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‹‹ First ‹ Prev Comments(60) Next › Last ››
Ch19 P15
‹‹ First ‹ Prev Comments(60) Next › Last ››

Ch19 P15

by Gina Biggs on October 2, 2020 at 4:35 pm
Chapter: Chapter 19
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Discussion (60) ¬

  1. Rose
    October 2, 2020, 4:48 pm | # | Reply

    FINALLY she gets asked to leave! And handholding! And hugging! Openly in front of their families! I’m so proud of my little HoneyBeeShip.

    Why am I still worried? Oh… right… she can go straight to the media and make a horrendous stink about Eyebright’s employees being perverts and corrupting her innocent, fragile, vulnerable daughter.

    But points for mister dad-man for trying.

    • David
      October 2, 2020, 5:43 pm | # | Reply

      “Oh… right… she can go straight to the media and make a horrendous stink about Eyebright’s employees being perverts and corrupting her innocent, fragile, vulnerable daughter.

      But points for mister dad-man for trying.”

      The vibe mister dad-man gives off is that he is not on board with making a horrendous stink. In a bit of a reversal of the archetypical role model I get a bit of “how do you get a matriarch to change course without making her feel her authority to be questioned” premonition.

      • Marie-Claire
        October 7, 2020, 4:35 pm | # | Reply

        Honnn that’s interesting, you’re right! I hadn’t seen it that way before. *interest tripled for the outcome*

      • Kendall
        October 7, 2020, 9:19 pm | # | Reply

        Grumble. I don’t think matriarchy is female patriarchy. Amaryllis is hardly a model of organization. Otherwise, that might be similar to how I’ve thought of Mallow and also Abeille. How do you let Amaryllis play her games without being affected and reach her. She’s Abeille’s mom. Maybe I’m seeing what I want to see. But Amaryllis seems like a lost child and I think Abeille truly loves her. On top of that she is Mallow’s sweetheart and Amaryllis’ security blanket.

    • Tiffany
      October 2, 2020, 7:45 pm | # | Reply

      Yeah I am feeling the same here. Let’s hope Mallow really tries to stop his wife from going off the deep end and involve people that don’t need to be involved in what is ultimately a private situation.

    • Rose
      October 3, 2020, 8:04 am | # | Reply

      I don’t think he can stop her if she really sets out to do this. I think the best he has the ability to do is refuse to participate and possibly set out on his own to warn our Lovebirds.

      Because even if he flatly refuses to be a part in that, that will just be him being “useless” from Amarylis’ perspective and she’ll just go and do it herself.

  2. Rose
    October 2, 2020, 4:52 pm | # | Reply

    Meanwhile I sure hope Miel’s #MothersOfTheYear, AKA #MotherSoftHeyEar (I’ll see myself out) offer Abeille some spare clothing for dignity reasons as she is still in undergarments.

    Even if not to have her enjoy a dinner with them, then at least so she can go outside tomorrow looking presentable.

    • Rycan
      October 3, 2020, 2:44 am | # | Reply

      I was just thinking that they’re going to have to raid Abeille’s apartment tomorrow morning just to get some clothes.

      • Rose
        October 3, 2020, 7:59 am | # | Reply

        Well, I’d actually like to see how Abeille would look in their fashions, so here’s hoping it happens 🙂

  3. QueenSalis
    October 2, 2020, 4:58 pm | # | Reply

    Just… be careful, Bumblebee, okay? Remember to wash your hands with warm water and soap frequently…

    • David
      October 3, 2020, 12:59 am | # | Reply

      Last time I looked, that did not do a whole lot to prevent pregnancy. Though I do know a very nice comparatively young grandmother whose charming daughter came into being during her mother’s high school time in a manner that warm water and soap at the right time might have prevented.

      In this case, all of the involved parties and families were able to put in what it takes to make a comparatively unplanned change work out fabulously (and eventually still getting everyone’s life and education on course), but it’s not Monotropia.

