Bittersweet Candy Bowl

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Quite possibly the ultimate Will They or Won't They?, Bittersweet Candy Bowl is a webcomic by Taeshi. It follows a group of feline friends through middle and high school, focusing primarily on a pretty, white-colored Tsundere called Lucy, and her ongoing crush/rivalry with Nice Guy Mike. Also featured are Love Triangles (actually, a developing Love Dodecahedron) among the resident Jerk with a Heart of Gold Paulo, cheery Teen Genius Daisy, Token Older Girl Tessa, Cloudcuckoolander David, and Abbey, Daisy's now boyfriend with a troubled past. And now there are three new girls added to the cast. They are Jessica, a strong-willed cheerleader who has a fancy for Lucy and hates/dislikes Tess, Rachel, a cheerful girl who's also a cheerleader and also holds a grudge against Tess, and Jasmine, Paulo's new girlfriend.

The main cast, minus Daisy and Abbey, on vacation.

A deep sufferer of Cerebus Syndrome, Bittersweet Candy Bowl started off almost entirely lighthearted but delved into heavy drama as the characters moved to high school — there are still jokes, though they are increasingly rare.

The series makes use of anthropomorphic cats, dogs, and birds, but these are derived more from the Funny Animals trope than any serious links to whatever classifies as a true Furry Comic. The characters were developed when the author was young and presumably unaware of the Furry Fandom. The comic is an ongoing serial, and is published three times a week.

Often in a Top Webcomics vote drive. The comics used as incentives can be seen in their entirety by joining BCI (Bittersweet Club International).

Be warned: this comic has been known to cause an unreasonable amount of tears for insufficiently understood reasons.

Also check out the comic's Tumblr account.

Tropes used in Bittersweet Candy Bowl include:

• Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Mike does not appreciate being told this by his friends when they try to get him to accept Lucy's confession despite already being in a Long-Distance Relationship.
• Abuse Is Okay When Its Female On Male: Played painfully straight for the first half of the comic. Deconstructed later on, when Mike snaps at Lucy.
• All Just a Dream: The chapter "Wonderland". Lucy "wakes up" at the beginning of the chapter and the chapter before it was an April Fool's comic, making it all just a dream as well.
  • Chapter 59 was All Just A Daydream. Paulo's. Best. Daydream. Ever.
• All Love Is Unrequited: BCB has a chronic case of this. Almost every character in the cast suffers from this trope at some point.
  • Sometimes repeatedly.
• Alpha Bitch: Katherine Katie
• Alternate Universe: According to the commentary, the chapter "Another Path" was originally intended to be set in an alternate universe where Paulo had sex with Lucy during her mental breakdown in "Another Shoulder". The final version has it as a daydream of Paulo's.
  • Paulo does daydream about the events of that chapter, yes, but Word of God says they would have happened exactly like they did if Paulo and Lucy had sex that night.
  • The incentives "Magic Tricks," "Disaster Dominoes," and "Another Chance" are all based in alternative timelines of varying similarity to the canon one. "Disaster Dominoes" was easily the most different.
• Ambiguously Bi: David adores Abbey according to the chart. And this or this makes it seem that David likes touching Abbey while having fun.
  • Now according to the new chart, he also adores Augustus.
• Anchored Ship: One way to see Mike and Lucy ever getting together.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Lucy's rejected confession of love to Michael in "A Distance Apart".
• April Fools' Day:
  • "In The End"
  • GARBAGE DAY.
• Archive Trawl: One of the more effective ways to confirm details in any situation. The chapter descriptions can help when hunting down a page.
• Art Evolution: The comic started off on lined paper in a simple grid style to ensure proper panelling with toning and everything.
• Attempted Rape: The mugger on Lucy in the Confrontation arc.
  • Final Fantasy Cat looked like he was about to do this to Daisy, but Abbey intervened, though it turns out he most-likely wouldn't have gone through with it. If that was the plan at all.
• Ax Crazy: Non-canon incentive arc Disaster Dominoes' Kizuna was this.
• A Date with Rosie Palms: Carter at the end of Box of Tricks.
• Barbie Doll Anatomy: Half of the cast walk around in the nude!
  • ...and then for some reason seem embarrassed by Wardrobe Malfunctions.
    • Early on, Paulo was shown to be cheating with pockets. Taeshi doesn't have confidence in drawing clothes much.
    • It's pretty clear that those wearing clothes and showing things they shouldn't is a turn-on.
  • The About page addresses this.
    • As well as this strip.
• Bastard Boyfriend: Abbey in Disaster Dominoes. The Conflicted type, based on how things were.
• Beach Arc: The summer vacation arc.
• BST:
  • Mike and Lucy are fairly excellent examples of this.
    • And how!
  • Paulo and Lucy; Paulo and Tess.
  • UST: Which may well be what happened to certain people's interactions.
• Berserk Button:
  • Don't abuse/insult a girl in front of Abbey, unless you want a face full of fists.
    • If the Confrontation chapter was any indication, Mike can be this way.
  • Don't be too flirty about Mike near Lucy. Or too flirty with Lucy, for that mattter. And expect violence from her if you've hit her.
  • This could be a bad sign.
  • Jessica hates it when called out about how she bullies Tess, which led to another button being pressed... Tess pretty much just takes it.
• Beta Couple: Abbey and Daisy's more or less drama-free relationship, which tends to take a backseat to the drama-filled relationships of other primary characters.
• Beyond the Impossible:
  • "SUPERRRR PANELLLL TELEPORT!"
  • Daisy has 18 extra-curricular activities. While being an "A" student with a schedule of Honors courses. And still has time for her boyfriend and other friends.
• Big Bad: Most certainly Alejandro. His manipulations led to Paulo's jerk mentality, Paulo's phobia of barking, Confrontation in general, and he's being worked for by Augustus. He also remembers his grudge against Mike and Lucy.
  • Some keen-eyed forum users suggest he was the one who date-raped Tess when she was a freshman.
• Big Fancy House: Tessa lives in one. Mike and Lucy are suitably impressed.
• Big Brother Instinct: Sam, here.
• Big "What?": Paulo, for a page and followed shortly by a Little What.
• Birds of a Feather: Abbey and Daisy, to some extent.
• Bi the Way: Apparently, Jessica goes both ways and fancies Lucy. Who knew?
  • Chapter 61 may have raised the number of aware fans. Specifically, this page.
    • It's even more blatant in Chapter 63. Rachel pretty much lets the cat out of the bag.
• Black Humor: Happy Mother's Day! See the first comment.
• Blank White Eyes: Everyone has done it at least once. David may as well have it as his default expression.
• Blatant Lies

Peddler: ...made exclusively in Paris! (He made it with the contents of a trashcan. In front of them.) Lucy: "It doesn't upset me" David: "That's perfect for capturing her!! I mean..." David: I'm menstruating.

