#yeah thats the stuff. i have normal feelings about character dynamics and there's nothing wrong with me.

[crimeronan]

i think hunter should get to be an insane guard dog for luz in more AUs / fics / art. not because it would fix either of them but because whatever's wrong with them is really really Really funny. and also because it For Sure beats being loyal to belos. like okay kid you're already out of your mind and will not stop being out of your mind without years of dedicated study. in the meantime you can be extremely crazy @ the best girl in the world it's fine.

[bellqmione]

okay so this time i wrote down stuff as it happened instead of after finishing it

tom and tim remind me of my dynamic with my little sister

"you are gonna make a killing" OH NO OH NO (foreshadowing?)

my ex bf's name is ethan. jumpscare

"my mom's a bitch!" girl same

i was mostly completely fine with linda's rudeness but it ticked me off when she started to mock becky's experience with domestic violence. kinda icky.

i would rather DIE than work retail omg

huh HE DIED??? WHAT

they got tom too???? HUH??

i'm sorry but that high school boy being santa is so fucking funny

oh thank fuck tom isn't dead, i like that guy

"if she'd been driving, she would have seen the other car…" JUST RIP OUT MY HEART NO BIG DEAL HUH???

"something about that woke something up inside me." prediction: did she kill stanley?

kim whalen… oh the actress you are <3

FUCK YEAH i was right

'take me back' is my favorite song so far

okay uh let's take it easy with the implied nsfw PLEASE

lmao i love the theological discussions surrounding wiggly

"MOTHER" "yes tjey're talking about me, gerald" okay, fuck, that was so funny i forgive her

starting a cult to obtain a doll is iconic actually. queen behavior

"i met god. he had nothing nice to say about you." personally i would pass away instantly if she said that to me, but maybe that's just me

i paused it at the wrong moment cause i unpaused and. HUH SHe KILLED HIM?? JUST LIKE THAT?

i actually like that linda isn't 100% likeable. makes her character feel more grounded.

i love becky shes so cool

i love tom and becky they're at once so normal and so evil together. don't ship them though

"you think that in the netherlands they'd give a shit about some toy?" home country jumpscare. can't talk for how people would react to wiggly here cause i don't really go out much. but personally i've never given a shit about any kind of plushie, even as a little kid lol.

powers?? okay sure more chaos

my favorite characters are tom and becky, followed by lex and linda

i love ships where they fuckin kill each other (/srs) you're so right about beckyxlinda

lol okay so the ending is kinda ambiguous but. i assume the town got fuckin nuked?

omg i remember ethan actually

YES. YES. i'm . officially voted the nr 1 linda fan on tumblr. and i 109% agree with you she is a cunt whos not happy with her own pathetic life and picks on others to make herself feel better. i hate ehr. i can fix her

ongggg i didnt expect u to like tom sm!!!!!!! i love that aw.

that song is SO good genuinely

YES THATS MY FAVORITE FUCKING LINE.

ong im so glad you agree....i have. Such a soft spot for best friends tom & becky. or queerplatonic maybe?

AHHHHHH BARNROE MENTION. theyre so bad theyre so perfect oh my GOD i have an essay somewhere theyre eveything to me ive never been more insnae about a ship genuinely.

yess they did in fact get nuked </3 omg. i love black friday sm & i love reading your notes hdjshdh /gen

<33 /p

[lillupon]

