Sketch Comic: Not My Fault
Added 2024-08-04 07:34:05 +0000 UTCWanna see a magic trick? Observe as Toffee and Maple blow up their friendship in just one conversation! ✨
(To anyone worried- Toffee is going to let go immediately, somewhat horrified at himself. All he leaves Maple with is a slight bruise on her arm….and a shattered sense of trust.)
Comments
Yeah, that's fair. I just mean I understand the aggressive response from Toffee for what she said
nighthawk0913
2024-08-11 09:48:29 +0000 UTCHmm, I disagree. Maple holds no true power over Toffee. She's not the church, she's not his father. She's just a person, albeit one deliberately using a hurtful slur. But Toffee has considerable power over Maple. Physically. He's bigger and stronger than she is. He is a man. Maple has been raised to fear potential violence from men. She has seen other women be harmed by men. By grabbing her and hurting her, he exerts his power over her. Maple can't break free, and she has no reason to believe Toffee will not hurt her further. It's terrifying to be overpowered and threatened, even for a moment. Maple sought to hurt Toffee, but Toffee aimed to hurt Maple AND cause her fear and physical pain, which- to me anyway- feels like a completely unjustified over-response.
Lopoddity
2024-08-10 18:14:26 +0000 UTCMaple had it coming for that one tbh
nighthawk0913
2024-08-10 17:44:12 +0000 UTCI really really appreciate how willing you are to have your characters have real flaws and make real, genuine mistakes! It makes their development so much more engaging.
Frances
2024-08-08 04:28:43 +0000 UTCGreat comic, I love the expression on Toffee in the last part of the sketch. I’ve been reading your comments throughout the post and I gotta say I’m super interested in seeing more of Maple and Honey’s relationship, especially when Honey starts to grow as a person (and presumably starts to pull from her parents.). From what you’ve said Maple lives in this world of denial, trying to convince her self that she made the right choice, that she’s happy with Merry, that the people around her respect her, that she hasn’t thrown the best years of her life away in a toxic marriage to a man old enough to be her dad who she doesn’t really love, etc. and I feel like Honey pulling away from her parents could be a catalyst that puts cracks in those oh so carefully crafted walls of denial. Or maybe she’ll triple down, cut off Honey once she’s too much of a threat to her narrow world view, and spend the rest of her life in denial and misery. One or the other.
Millions of Bees
2024-08-06 05:06:36 +0000 UTCI understood, and thank you so much for the kind comment <3
Lopoddity
2024-08-06 04:55:44 +0000 UTCOh and English isn’t my first language so I hope you get what I try to say 😅
Toadboss Ida
2024-08-06 04:36:14 +0000 UTCLop i ABSOLUTELY LOVE the fact that Merry has such a cute disarming name AND in your art looks so much as a kind old man. I like that disarming factor of him and that he can appear kind and charming when he likes it. He’s not a typical Disney villain and these factors makes him so much more real and gross and unlikeable (in a likeable way for the reader)
Toadboss Ida
2024-08-06 04:33:25 +0000 UTCI think its really interesting how merry and eleanor’s fight over his infidelity mirrors liv and felix’s. Both men cheating on wives who deserve better than their sorry asses, both pleading with them not to leave, with different outcomes that both lead to familial dysfunction. Liv caves to felix’s begging, leaving their relationship to continue to fester, while eleanor nearly caves but refuses, which causes a lot of ripple effects and damage, like merry and maple doubling down and toffee continuing to spiral. Ultimately that damage stems from merry though, and if she hadnt divorced him i doubt it would be any better. maple still would have been an outcast in the church without merry marrying her, his relationship with eleanor would likely continue to deteriorate, and without spite as a motivator i dont know how likely it would’ve been for her to become queer accepting. the hypotheticals are interesting, but ultimately i love the story that’s playing out! Its great that toff and toph get to build happy lives in the aftermath, and help reform honey and keep her from going down the same path as her mom
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-06 04:32:32 +0000 UTCMaple's shift in argument appears nonsensical because it is. Humans are wired to protect our ego. For many, that means it's hard to admit when we make a mistake, or when we're at fault. Sometimes, when people express vulnerability, and are met with rejection, they will immediately lash out with an aggressive rejection of their own. "Sour grapes". An example is a guy who hit on me a while back, then said I was ugly when I didn't respond (I didn't even know he'd been talking to me). So I'm ugly....but he hit on me? It was a knee-jerk reaction on his end, easier to say I was unattractive than confront the fact that he put himself out there and got ignored (and thus risk suffering a blow to his ego). So! This is what Maple is doing. Toffee is coming dangerously close to making her confront the idea that maybe she isn't being a good friend, or a good person, and that her romantic fantasy of living happily ever after with Toffee may never happen. That she slept with a married man, her best friend's FATHER, and gained nothing from it but more suffering. Rather than confront these ideas and experience the psychological discomfort that comes with it, Maple launches a mental defense mechanism. She pretends she never wanted Toffee anyway. Sleeping with Merry is an act that caused her quite a lot of shame, so she fights back against this feeling as well, and pretends she wanted it all along, and why wouldn't she? Merry is CLEARLY the superior option between the two. The fact that she was rejected by Toffee threatens to damage her self-worth. Far easier to convince herself he only rejected her because he's clearly gay. He's gay and that's bad, so he's wrong and she's right. Or, if he's not gay, maybe her insult will spur him to prove her wrong and finally reciprocate her feelings. In any case, redirecting her negative feelings toward Toffee, instead of herself, offers her a momentary shield from the unbearable agony of self reflection. She doesn't actually believe what she's saying, her smug face here is very much a constructed mask. Maple is, as Toffee said, throwing a tantrum because she didn't get what she wanted. Lashing out, like an animal backed into a corner. But Maple must be forgiven. She's like 20 years old here and was raised in a ridiculously controlling and stifling environment. Emotional maturity is beyond her grasp at this point in time, and it is for Toffee too.
