Ah I see now. Haley resents her older brother for being the favored child.
>>153113142Dead fuckin thread lmfao
>>153113142I want to fuck Haley over the counter while she's still wearing her bathrobe.
>>153113142who the fuck just gives money to their kid to buy fuckin breakfast? cook for your fuckin children bitch, even a fuckin bowl of cereal would be fine. where the fuck does she expect mike to buy breakfast? fuckin mcdonalds? go get wendys instead mike, they got better breakfast deals
We're getting a lot more Mike than I thought we would. Hopefully his plan to sneak to school hasn't been entirely derailed.This family drama still feels like it came out of nowhere but it's kinda compelling so I don't mind too much. Haley getting pissed at Mike about this is unfair but not unrealistic. Hopefully it doesn't take another five chapters for us to see Haley do more than frown.
>>153113270Suefags in shambles, she's never getting her own chapter kek
>>153113262Clearly, you've never tried the McGriddle.
>>153113142Oh woaw, even Haley (one of the very few people who could have seen Mike's distress and tried to help him) is going to despise Mike too, who could have seen that coming! Taeshi, your writing is... truly groundbreaking.
>>153113309The McGriddle is ass, the syrupy taste smothers everything else.
>>153113286What's there to talk about? Her wanting to make out with Lucy's cunt?>>153113270Either he encounters Lucy and her minions, or James driving him away or gossiping about him to the track team since he's a knife-twisting little prick who got turned bisexual.
Mike's mom wants to fuck him so badly lol, the divorce arc leaves room for new opportunity!
Two threads, let's just keep this one I guess, since it has more replies.To repeat what I said on the other one, her glare is most likely due to jealousy for Mike getting all the compliments all the time. I reckon she'll either lash out on Mike, then notice something is wrong with him, and then will try to help him out.
>>153113386Turns out if you don't put in work then you won't get complimented.
>>153113345Nigga the syrupy taste is the only thing savin your taste buds from the other shit on the mcgriddle
The new artstyle looks so fucking lifeless, it's the perfect compliment to the lifeless writing.
>>153113386mike clearly needs to fuck her throat to fix her jealousy towards their mom hogging all the cock to herself
>>153113482It's sad to see the degradation of the comic in every single aspect: art has declined, characters have become empty shells, story has become just an endless loop of torment, etc.There's really not that much to look forward to, yet here we are.
>>153113366Familyanon?
>>153113262>cook for your fuckin children bitch,Mike's not eating so why waste time doing that, plus he and Haley are at the age where they can make breakfast for themselves.Also, I thought Haley was glaring because she's caught onto her parents' marital issues and wants them to stop beating around the bush.
>>153113556>I thought Haley was glaring because she's caught onto her parents' marital issues and wants them to stop beating around the bush.That might be it, too. Either from jealousy or disapproval towards her parents, but the context seems to indicate jealousy to be the cause more... but we'll see.
>>153113366She may not even be a "real" character, but that's why Amaya is so perfect. She's playing the long game, when Mike's been burned by everyone, (especially Sandy and Lucy) she'll swoop in and ultimately claim the Mikebowl.
People are turning into Lucy now! There's nowhere you can hide. All hope is lost.
>>153113644Why would she be jealous of Mike getting praise for things she refuses to do help her parents with?
Would Amy have any problem with any of Mike's friends? I mean, her and Lucy would likely develop some kind of passive-aggressive rivalry, but I'm wondering if any of the others, particular Sue, would have any conflict with her? Imo Amy would be the type of girl that's easy to get along with.
>>153113386I think you're missing the part where it's always morally correct to hate Mike
>>153113556>I thought Haley was glaring because she's caught onto her parents' marital issues and wants them to stop beating around the bush.I sorta agree, it makes sense she would be jealous of Mike but I wanna say her grudge feels more directed towards her mother
>>153113719She'd probably have some intial beef with David. I can see David calling Amy a "Manic Pixie Girl" like that one redditor, but once she bites back at him he'll fold faster than a wet towel.
>>153113692It's been implied they're making her take more chores around the house including being babysitter because she's not doing great at school, it's the "if you're not going to put effort studying then start learning to be useful" mentality that makes kids resent their family, and in this case it's easier to resent Mike who doesn't fight back than her parents who are already edgy from their own frictions. It's also implied they tend to give Mike more leeway to not help around because of that, so it's less "why are you mad that you're expected to help" and more "why is only her expected to help"
>>153113692>>153113461Because she still wants to be praised and receive compliments. That's just how people are in general, whether they've worked for it or not.Like for instance at work: if one hard working employee gets constant praise from the boss/supervisor, you can bet it'll make at least some of the other workers jealous... let alone a teen in her own family.
>>153113142The dad is fucking his canine coworker, calling it. Why a canine? So there's no risk of accidental pregnancy, so he can bust a load in that sweet, sweet, sheepdog muff.
>>153113810I wonder if she'll feel any guilt when Mike has an accident or collapses from his eating disorder? Her brother was going through some shit and all she was thinking at the time was how resentful she was towards him.
With the whole divorce thing does anyone else think that Chris was a band-aid baby? I always thought that the age gap between him and Mike + Haley was a little curious.
>>153113857I guess that'd be somewhat common in the context of BCB's world.
>>153113857Why not? My dad did the same thing Mike's dad is doing. Claiming he's working late but in reality he was fucking a chick that was young enough to be his eldest daughter. Needless to say, he and my mom split when she found out.
>>153113890Let's not go that far, she has been shown to bust his balls every now and then but her concern in Eternal flop was real. If anything seeing him faint or hurt would only vindicate that her parents are awful because they didn't do shit to prevent it
https://www.tumblr.com/bittersweetcandybowl/813102395602108416/people-who-are-so-bloodthirsty-regarding-augustusAmazing that she’ll argue it’s not realistic that all people will get cosmic justice for their bad actions in a comic where a lot of unrealistic scenarios happen
>>153113970Yeah, that there is some usual Taeshi bullshit. She says that when Mike suffers over and over due to some 'cosmic force' as she puts it (that being her, the demiurge).
>>153113692Taking care of Chris was a responsibility just thrusted upon Haley despite Mike being older. It's mostly probably due to Mike getting better grades than her. Therefore, he gets more privileges as he's not seen as much of a liability as she is - even if she doesn't get in trouble. Also, in a lot of families, it's not that uncommon for daughters to be expected to assist in taking care of younger siblings because raising children is a feminine trait. All of this to say Haley most likely doesn't get praise like Mike is getting because it's just expected of her to drop everything to care for Chris. While Mike is "showing up" and going "above and beyond" despite doing literally the same things she has. She senses the favoritism and clearly doesn't like it, even if Mike is struggling. As for whether the rising resentment is aimed at him or their mother...Who knows.
>>153113970It's funny, "I made a comic where I constantly bring up why I think this specific character deserves all the shit he gets, no matter how illogical or petty the reasons are, and I've said out loud that I'm balancing the suffering of characters because they have had it too good/bad for long enough, BUT expecting consequences is unrealistic!"Hurt for thee not for me
>>153113970I'm fine with fagcat not getting split in half or something for LitS, I'm not that vindictive. I just want him to face the fact that what he pulled outside was bullshit and him asking Mike to not go outside in the first place was a bullshit request. If Lucy can't handle Mike's presence then why the fuck did she bother to come back? Does she expect Mike to pay in blood and then some for his "trangressions"? Probably.But on to my second point. I want Augustus to realize he fucked up Mike's social life and mental health over something that HE (Augustus) is responsible for, the fucking phone, which is giving Lucy severe anxiety.
>>153113810>>153114047I see, I must've forgotten the part about her grades slipping (also the whole "you're a girl so you take care of the baby naturally" is a good point too).