So, I've got a very long rant/opinion here and Idk really know how to say this without coming off kinda bad but I'm gonna say it anyways. I agree with the fact that the seventeen tag has been kinda dry lately on most fanfic places, but it's really only in the smut area. It's the sane way with other groups too I feel like. All of the nice little innocent tags are boomin to this day and thats completely fine. I think the smut tag is dry tho bc lately I feel like a few social issues (like sexualizing people and disrespecting them and their identity) have crossed over into kpop and have been ?blown out of proportion? Lately there's been a rampage of people who like to say that writing smut about someone is disgusting and is dehumanizing because people want to assume that it would make the idols uncomfortable which could equate to some morality issues on how you are reducing someone only to their body without their consent and a bunch of stuff like that. It kind of pisses me off bc this is fiction. About grown adults. Clamping down on horny people who simp over hot asian men isn't going to solve the issues we face in real life. I think a shit ton is wrong with the world we currently live in, and deciding to come after something that isn't even real bothers me. Like what does that actually accomplish. But yeah, I think thats a reason why smut has been dying down. I mean, on youtube almost every video about unpopular opinions, or things they dont like about kpop will include something about shipping idols in fanfics. And then everyone in the comment section will talk about how its all fine and dandy in moderation, but once people start writing smut it's crossing the idols personal boundaries. It's something I've been seeing a lot more often and I think people who are interested in writing smut are being turned away from it bc we've gotten to a point where people are being called disgusting for having fantasies.

Hi Anon, thank you for sending in this Ask. 

I want to preface this by saying: when I write or talk about Mingyu and Wonwoo fucking on my blog, it is a fantasy. I am not speculating about what the real Mingyu and Wonwoo might be like in bed. I am imagining the versions of Mingyu and Wonwoo that I have created in my head, that exist only in my stories. None of it is real. I understand that this can be a blurry boundary for some people. But for me, the separation between fantasy and reality is well-defined. Now, on to your Ask!

You’ve hit the nail on the head with this one. You’ve also touched on many of the issues I have been struggling with myself as of late. It’s difficult to argue about morals since everyone has a different set of values, as well as different comfort levels. Some people think real person fiction (RPF) is a gross invasion of privacy. Others are fine with it. And others don’t care one way or another. There is no single answer; I can only offer my answer. Which means, of course, people are welcome to disagree with it, or parts of it. 

In this essay (LOL But forreal: this is an essay), I will be sharing my experience in the k-pop fanfic community from 2014 to present, the etiquette I personally abide by as a reader and writer of RPF, as well as my stance on RPF in general.

I started reading and posting fanfics back in 2014/2015 on a website called AsianFanfics (AFF). Obviously, no one on that site had a problem with RPF, since AFF is a platform made specifically for sharing stories about Asian celebrities. For many years, I read and enjoyed RPF with zero guilt. I scribbled away by myself in my own corner of fandom and curated my own content. I didn’t interact much with other fans, readers, or writers. I didn’t have a Twitter, and I only used tumblr to reblog memes. As a result, I’ve been able to avoid a lot of anti-shipping discourse, as well as purity and cancel culture. I had no idea there were so many negative opinions about RPF. It wasn’t until I became active on the subreddit r/Fanfiction last year that I learned about all the discourse surrounding RPF. 

This newfound ‘awareness’ does make me feel guilty at times—but only because after mulling this over, I still don’t think this is something to feel guilty about.

Here’s what I remember, first and foremost, when I create and consume RPF: fanfics and my favourite ships are fictional, and fiction is fantasy. This is basic etiquette when it comes to RPF, and most people in the k-pop fandom understand this. Delusional fans exist, of course, but they are not representative of the entire k-pop community. 

Another point of etiquette is to keep fanfics within fandom spaces. I would never push my fics into celebrities’ faces, or go around claiming that my fanfics are accurate representations of a k-idol’s life or personality, in any way, shape, or form. I would also discourage directing ship-related questions to official accounts, or bringing them up during fansigns or other face-to-face interactions; I believe that in these instances, shipping does have the potential to strain real-life relationships.

So with basic etiquette out of the way, let me share my approach to RPF in general.

As much as we like to think we know our favourite celebrities, we really don’t. All we see is their public persona. And this public persona is intentionally controlled, managed, and curated by a team of people: directors, tabloids, editors, makeup artists, publicists, etc. How “real” are these celebrities? We are so distanced from them that they may as well be fictional.

I draw from the public persona that idols project, and I work them into my own writing. But at the end of the day, these personalities are my own interpretation. My interpretation is probably nothing like an idol’s actual personality. I just use the “public persona/character” that idols portray as inspiration for my own stories, which are set in wildly different universes.