    • Rose
      October 3, 2020, 9:28 am | # | Reply

      Pregnancy? I’m talking about COVID!

      • David
        October 5, 2020, 6:11 pm | # | Reply

        Well, I consider it more likely that pregnancy (though rare) is an issue in Monotropia et al than COVID-19 is. At least I hope we got rid of SARS-CoV-2 in how far this future is supposed to be. Would be a real downer if not.

    • SailorCakes
      October 3, 2020, 12:07 pm | # | Reply

      Is she in undergarments? ? I though it was just a futuristic style of shorts and a cute top. I can even see them being pajamas but despite that I don’t think she looks undecent in anyway. Her dressed up in a different style would totally be cute though. ?

      • QueenSalis
        October 3, 2020, 2:27 pm | # | Reply

        Well the comment section a couple pages back did speculate about this being undergarments.
        Which makes sense when looking at the timeline – she went to a festival in a fancy costume, got caught touching, rushed home and took it off to cry, then ran the streets after her mom to Miel’s.

        So this is either some undergarments she had under her festival costume to prevent chafing or pjs she threw onto herself to not be nude when crying in her room. Either way, not exactly outside-clothes.

        All this is just speculation of course, but speculation is fun.

  4. RACHEL
    October 2, 2020, 5:04 pm | # | Reply

    This is so satisfying 🙂 I’m pleasantly surprised by dad too.

  5. The Leaking Pen
    October 2, 2020, 5:35 pm | # | Reply

    Look at those hands. He wants to take her by the shoulders and hug her SO HARD right now.

  6. Jac
    October 2, 2020, 5:37 pm | # | Reply

    Miel is… Just incredibly hot these last few pages. HES SO LOVING IT IS SO ATTRACTIVE

    • Kimberly
      October 2, 2020, 6:34 pm | # | Reply

      So glad someone said this. His confidence in his love for her is just… *chef’s kiss*

  7. Kimberly
    October 2, 2020, 6:33 pm | # | Reply

    Oh my goodness, this made my weekend. Thank you Gina, this was a completely satisfying end to the confrontation. YEAH MIEL!

    • Jenny
      October 6, 2020, 10:40 pm | # | Reply

      Yeah, Miel and Abeille did win Round One here but this is definitely NOT the end of the whole potential in-law conflict with him and Amaryllis. She is definitely a scorned woman on the war path.

  8. Kendall
    October 2, 2020, 6:50 pm | # | Reply

    That last panel is, something. Abeille looking as hurt as she probably really has been, in Miel’s loving arms and Mallow doing his best so far. It’s finally ok to be vulnerable, maybe. I’m happy and sad and upset.

  9. Kendall
    October 2, 2020, 7:57 pm | # | Reply

    Panel 4 is getting to me too. Like Abeille still can’t believe it, that someone is defending her.

    There are their sparkles in panel 2.

  10. Spooky
    October 2, 2020, 9:50 pm | # | Reply

    Mallow, I know you’re trying but now would be a really good time for you to reign in your wife.

  11. daemongirl
    October 2, 2020, 11:08 pm | # | Reply

    *Phew!* I was worried for a nanosecond there. But Abeille and Miel know what they want, they *are* two adults after all!

  12. daemongirl
    October 2, 2020, 11:14 pm | # | Reply

    Hmm, I’m suddenly noticed our gravatar images aren’t showing up. Wonder if this will happen if I wonder over to SurlyQueen’s site…?

    • daemongirl
      October 2, 2020, 11:24 pm | # | Reply

      NOPE. My Traveling Raven has returned. So odd? It can’t be due to last night’s Harvest Moon (not that we saw it in Maryland) and the Blue Moon set to occur this All Hallows Eve? ??‍♀️?

      • Kendall
        October 3, 2020, 7:55 am | # | Reply

        Is it true that everyone is required to have the name Mary, in Maryland?

  13. wavewright62
    October 3, 2020, 1:55 am | # | Reply

    I called it?! Wow, awesome. But aren’t Amaryllis & Mallow staying at Abeille’s place? It’ll be fiiiine.