>>153114064Never expect consequences for the authors' pets, and you mean Acecat since his sexuality was removed for not being enamored with Lucy.
>>153113970>he already paid in advanceIf bad things happened to you then you have a blank check to fuck with other people, noted>Augustus will suffer, but not because some cosmic force wills it so and he has some dues to pay>sometimes bad shit just happens to you! And sometimes you can’t do anything about it! Other than persevereOk so incoming Augustus pity bait and glazing how much of a survivor he is, got it.It's funny she tries to pull this nuance/realism shit when Mike's been getting dunked on for turning against Lucy for like a decade now. Karma very much does exist in this comic, it just isn't hitting Augustus because she thinks he did nothing wrong. And I'm sure some people are just bloodthirsty, but some form of consequence for what he did to Mike could serve an actual story purpose. He could be forced to reevaluate how he thinks of Mike and recognize that he's enabling Lucy and projecting his Alejandro trauma onto some unrelated kid. But now we know that Augustus is going to go off and deal with his own problems and the whole Mike issue will go unresolved. It's kind of a problem for any future Mike/Lucy reconciliation (which will inevitably happen) because Lucy's joined at the hip to a guy who thinks Mike's is evil and will never be prompted to reconsider this position. He'll just show up to remind Mike that he has "a lot to atone for" every time he and Lucy interact. Because karma does exist for Mike.
>>153114092It's also of note to remember he refused sitting with Abbey because that was Haley's friend group, he's aware he would be invading her space and inviting actual hostility instead of the ribbing when they're forced to socialize. So you could say they both know what's happening but refuse to talk it out because Mike's guilt would make him think it's better if he doesn't intervene and Haley's resentment would manifest as "why do I have to always put the most effort?" and not do the first step
>>153114064he made that request only after Mike did the stupid rebound kiss thing and then got back with Sandy without thinking about/telling Lucy despite their promise "to have a talk (about the kiss) later"she seemed fine coming back and ignoring him up until he made things messy in the same way he aggressively criticized her for (rebounding with paulo, rebounding with augustus, etc)
>>153113309Terrible product.
>>153113270>This family drama still feels like it came out of nowhere but it's kinda compelling so I don't mind too much.Not hard to be compelling when it's a drama element not tied to or related to Lucy and friends. It's something that directly impacts a character & they have almost no control over, at an ill-timed moment in life. When it comes to the relationship with parents or siblings in this comic, we mainly got Lucy's side(Abbey's was literally a decade or so ago).
>>153114200I think there's something else at play here too, the fact that Augustus became the fan favorite after she decided to turn Polo into a wet soggy bitch, and really why wouldn't he when he was the one character that talked some sense into Lucy and came from a background she couldn't use for a gotcha? He was a voice of reason under a fucked up person and the way he "saved" Lucy even played into that, it would have been great if she died, he wasn't even worried enough to tell anyone or snitch to the school about it, but since she didn't might as well give her a fighting chance and call an ambulance, not his problem anyway.And Taeshi doesn't know what to do with it, gave him more screentime by getting "adopted", was stripped of any characterization that might put him at odds with the readers she cares about (the cult of Lucy, he no longer calls her shit out and even excused attempted rape because she wasn't feeling well) and cut all ties to other plots at convenience (Daisy and his sexuality at all, Alejandro until just now) so he can be marketable for readers that only know how edgy he is by the clothes he wears. So yeah I don't expect her to put her no.1 selling tactic (no one reads for Lucy c'mon) through any pain until she gets tired of him like Paulo
>>153113142I'm glad to see Mike not sperging out and just going with the flow instead. Looks like Mike and Haley have to fend for themselves breakfast-wise all the time. Haley being surly about Mike getting all the positive attention makes sense but her situation seems partly self-inflicted.
>>153114242Yknow what? That's fair anon, Mike fucked up majorly with that rebound kiss. And while Lucy shouldn't had expected that her and Mike would've gotten together after that, it was still a major dick move on Mike's end and even more insulting that he got back together with Sandy anyway, further exacerbating Lucy's insecurities regarding Sandy.
>>153113970>At one point I saw an implication that Augustus has to suffer some form of karmic retribution for the story to be narratively satisfying.. and I just can’t see life that way. There’s no karma and there’s no closure a lot of the time! That doesn't work for BCB after she's bent over backwards and retconned stuff left and right to explain why Mike deserves to have everything fall apart for him because he told Lucy to fuck off for once.>Augustus will suffer, but not because some cosmic force wills it so and he has some dues to pay. I just don’t write that way! Characters will suffer because the event that’s happening is suffering! Because sometimes bad shit just happens to you! And sometimes you can’t do anything about it! Other than persevere.But he does have dues to pay. LitS gave him those dues! You can't have a situation where you say "Everyone was shitty" (As wrong as that actually is) and then say the guy that started the whole confrontation wont Karmatically pay for it.>The cosmic forceYou ARE the cosmic force!
Fuck your mom, Mike. The lack of good dicking clearly affected her psyche
>>153113970>Augustus will suffer, but not because some cosmic force wills it so and he has some dues to pay. I just don’t write that way!Oh, yeah.That's why we spent over a decade watching Mike getting punished both for shit that he did and shit that he didn't do, but was gaslighted into believing he did.You dishonest cunt.
>>153114242>>153114445Just a reminder that word of god is that Lucy initiated the kiss, not Mike. Not saying he wasn't at fault for the stupid scarf line but the kiss was all Lucy. It's just "convenient" to not correct anyone for Taeshi get it gets brought up
Can we bring back old color saturation? Even fucking BIG HEADS era was better than this
>>153113899I find it hard to believe that Taeshi had that planned for so long
>>153114480Does Mike realize how weak Lucy is for him? If he does, he should know how easy it is for him to toy with her feelings even unintentional. Although it's infuriating that everyone walks eggshells around Lucy instead of giving it to her straight. Paulo was the closest when he called her out for avoiding the friend group in favor of Daisy's rapist.
>>153114445>major dick move on Mike's end and even more insulting that he got back together with Sandy anyway, further exacerbating Lucy's insecurities regarding Sandy.Yeah, nah, Mike shouldn't have said all that shit about the scarf but him & Luy being even friends shoudl be related to Sandy existing. I know, for some reason, it's always about Sandy, but that's not why shit went bad. Also, Lucy started the kiss accoridng to Taeshi.Lucy having such a weird complex about Sandy, is always dumb in the comic since even when Mike went for Lucy, she rejected him.>>153114516She didn't anon. This divorce arc was similarly hamfisted in retcon; prior to it, Greycats were friends and Sandy related.If you can't tell, I do dislike how the story pretends all the issues with Mike and Lucy are Sandy-related vs. everything else. I have felt this way even before Sandy became vapid.
>>153113970>>153114064Yeah. One thing is not believing in Karma and all, the other is to make a story that is frustrating to read because people do shit and never have to face the consequences, and NOT because the author wants to drive this point that 'Karma doesnt exist!', but rather because she has her favorite character/pets, and don't ever want to see them suffer; no, she only wants her appointed punching bag to suffer.In short, no one likes to read stories that are frustrating. People like and expect when someone who did shit gets punished.
>>153114524>Does Mike realize how weak Lucy is for him?Does he? Any time he attempted to argue for that or give Lucy chances to just come clean she would double down and remain hostile. Something tells me the suicide jokes at his expense and being told how much she hated him might have messed up with the idea of her being weak for him
>>153114629>idea of her being weak for himEven before the jump, it was hard to believe she was weak to him. She jumped ship to Paulo extremely fast, and their prior relationship to Sandy can be summed up as:>Arguing>Her hitting Mike>Mike nudging her to say their friends>Lucy is not opening up>BullshitIt's one thing Lucy is a potentially closed off friend, but when you think about it, it's not hard to just view her needing you as a thing vs a person. The worst part is, Lucy has been like this even before Alej had anything to do with them; she lacks an excuse to be this closed off.