More than anything, I think of k-pop idols as “actors” in my fic. You know how when you write an original novel, you scroll through Google images, looking for the perfect person to portray your original character? RPF is literally that, except you might build upon pre-existing dynamics and personalities.

When it comes to explicit fanfiction, two main concerns are prevalent: one of consent, and one of sexualisation.

If we argue against explicit RPF due to lack of consent, we should be willing to apply the same lens to all explicit works. How do we know that the creator of a movie, book, series, etc., is okay with us using their characters in our stories, explicit or not? We don’t. Perhaps some creators encourage fanfiction, but don’t want their lovingly crafted characters engaging in sexual acts or experiencing trauma. We just don’t know. I feel this line is even more blurred when we talk about characters from movies or TV series.

Let’s take Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, as portrayed by Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan, from the Captain America movies as an example. I am willing to bet that when people consume and create explicit fanfiction about Steve and Bucky, they are imagining Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan in their heads. I doubt many people are imagining the 2D cartoon versions of Steve and Bucky, even though they’re technically the exact same characters. Why? Well, it could be because movies are more readily and easily consumed than comics, and so people are unfamiliar with comic book Steve and Bucky. But it might also be because fans find Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan attractive. Is this really any different from RPF, where fic authors make up everything about a celebrity’s life?  

When readers and writers of fanfic talk about how hot Steve Rogers or Bucky Barnes is, those comments are about Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan’s bodies. When reading explicit stories, fans are going to picture Chris and Sebastian’s bodies in their head, doing sexual things. Can we say, “Well, it’s not really you, Chris/Sebastian”, when in a way, it is?

The reality is, people are going to thirst over celebrities, regardless of whether or not explicit fanfiction exists. They’re going to post thirst tweets on Twitter. They’re going to talk to friends and strangers online about how hot [insert celebrity name here] is. They’re going to fantasize about dating and having sex with their favourite celebrity. Or, as it is in my case, they’re going to make up stories in their heads about their favourite idols dating and banging each other. People are going to do all of this without ‘getting consent’ from the celebrity. Cracking down upon and shaming writers of RPF isn’t going to change any of that.

To be honest, I’m not sure why people think it is disgusting to imagine sexual scenarios about real people. It is okay and normal to have these kinds of fantasies. I suppose the alternative is to fantasise about having sex with cartoon characters instead? It’s a very binary way of thinking to say that if you imagine/write real people in explicit scenarios, you are immediately sexualising, dehumanising, or objectifying them. There is more to dehumanisation than writing smut about our favourite celebrities. For one thing, you can love someone and appreciate all parts of them, and still want to fuck their brains out. And generally, fanfics come from a place of love—love that is not only sexual in nature.

Is it the sharing aspect inherent to fanfiction? The possibility that a celebrity might stumble upon explicit works about them? The chances are very low, I think, of the k-pop idols I enjoy writing about coming across my English fics. But I also believe in curating your own content, and that applies to celebrities too. Perhaps a celebrity should not go searching for fanfics about themselves. And of course, people should not show celebrities their fanfics, unless invited.

Another argument I hear against (explicit) RPF is, “How would you feel if someone wrote fanfiction about you?” First off, I don’t like this argument because there’s a difference between someone who decides to be a public figure versus someone who decides to remain a regular private citizen. Celebrities should and do know what they’re getting into when they choose their occupation. (This is not to say, “They are celebrities; sexualise them all you want because that’s what they signed up for.” Here, I am only acknowledging that people might have sexual fantasies about celebrities they are attracted to. Presumably, celebrities are cognizant of this.)  

If someone (whose existence I am not even aware of, mind you) decides they want to write explicit fanfiction of me in some tiny corner of the Internet, I wouldn’t care so long as: (1) they don’t shove it into my face, and (2) they don’t harass me and ask invasive questions about my personal life and relationships. It’s not hurting me or negatively affecting my life, so it wouldn’t even register as a blip on my radar. When fanfiction remains within its appropriate spaces, it is largely harmless. 

