stuff and totally not autistic.
>>151079016Mike really needs a Kamina figure in his life
>>151079213I think the worst kind of torment that Mike could inflict on Lucy is intervening on her behalf and then immediately turning and walking away, no matter how she felt about it. Lucy would fucking HATE being in debt to him AND having her thoughts on the matter ignored.
>>151079254>Lucy would be seething with jealousy that Mike no longer seems to give a fuck about her.Definitely at first, and I wonder how Augustus would deal with it. Poorly most likely.That said the deeper Mike goes I do think Lucy would show a little concern
>>151079163Fucking love that twist where they turn out to be the best buds you could have despite the initial framing of them as "antagonists"
>>151079271a lot of people in the comments are saying they got it recommended randomly, from 0-1 comments per page it went to 30-40, and they all hate whats happeningwe're witnessing the new generation of Mikefags upon us
>>151079331I dunno, she just got done taking part in running (the pain) train on Mike. Lucy's shown some concern toward him before, but she immediately squashed it in favor of feeling sorry for herself. She probably thinks that any concern toward Mike = an invitation for unnecessary pain and, unlike gray cat, immediately gives up after the first injury.
>>151079331She would only show concern in so much as she thinks she has a shot of reeling him back in. She's done it before and she will inevitably do so again.
>>151079189That's what I meant, anon.Over in /tg/, there's a phenomenon known as the "quantum ogre". See, the GM (gamemaster) has to prepare problems/encounters ahead of time, and that's a fair amount of time and effort they don't want to go to waste. And from the players perspective, the point of the game is in those problems/encounters, but it's also more fun if they have a degree of agency and initiative, with the (theoretical) ability to avoid or circumvent things rather than just being on rails.A popular solution to this tension is the "quantum ogre" (it could also be the "quantum puzzle" or "quantum treasure"); the GM offers two or more paths or choices, ostensibly with varying risks and rewards for each. But whichever route the players pick, they'll fight the ogre. Thus, the players, being (somewhat deliberately) unaware of the behind-the-scenes mechanism, feel like they had initiative and *could* have avoided the fight, but also get the fun *of* the fight.
>>151079238I feel like we are getting ahead of ourselves, I see where you are coming from but I don't think Finn has enough of a personality to jump to those conclusions. I would like to know more about the character though because we could use an unapologetic asshole jock guy but not like misunderstood (Augustus) or straight up evil (Alejandro)
I really hope Finn lives up to the hype...
>FinnLiteral who
I juat want more Amaya.....
>>151079381The distinction I was getting at is whether Mike is making the wrong decision or the universe makes whatever choice he made wrong, as you illustrated. Like one anon has repeatedly blamed Mike for going along with the Daisy date because he's too nice a guy or whatever. So let's imagine what would have happened had he said no.>Abbey and Paulo both give him shit for being such a terrible friend>Augustus probably manipulates her into an even worse version of herselfWhat about if he said "yes" to Lucy after her confession?>Lucy learns absolutely nothing because she suffered for roughly five minutes>goes back to her old carelessly abusive selfI think the only real "win" he had for a while was telling Lucy no and getting a relatively brief respite from her nonsense before December, its aftermath, and the associated guilt kicked in.
>>151079382I do see Finn as above all else a pragmatist and very goal oriented. He won’t cause unnecessary suffering, but he’s not afraid to break some bones if it got the job done.This could be the result of a tough background, but it’s just as likely he has tiger parents.
>>151079382>misunderstood (Augustus)I think that Augustus has forfeited his "misunderstood" card by this point. He's back to being an asshole edgelord, allegedly for a good cause. But then, isn't that what he told himself about trying to corrupt Daisy?
>>151079402that is if Taeshi even makes the team relevant enough, James got his character ruined in record time the moment the character served its purpose
>>151078806Sandy cheated on him which is shitty. BUT you could argue that at minimum it's because Mike isnt around her physically. If he were then she might have not cheated at all. Or the chances would have been much more low.Plus a teen girl in the modeling industry means that she's gonna be fucked up on some level. Doesn't excuse the cheating but could be a factor. Lucy is just insane without much reason. She refuses to admit her fuck ups but has other people do the dirty work for her while she watches so she can still find some way to keep her hands clean.She's fucking psychotic and an actual detrement to Mike's social life much more than sandy
>>151079556>If he were then she might have not cheated at allI could also argue that means approximately jack shit. She cheated, ghosted Mike, then casually dumped him. It's red flags, all the way down. Not that Lucy is any better, it's just they're both awful choices for Mike no matter how you slice it.
>>151079447More AmayaMore SueMore RachelMore Jessica
>>151079589>JessicaWhat, the idiot gasslighter who's STILL malding over Tess so hard she masturbated on stage and threw all her friends under the bus?
>>151079271If you're gonna gossip do it right, show us some details
>>151079603Correct
>>151079622I agree, she should appear more often so the Sue-tier karma can dunk her head in a toilet and give her a swirlie.
>>151079603I forgot why she's even malding over tess in the first place? Was it because of her bully days or was it because she changed and became a better person to make up for it?
>>151079556That means nothing and isn't Mike's fault. If the relationship isn't working then you break up first then move on. Both Sandy and Lucy are shit and Mike would be better off finding someone else entirely
>>151079491>asshole edgelordI don't it counts if he's only antagonistic towards one guy, especially when he gets the short end of the stick with Lucy's nightmares. He's been pretty neutral with everyone or striaght up not interested. I mean last time he was an asshole he seemed to feel bad afterwards.
>>151079661At this point, who even knows? With Taeshi at the helm, it's probably both. It's easy to imagine her being annoyed at people who actually improve themselves because she's jealous of their inner strength which puts her own shortcomings under a microscope.
>>151079661Because Tess told everyone Jess was a huge slut so uh.... she had sex with Paulo to get back at Tess?
>>151079675*last time he was an asshole to Abbey
>>151079556>she's gonna be fucked up on some levelShe kinda is already. Judging from the last time she visited Mike and how she treated him, we know she was forced to "grow up" too fast because of her work and maybe the reason she loves Mike is because he provides her with the levity and childishness she was forced to give up and it's actually a very interesting angle that Taeshi could expand on if she were a competent writer and not a fucking schizo
At least some of the comments are talking about how shitty James is. This writing is so bad even they can understand that this humiliation ritual is going too far.
>>151079617It's a public reddit, you can read it for yourself.
>>151079675See, the thing is that sort of thing does not come out of nowhere. People cannot act like the biggest assholes in the universe toward one person, wholesale making up shit and gleefully watching them suffer, and just turn it off afterwards. That's the result of a core character flaw.
>>151079470>Like one anon has repeatedly blamed Mike for going along with the Daisy dateBut anon, I am that anon.The problem I have with that perspective is you're making a distinction between Mike and the story he's a character in. Mike, his decisions, and the consequences thereof, all are written and illustrated by Taeshi, so Mike making the wrong decision and the universe making whatever decision he makes wrong are the same thing. Either way, his suffering is preordained and due to him being dumb.Mike, like Oedipus, is fated to suffer, and the question of whether he could have avoided it and had things turn out differently if he'd made different decisions is a mystery, and ultimately irrelevant. It's all very Greek, only dumb and poorly-written.
>>151079700Sandy can't have a day in her life shown because any possibility of Sandy looking sympathetic messes with how she's used by Taeshi to basically fracture the friend group.>>151079708It's because despite how Mike has been, Sandy cheating on him was still extra shitty. So james has no idea what he's talking about. He's absolutely indefensible
Haven't discussed this story in so long but honest to god the issue with this story is how it frames everything.You listen to Taeshi and everyones supposed to be shitty here but anything revolving around Mike is dark and depressing in terms of colour palette and EVERYTHING about Lucy is bright and colourful.Like there's no nuance, She wants to claim it's not all black and white but all the effort is put into literally DISPLAYING it.
>>151079752>and the question of whether he could have avoided it and had things turn out differently if he'd made different decisions is a mysteryIt's actually not. You just got done pointing out that he by definition -cannot- make the right choice because of who is writing the story. I could also just point out how Mike choosing to be friends with James would obviously be a good choice in any other comic because runner boy's complete 180 on Mike was not telegraphed at all. Only Taeshi would use such a cheap bait and switch.
>>151076816I wonder if it IS her saying this last bit. Very excited to see the community reaction to Paulo (who most people seem to really like) standing up for his friend instead of rolling over on command.
>>151079784It’s cause James doesn’t actually give a shit about what he’s saying here. He’s only saying it to drop Mike as a third wheel. I really hope David rejects his ass brutally
>>151079357well considering he's about to pull a Lucy and try to kill himself that would be the expected result
>>151079813If it's anything like last time, Paulo will be despised for calling Lucy out and not showing nearly enough contrition despite taking the entirety of the blame for angering her on himself.
>>151079708I mean the writing isn't bad if James is intended to be shitty. I said this last thread but I think there's an interesting statement to be made here. When you break up with someone, especially when you're young, you tend to concentrate on the worst attributes of your ex in order to emotionally distance yourself. This is totally normal behavior. The problem is that when you're young you mistake those feelings for being meaningful or real. And your ex, if exposed to those feelings, can be very psychologically damaged by them (especially if they are still in love with you.)That's sort of what happened with Lucy: She was exposed to the hateful feelings Mike had for her as a sort of pseudo-breakup. And that's what I *think* is intended to be sort of happening with James here. The only thing is that James has far less justification for being spiteful, since Mike did not subject him to years of abuse, was mostly honest with him, and they were never really that close to begin with.
>>151079815I doubt James has enough guile for that. He's just thinking with his dick and is incredibly stupid/untrustworthy.
>>151079617>>151079709they are mostly reposting shit from here reallysomething about this week burst the Lucy bubble in the fandom I think
>>151079813I hope to god this winds up with Paulo finally fully turning on Lucy out of concern for Mike
>>151079841Don't forget that they never dated, Mike let James down super gently, their "break-up" had zero emotional trauma to it until David got involved, and James was fine staying Mike's friend afterward. Or at least seemed to. He did make a very careless joke at Mike's expense but that was framed as the result of being a turbo retard rather than malice.
>>151079864>>151079813>Polo: I've seen this happen before...>the entire universe: stop thinking about it (he deserves it)
>Mike was emotionally cheating on Sandy with Lucy>James is Mike's Lucy 2.0>Mike was emotionally cheating on Sandy with James?FFS Taeshi what are you trying to get at you stupid woman?
>>151079864I hope it includes Lucy being a horrible bitch and convincing Paulo that, whatever positive feelings he retains toward her, the delusional white cat is just plain bad news until she shapes up.
>>151079841>I mean the writing isn't bad if James is intended to be shitty.NTA but my thing with James is that while I do think he was intended to be shitty here, even if Taeshi is bad as framing it as such, I don't think he was intended to be this shitty when he was made and introduced with the track team.I think that its very possible that James and Mike were going to have a break off at some point, but Taeshi basically speedran it and she needed someone to go along with david's shenaningans for the current situation. So since james hadn't been around long and his full personality hadn't been cemented, she picked him.Unfortunately, this makes James look incredibly shitty especially after his "its okay as long as you're trying to improve" speech. We knew that once david did his thing at the end of the movie date that Mike and James were gonna drift. We just didn't think it'd be this bad or blatant .
>>151079106I think there's a lot of clarity that I'd appreciate if I were seeing this whole chapter at once. Like if Paulo's about to say "hey when I suggested this exact thing why did you say no then" then I wouldn't be wondering if that's gonna come up or not for weeks on a batch-drop schedule.
>>151079848I mean honestly from one read Lucy is being a humongous piece of shit in this chapter. Like, way beyond anyone else here. She gave a one-sided explanation of her past with Mike that just so happened to gloss over all her abuse of him. When Mike tried to give his side, she kicked him in the gut to shut him up. For someone who was supposed to have "atoned" for the way she treated Mike in the past, this is actually some of the worst, most unjustified physical abuse she's ever subjected him to. She wasn't defending anyone, it couldn't be written off as them "just being friendly"-she did a big weepy victim act, and then when Mike was very justifiably pissed off at her for that and tried to talk back, she kicked him in the gut hard enough to make him collapse. Like, what are we supposed to think about that? She hasn't fucking atoned or improved herself at all. If anything she's worse than ever.
