#many months ago i drew a very brief comic of this scene before it was finalized

[simonsquest]

Chapter 17 spoilers. (There's no audio.)

[doafp]

creator tag game!

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Thank you so much for tagging me @secretly-of-course <3

1. Favorite episode: Stand Tall. This one is from last month - day seven of jatp week. I just had a lot of fun editing it, and I think it turned out nice!

2. It’s a whole...process. I drew this doafp comic a few months after season 1 as a way to appreciate Bobby’s gay storyline, and the process it took for him to figure that part of himself out. Not only am I really proud of the line art (particularly the first and second panels), but I think the use of the rainbow line - which I included to guide our eyes through the composition - was a nice touch. This is still one of my favorite fanarts I’ve done!

3. Nightime tennis court confession. This one is another Bobby/cartero comic, which I made for doafp appreciation week. I wanted to draw this moment for a long time, but I was always a little hesitant because I didn’t really know what it would look like? Plus, I have very little experience coloring dimly lit scenes. So this comic definitely took a while to get the colors right, and while it’s nowhere near perfect, I’m still really proud of this one - especially because it got me out of my comfort zone!

4. HSMTMTS lyric headers. I made this all the way back in January, which feels like forever ago. I designed each one in such a way that it either related to the lyrics themselves or the general vibe I got from the song. I really like what I did with the last two: I crossed out the word “old” and put stairs beside the word “new” to illustrate Nini’s first steps into her next venture. And for the last one, I illustrated dots and a heart ( . . . heart . . .) to illustrate Ricky and Nini’s love being brief and “just for a moment” in time, before they leave the stage and everything's back to normal. I had a lot of fun just thinking in terms of simple graphics, typography, and color.

5. Katara. This drawing is from my main blog, but I wanted to include it because I’m so proud of it. This was the first drawing I made on my new laptop, which meant that I couldn’t use the drawing program I normally used. Also I had to visualize how her character would look realistically (like, not as a cartoon) so that was a fun challenge. Her cheeks turned out redder than I expected haha, but I still really like this one :) 

I’m going to tag: @sonsetcurve @stephadoodles @edgeofalex @madisonreyes @wokealex @reggiesnecklace @captainkippen @pawprinterfanfic (you guys don’t have to do this of course, no pressure) and anyone who sees this who wants to appreciate their amazing works (just say that I tagged you)!

[lemonsandstrawberries]

Superhero Babysitting

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony), MCU, 

summary: Since Steve became Captain America he had deal with many weird things in his life, but babysitting his de-aged boyfriend was probably in top five.

length: 2 984

a/n: sooo this prompt was sitting on my prompt list for waaaay too long, but I finally felt motivated to write it after seeing an alternative scene from IM2 between Tony and Howard, the scene was already deleted from youtube, but it was Howard’s message to Tony, where Howard records while holding sleeping Tony in his arms and tells him about his legacy (so basically everything he said in IM2), but adds little heartwarming things like ‘my son’ and ‘I love you’.  that kinda left the Tony fandom divided, but I loooved it, because for me, MCU!Howard wasn’t like his comic version, he was neglectful for sure, but not abusive. so, if you see Howard as an abusive person, you won’t like this fic! just a fair warning. in general, this fic is all fluff and sugar ;D. as always, feedback, reblogs and likes are appreciated and needed!

——————–

Superhero Babysitting

Steve sighed contentedly, the lukewarm water relieving his heated up body. It was a good way to end a training session. Feeling fresh and with a clear mind, he pulled on clothes and went to the common kitchen for an after training snack. The Avengers common kitchen was rarely empty, and usually, there was one or two of team members hanging out, either for a late meal or stealing someone's else snack. His granola bars better be where Steve left them, or there would be hell.

Steve entered the kitchen and smiled, greeting his teammates. Currently, in the kitchen were Clint, tapping something on the phone, Natasha, frying pancakes and a small, blonde boy, fidgeting in his seat.

Wait.

Steve's eyes lingered on the kid for a bit longer, as he opened the fridge and took a jug with orange juice, pouring himself a glass. The kid felt his stare and looked back at Steve, and Steve smiled in a way that hoped to be encouraging, but the kid looked away shyly.

"Cute kid," Steve said to Natasha, as she was flipping the pancakes. "Whose is it?" he took a sip of the cold juice.

"Well, seems that yours," Natasha answered with a half-smile, plating the pancakes.

Steve choked, some pulp going down his chin in a pretty disgusting manner before he wiped it with his hand. "Come again?" he asked, voice rising in panic. Natasha didn't pay attention to him, putting the pancakes in front of the kid and encouraging him to eat.

"You really can't tell who it is?" Clint asked, lifting his eyes from his phone, and looking very unimpressed. "Just look at him."

Steve didn't like this game. He locked his eyes on the kid. Or more like a child. Maybe five, top six years old. Blonde hair, big brown eyes, and pouty lips, when his request of putting both maple syrup and honey on the pancakes was denied by Natasha. Steve knew that pout.

"Why the kid looks like Tony?" Steve asked, feeling cold sweat on his skin. He and Tony started dating just six months ago, and Steve knew that his boyfriend had a long history of one night stands, and the only logical explanation was that a result of one of such nights was in front of him.

The kid looked at Steve, after hearing the mentioned name, but didn't say anything. Instead pulled his eyebrows together and pressed lips in a thoughtful pout. Just like Tony.

"Because it is Tony," Natasha answered, giving up to the kid's charm and going to fetch the honey from the cupboard.

"No way this is Tony," Steve answered, voice trembling a bit. That had to be some joke. It had to be.

"You want to see DNA results?" Clint asked, flipping his phone and briefly showing Steve some medical record on the screen. "Bruce confirmed everything."

Steve's mouth hung open. If it was a joke, his team was going through awfully a lot of trouble to make him fall for it. Tony was probably somewhere in the Tower, hiding, observing everything through a hidden camera and having a blast.

"If that's Tony," Steve started, eyes not leaving the kid, who after getting his pancakes slathered with honey and maple syrup, started to eat with appetite, "why is he so small?"

"Either this is some sort of speed up case of Benjamin Button, or I have one word for you," Clint made a pause, looking too serious when Steve looked at him, "Loki."

That just made a lot less sense with every passing minute.

"I am trying to track Loki down, Thor is already on his tail, but -"

"Tony, honey, use a napkin."

Steve's breath quickened. He watched Natasha wiping the boy's face from sticky syrup and half listened to Clint. If it was a joke, it should already end. Why wasn't it ending?

Unless it wasn't a joke.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked, noticing that Natasha and Clint stood up from the table.

"We got a signal. Maybe we can get Loki and make him reverse the spell," Natasha explained and Clint nodded to her words.

"Wait!" Steve panicked. "What I am supposed to do with him?" he asked, knowing that he worded himself wrong and technically shouldn't talk like that about someone present. Tony frowned, not thrilled with the perspective of being left alone with Steve either.

"Just ask him!"

"You will be fine, Steve. Good luck! Tony, I am going to leave you with Steve for a bit, okay?" Natasha petted Tony's hair, big brown eyes turning to her in question and she smiled, "don't worry, he is a nice person. Remember to brush your teeth after eating!"

Steve heavily sat on the chair across from Tony, after Clint and Natasha had left, not believing that his team left him like that. He didn't have a lot of experience with kids. Or like any. Stopping in the park when a group of kids and their moms surrounded him to get autographs or throw frisbee definitely didn't count.

Quiet, clinking and chewing sounds brought him back. Tony was slowly finishing his meal, not looking at Steve, but down at his plate.

"Uh, so, Tony," Steve said, noticing a brief twitch in the small boy. "What do you want to do later?"

Tony shrugged. "Dunno," he said, stabbing more pancake on his fork and putting into mouth in a messy, childlike way, some honey dripping down his smooth chin. The sad and hilarious thing was that Tony kept eating in the same manner in his adulthood too. That made Steve's heart tug with some longing feeling.

