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lacktastrophe · 2 years

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That eternal flame page where lucy says that mike thinks she like seeing him miserable always rub me the wrong way, i mean he has reasons to think like that, when she came back he tried (although badly) to fix things and then she ignore him and say horrible things to him in his ear range, that doesn´t make her better than him in december

I feel we might be being a bit too hard on Lucy.

Cut because this is LOOOOOONG.

You're right in that Lucy's portrayal is very different comparing the original to the Omnibus. The main reason for this is because the audience changed during the course of the original and that's more than evident in what had been Volume 1, as BCB was originally slapstick comedy. Lucy was the sweet girl with an abraisive side the cast would often find themselves on, and Mike was the straight man of a comedy duo as they went through their school years.

A lot of the earliest in-fighting in the community was over the comic staying true to its roots when Veronica showed she wanted to tell a different story through inserting drama into various chapters (Hellooooo confrontation). When BCB gained more exposure, it started attracting even more people over the drama as well, but Veronica tried entertaining both audiences for a while until eventually the drama side won out.

The one bad side to trying to entertain both audiences for a whole volume is it left a, uh, bad predicent in the future, particularly when it came to Lucy's character, and this was felt more when the spotlight left her and Mike's relationship because we started to get starved for Lucy development. You aren't really supposed to have the audience sympathise with the antagonistic lead or show depth in a slapstick since that takes the fun out of it. But at the same time, we're are expected to sympathise with Lucy when we start noticing that not everything is what it appears to be, and Lucy was really this troubled kid at heart who has difficulty getting her feelings across the table. Volume 1 existed in two worlds.

Its for that reason I really feel like from the start, Volume 1 might be the source for a lot of people being hard-bent out of shape with Lucy and with people who are sympathic with Lucy today. It's kind of hard to imagine why this wouldn't be the case, because once the spotlight left her and her relationship with Mike in Volume 2 and 3 and started focusing on the other characters, I felt if people wanted to learn more about Lucy, they would've likely head back to Volume 1 to look for clues, and they would've found things that didn't look quite right; a Lucy that appeared so mean and cold to people, where originally she was supposed to be 'indifferent' to the things around her like she would be in a slapstick, and things have gotten lost in translation as the story and years progressed.

If you really wanted to understand Lucy, I really feel like you needed to discard Volume 1, because Volume 2 was where we started seeing answers to some of the abraisiveness, like when we learn that parts of her aggression are the result of her masking her vulnerabilities.

I don't feel it mattered how hard Veronica tried to try and convince people Lucy was worth sympathising over when she made her return, I think people fell that far in "love" with Volume 1 Lucy they wouldn't budge when she made her return.

I feel the Omnibus has corrected this course, it really tuned the feel of the original story for the audience it's ended with, while also keeping most of the original humor intact. It's also allowed Veronica to refine Lucy through subtle changes, but more so with the dialogue. I feel like it works even better now.

Going back to the first part of the ask; Lucy had every reason to turn Mike down in Unspoken Rule. The differences between both of these attempts to reconcile was in December, Lucy wanted to rekindle her friendship with Mike, in Unspoken Rule, Mike wanted to rekindle the friendship, but not for her sake.

We're at a part in the story knowing that Lucy finds her relationship with Mike invaluable, and we know this through the things she's willing to sacrifice in order to make that a possibility. That became ever the more clear in Eternal Flame when she was willing to undo all her person growth and being rid of her co-dependency, just so Mike would be back in her life for good this time -- All of it out the door. She didn't even resist his attempt to kiss her initially either, because ultimately she wanted it, she wanted him. Every other friendship pales in comparison; there had been various reasons, but there just is no alternative to Mike. We've known this from some of her actions in the past too where she had even turned down the chances of a (dubiously) better relationships with the other characters a number of times. I'm not talking about chapters where she made obvious like in After You, I'm talking further back in chapters like Carry Me, where you thought she was going to get along with Paulo after all that attentive effort to look after her and get them both home. But all Mike just needs to do is show some concern, pull out asprin and she's already forgotten about Paulo. That's how bad it is. Mike is irreplacable. He's had a long time presence in her life. It's not easy to replace him at all.