  14. Wren
    October 3, 2020, 2:34 am | # | Reply

    Perhaps this will be the catalyst that helps Mallow finally grow a spine?

    Either way, SO satisfying to see Amaryllis get knocked down a peg.

    • Kendall
      October 3, 2020, 7:45 am | # | Reply

      About that spine: Mallow’s posture in the last panel is curious. Aside from being unhealthy, he looks like he’s interacting with Abeille through one of those thingies… A medical room with holes in the walls with embedded gloves. So the doctor person can manipulate the patient through gloves separated by a wall. Or he looks like a turtle. In any case, I love Mallow but he has hurt Abeille. He could do better…

      People on patreon got to see an image of Abeille as a child, being happy, yesterday, with Mallow being loving and Amaryllis not as much. It was a nice contrast with where we are in the story.

    • Rose
      October 3, 2020, 7:54 am | # | Reply

      Let’s just hope she doesn’t see this as a permission to knock everyone we know and love (or like or tolerate) down like a dozen pegs by publicizing this as a scandal.

  15. SailorCakes
    October 3, 2020, 12:01 pm | # | Reply

    Wah I wasn’t planning on crying this early in the day ?

  16. Jac
    October 3, 2020, 2:21 pm | # | Reply

    Is anyone else kind of bothered by the nickname “Bumblebee”?

    • Floweramon
      October 3, 2020, 4:53 pm | # | Reply

      That’s literally what Abeille’s name means, so it seems appropriate to me.

    • daemongirl
      October 3, 2020, 4:54 pm | # | Reply

      Considering her name already means “bee” (in French) nope. I think it’s kinda cute. It’s what Miss Honey’s late father nicknamed her in “Mathilda.”

    • Kendall
      October 3, 2020, 5:30 pm | # | Reply

      Me. Even the cute name has an insult in it. I could be wrong.

      • Jac
        October 6, 2020, 2:50 pm | # | Reply

        Yeah. “Abielle” just means “bee” and the nickname seems like referring to her as “bumbling”.. In the context of her mother especially, who absolutely judges her as such, it just makes.me uncomfortable. I think in another context it would be different, but especially after this scene it is honestly kind of upsetting me. No judgment to those who feel differently.

    • Kendall
      October 3, 2020, 7:02 pm | # | Reply

      It is really bumblebee? I thought Abeille means honey bee. Context might matter.

      In any case, I’m leaning toward it not being an insult after all. Nicknames often have some sort of affectionate teasing included. Also, it could have been thought of as having multiple meanings and it’s use a different time is conveying something.

    • Kendall
      October 4, 2020, 3:45 pm | # | Reply

      I don’t speak French. Google translate gives le bourdon as a translation for bumblebee. Le bourdon also means omission. To spell out why I thought it was insulting is because of “bumble”. Bumblebees seem to bumble. It could still be taken as ironic that they use that nickname, and the meaning of bumblebee in French (if I got that right), based on how Amaryllis frequently comments about Abeille’s competence and Abeille shows to have internalized that. But, I’m not sure that it is actually insulting.

      • Jazhara7
        October 6, 2020, 5:09 am | # | Reply

        Sometimes a banana is just a banana. Bumblebees are commonly perceived as cute, due to their fluffiness and general peaceful nature. It is also a pleasant sounding word.

        I call my dog a “Mausepups” at times. “Mouse fart”, in english. Calling anyone a “fart” clearly can be perceived as insulting (though “pups” is a bit of a more cute form of saying “fart” in german, that would be “Furz”). But it’s fully endearing because it is just silly. It does sound worse translated into english, as “fart” is just such a hard word. “Mausepups” is a soft sounding word. Just like Bumblebee.

        Also, she likely has been called this since childhood. Because of all the reasons I listed above, and yes, maybe because she bumbles about. But all toddlers bumble, or toddle as the name implies. But really, I doubt they even thought of that when using that name. People tend to create endearing names based on the regular name, and spontaneously without thinking about it. Alliteration and sudden ideas are common. Bumblebee is just something that comes to mind, even when your kid is not called “Bee”.

