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96 thoughts on “#899 – it’s too bad”
Andrea González
No. Just no!
william
The happy moments in octopus pie are often of that free-floating, weightless kind that exists momentarily before gravity takes hold and plunges you down the cliff face.
MoLo
YOU FUCKING DICK
Bruno Guedes
Ooh, I know that face. The "did I hear what I think I head" face.
Seems like this was not worth breaking the one week rule, eh?
Ian Bindley
And there it is. The boy is a garbage boy.
Nova
Or was just nervous about seeing Eve again, or unsure she'd even *want* to see him, or possibly simply has a life that does not revolve around informing an ex every time he's in town.
Wetmang
Yeah! Only when he wants to hook up with her.
jeff
To be fair, isn't that why *she* went out with *him*?
manlyshimapan
yeah, he didn't wanna bone enough.
Vabolo
Last panel:
Record scratch (version 7)
Wow! Hollywood sounds
Great Sounds Volume 2
skitsafrit
I'm screencapping that last panel to be my "you wot" face for a while.
Tapestry
Eve is like "…Wait, what?"
Copycat
This gon' be good.
Aletha
Did anyone else hear the glass shatter or was that just me?
Niall
Ayep, I heard it too. Can't say I wasn't waiting for it though.
TRA
That's Brilliant. 😀
Mr. Potato Patato Von Spudsworth III
It was a record scratch for me.
scheissekatze
Park: the human trash heap.
robert
still a better moment of closure than mar and will.
aleksi
You shut your mouth, dick puke was the king of closure.
Laura
Its funny because now all I can think about is mar's warning to eve at the spa. Mar was right, jane was wrong.
ThEWhit
Eve I know you and Past Eve don't always see eye to eye but I think she hit this particular nail square on the head. NOPE.
Artie
I can literally hear the penny dropping.
Hedgewolf
Lashout in 3…2…1…
Sabrina
"I've really missed you, Eve."
Not as much as some plants, apparently
Nova
She has him listed as "NOPE". He is under no obligation to inform her when he is in town.
Charlie Lobo
That's true, but then he should have not called her at all, or tried to at least keep some distance. Calling an ex to fuck around as an after-thought is not really nice.
Arianod
wat
Robert
Schmuck has to check his smartphone to remember when he didn't tell his girlfriend that he was in town.
Laura
(not his girlfriend)
Gavalanche
Ah! That moment when you visited home, didn't have time to see any of your old friends or exes, and then your old friend/ex finds out about it and takes it personally. 'But then, just WHY did you have time to go to the Botanical Gardens if you didn't have time to visit me'.
thistemporarylifeblog
I think you know that this is a different situation entirely.
Gavalanche
I'm not at all certain of that yet. Park's not a great character and I think that's leading to preemptive condemnation here. Let's wait and see how bad he really is, or isn't.
Arianod
We've all done that at some point, I suppose? But. I've never yet blurted it out afterwards in front of the people who weren't supposed to know and whose feelings might get hurt if they knew. And I tend to consider myself a fairly careless and self-centered kind of person.
metroidlunch
Its the fucking Botanical Gardens. Unless he had a bigly firm interview AT the gardens or was under duress to go there he clearly went to enjoy himself
Kate
Weirdly if this were a real-life situation I would maybe consider giving him the benefit of the doubt (it's a thing that happens!) but tbh I don't know if it makes for great storytelling?
Unless it reveals something about their characters/something wider about relationships, I'm not sure it fits with the tone of the arc so well. I may be totally wrong, though! But do feel like things have been set up the way they have for a reason, and an awkward misunderstanding/stereotypical overreaction might be a poor payoff: Eve is a (realistically) flawed character but reducing her to 'female character who just won't give the guy a break!' is unlikely.
Narf
I feel like in this situation I'd give almost anyone else the benefit of the doubt, but this is so entirely in keeping with everything else I know about Park that it feels like it can't be anything but what it looks like.
Faye
That was my way of thinking. A part of me doesn't even blame Park for waiting on the last day to see an ex he hasn't spoken to for forever, assuming it to be out of nervousness or fear. Hell, I wouldn't blame my ex for that, especially if I haven't gone out of the way to contact them, either. It'd be a big leap of faith to even see if they'd be down to hang out after so long, ya' know?
However, this arc isn't set up in that way. This tidbit of information obviously hurts Eve, and the more I think about how much she's idolized him, how much she's morned over their breakup and relationship, how much she's thought about their relationship PERIOD, why wouldn't it?
I still have no idea how she's going to react (is she gonna blow up? Excuse herself and have a frantic pep talk to herself in the bathroom? Just swallow the pain and trudge through with the rest of the date?) but I don't think this is set up for a whacky Seinfeldian conversation. If anything, it's set up for Eve's slow-burning disillusionment of a person that once represented so much, and realizing that Park most definitely hasn't been sharing her same, recurring dream during the time they had lost contact.
rei
That last sentence! That's what I'm hoping for. Something where Eve is empowered to really make a decision to turn Park away rather than avoid making any decision at all.