"Alright," Steve sighed, expecting this to be easier. "Then, what do you like to do in your free time?"

Tony took a moment to answer, his plate already clear and he kept smearing the butter and syrup around the plate. "Draw," came an answer in a small voice, almost as if Tony expected to get scolded.

Finally, some common ground. Steve smiled warmly. "What do you like to draw?"

"Robots," Tony answered, sounding a little more confident and happier, "and space."

"You like space?" Steve tried to keep the conversation going. Maybe it was a way to know something more about his boyfriend's childhood, as Tony generally avoided that topic.

"Yeah! One day I want to go to space and be an astronaut!" Tony said a little louder, smiling in excitement. Steve's smile dimmed a little when he realized that one day Tony's wish would come true and not in a way he had hoped for.

"An astronaut? That's a big word for such a small kid. You must be very smart," Steve praised, but to his surprise, Tony saddened at the words.

"Maybe," Tony answered, arms sagging down and he looked into his empty plate. At that moment, Steve realized that maybe because of his intelligence, Tony didn't have a lot of fun during his childhood, always being pushed to books about science and mathematic equations, instead of toys and games.

"You know, I like drawing too," Steve tried to change the topic. Much to his happiness, Tony looked up, seeming interested again. "You want to draw with me?" Steve's heart filled with a warm feeling when Tony nodded with a bright smile. It seemed he had a plan on how to keep the boy occupied. "But first, put your plate into the sink and go wash your mouth and brush teeth," Steve reminded, hearing a small whine of protest, that made him smile.

Some things didn't change.

It was surprising because Tony turned out to be a pretty calm kid. Steve gave him some pencils, crayons, and paper (all from his private supplies, he would restock later) and page after page, Tony created colorful pictures, barely speaking and moving, just sitting at the coffee table in the living room. True to his interests, Tony drew a lot of robots, in that childlike, rectangular way, but there was some wonderful attention to details, something Steve found almost startling.

"Wow, looks great, pal," Steve praised Tony's newest masterpiece - a robot in a rocket, on a background of a starry sky. Fun and colorful as Tony used every crayon he had. "I am gonna put this one on the fridge," he smiled, ruffling Tony's hair in praise.

Tony giggled, face beaming with happiness. It should be cute but was a bit alarming how such a small thing, something one's child should hear every day, brought so much joy.

It wasn't Steve's business. If Tony found out, he would get angry at him. Maybe even furious. But…

"Hey, Tony," Steve asked despite the warning signals going on in his brain, "do you draw often with your dad?"

Oh, there it was. Tony's hand stopped, eyes became startled. It lasted only for a second and Tony took a clean page and started a new drawing. He shrugged as an answer. "Dad's busy. It's fine."

Of course. Steve looked sadly at Tony. There was barely any emotions in Tony's voice or posture when he talked about Howard.

"Dad is busy all the time?"

"Kinda."

"So you don't spend time together too often?"

Tony shrugged, taking a blue crayon and doing some swirl in the middle of the page.

Steve bit his lip. He might regret it, but he had to know.

"Tony… does your dad-"

"He doesn't hit me."

The answer made Steve's eyes widen. "Uhhhh… I didn't mean that -" he tried to backtrack, but Tony didn't allow him.

"You are not the first one to ask me that today," Tony muttered, taking a red crayon and Steve's eyes widened in shock. Clint. Natasha. Bruce. Did they all ask? "Dad's often gone. Sometimes he yells when he gets angry, but that's all."

Steve frowned. That was a relief to hear, but still, didn't sound like a complete and happy childhood. "Is your dad-"

Steve didn't finish. He saw Tony grimacing horribly, eyes shining with tears. Suddenly he folded arms on the table, and curled, hiding in himself.

Steve sucked in a surprised breath. Did he make Tony cry? "Hey, hey, it's okay, I am sorry, I won't ask again -"

"I messed up."

"What?"

"My drawing. It is ruined," Tony sobbed out, clearly distressed. A minute ago, Tony showed some maturity surpassing his age, but it didn't change that he was still a kid.

"Hey, I am sure it is not that bad. Let me see," Steve said softly, walking to Tony and trying to look at the piece of paper under the kid's arm.

"Noooo, it is ugly," Tony said stubbornly, not planning to move and locking arms tighter around the drawing.  

"How it can be ugly? You did such a great job with every other drawing," Steve tried to encourage, but Tony just made some high pitched sad sound. "Come on, just show me," he tried again, leaning over the chair and softly poking the kid's side.

Oh, a reaction. Tony giggled, curling a little bit away from the finger. Steve smiled, poking some more, and then used his forefinger and thumb to very gently pinch the kid's side.

"Steheheeve! Dohahan't!" Tony asked, his laughter having a melody Steve knew so well, but sounding like little chirps. It was one of the cutest sounds he ever heard.

"Show me, show me, show me," Steve repeated time after time, moving his fingers and repeating the motion on boy's small belly. Tony giggled on a high note, and leaned back, escaping from the fingers, finally showing his drawing.

This day was already crazy and Steve thought nothing would surprise him. In the middle of the white page was drawn a very familiar shape drawn with red and blue crayons. Captain America's shield. His shield.

"That's-" Steve noticed that Tony was looking at him, all insecure and the previous smile gone from his face, only tears left. "That's beautiful, Tony! Wow!" Steve praised enthusiastically when the shock faded. The circles that made his shield were almost perfect and the star was exactly in the middle, all angles the same. Maybe it lacked a little bit on the coloring and Tony went out of the line a few times, but from a technical point of view, it was perfect. "You did a great job!"

"It's wrong," Tony argued, sounding sad all over again.

"How it is wrong? Looks great to me."

"Too much blue," Tony sniffled, wiping his eyes.

Steve looked closer at the drawing, now seeing it. Tony colored the circle that supposed to be white with a blue crayon. Honestly, Steve didn't notice, too much in awe of the perfect outline.

"It looks better like this," Steve decided, patting Tony's soft hair. "Seriously."

Finally, Tony smiled, some wet traces still on his cheeks, but sadness gone. Steve smiled back, somehow feeling proud that Tony sketched his shield.

"So, you like Captain America, huh?" Steve asked, trying to keep his voice nonchalant.

"Yeah!" Tony burst out, eyes shining happily, "he is the greatest hero ever and my favorite! I love Captain America! … Uh, Steve?"

Steve turned around, hand pressed to his mouth. He didn't expect that outburst of unfiltered, pure love and his face became heated and something he could only describe as a dopey smile took half of his face. Tony didn't need to see that.

"Steve, are you okay?"

"Yeah… I just need a moment, buddy."

Evening came sooner than Steve expected, none of the Avengers returned and it was high time to put Tony to bed. Steve tried to prolong that moment the longest possible, but Tony started to yawn and his head was bobbing dangerously down.

"Okay, kiddo, bedtime," Steve gave up, taking half-conscious Tony in his arms and carrying the boy to their bedroom.

"Mhhmm… Not tired."

"Sure you are not tired," Steve smiled, having another familiar moment. He put Tony down on the bed and pulled the covers over the boy's small frame. "Sleep well, pal. I will leave the night lamp on, just in case. I will be in the next room," Steve said in a hushed voice, brushing the hair off Tony's forehead. He didn't make it even half though the room when he heard a quiet voice.

"Steveee… Don't go."

Oh, dammit. Steve was afraid of that. Taking care of his adult boyfriend reverted to a kid was one, but sharing a bed was too much. That was like a sure romance killer.

But he couldn't say no to a kid. Tony had been denied too many happy memories by his parents already, and Steve didn't want to pile on that.

"Alright," he turned around and sat on the edge of the bed, "but only until you fall asleep."

"Okay," Tony agreed sleepily, scooting closer so he could feel Steve's warmth. "Can you tell me a story?"

"Sure," Steve smiled, "what would you like to hear?"

"Can you tell me about Captain America?"

And Steve's face became red again. Great.