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 22:56:40 +0000 UTCI think maple meant a more general dig at his masculinity, his ability to “get the girl” may have been part of it but i read it as a condemnation of like. *all* the ways toffee isnt like merry (which. maple. just moments ago you were saying you loved him BECAUSE he was nothing like merry)
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-05 21:53:17 +0000 UTCBIG OOFS ALL AROUND I can't help but notice that Maple kind of undercuts her own point with that below-the-belt insult, though Toffee's unfortunately too rattled by her verbal one-two punch to pick up on it. Her whole insult against his manhood is that she went for his father, the "better specimen", instead of him, that his dad "got the girl" instead of him when. She DID go for him. In that sense he did "get the girl," he just didn't want the girl that way. It's only because of the shitty situation they're both in (read: Merry. Merry is the situation) that that insult has any teeth at all, because in any other context, against anybody else, it'd be completely nonsensical.
pitviperofdoom
2024-08-05 18:58:54 +0000 UTCIf things had gone differently, they wouldn't have seen each other again. If Toffee hadn't exploded at Maple, she wouldn't have run back to Merry (who she feels at least listens to her), and she wouldn't have started angrily convincing herself Merry was the better option. If Eleanor hadn't immediately terminated their marriage, Merry would not have sulkily, begrudgingly settled on Maple as a consolation prize. And if Maple hadn't gotten pregnant, or even been in a community where abortion was an option, she likely wouldn't have married Merry, or even continued the relationship with him for very long.
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 18:52:48 +0000 UTCMakes me wonder how different things would have been if Merry never had the courage to challenge Ellie
CardstockBroth
2024-08-05 18:41:38 +0000 UTC:) And a little bonus betrayal for Maple, just as a fun treat- discovering that her best friend, the only person to not reduce her to her gender- in a shocking twist, still turns out to be MORE than capable of perpetuating the very same misogyny she's experienced her entire life. Diversity win! The gay man can still slut-shame his female peer! ✨️
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 18:21:41 +0000 UTCCorrect me if I’m wrong, but “They kept seeing each other” kinda implies to me that they kept being intimate beyond that first sexual encounter. I mean, in an ideal world, these two characters would agree that what happened between them was a horrible mistake, and wouldn’t want to even speak again. But the idea of them continuing even the sexual aspect of the relationship after Merry was caught is just…eww. It also means Maple had multiple opportunities to get pregnant.
FloweryFruitFangs
2024-08-05 18:19:43 +0000 UTCJAHSBSVSVSHSVSHSHWWF🤩🤩🤩 Thank you!!!!! Ahhhh your breakdown delights my soullll ajsjsbsss *neatly folds up your comment and eats it for sustenance* AHHH💖💖💖
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 18:09:19 +0000 UTCOkay actually this is still marinating in my brain and I’m realizing how much of a betrayal this feels like for Maple, particularly the thing about “you’re the only one who treats me like a person, not a girl or piece of meat.” Finding out that Toffee is gay must have felt horrible and crushing. Like you thought you found a man who actually sees your personhood and you want to be with him and be in an equal partnership…and then it turns out he’s just not into girls. So it feels like fuck, the only way a man could ever treat me with respect is if he’s not attracted to me. Attraction to women means you can’t respect them. What a horrible thing to have to think.
Shaylin A.