St_Phloboticus
If Park felt fearful or nervous about seeing Eve again, I don't think he would have banged her right off the bat, ya know? I think he put off seeing Eve because he doesn't actually care that much about her. All he wanted was a (slightly nostalgic) one night stand.
Gavalanche
Yes, this. I think in real life this would be an emotional but ultimately meaningless moment. But for the sake of story telling drama we're expecting this to reveal horrible character traits. These stories can be so all over the place though and still be frank and real. I just don't think we've seen enough yet to tell if this is just Park casually looking to hook up with an ex in a semi-scumbag fashion, or if we're about to see that it means nothing other than Eve not being as emotionally put together as she's been appearing to be. Maybe the entire point is just that hooking up with exes you still care about is never a good idea. Hence the "NOPE" caller ID.
channamasala
Well, I would take it personally too if someone I was friends with was in town and DID have time to go to a garden but not to see me. This is not the same situation, but even in the lower-pressure, lower-stakes one you describe, while I wouldn't get "mad" per se I probably would mentally push them out a few circles on my orbit of friends, out closer to friendly acquaintances. I probably would not go out of my way to see them again myself though I wouldn't refuse a group invitation. I'd consider that to be the end of it unless they did get in touch. I would not make the effort, though.
I don't think that's overkill. If you (generic you) don't have time to see everyone, you just don't, but if you DO have time and choose not to…that's fine but it means we're not quite the 'friends' maybe I thought we were.
Laura E.
o. m. g.
Antlion
In recent news, the Big Apple was hit by Hurricane Everest, a category 5 super-storm. Several bystanders were injured, but so far only ONE casualty has been confirmed.
Bomi
Didn't even have the decency to look her in the face…
Bryy
And the "uh" totally betrays that he KNOWS that was a dick move.
ThEWhit
I read it as him checking his phone while he was talking to her (already rude) but that meant he was too distracted to catch his verbal slip-up before it was too late.
Booga
And there it is.
"I really missed you Eve… but not enough to call you for the last few years."
"I really missed you Eve… but I'm absolutely going to dismiss your feelings by telling you I was in town last weekend and chose to not see you."
"I really missed you Eve… but I'm a self-centered piece of garbage who only ever really cares about himself because your life is really just trivial silliness in my eyes."
I hope that this is what Eve needed to finally let Park go once and for all.
Aleksi
I've been reading the last few pages and the comments below thinking "Come on, Park is human too. He knows he was a dick in the past. Maybe he does want to do better. At least give him the benefit of the doubt." I want to believe in the good in fictional people.
Yeah, I think I'm done with that now. You got some serious explaining to do, fuckboy.
ThEWhit
Yeah I think that's a totally reasonable reading given the information we had up to now! (And I'm sure that was totally intentional because it's what gives this page such impact.) But with this new context a lot of his actions are definitely reframed as inexcusable.
thistemporarylifeblog
Yeah, I've been pushing for people to take a step back because we don't have any information, but this isn't the greatest look.
Flostie
STOP HURTING MY HEART
gallmoth
Aaa, Park you total asshole! I haven't been this worked up about a fictional relationship since Anders Loves Maria x_x
Julia
oh god why did you remind me of that ;-;
ALMtoo
This whole Park drama is really borking up my week!
Arielle
Oh maaaaAAAAnnnn I forgot all about Anders Loves Maria T_T
Jessquire
You know Anders Love Maria is being re-booted….
sthetic
hhhhWWWWHHHHAAAATTT???
Red chase
GOD DAMN IT PARK. WHY YOU GOTTA DO ME THIS WAY. I SUPPORTED YOU. GO SIT IN A CORNER AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUVE DONE
OTNIPAI
EVES FACE SAYS "BITCH SAY WHAT?" AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA WRITE
BITCH, SAY WHAT? What an asshole!
Dell
Man, i was actually going to accept that maybe it could work out. Y'know, break from the Eve-Will (which combines to make "Evil" strangely enough) bandwagon, but this ain't gonna work, and she's probably figuring that out now.
All those conflicting feelings, weeks of mulling it over and over in her head, and Park just treats it like nothing.
That sucks. Sorry Eve.
Mef
OH
I mean, yes? It's kinda good? It has to hurt to fucking end the delusions of comfort in nostalgia?
It'll be the last tug to tear off that reaaally old, smelly band-aid that stuck to your arm and first you would't get rid of because you'd peel off arm hair and you were afraid it'd hurt, and then, eventually, you found yourself getting used to it and fondly considering part of you. Out with it, Ning. Showeth your righteous fury!
(Please?)
This said, fuuuck. Jeez. This arc has made me go all the way back and seen Eve's character development and it's made me fall in love with her again. She used to get mad a lot. I used to think that it was because she is happier now, but reading it all in one go, I wonder if it's also a sign of complacency, and not fighting for herself anymore.