"Uhhmm. You know what, pal? Maybe I will tell you about my favorite hero instead. Would that be okay?"

Tony nodded, not opening his eyes. It appeared that he just needed to be close to someone.

"Okay, so I will tell you about a very smart guy, who spent all his days designing and building machines, and one day, he built a gold and red armor - "

Somehow, Steve missed the moment when he fell to sleep on his own and slept through the whole night. He remembered when he woke up in the morning and the feeling of something scratchy on his face.

"Mhm. Go away," Steve muttered, fidgeting away.

"No."

He knew that voice. Steve's eyes snapped open and he saw brown eyes looking at him.

"Hi, sleepyhead," Tony greeted, casually spread on the top of the covers, all in his adult glory.

"Tony!" Steve smiled, feeling with all might how he missed his boyfriend. He scooted closer, wanting to lock their lips together, but somehow the memory of yesterday was too fresh and he placed his kiss on Tony's forehead instead.

"What the hell was that?" Tony complained, and Steve laughed, just taking in the moment, "give me a proper kiss!"

"No," Steve continued to laugh, moving away as Tony advanced on him.

"What do you mean no? I want my kiss, Steve!"

"I said no!"

"Bad news! We couldn't find Loki, but look I bought some games for Tony - aaaaw!" Clint stood disappointed in the doorway, not even cringing at the sight of Tony basically climbing over Steve. "You are an adult again!"

"What? What do you mean?" Tony asked, frowning at his friend. Steve took the moment to throw Tony off of himself (Tony squawked) and sat up on the bed.

"Never mind," Clint waved his hand but looked almost offended. Tony was a cute, polite kid. Unlike his adult version.

"What's that?" Steve asked, noticing some packaging under Clint's arm.

"New games," Clint said, showing the colorful covers, "now I have to return them," he complained dramatically.

Tony shrugged. "I will play with you."

"You will?"

"Yeah. You said you bought them for me, right? Let's play."

Clint beamed a smile and ordered Tony to come to the living room, solely to get his butt kicked during xbox tournament and sprinted out. Tony laughed and yelled something after the archer, but Steve didn't listen, too relieved with this whole mess ending just after one evening and one night. It was a nice experience, but he much more preferred his adult boyfriend.

"Hey, baby, we good?" Tony asked, still not understanding the morning chaos, but already moving forward.

"We good," Steve confirmed, smiling warmly at his boyfriend. They finally shared the good morning kiss and Tony hurriedly changed clothes to join Clint for some early gaming tournament and Steve decided to get some more sleep. 

Babysitting was exhausting.

--------------------

a/n was getting too long, so I am gonna add it here instead - although this fic was inspired by the prompt and that alternative scene from IM2, the true reason I am posting it, is because blue!anon send me a nice message. I didn’t post in a while, I have a back injury and I can’t sit for too long (seriously, proofreading and editing was a nightmare), but because I knew there was someone thinking about me and my fics, I wanted to go through with this and post something to make them happy, instead of sitting on this fic for God-knows-how-long. remember that likes/feedback are not only to make your creator feel good/ for ego boost - this is honestly the only way we can communicate, and hearing nothing just kills the joy of posting (not writing, as I mentioned, I write, I just don’t feel motivated to post). so, thank you again, blue!anon, for keeping me motivated, I love you and appreciate you so much  ❤️💙💛

[shannaraisles]

The Rose In The Crown - Chapter 1

Summerday is always a day of joy, a day of marriages made and love affirmed. And for Ferelden, this Summerday is one to be remembered. King Alistair, ten years a king with no heir in sight, will finally marry his chosen bride.

Sequel to A Rose By Any Name.

Featuring the winners of my giveaway! Chapter one introduces @puddle--wonderful‘s character, Marguerite Dujardin!

[Read on AO3]

Chapter One

Spring had come to Ferelden at last, bringing with it warm sun and the promise of a long summer to follow.

Even the weather seemed to be celebrating with the people as they paused in their daily work for just a few days. Villages and towns across the country raised flags, festooning their streets with bright bunting, preparing to celebrate not only the many weddings due to take place on Summerday, but also the greatest wedding of their time - the marriage of their own King Alistair to Princess Felicita of Antiva. Though many of them had never even seen their king, they wished him well and happy in his marriage, looking forward to the day when he announced a new prince to celebrate over in the fullness of time. They could not help but imagine how very excited he must be, to be so close to the fulfillment of his own happiness after so many years alone. They might even have known about it ... if the palace staff could find him from one hour to the next.

As the date of the wedding drew nearer, it was becoming harder and harder to locate the king outside the hours he spent working. Worse, when he disappeared, he took his betrothed with him, as well as little Lady Maria, his new ward. With the palace in a state of barely contained chaos, anticipating the arrival of their most important guests for the celebration to take place in just two days' time, no one was admitting to seeing the king and his small family since breakfast. Or perhaps the staff were in on it, keeping the bride and groom from added stresses in the run up to the big day.

Because at least one person knew exactly where the king was as lords and ladies panicked about his absence ... the kennel master.

The kennels had welcomed their own newcomers just a few weeks ago - the king's own mabari, Lady, had given birth to five strong pups, sired by the Warden-Commander's hound, Monster, almost as soon as he had arrived in Denerim with his mistress to oversee the Month of Ladies, as it was now known - the Great Bride Hunt that had made this wedding possible. While Fergus, Teagan, and Anora were apparently unaware of it, this was where Alistair could be found when he disappeared from their reach in past days, and this was where he was now, lying in the warm hay with his head on his princess' lap, having his face licked with more enthusiasm than care by two boisterous mabari pups. Maria was sat cross-legged not so very far away, giggling as she played with the remaining three, and Lady, proud new mother that she was, had taken up station beside Fabs, her muzzle resting affectionately on the princess' shoulder. It was a playful, restful scene, especially for two people who had every reason to be particularly nervy about today's expected guests.

"Oh, so this is where you're hiding."

Fabs raised her eyes from her silent adoration of Alistair's relaxed face at the sound of a familiar voice they had not expected to hear today, glancing back down to see her beloved's lips part in a happy grin at the sight of Demelza Tabris leaning against the stall door. One of the puppies took the opportunity to lick inside his mouth, setting the king to spluttering along to the piercing giggles from Maria as she rocked on the floor.

"Serves you right for kissing someone you're not marrying in a couple of days," was Dem's mild response to this sight, though her grin brightened as she nodded to Fabs. "Princess."

"You know my name, Warden-Commander," Fabs objected with a warm smile. "I do wish you would use it."

"Interesting point of view, that," the elven Warden pointed out with a teasing arch of her brow. "You don't use mine."

Fabs' eyes narrowed above her own smile. "Well then, Demelza," she countered, rising to the bait. "What was my name again?"

Dem laughed, shifting from her lean to climb over the half door and into the stall with them. "All right, Felicita," she responded, "but I prefer Dem."

"Duly noted."

Fabs chuckled, raising her hand to pet the furry head on her shoulder as Lady huffed her own greeting to her master's best friend. Dem's hand joined hers for a brief moment, just long enough to say hello to the mabari queen before Alistair claimed her attention.

"I thought you were on your way to Tevinter and beyond?" he asked, pushing himself to sit up with a handful of pup.

Dem grinned at her friend. "Would you like me to go?"

"No!" Alistair's rush to insist that she stay was forestalled only by the laughter that erupted from his elven friend in answer, making him roll his eyes. "You know what? Yes. Go away if you're just going to tease me."

"My, my, aren't we testy today?"

Alistair sighed at the look on Demelza's face. "I know, I'm sorry," he apologized easily. "I'm not ... I didn't mean to be rude."

"We are both a little on edge," Fabs said, rescuing him from having to explain. "My parents are expected today."

"Oh, I see. Meet the parents." Dem nodded to herself, though her grin didn't fade. "You do have other guests arriving too, you know."

"Well, obviously, but I've met the Inquisitor," Alistair pointed out. "And Leliana doesn't frighten me anymore."