• Break the Cutie:
  • Lucy got this in preschool, hence her lack of interest in socializing.
  • Lucy in Disaster Dominoes. After Mike finally got her to smile, he got run down. It Got Worse.
  • Jessica got this from a lot of the school and Tess as a freshman.
  • The ENTIRE main cast in Confrontation. ...seriously.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: There's a chapter, "Out of the Frame", dedicated to all the minor characters creating a "neglected club".
  • David winks at the screen and tries to get Paulo to address the audience.
  • Right before the example in Moment Killer, courtesy of Mike.
• Broken Bird: Lucy
• Broken Pedestal: Paulo originally saw his "coolness" teacher, Alejandro, as an example of what he was trying to be. It doesn't last.
• Broken Smile:
  • Lucy has one while her first Despair Event Horizon happens at times.
  • Lucy in Disaster Dominoes, to a dead Mike: "Ha ha ha ha... Sandy can't have you anymore... I'm willing to join you without a doubt... without a doubt... I love you, Mike... I'll keep smiling for you..." Followed by jumping to her death. All the while, smiling and crying...
• Brutal Honesty:
  • Alec McCain, full stop.
  • Paulo in 59 failed at tact. A few times. And Lucy thanked him a few times.
  • Lucy does it, too.
• Buffy-Speak
• Butt Monkey: Mike.
  • Kizuna is very clumsy. She loves David. David likes sports and forgets her constantly. You see where this is going.
  • Paulo had some butt monkey time randomly if Lucy (and sometimes Yashy) was nearby until high school. And then...
  • Tess has minor butt monkey time around Jessica and Rachel, and Rachel has had some in chapter 63.
• Call Back: This most definitely shows Justin remembers David.
• Calling Your Attacks: "AYUUU BEEEEEM", "SUPAHHH CHOP"
• Call on Me: Mike jolts to Lucy's rescue as she's being assaulted in "Confrontation".
• The Cameo: Many fancharacters given to the author have either become regular cast or served as background filler.
  • Liam, a fan-made character, even had an entire intermission chapter dedicated to his relationship with Lucy. It has since been taken down and is only available to BCI members.
  • See the example for Breaking the Fourth Wall above.
• Cannot Stand Them Cannot Live Without Them: Mike and Lucy. Originally, at least. As of "Pillow Talk", Michael acts like he can't stand Lucy, while Lucy seems to not be able to live without him.
  • The comic is like this for some.
• Cannot Spit It Out: "Maybe I should just dance around the subject and give everyone headaches. There, problem solved, the Lucy way."
  • And then she did. It didn't help.
• Can't Act Perverted Toward a Love Interest: Paulo is particularly protective of Daisy, and immediately shapes up when she's watching.
  • In the chapter "Return", it's revealed that Paulo now thinks of Daisy as more of a sister anyway, and doesn't mind her going out with another guy.
    • However, it is hinted at in "Back and Forth" that he still doesn't want to be seen as a sexual deviant in her eyes, as he immediately notices her and seems worried about her opinion of him when Tess and Lucy start some drama because of his sleeping around and being a man-whore in general.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: Mike.
• Cat Fight: Punnily common. Possibly, this is the only played straight example currently.
  • Lucy and Jessica again.
• Catch Phrase: Lucy's "jerkface", Mike's "guh!", Yashy's "whore!!", and to a degree Paulo's abuse of the word "AWESOME".
  • David to Kizuna: "Who are you?" Poor girl can't get a break...
    • David also tends to come out of nowhere with an "AWKWARD" announcement.
  • Pretty much every time McCain opens his mouth, the rest of the characters yell, "Shut it McCain!"
• Cats Hate Water: Lucy became hydrophobic after Mike almost drowned when they were younger.
• Caught in the Rain: Lucy and Carter.
  • Mike ages earlier, though this was a good thing in the end.
• Cerebus Syndrome:
  • Compare this page with this page. Beware of spoilers!
  • It is safe to say that the comic has essentially fallen into this similar to Looking for Group. What was once a comedic sitcom has become a drama full of tragedy, despair and trauma, and the only "humor" to be found is solely spouted by the resident psychopath.
• Character Development: One of the comic's central themes.
  • Pretty much the entire plot, actually.
  • One of the cast even holds up a cardboard sheet saying "Character Development" when Paulo demonstrates his newfound maturity.
  • See: Fridge Brilliance.
• Characterization Marches On: Even if fan opinions don't change, characters will.
  • Jessica and Rachel were initially your typical high school bullies with little reason for singling out Tess aside from her being an easy target. As time went on, though, hints were gradually dropped that there was a deeper reason as to why they bullied Tess specifically, a reason that was fully revealed in "Pillow Talk".
    • Actually, they've always had their reason, as shown on this page. At least they did as far as Rachel's backstory was concerned.
• The Charmer: Used on Daisy and attempted unsuccessfully on Lucy. Both Augustus.
• Cheerful Child: Molly. Just don't mention her mother.
• Chivalrous Pervert: When the well-being of Daisy or Lucy is in danger, Paulo tends to forget his perversion in favor of helping them or, at least, trying to. He also reacted this way when Sue got hurt in Confrontation.