Also, talk about nostalgia, reading back reminds me of the moment I was in my life when Eve's trips and falls and milestones related to my own, to this day. And notice again how well many of those indescribable moments and feelings, so specific to certain events like rejection, loneliness, or just growing up or fucking up are rendered through something as mundane as a trend.
TL:DR, gushing.
I've said it before, but Meredith, you are a wonder at story telling and this webcomic is bloody brilliant and you're amazing and so tenacious and oh. As soon as I get next month's pay I'm getting me a book.
Laura
I'm with you here. I had the exact experience where I idealized an ex who was never the right fit anyway. When he walked back into my life this interaction happened pretty much note for note and it shattered it all. He wasn't the person i was imagining, he wasn't even the person I had remembered. I looked back over all of our interrelations with new eyes and found all the cracks. It was only then I could move on.
metroidlunch
I take back all the rationalizing I exerted just for Park's sake of the benefit of a doubt in previous comment threads.
PARK GO FUCK YOURSELF
RockLobster
No. No more fucking for Park. Even self-fucking. Park has already had more of the fucking than he deserves.
peakpointmatrix
He can go fuck some plants, he loves visiting those.
Faye
I remember someone commented that the receipt left on the hotel floor indicated that Park had checked out, indicating that he just wanted a last-minute hook-up. Nail on the head there, but I find myself wondering why Eve looks so surprised. Didn't she know this was a "Hey let's meet up and bang" thing before, or was that just apparent to us as the audience and being able to see the whole picture?
I've sort of been mentally defending Park by defending Eve's choice to see him, thinking that if she wanted to have an old nostalgic bangin' with her ex, then so be it. Maybe it was because I had already assumed that Park had been there for awhile and that he decided to call Eve on the last day. At least that's what I would have assume from an ex I hadn't seen in a long time, anyways, especially if he was leaving that day. I hadn't thought about if Eve had assumed the same at all.
Of course, this can be opening up to a revelation that Park had probably been to the city waaaaay more times than he let on, which I would be pissed about. "In the 6 years we haven't seen each other, you didn't bother to mention that your regular business trips requires you to stop by three blocks from where I live!?"
I'm actually very tempted to visit old pages and see if Mer sneaked Park into the background at any time while Eve and co. were distracted and looking the other way, not noticing the other was there. It would marvelous as it would be heartwrenching.
Laura
My guess is park just broke up with someone. This is the sort of thing you do when youre newly single. You retread old territory and go for "What could have been" even if you didnt really want that very much anyway. I can't pretend i havent done the same thing. There are just people you sometimes have on reserve in the back of your mind, just in case it all doesn't work out. Its shitty, but I'm pretty sure thats whats going on with park. Something ended and he thought "well i guess ill hit up eve now that I don't have any strings anymore. I'm sure shed be up for it"
rei
This is kinda what I'm thinking too, though I think a lot of people are forgetting too that Eve sort of did the dumping last time in that she didn't want to move out there.
Like, to be fair to Park, Eve told him not to pressure her and that she wouldn't commit to him which probably hurt Park a lot. Why would he try to keep in contact then?
And Eve hasn't reached out, wasn't that interested in his life or what was going on.
I don't think it's so harsh as "Pretty sure she's DTF" but maybe more like an accumulation of nostalgia, opportunity and gambling that leads up to contacting an ex you're still fond of over a great deal of time. He was the one that called…
I'm actually wondering if he's the one that was hoping for long term out of this and Eve will balk… That the reality is that she doesn't want him back.
Carmen
Not following your beau all around the world is not a one directional dumping. He made the move, he took the action. There are whole stacks of ethics discussions about whether an inaction is as culpable as an action, but he made the choice and she was left with an ultimatum- that's more on him than it is on her
rei
I'm not saying it was anything but mutual differences in direction, similar to one person not wanting kids. It's how it shook out. She told him not to pressure her, he didn't pressure her. She didn't insist that he stay, he didn't stay. They missed each other off and on for years but never made an effort to stay in touch. They have probably both had many other relationships in the span of time between them.
I mean, that's it.
I'm not even a fan of them as a couple, but I think that they're on pretty even footing.
I just think it's a disservice to the writing to render black and white what is a very interesting and nuanced evolution of characters and relationships.
Personally, I don't think Eve needs to end up with anyone… Will or Park…
maybe she meets someone totally new!
Laura
I don't think she needs to end up with anyone either but it would good to know if her being still in love with the ghost of park is what has held her back from taking will seriously.It wasnt till I let go of my park-like ex (years later mind you) that I could really be with the person in front of me.
Carmen
I just disagreed with 'eve did the dumping'. All the rest- the nuance, the actions or inactions of both, eve not needing to find a prince- on board, fo sho.
Although – eve hasn't had a significant other since Park, no.