"She's here," Dem told him, and snorted with laughter at the sudden lurch this presented from her friend. "Oh, calm down. She stopped in the Chantry to have a few words with the Grand Cleric before she has to come and be all official at you."

"The Divine is here already?" Fabs asked, her eyes wide.

For a moment, it seemed surprising that the princess should be so startled by the prospect of meeting Divine Victoria. But Divine Victoria was also Sister Leliana, the Nightingale, the Left Hand of Divine Justinia. Fabs was expecting to meet a shadow from the past Divine's lifetime, a bard whose exploits in Orlais were close to legend, and more than that, a very old friend of the man who would soon be her husband. Leliana was much more the the Divine for the princess of Antiva - she was a legend, an icon, and more than a little intimidating.

Alistair was already aware of her nerves when it came to meeting such an illustrious person, for his response to her unnerved query was to reach over and claim her hand in his own, raising her knuckles to his lips for a softly reassuring kiss.

"I promise you, love, she is not so terrifying as your imagination paints her," he said in his warm way. "She is probably more excited about our getting married than we are!"

Fabs relaxed visibly as Alistair offered up his reassurance, but there was no denying she was more than a little starstruck about meeting Divine Victoria, the legend in her own lifetime. Still, she smiled at her betrothed's gentle kiss to her hand, leaning toward him unconsciously as Dem smirked to herself.

"Well, you can't hide here all day," the elven Warden pointed out. "Leliana stopped off in Skyhold on her way here - the Inquisitor and his party are just being settled, but they'll be expecting a welcome pretty soon."

Fabs perked up at this news; she had been looking forward to the Inquisition party arriving for several days now. "Did he bring Josephine with him?" she asked, hopeful that this old friend would be one of the representatives included in the invitation to the wedding.

Dem shrugged. "How would I know? I don't do all that diplomacy stuff."

"No, you just laugh behind my back while I get it wrong," Alistair pointed out with a grin, scooping the puppies off his lap as he pushed himself to stand. He offered his princess a hand. "Let's go and get the official business over with. I know you're dying to gossip about Antivan underwear or whatever with your friend."

Maria looked up a little mournfully from her own doggie companions as Fabs rose with Alistair's help, her hands lingering in his. There was no disguising her smile as he took the opportunity to steal a kiss before Maria's voice drew their attention away from one another.

"Do I have to go, too?" the little girl asked, her expression making it perfectly plain that she hoped she would not have to leave the kennel for a good long while yet.

Fabs glanced at Alistair with a fond smile, reaching down to gently tweak the Rivaini child's chin affectionately. The past two months had brought the little girl ever closer to her heart; she could not now imagine life here in Ferelden without the child who would be her own adopted ward in just two days' time.

"No, little one, you do not have to come with us right now," she promised. "But later, you will have to be a little lady for the Divine and the Inquisitor, and my parents, too."

Maria bit her lip worriedly. "Will they like me?"

Alistair chuckled, bending double to bounce the tip of his nose against hers. "If they don't, I'll challenge them to a duel," he told her in a comical tone. "Me against all four of them, what do you think?"

The little girl grinned back at him. "I think you will be all bloody and bruised for your wedding day, Your Alistairness," she responded in a cheerful tone, utterly bemused when Dem burst out laughing at the open declaration of Alistair's new epithet from his adopted ward.

"I think you're right," Alistair agreed, ignoring his friend for a moment. "Will you do us the honor of joining us for the midday meal, Lady Maria?"

"Can I bring my puppy?"

Fabs interjected at this point - she was already caught between Alistair and some of his nobles when it came to appropriate behavior; she was determined to make sure Maria didn't join in with his occasionally silly ideas.

"No, little one, they are too small to be away from their mama right now," she reminded the little girl fondly. "In another month, they will be big enough. And perhaps one of them will have imprinted on you. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

"Will it be my best friend for always if it does?" Maria asked hopefully.

"Oh, absolutely," Dem agreed with enthusiasm. "You've seen me and Monster. And I didn't meet him until I was sixteen!"

Cheered by this thought, Maria was quite content to let them all leave the stall and the kennels, absorbed in the antics of the five pups as they swarmed around her in the wake of the adults' leave-taking. Fabs couldn't help but be glad that the little girl was so easily contented with her four-legged friends; they would provide a good sanctuary for her over the next few days, while the adults were engaged with important guests and the whole ... wedding thing. As a working king, Alistair could not take more than a few days away from his duties to celebrate his own marriage, but for those few days, they were going to leave Denerim and stay in a villa on the coast, overlooking the sea. Maria would be staying in the capital, under the care of Fergus Cousland officially, but more likely in the company of Ceri and Ciara, both women she trusted without question. After all, when Alistair and Fabs returned, it would be as her married pseudo-parents. That was worth a few days without them.

Fabs still couldn't quite believe it - that in just two days' time, she would be Alistair's wife, Ferelden's queen, her own mother's equal in rank and her superior in responsibility. It was ... overwhelming, in a way. She had come to Ferelden at her father's instigation, unaware that her invitation was to a contest for the hand of the king. She had been determined not to engage in that contest yet, as she grew to know the man behind the crown, her heart had changed her mind. She had almost destroyed her chance by giving into doubt, only to have him chase her through the streets just to make sure she didn't leave. And now, two months later, she was within days of accepting the prize - not the crown, though she knew some of the other ladies had wished for it, but the man. Her man, her Alistair, who needed her love more than he could say ... who loved her in his own turn with a sweet devotion she knew she would never feel worthy of.

She knew she was lucky in the approval of his friends, too - that Demelza and Fergus seemed to like her and approve of her influence over him; that Arl Teagan was not automatically set against her. Luck had also been with her in the settling of her own new friendships - of Ciara and Ceridwyn and Anora, who had all been close by her whenever she had needed them these past two months. Indeed, Ciara had happily accepted an invitation to be the queen's first lady, and Anora slid easily into the role of mentor and teacher, and trusted confidante, cementing the friendship that had begun with little more than curiosity. She was not as alone here as her mother had feared she might be. In just a few hours, she would be able to reassure her parents in person that they had no need to fear for her future.

But for now, there were other important guests to greet - Inquisitor Doshiel Lavellan and Ambassador Josephine Montilyet, to be precise. Though Divine Victoria would likely join them within the hour, Fabs could turn her nerves to one side and focus on the others. She had not seen Josephine for years, not since the woman had been sent to Orlais as the official ambassador from the Antivan court, but correspondence had never ceased between them, even during the widespread conflict that had brought the Inquisitor to prominence within Thedas politics. Of course, Fabs had other friends in the Inquisition, too - friends whom she had never met but had shared letters with for years, friends who had imparted hints that Josephine was a good deal closer to the Inquisitor than she herself had intimated. Fabs had to admit, she was looking forward to seeing this for herself.

And there they were, waiting in the private royal audience chamber with Anora and Teagan, making small talk together with one another. Fabs couldn't help a curious look at this fifth member of the party. The woman looked familiar, though she was sure they had never met. But there was something in the dark curl of her hair, the dusk-dark warmth of her skin, the bold, hopeful smile she sent toward the Antivan princess ... yes, she was familiar, yet Fabs could not place her.

"Your majesty, your highness," Anora was saying as they entered, Alistair belatedly releasing Fabs' hand with as much obvious reluctance as she felt. "May I present Inquisitor Lavellan, and Ambassador Montilyet."

"We've met," Alistair reminded her without rancor, offering his open hand to Doshiel Lavellan as a warm smile crossed his face. "Inquisitor, it is a pleasure to see you again. May I introduce you to my betrothed, Princess Felicita of Antiva?"

Fabs felt her mouth snap shut with an audible thunk. Doshiel Lavellan was tall for an elf, equaling her in height, built broad across the shoulders, strong with muscle honed for wielding his weapon of choice. The vallaslin markings on his face were a rich purple in color, though their meaning was lost on her, almost blending into the twilight-dusk of his weathered skin until they caught the light. He turned to her, bowing low, and she had to force herself not to look at his left hand - the hand where the mark of Andraste still dwelt, so they said.