2024-08-05 16:28:53 +0000 UTCI absolutely love the use of the characters' teeth in this comic. As another commenter said, it really is a great contrast on how ANIMAL they look in the heat of a nasty nasty fight vs how they usually look in the more happier/lighthearted moments we've seen previously. Especially with Maple's low blow in comparing Toffee to his father (that toothy grin is so painfully, smarmy smug in knowing how much that'll hurt) vs Toffee's "smile" at the very end (that brief moment of absolute pure animal aggression; fur bristled and fang on full display. I know Toffee wouldn't actually harm Maple but man that face sells just how terrifying he can get when he's finally HAD it.) PS love the beginnings of that full-blown snarl in the panel directly above; like he's trying to hold it back but it just slowly crawls its way onto his face. Also excellent use of the shading and the use of the scribbles, especially in that panel I just mentioned ("Aahh. Wow." panel). Really gives it that extra OOMPH of what Maple's tone is, and it how it landed HARD with that abrupt spike behind Toffee before it peeters off into a rage so intense it turns still. Juuuuuust like the calm before the shit storm :D I really enjoy when you focus on the heavy stuff of your characters, it's always gripping! Excited to see what you got in store next man 👀
Ash
2024-08-05 16:09:24 +0000 UTCThat was definitely part of it, haha. Maple and Merry kept seeing each other through the months of fallout from the affair, the divorce, and the end of Maple and Toffee's friendship. Then whoops, accidental pregnancy to make everything worse Merry: Can't believe she had the gall to leave me. ME. I MADE that small-town bitch! Every nice thing she owns- the jewelry, the dresses, the house, the car- all of it came from me! My hard work! For her to take the kids is one thing, but to demand alimony too? Ungrateful money-grubbing witch. I KNOW she's just doing it to get back at me. All because I had ONE cheap, tiny little affair. Not like it even MEANT anything, not like- Maple: Merry, I'm pregnant. :( Merry: 🤬-! Iiiiiii mean. Good. That's....that's good news. Great news. Great. News. Congrats, sweetheart, you're the new Eleanor Meadowsweet~ Maple: :D! Maple: ...... :/ Maple: :D Maple: ............ :(
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 16:02:32 +0000 UTCdecisions made in anger that can never be undone!!! yay ❤️🫶 i AM so excited to see more of maple, she's been fascinating to me ever since you introduced her (like 2 years ago now? man time flies). such an interesting combination of not wanting to be treated like a child but still holding some childish/naive beliefs ('idk why everyones so pissed at me, its literally Not that big of a deal that i slept with your dad and also i'm gonna call you a slur because it'll reverse psychology you into realizing you're in love with me like we're in a romcom'). and i imagine some of those beliefs are BECAUSE she's treated like a child and terminally sheltered by her community--like, yeah. of course she thinks that, she's probably never had actual relationship experience and her view of romantic love is probably something like 'you fall in love with someone when you're 18 and then you get married and stay in love forever and ever.' the sympathetic part of me wants to see her Get Out but the sicko part of me wants to see her double down. like yes throw yourself into the role of Wife and Mother to prove that you're special and good and NOT a child. double down on your bad decisions!! that'll show them!!! screw everyone else, I'LL be voting for the leopards eating faces party in november thank you very much
cactus bastrop
2024-08-05 14:51:14 +0000 UTCIdk if this is okay to do but I have an idea! What if another reason Maple doubled down is if she got pregnant from her encounter with Merry? Like “oh shit I’m pregnant guess I have to get married now.”
MEllegoo
2024-08-05 05:50:53 +0000 UTCaghh there's something really intense and cool about just how animalistic Toffee looks by the end,,, Maple's sporting it too with that toothy grin but god, something about seeing Toffee bare his teeth like an actual predator is like a bucket of ice water when the "normal" fuzzbutts style is realistic but very human animals. I love it when the dog guy is drawn like an actual dog when it makes sense narratively for how their behavior is devolving and becoming scary I love ittttt (thru the tears tho, jesus this comic is brutal ;0;)
Antanas
2024-08-05 04:55:59 +0000 UTCYes, though that conversation happens quite some time before Honey truly blossoms as a person. In fact, Toffee telling her about his past is key to Honey's growth. Although she's definitely not happy to hear about the pain her brother inflicted, it teaches her that it's never too late to decide to be better. That having done terrible things and having made terrible decisions doesn't mean one has to remain committed to a terrible existence. Change is scary, and admitting your mistakes is hard. But it's possible. Characters like Merry and Maple back themselves into corners and have to double down on bad decisions to protect their own fragile egos. But Toffee's confession teaches Honey that doubling down only leaves you stuck in the same place. It's better to keep moving forward.
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 04:12:16 +0000 UTCOh these poor fucked up little church kids 😭
pookaWOODS
2024-08-05 03:05:08 +0000 UTCLater down the line once honey has been cracked open like a walnut and isnt nearly as shitty, when her relationship with toffee is much stronger and she’s realized her dad isnt worth her time. does she ever ask toffee why he was so patient with her? does he ever confess his dark past to her?
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-05 02:12:40 +0000 UTCUGH I'm so excited to see all of this in action, in any and every way you decide to go about it. I love world and character building with every fiber of my being GRRRRRR
CJ Strahd
2024-08-05 02:08:17 +0000 UTCI need to revisit it, but I did sketch a gag scene where Honey comes out her parents. Merry dismisses it outright, while Maple is in the background with big goopy crocodile tears screaming oh where did i go WRONG lord??? take me instead!!!