>>153114064Lucy not saying anything about the phone shit is so retarded, especially if Augustus is not using it for anything beyond ego stroking. Goth boy is a complete dipshit who jumps to conclusions and is blind to the obvious, but he also can't read minds.
>>153114720You can go further straight to the first time they meet, toddler Mike kept just taking her bluntness without retaliating, and his logic for excusing her was that she was her oldest friend. So Taeshi coming up like "Lucy being constantly hostile to Mike is because the letters made her not trust in his loyalty" is stupid when she's always been like this. Like Taeshi can't answer WHY are others supposed to like Lucy, she's not even hiding how much she despises everyone and I don't think that's Mike related... yet
Poor Haley, she's jealous of her mother getting all of Mike's attention.This is gonna end with Haley ruining Mike's life at home too because she's jealous, isn't it?
Can we just get to the part where Haley tells Mike the family falling apart is all his fault already? We all know it's coming. Let's just get itt over with
>>153114923No, we need to see the part where she sets up Chris to hate him too or it won't drive Mike fully towards suicide
>>153114872Nah, that'd be too petty even for Taeshi. I think she'll be angry at first, but then will shift to support mode once she sees he is down in the dumps.
>>153114872I'm betting she's going to face him at school instead since that's more of a neutral ground than at home and Mike is already fucked up because he's avoiding the cafeteria and lunch altogether so she could hold that over him, guilt trip him even
>>153114942>Nah, that'd be too petty even for Taeshi.Nothing is too petty for Taeshi when it comes to Mike.
She's gotta hurry up to post Mike's suicide on BCB's twentieth anniversary!>>153113899I think it's more likely that Chris is influenced by taeshis much younger brother, but it's definitely a possibility>>153114942She managed to make it so that James hates Mike's guts because of one vague comment without context, I don't think anything is too petty when it comes to bullying Mike.>>153114942I think Haley is smart enough not to blame Mike for her shit mother but who knows with jealous teenage girls.Maybe she'll take pity on him and let her join her table instead. Abbey is already there and I think Mike and Abbey are still friends. They can bond over how slurry Daisy turned out to be
>>153114396Each person that Lucy decides to cling to becomes a symbol of her dependence, and as representatives of this negative tendency, they inevitably shoulder its negative connotations and must be rejected in order for Lucy to be happier. But it's always the external embodiment of dependence being rejected, never dependence as a quality of Lucy herself. She is given a new person that's meant to "correct" for the last but is doomed to undergo the same process.I only wonder if there's enough time left for Augustus to reach the same end stage that Mike and Paulo have. Both of them also had stages where Lucy's unhealthy behavior was present but not necessarily a death sentence for the relationship as a whole. Right now we can see that Lucy is negatively affecting her mental health by having all her eggs in the Augustus basket, but I don't think this will continue for long enough for Augustus to cross the threshold of accumulated negativity for being associated with that.>>153114942I think part of her resentment is because of their mom coddling Mike in ways she doesn't do for Haley. I think she'll be too preoccupied by her own lack of support to give Mike more of something that she already thinks he's getting an unfair portion of.
>>153115056>Maybe she'll take pity on him and let her join her table insteadThis would be the best thing for him. We know it ain't happenin'
>>153115085It's always about how people fail Lucy, never about how there's no way to accommodate to her always changing and absurd required standards of loyalty and selflessness
>>153113270Watch this end up as the excuse for why Mike can't join Haley's table. She's too busy feeling resentful to notice Mike's spiral. Meanwhile, he's not going to try and explain his situation. Even if Abbey and Jasmine offered Mike a place, Haley will veto it out of spite and Mike will continue running the track at lunch.
>>153113286I'm sure we'll have a clumsy transition soon enough. Unfortunately the Sue plot will be comparatively boring because Taeshi has no idea what to do with Sue beyond playing Lucy simp and tripping over her own ego.
>>153115085Augustus having his own Mike 2.0 epiphany is too poetic and logical for bcb. He is needed for counterconsequetial asspat deployment at a moment's notice.
>>153115056>She's gotta hurry up to post Mike's suicide on BCB's twentieth anniversary!Ok lets be realistic here, this would be based beyond based.
>>153115414Mostly because Taeshi would quickly grow bored and drop the comic soonafter.
>>153115336I do feel for Haley but at the same time "even your mom being nice to you is more than you deserve" is an idea that will not mix well with Mike in his current state, even if Haley wouldn't necessarily mean in that way.
>>153115414>>153115435Certainly Mike wouldn't be the only one partaking in suicide, unlike you want the Paulo show: now with James and I guess Daisy is also there
>>153114479I wonder if Taeshi has actually deluded herself into believing this or is just trying to wash her hands as usual.
>>153114480The scarf line and its delivery were so fucking random.
>>153115884
>>153115923I really hope that Mike is entirely beyond caring about this sort of thing now. I also wonder how he'll present himself come the Valentines day date.
>>153113142Why does Haley look like a middle-aged woman who stayed up all night trying to get her baby to sleep?
poor maishul
>>153114923>>153114931Not until Mike devolves into a cynicle sarcastic asshole who's abandoned all "pretense" of being a good person.
>>153113142Haley's not jealous. She has noticed for a while now that something's fucked up with her brother and judges their mom for not addressing it. Calling it.Taeshi just likes keeping things uncertain from the reader's viewpoint so that she can later twist it any way it fits her already chaotic nonsensical plot. But I've learned to tell what is going on most of the time after years of reading this stupid Mexican soap opera with cats. Thankfully there's better comics out there, this one's just fun because of the fandom drama these days desu.
So, about that Lucy torture
>>153116278It'd be nice if you were right, with Mike having a surprise source of support in his corner from a least-expected source. But I also fear you are dead wrong because good things are not allowed to happen to Michael Scarfcat unless they are setups for later rugpulls. This is how I pegged James for what he was from the very beginning (though the severity did exceed my predictions).
>>153115923Sandy: what is missing from the comic these days.Mike: what we have too much of.
>>153116308It was the phone thing. Whew, glad we got THAT out of the way. Now back to the Mike torture and watching paint dry--uh I mean enjoying the sweeping romance that is Paisy.
>>153116339Oh I didn't say he will get the support he needs. What I predict is that Haley will fight with her mom, the mom will crash out and Mike realizing that they're fighting about him will thus get his Taeshi-ordained suffering.
>>153116278>Taeshi is going to show Lucy as being manipulative after she brought up the promise guys, she would have to be dumb not to see it and justify it, you just wait
>>153116308it's going to be incredibly soft handed so don't get your hopes up.
>>153116308She has a sore hip she hides from others, what more do you want?
New post from that comic this thread likes
>>153116223>Not until Mike devolves into a cynicle sarcastic asshole who's abandoned all "pretense" of being a good person.So, killing Mike and replacing him with someone wearing his skin?
>>153116009He's gonna realize sandy left him back in EF and he has been hallucinating all his interactions with her
>>153116736With Taeshi pretending that's not exactly what she's done and that Mike is just finally being his true self.
>>153116756>"oh thank fuck i'm not still with Sandy just schizophrenic"
>>153116620I dislike how the antlers are drawn.
>>153116801>>153116756His valentine's date is gonna be between him and a bridge
>>153113286As a Suefag, I am relieved. The less she shows up, the fewer opportunities Taeshi has to ruin her.