• Cleavage Window: Katie here
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Lucy, though she tries not to appear that way. Unfortunately for Mike, her MO when it comes to covering this up is to be as bitchy as possible.
• Cloudcuckoolander: David. It's only gotten worse with Flanderization.
• Combat Sadomasochist: Alejandro took two of Lucy's kicks, had his teeth smashed into each other hard enough to chip one and draw blood, and was still okay enough to beat Lucy senseless before Mike came back, smashing his face into an alley floor and still not stopping him. It took Mike and Lucy together to start the example in No-Holds-Barred Beatdown. And he beat Mike before all this happened.
• Common Eye Colors: All from the link in Mismatched Eyes except Abbey's, which are plainly green now.
  • Black Eyes: Rachel
  • Blue Eyes: Lucy, Yashy, One of Jordan's, Stacy, Flower Girl, Roger
  • Brown Eyes: Daisy, Susan, Lily, Chirpy, Tessa, Justin, David (really dark though)
  • Green Eyes: Mike, Hayley (Mike's sister), Blur, Abbey, Molly, Jasmine, Katie
  • Gray Eyes: Might all be black. Not sure. Augustus, Sandy, Carson
• Complaining About Shows You Don't Watch: People who clearly haven't read the chapters complaining about Lucy. Chapter 12. That is all.
• Completely Missing the Point: Functionally, most of the older students to Tess. Especially Jessica and Rachel, since the lot of them bullying her is a bit hypocritical at best.
• Continuity Nod: Lucy's reaction to Augustus in 63 involves his past actions in 40.
• Corrupt the Cutie: Tessa to Jessica in the past.
  • Augustus' influence on Daisy during Awakening had this effect. Even now that she's stopped hanging with him, she's still not over him.
• Covert Pervert: Blur shows tendencies. Note the Nosebleed on the second example.
• Cute Bruiser/Badass Adorable: Lucy can kick a whole lot more ass than is apparent. She's also one of the shortest characters. However, while she is the strongest girl, she still isn't as strong as most of the boys.
• Cute Mute: Amaya never talks for us. Apparently, she can talk, though. Still cute.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Abbey.
  • Quite arguably Tess, since she was the girlfriend of the leader of the bullies and someone who was hinted to have drugged and raped her. He was a senior, she a freshman.
• Darkest Hour: Arguably the ending to "December".
• Date Rape Averted: Abbey stops Final Fantasy Cat from assaulting Daisy.
• A Day in the Limelight: David's birthday.
  • See the Breaking the Fourth Wall example above.
  • Sue and the Beta Couple get one in 62.
• Dead Little Sister: In the non-canon incentive chapter "Disaster Dominoes", Molly died.
• Deadpan Snarker: McCain is built for snarking. Lucy as well.
• Death Glare
  • "you goddamn liar."
  • "It doesn't upset me."
  • Paulo shows us how it's done.
  • Woah, Daisy.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Lucy.
  • Then refrosting. Then defrosting. Then refrosting again. She's probably quite inedible by this point.
    • Things have become a Zig-Zagging Trope, then?
• Despair Event Horizon: Lucy when she thought Mike died and shortly after, when she finally confessed her love for him and he rejected her. The first one came with Dissonant Laughter.
  • Chapter 63 is getting sadder and Lucy looks about at the horizon here. She was okay, then Mike ignored her existence. Now... Oh good. She's okay. Or acting okay.
  • CHAPTER 68.
• Determinator:
  • Lucy in Confrontation.
  • Mike, when he hunted for Sandy at a parade. Of course, this backfired spectacularly. Turns out, Sandy went to Mike's house right after the parade was over, causing Mike to miss her. Don't worry Mike, it's only been five years! What's a few more between friends?
  • Paulo in Disaster Dominoes. He was going to school with a bloodstream full of drugs and STDs.
• Diabolus Ex Machina: Perhaps everything in Confrontation until the end when things started getting better.
• Disaster Dominoes: To the point that there was an incentive called "Disaster Dominoes." A very fun incentive.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Abbey's anti-bullying goals and measures in chapter 62 were... extreme.
  • Also, for having a not-yet-confirmed relationship long distance with Sandy, Mike was brutally beaten by Paulo and the Female Student Body for his friendship and UST with Lucy in chapter 20. Twice. Played for Laughs.
    • That particular gag even continued into the next 10 or so chapters. Quite a few fans considered it to be very unfunny.
• Dissonant Laughter: "Barking... barking... endless barking. Hahaha"
• Distinctive Appearances: With their accessories included, every single character has a different silhouette.
  • A minor case of Cast of Snowflakes, maybe?
• The Ditz: David when not suddenly providing sagely advice. Not a Genius Ditz, though.
• Doesn't Know Her Own Strength: Daisy crushes on Mike literally here and here.
  • Sue was worried.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Mike. Arguably, much less so in recent chapters.
• Domestic Abuse: Abbey's father toward his wife Charlotte.
  • The site has a canceled chapter that shows the extent of his abuse. It was canceled because the author couldn't stand to continue writing it. Yes, it's that horrible.
• Dope Slap: Rachel's all over it for receiving dope bops to the head. She's even done one. Daisy got one, too.
• Double Entendre: "Shake things up with Sue" as Lampshaded here.