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 02:00:41 +0000 UTCI don't know how toxic you want to make Maple or where you're steering her character, but I'd imagine she could become this bitter spiteful person who refuses to admit her marriage is horrible and the only people who "like" her are the ones who are just there for appearances. I'd also imagine she's a type who would get saddled with taking care of Merry when he gets too old but basically dumps him in a retirement community. Only visits to pay the bills, maintain appearances in public (which is only when she absolutely has to), and when the nurses and staff call her too much when he's had an emergency. I've had people like that when I used to be a caregiver.
Nette Marie
2024-08-05 02:00:41 +0000 UTCThank you so much! ❤️ Ahhahshshsbs what an absolutely lovely comment 🥰 Toffee feels a lot of guilt and shame about Honey, he hates how he treated her mother and hates he was so caught up in his own toxic spiral that he wasn't there for Honey growing up. He left his baby sister behind in the same environment that almost destroyed him. He treats adult Honey with warmth and kindness, though there's an air of stiff awkwardness to it. Toffee can see past Honey's smarmy exterior to the lost and lonely kid underneath. He knows it would probably help her feel less alone if he confided in her about his past, but he's ashamed of it and is afraid she'll never speak to him again when she learns he wasn't always kind and forgiving. They're also just kinda strangers to each other, and Honey starts their relationship already wary of the estranged big brothers Merry always complained about. Toffee doesn't know exactly how to build his relationship with his sister, but he does know he isn't going to abandon her again.
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 01:57:31 +0000 UTCiirc she burst into tears, i can’t remember what it was she blubbered but there was a sense of betrayal iirc. she took toffee being gay SO personally it mustve hurt to see her daughter turn out gay too
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-05 01:57:01 +0000 UTCC'mon imagine it. She "divorces" (more like separated & lives in an apartment) Merry & meets Liv at like a Starbucks or wherever toxic people meet up. They hit it off & immediately become fast friends very much everyone's disgust & shock. Then Maple is talking to Honey one day (like Honey's juuuust about to go no contact & this is her final straw to convince her to finally cut her last parent off & up the therapy appointments for awhile) about how lovely, beautiful, attractive, nice, etc Liv is. Honey just stops her & goes "Mom you're in love with her", which promptly causes her to go on a very homophonic rant. In which Honey storms out going "Eyep I asked the universe to give me a sign and it sure as hell gave me one".
Nette Marie
2024-08-05 01:55:46 +0000 UTCi also love to surf thru and reread lops backlog by jumping across character tags, but its not the best approach for someone who wants to learn how this universe started. its so great though how all the different characters interact and know each other (i made an entire 3d web of every character and who they know, and how someone can know the same people in different connection paths. like maple to say, victoria - maple knows toffee who runs the church perry attends iirc, and perry knows penny bc theyre rivals, and penny is victorias landlemur. but ALSO maples daughter honey knows victoria bc of that hinted plotline abt victoria joining honeys “sensible sapphics” startup. theres so many different loops like that its GREAT you can play that “guy who knows a guy” game indefinitely this world feels so fleshed out its utterly amazing
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-05 01:55:17 +0000 UTCalso asking because i just love honey so much but- how does Maple feel about her being a lesbian when she first came out?
CJ Strahd
2024-08-05 01:46:05 +0000 UTC"The Karen version of team rocket" is such an incredible sentence I kinda wanna make it canon on principle. XD Let's be real though, Maple trading out Merry for Liv is like trading out a dumpster fire for an air-strike missile. Sure they'd be an unholy nightmare of facebook misinformation and casual service worker abuse, but the pure poison content of their toxic yuri would be enough to decimate entire ecosystems like an algae bloom. Javaja the more I talk about it the more I seem to be convincing myself to draw it, haha
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 01:45:11 +0000 UTCIM ACTUALLY DOING THAT RIGHT NOW ASHIDBASSDJHFS I THINK I'VE ALREADY DONE THIS BEFORE BECAUSE I REALIZED IVE SEEN EVERYTHING SO NOW IM JUST LOOKING AT SPECIFIC CHARACTER TAGS THAT I LOVE (Honey and Snowball rn) LMAOOOO
CJ Strahd
2024-08-05 01:44:58 +0000 UTCI cannot recommend it enough ive been around since before the start of fuzzbutts and theres soooo much that has developed and grown and changed. i suggest you go to the bottom of the fuzzbutts tag and go through every post and every comments section bc theres so many good little details that dont always make it into future posts
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-05 01:44:21 +0000 UTCAhhhhh thank you!! 🤩🤩🤩 I really appreciate you saying that~
Lopoddity
2024-08-05 01:38:11 +0000 UTCI WANNA GO THROUGH THE SUPER OLD POSTS AND SEE WHAT I DIDN'T GET TO SEE BEFORE I STARTED FOLLOWING YOU!!! I subbed on Patreon after you stopped posting on DA (best decision ive ever made, I am so glad I subbed you deserve it), and I know I missed out on so much lore and posts and I just want to see it all