>>153116946It's too bad Taeshi will only pick the dumbest or dullest option possible. I half expect her to skip over the date entirely. We won't get>even Sandy recognizing that something is wrong (because that risks character development for enemy white cat)nor>Mike reinventing/portraying himself in a way that Sandy legit falls head over heels fornor>Mike deliberately sabotages the date or calls the whole relationship off because he just cannot bring himself to care anymore
>>153116906Like twigs? I think it's kinda cute
>>153113719Daisy would get along well with Amy on the surface but carry some resentment since she's been nice to/known Mike longer, and is smarter. Amy would not pick up on this resentment and Daisy would eventually drop it, silently resolving to not be so judgemental.Sue wouldn't care much about Amy either way, but would be glad if Mike's being less depressed means he's more reliable. She would try to avoid conversation with Amy, since that would mean getting stuck in an enthusiastic friendly chat with someone Sue doesn't actually share any interests with.Paulo would be glad Mike's less depressed, and get along well with Amy herself, sharing some interests (like cooking for cheap). But also, 50/50 odds on whether he accepts Lucy latching onto him for comfort (again) and becomes her boyfriend/crutch, ending up stuck fielding her caustic jealousy of Amy and Mike.The track team (minus James & David) I think would like her, since she'd show up and cheer. And they'd certainly notice Mike's performance rapidly improving if he stops being depressed and starts eating again.
>>153113719I like to think she'd find a way to mess with Paulo in a good-natured way early on.
>>153117492For me it pushes a little too far into goofy cartoon territory and so does not match the rest of the art style.
>>153116620Kek he probably didn't even need to let her know.
>>153113970I would call this based if I felt like it were actually happening. I much prefer characters to act like people and respond to other characters naturally rather than just dividing them cleanly into heels and faces. But I think Augustus actually is receiving karma... for having a sad life and saving Lucy. Now characters who would normally care about what he tried to do to Daisy get mind controlled into sitting on their hands or actively liking him.Abbey doesn't care Rapeman's in the lunchroom, moral crusaders Madison and Sue don't care that he's sitting five feet away from Daisy, Daisy herself gets goo-goo eyes for him two inches away from her alleged boyfriend, Mike's friends either abandon him on the spot or insist that everyone should just be friends. All of that is karma. Everyone treating him like an asshole would just be natural consequences.
>>153115056>>153115094>Abbey goes "Fuck this, I'm out" and leaves Daisy and the table to eat lunch elsewhere>Immediately gets a harem of cute and supportive girls>Mike gets invited to greener pastures by his sister who's worried that the dipshit is slowly killing himself>Immediately meets Amy and starts recovering from his depressionIs the table just cursed?
>>153116308Don't you remember the intermission? Paulo still cares about Mike. That's the torture. She pulled a forced smile over it and everything.
>>153116620How did whoever cooked the chicken do it that it's flexing under the fork?
>>153118066After this we are getting Mike blowing up at Pablo thanks to some dumb shit, i can see it, i can see Daisy bringing up the kiss with Mike at the library too so that he has even more of a reason to dislike Mike
>>153118025It should've fallen apart after December but it's like everyone there has sunk cost fallacy and hangs out despite how much they dislike each other
>>153117622I wonder if Amy would ever mention how incompatible Daisy and Paulo are as a couple, thus resulting in some side plot in this Amy au where Daisy breaks it off with Paulo.
>>153113719>>153113781>>153117622>>153118435It is quite a sad sign for a comic when its only ray of hope is a fan character; a fan character that manages to bring more joy to the comic than all the rest of the cast combined, no less.
so this comics just misery porn huh
>>153118686As of right now (and for about 5-ish years really), yes, but it wasn't always like that.It was always about school drama, yeah, but at least in the past the characters had more energy, disposition, happiness, less shitty interactions, etc. . Everybody feels like a shadow of themselves nowadays.
Lol his sister is such a hater bitch. It's like Mike if he was genderbent and had Lucy's jealous nature
>>153118435I figure Paisy is doomed regardless of Amy's actions, but she could have some cameos during it's implosion:>Paulo and Amy get along well, leaving a jealous Daisy to notice that the things she judges Amy for (not being particularly academic, lack of propriety/restraint, energetic confidence) are traits Paulo also has.>Daisy resents that Paulo (still) doesn't show her a fraction of the affection that Mike and Amy openly engage in with each other.>Paulo is so caught up in being glad that Mike's doing better that he spends more time with him than he does with Daisy, leading to Daisy feeling like the third wheel in her own relationship.>Daisy gets caught up in Amy's chattiness, ends up having a "girl talk" where she isn't being called slutty or frumpy (for once), and Amy actually hears Daisy out and lets her talk without trying to tell her what to do.>Daisy's decision to stop envying or looking down on Amy leads her to the conclusion that Amy's relationship is healthier than her own.>Paulo gets Lucy rebound-macking on him again, and while he is strong-willed enough to not cheat on Daisy, he starts considering breaking up with her like he did with Jasmine.Basically I don't picture Amy being the first to notice or point out any of the inherent problems with Paisy, but more acting as an inadvertent sounding board for Paulo and Daisy as they realize the problems with their relationship. Culminating in Paisy breaking up, and Amy comforting Daisy (who's thinking "I can't believe this ditz 'that's mean, I shouldn't think of her like that' is smarter than me about relationships") while Mike comforts Paulo (and thinks "wow, Paulo is having more girl trouble than I am again. Time really is a flat circle.")
>>153118889I remember days when the sun shone, and laughter could be heard from the lunch table.
>>153113270>unfairHaley's practically been Chris' parental figure since she was 12 completely thanklessly, while Mike was allowed to spend his time as he pleased, now suddenly the favorite child has to do it and he gets endless praise, it's completely fair to be pissed at them both.
>>153119040>that GIGANTIC MASSIVE HEADthe hell? Has this chapter been redrawn or something? I don't remember the characters having such massive heads back in this era.
>>153119040What's unfair is that Haley is burdened with taking care of a little kid while Lucy is practically begging to be someone's mother figure, so bad that she had to adopt Augustus and act like she's got anything to teach him.If only Mike would get with Lucy already, they could raise Chris while Haley goes off to have a social life.
>>153119206Why is Lucy so desperate to get knocked up?
>>153119040Paulo thinking about plapping her
>>153113142Look how nude Haley is under that bathrobe.
>>153119360Her tits are the same size as Mike's, anon. Where are boobs?
>>153119398Haley's flat.
>>153119360>>153119398>>153119511In that picture in particular she is just literally Mike but with some small hair changes (plus the bow)
>>153119040It's not unfair for her to be upset but all that shit's on their mom. I was gonna say the worst thing Mike does is not push his mom to give Haley more credit but he kinda does, he mentions how Haley takes care of Chris all the time back in Second String. Ellen brushes that aside and insists on being really weird about Mike, and it sucks that Haley's probably going to take her anger out on him, even though I totally get where she's coming from.
>>153118889>>153119009It's harsh, Mike, but see this as growing pains. Now that even your family is turning against you, you may think there's no hope left, but this is actually the light at the end of the tunnel.Once you lose those last bonds that tether you to this life and to this Earth, you will experience true rebirth, and you will be able to escape the invisible cage that you have lived inside of from birth, Not even Lucy or the Demiurge herself will be able to reach you.
>>153119781That's deep
>>153119398>>153119578Mike and Haley pulling a twin-swap plot when?
>>153113142Imagine being Mike and every morning your hot sister comes down wearing nothing but a bath robe, subtly flashing her naked body at you and pretending not to notice you can see through the partially undone robe
>>153118983Those are some neat ideas, anon. I can see where you're coming from.
>>153113142It's extra annoying that apparently everyone has noticed Mike's eating disorder and nobody's doing anything about it. This feels like it comes back to karma again. None of the people who would normally care for Mike are doing so, and not for any real reason. It's just because the universe has decided he gets no support.Mike keeping his money in his scarf is pretty cute, though.
someone on reddit did a recolor to make the mike family actually gray
>>153120089Does Mike look like the kinda guy to crossdress? Mmo's don't count. >>153120713I don't think it's the mom noticing an eating disorder and more like Mike just not eating as much. I cannot think of why taeshi would even write his mom noticing sonething that concerning and not digging into it. Because that is fucking insane.