David & Lucy: Shake things up with Sue? McCain: We tried that. Didn't test too well.

• Dream Within a Dream: From "In the End" to "Wonderland".
  • This guest comic, which was most likely inspired by Inception.
• Drives Like Crazy: Sam.
• Dumb Blonde: Katie
• Embarrassing First Name: Katherine Katie hates it when not called Katie.
• Embarrassing Nickname: David calls his history teacher in high school "Mr. Poodle of Noodles".
• Even the Guys Want Him: When Paulo announces that Mike "plays for the other team", a bunch of guys leap in to show their interest.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: Sparkles tend to accompany love bubbles, though Jazzie was getting too into it.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": "Final Fantasy Cat" was coined by readers for an initially nameless character.
  • Word of God finally announced his name is Augustus, but still refers to him as Final Fantasy Cat, even within the comic!
  • Word of God has also given a name to another character commonly referred to by a nickname, "Rapecat" for his attempted rape of Lucy or "Confrontation Cat" after the story arc he appeared in, now has the name "Alejandro".
  • The aforementioned history teacher is consistently referred to as Noodles by fans (and the author), since his real name isn't known.
  • Also, the "Flower Girl" that David stalks.
• Everyone Can See It: Mike and Lucy just don't listen!
  • Abbey's crush on Daisy. Her crush on Mike distracted her to the point that she was the only member of the True Companions not aware of it.
• Everythings Cuter With Kittens: Molly and fanart of pairings with babies.
• Everythings Precious With Puppies: Justin
• Extreme Doormat: More-or-less a valid description of Tess resisting others bullying her. Ironic, since they're doing the thing they hate her for.
• Extreme Melee Revenge: Alejandro, after he got mad.
  • Abbey doesn't like it when you hit or insult girls.
• Face Palm: Who else but David?
• Fantastic Racism: A LOT of it, from many of the characters including Lucy's pets. The terms "cracka" and "white people" can be seen.
• First Kiss: Lucy's kiss with Mike, though Mike's first kiss was with Sandy.
  • Daisy's first can be seen in the link for Forceful Kiss.
• First Law of Tragicomedies
• Flanderization: David was never really that weird, he just became so over time.
  • And to an extent, Abbey. He started off as a polite and chivalrous character, only showing a slight dislike for the actions of Paulo and other characters. However, he has started veering into Jerkass territory, going to extreme lengths to keep ne'er do wells in detention. However, he also started to get more screen time, more friends, and more power, and he has some pretty severe mental issues.
• Flipping the Bird: Seen here and here.
• Forceful Kiss: Daisy kissing Mike.
• Foreshadowing: Look at the first page.
  • Look at this. Now, we have foreboding atmosphere here. Uh oh. If that smile confuses you, see chapter 12.
• Four Is Death: The #4 post in Candybooru. Probably not intentional. Maybe.
• Fourth Wall Mail Slot: Here.
• Freudian Excuse: Fridge Logic suggests that the reason Tess refuses to get close to Paulo is due to her similar past experiences with older students. She was hurt and doesn't want Paulo to be. The memories of what she went through will keep her avoiding the idea of trying it because she can't help but think she'll just hurt him if she does. Her moments of trying to be close to Paulo may be less likely in the future than we know.
  • Lucy ^{[dead link]} was ostracized by boys and girls at a young age. She became less cheerful and got Yashy to love, as a coping mechanism. She's not so much unwilling to open up to others as unable to at this point. There's a lot of social trauma to work through before she begins to smile even half of the time. Hence, why her pets see her differently than everyone -- she opens up to them.
  • Paulo's fear of barking and growling came from a somewhat-traumatic childhood experience based on them. His jerk-ish habits came from a jerk teaching him how to be "cool" as a child.
  • Abbey acting violent or particularly angry makes him break down at realizing he's acting like his father. Justified, in that his father was a wife-beater. Also why he took Abbey, rather than Abe, as his nickname. His father went by Abe.
  • The chapter "Pillow Talk" delves into why Jessica is so dead-set on making Tess miserable: Tess's then-boyfriend broke the arm of Rachel's little brother. When Jess tried to find a way to get back at Roger, Tess twisted her abortive first attempt to paint Jess as a slut.
• Freudian Slip: "Sonic Ride You" as opposed to "Sonic Riders".
  • Mike seems prone to them, understandably. Lampshaded by Tess next page.
• Freud Was Right: Incentive Paulo and David are very interested in the uses of having switched bodies with Lucy and Tess with magic. Lucy eventually lost interest in being mad and started to test her equipment. Paulo did this earlier with Lucy's body...
• A Friend in Need: The most common situation where Mike and Paulo aren't rubbing each other the wrong way.
• Funny Background Event: When you see it... This page as well.
• Funny Drug User: Any time Mike is under the influence of something, he's hilariously random.
• Furry Fandom: As a bit of a Take That to complainers.
• Genre Savvy: Lucy and Paulo see a fair bit of stuff coming.
• The Ghost: Mike's sister is mentioned in chapter 2, then never brought up again. She can be seen to the far-right in the link for Mismatched Eyes.
  • After a Booru dive, her name seems to be Hayley.
    • She has been brought up again, in a recent page. She also cameos in a few scenes at Mike's house.
• Giant Waist Ribbon: Maybe Jasmine's Halloween costume.
• Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: David and Paulo are very expressive with their hands, and find themselves pointing tons.
• God Save Us From the Queen: The "Queen of War" in the Hidden Depths example.
• Green-Eyed Monster: A boyfriend who barely sees his girlfriend...
• Groin Attack: This is one of Lucy's specialties.
• Halloween Chapter: Chapter 60, also providing more Character Development for Jasmine.
• Her Heart Will Go On: It was a good end to a bad relationship. Daisy also did it, after a lot of trouble, and they stayed friends.
• Heroic Albino: Lucy, though people who don't know her probably consider her a hot Evil Albino.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation:

Liam: I'll wait for you. Lucy: Please don't. You deserve someone a million times better.