>>151079913>when you need new and innovative ways to demonize your little husbando voodoo dollI'm honestly more bothered about how Taeshi is herself an emotional cheater /per her own record/ and of course does not hold herself accountable.
>>151079930but she was lead on and emotional cheatedin taeshis world that is a crime
>>151079813Oh this is big, can’t wait to see where this goes.
>>151079864You know Lucy is going to use his words against him if he backs down, you said you'd get rid of Mike, someone already did, now sit down and take the beating gleefully
>>151079864>>151079897I would absolutely love for it to play out that way. This whole chapter has been full of people saying awful shit to Mike while Lucy stands by and benefits. It would be SO much more fucking interesting if she herself fully bought into this "he deserves it" attitude instead of just being a passive beneficiary of it.And I don't imagine Paulo "turning" on her so much as straightforwardly saying that he's worried about Mike and giving her a brief pang of self-awareness before the rest of the table drowns it out.If all of that is where this is going it will drastically change my opinion on this chapter as a whole.
>>151079913I think it was supposed to be "Lucy is to Mike as Mike is to James". But she really speedran the "Mike and James" part of the equation, and sort of neglected the fact that Mike had way more reason to be pissed off at Lucy than James ever had reason to be pissed off at Mike
Okay I like that gay paulo gets some growth and actually stands up for Michael but like. Another character whose personality switches up on a whim depending on what tae wants.Paulo x mike endgame? :)
>>151079930Worse, she let Augustus give the one-sided account and then, after deliberately punishing Mike for speaking the truth, Lucy gave a completely delusional take that painted her as the poor innocent victim and Mike as the horrible perpetrator. Fucking hell, the worst thing is that Mike has been largely overlooking her abuse since EF and pining for "the good old days." As if when Lucy went "durr hurr you don't remember what we used to have together?" the notion got stuck in his brain.
>>151079913I'm gonna be honest, I think taeshi straight up forgot james was willing to destroy a relationship, she's just embracing this unplanned hypocrisy.
>>151079661>>151079692The funny thing is that Jess malds over Tess way harder than Rachel ever did, despite Rachel's brother Aaron being the original victim.>Aaron hits Tess with a ball, she destroys the ball with a pocketknife and Roger is enough of a psycho to break Aaron's arm>Rachel is obviously upset by this, and Jess decides to do something>For some reason her first and only plan is to try and seduce Roger's friend/minion into helping her>Allegedly Jessica loses her nerve after kissing him, Roger's friend kindly lets her off the hook and warns her to not play with fire if she doesn't want to get burned>Tess exaggerates this into Jess giving him a blowjob and spreads the rumor around>Jess's target of ire shifts onto Tess>A year later she takes her revenge by seducing/dateraping Tess's on-again-off-again-boyfriend, thus allegedly losing her virginity in a nightclub bathroomI say "allegedly" twice because we only have Jessica's word that's how it went down; I hypothesize that Tess's rumor-spreading was actually mostly true, and she wasn't a virgin prior to Paulo, with my evidence being that A: she clearly has no qualms about using sex as a weapon, B: the bouncer at the nightclub she took Paulo to already knew her name and face, C: There was no blood when she fucked him in that bathroom.That last point is a bit unrealistic, since a lot of girls lose their hymen masturbating or just incidentally, but Taeshi loves dumb cliches, so the lack of them in this case is notable.
The emotional cheating thing feels so dumb, because Mike tried to date Lucy. She turned HIM down. After that he fully devoted to Sandy despite everyone shitting on him because he didn't pick the girl that rejected him.Even when she came back he tried to reconcile but she rejected his attempts and shat on him every chance she got. This would be alright if the narrative showed it as Lucy making a bad decision, but it's not.Its justification from a woman that can't get over some internet shit that happened two decades ago.
>>151079975Now that's interesting to see. Is Paulo gonna submit to everyone antagonizing him for expressing his concern for Mike, or will he go check on him? Shittiest plotline is the one Taeshi will go for
>>151079975>Mike's made up original idea was that Daisy would go after him and Paulo would follow>Actually Paulo will go after him and Daisy will follow her manOh how the turn tables
>>151079994>Paulo x mike endgame?If Paisy wasn't the most word-of-God done-deal ship in the comic I could almost believe that. It's what SHOULD happen, unironically. Both of them deserve someone who cares about them.
>>151080041Jess sounds like she just can't handle the fact that Tess tried to make up for her actions. Like she'd be much happier if Tess remained shitty to justify her anger. But now that she's become better, Jessica can't accept it because it means she'd have to realize she's wrong to keep this grudge going.
>>151080064We need this sandwich. That's what needs to fucking happen. Sandwiches solve everything.
>i never see anyone praising my comicOh, so the constant asslicking isn't good enough as-is? You need more recognition outside of your immediate readership? I guess keeping your community an isolated, heavily policed cult has its downsides.
>>151080098>Oh, so the constant asslicking isn't good enough as-is?She did leave her own discord because it wasn't enough of an echo chamber
>>151080064That would actually be pretty good. Countering Mike's actual worst prediction, that everyone would side with Lucy over him, with Paulo of all people, should only benefit Mike's self-esteem.
It's interesting how this comic's artstyle follows a bell-curve where the x axis represents experience and y axis represents quality.
>>151080098Reminds you of someone?
>>151080162I earnestly blame Suitcase for that one. Taeshi was clearly enjoying her watercolor work but it wasn't very time-efficient and Suitcase convinced her to abandon it in favor of digital. He's also probably the one who got her to go all bobblehead, given his longwinded explanation about making the comic less furry or whatever.
>>151079975>>151079813>>151076154You know what really pisses me off with these spoilers? I thought because Aug didn't appear it meant he either got his shit wrecked, Lucy distanced from him over him starting this shit with Mike that got her baggage spilled out in public, or the table refused to have him due to TRYING TO MOLEST DAISY.
>>151077129Reminder that THIS is the CANON ending of BCB. Anything beyond this is less than a fanfic.
>>151080073I really love this chapter. This comic needs more honest conversations between characters that actually matter, without getting muddied by final fantasy cat and miss victim.
>>151078991>Finn: Let's staple a taser to James' balls for backstabbing you Mike!>Felix: Finn.... you gotta cover the taser in itching powder first. Make him *writhe* in pain. It has to be unbearable. Make him SUFFER.
>>151080215I'm actually happier with the present outcome because the alternative left Lucy with the same old annoying level of plausible deniability while she clearly benefited from the mess Augustus caused. But now, her hands are no less soiled.
>>151079804You're still acting like Mike is separate from the story and it's writer. He isn't; he "can't make the right choice because of who is writing the story" because it isn't "his" choice at all. There is no "him". Within the story, Mike makes the wrong decision and suffers for it, and he doesn't exist outside the story. The reason I bring up Greek tragedies is they deliberately played with this idea by drawing a parallel between the way a character exists inside and at the mercy of the story, and the way that real people exist within and at at the mercy of fate. And because Greek stories are canonical to western literature, the idea that characters are separate to and can act against the will of their authors is baked in to the way that we read stories, hence why you and I are talking about whether *Mike* is a dumbass, rather than about BCB as a whole being written by a dumbass.
>>151080264>You're still acting like Mike is separate from the story and it's writer.Except he is. Literally anyone else could take the character "Mike" and write him acting in-character without the obviously contrived eternal torment. It's called fanfiction, written by non-crazy people who have no vested interest in watching him walk into ever garden rake on the planet, sequentially, forever. "Mike" is just a bundle of traits and characterization, separate from the one who dreamed him up.
>>151080239Actually, re-reading it is pissing me off.THIS is David. A caring goofball who say's weird things, acts on impulse, but ultimately loves his friends. NOT whatever the current "Liquid David" is.
>>151080098I've seen this before. The creator wants praise from people whose opinion they value. They want some big name to say "Wow this indie comic is amazing! It's the next Lackadaisy!"All the comments from nobodies praising them means nothing, the thousands of patreon bux a month mean nothing, they need validation and that validation must always increase in scale or it doesn't satisfy them.
>>151080014it might sound weirdbut this is more interesting then Lucy defending Mike like a mary sue (which is what I was expecting to happen) who has all the moral powershe's weak and pathetic, she has stupid dreams and cannot sleep well, completely exhaustedshe's still going to be responsible for his future suicide attempt, but it is more interesting then making her the avatar of moral superiority
>>151080215It's a pretty good showing that Lucy doesn't know what she wants, or really does but is very manipulative about it. If Paulo offers her to deal with Mike so she can return to the table? That's bad because he's putting the responsibility on her. If David does? It's good because he's giving her little to no choice and thus keeping her hands clean. Paulo wanting to know about her problems and help? Bad, manipulative, forcing himself. Augustus exposes her bleeding heart while causing as much damage as possible? Good, he did his best, he cared, it was for her own good.Before you could say that when Lucy said she didn't like seeing Mike suffer she meant it in an awful very retconny way. Now? No excuses, mask off as Taeshi would say, she's irredeemable and no one but the most cultist sheeple will believe it when she comes saying how much she didn't mean it and it was a spur of the moment and actually his fault somehow
>>151080303David actually annoyed me in that chapter because up until then he could sort of be characterized as a retarded sociopath who cared only for Paulo, first and foremost. But then when Paulo was suffering, David fucked off like a retard and left Mike to do all the work and slid back in for hugtime afterward, suddenly sobbing and crying over Paulo's predicament.
>>151080303Taeshi needed someone to initiate Mike getting exiled out of the table while suffering little consequence from it.Paulo, Daisy, and Sue couldn't do such a thing because it would actually damage mike even more, and Taeshi doesn't want him at that level...yet. So David was the next choice. And she can write him off as just being a "Chaotic and funny guy". >>151080307>They want some big name to say "Wow this indie comic is amazing! It's the next Lackadaisy!"First of all, that wouldn't happen based on the art alone. Second of all if this comic got as big as she wants, the fights over Mike vs Lucy and the possibility that more people shit on Lucy's actions and call them out than normal, would screw with her head. Someone asked about what if a big youtuber reviewed the comic and I don't think she could mentally or emotionally handled the possible negative press from it.
>>151080321>this is more interesting then Lucy defending Mike like a mary sue (which is what I was expecting to happen) who has all the moral powerOh I absolutely agree. Lucy is finally being shown fully in-character. Previously, the comic shied away from letting her really let loose despite the internal shittiness occasionally glimpsed beneath the hood.
I've always thought emotional cheating was some bullshit Tae conjured uphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_affair
>>151080372>First of all, that wouldn't happen based on the art aloneYeah, the art that Taeshi takes pretty much zero pains to improve. She finally started trying to use proper perspective when Augustus moved in with Lucy but is obviously relying heavily on references, if not outright drawing over them (remember the massive hallway in Mike's house?). Same with her anatomical references, which are all clearly female. It ranges from lazy to outright juvenile and careless.
>>151080413I mean it's a real concept, but the way Taeshi talks about it is just her huffing copium out of a bag because she clearly cheated on Suitcase with that guy who wrote the rapefic but she doesn't want to be the bad guy.
>>151080381>Lucy is finally being shown fully in-characterYeah, the thing is, it doesn't matter if Lucy is shown "fully in-character" if she just gets away with her shitty actions
>>151080014This is so uncannily similar to Sandy convincing Mike that Lucy was strictly evil abuser and nothing more, and Mike using that as a reason to cut her off, that I'm willing to believe it's intentional.>>151080307I think that's extremely normal, frankly. Praise for your idols/peers hits very different.
>>151080413I think the problem is that her personal application of it is both way too strict and noticeably one-sided.
>>151077773Do we even know if it was that much? If she was just crushing on the guy and didn't actually flirt with him yet then breaking up with Mike before proceeding would be the "correct" way to do it. Well, not in the taishi world of """"emotional cheating"""" but by real world logic. Of course, this being the Fuck Mike Special it will be revealed later that she definitely fucked the guy like 5 times before calling. And is still fucking him even now. Even though that doesn't make sense to her character as we know it.