>>153120777>Does Mike look like the kinda guy to crossdress?YES>Mmo's don't count.Still yes.
>>153120294Is this what women do when they know they look good?
>>153120726This looks way better.
>>153120726Is the new style meant to represent how empty and lonely and meaningless mike is feeling right now or does taeshi actually think it looks good
>>153121269The former makes no sense because it still applies to scenes Mike is not present for. But Taeshi is dumb so it could be both.
>>153121107Only toward guys they want to fuck, like Haley's boiling lust for her broher
>>153121347The things Mike could do to his gymnast sistergirlfriend…
>>153120726This is a major improvement, not least because it makes Haley and Mike distinguishable.
>>153122271She was already distinguishable with the bow, bare minimum she needs to be gray
>>153113204Sad!
>>153121269Cope. Taeshi fucked up and the fans (once again) outdo her.
>>153122448Taeshi really just added bows to every character that she needed to look feminine didn't she
>>153114931Chris is fucking adoable as he is and I'm flattered Princeofpeace used he red shirt I drew. I mainly did cause the characters looked weird as hell naked in my art style.>>153113719Cute as always. Could you draw more of the fandom characters? Rin, Kou, Larken? Or Evelyn, Quinn, and Shirley? The three weird non-abusive yanderes.
>>153113811I love that Doublet drew this. Cute bro-sis cuddles.>>153113781She's an attractive dog girl with big boobies, the first thing he'll say is "Can we make puppies together?" or something similar to flirting with Tessa.>>153113719By the way you haven't drawn cheery deer girl and lovestruck simp bisexual bunny girl yet.
>>153124268Hope we get a sexy Easter bunny attire Mary in /trash/ sometime.
>>153124268Stop begging and start resuming your own sketches, you're just driving away the other artists.
>>153124822>start resuming your own sketchesPlease don't give him ideas. I'm usually all for artists sharing their art and improving and stuff, but...
>>153124822>>153124927The problem is that he never improves at all and seems dead set against taking any action that would actually improve his skills.
>>153125072Yes, but there is also a matter of the content of the art, too, and the way he expresses things, not only through his drawings, but also through his texts.But what do I know, I'm just a random anon. If the guy wants to post his stuff, he is free to do so.
>>153118435>>153118983Taeshi put out a disclaimer for the Paisy Divorce BCI saying that it'd never happen cuz they're in love or some other bullshit.Either it was a massive cope or Vero telling Paisy fans what they wanna hear, cuz that BCI is as close to canon to how Daisy and Paulo would end up. That's just how it is, they're far too incompatible with each other.
>>153125327>Vero telling Paisy fans what they wanna hearThis is probably it. If I'm not mistaken, Suitcase himself is a Paisy supporter.It's just damage control, but in truth it is the most likely scenario.
>>153125238One additional issue is how he spams kindergarten level doodles and actually expects people to appreciate or even praise them. Almutt would be a lot less annoying were he not utterly fucking delusional.
>>153125327Daisy not being the one to cheat out of dissatisfaction is the most unrealistic aspect of that entire scenario.
>>153125914Daisy’s got a wandering eye but Paulo has always belonged to Lucy first
>>153126195The thing is, even on the Paulo x Lucy BCI, they aren't happy together either. Paulo does like being with her on that scenario, but Lucy is shown to never move on from her feelings for Mike.It even concludes with Paulo in bed with her asking her if she loves him, and she saying 'does it matter?' and he replying 'I guess not'.The conclusion from this is that anything other than Mucy is doomed to fail, and even that one would be doomed as well, judging by the way the winds blow.
>>153120809>t.Paulo
>>153120777>>153120809
>>153120777>Does Mike look like the kinda guy to crossdress?yeah?
>>153128021Based, Taeshi's inability to pick a lane aside.
>>153128021Mike is so secure even crossdressing and getting fucked in the ass by Paulo isn't a threat to his heterosexuality
>>153116620Once again I hope he's the fatherDudes either a literal faggot or cant have kidsShe used her x to get pregnant not caring how suicidally depressed it would make himFucking mother needs to be shoved down a staircase like holy shit.
>>153128021>He got over it very quicklyWell of course, it's very easy to get over Mike's height. It's not a big deal. Quite easy to overlook.
>>153128021Sandy is gonna make his ass try out her outfits as their valentine's date
>>153130208>Mike tells Sandy the problem with their relationship is they don't see Eye to Eye anymore >He doesn't understand why she keeps laughing
Bump
>>153131140I forgot she was tall, it's been so long since she's been anything but a square dialogue bubble
What would it take to make you all stop reading this comic?
>>153133194Mike finally piping Sandy
>>153133194I keep reading it just to spite you faggot
>>153133194The website failing to update for a week or so.
>>153133461>Local autist ingests poison to spite other autist
>>153133813where do you think we are?
>>153131140>Sandy... I just worry you've outgrown me. I feel like we're never on the same level - everything about your job just goes over my head. I feel like whenever I try to talk to you, your head is up in the clouds. Like I'm beneath your notice.
>>153133194Mike's death.
>>153116620>several pages of character looking miserable and nothing fucking happensYou can really feel the BCB inspiration in this
>>153134682i've seen this comic a bunch in these threads but never got the appeal. this "devin" dude is miserable, a child from the past timeline is dead in the future timeline, etc. etc. the only open question seems to be how the child died, so it all just looks like mystery box softcore misery porn.also they all look the fucking same in monochrome so i have no idea who is who.uninspired and uninteresting.Taeshi apparently isn't above copying the annoying and difficult to parse color palette, though. it's an "inspiration" ouroboros.
I just realized Sandy's wearing hoop earrings here and it's incredibly hot
>>153135208Oh she's a WHORE whore
>>153135208>Taeshi intentionally having Sandy flirt with basket ball players who tower over MikeSomeone save my boy.
>>153135208>Katie openly insults Mike in front of Sandy>Sandy doesn't give a fuck and still gets along with KatieWhat did Sharteshi mean by this?
>>153135208Why is Daisy so short?
>>153133194You stop posting it on /co/ or your advert general gets banned, it was down 2 weeks I close to forget this comic exists
>>153131140I know Mike is supposed to be a bit short, but this is ridiculous. Dude looks like a kid. Judging by this scene alone you'd think she's his babysitter or older sister>>153133194Honestly at this point I don't know. Maybe if Taeshi started spreading a message that went completely against my views and ideals I'd be so pissed I'd drop it, OR if Mike dies, in which case I'd keep reading for a while to see where it'd go from there, but probably wouldn't stick for too long.>>153135921Proportions and sizes are EXTREMELY inconsistent in BCB.>>153135337>>153135485It's ridiculous. Mike's humiliation must be absolute and all-encompassing, it seems.
>>153136598is that scene rom a BCI?
>>153135337Anon, Mandy bad, remember? Wait that doesn't even work here. Isn't this an au where she stays, none of this shit would be as bad. Does Lucy still have her dependency issues or chip on her shoulder? I ask cause Sandy is here and so the idea that Mike was only using her as a sub would never form, right? Letters drama wouldn't exist either which was her main hangup.
Also literally everyone else there, even in the background can tell Katie is making shit awkward and bad. Stacy had it before everyone in the background did.
>>153136610This one >>153135208 is, name's 'elementary school sweethearts'
>>153136635BCB is Taeshi's therapy session where she always wins against Goldie and makes her husband look bad.
>>153136673Mike (and ONLY Mike) is her designated punching bag in which she unleashes all of her frustrations.This is the shit that pisses me off the most in the comic, no other character gets shat on as frequently and consistently and heavily as Mike, with some that are much worse people even getting constant praises, like Augustus and David.
