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| affiliation = [[Senior friend group]]
| affiliation = [[Senior friend group]]
| first = [[Total Recall]], [https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c85/p15 page 15]<br>''{{Start date|2013|10|24}}''}}
| first = [[Total Recall]], [https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c85/p15 page 15]<br>''{{Start date|2013|10|24}}''}}
Loud, devoted, and completely without a filter, '''Madison''' is a senior at [[Roseville High School]] and [[Jessica|Jessica's]] girlfriend. She transferred in during tenth grade and settled comfortably into the seniors friend group, where she can usually be found planning movie nights or threatening [[Paulo]]. She also spent months nursing a grudge against a girl named [[Lucy]], whom she had never actually met.
Loud, devoted, and completely without a filter, '''Madison''' is a senior at [[Roseville High School]] and [[Jessica|Jessica's]] girlfriend. She transferred in during tenth grade<ref name=":c90p31">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p31}}</ref> and settled comfortably into the seniors friend group, where she can usually be found planning movie nights, threatening [[Paulo]], or nursing a grudge against a girl named [[Lucy]] she had never actually met.


== Personality ==
== Personality ==
Madison has a temper, and she is not shy about it. Paulo gets punched mid-volleyball just for flirting at the beach.<ref name=":c90p9">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p9}}</ref> A lot of that anger is on somebody else's behalf, though. She tears into Paulo over how he treats [[Rachel]] ("With the way you treat your girlfriend, it's pretty easy to hate you!"),<ref name=":c95p3">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c95/p3}}</ref> and Veronica's commentary puts it plainly: "she fights for her friends."<ref name=":c95p4">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c95/p4}}</ref> The affection is just as loud. She smothers a sad Rachel with movie-night plans and a "But we love you!"<ref name=":c95p26">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c95/p26}}</ref>
Madison has a temper, and it doesn't take much to set it off. Paulo flirts with her exactly once at the beach, and gets a punch for his trouble.<ref name=":c90p9">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p9}}</ref> Most of her anger is spent on other people's behalf, though. She tears into Paulo over how he treats [[Rachel]] ("With the way you treat your girlfriend, it's pretty easy to hate you!"),<ref name=":c95p3">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c95/p3}}</ref> and Veronica's commentary puts it plainly: "she fights for her friends."<ref name=":c95p4">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c95/p4}}</ref>


Under all the bravado, Madison is pretty scared of not being good enough. When she learns Jessica once had a crush on Lucy, her first thought is for herself: "Am I just a replacement for <u>SOME BITCH?!</u>"<ref name=":c90p32">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p32}}</ref> Her tirade in [[PDA]] collapses halfway through into worrying that Jessica is too good for her, before she argues herself back up: "Nobody wants a whiner who constantly feels sorry for herself! Not her not anyone!"<ref name=":c99p3">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p3}}</ref>
Under the bravado sits a girl who is pretty scared of not being good enough. When she learns Jessica once had a crush on Lucy, her first thought is for herself: "Am I just a replacement for <u>SOME BITCH?!</u>"<ref name=":c90p32">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p32}}</ref> Even her big hallway tirade at Lucy stalls halfway through and slides into worrying that Jessica is too good for her. She has to argue herself back up out loud: "Nobody wants a whiner who constantly feels sorry for herself! Not her not anyone!"<ref name=":c99p3">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p3}}</ref>


Then there is the tact problem. Veronica has called her a "nervous chatterbox" with "foot-in-mouth syndrome,"<ref name="tumblr-chatterbox">{{Cite web|url=https://bittersweetcandybowl.tumblr.com/post/818893023064866816|title=Ask response|website=Tumblr|date=2026-06-08}}</ref> and it shows. She asks an entire lunch table about "that weird incest thing," her outsider's misreading of [[Sue|Sue's]] school play in which [[Mike]] and Lucy played siblings.<ref name=":c92p10">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c92/p10}}</ref>
Then there is the tact problem. Veronica has called her a "nervous chatterbox" with "foot-in-mouth syndrome,"<ref name="tumblr-chatterbox">{{Cite web|url=https://bittersweetcandybowl.tumblr.com/post/818893023064866816|title=Ask response|website=Tumblr|date=2026-06-08}}</ref> and the comic backs her up: she will happily ask an entire lunch table about "that weird incest thing," her outsider's read on a school play in which [[Mike]] and Lucy played siblings.<ref name=":c92p10">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c92/p10}}</ref>