"Your highness," he said, his lilting tone strangely soothing from the impassive face he presented. "Thank you for inviting us to your wedding."

"After all you have done for Thedas, for Ferelden, Inquisitor, it should be no surprise that you were invited," the princess answered, aware that Alistair was grinning at her wide-eyed hero-worship. "Were it not for you, we would not have this peace to enjoy together. You are very welcome."

Doshiel nodded to her, a half-smile illuminating his face briefly before his companion stepped forward.

"Am I welcome also, princesa?" Josephine asked, her tone teasingly arch, and Fabs felt her awkwardness melt away.

She surged forward to embrace an old friend, laughing as Josephine hesitated at the impropriety before returning that embrace with a warmth she had missed since they had last seen one another.

"It has been so long, Josie," Fab enthused softly, drawing back with a bright smile. "It is so good to see you."

"And I, you," Josephine responded, her eyes crinkling in affectionate amusement. "The little trouble-maker of the Antivan palace has grown into her potential, I see."

"Trouble-maker?" Alistair asked, curiosity firing in his voice and gaze.

"I did not make so much trouble," Fabs began to defend herself, but Josephine laughed, cutting her off.

"You released four feral kittens into the kitchens on your sister's wedding day," the ambassador reminded her in amusement, turning to add for the king's enjoyment, "Fur everywhere. In the dessert that was served, as well."

Alistair's grin deepened as he considered his bride. "I have to admit, this is a side of her I have not heard much about," he said merrily. "I think you and I shall have a great deal to talk about, ambassador."

"I look forward to it, your majesty," Josephine answered with smooth aplomb, turning to draw her other companion forward. "May I introduce my assistant, Lady Marguerite Dujardin? She - "

"Marguerite!"

As the name dropped, Fabs knew who this woman was. No, they had never met, but they had been friends for years, communicating by letter with increasing intimacy as they grew older and drew away from the friends insisted upon by family and duty. She had never thought she would actually meet the Orlesian beauty she had befriended from miles away, yet here she was. And Fabs being who she was, there was only one way to greet such a wonderful surprise.

Marguerite was already laughing as the princess launched herself across the room to throw her arms about her, the two women swaying as they embraced one another tight.

"It is such a pleasure to finally meet you, princess," she began, but Fabs shook her head.

"No, my dearest friend, you must use my name," she insisted. "I am Felicita, or Fabs, and you are Marguerite. And I am so delighted to finally meet you!"

She surged close again for another warm embrace, no doubt thoroughly bemusing the others in the room. Over her shoulder, she heard Josephine laugh a little helplessly.

"I see you already know each other," the ambassador was saying as she turned back to Alistair.

Detaching herself from Marguerite, though only briefly, Fab turned to the others with a warm smile.

"Forgive my enthusiasm," she apologized. "Marguerite has been a good friend of mine for many years, though we have never met in person. It is such a wonderful surprise to have her here!"

Beside her, Marguerite dropped a belated curtsy to the king, apparently as amused by the princess' greeting as everyone else. Alistair's smile relaxed as he inclined his head to the Orlesian woman.

"Any friend of Fabs' will always be a welcome sight in Denerim, Lady Marguerite," he assured her. He glanced at Fabs herself, catching her eye with a knowing glint in his own. "I am sure you have much to talk about. Please, don't mind us."

With a last nod to his betrothed, he turned back to the Inquisitor and Josephine, Dem at his side, and Fabs took the opportunity to draw Marguerite over to the window, clinging to her hands in delight.

"How is it that I did not know you were coming?" she demanded merrily. "I would have asked you to be a part of the wedding party, had I known!"

Marguerite's dark eyes were dancing with mischievous delight of her own as she answered. "I did not know until a day before our party left Skyhold," she told her friend. "Josephine's other close assistant volunteered to remain behind and keep on top of the Inquisition's political struggles in her absence, I think purely because Commander Rutherford also remains at Skyhold."

"Oh, you are talking of the woman out of place, yes?" Her interest piqued, Fabs moved to make herself comfortable on the window seat, drawing Marguerite to sit with her. "Has the commander asked her yet, do you know? And has the Inquisitor asked Josephine yet? There are so many questions left unanswered since the last letter I received from you!"

Marguerite laughed gently, patting her hand. "I do not know everything that happens in Skyhold, your- ... Felicita," she said, correcting her address almost before she had begun it. "But no, I do not believe either question has been asked yet."

"And what of your own knight-captain?" Fabs pressed, eager for gossip face-to-face rather than in written form. "Do you hope for such a question yourself?"

Marguerite's dusky skin flushed prettily as she glanced to the window for a moment. "Perhaps," was all she would say. "Now that the world is calmer and I am no longer required to be patriotic to my homeland, perhaps I am thinking of calling another land home."

Fabs actually squealed, reduced to the status of an over-excited child at this exhilarating news. "But why did I not know you were coming?"

"I thought to surprise you, princess," was Marguerite's answer, trimmed with a soft huff of laughter at the mildly affronted look she received in reply. "I am so pleased to be here, and to see you so happy in yourself. You have been searching for a long time. I am very glad that you have found purpose in life and in love. You have been alone for too long."

Without quite realizing it, Fabs' gaze slipped to where Alistair was seated with the rest of the party, her own smile softening at the sight of his animation in conversation. Marguerite's squeeze of her hand brought her back to her companion, only to find a sly, knowing smile quirking at her friend's lips.

"You love him very much," the Orlesian beauty said quietly. "And he adores you. It is plain to see within moments. Even if I had not had your accounts of these past months to forewarn me, I should have seen it. I am not at all surprised that the people are so very pleased that you will be their queen."

At this, Fabs felt the little knot in her stomach tighten, her smile fading just a little. "I am afraid, Marguerite," she admitted in a low voice. "I never dreamed that love and marriage would make me a queen, yet here I am. I do not know what to expect of the role, what they expect of me. I am so very afraid I will let them down."

"You will not let them down," Marguerite responded near instantly, leaning closer to keep their conversation from reaching any other ears. "They will not expect you to know from the beginning exactly what to do and how to do it. They know you are trading life as a princess in a state that has little use for its monarchy for life as a queen in a land where royalty works every day for the good of the people. And they also know that alliance with Antiva through you affords their land additional safety, even without the friendships you have made over the years. The simple fact of your being is enough for them, and will remain so even as you transition into the role you have accepted by loving the king."

"You seem so very confident of that," Fabs murmured, uncertain if she should share that confidence. When she allowed herself to think on what her life would be in just two days' time, she felt overwhelmed.

Maguerite squeezed her hands once again. "I have moved in noble circles all my life, Felicita," she reminded the princess. "I have seen what it takes to truly be a ruler. You have it in you to be a great queen. And you will not be alone. You have your Alistair, and the friends you have made here. Ferelden will not suffer under your rule, I am certain of it."

Fabs felt the smile rising before it showed on her face, too excited to be a wife to allow fears of being a queen to overwhelm her happiness. "I do have Alistair," she agreed. "I do not know quite how or why he loves me, but he does. If a wife's duty is to support her husband, then I will do so with a light heart, because I love him so dearly."

"I should think you would do it even if it wasn't a wife's duty," Marguerite commented in a wry tone. "I have never known you to shrink from any opportunity to help anyone, especially if you love them."

It was Fabs' turn to laugh at this. "Ah, but you did not know me when I was a selfish, spoiled little girl," she pointed out, the glint of her own eyes as teasing as it was charming.

"True, but we were all selfish, spoiled little girls once," was Marguerite's wise response.

"Indeed."

This new voice startled Fabs into looking up, surprised to find a red-haired woman in a simple Chantry robe suddenly standing nearby. The woman was smiling at them both - a little guarded, perhaps, but smiling, nonetheless. She was a stranger to the princess, however.