>>151080381if this was the continued writing, she would absorb Mike of his sins in front of everyone like a bipolar Jesus
>>151080446>This is so uncannily similar to Sandy convincing Mike that Lucy was strictly evil abuser and nothing more, and Mike using that as a reason to cut her off, that I'm willing to believe it's intentional.Wasn't that because Mike only mentioned how Lucy would just constantly hit him?
>hand-painted pages with good art>good writing and character development >all on a consistent update schedule Wait a minute, this comic uses to be good? SOVL even?
>>151080455Well, let's see here. Sandy:>fell in love with the guy by her own admission>started ghosting Mike with brief little scraps of attention here or there>casually dumped Mike in favor of other guyYeah, she cheated man. You gotta just up and accept that for what it is.
>>151080466>She would absorb MikeFinally they will be one! Praise be the white devil
>>151080489>Wasn't that because Mike only mentioned how Lucy would just constantly hit him?No, Mike also made excuses for Lucy and Sandy is the one who said "no man this is messed up."
>>151080519There was a huge shift in everything after Lucy jumped.
>>151080524The funniest part is that both "he was there for me when I was lonely" and her admission of ghosting him were pages apart, like gee
>>151080519the watercolor winter is actually quite pretty
>>151080559She probably meant physically, but still,Jesus christ she really wanted to Destroy Mike when she revealed all that.
>>151077534Taeshi is such a fucking hack.>>151076411Thanks for the summary Anon.
>>151080519Good for what it was, anyway. BCB was fairly innovative for deconstructing the whole tsundere girlfriend trope so prevalent in the anime that inspired BCB in the first place. Taeshi was genuinely improving her craft in pretty much every area, if not super quickly or evenly. Then Lucy left, the Paulo Show era came to heavily feature the reset button, Taeshi adopted the horrible bobblehead look, and it all just kept degrading from there. But in terms of writing, things didn't get truly dire until around Lucy's return, when Taeshi rewrote previously goodhearted if distant Sandy into a vapid brainless bitch who clearly did not prioritize her attentive long-distance boyfriend.
>>151080581Remember that according to her Mike getting angry about the situation was "being mean and unfair on Francis", which while would make sense for Sandy to say as an excuse to cut him out already makes me think Taeshi already wanted him to feel the blame for everything that happens in this comic
>>151080519No it was always fucking garboit was just slightly less back then.Taeshi literally went to the loony bin got put on new meds and started sanitizing everything afterwards.
>>151080612>things didn't get truly dire until around Lucy's return, when Taeshi rewrote previously goodhearted if distant Sandy into a vapid brainless bitchThis
>>151080619I am certain the moment Taeshi started planning on how to bring Lucy back into the comic, and mulling over how "unfair" she'd been to her own fursona, her absolute worst impulses started to bubble and rise to the surface.
>>151080519yes, the watercolors were beautiful. i wouldnt mind a slower update schedule if she goes back to effortful art.never forget that while she was working on retconning the first 3 books we had 1 page a week with the gross modern bobblehead style. almost a whole year to finish that fucking halloween chapter.
>>151080651>i wouldnt mind a slower update schedule if she goes back to effortful artThe problem is the story, characterization, and general "morality" of the story would still be absolutely rancid.
>>151080672well, the direction can't be reversed. but i want some nice art with it at least, because currently we got the worst of both worlds and i think seeing Michael ketchuping in watercolor would be the least tae can do for us.
>>151080612>But in terms of writing, things didn't get truly dire until around Lucy's return, when Taeshi rewrote previously goodhearted if distant Sandy into a vapid brainless bitch who clearly did not prioritize her attentive long-distance boyfriend.Sandy became just another thing to hurt mike with.Mike became a sperg gremlin.Lucy came back and revealed she hadn't learned a damn thing.It was all bad.
>>151080695If Taeshi really wanted to be all "artistic" in a way that actually improved the comic, she could use Mike's final page spread-long mental snap as a hard cut to a new watercolor style. New perspective, new mood, new era, new art. A very symbolic act of punctuation.
>>151079813Why the fuck is everyone spitting so much venom? David looks angrier at Paulo than he ver did before. Paulo doesn't even recognize James. Sue. The "what's going on" from Paulo was him asking why was every character replaced with a cobra.
>>151080301The issue with the idea that "Mike" is out-of-character is that your idea of "his character" deliberately discards the stuff you don't like. Mike's traits and characterization since *2007* has consistently framed him as being nice, patient, and accommodating, but having a wide and deep mean streak. He remembers slights and forgets favors, often resents attempts to help, he's pretty dumb, and has a victim complex where he reflexively assumes the worst of both himself and others until someone reassures him. He tries to be a good friend, and often succeeds, but when any of the above trips him up he doesn't have any coping mechanisms except going quiet.None of this would make him a bad person, and he's MILES above Lucy "malice aforethought" Whitecat, but he's not some uniquely innocent martyr - he's dysfunctional, casually shitty, and moodswings wildly, like every other character written by Taeshi, because she doesn't want to write friends getting along and having fun, she likes drama and jerks and petty mockery.
>>151080739>Lucy came back and revealed she hadn't learned a damn thingAnd the narrative treated her like wonderfully matured, noble, epic girlboss/unfairly punished victim the whole time, don't forget.
>>151080756Having a girlfriend he actually (very debated) wants puts a bit of interference on Lucyspace fucking up his perception, but give it time, he isn't simp no.1 for nothing
>>151080756Well, if this was a better comic, everyone angry at Paulo pretty much has to vilify Mike or else they look like complete assholes. Plus David has previously complained about Paulo becoming tame and lame, prodding him into doing stupid shit.
>>151080446>so uncannily similar to Sandy convincing Mike that Lucy was strictly evil abuserI agree that this is the intended parallel. The devil is in the details, though. Sandy does little more than get upset when she hears that Mike got hurt and ask him why he puts up with it. On top of that, it took months and months for Mike's feelings to fester before he got to December.James' turnabout is practically a parody of that situation. Sandy's innocent concern is twisted into Augustus' open malice, likely how Lucy herself sees Sandy's influence. First as tragedy, then as farce.
>>151080775>The issue with the idea that "Mike" is out-of-character is that your idea of "his character" deliberately discards the stuff you don't likeYou have no idea what I do or don't like. Do not presume to come at me with your personal dismissive headcanon, I have zero patience for that nonsense. If you want this conversation to continue, cut that shit out.
>>151080805>Plus David has previously complained about Paulo becoming tame and lame, prodding him into doing stupid shit.So david is just a toxic friend then?
>>151080869If he was a real character? Yeah, he would be, among other things.
>>151080777That always felt like it was done to get those high fives of approval from the lucy fans. Because there's no way the thought of Lucy going "It's best if we arent' friends for *insert reason here*" didn't cross Taeshi's mind at some point.But Taeshi didn't have Lucy come up with an actual reason for coming back. She just did for the hell of it.
gaycats
>>151080524In fairness to Sandy, Mike sucked at keeping up his end of a LDR. Prior to the first mention that Sandy was ghosting him, when they were shown to be in regular communication, we got:>"Maishul, it's you! I'm so happy, you never call!">text conversations consisting exclusively of emoticons and "ilu">Sandy, exhausted and depressed at the end of a long day, listening to Mike tell her about his fun day: "I'm so glad you're happy, Maishul">Long conversations between Mike and Sandy where she's the one asking all the questions and going "That's so interesting, tell me more!">Mike not knowing specifically where Sandy is or what she's doingAfter the first mention of Sandy ghosting him we see more of Sandy talking about herself, but Mike looks visibly tired and annoyed by it even before EF.
>>151080888Well I for one boldly dare to say David ought to be judged (condemned) according to the standards applied to any other character. He may be briefly granted jester's privilege upon successfully being funny once.
>>151080917So, the very first example you posted is before they actually got together in any real relationship and were only exchanging letters. Sandy was excited because, you know, Mike never called. He never had a reason to. It's not like she was calling him all the time either. As for the rest, Mike's relationship with Sandy was portrayed as her "normal teenage girl" safety valve. Mike was a support structure, not a drag on her. Not that he could offer her much beyond that, and that's largely why Sandy got together with Francis. As she got into her life as a model, Sandy began to enjoy it more than her normal teenage girl life. She became enamored with this rather shallow concept of "maturity," met a guy IRL who "got her," so of course she would have fallen out with Mike no matter what. Sandy handled it very poorly by cheating on Mike instead of just, you know, breaking up with him like an ACTUAL mature person would.
>>151080992That's been my question for a minute. What was the point of ghosting him for so long instead of just breaking up with him?Did she want to keep Mike as a backup? Since she did eventually lose Francis due to her mother, so she went back to appearing to be all about Mike.
Pen Pals is the true canon btw
>>151080859Alright, it deliberately discards his negative characteristics then.Don't get me wrong, the comic itself does a lot of that too; Mike is constantly catching flak, mostly from Lucy and/or Paulo, and it's usually random bullying. The instances where Mike gets impatient and spiteful usually end with whoever he's talking to sadly backing down, and are only held against him later. And whenever other characters talk about Mike, they say "Mike is such a nice guy, he's really patient and kind", without appending "except for that time I said he looked like he needed a nap and he told me I was terrible and lazy".But that's the case with every character in this godforsaken comic; no-one has problems because *they're* an asshole, they have problems because everyone *else* is assholes. The moral seems to be that if only Mike/Lucy/Daisy/Paulo were more openly selfish and didn't care about being polite, they'd be happy. It's both infuriating, and on a meta level, somewhat worrying.
Could it?
>>151081033Tae needed an excuse to turn Sandy into a literal devil, that's it.
>>151081033>What was the point of ghosting him for so long instead of just breaking up with him?Well, Taeshi has been vilifying Sandy for a while now, so it can't be for any noble reason. That leaves the selfish or careless categories. We saw that Sandy felt guilty toward Mike during her visit and made out with him either as a kind of apology for her infidelity or an attempt to rekindle her feelings toward him. Up until that point during the chapter, she had been treating him as more of a pet. This leads me to guess that Sandy did not want to go through the unpleasant confrontation and Mike's realization she had betrayed him. It was just easier to string him along, as it were.
>>151081033Love is hard. It's easy to be adrift for a long time unsure if you want to break up or stay together. So you end up doing nothing. That goes double when it's long distance because "doing nothing" is easy, if you go AWOL the other person can just write it off as "something came up". Credit to Sandy at least calling and properly breaking up instead of just never answering again.And then she realised her mistake a day later and un-broke up. Time will tell how that goes, but it only furthers the point that love is hard.I say this assuming this story is written by someone sensible and not someone intending to use Sandy as a blunt weapon against Mike later on.
>>151081074>Alright, it deliberately discards his negative characteristics thenNo, it doesn't. Allowing natural consequences to play out instead of contrived torture scenarios or just negative outcomes in general does not lessen Mike's guilt for his own genuinely bad actions, outside of blatantly OOC behavior that has no solid basis. Of course, even after all these accusations and insinuations, I notice you still haven't just asked me what exactly I believe about Mike, just gone on at length about your own viewpoint.
>>151076143>I feel sorry for your girlfriendBR00T4LR00T4LJames going for the fucking throat with no fucks given savage madladTae should have thrown in something like >:breeders sure are violent and horrible people for teh lulz&seeth
>>151080992My point is that as a support structure, Mike didn't offer much support. Sandy helped him a LOT, listening to him vent, telling him that he shouldn't have to just put up with abuse, reminding him to be nice to his friends, and giving him gifts and such as much as she could. But Mike didn't really offer her much in return, despite the fact that we saw that she could really use an opportunity to vent and someone solidly on her side.Basically my premise is that Sandy went "What's up Mike? You're getting beat up? That's terrible!", so Mike should have gone "So what's up with you? You're feeling overworked? That's terrible!". The fact we didn't see that makes it seem like Mike isn't putting much effort in. Admittedly, Mike is the main character whereas Sandy is distant supporting cast, so it's possible that the conversations did have parts where Sandy and her issues were the main topic and they just weren't shown because they weren't relevant to the main plot.