== Appearance ==
== Appearance ==
[[File:Tumblr bittersweetcandybowl 140715869088 0.jpg|thumb|Veronica's "original Madison designs," drawn before Madison ever spoke on-panel.<ref name="tumblr-sketches">{{Cite web|url=https://bittersweetcandybowl.tumblr.com/post/140715869088|title=Original Madison designs|website=Tumblr|date=2016-03-09}}</ref>]]
[[File:Tumblr bittersweetcandybowl 140715869088 0.jpg|thumb|Veronica's "original Madison designs," drawn before Madison ever spoke on-panel.<ref name="tumblr-sketches">{{Cite web|url=https://bittersweetcandybowl.tumblr.com/post/140715869088|title=Original Madison designs|website=Tumblr|date=2016-03-09}}</ref>]]
Madison is a brown cat with darker brown hair and glasses, first seen in a prom dress with a cup of punch in hand.<ref name=":c85p15">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c85/p15}}</ref> At her formal introduction she also sports some rather prominent dark circles under her eyes.<ref name=":c90p5">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p5}}</ref>
Madison is a brown cat with darker brown hair and glasses. Her first appearance puts her in a strapless prom dress with a cup of punch in hand,<ref name=":c85p15">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c85/p15}}</ref> and by her formal introduction she has picked up some rather prominent dark circles under her eyes.<ref name=":c90p5">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p5}}</ref>


Her design has a bit of history behind it. In March 2016, Veronica shared a set of "original Madison designs," concept head studies of a bookish, bespectacled cat girl.<ref name="tumblr-sketches" /> She has also admitted Madison unintentionally grew to resemble her own self-portrait, "a combination I didn't realise turned out eerily similar to how I draw myself," while insisting "she's not me!! At all!"<ref name="tumblr-selfportrait">{{Cite web|url=https://bittersweetcandybowl.tumblr.com/post/815450305870315520|title=Ask response|website=Tumblr|date=2026-05-01}}</ref>
The resemblance to Lucy is written into the story itself. [[David]] greets her with "You're just like my Lucy-baby!",<ref name=":c90p31" /> and Mike mistakes her for Lucy on sight.<ref name=":c92p3">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c92/p3}}</ref> Veronica's commentary heads the comparison off directly: "Madison and Lucy aren't complete clones."<ref name=":c90p31" /> Veronica has also admitted the design turned out "eerily similar to how I draw myself," while insisting "she's not me!! At all!"<ref name="tumblr-selfportrait">{{Cite web|url=https://bittersweetcandybowl.tumblr.com/post/815450305870315520|title=Ask response|website=Tumblr|date=2026-05-01}}</ref>


== Significant events ==
== Significant events ==
Madison's first appearance was easy to miss: she stands silently beside Jessica at prom in [[Total Recall]], named only in the chapter's stage directions.<ref name=":c85p15" /> The side story [[Love Letters]] tells what came before. A newly transferred Madison is partnered with Jessica in history class, and the two hit it off passing mocking notes.
Madison's first appearance is easy to miss: she stands silently beside Jessica at junior prom in [[Total Recall]].<ref name=":c85p15" /> The side story [[Love Letters]] fills in how she got there. A newly transferred Madison is partnered with Jessica in history class, and Rachel badgers her into asking Jessica to that very prom.


Her formal introduction comes in [[Golden Hour]], on the summer beach trip. Paulo takes one look at her and starts flirting. She shoots back "I'd rather you catch a disease, loser." A middle finger and a punch follow soon after.<ref name=":c90p8">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p8}}</ref><ref name=":c90p9" /> Jessica steps in to make the relationship public: "Yo! Back off my girl!"<ref name=":c90p9" /> Later in the trip, [[David]] compares Madison to "my Lucy-baby" and blurts out "No wonder Jessica is dating you!"<ref name=":c90p31">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p31}}</ref> Jessica confirms the old crush under pressure, and Madison explodes.<ref name=":c90p32" />
Her speaking debut comes in [[Golden Hour]], on the summer beach trip. Paulo tries a line on her and gets "I'd rather you catch a disease, loser." in return.<ref name=":c90p8">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p8}}</ref> Jessica steps in and makes the relationship public: "Yo! Back off my girl!"<ref name=":c90p9" /> Later in the trip, David's chatter reveals that Jessica used to have a crush on Lucy.<ref name=":c90p31" /> Madison explodes, with Rachel gleefully stirring the pot.<ref name=":c90p32" />