"Leliana!" Alistair burst out, rising to his feet with a truly happy smile on his face. "How did you get in without being announced?"

Divine Victoria - for that was who this redheaded woman was, it seemed - laughed a rich, delicate laugh as she turned to greet her old friend, the king, clasping his arm and pulling him into a rough hug.

"Do you really wish to know the answer to that, Alistair?" she asked in a light tone. "I was not always as I am."

"Still crazy?" he asked in turn, accepting the light thump of her fist to his arm with a low chuckle.

"Still listening to the Maker," was her reply.

Others in the room were rising to greet her - to greet a woman who was known to them all in some way. Fabs rose with them, but hung back, her gaze following the legend that was Leliana, Divine Victoria, Sister Nightingale, as she greeted her friends from the Inquisition, acquaintances from the past, and ... She almost gasped when Divine Victoria clasped both hands to Demelza Tabris' face and kissed her tenderly, suppressing the sound before it could be heard as the memory flashed of the loving relationship the two women shared. A relationship that was still extant, it seemed, despite the rise in the bard's status. When the Divine turned to her, Fabs felt her knees automatically bend, the curtsy coming from the deepest ingrained instincts that had been trained into her from birth.

"So this must be Princess Felicita," Leliana said, looking her over with an appraising expression in her eyes. "Do stand up, dear. There is no need to stare at my shoes today - they are nothing special."

Hesitantly, Fab raised her eyes, slow to rise from her curtsy as she glanced toward the others in the room. Dem was grinning behind her hand; encouraging smiles abounded from every person around them who considered Leliana a friend. Even Alistair gestured for her to speak freely, despite knowing that his betrothed was more than a little starstruck when it came to this Divine.

"Most Holy, I -"

"Oh, there is no need to call me that." Leliana waved a hand dismissively. "In private, princess, here among friends, I am still Leliana." She tilted her head back to meet Fabs' astonished eyes. "And I will be very pleased to call you my friend. Alistair has needed someone to hold his hand since before I met him."

"I can function on my own, you know," Alistair objected in amusement, opening his hand automatically as Leliana nudged Fabs back to his side.

"Nonsense, Alistair, you will always be a clumsy little puppy to me," the redhead teased him cheerfully.

Dem snorted with laughter, rolling her eyes. "Believe it or not, princess, this is actually an improvement in their relationship."

"In that case, I am not entirely sure I wish to know what their relationship was before," Fabs managed, pressing herself into Alistair's side as her fingers tangled with his. She was surrounded by heroes and legends. If the Champion of Kirkwall walked in now, she thought she might possibly have to go and hide under the nearest bed.

Alistair laughed, tilting his head to touch his temple to hers. "I wasn't the most ... discerning ... of people when we first met," he told her. "I may or may not have decided she was crazy right from the start."

"And maintained it for a decade," Leliana added, her fond amusement plain. "Oh, it is so good to be back among friends. Inquisitor ... Josie!"

As the redheaded Divine rushed to embrace Josephine, drawing the attention of the room with her, Alistair raised Fabs' hand to his lips, brushing a tender kiss to her thumb as he sought her slightly wild-eyed gaze.

"There now, you see?" he murmured to her. "She's not that intimidating, is she?"

Fabs couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her.

"Says the man who traveled with her for months long before she became the legend she is now," she countered, grateful for the way he stayed with her, rather than follow his friends back to their seats. "You have powerful friends in interesting places, mi amor. You cannot blame me for admiring them as I do. Their stories have shaped our world."

"I suppose you're right," he conceded, albeit begrudgingly. "You still like me best, though, don't you?"

"Alistair ..." Laughing, she turned to him, reaching up to trace her fingertips along his cheek. "You need a shave."

He sighed. "I always need a shave." His own hand covered hers, pressing her palm to his cheek. "Still like me best?"

"I am marrying you in two days," she reminded him, her voice soft with affection as she leaned close to brush the tip of her nose to his. "I love you, silly man."

"I will never grow tired of hearing that," was his reply, a grin hiding the waver of his certainty as he closed the distance to kiss her tenderly. "Two days, my fabulous Fabs."

"Two days," she agreed, adding out of pure mischief, "And my parents."

His groan made her laugh as they turned back to their current guests. Though, yes, her parents were arriving in just a few hours, and more guests would also be making themselves known right up until the evening meal tomorrow, this short time could be set aside for old friends that were as close as family. And that was a good thing, Fabs knew. Her soon-to-be husband had no family he could call upon, yet the world was littered with friends who would drop everything to aid him if he chose to call on them. That was a family worth the having, she knew, a family she was proud and privileged to be allowed to join in some small way.

Two days was too long and too short a time to wait, yet when those two days were over ... her Alistair would never be alone again.

[iesorno]

I spoke to Alice a long time ago and have been very slow in getting this interview up on the site, for which I apologise.

I’d seen Star Bright in the small press section of my local comic shop (without realising that Alice worked there at the time) and was intrigued by it, flicking through, but never quite committing as it wasn’t my normal art style. When I put out a call for interviews and reviews and Alice responded I was pleased as it gave me the reason to engage and test that prejudice. I’m glad I got that chance as I was particularly struck by Star Bright, so struck I awarded it one of the five Paper Underground awards zine love gave out for 2019. I was very moved by the story, it ended with an admittedly quiet emotional outcome, but it hit with quite a heavy weight.

I also want to thank Rob Zwetsloot for their additional responses (and help with editing!!)

That there are only 200 copies, and not all are sold, seems to me a big shame. It’s a strong and accessible work, even for younger children and it seems like a comic that could fly with the right publisher to raise awareness and get some strong distribution.

Star Bright can be found online, on twitter and bought here

Alice Clarke can be found online, on twitter , on instagram and facebook

Rob Zwetsloot can also be found on twitter

ZL – Hi Alice, could you give a brief introduction about yourself first of all?

AC – Hi Iestyn! I’m a Brighton born & raised artist. I’ve been drawing since a young age and graduated from the University of Brighton with honours in Illustration in 2017. I lived in Texas for two years from when I was about twelve, which is where I first came across manga in my middle school library, and ever since then I’ve been hooked on comics.

ZL – I guess the obvious question is, what have you been doing since the strip finished up at the end of October 2018, apart from, running a successful Kickstarter to get it physically published?

AC – It took quite a few months to fulfil the Kickstarter as I was doing almost everything by myself and I was working full time. In April I quit my job to sort and pack all my earthly possessions and on the 1st of May I moved to Japan – so since then it’s been an adjustment period I suppose! Comics-wise I’m working on my first solo comics project, a lot of which has been building up the courage to start drawing. I’m thumbnailing it right now!

ZL – How did it feel to see the Kickstarter do so well, and then receive positive reviews from the likes of Broken Frontier as well?

AC – It took me a long time to work up the confidence to even try to make a comic in the first place and I only feel I was able to do it with the support of my wonderful co-creator and writer, Rob Zwetsloot, as well as friends and peers who cheered me on every step of the way. So, for the Kickstarter to be such a success, I was completely overwhelmed and overjoyed. I am extremely grateful that people such as Stephen at Page 45 and Holly at Broken Frontier took the time to read and review our work and say such nice things about it.

ZL – You got a lot of backers, I was wondering how many copies you had produced over and above those to fill the initial Kickstarter orders and how well they are selling, and where people can buy them if they want a copy?

AC – We had a pretty small print run of 200 copies, around half of which were for the Kickstarter. We have around 30 left over not including copies may be left on shelves in comic book stores – my previous workplace, Dave’s Comics in Brighton, Page 45, all the Travelling Man stores… You can buy them on my Etsy store! Rob is fulfilling orders at the moment since most of our readers are in the UK, it didn’t make sense to send them to myself in Japan.

ZL – I’ve read Star Bright myself and – terrible person I am – as soon as you said it took you two and a half years I went and looked at the first drawings and the last ones to see what improvement there was.  I was struck by two things straight away.