CJ Strahd
2024-08-05 01:26:24 +0000 UTCliterally commented after my 2nd time reading through this comic because ij ust UGH
CJ Strahd
2024-08-05 01:25:36 +0000 UTC100% love the names and everything honestly. The dogs feel like dog names and it feels kinda like how Beastars has dogs that are 100% dog in nature. Theyre goofy pack animals. But they're also carnivores who can crave prey meat. I love the dynamics between these things and I am just obsessed with how you integrate animal behaviors into real life things. Dogs being HUGE pack animals, will obviously gravitate towards religion because religion typically holds very community-centered values. I know you think it's goofy but it has never ONCE taken me out of the serious tone of these posts, it's incredible
CJ Strahd
2024-08-05 01:25:14 +0000 UTCGod I'm so excited to eventually (maybe, if not thats okay!!) see how poor Maple ends up later in life. Like after Honey is grown and comfortable in her own skin (and has her shitty ass dad CRAWLING in his) and if she ever gets out of this dumpster fire of a life she's been thrust into. Or if she outlives Merry and how she reacts to him being gone. I also HAVE to wonder how Toffee feels about Honey. If he ever sees Maple in her eyes or her habits and how it affects him. I'm sure you've touched on this before I'm sorry LOL this stuff is all just so interesting to me, this is literally my favorite monthly subscription thing I get so excited to see patreon notifications because I know 9/10, it's gonna be you!!
CJ Strahd
2024-08-05 01:23:26 +0000 UTCtbh i think them being furries really adds so much to this. it really gives it an extra layer of flavor. because yeah the fact that their names are merry and toffee and maple is kind of silly, but the EXPRESSIONS are absolutely INCREDIBLE. the fanged snarls hit so hard, i really feel you wouldnt get the same effect if they were human. and i love the worldbuilding that comes with the silly names too!!! its just so. chewing on all of it
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-05 01:16:50 +0000 UTCI'd honestly love to see Maple in the future. Like does she become an extremely bitter person who's kid finally healed & went no contact & that just eats at her because she's left with having to deal with a broken loveless marriage. Or does she team up with Perry's mom and become the Karen version of team rocket? Only to realize she has feelings for this woman?
Nette Marie
2024-08-05 01:14:12 +0000 UTCOKAY SO I was actually just thinking about that. 🤣 I was remembering how back in the day I would struggle to establish a serious tone and explore darker themes because the characters were all named shit like "Fancy Pants" and "Hayseed Turnip Truck". And yet here I am....scrabbling to write serious fiction...because for absolutely no reason, I decided to give my monstrous religious bigot character the extremely my-little-pony-ish name Merry Meadowsweet. Dude sounds like an absent-minded earth pony that makes the best sweet tea in town
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 23:29:39 +0000 UTCLop now: *the most painfully real examination of intergeneration religious trauma in a broken family where misogyny and homophobia instilled by their religion run rampant, but also they’re dogs*
Shaylin A.
2024-08-04 23:20:59 +0000 UTCLop like 4 years ago: hey what if my pony OCs were actually other animals wouldn’t that be cute
Shaylin A.
2024-08-04 23:20:07 +0000 UTC"...show how she's terrible because her environment has never had her best interests at heart" <- that kind of writing is my absolute favorite for antagonist characters, and it's honestly so nice that you're taking the time to show that for Maple! Like no wonder she's a Stepford wife by present day, I would be too if I lived in that kind of community with that kind of upbringing. Honestly, even if she doesn't get a happy ending or escape from Merry's clutches, I still think she's a very well-developed character. Sometimes people do just struggle and get worse :(
Mastodon
2024-08-04 22:41:16 +0000 UTCYes. I initially envisioned Maple as a one-note gag character, just Honey's shitty crybaby bigot mom. But then I started doing more with her, and she became Toffee's parallel in the story. They both suffer under an unjust social system that emphasizes control and conformity at any cost. So it began to feel unfair that Toffee....escapes all this, and Maple doesn't. It also felt unfair that Toffee gets silly wholesome character moments, and Maple didn't. So it's become important for me to expand on Maple's humanity, make her more dimensional, show how she's terrible because her environment has never had her best interests at heart. And also to show that Toffee is not just some kindly pastor that escaped a shitty church community- he struggled terribly for years and he hurt people the same way he was hurt. Nobody in this story is a saint, but nobody is ever 100% evil either. I'm not done yet with Maple. I think there's a lot more to here than I originally imagined. Merry didn't really try to hide the affair, in fact he wanted Eleanor to discover it. He was riding high on the power and success of his church, and had come to resent how easily Eleanor took to being a fellow authority in the church. He felt she was getting too big for her britches, making decisions without consulting him. Ellie had always been opinionated and stubborn, but he