>>153113142Haley is one of the few that tends to actually be on Mike's side. I think she's more pissed about her mom dumping all this shit on Mike who's clearly treading water.
>>153136712Because Taeshi will always hate her husband for talking to Goldie.
>>153136739It has been like 20 years. He didn't even fuck her.
>>153136777Taeshi has BPD and is a woman, what do you expect?
>>153136788Her to go back to threapy. A season of mourning for sonamy forum chats is insane. Sonaze is better anyhow. Least blaze is allowed to keep her personality vs modern Amy.
>>153136673Watch her forget to conserve/give Mike any redeeming qualities by the end, leading to the obvious conclusion that Lucy is a crazy dumbass for staying so hung up on him.
>>153137377none of the characters are themselves anymore, so I truly don't care about this comic and how it'll end up.
>>153137377His purpose is to be her stress ball, so having redeeming qualities is actually a detrimental to her
>>153135485Something something "mean girls" reference, probably.
>>153138400Taeshi thinks other women are just vapid whores.
>>153113286Sue is in my basement. Safe from this mess of a chapter and with me.
>>153137377That's already happened. Mike is an angsty asshole with a chip on his shoulder - his former redeeming qualities of being kind, compassionate, witty, irrepressible, and loyal have either been actively contradicted, or haven't been present/demonstrated in ages. Every new friend he's made has left for greener pastures, leaving his social orbit barren except for Paulo (who is as firm and reliable as a granny knot) and Daisy (who keeps twirling her hair suspiciously). He now occupies the same nadir as Lucy, where the only in-universe reasons other characters put up with them are pity and them being hot.Taeshi says that readers "should" sympathize with both Mike and Lucy, but I think the real moral aesop in BCB is that one shouldn't hesitate to drop a friend if they start being more of a burden than a benefit. The characters who chose to cut their losses, loyalty be damned (Stacy, Abbey, Rachel, Jasmine) are all happy and doing fine, while the ones who stick together just drag each other down.
>>153138672Evey character that was dropped from the comic actually got the good ending
Lies or upcoming retcons?
>>153139474Mike is having schizo-psionic recollections of alternate realities again. He really should be more consistent about taking his telekill pills.
>>153139474Bet he's gonna get accosted by James who's gonna pester him on why he isn't showing up in track
>>153139600Only because it effects James, the knife-twisting little shit would gladly gobble up Lucy's cooch at a moment's notice.
>>153139474So far, Mike has been gaslit by two former best friends, a hyper-biased edgelord/manipulator, a walking meme turned plot-pusher, and his own unfaithful girlfriend. And he believes(?) them all, so there is no escape. Mike is a villainous fraud who only helps others to play hero and feel better about himself. He is also the one Sandy allegedly needs in her life. Ending the pretense would be honest but hurt Sandy. Remaining for her sake is selfish. He doesn't want to hurt her, but that is just personal delusion. This inner conflict killing him isn't real. Mike as he knew himself was never real.In any other comic, this kid would be headed for quite the mental snap.
>>153139710I'd enjoy it if Lucy and Augustus had to deal with Alejandro and co without Mike's help. For characters that rely on manipulation, it would be satisfying to see them unable to deal with someone who's an actual threat after they have broken down any people willing to save them. A fitting punishment for those selfish and violent brats.
>>153139474Kill em all Mike
>>153139474>You wouldn't pick up>I'm lonely because I don't have you This guy has PAGES of staring at his phone waiting for calls, what the fuck are you on about?
>>153139753Personally, I'd rather they just be forced to grow up and realize how retarded their outlooks are. I also suspect that Taeshi is crippling both Mike and Lucy so that they are forced to team up against New Jersey's lamest thug. Very pottery, much romantic.
>>153139832It's a clumsy callback to a now paywalled doodle chapter showing the second EF phone call with Sandy.
>>153139710He already snapped when he finally let everyone know what really happened between him and Lucy until Lucy silenced him for daring to speak the truth. Since that achieved less than nothing Mike has learned that outbursts cost him more than if he just stays quiet and so he will continue to suffer in silence unless someone really, truly gives him the space he needs to speak his mind
>>153139889Ain't that fucking great, putting plot elements behind DLC
>>153139908Mike has learned that everyone will choose Lucy over him, even people unrelated to the table.
>>153139908I'm not talking about another anger snap but something more intrinsic and psychological in terms of self-perception. Or to be blunt, he's being shoved in too many directions at once with no way out, creating a pressure cooker scenario. Mike can't take the easy route, pull a Lucy, and try to kill himself because his mom and Sandy both need him. Continuing on as his old self is not tenable because that's evil. It's been hammered into his skull (and gut) that any indignity on his part is unwarranted. Emotionally shutting down and going with the flow for lack of better options is clearly not working either and so is a short-term solution at best. Something's got to give. The way I see it, that's got to be the single core aspect of Mike's character that makes any of this possible: His fucks given about what anyone else or what they think of him. Kill that and suddenly all of his problems go away.
>>153139600The page preview shows a jump cut to school. Either a hard leap to Sue's part of the chapter or a baton hand-off transition.
>>153139474My “too charitable to Sandy” interpretation:>I called you over and over and you didn’t pick upThis specifically refers to the night of EF, not the whole of their relationship (I think this one might be true>I’m lonely because I didn’t have youRead as “the lifestyle that separated us made me lonely and vulnerable, which is why I changed it drastically just off screen”>You’re… my rockYou’re all that I have, pottery.
>>153140061And to think I used to believe he was just being paranoid about James of all people abandoning him for Lucy.
>show that Sandy's problems/hangups have understandable sources and that she's willing to put in the work up front to keep Mike in her life >turn around and make sure the reader knows through BCIs that any MikexSandy ending will result in cheating, broken homes, and bastard kids as long as Lucy is still around due to Sandy always prioritizing work over familyIs this more a condemnation of Mike or Sandy?
>>153140704You are assuming sincerity on Sandy's behalf despite SANDY BAD getting blared in your ears every chance Taeshi gets.
>>153140704Bottom line is just the usual Mike torture and a reminder that anything other that Mike x Lucy is doomed to fail.
>>153139474>This is making me miserable but She Needs MeI'm glad Mike learned from his heinous treatment of Lucy and decided to make the right decision by pushing his own needs even further aside this time. I mean he gave Lucy permanent trust issues by cheating so hard, so naturally he's in no position to judge Sandy. Does the narrative actually show any faults in his reasoning? Long live MikexSandy.Anyway Sandy is so obviously bullshitting him and doesn't care about him as a person at all that it's hard to take this drama seriously. There's no stakes because I don't care if he hurts Sandy, and so I don't care that he cares.
>>153139474>Sandy when she realizes what Francis means by "making up for what she's missing" is her pussy getting stuffed by Dog Dick multiple times a day
Eternal Flame, whatever that was.
>>153139474I want to believe her but Mike is burned out, not trusting her, and she seems to be trying to excuse her way out of cheating, or she's being truthful and meaning that Mike means everything to her.>>153141144She does love Mike but let her isolation and desire for physical comfort lead her to choosing Francis. "I had sex" may be an incentive but not a good excuse, if she's this bothered she should just propose that she and Mike have an open relationship.I loved the art of Alanlake's dogs gangfucking her. I hope Francis is a cat cause she and Mike can breed her pussy with so much baby batter that having to take care of their kitties will make her see where her place is, she'll learn to like it. Or Mike could make her watch him and Lucy fucking so Lucy can provide the babies Sandy's model body can't handle.
You know, if he went on a shooting spree, I would understand. Mike is well overdue for having a crash out moment.