Now, if a k-pop idol were to ask their fans to stop writing fanfiction about them, would I? Yes, I would. However, I can’t imagine that happening. Judging by the number of ‘sexy’ concepts, fanservice moments, and variety shows such as ‘We Got Married’, I am certain that k-pop idols realise they are the stars of many fantasies—some of which are explicit in nature. Considering the prevalence of shipping in the k-pop industry, I would argue that shipping is subtly encouraged.

It’s sad that so many talented writers are shamed out of fandom, or feel that k-pop cannot be the medium through which they tell their stories, or explore their sexuality, or cope with trauma, or simply have fun. Professional works and Hollywood love their RPF—readers and writers of fanfics should be able to, as well. 

As you said Anon, “clamping down on horny people who simp over hot asian men isn't going to solve the issues we face in real life” (this is a lovely sentence, by the way). The kind of person who dehumanises another and reduces them to a sexual object will do so some other way, if not via fanfiction. I don’t think the issue of fetishisation can be fixed simply by telling people not to write explicit RPF. In my experience, people who read and write RPF are more respectful and thoughtful about these things than the general public. We’ve all seen the general public say highly sexual things about celebrities in the media and to their faces, or tag celebrities in their thirst tweets. Are these things less invasive than fanfiction? Personally, I don’t think so. And in my opinion, there are more pressing and damaging issues in stan culture than fanfic.

In conclusion, I don’t think there is anything wrong with creating and consuming RPF, both explicit and non-explicit so long as we:

Remember we are writing fiction

Keep RPF within its appropriate space, and

Do not harass celebrities about their personal lives and relationships

RPF is not for everyone. There may be people who enjoy RPF, but draw the line at explicit stories. This is fine. Everyone has their own personal preferences. What is not fine, however, is attacking people for creating things you don’t like. I’m not sure what kind of moral crusade people are on and what they hope to achieve by shaming writers of RPF, explicit or otherwise. Ultimately, fic authors are writing a fantasy. It’s not real; no one is being hurt. I think it’s important for people to curate their own content, and AO3 makes it very easy to filter out explicit works and unwanted tags. 

Maybe this is me trying to justify my own participation in explicit RPF—I don’t know. What I do know is that I love k-pop, and fandom is an important part of my media and entertainment experience. I adore the k-pop idols I write about, and I just want to imagine them being happy and getting lots of love and orgasms. Let a bitch be horny, goddamn… 

Some bonus fun facts!

At the time I am writing this, on AO3:

26.2% of Stray Kids fanfics are rated M or E

26.3% of Seventeen fanfics are rated M or E

29.0% of Merlin fanfics are rated M or E

34.9% of Captain America (Movies) fanfics are rated M or E

40.1% of BTS fanfics are rated M or E ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Coincidentally, I saw this post on Reddit this morning: Can we have a RPF positivity post?

[starrypawz]

Ok i don’t tend to talk much about ace stuff on here but that post I reblogged pretty much summed things up for me? (It’s hard to work out your orientation full stop)

I’d rather people not reblog this post ok

Also apologies because I ended up rambling a lot 

I sort of grew up just like ‘Well i guess I’m straight?’ I remember ‘learning what gay and lesbian meant’ before I finished primary school (probably not in a necessarily positive way because kids are assholes like that but you know I knew what they were) and that I knew that people get married and so well... I guess I’d eventually get married? (Not necessarily an ace thing but I never like really imagined stuff to do with that)

But I remember in primary school when boyfriends and girlfriends started happening and being a bit like ‘uh ok?’and like talking about people being attractive and like ‘uh ok? I don’t get this’

But I mean I was an awkward nerd kid (I still am an awkward nerd ok) and it was like ‘Well I’m not interested? Why are people interested? I’d rather just keep reading books and doing other stuff that everyone seems to have outgrown’ I’m just a kid ok. 