feels these are flaws he can no longer abide now that he's made it, now that he can "do better". He doesn't actually want another woman, he just wants to put Eleanor in her place, make it so they argue less. In his stupid ass way, Merry truly thought humbling his wife would improve their marriage. Eleanor finds Maple's underwear in Merry's office and immediately confronts him. Merry expected her to be angry, but he didn't expect her to be HURT. And that...sends an uncomfortable, unexpected wave of something through him. Guilt...? He tries to move ahead with the plan, tell her yes, he's screwing his assistant, but only because he was lonely, lonely and neglected. Ellie's been so busy and distant lately, and temperamental to boot. Maybe they oughta take this moment to rekindle their spark. Ellie just needs to calm down, let him take the lead again, serve and obey... Eleanor starts throwing things, and Merry knows he's made a mistake. He's terrified of her rage, but also ashamed when she cries. He backtracks. The affair meant nothing. He just missed Ellie, is all. He blames Maple, that temptress seduced him!! He's sorry. It'll never happen again. Please don't leave. Please don't cry. Please don't take the kids. Please. Eleanor is almost swayed. Almost. But the betrayal, and the vile motive behind it, is simply too much. She ends up leaving anyway, and Merry is so angry, ashamed, and embarrassed that his show of total vulnerability (in the end he was pretty much begging Ellie not to leave him) went unheard. His choice to marry Maple was partly motivated by his fear of being alone, partly out out spite-to punish Eleanor for leaving-, and partly out of denial that he'd just thrown away everything he'd ever cared about for a cheap fling. When in doubt, double down!
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 20:32:16 +0000 UTCMan this sucks for everyone involved here :( knowing that Toffee will escape this toxic environment while Maple has to double down and go backwards in terms of her emotional development sucks even more. How did everyone find out about the affair, anyways? Did Merry break the news himself?
Mastodon
2024-08-04 19:42:41 +0000 UTCThey didddd. Worst part about being friends is that they know the best way to hit each other where it hurts. Maple specifically values Toffee's friendship because he doesn't treat her as "just a girl" (ie. a sex object/future baby factory). Maple is also insecure about a lot of things, particularly her intelligence and maturity level (which is why she reacts angrily when Toffee calls her a child). Toffee, her friend that she trusts, then hits her with an ugly, gender-specific insult ("slut") that ALSO infantilizes her ("little") and ALSO attacks her intelligence ("stupid"). She would've been crushed even if his verbal abuse hadn't been paired with violence. She hit him where he was most sensitive and fearful, and he immediately retaliated with everything he had, in a way he KNEW would hurt her most.
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 19:28:51 +0000 UTCoh.. oh NO... OH GOD I love a good messy terrible friendship breakup in media every now and then and this. definitely fits that profile. the way they both just went for the absolute jugular... watching their friendship actively blow up in real time is so painful but also fascinating
knickknacks
2024-08-04 19:11:29 +0000 UTCOHHH I completely misinterpreted. I'm still extremely excited👀
Strix
2024-08-04 18:53:42 +0000 UTCWow this is just the absolutely worst thing I've seen. I need more of it immediately. I'm super interested to see how this conversation lead into Don and Toffees relationship. Also maybe I'm just projecting but it feels like Maple is blaming Toffee for being gay here as if it's his fault. That's a pretty good detail. Im guessing their one of those churches that say "being gay is just a choice" and told Toffee he needs to pray harder and he won't be gay
forthehonor-ofgayskull
2024-08-04 18:40:42 +0000 UTCDon't worry, it gets worse :D
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 18:37:37 +0000 UTCWow this family is fucked up. It's like watching a trainwreck. It's terrible but you just can't look away. I'm fascinated by it. You always do really good writing compelling characters.
forthehonor-ofgayskull
2024-08-04 18:33:34 +0000 UTCWe haven't yet begun to see how terrible Toffee can get. He's never violent with anybody again, but his self-loathing drives him to do pretty destructive things, to himself and other people. This is why waaaaay in the future, he's so doggedly patient with Honey. Like yeah, Honey makes some insufferable comments sometimes but....Toffee assaulted her mom. :/ He knows he's got no right to act as though he's better than her. Back to the present, however, we can see the cycle of cruelty at work. Merry (and also their bigoted, homophobic society) is cruel to Toffee and he's powerless against it. Rather than choosing to remove himself from it (like Topher), Toffee perpetuates the same cruelty, except he's too cowardly to go after say, his father, who can fight back. He instead punches down, directing his anger to Maple, and when she doesn't instantly submit- and in fact hits back- he gets physical. It's vindicating to know that at least here, he is "stronger" than someone else. It's shameful, it's pathetic- I wanted it to be very clear why Maple would run back into Merry's arms. She thought Toffee was safe- a rare thing for a man to be in her community- and just learned he's very much not.