>>151081163>Credit to Sandy at least calling and properly breaking up? Mike called her because he was lonely, they argued and she ended up spilling the beans. She didn't call him to break up
>>151081163>Credit to Sandy at least calling and properly breaking up instead of just never answering again.Sandy didn't call. Mike had to wake her up in the early AMs and corner her before Sandy fessed up, threw in a little emotional manipulation (why are you being so mean? *sniff sob*) and dumped him with a shrug. Or did you mean what a sane author WOULD have written?
>>151081232>>151081220I seem to be repressing memories about what happened in this fucking comic. Wonder if that's good or bad for my mental state.
PAULODITCH THAT PACK OF VIPERS AND GO KISS MIKE ON THE LIPS RIGHT NOW AND I'LL FORGIVE YOU FOR BEING A RETARDED FAGGOT FOR SO LONG, DO IT POLOKNOCK THAT TABLE DOWN WITH YOUR FAT GIRLY ASS ON THE WAY OUTTHIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE PAULOOO
>>151081219>Mike didn't offer much supportHe offered her more support than she was getting anywhere else in her life at the time, and that's why she valued it so much. Likewise, Sandy was Mike's support pillar because the rest of his friends were kind of shit. It was just doomed to fail as Sandy's priorities and mindset changed. I'm not sure where you're getting this idea that Mike never asked Sandy about her day or whatever when the narrative never suggests that as a possibility, even back when it cared to be straight with the reader. It would also be massively out of character for Mike, which is why Lucy's "all take, no give" accusation is so transparently insane.
>>151081086I like how they feel a bit threatened by the possibility of not being on the correct side. Oh it must be because they're reddit, violent and male, surely, let's ignore we dog pile anyone taking Mike's side
>>151081261You're playing right into Taeshi's hands by gaslighting yourself, anon. Be careful.
>>151081293I don't know, a reaction of>no the plot could not have possibly been that stupid i must be misremembering thingsis fairly sensible if the reader does not pick up on the larger patterns.
>>151081171>Allowing natural consequences to play out instead of contrived torture scenarios or just negative outcomesYeah, that WOULD be better. BCB is incredibly frustrating because it feels like it's just a few tweaks away from working - it has interesting setups, it (occasionally) has dramatic payoffs, but they don't match up and all the connective tissue is nonsense.>I notice you still haven't just askedI don't know why I need to, you can post whatever you like, but alright, I'll bite. What do you think about Mike?
>>151079987I like how one part the thread's assumptions to get where we are was that Mike sperged out at Aug's accusations and ended up lashing out at James during... and instead James hates him because idk some cunt he doesn't even like said he strung her along after she kicked him in the stomach after he shoved a rando who was blatantly bullying him.Once again Taeshi's actual shit was far worse and makes a far worse parallel. Having him severely lash into James for lovebombing then all but dropping him as the friend he claimed he still wanted in favor of fucking David would've been understandable if self-destructive, and just a little bit closer to what Lucy did to Mike.
>>151081261Bruh that's nothing, once I straight up forgot that Mike apologized to Lucy for calling her a parasite and suggested they try being friends again, and DUE TO THAT she tried to kill herself.Take solace in that this means you're not a crazy bitch, because the actual events are written by a crazy bitch and make no sense so your brain tries to insert logic where there was none.
>>151081404Refresh my memory, Carson was way more cook hungry and he wasn't as much as a snake. the fuck is James issue? He someone thinks the reason he couldn't get anything with David was due to Mike when James himself tried to get with Mike by hanging with him outside of school. The fuck is James' excuse that he somehow couldn't convince David to hang out with him after school? How the fuck does Mike being the issue even enter your head so easily?Did the snake ever consider David Might just enjoy the attention nd is leading him on? Not gonna even dignify the girlfriend comment from the whore.
>>151081287>I'm not sure where you're getting this idea that Mike never asked Sandy about her day or whatever when the narrative never suggests that as a possibilityIt never shows or mentions that it DOES happen, either. In a good story, the fact that the author is in full control of what is and isn't means that any given detail can be assumed to be relevant, at least in some minor way, and stuff that's conspicuously absent can also be assumed to be relevant. We see Sandy asking Mike questions about his days, his hobbies, his friends, so the fact we don't see Mike asking her seems notable.But BCB isn't a good story, Taeshi changes or discards her own canon at a whim, and seems to frequently forget what she wrote, so reading into details like that is an exercise in futility. I'm just saying that if BCB didn't suck, Mike and Sandy's relationship falling apart would be an interesting opportunity to examine the gap between the ideal/fantasy of a good relationship between two kind and supportive people, and the reality that any relationship will take some degree of mutual effort and maintenance that may not come naturally.
>>151081484You're trying to apply logic again, stop before you hurt yourself. The only reason Taishi needs is "Mike bad". At this rate he'll get blamed for 9/11
>>151081469I still think she'd already decided to kill herself going into the play, her being nice to everyone and getting apologies in return was just her desperately clinging to a consolation prize she knew she couldn't keep. Sort of a "It'd be nice to have one last good day before I die" kind of thing, coupled with a slight surge in mood/energy as a result of having already made her decision.
>>151081086>Could it be the gender?Despite what some places on the inernet would have you believe plenty of women out there would call Lucy shitty too.Like, they aren't getting that Lucy looks incredibly shitty to anyone not a huge fan of her.
>>151081484James's issue is that Taeshi twisted him into Nigga-James for more Mike torture without doing the required set up.It doesn't matter what traits she says he suddenly has that weren't even hinted at prior, no one would look at this situation and not see it as two petty assholes blatantly bullying a supposed friend.The only POSSIBLE explanation for his behavior is that he was only lying to make himself feel better about wanting to be friends when Mike rejected him, and was waiting for ANY excuse to ditch his ass while coming out looking like a good person. Like you said, there's no reason he can't hang out with David alone after school so Mike interrupting his David time doesn't make any sense.The fun evil outcome here would've been that Mike was James's goal all along. He only switched focus to David to make Mike jealous, and now that Mike's completely isolated he graciously agrees to give him a second chance last second after pretenting to care about this nonsense from two randos... maybe if Mike thinks he'll lose James too, he won't say no this time.
>>151080632I mean the thing is I don't know if she really rewrote Sandy at all. Honestly, having the long-distance idolized gf cheat on Mike was probably the most realistic outcome.
>>151081572I think Mike being a black cat would make more sense to why everyone is treating him like a plague.>>151081642>spoilerOh so a more cruel Augustus? Who would save Mike then?
>>151081644Yeah LDRs are shit, one of my friends got roped into one with a psycho who forced him to be in calls with her for entire days or she threatened to kill herself.
>>151081291I mean quite honestly I haven't seen them doing that. There's been plenty of comments calling Lucy out and Augustus too
>>151080321From the thumbnail I thought Lucy's bow was Sandy's tongue.
>>151081317>I don't know why I need toBecause you keep making assumptions that color your analysis.>but alright, I'll biteThank you. I appreciate that. I think that Mike is a fundamentally caring and empathetic person. He does, however, have very low standards and a fairly inexplicable attachment to a group of friends whose company he is ill-suited to. An extension of that is this tendency endlessly forgiving them no matter what they do (sperg era aside, as that was a stark anomaly). He wanted to believe that Paulo could potentially cut out his shit and become his friend, that Daisy could be talked out of her crush, and that Lucy had this inner core of goodness that just needed to be coaxed out into the open, past her walls. And no matter how many times Mike was left disappointed and bitter, he kept trying. So, historically speaking, Mike does not know when to cut and run, which he easily could have given his popularity. It has bitten him in the ass throughout the comic.His other major issue is related: Emotional management. Mike does not deal with frustration well. He pushes it down deep inside, smiles, and tries to ignore it. Which is a terrible strategy when paired with his insistence on slamming his head against the same brick walls, again and again and again, hoping for a different result which is never going to come. Mike certainly had his limits, like when he shut down Daisy's attempt to seduce him after giving her chance after chance after chance to back down or get the hint, but his idea of proper boundaries was otherwise calibrated poorly. As illustrated by the whole Lucy disaster. I might include his inability to just stop giving a fuck about Lucy altogether, which would have prevented the emotional build-up that led to December, but it would be pretty hard for anyone to do so in his position so it gets a pass. Those are the historical problems, before the writing went to shit. Fuckups based on these outcomes strike me as legit to criticize.
>>151081484Better explanation: James was Carson in disguise all along and is just slowly getting his revenge on everyone who left him behind in that house.
>>151081642The out of universe explanation is that Taeshi is a friendless freak so she thinks this is perfectly normal. If the backlash continues she's probably going to wig out again because the fans are hating James too much.
>>151081546>It never shows or mentions that it DOES happen, either.Except Mike was shown texing Sandy, again and again, asking how her day was. So assuming he just didn't do then when actually talking with her, given his character, would be a far greater leap to make.
>>151081484The only reasoning for his behavior is that he actually was resentful to Mike for rejecting him and was trying to get over him. Problem is, even with that reasoning, it is still incredibly shitty of him to do what he did, especially after telling Mike that he was glad to remain friends. I mean, was there any hints leading up to this that James was getting annoyed with him?
>>151081086I refuse to believe any male would read this comic.
>>151081484James was fine for a brief period, but Taeshi either decided James was going to do a heel-turn or realized that she was going to get there quickly, and started throwing up red flags and red herrings. Suddenly James had tension with Felix as his ex, had been stalking Mike for months, totally loved Mike, and knew Mike had a girlfriend but tried to get in anyway.It's the BCB standard of post-facto plot justification. See also "everyone knew about Lucy's suicide the day after", "Sandy cheated", "At least your mother fucking loved you".
>>151081805>I mean, was there any hints leading up to this that James was getting annoyed with him?No unless you count the mean "joke"jabs during track team practice.
>>151081086People on Mike's side still gladly (and rightfully) shit on all males that fuck Mike over, so I think it's more complicated than being a woman hater.
>>151081781The texts where he was asking her questions were all AFTER she started ghosting him, when he was desperate to hear from her at all. Like I said in my first post:>After the first mention of Sandy ghosting him we see more of Sandy talking about herself, but Mike looks visibly tired and annoyed by it even before EF.So he did start asking Sandy questions and talking about her interests and such, but only after things started to fall apart.Before that, the few instances of their texts we saw were lovey-dovey emoticon spam, Sandy telling Mike she was going to visit, and (implied) sending of vacation pictures.
>>151081719I get you but a few threads ago we saw someone finally snap about how this isn't Mike getting his just desserts but torture plain and simple, and he got called a troll and banned
>>151078718the shallow explanation is that mike is the stand in for her husband that she hates while the deeper explanation is that all the characters are just partial reflections on her own psyche and she hates herself.
>>151081775>no history to make the person at least give you the benefit of the doubtIt's a pretty poor excuse. If anything, James has just the right amount of history to give Mike the benefit of the doubt. He hasn't been around long enough to experience the worst of his conflict with Lucy firsthand, but has had time to get to know Mike and enjoy his company. At the very least he's known Mike longer than Augustus and Lucy.Even if that weren't the case it still doesn't make sense for him to take this all so personally when what he got from Augustus and Lucy was an incredibly vague synopsis or events at best.
>>151081086The biggest Lucy simp I've ever seen who openly celebrates Mike suffering more than anyone else I've ever seen is a chauvinistic grownass man from the discord, lol.
>>151082426Suitcase?
>>151081670If he was a black cat, we woulda got an edit of him saying "your honor...this is a black thing isn't it" and then the edits would have been nothing but pizza huts in the garage and finding Geoffrey and finding Geoffrey and finding Geoffrey
>>151081775>If the backlash continues she's probably going to wig out again because the fans are hating James too much.A monster of her own creation, just like when she was mad the readers hated Mike too much.
>>151082447No, there's literally a dude who thinks Sandy's "WHY DON'T YOU GROW UP" crashout was based and that shitting on his hobbies was appropriate, lol.
>>151076526I think Taeshi will keep him around for diversitys sake, like how she made Amaya a they and David bisexual(?) instead of writing them out
>>151081775The lack of history should have james at least question if what Lucy and Augustus are saying is true.He hadn't had a single bad moment with Mike and then they had the whole conversation about how Mike wanted to be better and how James told him that was fine as long as he worked at it.Mike gets bullied out of nowhere and then kicked for telling the person messing with him to fuck off. That whole moment would be a red flag for anyone unless James already made up his mind to just hate mike flat out.
