Chapter 17: Page 15 | Trending Trauma: If It’s Not Viral, Did It Even Happen?

Today's comic dives into trending trauma, where even pain and heartbreak are judged by views, shares, and social reach. For Hailey, the real tragedy isn’t what happened — it’s that none of it is gaining traction online.

Transcript

Panel 1: Captain Heroic: “Here she comes.” Yazmine Velour: “I’m livestreaming this.”

Panel 2: Captain Heroic: “Sigh… I resent this, Yazmine…”

Panel 3: Hailey: “Hi, Cap! I brought your ‘usual,’ just in case you wanted it…”

Panel 4: Captain Heroic: “Hailey… You’re a terrific person, but I can’t participate in this. Your feelings are being manipulated, and it’s unfair to you. You deserve something real, not something engineered for clicks.”

Panel 5: (Sound effect of soup splashing; no dialogue, as Hailey dumps the soup on Captain Heroic’s head.)

Panel 6: Captain Heroic: “Is it too late to change my standard order to Brylcreem?”

Panel 7:(caption): “Shortly in the kitchen…” (Sound effect): “Bwaa” Hailey: “Rose, I’m devastated.” Rose: “I know, sweetie… but I think it’s for the best…”

Panel 8: Hailey: “FOR THE BEST?! He didn’t even mention my hashtag once!”

Panel 9: Hailey: “No ‘like and subscribe’… no username drop… Just ‘you’re a terrific person’ and ‘you deserve better’…”

Panel 10: Hailey: “I’m a brand ambassador for Campbell’s soups… Would it have killed him to mention the chicken noodle dripping down his face?!”

Panel 11: Rose: “He did say something about ‘scalding hot’ and ‘searing pain’…” Cap (coming from a video playing on Rosie’s phone): “Gonna need another skin graft…”

Panel 12: Hailey: “Omigosh… that’s horrible… how gruesome!”

Panel 13: Hailey: “It’s not trending… Not even a little…”