Senior year gets off to a rough start in [[Table for One]], when Mike bumps into her and calls her "Lucy" by mistake.<ref name=":c92p3">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c92/p3}}</ref> Over lunch, she works out that David's "Lucy-baby" is the very same girl.<ref name=":c92p10" /> The grudge boils over in [[Love Again]], when she finally spots Lucy in the flesh: "'''IS <u>THAT THE FUCKING INCEST BITCH</u>'''"<ref name=":c95p27">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c95/p27}}</ref>
The grudge simmers into the fall of senior year. On the first day in [[Table for One]], Mike bumps into her and calls her "Lucy" by mistake;<ref name=":c92p3" /> at lunch, she works out that David's "Lucy-baby" and Jessica's old crush are the same girl.<ref name=":c92p10" /> In [[Love Again]] she finally spots Lucy in the flesh: "'''IS <u>THAT THE FUCKING INCEST BITCH</u>'''"<ref name=":c95p27">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c95/p27}}</ref>


PDA is Madison's chapter from start to finish. She corners Lucy in a hallway and unloads everything, from the mistaken identity to the old crush.<ref name=":c99p2">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p2}}</ref> Mid-rant, she talks herself back around to a promise to make Jessica the happiest she can be.<ref name=":c99p4">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p4}}</ref> Jessica then breaks the news that Lucy is half-deaf and never heard a word of it.<ref name=":c99p5">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p5}}</ref> Before Madison can spiral again, Jessica kisses her: "I love you. You're <u>adorable!</u>"<ref name=":c99p6">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p6}}</ref>
[[PDA]] is Madison's spotlight chapter. She catches Lucy alone in a hallway and unloads the whole grudge at her back.<ref name=":c99p2">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p2}}</ref> Halfway through, the rant collapses into self-doubt before she lands on a vow to make Jessica the happiest she can be.<ref name=":c99p4">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p4}}</ref> Jessica then breaks the news that Lucy is half-deaf and heard none of it.<ref name=":c99p5">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p5}}</ref> Before Madison can start doubting herself again, Jessica kisses her: "I love you. You're <u>adorable!</u>"<ref name=":c99p6">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p6}}</ref>


Her eighteenth birthday arrives in [[Fair Game]], where Jessica surprises her with a party in a private corner of the [[Bowling alley|bowling alley]].<ref name=":c104p2">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c104/p2}}</ref> Her delight at the guest list lasts right up until she spots David and Paulo: "Okay, <u>WHO</u> invited these two?!"<ref name=":c104p3">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c104/p3}}</ref>
[[Double Down]] closes the book on Lucy. When [[Augustus]] suggests bringing her along on a mall trip, the whole table freezes and stares at Madison.<ref name=":c114p12">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c114/p12}}</ref> By then she knows about Lucy's suicide attempt, and her answer is a sincere one: somebody ought to keep an eye on Lucy.<ref name=":c114p13">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c114/p13}}</ref>


[[Double Down]] closes the book on the Lucy grudge. When [[Augustus]] asks to bring Lucy along to a mall trip, the whole group looks nervously at Madison.<ref name=":c114p12">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c114/p12}}</ref> By then she knows about Lucy's suicide attempt, and her answer is sincere: somebody ought to keep an eye on Lucy, and she'd want the same in her place.<ref name=":c114p13">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c114/p13}}</ref>
Spring brings one last round of drama. In [[Method Acting]], Madison gushes over Jessica's play<ref name=":c121p14">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c121/p14}}</ref> and stays loyally baffled while the others accuse Jessica of basing its cast on them.<ref name=":c121p23">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c121/p23}}</ref> In [[Participation Trophy]], she overhears [[Sue]] crying over her own old play.<ref name=":c126p10">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c126/p10}}</ref> Her apology fumbles badly at first, but it ends somewhere genuinely kind: nobody ever discussed the play because Lucy's suicide attempt hit the school the very next day. "So maybe remember those details.. .. and go a little easier on yourself?"<ref name=":c126p13">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c126/p13}}</ref>
 
The spring play brings one last round of drama. In [[Method Acting]], Madison gushes over Jessica's script<ref name=":c121p14">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c121/p14}}</ref> and stays loyally oblivious while Rachel, [[Matt]] and [[Jordan]] accuse Jessica of basing its characters on them.<ref name=":c121p23">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c121/p23}}</ref> In [[Participation Trophy]], she learns her old mockery helped feed Sue's insecurities. Her clumsy apology eventually lands somewhere genuinely kind: "So maybe remember those details.. and go a little easier on yourself?"<ref name=":c126p13">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c126/p13}}</ref>