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 17:50:48 +0000 UTCOh sorry, there's no direct part 2. I'm working on another sketch dump/comic but that takes place a while after this, when Honey has been born
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 17:36:46 +0000 UTCHe's been called that word before, he just never thought MAPLE would use it against him. He thought she was safe. It's a betrayal that's really gonna fuck with him for a while, because maybe NOBODY is safe. Maybe he'll NEVER be accepted. It's a terrifying thought that makes him feel powerless, so he reacts violently, by immediately exerting his power over Maple. If all she is to him is a "stupid little slut", then maybe the betrayal doesn't have to hurt as much. It's wrong, and he'll regret it in a moment, but by then it'll be too late, the damage is done for both of them.
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 17:33:25 +0000 UTCIn fighting game terms, we would call Maple and Honey "Glass cannons" lol Yeah this is all a really wordy way of me saying that you're very good at writing layered personal conflicts.
SketchyBug
2024-08-04 17:30:27 +0000 UTCThank you! Yep, as I was drawing the panel where Maple starts in on her cruel "Your dad's a better man than you" spiel with her toothy smile, I thought awwww look, that's Honey's mommyyy❤️. Ruthless offense....with a pretty weak defense, lol Merry isn't deliberately pitting these two against each other, but he definitely benefits from it. I imagine a scene immediately after where he's comforting sobbing Maple and saying "He did WHAT? My god, I've never known Tobias to be so cruel! Don't you worry, sweetheart, I'll straighten him out." (hint: no he doesn't, Merry doesn't care. He just wants Maple to perceive him as heroic and desireable- and it works). Toffee, meanwhile, confesses to Eleanor he grabbed Maple's arm to scare her (which she tears into him for, AWFUL behavior for a young man, I did NOT raise you to be a brute!), but when he admits he called her a stupid slut Ellie's like "Oh. Her?...Yeah that's okay sweetie :)"
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 17:26:26 +0000 UTCThe fun part is, because their friendship blows up, they're both driven into the arms of the first people who make them feel validated, heard, and cared about, even if it's entirely superficial. In Maple's case, that's Merry. For Toffee, it's Don...
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 17:05:27 +0000 UTCWhat a tangled web these doggos have woven And by "doggos", I'm specifically referring to Merry
Scorp
2024-08-04 16:57:32 +0000 UTCThanks! Maple has trouble accepting her role in this or understanding why Toffee's so mad. This isn't because she's a callous monster, it's because sleeping with Merry wasn't even something she wanted to DO, not really. Merry was her worship leader and her boss, he offered her some comfort then started in on his own loneliness. Maple felt sorry for him, felt obligated not to reject him. She did enjoy the cheap thrill of being "chosen" by an important older man, but beyond that...well, Merry's twice her age, and not exactly prince charming. She regretted it immediately and just wants to move past it. She doesn't get why everybody's so upset . Eleanor can keep her husband, Maple's not looking to pry him away. She wants Toffee. Would even settle for just remaining friends with Toffee. But Toffee is SO angry with her (misdirected anger at Merry), and just keeps pushing her away, so she verrry recklessly decided to double down on her decision because hey, at least MERRY saw her value. With her speech and the slur, she was trying to make Toffee jealous, "snap him out" of his anger, get him rushing to prove he isn't an f-word, sweep her off her paws in a big possessive kiss (or at least stop being an angry butthole and start being her friend again). She did not at ALL expect his reaction.
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 16:52:35 +0000 UTCAUGH I cant stop reading this. its so poignant I'm excited for part 2
Strix
2024-08-04 16:42:59 +0000 UTCYa know for all his effeminity Toffee is really no different from those closet jocks who pick on the gay kid. Just a big ole bully who picks on others cuz he hates himself, except I’m sure he convinces himself he’s the victim which honestly makes it worse to me
owlcoholik
2024-08-04 16:30:44 +0000 UTCI so see why Toffee is mad here, but seeing a man get physical with a woman in a verbal fight makes me so riled up, you illustrated it amazingly with the emotion in it. I really hope that during this time he has the mind to blame his dad too for the destruction of his family
Tibbles Yorkie789
2024-08-04 16:21:37 +0000 UTCGod, this one hurts. I really appreciate your ability to create characters that can say/do horrible things but for very realistic reasons. It makes them feel like real people.
ummhallelujah
2024-08-04 16:20:09 +0000 UTCI meant to edit this comment but my dumb ass ended up deleting it, so hopefully I don’t miss any of what I originally said lmao With the way Maple spoke to Toffee, I can see where Honey gets her bitchy insults from. I think the saddest thing about this whole situation is that both Toffee and Maple are too naïve, too young, and too hurt to see that Merry is the root of the problem. I don’t think he is intentionally playing these two against each other, but this is just the natural conclusion of a man devaluing his son while also preying upon his son’s vulnerable best friend. Like a lot of people in his position, Merry took advantage of his seat of power and influence that he had and left a lot of damage in his wake. When you grow up as sheltered as these two have, you don’t learn how to process intense emotions properly, so you end up lashing out and saying things with the momentary intent to be hurtful, and don’t have the ability to step back and see the situation for what it really is. They were both collateral damage from the same man.