>>153141277The comic understood too, once upon a time
>>153141277That or a rape spree as others have joked, considering how much he's been socially shat on and trivialized.>>153141144>>153141244I think Kizunanon made this joke. Sandy and Mike want babies, she can't ruin her womb and belly for her job, so Lucy and her tender pussy become their personal slutty baby breeding machine.
>>153141277Personally I favor a "then let me be evil" arc, if only because "villain" Mike sounds more interesting than what's being offered. He probably wouldn't be too great at being the bad guy with so little practice under his belt, but his clumsy attempts at playing the bastard on purpose holds entertainment value. Especially if that annoys Lucy and her platonic harem.
>>153141353Bring back Tess!
>>153139474Will we ever find out how far she actually went with Francis? Maybe Francis will send a revenge pic because he got fired?
>>153141666Sandy secretly got pregnant.
>>153137002The only therapy I know of that has shown some efficacy with treating BPD requires a level of constant, nigh-obsessive, essentially ritualistic effort on the part of the person with BPD... and I don't think Taeshi is capable of that.People with BPD can become untreatable by being too self-accepting. It has a lot of overlap with narcissistic traits.In the worst cases, self-depiction as their idea of a depressed and/or suicidal person is simply used as emotional leverage. This isn't even necessarily conscious, as it could be a learned reflexive behavior. It's also not necessarily leveraged for direct gain, and sometimes an intense overreaction to feeling slighted. If they get what they want, suddenly they aren't suicidally depressed anymore... or what they demand expands. That's not what real suicidal depression looks like.
>>153141795So Taeshi can't be fixed without locking her up in a ward?>>153139474Lies, anon, she is gaslighting him again. Mike attracts gaslighters worse than standusers attract each other.
>>153142167I remember that chapter. It was pure asspull and gaslight gallore.Dude, the girl straight told she CHEATED on you and that she LIKED IT a few hours ago, now she calls and says you not forgiving her is 'mean'? The fuck?Worst part is, this shit would absolutely make anyone's blood boil, but Mike did nothing, yet he spergs and rages over other stuff.
>>153140704I see it more as a condemnation of Mike, since it implies to me that Sandy can/will adjust priorities if needed, but Mike's nature means he won't bring up problems until they're too catastrophic to fix. In canon or in BCIs Sandy's always the prime mover in the relationship, for better or worse, while Mike seems to prefer being perfectly inert, even if that means staying unhappy forever.Besides, neglectful as Sandy is to her hypothetical future offspring, I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt as a parent: she provides for Porsche without forcing her down an abusive path, so she's an improvement over her own mother, and she's the only one working, so it's not too unreasonable for her to put priority on her job. It takes a certain degree of workaholic tendency to provide a high quality of life to a partner and kid these days.
>>153141666The way Sandy keeps rubbing it in Mike's face?Yeah it's just a matter of time before Taeshi reveals to us exactly how far it went, that's probably why the "Mike's main hobby is obsessively searching up Sandy online" plot point was made, so Mike could stumble into some video of Francis fucking Sandy
>>153142412The question is, after being public cucked and humiliated, will he finally leave her and move on, hopefully skip town too
a funnier animal comic
>>153142448>will he finally leave her and move on, hopefully skip town tooDoesnt even need to go that far, just cut ties with Sandy and block her number. Don't talk to Lucy and her friends.
>>153142672If he had blocked her number back in EF, would he be better off? He can't fucking help himself but turn back to Lucy thanks to sheer desperation
>>153142412>Maishul! whatever you do DON'T look up my name on Motherless, Barked.com, Facial Abuse, GirlsDoPorn, Casting Couch, Fake Taxi or Xvideos!
>>153142898>If he had blocked her number back in EF, would he be better off?Yes, he is dying with Sandy, and knowing how Lucy is, that shit would have gone bad regardless, so he would have just ended up adrift for a bit. Not being connected to a mentally ill white cat for a few days would actually help, vs what is happening now. I don't think his eating habits would be fixed since, at the core, the friend in the corner issue was never resolved, & nothing about his friends always choosing Lucy would be resolved either. Lucy sure as hell was never that friend in your corner for Mike.
>>153141795>People with BPD can become untreatable by being too self-accepting. It has a lot of overlap with narcissistic traits.A good while back, Taeshi put out a diary comic in which she celebrated having her BPD under control. Given the way she's been writing the comic, it's pretty clear she's neck deep in the kind of attitude you describe. Her refusal to address Lucy's suicide attempt outside of attempts to pity bait seems to reflect your latter point.
>>153143209Yep, Mike's fate will be that of Charlotte. He's learned that he should take beatings to keep the peace, and the conclusion will follow.
>>153142167>So Taeshi can't be fixed without locking her up in a ward?It requires the person with BPD to be willingly cooperating with the therapy. You can't force that in or out of a ward.>>153143255>Lucy's suicide attemptAlmost a textbook case of "BPD tantrum threatening suicide," especially when she returns, because she gets pretty much whatever she wants. When they actually try to kill themselves it's usually the tantrum going too far and done on emotional impulse, not some deep-seated, longstanding desire to no longer exist.Even the leadup to it has her angrily closing her lifelines off, rather than passively retreating from all interactions like a person with depression would. Lucy doesn't have any (real) insecurities - she views literally everyone else with disdain and consternation for not acting the way she wants them to. That's the actual source of her "angst."I honestly don't think it's intentional, I think Taeshi just doesn't know any better. The paying fans *certainly* don't know any better.
>>153143325>be that of Charlotte.What happened to this Charlotte?
>>153143802Abbey's mom.
>>153143879Oh.
What sucks is that there's not really anyone to cheer for in this comic, since all characters just suck ass nowadays.Mike is spineless and stupid, Lucy is awful yet everyone kisses her ass, Sandy is a hoe, Paulo is an asshole, Daisy sucks, David is the worst non-character I've ever seen in my life, Augustus is a retarded edgelord who gets away with anything because he is the author's pet, James is a vapid and pointless character, Sue does nothing, and the rest barely have any impact on the comic anymore.I get stuck on cheering for Mike on the pointless hope he'll eventually stop being so stupid and spergy, but I can hardly say I like his character when he behaves the way he does.
>>153139474Omega lulz, Lucy's powers are getting dangerously powerful. Shes able to project negitive emotions onto a target miles away from her. Shes able to read mines to manipulate and take advantage&harm people. Some of the most powerful magic she has naturally learned so far allows her to. Enter a persons mind while dreaming scan all their memories only seeing snippets of said memories. Force the person to remember&relive the memory in their dream. She suffers 2.5X the mental damage, she must also follow the person in their dream. If they see her, they can lock onto her telling something is very odd. Why would they be dreaming of this and imagining Lucy being there, speaking to them about this memory. This is where she can get really really hurt as the super ego wakes up and kicks into overdrive noticing. Something is very wrong this thing is not part of our body and tries to fight it. Attacking or fighting said super-ego in a persons head is a bad idea. that 2.5X damage now turns into a 10X she learned this the hard way, it nearly killed her she woke up with a massive nose bleed ran to the bathroom and then noticed she was. Also bleeding massively from the eyes ears gums and even sweating blood before vomiting with spots of blood mixed into the vomit.Attacking an super-ego can either cause brain damage or for the host to have extreme personality swings for hours-years. Because you're harming someones super-ego...Poor poor Mike man the more powerful Lucy gets, the more he is going to suffer. HOWEVER Lucy is running out of homeless people to test things out on also the police have noticed. The massive massive uptick in randomly dead homeless/drug users, unable to figure out what happened to them. It looks as if they were poisoned, to a normal person. She wont start testing her powers on random NORMAL people around town. Not yet at least, minus you know using Lucyspace to make people in school love her, however shes only able to ensnare a few people atm.
>>153144093Lucy is Patrick Bateman?