>>151081752I agree with most of what you said, except for the bit about Mike needing to split from his existing friend group. That is one good option, and it would have been a lot better for him than his canon course. But I also think he theoretically could have made things work; one of the patterns with Mike's relationships was that he has huge blind spots. Initially those blind spots were for Lucy hitting him, Daisy wanting to flirt, etc., but then he flipped and started ignoring the times his friends were nice to him in favor of ruminating on when they were mean or dismissive.IMO, his issue with his friends isn't due to fundamental incompatibility - he likes and gets along with them pretty well *most of the time*, when he's not already upset. I think his issues mostly boil down to tunnelvision making him unable to handle complex emotions in his relationships. So if he could moderate his expectations of his close friends, rather than expecting either the very best or the absolute worst from them, he'd have been fine. For example, he's never been on bad terms with Stacy or Abbey, which implies he can handle arguments and tension fine so long as he knows what to expect.
you know, shouldn't the Emotional Cheating thing be a count against Lucy too with how often she ran to paulo when Mike wasn't available?
>>151082709That's different because she never fucking wanted it, anon.
>>151082709Yes, and Paulo and Daisy. It's almost like Mike exists in some kind of moral exception where he is raked over the coals for something literally everyone in the cast does.
>>151079913So am I supposed to take it seriously that Mike "cheated" on Sandy (who he didn't think was his gf and communicated with occasionally by letter) during middle school by flirting with Lucy? It's all so juvenile
>>151082738It is bizarre
>>151082783This comic trying to make stupid middle school bullshit count as a serious thing sure is an attempt.
>>151082875It's because the creator of this comic considers stupid middle school bullshit as a serious thing even in her late 30s
>>151082647(Just to be clear I'm a diffrent anon)Trying to make it work with the friend group is something that might make sense in a better comic, people saying he's better off just cutting and running realise this comic is not good and the "friend group" really do hate him for existing because they are an extension of taishi's will. They are as bad as Mike thinks of them, worse actually. It doesn't make sense that that's the case, but nothing has to make sense in BCB, it only has to make Mike hurt.
>>151081870People on Lucy's side are also perfectly willing to throw Daisy/Sue/Sandy under the bus for being dumb ungrateful sluts in order to excuse Lucy, so it's not like they're all "power to the sisterhood!" either.Personally I don't like Lucy OR Mike much, I kind of just want them put out of my misery, but in-universe, Mike isn't a sexist and Lucy ABSOLUTELY is. She is an archetypal "I'm-not-like-other-girls", complete with clinging onto boys arms while they make decisions for her.
>>151082875>Lucy don't beat yourself up, 12 is too young to commit yourself to a relationship>BUT MIKE'S A NO GOOD CHEATER FOR NOT REALZING HE'S BEEN PRACTICALLY ENGAGED TO SANDY SINCE THIRD GRADEthis fucking comic man
>>151081948>So he did start asking Sandy questions and talking about her interests and such, but only after things started to fall apart.I find that to be a major logical leap for the previously explained reasons.
>>151082709Not really, it's more like: Mike was emotionally cheating on Sandy with Lucy, this is the part where Mike led Lucy on. So technically Lucy going for Paulo doesn't apply. There's more basis for Paulo emotionally cheating on Jasmine with Lucy but it never gets brought up. At least Daisy got called out when she was still crushing on Mike while she was with Abbey.
>>151082709This entire comic is Taeshi (Lucy) is internal cope trying to justify that her getting Suitcase to stop dating Goldie is NOT cheating and she is right because she deserves him since she wanted him
>>151082647I disagree with the idea that Mike should have tried to make it work. That's what got him into so much trouble in the first place. Yes, he eventually did focus on their bad sides...after years of them repeatedly taking his overly forgiving nature for granted and him realizing that makes them rather poor friend material. He also discounted the times Lucy was nice to him...but then, she was his abuser. The good times didn't make up for the bad. Ultimately, Mike did not expect "the best" from his friends. What he expected was just basic decency. For Paulo to stop calling him a faggot, for Daisy to stop ignoring his obvious disinterest, or for Lucy to be nicer. When they did treat Mike with a baseline level of decency, there was no issue. The comic itself made a pretty strong point that Mike's friends were unusually terrible to him; even Tess thought so. You point out that he gets along better with Abbey and Stacy. Abbey, for the most part, knows how to regulate his behavior toward Mike like a normal person should. When he overstepped, Mike made that clear to him. Stacy, I expect, reminded Mike of Lucy in a good way in that she was a little tsundere, but not the callous careless kind. He did not expect better from her as she was not a close friend who SHOULD know better.
>>151082901Yeah, but Mike is also as bad as everyone else thinks of him, because BCB is a miserable tarpit of endless bitterness and shameless cruelty.I know it was kind of a slog and Paulo himself kept falling back on his bullshit, but the Paulo Show era was the last time the comic had any of these fuckers actually acting like friends. There were always times where characters were unrealistically dumb/hostile in order to facilitate drama, but since Lucy returned it's been CONSTANT. I can't think of a single post-Lucy-return chapter where something good or fun happened that wasn't a setup for more suffering.
>>151083113Well, there was the Paisy stuff. I don't really care about the Paisy stuff, at all, on any level, unless you could the fact it clogs up the comic. But the point is that I doubt Taeshi will ever made good on the myriad reasons why the whole thing should implode.
>>151076143Top James is kinda hot.
>>151083202Shame we'll never see that again so long as David is around.
>>151083206Maybe he'll go full fagcel when David rejects him
>>151083104>When they did treat Mike with a baseline level of decency, there was no issue.Well, until Lucy came back and suddenly Mike was tense as piano wire and lashing out at the slightest touch.I dunno anon, I think that the idea that the good times don't outweigh the bad is fair in Lucy's case, but Daisy is his best friend and Paulo's done huge favors for him. Writing them off for disregarding his feelings or being an asshole after they'd already started getting better about that, and without first trying to tell them what they were doing wrong, would be pretty cold.
>>151083152Has anything fun even happened with Paisy? The movie chapter was retarded. They usually have some issues come up even when there's a chapter where they have positive interactions
>>151083225I dunno, James moved on from Mike super quick after being let down. It'd take David being super callous and proving to James he never gave one single flying fuck about him. Kind of like how David squees over Paisy but noticeably gave absolutely no shit about Daisy herself once James became the apple of Paulo's eye.
>>151083258> It'd take David being super callous and proving to James he never gave one single flying fuck about himWhich would be extremely in character for David
>>151083152I actually forgot about Paisy. But I don't think it counts as "good" when it's a doomed relationship of desperation, or as "fun" when it's like eating styrofoam.
I really do hope the whole "muh replacement Lucy" narrative gets hung up as bullshit in the end. Mike's problem, intentionally or not, has been spelled out plain as day by the comic:>Mike is a people-pleaser with a hyperactive guilty conscience which has glued him to Sandy forever>Sandy is completely self-centered and either doesn't notice or doesn't care that Mike desperately needs emotional fulfillment that she doesn't give him>Mike seeks this fulfillment from friends, but most people aren't as open as he is, so they end up catching feelings for him, which loops back into his guilt complexEvery stupid fucking thing he does is rooted in this. His friends treated his relationship with Sandy as a joke early on, so he's been too defensive about it for any of them to help him even if they wanted to. So he spiraled and spiraled and now we're here.Thematically, since Paulo is the only character who's meaningfully improved as a person over the story, AND since he bears some responsibility for Mike's "cheater" complex, he SHOULD be the one who grasps all of this, goes to Mike, pushes through all of his angry violent defenses, and hugs it out with him until he's capable of standing up for himself and freeing himself from the Sandy torment nexus.But whatever happens it's probably going to involve Lucy and I fucking hate that because she has never cared about him the way Paulo or even Daisy does.
>>151083247>Well, until Lucy came back and suddenly Mike was tense as piano wire and lashing out at the slightest touchYeah, but that's the sperg era, previously noted to be a major anomaly i.e. the exception to the rule. I don't understand why people use that to define Mike when A) yes his friends were canonically terrible and backlash is to be expected, B) that attitude promptly evaporated and he went back to his overly forgiving self but taking even more self-blame than before, and C) it was a relatively short period of time in-comic during which he was super stressed out by multiple factors. The only thing that makes sense to me is that the sperg era was so fucking insufferable and dragged on forEVER in real life.
>>151083251Fun? Paisy? No, of course not. A big reason why people hate Paisy is because it's duller than dish water.
>>151083251I found Abbey giving Paulo a self help book with no ulterior motive, so he could get over his mommy issues , in front of Daisy, super funny, if that counts
>>151083307You're not wrong. Thematically speaking (i.e. pottery), Paulo's character growth should result in him becoming Mike's solid wingman>used to give him a hard time over Lucy>now tells Mike to forget about her>used to lead pogroms against him>now tells others to fuck off and leave him alone>used to bait and switch Mike and laugh at him for believing they could ever be real friends>now his his unironic best broIt could be wonderful.
>>151083403Oh yeah, that is unintentionally kind of funnier. It would be even better if Abbey hadn't bought into "at least your mother fucking loved you" and was stealth insulting Paulo, but alas.
>>151079290Mike was doing great in the early chapters, but that all got eroded away day after day of dealing with a school that fucking hates you. Cheater mobs and friends that fucking backstab you all the time. Remember who you were Mike, but then again the kindness you've shown was met with betrayal. Disregard your past and turn into an angry sea urchin. The pointiest you can be.
>>151079813Paulo is a stand in for /bcb/ in this moment when that whole shitshow went down>"What the flying fuck just happened and did James get replaced by a different character?"
>>151083458>Paulo tries to reach out to him>Mike just starts unloading heinous shit he's done like the "parasite" thing and the "they're my friends not yours" shit and kissing Lucy just to ditch her again and everything he can think of>Paulo just hugs him through it until Mike runs out of things to say and cries his heart out because Paulo's still there for him in spite of everything>at the end of the day unconditional love was all Mike needed to get betterI'm begging you Taeshi, just give me one moment of sappy, gaybaiting, beautiful Maulo catharsis before we enter the state-mandated Mucy endgame. If this godforsaken story has LEGITIMATELY EARNED anything it's that.
>>151083798>Soggy little bitch becomes the one sane man left at the table>starts to fight the programmingThat would be pretty based.
>>151083847Wouldn't happen because then the whole Daisy kiss would come out and Mike would once more be thrown under the bus (nevermind that Daisy kissed him because MIKE BAD)
>>151083458it could be but she cannot resist shitting on mike, so I really expect Paulo to turn on him. He'll probably be the last one to do so but it'll be the thing that breaks Mike and tells him he's alone.
>>151083341It was insufferable and dragged on forever, and also it's existence puts other instances of Mike lashing out in a different light. Without it, that time Mike got sick of Daisy's pushiness and not-taking-no-for-an-answer and tore into her, December, and him being bitter and sardonic with Tess/Zachary when they asked for his backstory, all that looked like rare moments where he was pushed way too far. But with him doing the same thing multiple times in a row for IRL years and in-universe weeks, it starts looking like Mike is ALWAYS a mean asshole when he's mad. It re-frames him into a character who uses his friends insecurities as gotchas if they piss him off, and who held on to grudges from last year over the summer even after apologies were exchanged.The reason it sticks with people so much and defines the character in their minds is because it's not some out-of-nowhere anomaly, it's a massive exaggeration of an existing character trait. Mike has had a resentful, woe-is-me streak since volume 1. The post-Lucy-return pre-EF period just turned it up to 11, and without any of the levity or fun-with-friends stuff from earlier volumes to offset it.
>>151083878>Paulo gets Mike because he and Daisy traded smooches they both came to regret>Daisy (allegedly) settled 100% on Paulo right afterward>literally no reason to hold it against Mike>does so anywayThat would be so fucking tiresome.