== Major relationships ==
== Major relationships ==
=== [[Jessica]] ===
=== [[Jessica]] ===
[[File:Rel madisonjessica c99 p6.png|thumb|right|Jessica reassures Madison in [[PDA]].]]
[[File:Rel madisonjessica c99 p6.png|thumb|right|Jessica ends the insecurity spiral in [[PDA]].]]
Jessica and Madison go back to Madison's first days at Roseville, when the two were partnered in history class. As Jessica tells it, "We spent A LOT of time hating on Mr. Holloway. ... We just sorta clicked."<ref name=":c90p31" />
Jessica and Madison clicked before Madison had any other friends at Roseville at all. Love Letters shows them paired up in junior-year history and heading to prom together, and Jessica remembers it the same way in-comic: "We spent A LOT of time hating on Mr. Holloway. ... We just sorta clicked."<ref name=":c90p31" />


The one real crisis between them is Lucy-shaped. The old-crush reveal sends Madison into a months-long insecurity spiral, which Jessica finally ends in PDA with a kiss and a promise: "You run circles 'round her, don't you worry."<ref name=":c99p6" /> Since then the two have settled into a comfortable rhythm. Jessica bops her on the head when the temper flares,<ref name=":c98p18">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c98/p18}}</ref> and Madison schemes up a signed CD to surprise her with.<ref name=":c112p4">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c112/p4}}</ref> Veronica has put it simply: "Jessica loves Madison!"<ref name="tumblr-chatterbox" />
The one real crisis between them is Lucy-shaped, and PDA puts it to bed with a kiss and a promise: "You run circles 'round her, don't you worry."<ref name=":c99p6" /> Since then the two have run like clockwork. Jessica manages the temper, whether with a firm "Maddie, stop."<ref name=":c98p8">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c98/p8}}</ref> or a bop on the head.<ref name=":c98p18">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c98/p18}}</ref> Madison worships her right back; even a group scolding over skipped movie nights comes with the exemption "(Not you Jessica you're perfect)".<ref name=":c111p1">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c111/p1}}</ref>


=== [[Lucy]] ===
=== [[Lucy]] ===
Madison's most heated relationship is with a girl she never properly met. Lucy enters her life as an insult: David and Mike both mix the two of them up, and Jessica's old crush makes the comparison sting.<ref name=":c90p31" /><ref name=":c92p3" /> Rachel's pot-stirring doesn't exactly help.<ref name=":c90p32" /> The grudge peaks in a hallway tirade that the half-deaf Lucy never hears a word of.<ref name=":c99p2" /><ref name=":c99p5" />
Madison's loudest relationship is with a girl she never properly met. It starts with the crush reveal at the beach,<ref name=":c90p32" /> feeds on lunch-table gossip,<ref name=":c92p10" /> and peaks with a hallway tirade that the half-deaf Lucy never hears a word of.<ref name=":c99p2" /><ref name=":c99p5" />


As it turns out, the grudge ends pretty quietly. Once Madison learns what Lucy has actually been going through, the anger turns into concern.<ref name=":c114p13" /> By spring the two sit in the same lunch-table orbit without incident.<ref name=":c127p38">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c127/p38}}</ref>
It fizzles out in the end. Once Madison learns about Lucy's suicide attempt, the anger gives way to concern,<ref name=":c114p13" /> and by spring the two can share a cafeteria without incident.<ref name=":c127p38">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c127/p38}}</ref> Asked whether Madison would mind Augustus joining the senior table, Veronica sketched Madison shrugging the whole thing off: "It's not my business anyway."<ref name="tumblr-nobusiness">{{Cite web|url=https://bittersweetcandybowl.tumblr.com/post/818165757974282240|title=Ask response|website=Tumblr|date=2026-05-31}}</ref>


=== [[Paulo]] ===
=== [[Paulo]] ===
[[File:Rel madisonpaulo c90 p9.png|thumb|left|Madison leaves an impression on Paulo in [[Golden Hour]].]]
[[File:Rel madisonpaulo c90 p9.png|thumb|left|Madison makes a first impression on Paulo in [[Golden Hour]].]]
Paulo fell for Madison the moment she started hitting him ("♥ oh god you hit like her too ♥"),<ref name=":c90p9" /> and Veronica's commentary confirms the obvious: "Paulo has a type."<ref name=":c90p8" /> Madison, for her part, holds him in cheerful contempt, greeting him with middle fingers and a flat "Fucking pathetic."<ref name=":c98p8">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c98/p8}}</ref><ref name=":c95p3" />
Paulo fell for Madison the moment she started hitting him ("♥ oh god you hit like her too ♥"),<ref name=":c90p9" /> and Veronica's commentary confirms the obvious: "Paulo has a type."<ref name=":c90p8" /> Madison holds him in durable contempt, greeting him with middle fingers<ref name=":c98p8" /> and a flat "Fucking pathetic." when she catches him flirting.<ref name=":c95p3" /> He keeps orbiting anyway; [[Matt]] smuggled him into her eighteenth-birthday party,<ref name=":c104.1p2">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c104.1/p2}}</ref> and he offered her a ride to the mall when she needed one.<ref name=":c112p4">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c112/p4}}</ref>