I didn’t have a lot of friends and spent a lot of my childhood and teens quite socially isolated in all honesty. I know in a sense probably some of my social development was a bit jacked up. Also chuck in dyspraxia too and it’s a bit of a mess over there,

I  grew up in a Christian household, now it wasn’t so much like ‘you are banned from dating’ or anything but my parents didn’t talk much about relationships and stuff with me, they’ve never pressured me like ‘You need to date’ or ‘Get married’ or ‘Grandkids now!’ but that and a Christian school sort of just like enforced ‘You just don’t talk about sex, that’s for when you get married and you get married cause you’re supposed to GOD WILL LEAD YOU TO THE RIGHT PERSON’  like not directly? but it was there it wasn’t normal to talk about this stuff

I think when I was around 16 I sort of had a few thoughts like ‘i guess a boyfriend would be nice? I don’t know’ but didn’t put much thought in it, guessed I’d maybe find someone. At 16 I was suddenly chucked back in the real world and around ‘normal’ people my own age after leaving my weird church school . I remember a few cases of ‘we’re talking about sex ehehehe sex!’ and I was just incredibly uncomfortable in those conversations but I mean i was a weird sheltered kid so ofc i’d be uncomfortable right? 

Also online growing up I was sort of exposed to slash and shipping and was a bit like ‘uh ok i don’t get this? people do this but why? IT’S WEIRD’ (thats changed ngl)

Then in about 2012 (20-21 y/old)  at this point for some reason I got it in my head to try online dating? i found a website/app that seemed pretty friendly. I met a guy we start talking we’re getting along pretty well he seems nice. It’s nearing the time there’s a con, there’s a vague idea ‘hey if i go we can meet up in person’, he makes suggestions we should hook up, I’m like ‘Uh I’m not sure’ (I mean we’ve not met in person and so you know it doesn’t seem safe and tbh that was probably the good option anyway) but he seems ok with it we agree to keep talking but that doesn’t happen we can’t get past that awkward hump. I also at that point had gone from ‘further education college’ to ‘unemployed and on benefits’ it was in all not a great point, we don’t talk again It’s not just the awkward conversation but also the mental state I was in.

Then i remember starting to think, starting to sit down. I’d kinda come across the term Ace in a community I was in that wasn’t tumblr but didn’t think much of it other than ‘ok that’s a thing’ but yes tumblr educated me a heck of a lot about stuff ok. I started thinking

Wait why do i think I’m straight? I have no evidence for this? wtf? WHAT IS GOING ON OVER HERE PLEASE SEND HELP

I mean that stuff above all reasons why maybe I was but just very sheltered and lacking a social network as it were (as in a network of people) to go out and hey go and find mr dream man?  I’m just a late bloomer, it’s not the right time, I’m not looking for a relationship right now

But then it was like ‘wait i’ve never crushed on anyone i think? not really?’ ‘Not really on any celebs or people I’ve known or seen?’ and yeah it threw me for a loop a bit. 

Then yes it started clicking I didn’t really seem to feel anything? About anyone?No matter the gender. I mean other than ‘well aww relationships seem nice? I like reading stuff about them? I like seeing happy couples?’ but me in one? me perusing one? wtf is all that about? 

I could see someone and it’s like ‘oh that’s a nice looking person’ but it’s like ‘ok and what does she do with this information?’ people would talk about I WANT TO SLEEP WITH THIS CELEBRITY/MARRY THEM and I’m like ‘I would like to be friends with them? i would like to meet them they seem a nice person’ 

Over time I got used to sex scenes and talking about sex and I learned more about it. it no longer makes me uncomfortable, I’ll discuss it for characters cause ‘hey it’s sort of an element of character development’ and ‘it can be part of a couple’s dynamic’ like ‘Well sex happens’  and well sometimes it can be funny or sweet to come up with scenarios that happen between two characters and so forth. 

I enjoy reading and writing relationships, i enjoy seeing strong couples, i enjoy shipping them together and so forth. I think that stuff is good. Please give me all the media with good relationships, let me embrace the diversity and so forth.