>>151083878>Daisy lets something about the kiss slip>Paulo starts getting angry and confused>Sandy gets pissed about Mike blabbing and in the bickering Paulo finds out about her cheating>the realization that Sandy was cheating on Mike while he was driving himself insane making excuses for her sends Paulo into a frothing rage where he eviscerates her so thoroughly that it puts the final nail in the coffin on Mike/SandyTrust the plan or look forward to my fanfic if it doesn't happen
>>151083952It's been said in the threads before but Taeshi fucked Mike over mega hard with that whole era. So she shouldn't be surprised and upset that so many of her readers hate him when everything to this point comes across as that being exactly what she wanted.She used every chance she could to shit on him and make him look bad. To anyone with half a braincell, this is the natural outcome of doing that with a character.
>>151083952As someone who started reading in 2022 and loves Mike to death, I cannot fucking imagine having to read Witch Hunt for four fucking months just watching Mike be a ridiculous insufferable little shit and coming out of it with anything but contempt for him. It's tolerable when you're a late-comer binging, but I understand how the pissbaby-Mike era broke people. Taeshi overdrew from the bank of goodwill for this character.
>>151077133James is archetypal nice guys. He wants to befriend Mike just to get with him and ignores him when he's friendzone then gets mad when Mike still wants to be friends.This page is basically James calling Mike a tease.
>>151083973anon I want this so bad. I'm not even gay and I want these two cats to be gay for each other. Like if only to free them from the horrible women around them
>>151083847i want to believe
>>151083952>also it's existence puts other instances of Mike lashing out in a different lightCan't say I agree.Daisy>was pushing boundaries all night>would not take no for an answer>he even outright said no several times and begged her to stop so it wouldn't spoil a wonderful night out as friends>she admits to trying to steal him away from Sandy>tells Mike that Sandy is probably unfaithful >despite everything she pushes past all boundaries and kisses Mike anywayMike was absolutely well within his right to tell Daisy she was acting disgusting, because she was.Lucy>his longtime abuser>had gotten away with everything for the longest time>keeps jumping guys and even hanging out with the resident almost-rapist which solidifies the idea Mike had never meant anything more to her>everyone loves her and sides with her over him anywayI do wish that Mike had not been so harsh with Lucy, but that's because we the audience could tell she was finally trying to improve and he did not see that until afterward.>sardonic with Tess/ZacharyExceptionally mildsauce with Tess and at his maxed out annoyance when talking with Zachary thanks to Lucy's then-recent antics.>it starts looking like Mike is ALWAYS a mean asshole when he's madAgain, can't say that I agree. Mike got mad a ton when Paulo or Lucy would act like an asshole to him. He'd yell at them to quit it, grumble, then have forgiven them five minutes later, rinse and repeat. What we saw during the sperg era was Mike finally revoking his forgiveness for past trespasses. Their past sins hadn't just evaporated: Mike just demonstrably handn't held it against them the same way that, say, Lucy or Paulo or Sue would. Once it was all over, he went right back to forgiving others no matter what they did to him--just look at David and the bullshit he pulled on Mike during the not-date night. I don't see that as "oh wow I guess Mr. Empathy was actually a spiteful little moster," I see it as Mike finally snapping.
>>151081086Even when I was a teenage girl reading this comic when December was recent and I found Lucy pretty sympathetic, I thought the rabid Mike haters were weird and got where he was coming from. Mike has only gotten more sympathetic and Lucy has only gotten less sympathetic since then.
>>151083980>Have character act like a total asshole to every other character for no reason>"Why do people hate him so much?"I guess it makes some sense if you assume she looked at how the audience were willing to forgive Lucy, Paulo, Augustus, Jessica/Rachel, or Abbey, but there's two major differences between when they had their crashouts and Mike's treatment:>A: Most of their bullshit was in the context of a rivalry/beef/falling-out with a specific other character, not just general misanthropy>B: Even in the cases where they were just being mean for no justifiable reason, it was alongside slice-of-life moments where everyone getting along well, which took a lot of the sting out
>>151083973But Paulo had already gotten pissed with Sandy for neglecting Mike and even left a message telling her off. If anything, he would go into the date distrustful of her. But because of that he could certainly still get mad at her, if for Mike's sake.
>>151084301Actually the only important factors were C) Mike yelled at Lucy and "caused" her suicideandD) the comic keeps giving them reasons to hate Mike Which renders him irredeemable.
>>151084166>Mike finally revoking his forgiveness for past trespassesYes, and that's unreasonable. Bringing up old conflicts that you'd already forgiven and using it against someone is spiteful nonsense in any case, let along against friends. It's the kind of thing that immediately demonstrates that someone is acting in bad faith.
My question is why a bunch of kids didn't immediately surround them to watch the drama the moment the pussy gray cat shoved the emo white cat to the ground
>when you've so categorically ruined his connection with every female character in the comic that 4chan of all places favors a gay ship>and not even the one currently being sunk just to beat on Mike>it's just the only interpersonal interaction Mike has where it seems like they semi-successfully worked through problems they had with each other like rational peopleis Maulo 4D woke chess by Taeshi?because by god it's working on me. but i'm sure i'm simply underestimating the depth of the torment nexus, and that's gonna get sunk in short order, too (also to beat on Mike).
>>151084517>Yes, and that's unreasonableNTA,Yeah nah. Not when said other characters in the story are willing to bring spiteful nonsense and lord it over him. Especially when characters are willing to reignite conflicts or never have them solved like with Paulo and Mike for most of the comic till new years. This is just not forgiving as easily which has resulted in the song and dance. Not that sperg era was better
>>151084563Sorry, pal. Mike is 100% going to self-destruct over some shit on the double date. Paulo will have had enough and then Whitecat will swoop in and solve his problem. Bravo, Ms. Whitecat.
>>151084517NTA but "revoking forgiveness" is not the right way to describe what happened there. he'd never forgiven them, he just pathologically avoided confronting anyone about it until he couldn't take it anymore.then he fell back into the old unhealthy pattern of being a doormat.somebody being nice to you does not absolve you of everything you have ever done to them. sometimes people say things like "it's fine don't worry about it" just to get the conflict to stop, not because you're actually being forgiven.
>>151084596>Whitecat will swoop in and fuck his shit upFTFY. Lucy clearly is a cunt.
>>151084517Not really. Mike's problem is that he never asserts his own boundaries until he's been pushed to his limit and sometimes goes overboard. That's not good but it doesn't mean Mike loses the right to be upset or hurt about past mistreatment because he was too much of a doormat for his own good in the past either. "I've mistreated you for years but you didn't get mad at me all the other times so you can't hold them against me anymore or be upset about them" is just abuser logic.
>>151084544It would have made the whole scene a lot funnier to have a gaggle of extras going>"C'mon, fight!">"oooOOH!"at every panel.
>>151082052Well, he was being an ass about it.You can get away with it here, but there's no way you're getting away with it on Taeshi's own yard.
>>151084517>Yes, and that's unreasonableEh, dunno about that. The reasoning for him running out of patience with his friends was due to multiple stressors, but if they had finally pushed him too far with their bullshit (and at that point, only Paulo really had), then I think Mike would be quite justified to start telling them off for past sins he'd generously ignored. Regardless, the sperg era was not presented as a good thing. But when a character spends like 99% of their life acting a certain general way and then spends 1% going kind of nuts, I assume it's not because they were secretly that way the entire time. Lucy acted quite patient and even charming toward her friends during a good chunk of this time, for example, and surprise surprise it turns out she's not actually like that because she's never been like that.
>>151084517Anyone who would "revoke forgiveness" is a piece of shit
>>151084667>your buddy talks shit about you>forgive him>he then proceeds to burn down your home and kill your whole familyWould you be a piece of shit for revoking forgiveness?
>>151084691That's not revoking forgiveness, there's no way you're this stupid lmao
>>151084644Honestly will Lucy start sperging out now? She is now surrounded by people in her nightmares. Paulo, Sue and the others have done nothing but positive to her but she ignores that & they still appear in her nightmares. Sitting there should make them worse.Also should mean Augustus retarded ass is wrong.
>>151084701Not that anon, but if you defined "revoking forgiveness" so poorly that example doesn't count, then that's on you.
>>151084596there is a genuinely stupid, hopelessly naive part of me that hopes for a spergout just for the chance of Paulo talking him down - or at least not being "fed up" instantly. i know, i know - it's BCB, hope is a poison.Mike just visibly shutting down emotionally and Paulo noticing that would also raise the sails of that ship. hell, just an honest, sane friendship between the two would be satisfying. and maybe the only backstop to keep Mike from spiraling......shit, they're both fucking doomed. i hate this.sorry if i've poisoned you as well.
>>151084705Well, if Taeshi's point is to go all December pottery, then I think Lucy might sperg enough to get a talking to from Paulo. Remember how Mike grumbled about Lucy to Sandy and got a rebuke + advice to try and turn things around because it turned out that Lucy had done something selfless for once? I figure it would be something similar. But that also means I think the table will largely tank her general unpleasantness.
>>151084754>But that also means I think the table will largely tank her general unpleasantness.Really dislike that. If Mike's sperg era has consequences then so should Lucy.
>>151084754>tankNo anon, they will slurp it up graciously and ask for seconds.
>>151084743The thing is, Mike really should not have any sperg left in the tank. The kid just got destroyed. We got the obvious December page pottery. He SHOULD be consistently dead-eyed after this. Lucy didn't lash out at people following December. She got very passive and cut herself off from everyone. The most hostile she got was yanking her wrist out of Mike's hand and stalking offstage. Ergo, Mike should be much the same and the date should collapse around him, perhaps because he needed to show more energy or intervened when it starts going downhill but can't bring himself to care.
>>151084723NTA but you're clearly retarded.>You need to explain two words with pre-established definitions or you're responsible for some mongoloid who can't come up with an analogy to save his life
>>151084754>Lucy's december is given by Mike, her long time best friend and love who became genuinely fed up with her from years of issues between them>Mike's december is given by James, a fag Mike met less than 2 months ago who gassed him up and then dropped him like a rock based on heavily biased information from a third partyMakes you think
I will say one thing, looking at the comments. Everyone is kinda annoyed with James being a retard.
>>151084814>revoking forgiveness is evil>what if the person you forgave does some much worse shit after? is it still wrong?>no not like that!
>>151084814Lashing out at me for pointing out your mistake won't solve it. Show some basic initiative and class.
>>151084611>he'd never forgiven them, he just pathologically avoided confronting anyone about it until he couldn't take it anymore.C'mon, that's bullshit. Up until volume 5 he got along with everyone except Paulo and Lucy some of the time - and midway through volume 3 Lucy left and Mike and Paulo buried the hatchet. After that Mike wasn't being mistreated, or still hurting from prior wrongs, he was getting along well. Paulo wasn't his closest friend on account of being a dick, but even they were on good enough terms to hang out and banter together.
>>151084667consequences that other people did you the courtesy of ignoring coming back to bite you when there's too much to ignore is not "revoking forgiveness" - there was no forgiveness to revoke, just "grin and bear it"-ness.further, it doesn't make either of you actually pieces of shit. something someone else did may set somebody off on something minor you've done. this is just a part of dealing with people. none of us are operating at full rationality when upset.of course this can be a problem with disorders that cause a person to effectively make themselves upset. there's unfortunately not much you can do about that besides avoid them.
>>151084823I guess we should be thankful that Taeshi didn't have Mike fall back in love with Lucy of all people just so that she could deliver the killing blow. She had to trick him into opening up his heart to some new unblemished third party.
>>151084845>doubling down on being a retardPlease explain how you can revoke forgiveness for an act that you haven't forgiven them for because they just did it, your analogy is dogshit and betrays your complete lack of understanding of the English language.Clearly you think forgiving someone is a blanket action for some reason, you must have a sub-Saharan IQ to genuinely think you made an argument here.
>>151084823You are forgetting some details anon.>Lucy has never trusted her none Mike friends. This was confirmed by Lucy with "You were all that I had". When it comes to Sue, Lucy had no reason to feel that way. Paulo showed he cared about her beyond physicality. >Mike believed his friends would ditch him for Lucy, even in has own December speech Mike briefly mentioned that before his parasite speech to Lucy. His friend had given him reason to believe that due to incidents where they did take Lucy's side. You're re right on James thing but I feel it bares mentioning that Mike had sorta fucked his relationships with others a bit already, plus feeling alone. James appeared to be different but we now know he was actively worse than all Mike's friends. He has actively said/done worse than the others sans Lucy and that time Paul got him mobbed.