The character designs were strong from the outset, it is easy to tell characters apart and there’s great scope for communicating their emotions, which is very important in this story.

Your figure work and anatomy were very strong by the end, also your line work was much more assured.

Do you see the difference and how do you feel about your progress?

AC – Thank you so much. That’s not terrible at all – I always do the same, I think it’s fascinating to see someone’s growth in this way! For me personally, I feel the change is immense (I actually can’t bear looking at the old pages haha) and I learned so much as I drew each page of the comic – people aren’t kidding when they say if you want to get better drawing, draw a comic. It forced me to draw many things I would never usually draw (backgrounds!!) and think about how to lay out each page and panel in a way that was visually interesting but conveyed more than just an illustration on its own would. I think I also got a bit more confident in my work and was more willing to take risks with angles, poses, etc.

ZL – Is there a point where you thought that the drawing really hit its stride and you felt that you were achieving an outcome you could be proud of, were you proud right from the start?

chapter 3 frontispiece

AC – I don’t think I was particularly proud of my work (meaning the drawings themselves) until maybe end of chapter 3, chapter 4. A long way in, I know, but I have a lot of self-confidence issues with my drawing (thanks art school) and it wasn’t until that far in that I think I found my stride and the way I wanted to draw the comic. I am pretty proud of all the pages at and after that point.

ZL – What was the genesis of this comic, did you know the writer Rob before you started working together?

AC – I think we knew of each other through mutual friends and the UK cosplay community, but it wasn’t until I put it out on Twitter that I was looking for a writer for a comic project that we really started talking. Rob came to me with a rough outline of ideas and character concepts and I just loved it straightaway, the rest is history!

ZL – I find it interesting that you call it out as an LGBT comic, because, to me at least, it’s far more universal, dealing with social anxiety and self-image. I’m particularly interested to see a comic written by someone with different life experiences that handles the feelings and emotions of teenage girls so convincingly and wondered what inspiration and insight Rob drew on to write the story. Did you work together on the storyline and character decisions or was this a more traditional writer and artist collaboration?

AC – As LGBT creators we always want to create work that reflects ourselves and our community in one way or another, and while Star Bright may not feature a story with a hard-hitting LGBT subtext, I think it’s important that people can read and access comics and books that feature gay and trans characters without that necessarily being the focus of the story. Especially as a book aimed at a younger audience who may not have figured out or even thought about those things yet (I know I certainly hadn’t when I was Zoe’s age…) I wanted to manifest LGBT themes in a manner that was more suggestive but also conspicuous. Accepted. Like Robin and Sarah always showing up holding hands, Zoe and Star’s progression from friendship to something more just being accepted. I hope that makes sense.

Robin and Sarah in the background holding hands

Rob is non-binary, so I think those self-image issues and feelings of anxiety and not fitting in would not be too dissimilar to a young teenage girl’s at all. Although it was chiefly Rob who wrote the story, it was quite different when originally brought to  – there are whole characters we decided together not to use in the final version. I would say we were co-creators more than anything else when it came to the script, and as someone who was once exactly in Zoe’s shoes, a young teen girl struggling at school with loneliness and friendship troubles, I did my best to help nuance Rob’s wonderful script in a way that echoed my experiences. In that way I think we are a little bit outside the traditional writer-artist style of collaboration. Rob also gave me almost complete freedom with page layouts and pacing, only really giving me stage direction and visual pointers when they had a strong idea for how a certain page or scene needed to be drawn. I think our collaborative method was really symbiotic and we both helped each other constantly to build on our strengths and grow our skills.

ZL – This sounds like an interesting point and I’d like to bring Rob in on this and get their point of view, how did you find the experience of writing about teenage girls?

RZ – First and foremost, I wrote these characters as just people, with wants and desires, different history and life experiences. I think that’s important with storytelling, otherwise you’re concentrating on just one part of them (and it reeeaaaalllllly shows when you do). A lot of Zoe’s character was based on me growing up and some of the problems I faced. It was sort of wish fulfilment for how I’d liked to have been able to face my issues while I was still a teenager. It’s been nice to learn that a lot of other people had these sorts of experiences, so I wasn’t quite as lonely as I thought – although I guess the irony there is, we were all too lonely to reach out to each other at the time. Having said that, while writing the story I was worried that I might end up not writing the girls ‘correctly’ – despite the agnostic approach to creating the characters, I don’t have experience as a teenage girl. I think at one point I was even asking friends “did you ever just talk in Simpsons quotes as a kid?”.

However, I said to Alice at the start that she should correct me if I did something wrong. It really helped with the way the scripts were written. I’d write the chapter, do my edit passes, tweak it until I was happy with it (or as happy as I could get), and then Alice and I would read through it together and punch it up, almost like a TV show writers’ room. We’d add bits and change stuff for story reasons, consistency, for better visual layout in the comic, etc. It definitely would not have been as good as it is without her input. I think Zoe ended up an amalgam of Alice and myself in the end, and really the only mistake I made with them was initially writing them a bit too mature. We added in more of the uncertainty and confusion of being fourteen and left it up to the reader.

  ZL – What impressed me most with the art on this was how you used it so efficiently to highlight emotional states, it’s interesting to see someone approach a Japanese style comic that develops the use of body language and silent connections more than the hyper normal, speed line mania one usually sees being aped. The approach lifts what is really a small, introverted narrative and lends it a heavy sense of emotion, rather than playing up an opportunity for melodrama. I’m wondering if there was a conscious decision to play the story that way, or whether it was something that came from the characters as they emerged, or whether it was something that the two of you brought from your own influences?

powerful loneliness

AC – Thank you very much, I’m really pleased you picked up on some of my visual choices. I am not really sure, I think for my part I just tried to draw and convey the story and the emotions in a manner that felt natural to me. Some of my most favourite storytelling techniques in comics are found predominantly in manga, so a lot of the ways I decided to draw certain scenes involving drama and emotion are probably very influenced by Japanese comics. I find the quietness and subtlety of melodrama in manga oftentimes much more emotive and appealing than some of what I’ve seen in western comics, and I think it’s closer to reality so it works better for stories like Star Bright where the narrative is close to home and relatable, (well, except for the whole alien thing haha).

ZL – I don’t know whether you were aiming for this, but it’s definitely something that I picked up, whilst this is clearly a comic aimed at teenagers, a YA style, it’s also something that I, as an adult could read and identify with. The style is engaging and endearing and open and it feels like I’m getting an insight into the lives of the girls and girls that age in general. What was the aim of creating this story, who were you hoping to talk to and what was it you felt you had to say to them?

AC – Thank you so much. I really like books that have a wide appeal, that have something for everyone. Many of my favourite series fans’ ages range hugely so I guess maybe it’s a natural way for me to create work (Cardcaptor Sakura, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Lord of the Rings…) For me, not having a voice when amongst my peers and the smothering feeling of loneliness and being misunderstood as a teenager was something I had rarely, perhaps never seen represented in books and comics I’d read, so I really wanted to voice it myself with this comic. With Star Bright, I was hoping to talk to that lonely girl who spends her school breaktimes at the library reading by herself, who begs her mum for sick notes, so she doesn’t have to go on school trips, the girl who’s always last to be picked in P.E., who never has a pair for group work. I’m sure there are lots and lots of Zoes out there in the world, and I wanted this book to find them somehow and let them know they’re not alone, and if they didn’t find them yet, there’s definitely a Star waiting for them.

ZL – It’s also surprising how, if you gave it as an elevator pitch, something seemingly sweet and so low stakes in terms of character arc, manages to be so engaging and supple in its storytelling. I genuinely came away feeling happy and like something good had happened in my day. Part of that was how well the art managed to communicate the characters feelings, both using body language, character interaction and then more subtle artistic effects, for example, when Star first goes and stays with Zoe’s friends. How much thought and how many tries did it takes to nail that approach? Did that solution just come naturally to you or did you think it through and try different approaches?