That being said, her hostility isn't empty. Most of it is on Rachel's behalf, and she tells Paulo so at length.<ref name=":c95p4" />
=== [[Rachel]] ===
Rachel is the reason Madison and Jessica are a couple at all. In Love Letters, she spots the crush before Madison will admit to it, then bullies her into asking Jessica to junior prom. In the main comic she keeps on refereeing, policing Madison's manners around Paulo ("Be nice. We worked it out, I told you.").<ref name=":c98p8" />


=== [[Rachel]] ===
Madison repays her with plenty of affection: a gloomy Rachel gets smothered with a "But we love you!"<ref name=":c95p26">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c95/p26}}</ref> Their one falling-out comes during the play blowup, when Rachel snaps "Shut up, Madison! This doesn't <u>AFFECT</u> you!"<ref name=":c121p24">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c121/p24}}</ref> It doesn't stick; by Participation Trophy, Madison is back at the table needling her as usual.<ref name=":c126p3">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c126/p3}}</ref>
Rachel is the reason Madison and Jessica are together at all: in [[Love Letters]], she spots Madison's crush and bullies her into asking Jessica to junior prom. In the main comic, Rachel is the one policing Madison's manners around Paulo ("Be nice. We worked it out, I told you.").<ref name=":c98p8" /> They've only ever had one real falling-out, during the play blowup, when Rachel snaps "Shut up, Madison! This doesn't <u>AFFECT</u> you!"<ref name=":c121p24">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c121/p24}}</ref>


== Minor relationships ==
== Minor relationships ==
=== [[David]] ===
David invented the nickname "Maddie-baby," and Madison has been losing the fight against it ever since.<ref name=":c90p32" /> He is also the one who accidentally detonated the whole Lucy secret at the beach.<ref name=":c90p31" /> She yells at him on principle,<ref name=":c92p10" /> but the two share the same lowbrow enthusiasms.
=== [[Jordan]] ===
=== [[Jordan]] ===
[[File:Rel madisonjordan c111 p2.png|thumb|right|Madison and Jordan settle a snack dispute in [[Burnt Bridges]].]]
[[File:Rel madisonjordan c111 p2.png|thumb|right|Madison and Jordan settle a snack dispute in [[Burnt Bridges]].]]
Veronica's commentary calls Jordan and Madison "such peas in a pod."<ref name=":c114p12" /> The two hold movie nights at each other's houses and trade punches over snack choices.<ref name=":c111p2">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c111/p2}}</ref> Madison also provides the deadpan commentary on his [[Tiff]] obsession: "I think she's disconnecting."<ref name=":c104p4">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c104/p4}}</ref>
Veronica's commentary calls Jordan and Madison "such peas in a pod."<ref name=":c114p12" /> The two hold movie nights together and communicate largely in punches, most memorably over whether cookies beat her dad's octopus-cut hot dogs.<ref name=":c111p2">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c111/p2}}</ref> She's also the one deadpanning about his [[Tiff]] obsession: "I think she's disconnecting."<ref name=":c104p4">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c104/p4}}</ref>
 
=== [[David]] ===
"Maddie-baby" is David's invention, kept in use over Madison's loud objections; "'''DON'T CALL ME THAT YOU <u>JERK!!</u>'''" just gets a cheery "Close enough!"<ref name=":c90p32" /> Months later, she still recoils whenever he pops up, and he still doesn't mind a bit.<ref name=":c126p3" />


=== [[Sue]] ===
=== [[Sue]] ===
Madison's old mockery of Sue's play helped feed Sue's spiral; as Sue admits, "I know I shouldn't listen to Paulo or Madison.."<ref name=":c126p10">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c126/p10}}</ref> Her apology arrives with a built-in fumble: "Your play didn't suck! ... Your actors sucked!"<ref name=":c126p12">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c126/p12}}</ref>
Madison's mockery of Sue's play was one of the voices rattling around Sue's head; Sue admits "I know I shouldn't listen to Paulo or Madison.."<ref name=":c126p10" /> The apology she eventually gets comes with the fumble built in: "Your play didn't suck!" is followed immediately by "Your actors sucked!"<ref name=":c126p12">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c126/p12}}</ref>
 