>>151084871>and midway through volume 3 Lucy leftThat was volume 4.>Mike and Paulo buried the hatchetSort of. Paulo could still act like an ass toward Mike and did.>Paulo wasn't his closest friend on account of being a dick, but even they were on good enough terms to hang out and banter togetherThen Lucy came back, Paulo started doing dumb antagonistic shit like blaming Mike for Lucy's absence from the table, strangling him by his scarf, and snatching his phone away. He was reverting back to asshole mode.
>>151084871anon he reflexively responded "heh" to being insulted after being kicked in the gut a couple of pages ago. just because the wound wasn't hurting doesn't mean it had properly healed. arguably the closest thing to a properly healed wound there is actually his relationship with Paulo - hoping everyone forgets and trying to move on isn't as permanent a solution as explicitly burying the hatchet is.that burying the hatchet was actual forgiveness (until Taeshi retcons it or something), the rest is more like faking apathy until you stop thinking about it. sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Mike is written like it didn't, whether Taeshi intended that or not.
>>151084845>>151084856It's not "revoking forgiveness" to be mad at someone for something ELSE, dipshit. People are allowed to get mad and have fights, but bringing up old fights in the middle of the current one is drama-queen bullshit.And besides, Mike's friends HADN'T done anything worse since. In most cases they didn't do anything at all, he was just being irritable over his own problems and took it out on them.
>>151084823>>151084935it's just a way to make sure Lucy isn't directly responsible for hurting Mike. James as a character is literally just a plot device to mirror December without Lucy being the one pulling the trigger.
>>151084950>He was reverting back to asshole mode.OBJECTION!!My client was clearly under the influence of Lucyspace at that time and cannot be faulted for actions done that were beyond his control.
>>151085012Cept Lucy hands are still dirty due to kicking and gaslighting. They are just not as dirty. Plus Lucy's past with mike does make it hard for her to fire back effectively imo. Especially sine she cant use the same speech in any fashion since she didn't give a shit about her friends.
>>151084991>It's not "revoking forgiveness" to be mad at someone for something ELSE, dipshitThen you should have explained that up front instead of making some vague snark and then getting mad when your point didn't come across. >People are allowed to get mad and have fights, but bringing up old fights in the middle of the current one is drama-queen bullshitEntirely dependent on the pettiness of the remark. If the other person kicked you in the balls on purpose, you forgave them, then later they proved they were still the kind of person who'd happily kick you in the balls again, you have all the license in the world to bring the ball-kicking back up.>And besides, Mike's friends HADN'T done anything worse sincePaulo strangled him with his own scarf.
>>151085013I support Paulo in his fight to keep his head above water while fighting the Lucyspace phenomenon that keeps trying to drag him back down.
>>151085054>Then you should have explained that up front instead of making some vague snark and then getting mad when your point didn't come across.NTA It doesn't have to be explained you fucking moron it's two words, it's like if you demanded someone explain what "Stop talking" means.I don't understand how you're this dumb.
>>151084809the least satisfying way this could possibly go, to me, is broken listless Mike going unnoticed by Paulo the whole time. which is of course obviously what's going to happen.>>151085013>>151085069i'm so tired man. still unhappy Paulo's character development got hit with the reset button. improving as a person is not allowed in the BCB hell dimension.more evidence that Lucy is possessed by a demon that feeds on the suffering of Michael Greycat and forces everyone around her into fits of irrational Lucy adulation.
>>151085091Right, so you had your chance. I'm going to put this into words that you might actually understand.>be a spastic retard with skill issues>chimp out>decide it's everyone else's fault>be stupid enough to think it will actually workThank you for playing, you are dismissed and ignored.
>>151085043i guarantee you the characters, writer, and Lucyspace fanbase alike have already forgotten that Lucy kicked Mike in the gut. Mike himself probably won't remember within a few pages, and if he ever brings it up it'll be dismissed as "not that hard" and just added onto some other Mike humiliation ritual.
>>151085151This isn't a discussion you dumb spic it's me calling you out for being too fucking stupid to understand how little you actually know about the language you're trying to speak.>erm you should be holding my hand through basic English so I can make my dogshit analogies
>>151085109See, I like to think that Paulo would think something's up with Mike and he'd be kind of disgusted at how Sandy's so happy with her broken, quiet genteel doll who's -finally- grown so mature so suddenly. He'd be prodding this pleasant zombie Mike while having to manage Daisy who's letting her Sandy complex show.
>>151085170>if he ever brings it up it'll be dismissed as "not that hard" and just added onto some other Mike humiliation ritual.This comic really likes to pile on the shit that caused December in the first place.
This really needs to call back on Lucy lying through her teeth in Eternal Flame
>>151085151...you don't know what "NTA" means, do you?maybe you're familiar with reddit parlance where on shitty subreddits for dumbasses looking for drama and/or validation it means "not the asshole."here it means "not that anon," as in someone is replying to you who isn't the anon you replied to.should be pretty clear from context here, but i am also Not That Anon.
>>151085170Mike probably hates himself too much to hold the kick against Lucy. He's been gaslit so hard he's sitting at the bottom of a Lucyspace singularity.
>>151085200Seriously I don't get the point of this comic. The message is gross if the intent is that the abuser should win and telling them to fuck off / not putting with their tsundere bullshit means you are evil. Fuck off I hope Lucy gets a December 3.0 directed her after Mike's is done because she really is a terrible person
>>151085203Lucy may well have believed her own lies back during EF. The girl has shown a remarkable capacity for apparent self-deception. Like she seemed genuinely torn up about Mike "using" her during their friendship, complete with a page-wide flashback that actually hurt her own point.
>>151084991Obviously I mean retroactively not being okay with the first thing in light of new events. Forgiveness is usually given on the assumption that the person you're forgiving is fundamentally good or cares for you. If they do something that seems to prove the opposite you don't need to keep being fine with whatever you previously forgave.
>>151085253So she's insane. Got it.
>>151085199sadly Paulo has been infected with Lucyspace. maybe he got out in time, but maybe the brain damage was permanent. i have little hope for his recovery.we know it won't be endgame because the thoroughly unhealthy and terrible all around Mucy is endgame, but nothing would satisfy me more with the double date than Mike and Paulo connecting better than either of their girlfriends are with them. won't happen, though.nice, fun, even remotely heartwarming things are only allowed if they make Lucy look better or Mike look worse. that is the current heading of the mad god at the BCB helm, crashing us all repeatedly into the rocks. at least until her mood shifts and we start crashing into the rocks somewhere else.
>>151085336Yeah, but it's the depths of the insanity that are remarkable.
>>151085353I have this nasty suspicion that if Paulo and Mike did come out of the double date faster friends than ever before, maybe even with Paulo bringing Mike back up out of dead eyes mode, Mike starting to hang with him and Daisy would end in disaster when fat cat's grass-is-greener syndrome kicks back in.
>>151084965I would argue that forgiveness is implicit given that none of them hold it against Mike that he's repeatedly called them bad friends, bad people, stupid, etcetera. They still keep trying to comfort or cheer him up, and continue being his friend, no matter how many times he accuses them of being against him.After Lucy came back she and Mike were both picking fights constantly, but Lucy was doing it faster, so Mike was ending up with the table and friend group to himself after all. But he just cannot stop self-sabotaging, and now Lucy's FINALLY decided she doesn't want to drive everyone off he's just letting her walk all over him.
>>151085472>none of them hold it against Mike that he's repeatedly called them bad friends, bad people, stupid, etceteraHow do you know? If the logic is that Mike's terrible for having a working memory, how do you know all of his friends haven't been keeping their own stack of receipts to use against him--OH WAIT THEY DO AND HAVE DONE SO. Repeatedly. The thing is, they know how Mike usually is: Roundly supportive and forgiving. That's why most of them (I don't trust Sue at all) were willing to forgive him after the sperg arc, because he was back to normal--at least so far as they could tell. Daisy spells it out for the reader: Mike is a good caring person, and she at the very least understands that's his true nature.
>>151085472no. forgiveness is never implicit. forgiveness must be explicitly given - it can't be earned, it can't be demanded. only the person giving it can know if the receiver is forgiven until it is expressed directly.this "implicit forgiveness" bullshit is just a way to absolve yourself with no involvement from the other party. it's the kind of thing a bad, toxic person thinks.
>>151085542Honestly, the reason why Mike holding his friend's sins against them stands out so much is 1) it was portrayed in the most obnoxious ineffectual way possible and 2) stands in stark contrast to how much Mike usually let them get away with.
>>151085260In Mike's case, it's not like his friend group peeled their masks off and revealed that they're the ones who shoved Lucy off the roof and jammed his phone so he wouldn't get Sandy's messages.All they did was go "Why are you so irritable lately?" and suddenly he was yelling "No, YOU'RE an unreasonable asshole! You never cared about me!". Then later when he calmed down he was still being a surly stick-in-the-mud. Then he finally apologized AFTER his friends stopped holding it against him.
>>151085568>Then he finally apologized AFTER his friends stopped holding it against himAnother Flame shows that Paulo and Daisy still held Mike's actions against him the morning after EF. He apologized soonafter at the cafeteria.
>>151085568His friends had a habit of prodding subjects he didn't wanna talk about.Seriously does no one in this comic know how to touch something without prodding.
>>151085560this is precisely the reason it's written (whether intentional or not) as him snapping after the experiences cross a threshold (which generally the person snapping doesn't even know is there), not "rescinding" forgiveness.a pushover isn't 'implicitly forgiving' the pusher, they're just more averse to conflict with the pusher than they are to the pain the pusher is causing... until they aren't. whether that snapping looks like fighting back or shutting down or some other intense reaction depends on the person, and people may do very different things at different points in their lives or in different contexts.doesn't really have anything to do with forgiveness, and expecting forgiveness (or assuming it was fucking implicit) is more from somebody who's hurting people and engaging in self-delusion whenever somebody acquiesces, while fundamentally not considering the thoughts or emotions of people that they hurt.
i still can't believe the last thread hit 810 posts. fucking wild. didn't even last 7 hours it autosaged so fast.
>>151085671I wish Taeshi was enough of a writer to explore exactly why Mike seems to have such low self-esteem that he'd rather put up and shut up than risk alienating them for so long. She came up with some lousy reasons for Lucy's hangups, but never for Mike.
>>151085527>>151085542Look; the bottom line is that only Lucy and Paulo (and David and Augustus but that's more recent and much dumber) treated Mike worse than he treated them, and in Paulo's case things were forgiven and they helped each other through feeling guilty after Lucy left. The absolute worst anyone else did to him was Daisy forcing a kiss on him, and she apologized for that, which Mike accepted with no hard feelings.But Mike has this idea that he doesn't have any real friends, that they'll all side with Lucy over him, that he's fundamentally unlovable, and he is apparently determined to make that a self-fulfilling prophecy, no matter how many times he has to call them all dumb assholes.
>>151085740>Mike seems to have such low self-esteem that he'd rather put up and shut up than risk alienating them for so longIt might be a self fulfilling prophecy. Mike already believed his friends would ditch him for Lucy if they had to make a choice. He had no friends aside from them. It sorta creates a feedback loop where he wouldn't feel comfortable making new friends due to the low self esteem and sticking with the group.The story has now shown that even if he makes a new friendship the old group will effect it.
>>151085774In fairness has he been proven wrong? They do always side with Lucy even when he's not involved. Paulo was ready to stop being his friend when Lucy so much as insinuated it and now you have this baffling stuff happening now with Augustus starting shit and James siding with the person who was only a bitch to him while doing a complete 180 on what he said to Mike not too long ago.
>>151085774>no matter how many times he has to call them all dumb assholesYou know, you keep bringing this up but...Mike has very, VERY rarely brought up their shortcomings as friends. You act like he keeps harping on it all the time when there's no evidence of that. He flipped out a few times during the sperg arc, got angry and earnest during Rachel's party, but that's it. So, no, it's not some great act of magnanimity that they don't hold it against Mike. Daisy even agreed with him back at the party.