• Hidden Depths: David. No, seriously.
  • Paulo's confident and somewhat unaffected-emotionally personality has issues of confidence after Jessica and Rachel lie just to hurt Tess, is aware of how he spent most of his relationship with Jasmine playing second to most of her life, and, earlier still, him becoming the way he is now to impress Lucy after being too shy to even talk to her.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: Lucy. This and the three after. She is a Sugar And Ice Personality, after all.
  • Based on the most "popular" opinion of him, Paulo is not obviously a good guy so often.
• Homage: There are two chapters solely dedicated to Pokémon, and one based around Feel The Magic. There's many more within the story itself, usually referenced by David.
  • Also David's analogy of Paulo's situation during the summer arc repeatedly referencing "Gurren Lagann".
• Hope Spot: "December"...Just..."December"...
• Hot Teacher: Lani Amalu is awesome.
• Ho Yay:
  • Mike and Paulo, especially in the summer vacation arc.
  • David towards Mike here. And towards Abbey at times. Maybe.
  • Jessica to Lucy.
• The Hyena: Rachel is prone to fits of laughing while taking part in teasing.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Sandy seems far less attached to modeling than her mother.
• I Just Want to Be Special: Daisy is particularly jealous of all the male attention Tessa and Lucy receive, and assumes it's because of her unremarkable body.
• I Just Want to Have Friends: Lucy's issues started when she was ostracized by everyone in preschool. Also part of why she's so clingy at times.
• Imagine Spot: Chapter 59.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Daisy, outside of incentives, seems like the good girl no matter what. Her dreams...
• Innocent Innuendo: Yashy was grammatically correct.
  • "C'mon, BE A HOOKER WITH ME!! It'll be so exciting!!" Said by the one who usually laughs at innuendo, including the above example.
• Interspecies Romance:
  • Abbey's foster parents.
  • As a small set of examples, Katie has flirted with Mike, Paulo has had flings with girl dogs (particularly Rachel), and David hits on Lucy a lot. Oh, and David may have a thing for Mike earlier and Abbey now.
  • Sue and McCain. Kinda.
    • Not to mention she's the only one who calls him by his first name and never almost never tells him to shut it.
  • It seems like Roger might be in one, or at least might've been in one in chapter 41 "Moving On".
• Irony: A semi-common occurrence, but Lucy's refusal to get closer to Mike before and the end of Mike's hunt for Sandy may be the biggest two. Dramatic Irony, perhaps.
• It Doesn't Mean Anything: Lucy kissing Mike at the end of Confrontation.
• It Got Worse: Confrontation was full of it.
  • The incentive chapter "Disaster Dominoes" was even more full of it. At least in the prior example, it was just two (later one) mugger(s) completely overpowering the main cast. Disaster Dominoes mixed things up so that everyone's lives were complete shit.
  • Lucy's situation with Mike just gets worse in recent time after she confesses her love for him. And then December cemented it.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Abbey.
  • In Disaster Dominoes, Lucy says Mike is too good for her.
    • She may also be holding the same view now that he's ignoring her.
• Jerkass: Augustus and Roger, Tessa's ex-boyfriend. As well as Alejandro, often called "Rapecat"/"Confrontation Cat", who Augustus (Final Fantasy Cat) knows, with potential dark Foreshadowing for the future.
  • Alejandro makes a good candidate for Complete Monster; the only thing keeping him out of there is that he might have a soft spot for his henchmen Toby and Augustus.
• Jerkass Facade: Lucy in general to distract from her Sugar and Ice Personality.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Paulo and Tessa; interesting in Tessa's case because she's trying to make up for her years of being a Jerkass.
  • Possibly Jasmine, though she's a bit new to make the call.
• Just for Pun: It got a short chapter.
• Jump Scare: Halloween 2011.
• Karmic Death/Death by Irony: Possibly, Disaster Dominoes Kizuna. The death part. She murdered four known people, and drank/played in their blood. Her murdering, as well as drinking the blood of the OD'd Paulo who had any number of STDs, was not wise.
• Kick Chick: Lucy can slap and punch hard, but it's her kicks that hurt most. Also see Groin Attack.
• Kick Them While They Are Down: After breaking Abbey psychologically, Augustus starts making fun of him.
  • If Lucy hadn't stalled him, Alejandro would have crushed Mike's skull while down.
• Killed Off for Real: Kizuna's artist said not to use her, so she's gone. Also, Carson's gone too. As is Carter. In fact, the only fancharacters left are Tess and McCain; all of the others who weren't Killed Off for Real have been Put on a Bus, never to return.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Lucy went through it for Mike, who defended her feelings, long before he decided she didn't love him. What happened?
• Last-Name Basis: Alec "McCain" McCain.
• Like Brother and Sister: Mike and Lucy used to be this way. Paulo and Daisy are, according to Paulo himself. The Love Chart says this is how Mike sees Daisy.
• Limited Wardrobe:
  • Many of the characters don't even wear clothes, further limiting it.
  • It seems Taeshi has a low opinion of her clothes-drawing skills.
  • The About page has a FAQ question related to this.
• Little No: "N-no way. YOU'RE ONE OF THEMMMM!!!!"
• Logical Fallacies

Kidnapper: Oh yes. I've got you now! PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER! Molly: No I'm not. K: You can't fool me, child... M: Isn't the president a dog?

• LOLcats: Mike: "Do not want!"
  • As well as this Candybooru image.
• Loners Are Freaks: Lucy's loner preference comes from how she couldn't find acceptance for who she was.
• Long-Distance Relationship: Mike and Sandy.
• Lovable Coward: Paulo's complete inability to cope with snarling and barking. He has an excuse. For those. These two, not so much. Jasmine makes fun accordingly. The last link even has Abbey call him a coward.
• Lovable Sex Maniac: Arguably Paulo. The lovable part, not the rest. Since chapter 55, he's been better.
  • Rachel.
• Love Bubbles: Paulo and Alegria. Lampshaded with McCain getting a headache from the bubbles as he stares at Sue.
• Love Chart
  • Official chart as of Chapter 50 here. Beware spoilers. Also in color.
  • And, recently, an update was done. This is as of mid-63.
• Love Confession:
  • Abbey to Daisy.
  • Lucy to Mike.
• Love Triangle: SandyxMikexLucy. Also AbbeyxDaisyxAugustus. And maybe SandyxMikexLucyxPaulo.
  • Love Dodecahedron: Though he showed minimal interest, Mike had an Unwanted Harem in middle school.
• MacGuffin: Sandy is one.
• Malicious Slander: One of Jessica's favorite weapons. One that was used on her by Tess in the past, to devastating effect.
• Man, I Feel Like a Woman: In Janurary 7 of 2011's incentive comic when, somehow, Paulo and Lucy trade bodies. Paulo's hands take notice rather quickly.
• Master of the Mixed Message:
  • Mike is actually sick of it from Lucy.
  • Tess also shows... tendencies...
    • Tess really REALLY likes Paulo, but refuses to let herself get close to him, since she's two years ahead of him and will end up leaving soon. Cue drama. For an in-depth reasoning, see Freudian Excuse.
• Megaton Punch/Armor-Piercing Slap: Lucy can be a bit violent. She usually isn't so often these days.
• Melodrama:
  • "There has been a massive kidnapping!"
  • Pretty much anything this reporter did.
• Meta Guy: David is the most prone to Breaking the Fourth Wall and shout outs.
• Mismatched Eyes: Lucy's brothers, Jordan and Sam, as seen here. Look to the right. The latter has finally showed up in-comic here.
• Moment Killer:
  • Yashy a few times in the older stuff about 2/3s of the way down.
  • Thanks for that, Lucy. She was trying to be graceful!
  • Well, it's David and all.
    • MAKE OUT!!
• Motor Mouth: Rachel is prone to blabbing secrets and saying tactless things when excited/amused. See Dope Slap.
• Mouthy Kid: Yashy, Lucy, occasionally Paulo, Mike under the influence...
• My Girl Is Not a Slut: The Double Standard is explored, along with A Man Is Not a Virgin.
• Narm: In-Universe example. Not the comic itself, but the movie Paulo and Jasmine go to see is apparently rife with it.
• Near-Rape Experience: Alejandro pretty clearly planned to rape and maybe murder Lucy. It's up to interpretation, but Augustus came off as planning this near the conclusion of his last meeting with Daisy.
• Never Gets Drunk: Averted with Mike. He's a lightweight.
• Never Live It Down: In-Universe. Lucy to Mike, Tess to the school, Jessica to the school, though she did nothing, Augustus to a large enough portion of fans.
• Never My Fault: Abbey's father tore his family apart with his Domestic Abuse, but when the consequences caught up to him? He blamed Abbey.
• The Nicknamer: Daisy (Mikie, Davie, Tessie) and Chirpy (girl-kitty, boy-kitty, curly-kitty, messy-kitty, meanie-kitty, boy-doggie), etc...
  • Yashy (Lucy/Mom) (Chirpy/Chirps) (Mike/Flea/Fleabag) (especially Daisy/Whore) (???/Blur), and Lily likes to add "-dear" to names.
  • Random people seem to call Mike "green eyes" and Lucy "blue eyes" in-comic. Most recent example is in chapter 61. Some readers consider it an ominous reference to a much earlier chapter.
• Noblewoman's Laugh: Mike, oddly enough.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Confrontation, but especially this page.