=== [[Mike]] ===
Mike is the one who called her "Lucy" on the first day of senior year.<ref name=":c92p3" /> Per Madison, he and Lucy "were too busy in love with each other to play proper siblings."<ref name=":c126p12" />
 
=== [[Matt]] ===
Matt is the friend Madison doesn't fight with. Her verdict on the beach trip is a relieved "At least Matt's here."<ref name=":c90p6">{{Cite chapter|url=https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c90/p6}}</ref>


== Quotes ==
== Quotes ==
Line 94: Line 86:
| speaker = Madison
| speaker = Madison
| context = to a Lucy who can't hear a word of it in [https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p4 ''PDA'']
| context = to a Lucy who can't hear a word of it in [https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c99/p4 ''PDA'']
}}
{{Quote
| (Not you Jessica you're perfect)
| speaker = Madison
| context = making an exception mid-lecture in [https://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/c111/p1 ''Burnt Bridges'']
}}
}}
{{Quote
{{Quote
Line 124: Line 121:


== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
* Madison stood silently in the background of Total Recall's prom scene in October 2013, nearly two years of real time before her formal introduction in Golden Hour in 2015.<ref name=":c85p15" /><ref name=":c90p5" />
* Madison was planned well before she showed up. Veronica has said she "plotted Madison out for a while," having "wanted to give Jessica a girlfriend and have an actual relationship in the comic for once.."<ref name="tumblr-planned">{{Cite web|url=https://bittersweetcandybowl.tumblr.com/post/797517180070707200|title=Ask response|website=Tumblr|date=2025-10-15}}</ref>
* Veronica's commentary at Madison's introduction heads off the obvious comparison: "Madison and Lucy aren't complete clones, see Lucy loves gym the most because it allows her to kick balls into jerkface's.. faces."<ref name=":c90p31" />
* Her silent background debut at prom ran in October 2013, nearly two years of real time before her formal introduction in Golden Hour.<ref name=":c85p15" /><ref name=":c90p5" />
* Her father slices hot dogs into "little octopuses" for movie nights, according to Jordan.<ref name=":c111p2" />


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 06:56, 12 July 2026

Madison
GenderFemale
Age18
BirthdayOctober 19, 1990 (Libra)
GradeSenior as of Table for One
SpeciesCat
OccupationStudent
AffiliationSenior friend group
DebutTotal Recall, page 15
October 24, 2013 (2013-10-24)

Loud, devoted, and completely without a filter, Madison is a senior at Roseville High School and Jessica's girlfriend. She transferred in during tenth grade[1] and settled comfortably into the seniors friend group, where she can usually be found planning movie nights, threatening Paulo, or nursing a grudge against a girl named Lucy she had never actually met.

Personality

Madison has a temper, and it doesn't take much to set it off. Paulo flirts with her exactly once at the beach, and gets a punch for his trouble.[2] Most of her anger is spent on other people's behalf, though. She tears into Paulo over how he treats Rachel ("With the way you treat your girlfriend, it's pretty easy to hate you!"),[3] and Veronica's commentary puts it plainly: "she fights for her friends."[4]

Under the bravado sits a girl who is pretty scared of not being good enough. When she learns Jessica once had a crush on Lucy, her first thought is for herself: "Am I just a replacement for SOME BITCH?!"[5] Even her big hallway tirade at Lucy stalls halfway through and slides into worrying that Jessica is too good for her. She has to argue herself back up out loud: "Nobody wants a whiner who constantly feels sorry for herself! Not her not anyone!"[6]

Then there is the tact problem. Veronica has called her a "nervous chatterbox" with "foot-in-mouth syndrome,"[7] and the comic backs her up: she will happily ask an entire lunch table about "that weird incest thing," her outsider's read on a school play in which Mike and Lucy played siblings.[8]

Appearance

Veronica's "original Madison designs," drawn before Madison ever spoke on-panel.[9]

Madison is a brown cat with darker brown hair and glasses. Her first appearance puts her in a strapless prom dress with a cup of punch in hand,[10] and by her formal introduction she has picked up some rather prominent dark circles under her eyes.[11]

The resemblance to Lucy is written into the story itself. David greets her with "You're just like my Lucy-baby!",[1] and Mike mistakes her for Lucy on sight.[12] Veronica's commentary heads the comparison off directly: "Madison and Lucy aren't complete clones."[1] Veronica has also admitted the design turned out "eerily similar to how I draw myself," while insisting "she's not me!! At all!"[13]

Significant events

Madison's first appearance is easy to miss: she stands silently beside Jessica at junior prom in Total Recall.[10] The side story Love Letters fills in how she got there. A newly transferred Madison is partnered with Jessica in history class, and Rachel badgers her into asking Jessica to that very prom.