This process of ‘unpacking’ probably took two years and then for for 2 years? I think I’ve been like ‘Ok I’m like 99.8% sure I am ace in some form?’ the little bit is to cover ‘i might be something else and don’t know it yet’ 

I doubt it quite often though that little ‘Maybe I’m a bit screwed up?’ ‘Maybe I’m just too sheltered/too much of a hermit to meet people’ and so on. it’s tiring being under the Questioning Q at times.

But that’s it, it’s just like ‘Nothing there’, it is like that scene from Bojack Horseman with Todd for me. I understand what makes someone ‘sexy’ apparently according to mainstream standards, I can identify an attractive person, I know what love is, I know what relationships are, i know what sex is and so forth but it’s all theoretical? 

It’s like.. how a bird flies I may be able to learn everything about it and then tell you how a bird flies  but I don’t have wings I can’t actually experience what it is to fly with a pair of wings. I just know about it but I don’t seem to feel it. There’s a disconnect of some sort between it and myself like ‘the info is there but what do i do with it?’ fish and a bicycle.

I’m not scared of relationships or commitment, i’m not scared of intimacy and sex i think, I kind of want intimacy (I’m kinda lonely at times in all honestly)  it’s not like I want to run away from it as such. I do think I kind of maybe want a romantic relationship at least once but as to with who I am not sure. But in a sense the thought of entering dating seems a bit of a mindfield considering I can’t even answer ‘Who do you like?’ at this point. And well i’m pretty sure ‘mainstream dating’ is not the place for me, it’s a scary place. 

As far as I can tell I’m not ill, everything works as it should do. Nothing physically/chemically wrong with me. 

I’ve generally been ‘ok’, but then at the same time i’m not really out. I mean to ‘real life’ people I know. People I think just assume I’m chronically single or something. I’ve had a few conversations with people where I’ve just wanted to yell I AM ACE I DO NOT KNOW LEAVE ME ALONG OK PLS THANK YOU

I can’t say if I’m an ‘aroace’ I’m not sure, i don’t think I’m aro but then I can’t really say if I particularly experience romantic attraction to people either I’m still muddling this out over here and have no idea in what direction that’s going to go if any. 

I guess end of this, I am going to be 25 in a couple of days, and well. I’m like 99.8% I am asexual in some form.  

I am ace. 

[comicteaparty]

January 21st-January 27th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from January 21st, 2019 to January 27th, 2019.  The chat focused on Helsirvente by khkddn.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Helsirvente by khkddn~! (http://helsirvente.webcomic.ws/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PST), so keep checking back for more! You have until January 27th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 3. Who do you think Helsirvente is? For that matter, what do you think Helsirvente is? Ultimately, what theories do you have on Helsirvente’s goals considering they involve a lot of murder that has specific signs on the body?

QUESTION 4. How exactly do you think the red ghost from the first arc knows Helsirvente and what does that have to do with their rage? Additionally, who was the ominous green ghost who helped save Edith?

QUESTION 5. Given its continual mentions, how might Edith’s possession in the first chapter continue to affect their future ghost hunting? Do you believe Edith is dealing with it, or are there going to be long-term emotional effects for a long time to come?

snuffysam

1. For me, it'd have to be the end of chapter 2. Figuring out Roswell's power and discovering the baby boy that he is (except not really) was just real fun.

snuffysam

2. For the main characters... I'm gonna say Edith. I like how she's the risk taker of the group (particularly when it comes to impressing Sadie). for minor characters... Trash Reaper over Jacques.

3. Helsirvente eats ghosts, according to the last couple pages

due to... hunger, i guess

Not sure what's up with the specific body signs though. Helsirvente poking metaphorical holes in their victims so that their spirits don't blow up in the proverbial microwave?(edited)

Red Ghost was probably killed by Helsirvente

though if that's the case, what's up with Helsirvente killing someone, then leaving their ghost in an abandoned spot for years? Seems like you wouldn't get a great dinner that way

khkddn

I mean we've all forgotten stuff in the microwave before, right, maybe that's what happened

Or she doesn't taste good

snuffysam

i suppose we wouldn't be able to meet both red ghost and roswell if they tasted good

or the hound

or i guess trash reaper and jacques?

khkddn

Who would have thought, a ghost going by the name of Trash, would taste bad

snuffysam

jacques probably tastes like snails

khkddn

That's what he RP's he is, but he's more like a cheeseburger(edited)

Delphina

Just caught up on the comic! Reminds me a lot of Paranatural in its subject matter and banter! XDDD

Edith is pretty decisive and definitely stands out as the most memorable protagonist to me of the four. I like that Sadie is taking a more proactive interest in the "hitting stuff with crowbars" department, though, since the guys just seem to take more passive roles of standing back and/or sassing.