        So I doubt Marrow means any harm.

        • Kendall
          October 6, 2020, 10:52 am | # | Reply

          Me too. About it possibly being ironic: if someone has the nickname shorty, because they are tall, and later in life they lose their legs, their nickname would be ironic. Similarly, Abeille’s nickname could be ironic, even if the parents mean it affectionately. It seems to me that the parents don’t abuse her intentionally, anyway. What bothers me about what they do isn’t about what they mean, it’s the effects of their behavior.

        • Gina Biggs
          October 6, 2020, 3:59 pm | # | Reply

          It definitely was a nickname created with intent to be endearing. In this case, it was to show Mallow as affectionate compared to Amaryllis who only uses Abeille’s given name. The contrast was important to me. Also, I think bumblebees are incredibly cute and bouncy. Makes me think of cheerful things!

          • Kendall
            October 6, 2020, 4:29 pm | #

            That certainly strikes this speculation from a wiki! Abeillle is honest and unafraid to make mistakes, it seems like, to me. That is how she is so strong. I think we are modest and self-deprecating as an opening to friendship. Bumblebee is very cute. My mind goes to dark places and I’m used to it, but it’s often impolite to share those thoughts.

      • Rycan
        October 6, 2020, 12:52 pm | # | Reply

        Don’t know about you, but in my experience ‘bumblebee’ is considered an affectionate term in English, not an insulting one as you might expect from its etymology.
        Of course, context matters – I generally would advise against calling your boss ‘Bumblebee’, for instance! But a parent using it as a term of endearment for their child seems pretty innocent to me.

    • Deb
      October 5, 2020, 8:59 am | # | Reply

      No. My name is Hebrew for Bee, so I nickname myself Bumblebee in games. I’m probably older than Abeille.

  17. daemongirl
    October 3, 2020, 4:32 pm | # | Reply

    I hope Mallow has a new spine installed soon. And maybe find a good divorce attorney.

  18. Guest
    October 3, 2020, 6:16 pm | # | Reply

    Why? It’s not even a nickname really, just a translation of “Abeille,”

  19. Juniper
    October 3, 2020, 10:24 pm | # | Reply

    I hate that we keep asking dad to have a spine. I get it, but we’re putting on an ideal that men should be strong. But I feel like hes been verbally and emotionally abused their whole relationship. What we’re seeing is some one broken from this abuse
    It’s so hard to stand up when the abuse has been so bad for so long.

    • QueenSalis
      October 4, 2020, 1:36 pm | # | Reply

      I agree. He is a victim too. We should stop asking him to be responsible for another adult’s behaviour like some people have been demanding of him.

    • Jadeitea
      October 4, 2020, 3:02 pm | # | Reply

      I understand where you’re coming from, I think. My main issue with Mallow is not that he’s a “spineless man”, just that through inaction he’s allowed his daughter(s) to be harmed by Amaryllis. Abeille is an adult now, but I imagine the abuse was the same or even worse when she and Evette were children; as a parent of any gender, you are responsible for your child and should not allow such toxic behavior towards them.

      I agree that he’s also been abused and I know it’s not easy to stand up to someone like Amaryllis, but that doesn’t excuse what he’s allowed his wife to do to Abeille.

      Does this make any sense? I often find it difficult to express what I want to say clearly, so that other people understand what I mean ?

      • Kendall
        October 4, 2020, 8:54 pm | # | Reply

        Yes. People are responsible for their actions and inactions. Being abused isn’t an excuse. It’s an explanation. An explanation doesn’t fit into a formula: as if the right amount of explanation means you are excused. The parents, and people in general, aren’t disposable. They are confused, and could be for the rest of their lives.

        Abeille’s interests are independent of explanations of her parents’ behavior. Abeille is admirable for loving her parents despite the abuse. She can be independent, insist on boundaries, including not letting them near her and still love them. If she lied to herself and said they are evil and to be kicked out of her life, she would be hurting herself. For a different person that might be where they are and what they have to do.