Daisy: Umm, guys... I think you're going to kill him... Mike and Lucy: NO WE'RE NOT!

• No Name Given: The characters' last names are a mystery, except Tessa because she's originally a fan character. Also, Blur. Amnesia does that.
  • Mike's last name begins with an "S" and Katie's with "He".
• No Sense of Personal Space or Personal Space Invader: David. Dude. Not cool. When the group Casanova is disturbed, you should take notice.
• Non Sequitur: Oh, David!

Ovaries

• Nosebleed: Not a comedic one, like the other examples were.
• No Yay: In-Universe. David trying to ship Paulo with Daisy consistently squicked him. Probably the Incest Subtext. Though, as David brought up, they're Not Blood Siblings. Jasmine agrees with the ship. At least teasingly.
• Not So Different: Lucy and Paulo in "Magic Tricks".
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Alec, Augustus, and Alejandro are not often referred to by name.
• Only Sane Man: Sue
  • McCain thinks of himself as this, but his general lack of tact says otherwise.
• The Ophelia: Lucy, when she thinks Mike has died during summer vacation.
  • Lucy again, by Taeshi. Happier ending, though.
• Opposites Attract
• Ordinary High School Student
• Panty Shot: Daisy, when she slips during a cheerleading performance.
• Pass the Popcorn: Here. Amaya actually works at a movie theater as well.
• Perverse Sexual Lust: "I would TOTALLY f**k Lucy."
• Petting Zoo People
• Phrase Catcher: "Shut it, McCain!"
• Pimped-Out Dress: Minor examples. Royals.
• Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Sort of. At the start, Lucy has her bow and Mike's scarf is blue. Mike gets another when he restarts his relationship with Sandy.
• Please Don't Leave Me: Lucy should get the phrase tattooed on her forehead, no matter how much she tries to hide it.
• Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: "You hurt Mike. That's the meanest of all."
• Properly Paranoid: Possibly Justin's reaction to meeting David again.
• Psychotic Smirk: Who didn't see trouble coming when they started smirking?

Alejandro: What I'll do to you...