Of the ghosts, Trash Ghost is definitely a very lovable kind of delusional. I also like Green Ghost. It seemed so happy about seeing people!

I think my favorite scene so far is the one where they defeat Roswell's illusions with bird puns. Can't go wrong with bird puns.

khkddn

ah thanks, paranatural was one of my inspirations for the comic hah

RebelVampire

QUESTION 6. Do you think Sadie is a murderer as her fear-induced illusion accused her of being? If so, how did it happen and who do you think the illusion entity was supposed to be?

RebelVampire

1) Any of the scenes where Edith is interacting with the red ghost whether real or illusion. THey are creepy af in the most excellent way between their visuals and pacing. And I like in general just how dangerous the situation feels whenever the red ghost is about. 2) Theo. I like the idea that their supposed ghost expert in the group is also the most cowardly. And I also how comically he tries to play off his cowardice but then at other times flat out acknowledge it. And inevitability I'm really interested in seeing his character growth and how he overcomes these things. 3) I'm gonna take the implication to be that Helsirvente is a spirit of some sort. Maybe the spirit of a serial killer who was like "Hey I can kill ever more ppl when dead cause they can't hurt me." Although I think Helsirvente is actually killing people hoping to steal ppl's ghost powers. And the more traumatic the death, the more power they get or something like that. I think this fits in well why some ghosts aren't eaten as Roswell implies Helsirvente does. That or the ghosts have to take time to marinate to be good enough to eat.

4) Red ghost I assumed was killed by Helsirvente but then Helsirvente mehed and moved on. So red ghost basically died for nothing thus her unending rage. As for the green ghost...no one good. I do not trust the green ghost at all. There's being happy to interact with people and then there's being a massive creeper about it. I would not be surprised if the green ghost turned out to be helsirvente. 5) I do not think Edith is dealing with the posession at all. I think emotionally she's trying to live in denial and move on rather than confronting how scared she was even after the fact. I think once she does come to terms shes not invulnerable, she's gonna learn to be less reckless during their adventures. 6) im gonna ballpark guess: the illusion entity was meant to be her father that she killed in self defense when he was being abusive. although even if not her dead, im sitting firm that i think she totally definitely killed him and that it was a self defense sort of situation

Delphina

Yah, I could see it being Sadie's father or older brother figure and she's got some strong trauma that's being interpreted as "I killed him" through the guilt lens. Perhaps that's why she was so excited to join Edith's ghost group in the first place.

"Maybe I can talk to him/explain things/apologize if I can see him again."

snuffysam

or maybe she was little and that guy was driving a car that swerved from hitting her

khkddn

Oh interesting theories :o

Delphina

Is "Helsirvente" supposed to be pronounced like "Hell Servant"?(edited)

khkddn

It's "hell sir ventay"

Or "hell sir vahnt" but I think I'm the only person in the world who's thought to pronounce it that way, so the other one is how the characters say it

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. The story emphasizes Roswell’s illusions can be future fears, so which fears (if any) do you think were those future fears? What do you think they predict for the story?

RebelVampire

(the archive for the chat on sunstrike and bluemist is now available~! @ShaRose49 https://comicteaparty.com/post/182287769955/january-14th-january-20th-2019-ctp-archive)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 8. Do you think when all is said and done that Mariel will come to trust Edith and company? Will Roswell get to move into the diner as well? Lastly, why was Mariel so freaked out upon learning they knew about a Helsirvente corpse?