Her speaking debut comes in Golden Hour, on the summer beach trip. Paulo tries a line on her and gets "I'd rather you catch a disease, loser." in return.[14] Jessica steps in and makes the relationship public: "Yo! Back off my girl!"[2] Later in the trip, David's chatter reveals that Jessica used to have a crush on Lucy.[1] Madison explodes, with Rachel gleefully stirring the pot.[5]

The grudge simmers into the fall of senior year. On the first day in Table for One, Mike bumps into her and calls her "Lucy" by mistake;[12] at lunch, she works out that David's "Lucy-baby" and Jessica's old crush are the same girl.[8] In Love Again she finally spots Lucy in the flesh: "IS THAT THE FUCKING INCEST BITCH"[15]

PDA is Madison's spotlight chapter. She catches Lucy alone in a hallway and unloads the whole grudge at her back.[16] Halfway through, the rant collapses into self-doubt before she lands on a vow to make Jessica the happiest she can be.[17] Jessica then breaks the news that Lucy is half-deaf and heard none of it.[18] Before Madison can start doubting herself again, Jessica kisses her: "I love you. You're adorable!"[19]

Double Down closes the book on Lucy. When Augustus suggests bringing her along on a mall trip, the whole table freezes and stares at Madison.[20] By then she knows about Lucy's suicide attempt, and her answer is a sincere one: somebody ought to keep an eye on Lucy.[21]

Spring brings one last round of drama. In Method Acting, Madison gushes over Jessica's play[22] and stays loyally baffled while the others accuse Jessica of basing its cast on them.[23] In Participation Trophy, she overhears Sue crying over her own old play.[24] Her apology fumbles badly at first, but it ends somewhere genuinely kind: nobody ever discussed the play because Lucy's suicide attempt hit the school the very next day. "So maybe remember those details.. .. and go a little easier on yourself?"[25]

Major relationships

Jessica

Jessica ends the insecurity spiral in PDA.

Jessica and Madison clicked before Madison had any other friends at Roseville at all. Love Letters shows them paired up in junior-year history and heading to prom together, and Jessica remembers it the same way in-comic: "We spent A LOT of time hating on Mr. Holloway. ... We just sorta clicked."[1]

The one real crisis between them is Lucy-shaped, and PDA puts it to bed with a kiss and a promise: "You run circles 'round her, don't you worry."[19] Since then the two have run like clockwork. Jessica manages the temper, whether with a firm "Maddie, stop."[26] or a bop on the head.[27] Madison worships her right back; even a group scolding over skipped movie nights comes with the exemption "(Not you Jessica you're perfect)".[28]

Lucy

Madison's loudest relationship is with a girl she never properly met. It starts with the crush reveal at the beach,[5] feeds on lunch-table gossip,[8] and peaks with a hallway tirade that the half-deaf Lucy never hears a word of.[16][18]

It fizzles out in the end. Once Madison learns about Lucy's suicide attempt, the anger gives way to concern,[21] and by spring the two can share a cafeteria without incident.[29] Asked whether Madison would mind Augustus joining the senior table, Veronica sketched Madison shrugging the whole thing off: "It's not my business anyway."[30]

Paulo

Madison makes a first impression on Paulo in Golden Hour.

Paulo fell for Madison the moment she started hitting him ("♥ oh god you hit like her too ♥"),[2] and Veronica's commentary confirms the obvious: "Paulo has a type."[14] Madison holds him in durable contempt, greeting him with middle fingers[26] and a flat "Fucking pathetic." when she catches him flirting.[3] He keeps orbiting anyway; Matt smuggled him into her eighteenth-birthday party,[31] and he offered her a ride to the mall when she needed one.[32]

Rachel

Rachel is the reason Madison and Jessica are a couple at all. In Love Letters, she spots the crush before Madison will admit to it, then bullies her into asking Jessica to junior prom. In the main comic she keeps on refereeing, policing Madison's manners around Paulo ("Be nice. We worked it out, I told you.").[26]

Madison repays her with plenty of affection: a gloomy Rachel gets smothered with a "But we love you!"[33] Their one falling-out comes during the play blowup, when Rachel snaps "Shut up, Madison! This doesn't AFFECT you!"[34] It doesn't stick; by Participation Trophy, Madison is back at the table needling her as usual.[35]

Minor relationships

Jordan

Madison and Jordan settle a snack dispute in Burnt Bridges.