Double pages – illustrating what happened

and how it feels

AC – Wow, thank you. That means a lot to me! We spent a lot of time reworking the last chapter and a half or so, trying to figure out the emotional beats and get the height of the drama just right for the bus scene with Zoe and Star. Like you say, it’s a low-stakes story and I was always worried that it wouldn’t be enough to engage some readers. It’s hard to know how many tries and rereads it took to get the script right, since I was always working with Rob right up until I had even finished drawing the page to tweak lines of dialogue, etc. I can say however that there are almost no pages I drew more than once or that changed dramatically from their original thumbnail sketch.

ZL – Final question, I promise!

What are your plans for the future, would you like to do more comics and see them published, or stick to webcomics, or are you out of the comics games for a while?

AC – I would love to have my comics published someday, it’d be a dream to be published by somebody like First Second. But small steps, for now I’d like to try and successfully complete something solo and really indulge in my interests.

ZL – …and you Rob?

RZ – At the moment I’m (very slowly) working on a new story concept that may end up as a book. As for Star Bright, it’s over for now but we may always return to it in the future.

ZL – Thanx for all your time

  — Paper Underground Award announcement —

  all art copyright and trademark it’s respective owners.

content copyright iestyn pettigrew 2020

  the long list interview – Alice Clarke and Rob Zwesloot I spoke to Alice a long time ago and have been very slow in getting this interview up on the site, for which I apologise.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1234

Monday, October 29, 2018

 The inaugural Capital Comic Book Convention yesterday at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Ottawa was a success as far as Jee-Riz Comics & Appraisals was concerned. We covered expenses and went home with a bit of extra for all the hard work that my partner Chris put into gathering and pricing stock and setting up our booth in the dealer's room. My old body is sore from all the moving but I've got two weeks to recover before the next Capital Trade Show at the Jim Durrell Arena on November 11.

 The highlight of the con for me was talking with my pen pal Ryan from Kingston who I wished could have been able to attend. His fiancé was there and got him on the phone for me and I gave him a very brief report on how things were going. It was busy and noisy at the time so I might have said some things that were odd or confusing. Sorry about that Ryan. I also had a long discussion about the joy of comic books with an older collector named Steve. We went on and on about appreciating the art form. There was a moment of connection when we were talking about Barry Smith's art in Conan: Red Nails and he mentioned the panel where Conan spears the dinosaur. We could both picture that panel in our heads and knew exactly what each was talking about. That kind of enthusiasm and camaraderie never gets old. Steve made me even happier when he bought one of our old DC Digests. I hope he returns to buy the one reprinting the classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow story that Neal Adams drew. He remembered reading that when it hit the racks back in the early 1970s.

 I only managed to score four comic books off the racks to read and review after subscription service copies were pulled. I had to read Die! Die! Die! #4 and Silencer #10 before the store opened so I could put them on the racks to be sold. I'm sorry I can't write more reviews, but on the other hand it's less unpaid work for me. I would love to be able to just read comic books and not have to think of anything to say about them afterwards. I got a chance to do that during my shift last Wednesday. Heather did a bit of moving in Comet Comic's new space and had some racks and a table set up when I got to work. I moved the subscription service boxes downstairs and racked all the comics that were sitting in boxes so that they were displayed for sale. It's comfy and quiet down in the basement of Black Squirrel Books and I had time between our customers coming in to pick up their subscriptions. I was surrounded by bookshelves full of books but chose to  read comics to pass the time. I didn't expand my horizons much since I didn't want to read anything new that was ongoing. Since Marvel had a plethora of number ones that came out in the last month that were on the racks I read those. I originally passed on starting Spider-Geddon so I read #0 and #1. They were just as I thought they were going to be. The evil Inheritors have been resurrected and are on the hunt again for Spider-Folks throughout the multiverse. Too many universes and too many Spider-Folks to keep track of and the only one I really cared about was Miles Morales. He only had a cameo and they're already using the comics to shill for the next Spider-Man movie. Ugh.

 I also read a bunch of the new What If? comic books. The first one I read reminded me that Uatu the Watcher was dead because the guy introducing the story was good old Nick Fury on the moon. This guy took over watching over the Earth in one of the Secret Wars I think. Either that or it was another mega crossover Crisis. This was in "What If Flash Thompson became Spider-Man?". Flash was a jerk and he learns that with great power dot, dot, dot. It was okay. I also read "What If Peter Parker Became The Punisher?". Let's put it this way; Peter Parker is no Frank Castle. The others were worth reading but all of them weren't as fun as I remember the old What If?s being. What turned out to be fun was "Black Panther vs. Deadpool #1" and that is as it should be with Wade Wilson being his stupid self against the very serious King of Wakanda.

 I probably would have written reviews on all of the comics that I read but I didn't have my laptop with me. I won't be schlepping it to work until we're all set up downstairs and I have somewhere I can sit and write. It's weird that I want to pass on my thoughts about all the comics that I read. I think it's because of my obsessive compulsive need to keep doing reviews since I started writing these things. I'm addicted to giving people my opinions. Hello, my name is Kin and I'm an over sharer.

 Exorsisters #1 - Ian Boothby (writer) Gisele Lagace (art) Peter Pantazis (colours) Taylor Esposito (letters). Kate and Cate Harrow are twin sisters who retrieve souls from hell for a price. I really like the art because it looks as good as Dan DeCarlo's Archie comics but with a lot more detail. You'll see that the sisters aren't really twins in the conventional sense and that should keep you reading. Plus they fight demons but are not as taboo as Warrior Nun Areala.

 Die! Die! Die! #4 - Robert Kirkman & Scott M. Gimple (writers) Chris Burnham (art) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) Rus Wooton (letters). I love this hyper violent story about 4 identical brothers who are highly trained assassins. George is a douche bag who killed his brother Paul and tried to impersonate him. Paul's girlfriend Jennifer saw through the ruse and this issue starts off with a wicked fight scene as Jennifer avenges her boyfriend's death. I love the art in this and the humour too. I'll never eat rhubarb pie again. The other brother John just wants to be left alone but he is about to be visited by a whole lot of commandoes sent to kill him. I can't wait to see how those killers Die! Die! Die! next issue.

 Silencer #10 - Dan Abnett (writer) Patch Zircher (art) Mike Spicer (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). Hell-iday Road part 3. They jumped the gun with the cover showing Talia trying to kill Honor. Spoiler alert: Silencer and Quietus's alliance fails to kill Talia al Ghul. Oh, and their Freaky Friday adventure ends. I didn't like the art in this issue as much as I used to and I find the burden of Honor's husband and son to be tedious. I'm going silent on this book now.

 Action Comics #1004 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ryan Sook (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Invisible Mafia part 4. So why am I still reading this book but have stopped reading Superman? First of all the art is really good. Then there's the heartfelt relationship between Superman and Lois Lane. It's highlighted very well in this issue. The first page shows the screen of Lois's laptop and I read what was written on it and I think it sums up what the Man of Steel means to Brian Bendis. He has distilled Superman down to the essences of Truth, Justice and the American Way. I'll accept that for now and will keep on reading.

 Books of Magic #1 - Kat Howard (writer) Tom Fowler (illustrator) Jordan Boyd (colours) Todd Klein (letters). Tom told me he was going to be drawing this Sandman Universe title months ago but I had to keep the news secret and it was agony to do so. I am happy now to share with you my delight at seeing the book hit the racks. Tom was in high school when he first walked into Silver Snail Ottawa and showed me his sketchbook. I was amazed at how good his art was. I was particularly struck by his use of colour. When he told me that he hoped to have a career drawing comic books I knew that he would succeed and he's proven time and again how good he is at telling a story using sequential art. My favourite character to come out of Sandman is Timothy Hunter and I read all of the first Books of Magic series. This new one is starting off excellently and is very new reader friendly. Tim first appeared in 1990 and I always thought that Harry Potter was a rip off of Neil Gaiman's boy magician when I started reading J.K. Rowling's books in 1997. I am happy to say the TomKat did a great job of bringing Tim back.