RebelVampire

7) comically i hope its this clown http://helsirvente.webcomic.ws/comics/102/ that was a future fear. cause always gotta take the opportunities to make clowns terrifying. also mothman. cause mothman illusion was adorable. but more seriously i think the red ghost illusion thing had an aura of both. like thats a fear thatll just keep on giving cause of all the illusions that one seemed the most ominous. but either way i definitely think they arent done with getting into more ghost trouble 8) i think mariel might have been freaked out cause perhaps the corpses somehow attract helsirvente? cause that sounds like a logical reason to be terrified of them and be suspicious of anyone who might have contact with helsirvente. i dont think mariel will trust so much as just tolerate. assume that there are bigger fish to fry and that murdering human children isnt productive. so yeah, i think theyll let roswell move in. roswell can learn to dramatically roleplay and gain some confidence.

Delphina

Roswell: I'm gonna be a LARPer like the cool kids! =D Zander: Oh buddy we gotta have a talk about the cool kids...

khkddn

lol, Roswell would be a great larper

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. How do you believe the increasing danger of the ghost hunts will affect all the characters? Specifically, how might their relationship dynamics be effected?

Delphina

That's an interesting question because it feels like we already started on a pretty high note of danger/life-threatening in the first chapter. It's only really Zander and Theo's conversations with Sadie that we got any indication this level of danger in ghost hunts was atypical for them. So I wonder if Zander and Theo are going to reconsider their role in this and want to back away from all this (I don't have a strong sense of their characters/motivations at this point, so really not sure). I suspect with the possession and Edith's strong-headed nature, she's just gonna get in over her head more and more but be too stubborn to admit it because she's always felt like the one in control. Sadie is sorta in the middle because this is new to her and she doesn't have a sense of normal yet, and it seems like she might be seeking closure for the dude she "killed" in all this, so I expect that to be a further motivation for her and hope to see more details about her past as we go.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 10. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

snuffysam

the thing I'm looking forward to most is seeing these characters grow. I fell in love with all four of these idiots through the first few chapters, and now I want to see how they develop over the rest of the comic.

khkddn

they're gonna change, but still prolly be idiots unfortunately

overall it's been neat hearing what people think will happen next!

Delphina

I really like the episodic nature and how each part reveals a little more about the big secret stuff at the core. The balance of snark and horrific is also fun. I hope we see a little more about the human characters' lives, both in and outside of ghost hunting.

khkddn

im glad you like the balance of silly and scary. sometimes i think it's veering a bit too much on the silly side tbh

Delphina

Oh yeah, I get that. Specifically comparing it to Paranatural, I feel like the silliness is less... dense, which still gives room for a lot of creepy ambiance, where Paranatural feels like a comedy story first and a dramatic horror distant second.

I think also there's a difference between wisecracks/goofs (which come from the teenage humans being teenage humans) and other kinds of humor (like the Diner Ghosts), and feeling out that balance so that both don't detract from the "whoa heck murdered people" vibe is tricky.

khkddn

My main worry in that respect is a reader gets to the murder parts and is like "what? this is a violent story??? where are the goofs" haha so if there's a noticeable creepy vibe that's good

RebelVampire

9) I think for now the supposed increased danger is fine, but I think that just means it's gonna build up. THey're gonna keep trying to go back to normal, only to have to finally blow up emotionally and accept maybe what they thought was normal wasnt normal. or that normal has changed. I think this is gonna put strain on all their relationships. Everyone will be frustrated with Theo's cowardice, Edith's strong headedness, and so forth. And I think at the end its gonna make them question all their friendships but inevitably strengthen it as they learn to bond over the danger and that working together is better than being alone. 10) like Delphina, im kind of hoping to see more of their lives outside of ghost hunting. i think itll be an interesting contrast that shows how their ghost hunting adventures are kind of crazy and such. but overall i think itll just reveal interesting stuff about the charas that may add context to stuff as their ghost hunting adventures continue.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Helsirvente this week! Please also give a special thank you to khkddn for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Helsirvente, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://helsirvente.webcomic.ws/

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