I wish it were the same with Unspoken Rule, but it wasn't; Mike wanted to rekindle the relationship, but not for Lucy's sake. Mike wanted it because he'd been having nightmares of his relationship with Sandy failing, and he had been running out of people to turn to who would convince him the relationship would work out. Despite her absence, Lucy had yet to make a slight remark at Sandy, though that would be something that would happen on the following page.

Had this not been the case and it actually were for Lucy's sake too, Mike would've needed to come clean on some of the meant back in December in his apology, something he had been meaning to explain ever since the night of the play. But that was something he couldn't suddenly bring himself to do. The reason for this is because he's hardwired himself to focus on only the negative side of Lucy. It's this way because he remembers how unhealthy the relationship had been. But, choosing to suppress some of the better moments with Lucy, couldn't help but to see reason to think that might also have something to do with showing obedience and loyalty to Sandy at the same time.

After all...

December was different at its core because Lucy was trying to get Mike to remember the better points of their friendship to try and save it, by getting him to remember. She'd be partially successful in this, as her way of getting him to see this would be playing their favourite pass-time, but playing her least favourite game, and giving him all the advantages. She'd be the punching bag for all the frustation in the past.

Well, it wouldn't be as great as saying sorry, but to say the two didn't appear to get alone would be wrong. Mike gets thrashed regardless and we find out he's stopped doing his favourite passtime. All the games he owns are two players. We'd probably have to assume they also reminded him of her too.

I'd be confident that Lucy would've attempted to reconcile more had the right moment and opportunity arise. But we wouldn't get that chance, as when Sandy re-enters the frame, we see a transformation in Mike. The hours and laughter before becoming meaningless in no shortage of time. The hard-wire is back in place.

We understand the origin of this change in no shortage of time through the next few pages as a glimpse into the past when Mike is telling Sandy about his day on two occassions, and Sandy becoming upset and distraught upon learning that Mike is being hurt by a friend. Mike takes this to heart.

It's a few chapters later we would understand this to have been a misunderstanding on Mike's behalf, as Sandy would have only really meant that he would've talked it out with Lucy.

But Mike had reflected on his relationship with Lucy during that time and would find that he was in an unhealthy and toxic relationship. Lucy had not been a good friend in all instances and resolves to cut her out as much as he could. He's within his reason to believe this given the times that Lucy had been pretty terrible, but at the same time Mike had volunterily suppressed the times when Lucy wasn't. More on that a litte later.

Towards the end of December, Mike unleashes hell for years of anguish. You would feel it deserved and justified, and while it could be from Mike's perspective, from our own we know Lucy had been trying as hard not to resembe what she had been like previously. Regardless, the friendship gets severed.

The first real opportunity to set things right would arise in the very same chapter when Sandy asks Mike to talk it out with Lucy.

Mike turns back twice in this chapter. The first one from his own will. The second when Lily begs him to leave, knowing he's hurt her.

The thing to note is Mike's pained expression in the very bottom of the page, he's forcing himself to do this knowing his perspective. But this attempt, if it would've helped doesn't go ahead, as Lily asks him to leave. He does.

The first real attempt to comes in Curtain Call, but it's only after Lucy graces him during the play, Mike suddenly remembers a moment from their childhood between them, and this becomes the main motivator for him to try and repair the damage from December.

It would be too late though by this point as the gears were in motion for Lucy to move.

And Lucy would attempt to take her life at this sudden twist in fate.

So, you're probably wondering why go back through all that? Well, the time between Curtain Call and Love again is the duration of Lucy absence and the next attempt for Mike to apologise. Mike attempts to talk to her in the next chapter after Love Again, Unspoken Rule.

We don't immediately understand until much later that during the entirity of Lucy's return she's been ascertaining who is really a friend to her. Towards Mike, there's a particular side of indifference because she really doesn't know if Mike wants them to be friends again.

When we come to Mike during the dodgeball, hearing David say the whole purpose of the class is to simply beat people up, well, there's an involuntary memory.

Mike is resigned to losing as Lucy takes very much everyone down. But becomes agitated as Lucy drags the game on. The PE teacher is pretty accurate when she calls out the mindgame.

For most of the duration of her return Lucy is judging the character of those around her and testing out various predictions. We can be pretty sure Lucy letting Mike take the initiative between their showdown was one of those. Whether the freakout was anticipated or not, we can see here that something about Lucy is clearly still biting with Mike.