• • Here and a few less-impressive ones two pages later.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
  • "Get. Away. From her."
  • "What. The hell. Are you doing?"
• The Quiet One: Amaya and Alec.
• Rant-Inducing Slight: When Daisy tells Jess to lighten up about Tess, Jess basically explodes and gives a tirade that amounts to, "You know what? You weren't there, you have no idea what I went through because of her so SHUT UP!!" Naturally, Daisy didn't take it well.
• Rape as Drama: Alejandro intended to do this to Lucy. Augustus intended it for Daisy after breaking her down. The latter one was mentioned here later.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: A fair chunk of the fandom will hate any attempted rapists instantly.
• Really Gets Around: Popularly believed to be Jessica. Averted, though, by Pillow Talk. Rachel,on the other hand...
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In "December", Mike nastily picks apart how he percieves Lucy's character.
• Reformed but Rejected: "Pillow Talk" reveals the old Tess was quite the nasty piece of work. Small wonder she's had trouble getting others to accept her...
• Relationship Reboot: Mike had minimal contact with Sandy for years. Abbey and Daisy were classmates, friends, and True Companions before becoming a couple.
• Relationship Upgrade: Subverted: More like a relationship downgrade in Lucy's case...
  • Played straight for Mike and Sandy. As well as Abbey and Daisy.
• Replacement Goldfish: Lucy on both sides of it.
• The Reveal: Finally, we learn the true reason why Jessica hates Tess.
• Rich Bitch: Tess was one in the past. Still rich, not so bitchy now.
• Romance Novel: Jasmine's interest in Twilight.
• Rousing Speech: Abbey gives a big one.
• Rule of Drama: Often in effect and a driving force of the comic, along with Character Development.
• Running Gag: "Hi, I'm Daisy!"
  • BOP. See Dope Slap.
• Sanity Slippage: In Disaster Dominoes, Kizuna was losing it. Daisy and Lucy didn't look any better either.
• Say It with Hearts: Personally, I think you get it.
• Scars Are Forever:
  • Final Fantasy Cat has a scar he tries to cover up with his hair.
  • Kizuna has one on her left arm. She begins to explain, but then David cuts her off and we never hear how she got it.
  • Out of Focus, but Alejandro got a scar from his old girlfriend. It's one of his defining appearance details.
• Senseless Sacrifice: Mike ended up drunk and multiple others and Mike took a beating over the money Mike won, which the main cast believed they'd need to get a ride home. Then Sue's mom drove them home.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: While already pretty, the prom/carnival night Daisy and Tess were gorgeous.
• She Is Not My Girlfriend: Mike toward Lucy around the start of the comic. Paulo and Tessa as well.
• Ship Tease: Sue's example in Doesn't Know Her Own Strength, post crushing Mike, looks rather sweet.
• Shipper on Deck:
  • David wants Paulo and Daisy to end up together, whereas Tessa and Abbey question Mike's relationship with Sandy when they would prefer him to be with Lucy.
  • Also the pets, who continually make allusions to the attraction between Lucy and Mike, are actively belligerent to anyone else who likes Mike (at least, Yashy is), and, well... this.
  • I say this shows they were right.
  • David in chapter 45 for Paulo.
  • The artist did the appropriately named Shipper On Deck. This may well explain where Liam popping up came from.
  • Sue got Lucy and Mike into the lead roles of her play, making them have to be near each other...
• Schoolgirl Rival: Lucy toward Mike.
• Self-Insert Fic: Said that Lucy may be Taeshi's self insert here.
• Sex Is Evil: The main teacher from middle school was some kind of Sex Knight Templar.
• Shout-Out: Pokémon, Di Gi Charat, and Phoenix Wright references are scattered all throughout the comic.
  • David apparently watches Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
    • Apparently, Taeshi reads ^{[dead link]} Lackadaisy Cats.
  • I'm feeling a Light Yagami vibe...
• Shrinking Violet: Lucy, due to her Friendless Background, usually keeps others at arm's-length with a Jerkass Facade.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts:
  • Daisy and Abbey.
  • Michael and Sandy.
• Significant Birth Date: The Flower Girl was born on March 27, when Yukio Ozaki donated cherry trees to Washington D.C.
  • Molly was born on Children's Day in Japan.
  • Augustus was born on October 1st, which is the day 4chan was founded.
    • RULES ONE AND TWO
    • Which, of course, haven't actually been broken yet.
• Single-Target Sexuality:
  • Abbey only likes Daisy, unlike everyone else who have various crushes and attractions. Abbey and Augustus can't stand each other, but both are the same way over the same girl.
    • For Augustus, may' be Jossed eventually, based on this hint at future events.
  • CARTER LOVES LUCY
  • Kizuna only showed romantic interest in David.
• Slasher Smile: And then there was barking...
• Sleep Cute: D'awwww! Also a Tear Jerker.
• Smooch of Victory: The end of "Confrontation".
  • Sadly, Lucy's Tsundere-ism probably led to how things are now.
• Smug Snake: Augustus has tried to be the Manipulative Bastard, though these friends do talk.
• Squee: Abbey's stress ball, though his facial expression is anything-but. Actually, going by page comments, panel 7 makes some people want to love him. And others just find it hilarious.
• Stage Mom: Sandy's mom wants her to be a model.
• Stalker with a Crush: Carter (to Lucy), Kizuna (to David), David (to the flower girl).
  • Debatably, Daisy used to be this to Mike. She, seemingly like David and Paulo, who said they were stalking Lucy, would pop up for no adequately explained reason constantly. Even so, she was usually not annoying about it.
  • And then there was Final Fantasy Cat to Daisy...
• Status Quo Is God: 'Shake things up with Sue' campaign was being troubled by people wanting unrealistic things, rather than Sue and Alec's realistic goals. The point of the idea was to not just get some random popular kid in office. Silly Sue, realistic policies? Nobody is gonna vote for those!
• Stealth Pun: What David sees most innuendo as.
• Stepford Smiler: Molly at times.
  • If I Just Want to Be Normal is right, Sandy.
• Stereotype Gay: Carson.
• Stock Phrases: "Oh, Carson! What'll I ever do with you!" He answered.
• Stupid Sexy Paulo: Mike's dream during the vacation. He was less than happy. He also looks really good in clothes.
• Sunglasses at Night: Not shown yet, but Alec is ONLY seen wearing them.
• Technicolor Eyes
  • Eyes of Gold: Amaya and Paulo (technically)
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Jessica usually averts this, except when Tess is involved.
• Teen Genius: Daisy, to the point that she tutored Tessa, who is two years above her.
  • Sue, as Paulo said, is "...too smart for me. The annoying kind of smart...", suggesting she is probably one too. That gets mentioned in Confrontation, too. She is smart, but may be outclassed by Daisy. Chapter 62 has more on this.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics:
  • What Lucy's bow originally was. It's not necessary anymore, but it's her bow.
  • Eyelashes
• Third Option Love Interest: As Lucy and Tess struggle over their feelings for Paulo, he finally chooses... the freshman Jasmine, introduced completely out of nowhere!
• The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: The sex teacher.
• Through a Face Full of Fur: This really helps with attraction hints.
• Time Skip: In "Another Path", the daydream chapter.
• Together in Death: In Disaster Dominoes, shortly after Mike is killed, Lucy jumps from the roof of the school to join him.
