So he cut her eye? I first thought he punched her back.

To see how long Shez’s hair is getting… and to see how Shez and Meriam are having to hide and “play along” with Chris for actual years… that breaks my entire heart. But the fact that Shez and Meriam took each other’s sides and decided they were gonna get their family away from him, together? That’s gonna stitch it back up!

 
If only Chris would drive his shiny new car off a bridge and into the ocean. If only. It’s mind-bending when abusers continue after their violence like nothing happened. It can make the victim wonder if it was “normal” and “deserved”, or if enough time passes between assaults, the victim can try and minimize it in their memory. Even if a man really “only did it one time”, it’s traumatizing and meant to intimidate – his wife and family can spend years feeling controlled by it.

But since Meriam and Shez have each other as a support system, they can lean on each other to stay in reality, instead of the roles Chris wants them to play. While it’s bleak and awful that they have no other supports, it’s so good that Meriam is in Shez’s corner.

(Also, I am aware that “escaping the monster who trapped your family” is a bigger task than a teenager should have to handle, and is damaging from a child development perspective.

Speaking as someone who’s been in a similar position to Shez, I’d put that blame solely on Chris’s shoulders. I think it’d be at least as damaging if Shez watched her mother struggle in this awful situation that affects Meriam too and never ask her daughter for help.)

I’m so glad Meriam understood immediately that they need to leave because it won’t get better.
 

I just can’t imagine having to stay in that house, just the thought of it utterly suffocating.
If there was any fairness in the world no woman or girl would ever need to be this strong…

I love how Meriam IMMEDIATELY decided to leave him. Having to take time to save money was only out of concern for ALL her daughters. At no point was Chris prioritized over Shez or ANY of them.

I doubt anything would have changed even if Meriam called the police/took Shez to the hospital, my dad got the police and social services called on him more times than I can count but nothing ever came of it, despite the MRA myths, every facet of the law is incredibly biased in men’s favour, especially abusive men, often times when fathers are abusive the mothers actually end up being punished the most in court for not “protecting the child from him”, even if the children weren’t the ones abused, women are still punished in courts for simply being abused in front of their children! And don’t even get me started on what happens to women who fight back, the laws around self-defence are so blatantly biased against women it’s insane.
 

Add that to the fact that Meriam is an immigrant, a woman of colour, speaks little English from what I’ve seen, I’m assuming from her backstory she also has little education and probably can’t drive, and if she leaves Chris she’ll be a single mother who now has way more children than she could reasonably support on a single wage (I don’t think Chris was just holding out for a son, I think he was also baby trapping her), and all this defence is coming from someone whose mother did partake in her abuse, so believe me I’m not being biased, I truly believe Meriam is doing the best she can here.

According to google estimations of hair growth, this is a timeline of 2-4 years given the length of Shamzey’s mane?? How excruciating it must have been for them to wait all that while performing normalcy day after day so he doesnt find out and takes their money or beats Shez again 😭 oof

Wishing Casting and Manifesting a Synoeca warrior wasp stinging his dick ASAP.

I love the colour scheme on these recent pages, it does a good job a presenting an odd unerving feeling that everything is wrong and things are dangerous. Probably how Shez feels looking back, now she can properly understand how bad a situation this was.

I’m weirdly worried about Shez’s sisters here. Like we know Shez and Meriam are gonna get out ok but I worry about what having this bag of dogshit as a father will do to those poor girls. They’re particularly vulnerable since they’re biologically his too. God only fuckin knows what the third one is gonna be named. I was going over names in my head and fuck it this guy loves his car and himself so fuckin much maybe he’ll name his third kid Chrysler 4 Dodge Derango or some shit.
 

Anyways I hope they will grow up to be safe, happy, and healthy.

I’m in pretty much the same position as the anon who commented on the last page—I’m a “gendie” who started reading LB as a part of my effort to engage with other perspectives, especially the perspectives of other women who I otherwise disagree with on such big topics. But I’ve really enjoyed reading LB no matter how differently we see things. It’s so refreshing to read a comic full of lesbian/bi women who aren’t gender conforming, and you’re also just a great storyteller! I especially am loving Shez’s backstory and I can’t wait for her to get her revenge on this fucker!!

I love the coloring! Adds to the tone.

I don’t think I’ve got input that hasn’t been said. But I do like that Meriam doesn’t hit the battered wife trope or turns on Shez (as of now). I like that she isn’t a stereotypical Asian mother either. Too much media, even “woke” types, use tiger mom stereotypes and shit. Can’t stand it. When female writers use it it feels like internalize misogyny.