>>153143927I sympathize with Mike due to the unreasonable load of bullshit he has to put up with, how clearly he is targeted by his own creator, and a very theoretical capacity for interesting development. His characterization following Lucy's return has also been very fucking annoying on a consistent basis. Ironically, I've found him more enjoyable over the last couple of chapters than during the last decade. Even though he's faking it, Mike's behavior torward his mom feels like something out of volumes 2-4, almost. Maybe it's a lack of wishy-washiness.
>>153142898Honestly, no. Another Flame showed that Lucy would have latched back on and been right back on her tsundere bullshit, and Mike would still be too depressed to fight back. If Mike had blocked Sandy he would just have been trading in one source of self-hatred for another.
>>153144460It's odd to me how many people keep saying that EF would have fixed everything between Mike and Lucy if only scarf cat had just not taken Sandy back. I know that Taeshi would not mind such an easy solution, but how do so many readers not recognize a shoddy doomed band-aid job for what it is?
>>153144356If you're interpreting American Psycho for it's more structural thematic, yeah.Lucy could maim and rape people without consequence since the system's goal (in this example, the comic tone) is to produce simulacra of Lucy and all the girlboss or fraught 'romantic 'moments that come with her. She could have 47 page breakdown about every sin she's committed and the friend table will just sit there gormless. The comic can't acknowledge self-development, redemption, or moving on because Mike should have picked Lucy over Sandy; Everything else (PTSD, Isolation, Suicidal tendencies) are just symptoms.
>>153143927I choose to cheer for Sandy, since her shameless self-interest and ability to effortlessly BTFO the 4 primary characters merely by existing is fun.I also enjoy the characters like Kizuna and McCain, who managed to break free of this ouroboric bullshit. But they're obviously not in the comic anymore, so your point stands.
>>153142606I don't get it
>>153144624It just feels like whatever ending we get is going to look a lot like Another Flame, anyway. Taeshi loves that first-volume-esque dynamic. Her only issue with AF as an ending is that by that point Lucy couldn't be extra super duper sure that Mike was really over Sandy, while Mike would push her into a relationship. The extra time we're getting from Sandy telelobotomizing Mike isn't going to be used to fix any of their issues, it's just going to set Mike up to be Lucy's platonic life partner who coincidentally never gets another girlfriend.
>>153145016It seems more likely to me that Lucy would be the one pushing for a relationship in some deniable way, but whatever. In any case, I don't see how Taeshi can push this hopeless version of Mike back to his old volume one self, especially after overshooting with Lucy and turning her into a delusional turbo cunt.
>>153143907Something about that image makes me want to see Mike kicked into a wall hard enough to leave a stain.
>>153144093>Mike is screwed over so much and so often he somehow becomes a Blank, causing Lucy's psychic powers to backlash on her and reality to collapse under the clash
>>153144400>I sympathize with Mike due to the unreasonable load of bullshit he has to put up with, how clearly he is targeted by his own creator,REEEEEEEEEEEEE KYS YOU MONSTERS HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING SO EVIL CLEARLY EVERYTHING IS MIKES FAULT TAE ISNT BEING HARD ENOUGH ON HIM HE DESERVES WORSE FOR ALL HIS VILE MICRO AGGRESSION AND VIOLENT ACTS COMMITED ON LUCY&co
>>153144400>I sympathize with Mike due to the unreasonable load of bullshit he has to put up withYes I agree, it's the reason why I do at least try to sympathize and cheer for him, but his behavior is stupid and nonsensical, though I guess that's the author's fault, since she is the one pulling the strings.I want Mike to stand his ground and be more assertive, but WITHOUT becoming a sperg or an asshole or an edgelord, but I feel like it'll be like what that one anon said before on another thread might become true: Mike will become a jaded asshole, since the author loves that type of character so much. Then again, if he does become such a character, the author will lose her punching bag, so who knows if she'll be able to handle that.>>153144676>cheer for SandyI can see your reasoning, she is a driving force in the narrative, but she was made to be a highly unpleasant character, clearly made to be this oh-so-terrible straw villainess, the stone in the middle of Mike x Lucy's path.I also love Kizuna, McCain, and some fan characters like Amy; they're so detached from the story you can make up better scenarios with them
>>153145796>I want Mike to stand his ground and be more assertiveI think it'd be cool to have a comic where the protagonist has to fight against the artist. only in a more serious tone than Looney Tunes
>>153144722NTA, but it's this:>gay couple made of wolf (?) and bug.>bug is gonna introduce wolf to bug abuela (grandma)>wolf introduces himself>abuela calls him a maricón ('faggot')>bug dude sweats due to unexpected unfriendly interaction
>>153145796Sandy's the most likeable character in the Sandy/Mike/Lucy love triangle, because a character's likability in BCB is inversely proportional to how much they show up.
>>153145796Perhaps Taeshi will have him be a punching bag who suffers in private but punches back in public. The best of both worlds.>>153145907That can't be true since I still find Zach to be a boring autist and Sandy to be fairly unlikable.
>>153146153Sandy is really unlikable but at least you can see her as clueless or misguided, everyone else is a dickhead by choice
>>153145660nah senpai were doing world of darknessMike is going to be called up and get the message from "angels" and become an imbued hunter they fuck magic up. Also throw in some true faith for some added fuck you dice. Mike is gonna be a chad, Lucy is going to be sucking daemonic cocks for eternity as an evil insane mage with no freewill. Using Lucyspace to take over and corrupt whole towns. Paulo is gonna get the succcc turning into the faggot clan of vampires, they'll be homies still kinda because Paulo goes anarch/jihad-free fuck vampire politics. All they will care about is killing Lucy for good somehow.
i like how that one tumblr blog answer since LitS had taeshi saying Mike's suffering wasn't over. Acting like it was just starting when he's been suffering for over a decade real time.i guarantee her answer about karma would have been different if it was about Mike instead of Augustus.
>>153145796>I want Mike to stand his ground and be more assertiveHe's gonna have a hard time of it so long as anybody can bring up December and completely shut him down. And it's not like that's an Augustus exclusive; Sue was willing to play the same card over a mild defense of Paulo before she even knew about Lucy's attempt. His options for getting around this are to exit the social circle that knows about December or to stop being paralyzed by guilt, and those are both dead in the water. I mean the whole arc that culminated in LitS was Mike prioritizing his social life over his Lucy guilt, and we saw Tae constantly run defense for Augustus as he reasserted the power of the December card.It's just a little annoying to see the idea put forth by like, the author or the comic itself, that Mike just needs to stand up for himself, as though there's any viable path for him to learn to do this. And honestly the idea that Mike never told people he was upset with them in the early days is kind of revisionist anyway.
>>153145867>>abuela calls him a maricón ('faggot')Ah that makes sense
>>153146889>It's just a little annoying to see the idea put forth by like, the author or the comic itself, that Mike just needs to stand up for himself, as though there's any viable path for him to learn to do this.Taeshi has crafted a situation where the only vibale options Mike has is to grovel on his knees for forgiveness and go back to being lucy's stress toy forever, or for him to just up and leave the moment he gets a chance. As far as this circle of people goes, he's fucked if he doesn't leave. But if you bring up the idea of him going to another school or something, then Taeshi spazzes out about how Mike wouldnt be able to do it because he can't adapt.Adapt to what? I'm not sure. I guess it's that "Main character syndrome" she claims he has.
>>153147131The author hates her husband and will never forgive him, so probably Mike groveling to Lucy while being a dick to everyone else. Amy is our only solace.
>>153147131It is really funny to say the main character has "main character syndrome"
>>153146762Cheating is a choice so that's a wash.
>>153146857>>153147131It's pretty clear that Taeshi just makes shit up on the spot to justify whatever direction she wants to write in. She has this weird need to believe X character would totally do Y action no matter how implausible.
>>153146762See >>153142336. She isn't misguided or innocent, she knows what she is doing.