SketchyBug
2024-08-04 16:07:30 +0000 UTCThe 👏 way 👏 you 👏 draw 👏 teeth 👏✨ Shit got me into character design 🫰🥰💙
Vicky H
2024-08-04 15:33:01 +0000 UTCAh yes ‘No Children’ by mountain goats, I’m familiar. This makes me feel sad here ngl. Maple made such a big fucking mistake in saying she was lonely and snapping back at Toffee and then added more to the fire by calling him a slur here but the fact that Toffee’s FATHER is the root of their problem is both frustrating and a bit disgusting! It’s so well-written My god what the fuck. (/pos)
Gela
2024-08-04 14:56:59 +0000 UTCJesus this is painful..
MissMele
2024-08-04 14:55:34 +0000 UTCabsolutely love how horribly everyone handles this situation. obviously this whole thing is merry's fault in every way but kind of obsessed with maple saying "i was just lonely :(" to toffee and expecting that to go over well at all. like girl i get it but you DID sleep with his father
cactus bastrop
2024-08-04 13:08:52 +0000 UTCAs per the norm, nobody's putting the blame where it belongs: on the grown ass man who mentally abused his son and seduced a vulnerable girl. Lop provides realism!
Must Love Frogs
2024-08-04 12:08:25 +0000 UTCHoly hell okay I'm not saying Toff was *completely* justified at the end there but honestly if someone called me that slur unprovoked I can't imagine I'd react that much better. God this hurts
Lammergayier
2024-08-04 11:48:27 +0000 UTCDamn, this hurts! ….they were so young……I kind of want them to end up in the same old folks home n make up n watch musicals together :(
Buttermaster
2024-08-04 10:42:33 +0000 UTCOof. Welp. Not that either of these kids are at fault for the sins of their shitty-ass church leader/father, but like...*Maple*. What the actual fuck did you think was going to happen. I assume that she's coming to Toffee because he's her only friend and obviously she misses having that relationship, but. Maple. Maple sweetie. What. What the fuck did you think would happen. Also, I love seeing the argument dynamics here! Toffee starting strong with an angry sarcastic rant, Maple blowing him off then immediately making an excuse, then when it's not received well she straight up makes her feelings and actions alllll Toffee's fault. And then it's the second verse, same as the first, just a little bit louder and a whole lot worse. Should Toffee have laid hands on her? No, but also I would have shaken her so hard, so...
Scyllarus
2024-08-04 10:26:06 +0000 UTCI mean, I’m looking at this and thinking the marriage wasn’t just to save face but yet another dig to Toffee which… oof
Angsty Ram
2024-08-04 09:44:38 +0000 UTCAlso the dramatic irony of “im not going to marry him” oh sweetie youre not gonna have much choice if you dont wanna be branded a pariah forever
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-04 09:35:37 +0000 UTCOW. HEY LOP??? O W
AsTheJayFlies
2024-08-04 09:33:39 +0000 UTCThis is definitely gut wrenching to me , I've known people like maple that take no responsibility and definitely play up the poor me aspect (not that she deserves what merry did to her but still ) #gethealed
FancylionFarts
2024-08-04 08:49:46 +0000 UTC*me at the beginning of every panel* damn that was so rough dude it couldn’t possibly get worse. ah. yes it can
boreanSlumber
2024-08-04 08:24:18 +0000 UTCthe facial expressions are so good, i could literally tell what their tone was going to be even before reading the speech bubbles, that’s insane talent
arcadia
2024-08-04 08:17:38 +0000 UTCHope you get some sleep before the next update
Louis Esposito
2024-08-04 07:59:14 +0000 UTCLol fair enough and honestly I can't judge being that I'm up too
Louis Esposito
2024-08-04 07:58:31 +0000 UTCDAMN, SHE DROPPED THE F SLUR. I knew someone was going to but MAPLE, OH HONEY. I feel Tobbys betrayal. AND THEN HE HIT JUST AS LOW
Saba Saeidi
2024-08-04 07:58:26 +0000 UTCI love staying up late. :3 The world just feels so quiet. I used to stay up late drawing for hoursssss. Pretty rare for me to do so nowadays, but I wanted to have this comic done tonight so I can start work on the next one tomorrow (though I guess it's already tomorrow, haha)
Lopoddity
2024-08-04 07:52:45 +0000 UTCAlso ... *Oof*
Louis Esposito
2024-08-04 07:40:21 +0000 UTCOh god toffee looks freaking terrifying in that final panel You are really good at writing complex relationships! Neither of these two are right in their actions or words but you still feel bad for the both of them.
Doxiedreg
2024-08-04 07:38:40 +0000 UTCNot to sound ungrateful but Lop why are you up this late?
Louis Esposito
2024-08-04 07:36:58 +0000 UTC
