Al.d and Maviarab already rebuked your points "nicely", but I want to have a chance to defend my post since you quoted me.
You guys are so harsh.
I've criticised her as well but calling Anna evil or a snake is pure hyperbole. She's MCs friend, not his mother or his keeper, and there is only so much she can do or should be expected to do to help MC and Lacey in their relationship especially when managing her own feelings.
She is MC best friend, yet she is involved or knows about all the plans or sick things that were being done to him or, later on, to Lacey.
Yet her response is either passive or complicit.
If someone that:
- Supports Lacey in cucking MC (A "Okay. We'll do our best to support you.")
- Doesn't tell MC that Lacey is spending time with "marketing bro"
- Doesn't tell MC his wife is being hit on during obvious dates (she knows about the brain damage)
- Doesn't tell MC that the pimp is about to bring drugs to his drug addict wife (which could have lead to death)
- Actively hides heavy facts such as the Isaac convo
- Thinks that the correct "punishment" for someone that destroyed MC self worth is not talking for a week
Is your idea of friend or good friend, my man I have news for you.
I fully understand what the author wants to convey in his head, but the character actions show the opposite.
Christine thought she was helping him, and when she found out she wasn't, she was physically sick. It was poor judgement but she never intended any betrayal. Yes she trusted what was probably her 'cool' Uncle. And at some point she probably thought about him selling drugs, and that her sister died of drugs, and she probably felt sick again.
She was suspicious and yet went on, giving information such as MC being infertile, which Jared was HAPPY to learn.
So the girl that is so bright that can see a deepfake from a mile over, or that can understand if someone is under the influence at a glance was oblivious for months.
Intentions are secondary, actions come first.
[Veronica] When put under pressure she prioritised herself over people she didn't know well. That's pretty normal. It didn't take much to convince her to switch sides and she then actively helped MC.
Yeah, this is something that gets thrown around often, and then you have to remember that Lacey was ready to kill herself and yet Veronica was just standing there.
If you see a life of a stranger (Lacey is not a stranger to her and neither is MC) getting destroyed and you don't do shit, you are a shit person, period.
It did take quite a lot for her to be convinced, MC had to threaten her at the end, unless we played a different game.
She's isn't always aware of Lacey's crazy plans. She told MC about the tennis dates for example but only inadvertently; she didn't know Lacey was keeping the nature of them a secret. When she overheard the Isaac conversation, she did run off to tell MC at first until Lacey begged her not to, but she still stayed with Lacey to ensure she shared an accurate version of events. That's not really hiding it. She deleted the recording but was trying to be fair both sides.
The recording is a capital sin, she stayed to keep things accurate but in the end favoured Lacey over MC, this man has the right to know, if you are a friend, a true one, you'll keep things straight.
There was nothing fair there, fair would have been showing the recording and then let Lacey explain whatever she thought she needed to.
Also I don't think you can get upset at her for not doing enough and then upset because she finally does something. She did something because she finally had more than she could stand.
A "If you loved someone very much."
A "And you saw their partner, even if that partner is someone you care about, hurting the person you loved."
A "I mean really hurting them."
A "Over and over and over again."
A "You might understand my feelings."
A "I'll apologize if that will help any."
A "But I don't regret wanting to save you and neither does Mia."
Mia's plan was still stupid and doomed to failure though.
So we established that the nice lessons from the fucking pimp killed a part of MC, it is stated in the material.
Your plan, for someone you love mind you, is to double down and see if you can kill some more of him.
This is no way to act.
And you can't consider lying to Mc face as "doing something", she didn't do anything, again.
The pimp plan would have worked if MC was written as a damaged human being and not a septic tank.
Not really. Yes at first she wanted Lacey and MC to break up but that changed pretty fast after she started interacting with MC.
Its hard to defend Mia but there are multiple moments that show she is feeling guilt and remorse and that those feeling drive her actions.
M "If you loved this stupid kid so much, then what were you and I even doing?"
M "Why did you let me destroy your life?"
M "Why did you let me destroy [MCFirst]'s life?"
M "Do you know how much I punish myself for that?"
Pretty sure she hates herself as much as most of you do lol.
And yet she always blames others for her actions and we NEVER see her actually making amends.
During the lessons she blames the college guys.
In the convo you posted she blames Lacey.
Do you remember the Dianne convo when she talks about narcissists and tells Lacey off about the kiss? This is the same concept, the abuser is telling the victim that she should have done something if she didn't want to be abused.
It is disgusting to the core, and the fact that it is written as some sort of sad moment is appalling.
She never did anything positive in the whole story, nothing, zilch, aside from hugging MC two times and the author telling us that she calms down MC when she is there.
She is so calming that gives MC a PTSD episode just because she finds her "ruining MC and Lacey's life" funny.
Jeanette doesn't blame him. She is hurt and struggles with that, but is otherwise supportive.
MC "I'm too young for Director of IT."
MC "Goddammit Jeanette."
MC "You know I don't deserve this."
J "I don't even remotely agree with that statement."
J "You will make an amazing IT director."
J "I'm so damn hurt."
J "They didn't even consider me."
C "I'm sorry Jeanette."
C "It's total bullshit."
C "I can't imagine how hard it was to swallow your pride around [MCFirst]."
J "I couldn't let him see me upset like that."
J "He wouldn't take the position if he knew how upset I am."
She wasn't even able to think about a simple corporate licensing, no wonder she got passed over.
I am sorry, but I work in that environment, there is NO WAY a normal adult would act like this.
Here is Jeanette being supportive:
MC "Jeanette?"
J "(sigh) Yes boss?"
MC "You calling me that feels a little gross."
J "Get used to it Mr. [MCLast]."
MC "My name is [MCFirst]."
MC "Please call me that."
J "No."
MC "..."
MC "That's the first time you've ever hurt my feelings."
J "Get used to it."
MC "..."
J "I... I'm sorry."
J "I don't know where that came from."
MC "I can't do this if we aren't friends anymore."
J "I know this isn't something you're doing to me."
J "My anger is misplaced."
J "I just need a little time."
She is putting her frustrations on someone that has nothing to do with the whole thing, that she supposedly love and knows is very sensitive.
Granted this is nothing compared to what the others do, and can be easily forgiven given time.
Kelly the work wife is great though. Introducing Kelly to MC was Mia's only good plan. All those times MC ran to her are times he could have run off to the cliffs or worse. She has genuinely made him feel better multiple times.
It also helped Lacey grow as a person. Lacey understood MCs feelings of jealousy a lot better when she got to experience it herself. Kelly literally forced Lacey to shape up and self reflect. Only Dianne helped her more I think.
Kelly is another pimp victim, a loner with social anxiety is pulled in the scheming and backstabbing.
What if the "replacement" (do we understand that this is a disgusting concept? can we agree to this at least?) is not needed anymore? What then? She threw away the little she had for a friendship and a man that wouldn't look at her twice if his wife told him to?
Kelly is a tragic story.
Edit: the problem is always the same, we are supposed to believe that these people are great, yet their actions never show it, the narrative doesn't allow for it.
There are never consequences because probably in the author mind none of them actually need to have them, since they are "good".