Mike tracking her down at the end of the day comes with a mixture of emotions; we are fairly sure he feels guilty after learning what happened to Lucy in Breaking up. He felt that guilt back at the dodgeball game too and wanted her to hurry up and get it over with. He might have been prepared to lose if it would've meant something towards that guilt.

The problem though is the meaning behind the guilt, because the one that obviously matters to Lucy is not the one Mike's concerned himself with. She's more concerned with what he meant back then in December. Mike doesn't have the answer to it.

Well, actually, he did have an answer, but he wouldn't admit it; it's Sandy.

Lucy denied Mike a chance at apologising back in Unspoken Rule because his apology would've been worthless at that point in time. There is much more meaning when Lucy tells him 'When it comes to Sandy, it's only ever about her. Friend or not.' We've seen this play out a number of times, especially when Mike was starting to lose his mind and the others who found themselves getting in the way of him and Sandy are either assaulted or accosted when doing so.

Friend...

...or not, as Augustus was expecting it too and makes a point of that when he confronts Mike over his failing relationships.

Had Mike gone through with the apology, it wouldn't have been too different from how Mike felt about his relationship with Lucy back in the day - it's got strings attached. We could also bet pretty hard that Lucy would've found herself being wronged in some fashion, because she's right; when Sandy's involved, Mike is completely untenable, it's only about Sandy. She's the biggest threat to their relationship, because one way or another, Mike would find a reason to taken out his frustrations and insecurities out on her. It wouldn't be too much different from the way she treated him back in hid middleschool years. The cycle would've repeated.

Mike also is incapable of seeing past his own hatred of Lucy because that keeps him tied to Sandy. It stops the guilt of him feeling like a cheater because he knows that Lucy is interested in him. He needs to hate her.

We saw a number of times when even Mike had to begrudgingly admit he was wrong and while Lucy did have her moments when she had been insufferable, there had been many of those when the opposite had been true and Lucy had been a friend; being both supportive of him and Sandy and their relationship.

Mike just convinced himself otherwise.

Looking far back to the very start of things, deep down I don't believe Mike had ever been as bothered by Lucy's abraisive nature. Sure, it could've been better, but I don't feel like he really saw their relationship like a duty until the conversation with Sandy. If it had ever really been the case, his delivery to Sandy over the phone would've been much more pained and antgonistic towards Lucy knowing that fact. Instead he's laughing about it and downplaying all the bad parts. That isn't to say that it's fine; the relationship wasn't healthy in the least. It might even just be his way of coping because he's a pushover. But Mike isn't as bothered about it as he should be, and the evidence for this is really because Lucy made up for her shortcomings in other ways for the relationship to have continued purpose (outside of him receiving support about their relationship when Sandy can't be contacted) and that's why he's able to (and try to) down-play it during his phone conversations. There had been times when Lucy had been good to him, and it's not just because of her own support. It's because she can be capable of being a good friend.

And that softspot for her absolutely exists in the story and showed up from time to time. His guard dropped in December, I don't think Mike would've given her the leniency he did to even think about entertaining her thought of passing the first couple of hours with video game had it still been absolute seething hate. The only reason is because in that small period of time; he forgot about Sandy.

Not to mention if it really had been seething hate, Lucy's 'nightmare form' wouldn't resemble what we saw in Dial Tone either. Instead we saw a different side, so Mike really doesn't actually hate her. It's just he feels he needs to.

But yeah, Lucy wouldn't let him apologise back then because it would've been worthless. So long as Sandy remained a factor, Mike was just untenable and the friendship wouldn't last; they'd hurt each other somehow.

When it comes to Eternal Flame and Lucy saying she isn't the kind of person to wish the worst on him. She's really telling the truth, even when she's been wronged by Mike, because in DoubleDown when Paulo grants her the opportunity to get revenge on him by kicking him out of the table. She doesn't take it.

I definitely feel like it's time to move past how Lucy appeared in the original story and accept the Omnibus. You're not being forced to sympathise with Lucy, but man, you should. She's done some pretty questionable shit in the story -- but she's a kid, a kid with some pretty deep personal trust issues, and some that've yet to be dealt with. And she doesn't have the answers. We've seen some of those bite her back in more ways than one, we only need to look at the fallout of her relationship with Paulo as an example of that.

Shit, I hope that all helped, Eternal Flame anon? I'm gonna go collapse in bed now.

#bcb #bittersweet candy bowl #bittersweetcandybowl

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