        The criticism of Amaryllis has used different words than criticsm of Mallow. I think I’ve read disgust about Mallow being weak. That is what I see on earth, where it seems like misogyny turned in on itself. A “strong” man is excused for being irresponsible. A weak man is disgusting. Another implication is that he’s supposed to put Amaryllis in her place, as if she has a place and would behave when put there.

    • Kendall
      October 4, 2020, 3:33 pm | # | Reply

      Good point. But, I’m not sure people always mean that, about not being strong. It could be just because he is a parent who is not standing up for Abeille. I’ve been pretty obnoxious about this and I’m sorry. Saying he needs balls, still triggers me. But, people might not mean anything by that either.

    • Rose
      October 4, 2020, 6:29 pm | # | Reply

      I’m inclined to believe the abuse was less noticeable when everyone was “behaving”, especially before Evette’s death. Amarylis can be pretty pleasant when things are going her way, so while she would be “uptight” and “particular”, you wouldn’t see abuse unless she was crossed.

      • Jadeitea
        October 5, 2020, 5:15 am | # | Reply

        Yeah, point taken. I’ve had experience with a parent like Amaryllis (a much, much watered down version of her, anyway), and even I thought their behavior towards me was normal and justified, and that I was guilty/responsible for it. People like her can be very good at disguising abuse as parental concern, “necessary discipline”, and such.

      • Kharon
        October 5, 2020, 7:42 am | # | Reply

        As a child of an Amarylis type growing up…oi.

        I think the whole “he needs to grow a spine” thing is less about him being dominated by a woman and mostly because his passive nature has led to his children being hurt. It’s difficult, but as I once explained to my own father…Mallow choosing the path of least resistance with Amarylis for the sake of his own emotional safety comes at the expense of traumatizing his daughters.

        While understandable as to his reasons for doing so, it is not acceptable to essentially throw your kids to the wolves to protect yourself. Basically, yes, Mallow is a victim of abuse but he is also an enabler for an abuser. The children have no where to go and no agency as children do, and so that means he has a moral responsibility to protect them in the way they can’t protect themselves.

        When you are the child of a situation like this, in your eyes your father will have failed you as much as your mother has. Maybe the abuse was quieter in their youth when they were too young to really have opinions for themselves and maybe Amarylis saved her worst behavior for when Mallow wasn’t present, but again that means another huge issue: his kids were probably telling him all about what happened and he either brushed it off, took their mother’s side, or told them not to rock the boat so much. All of which fails that child if you do it.

        Siding with a spouse on your kids behavior when you weren’t home? Understandable. Never believing your kids when they tell you how much Mommy hurts them repeatedly? When they lock up in fear in front of you just interacting with their other parent? Now you’ve failed them.

  20. Alex
    October 4, 2020, 1:33 am | # | Reply

    I just think the nickname is just how he shows empathy toward his daughter. A bumblebee is a fuzzy bee, a Mallow is a fuzzy pink-flowered plant. Abeille seems to take after her Dad more than her mum. I wonder what Mallow even sees in Amaryllis, she definitely calls the shots in their relationship. O.o;

  21. Paul the Doozer
    October 5, 2020, 6:29 am | # | Reply

    That second panel speaks 1000 words when you consider the taboo they are breaking and other people present in the room. ALL the feels!

    That’s the moment I’ve waited for since Red String finished 😉

  22. Jac
    October 6, 2020, 2:40 pm | # | Reply

    The one who should really be careful is Amaryllis
    She’s about to lose another daughter at this rate, this time for the better.

  23. Kendall
    November 20, 2020, 8:05 am | # | Reply

    I wonder if it sounds odd to Miel that Mallow calls Amaryllis “Ammy”, since “Ammi” is mom in Hindi and he calls Jasmine “Amma”. Or I wonder if that nickname was meant to suggest that.

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