>>151085774>But Mike has this idea that he doesn't have any real friends, that they'll all side with Lucy over him, that he's fundamentally unlovable, and he is apparently determined to make that a self-fulfilling prophecy, no matter how many times he has to call them all dumb assholes.You do remember later on after that so called burying the hatchet that Paulo does attempt to throw Mike under the bus for Lucy and that sue held the grudge for several interactions. Sue thing is due to Mike sperging at her once but held the grudge for longer. The James shit entirely as them acting against Mike's benefit for no reason.
>>151076393didn't she already come out as bi to lily back in the day
>>151085818>SueDon't forget that, during the retcon'd in chapter, Sue was super pissy that Mike had forgotten a meetup and was defending Paulo that she held the whole Lucy situation over his head to shut him up. That's another reason why I don't trust Sue, at least not her modern incarnation.
>>151085593Another Flame takes the nonsense of EF and somehow makes it even dumber, and is implied to trap Mike in an endless cycle of samsara wherein he and Lucy will fall out and make up over and over again, forever. Anyways, in the comic they were all smiles and "Congratulations, Mike! I'm glad you're feeling better!", so it's not like they held it against him in canon.
>>151076244Thread's dying, but thanks for sharing again, anon. Cheers.
>>151085838>That's another reason why I don't trust Sue, at least not her modern incarnation.Well yeah, Sue, even before the writing fell off wanted to be Lucy's friend/glazer. You don't have any reason to trust what she says. I'm supportive of sue trying to be a good friend to Lucy but not her weirdness with Mike or seeming ignoring Lucy's flaws. Lucy flaw issue s more for everyone in the story but sue is noticeable.
>>151080612Sandy wasn't rewritten, just expanded on. Im not opposed to the direction her character got taken in.>genuinely loved Mike in the beginning>forced to focus on her career more by controlling mother, naturally leading to her and Mike developing differently as the years went on>cracks start to show when she gets involved with Francis and calls Mike childish (obviously projecting) the next time they are able to see each other >Still desperately needs him in her life as an anchor to a normal childhood but both she and Mike know (and are unwilling to admit) their relationship is rocky>now Mike may start questioning everything as he considers if Sandy was really worth everything he's been through since she told him she didn't like the way Lucy treated him all those pages ago
>>151085818see >>151085013
>>151085740I honestly hope she doesn't, every explanation and excuse for Lucy's actions has only made her look worse, petty and overreacting. Taeshi has spent so much time making Lucy dodge problems that she needs to use whatever's under the fridge as a reason for her attitude, lest we forget her main character basis is "she latched onto Mike forcefully and put all her self esteem dependant on him, and this is his fault somehow for not living up to her secret rules", while this constant punishment of Mike has only fleshed him more, maybe not in the right direction but he has a more interesting life than the other half of the cast combined, and it's hard not to want to see more of him when he has a lot of valid receipts that could be pulled on him but he kepts getting punished for the most incongruous or forced ones. Like you can say the reason the table won't last long now isn't being Lucy will break it, but because she isn't interesting enough on her own to keep it alive without starting a daily crusade against one of the other kids
>>151085840AF is on about the level of EF's nonsense and is portrayed as an alternative canon. It specifically underlines Lucy's self-duplicity about the whole Sandy thing, what she actually gives a fuck about, etc. I find trying to write it off very unconvincing.
>>151085886Everyone is under Lucyspace. This comic is a shitty haruhi clone with a worse endless 8,cause it wont end.
>>151085912>endless 8Imagine if Taeshi was actually taking a page out of that example because she thought it was peak.
>>151085889You bring up a good point, but I would counter with the observation that Taeshi keeps inventing new and understandable sources of Mike's suffering, like suddenly troubled home-life that is implied to have been like that for some time now. Stupidly contrived? Yes. A reasonable source of personal stress and mounting imposter syndrome? Also yes.
i just want Mike and Paulo to hug again. i think Mike really needs it. plus it's cute.
>>151085802Remember when Lucy point-blank told Sue and Daisy that she'd rather hang out with Augustus than come back to a table with Mike, and in the same month Mike shouted at them both for being terrible friends? Neither of them ditched him to go hang out with Lucy, and they continued to hang out, study together, and play games online with him.In EF they immediately stop talking to Lucy in favor of talking to Mike, and thus completely miss Lucy's reaction.>>151085901AF does specifically underline Lucy's shittiness, but Mike saying "you were right about Sandy" and them reacting with incredulity to the about-face isn't them still holding it against him. If anything, Paulo and Daisy's reactions in EF and AF respectively just demonstrates that they'll support Mike and be happy if he's happy regardless of what decision he makes.
>>151085952I like the image of Taeshi hanging new and needlessly ornate swords over Mike's head Damocles style, but pelting him with wet tissue paper instead of ever letting them fall
>>151085884The problem is, this is sort of making excuses for Taeshi's writing. Yeah, a better author could make this work...but Taeshi lept right from "Sandy is a good supportive girlfriend who gives Mike good advice" to "lol shopping lol Francis omg video games are like so dumb and also STOP BEING SO IMMATURE like oh my gaawwwwsh!" with no obvious redeeming qualities.
>>151085988>isn't them still holding it against himThey specifically bring up the fact that Lucy's talking to him and remind her that Mike sucks and she should hate him.
>>151085988Sue specifically told Paulo to give Lucy space, so she's not going to go force the issue if Lucy doesn't want to sit with them. And Daisy has no reason to go sit with Lucy at all. Sue also later called Mike awful for daring to disagree with her (wrong) assessment of Stacy.
>>151085994Taeshi needs to learn to give shit breathing space. You know what would have made Eternal flame a better chapter? Make Mike take Sandy back one or two chapters later, let Lucy actually enjoy the high of a free Mike before pulling the rug under her, give Mike time to have a cooler head when he bites the bullet and how he'd only doing so of guilt and resignation, don't fucking show him next day smiling to his phone, that was so fucking forced; give us some panels of messages from Sandy saying how much shit she's been cancelling and in how much trouble she's getting for trying to get him back so you actually have a reason to take Mike's side, etc
>>151086066Yeah, giving a solid up front reason for WHY Mike took Sandy back and showing the kid tearing his fur out over the two-way guilt would have been a lot better. But I guess Taeshi needed to demonize Mike for...I don't know. Some reason. She didn't even use the recent receipts against him, just ancient ones half scribbled out and wholesale AI generated new ones.
>>151085817The magnanimity comes in because at Rachel's party, Mike had just confessed to deliberately telling Lucy that everyone would pick him over her because she's an unlovable parasite. Before anyone can say anything Paulo punches him, and they drag him off; then, after telling them how he used their friendship as a weapon against Lucy, AS they are helping him, Mike accuses them of being bad friends. And no-one gets mad, or defensive, or tells him off, they express their own guilt and try and comfort him.Then next year Mike goes for the same low blow, AGAIN when they're trying to help him, repeatedly in Paulo and Daisy's cases, and they still don't write him off.It's not just that Mike has said some mean things to them when he's upset, it's that he's said they're bad friends at the very moments where they're being incredibly good friends to him. It's like if a friend accused you of being miserly WHILE you're buying them lunch.
>>151086093No one directly reacted to Mike's confession at Rachel's party except Paulo and Daisy. Everyone else just watched in shock and then never touched on the issue again. Daisy comforted him while also flirting with him which made her motivations seem less than genuine, and Paulo only comforted him after punching him in the face
I swear to god: when was the last chapter that didn't devolve at some point into misery porn? No fishing for pity, no retarded screeching, no MIKE BAD BUT ALSO SAD. I swear it's like BCB was only really fun because of TessSpace and when Tess left she took all the good vibes with her.
>>151086093So you're saying they agreed that Mike was correct, that they were in fact bad friends. And somehow not holding that against him makes them magnanimous. No, that just makes them not horrible irredeemable assholes with no ability to introspect. If they had thrown him in the trash for spitting facts during a couple of rare moment when they're actually doing the right thing, they'd deserve to be written off as hopeless egoists.
>>151086113>escape successfulShe really did make it.
>>151086113Paisy, which is not a good look
>>151086141At last I truly understand. The only way to save Mike is to take advantage of Taeshi's failing memory and convince her that Mike was a fan character. He gets more attention than McCain ever did; there's no way she doesn't ship him off to greener pastures immediately.
>>151086066>>151085994Sandy is such a waste potential of a character. I think she hates the fact she wrote her somewhat sympathetically early on and she was far more sympathetic then Lucy's was because her life was more shit.But because Taeshi has to goldie-mald so fucking hard, Sandy has to become this insanely shallow mean-girl archetype that has lost any nuance.If she *has* to be the big bad of the story, why not making her cunning and a master manuplator? With Mike stuck between Lucy's abusive bullshittery and Sandy's manipulation?Could be cool, but she's too much of a smooth-brained troglodyte to understand how to write themeatic cohension in her narratives.So much of BCB is just how Taeshi *feels* in the moment writing it and soo obvious the writer's-hand she is purposefully and clunkly trying to set up emotional beats that just piss off readers/make them sad. And it's just... really fucking lame?"Oh, you guys Mike is BAD cuz he hurt Lucy's feelings, here's let me introduce this LGBT rep you want so bad. Look how sweet and attentive he is to Mike, he's such a goober! Sure would SUCK ASS if he suddenly just stopped liking Mike and totally ditched him HUH?!"Like bitch, this shit is so fucking retarded holy fuck you're almost 40 years old, you've been doing this shit for almost half your life and you still write this awfully? She should be so fucking embarrassed of herself.
>>151086083That's the thing isn't it? The whole conflict gave which a whiplash that we are still hurting to this day, you have Sandy giving this woe is me explanation to Mike about finding someone that actually understood her and cutting him off for being unfair to him, and a couple of hours later she came to her senses, cut off her so called soulmate and fired him and dropped off jobs to make more time for Mike, while it was so early she was still sleeping? Like I know drugs for performance are a thing but I don't think they're that effective
Mike will break out of this hell some day
>>151086225Taeshi has actually hit the part of the story where it's not enough to make everyone else look bad, she has to make Lucy look good, and it shows how much she wrote herself into a corner because as much as she wants Lucy to be on the spotlight everyone else has her beat. Abbey had a much shittier life than Paulo and Lucy combined so he had to be sent to the farm or else you'd see someone facing worse problems a healthier way, Mike suffers the consequences of her so called sexualization, Sandy is a character living with that as her only appeal, Paulo and Augustus has a shittier home life, etc. So when Taeshi brings something to excuse her lack of characters (aka victimize her) it tends to be overblown to make it seem like, no, actually Lucy suffers the most and thus is deserving of support
>>151086127No, dipshit. I'm saying that Mike accused them of something WHILE THEY WERE PROVING HIM WRONG, and out of respect for his emotions they let him do it, rather than going "what do you MEAN we don't act like friends, at this very moment we're asking you what's wrong and comforting you over it".
>>151086450>I'm saying that Mike accused them of something WHILE THEY WERE PROVING HIM WRONG Cept their own prior actions proved him write anon. You are taking this scene only in a vacuum. This is the issue with the Lucy shit. Sometime nice doesn't mean the other shit didn't happen.
>>151086111Everyone directly reacted, they just didn't all say something in response. Rachel also comforted Mike over it in addition to Paulo and Daisy.And the other three people there are Jess who isn't really in Mike's social circle, Sue, who wants to be Lucy's best friend and had been trying really hard to help her make up with Mike (or at the very least feel stop feeling miserable about him), and Abbey, who has a whole complex about being nice to women and protecting them from abuse. Sue immediately tried to help Mike when Paulo punched him, and Abbey maintained that it wasn't his business to judge even as Daisy macked on Mike in front of him.
>>151086495What prior actions? People keep acting like Mike's friends were assholes who constantly bullied him, but like I said above, the only people who that could apply to are Lucy and Paulo. Daisy forcing a kiss on him was pretty bad, but she and Mike agreed that it was bad and that they didn't hold anything against each other over it. And other than that no-one ever did anything worse to him than being slightly rude.