Veronica's commentary calls Jordan and Madison "such peas in a pod."[20] The two hold movie nights together and communicate largely in punches, most memorably over whether cookies beat her dad's octopus-cut hot dogs.[36] She's also the one deadpanning about his Tiff obsession: "I think she's disconnecting."[37]

David

"Maddie-baby" is David's invention, kept in use over Madison's loud objections; "DON'T CALL ME THAT YOU JERK!!" just gets a cheery "Close enough!"[5] Months later, she still recoils whenever he pops up, and he still doesn't mind a bit.[35]

Sue

Madison's mockery of Sue's play was one of the voices rattling around Sue's head; Sue admits "I know I shouldn't listen to Paulo or Madison.."[24] The apology she eventually gets comes with the fumble built in: "Your play didn't suck!" is followed immediately by "Your actors sucked!"[38]

Quotes

I'd rather you catch a disease, loser. — Madison, rebuffing Paulo at the beach in Golden Hour

I swear I'm going to find this "Lucy" and WRING HER NECK — Madison, after Mike calls her the wrong name in Table for One

I might not be perfect, but Jessica likes me.. and I want to make her the happiest she can be. She's gone through a LOT and doesn't need YOU making it any worse! — Madison, to a Lucy who can't hear a word of it in PDA

(Not you Jessica you're perfect) — Madison, making an exception mid-lecture in Burnt Bridges

I didn't even realize what she was going through! Someone oughta keep an eye on her, right? — Madison, letting the grudge go in Double Down

Gallery

For a complete gallery, see Gallery:Madison.

Appearances by volume

Outfits

Trivia

  • Madison was planned well before she showed up. Veronica has said she "plotted Madison out for a while," having "wanted to give Jessica a girlfriend and have an actual relationship in the comic for once.."[39]
  • Her silent background debut at prom ran in October 2013, nearly two years of real time before her formal introduction in Golden Hour.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Chapter 90: Golden Hour, page 31
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chapter 90: Golden Hour, page 9
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 95: Love Again, page 3
  4. ↑ Chapter 95: Love Again, page 4
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chapter 90: Golden Hour, page 32
  6. ↑ Chapter 99: PDA, page 3
  7. ↑ "Ask response". Tumblr. 2026-06-08.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Chapter 92: Table for One, page 10
  9. ↑ "Original Madison designs". Tumblr. 2016-03-09.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Chapter 85: Total Recall, page 15
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Chapter 90: Golden Hour, page 5
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Chapter 92: Table for One, page 3
  13. ↑ "Ask response". Tumblr. 2026-05-01.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chapter 90: Golden Hour, page 8
  15. ↑ Chapter 95: Love Again, page 27
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Chapter 99: PDA, page 2
  17. ↑ Chapter 99: PDA, page 4
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Chapter 99: PDA, page 5
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Chapter 99: PDA, page 6
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Chapter 114: Double Down, page 12
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Chapter 114: Double Down, page 13
  22. ↑ Chapter 121: Method Acting, page 14
  23. ↑ Chapter 121: Method Acting, page 23
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Chapter 126: Participation Trophy, page 10
  25. ↑ Chapter 126: Participation Trophy, page 13
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Chapter 98: Moments Apart, page 8
  27. ↑ Chapter 98: Moments Apart, page 18
  28. ↑ Chapter 111: Burnt Bridges, page 1
  29. ↑ Chapter 127: Line in the Sand, page 38
  30. ↑ "Ask response". Tumblr. 2026-05-31.
  31. ↑ Sugar Substitute, page 2
  32. ↑ Chapter 112: Fuel Economy, page 4
  33. ↑ Chapter 95: Love Again, page 26
  34. ↑ Chapter 121: Method Acting, page 24
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Chapter 126: Participation Trophy, page 3
  36. ↑ Chapter 111: Burnt Bridges, page 2
  37. ↑ Chapter 104: Fair Game, page 4
  38. ↑ Chapter 126: Participation Trophy, page 12
  39. ↑ "Ask response". Tumblr. 2025-10-15.
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