• Tomboy: So much so that Lucy didn't get along well with girls in elementary school and only wanted to play with cars.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Lucy and Daisy respectively.
• Took a Level in Badass: Mike temporarily during the Confrontation chapter while he was drunk.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Many view Mike as this after Lucy confessed her love to him.
  • Anyone who still thinks Mike hasn't taken several levels in Jerkass clearly hasn't read these recent comics.
• Tsundere: Lucy
  • According to Word of God, this trope is being deconstructed as Mike has finally had enough of being abused and basically ended their friendship in 'December'.
• Troubled but Cute: Lucy and Tess.
• True Companions: Lucy, Mike, Paulo, David, and Daisy made the original five before Tessa and Abbey showed up in high school. Shortly after most of the main cast's Sophomore year begins, Jasmine comes into the picture. She is working towards potentially being a member.
• Turn Out Like His Father: Augustus (Final Fantasy Cat) beat Abbey by implying this, but then lost since he couldn't hope to be close to Daisy afterward.
  • Disaster Dominoes' Abbey was a less than good boyfriend...
• T-Word Euphemism: After Kizuna was inelegantly booted from the comic, the forum's swear filter was used in reverse on her name, to discourage further discussion of the character. When she has to be mentioned, it's usually as K-Dog.
  • Trying to post her name on the actual forums gets it changed to "getting fucked in the ass". Yes, really.
• Two-Teacher School: There are several "repeat teachers" since high school.
• Under the Mistletoe: Tessa and Paulo.
• The Unfair Sex: When Mike first revealed he had a longtime crush on Sandy, he was immediately accused of 'cheating' on Lucy and suffered several Amusing Injuries at the hands of 'angry feminists'. This happened again at the end of "Left Behind", with Paulo teasing Mike about -- GASP -- talking to Tess and calling a 'crazy feminist SWAT team' down on him. Has since been deconstructed in that the utter Lack of Empathy Mike has gotten from his friends after rejecting Lucy's confession because he was already in a Long-Distance Relationship with Sandy only seems to be hardening his heart further.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: Lucy to some extent, but especially Daisy.
  • Based on chapter 59, Paulo has elements of this.
    • Scratch that. It's official.
  • Lucy in Pillow Talk seems to feel this way more than ever.
• Unrequited Love Switcheroo: And how!
• Valley Girl: Katie and Stacy. Subverted with Stacy, since she's very skilled with the written word in spite of how she talks.
• Victim Falls For Rapist: Most likely what Augustus had in mind.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Mike and Lucy. Type 2. Originally.
  • Mike and Paulo at times. Also type 2. Best buds is pushing it, though.
    • Even then, Mike is finally reaching the point where he's had it with Paulo's teasing. This can only end badly.
• The Voiceless: Amaya never talks where we see it.
  • And yet, she's somehow become the Ensemble Darkhorse. The author is not amused.
• Vomit Discretion Shot: Lucy's reaction to Mike's "The Reason You Suck" Speech and subsequent proclamation of hatred towards her in "December".
  • Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Lucy again in the three chapters prior "Carry Me" (Note that unlike above, this scene was Played for Laughs).
• Weaksauce Weakness: Lucy's pretty tough, but reasonably deep water or the idea of trying to swim can freak her out easily. Paulo can be reduced to cowering by mean growling and most barking. Both have childhood trauma justifying it.
  • The relevant chapters and biggest examples are:
    • Lucy: why and signs of it
    • Paulo: why and signs of it.
• Webcomic Time: The Summer Vacation arc took practically a year, lampshaded in a Christmas comic ^{[dead link]}: Once Mike realised they're still in Acapulco, the wintry scene changed to a beach.
  • So far, the comic is still in the 2007-2008 school year from the looks of it.
• Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: "Attention Please." ends with it.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Possibly Abbey's standards for his run in school politics.
• Wham! Episode: Chapter 51, where Lucy finally works up the courage to tell Mike she loves him... only for him to reject her on account of him already having a girlfriend. Possibly WORSE is Chapter 52, where Mike finally gets sick of Lucy's awful behavior towards him, leaving her nearly broken inside. Keep in mind that nearly the entire comic had been built upon Mike's friendship with Lucy, and his willingness to look past her attitude to see who she really was. Yeah. WHAM.
  • "Pillow Talk" just has to be one of the wham chapters so far. First, Mike ignores Lucy on her birthday, breaking her more, which then reveals that he's been ignoring her since the debate in "Feline Filibusters". Then, The Reveal on why Jess hates Tess (see Freudian Excuse). And then Lucy's flashback to when she had her real first kiss and Mike gave her a chance to have a relationship with him. But then, she pushes away that chance due to them being twelve at the time. When it ended, Lucy then realizes that her chances with Mike now are gone. Yeah...
  • "December". After it seems like the two are finally somewhat reconciling, Mike is reminded why he's been avoiding Lucy for so long. Mike then DESTROYS whatever is left of his friendship with Lucy, leaving the already emotionally wrecked latter in even worse condition. Merry Christmas everyone!
• Wham! Line: "What am I supposed to do?!"
  • "I HATE YOU."
• What Beautiful Eyes!: Lucy.
• What If: "Disaster Dominoes" (thankfully noncanon) asks "What if one of the characters suddenly became an Ax Crazy mass murderer? The answer? Very unpleasent stuff happens.
  • Another Path asks, What if Paulo had sex with Lucy during her mental breakdown in "Another Shoulder"? Answer: Paulo and Lucy get together and the strip would end with both Lucy and Mike happy with their respective loves.
  • Another Chance asks, What if Abbey didn't show up in "Love My Way"? Answer: Augustus would've just kissed Daisy, and she still would be talking to him. Oh, and Abbey and Daisy would not get together.
• When She Smiles: Lucy, oh so much. We, as the viewers, see a lot more smiles than other characters.
• White Furred Pretty Girl: Lucy, who technically is completely white.
  • Sandy, though she has a bit of black hair.
• Whole-Episode Flashback: "Troubled Waters", "Misunderstanding and Change".
• Why Did You Make Me Hit You?: Alejandro as he beat and brutalized Lucy.
• Will They or Won't They?: Mike and Lucy. At the moment, it looks like they won't.^[when?]
  • Lampshaded in the FAQ page, where the last question is "Will Mike and Lucy end up together (or something alike)?" The answer actually blinks alternately between Yes and No.
• With Friends Like These...: Paulo and Mike don't get along well at all, despite being "friends" since the fifth grade.
  • They are both athletes with a lot of the same close friends.
    • Vitriolic Best Buds may be closer to their relationship, since Paulo insults Michael a lot more than proper for most definitions of friend.
  • Mike and Lucy. Originally.
• Would Hit a Girl: Alejandro.
• Xanatos Gambit: "Heh... Just according to plan..."
  • Alejandro: "It's been years..."
• You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Interesting in the case of all the characters being a realistic cat/dog color scheme. Then Jessica is introduced, who is pinkish-purple.