I took a week off to work on Motherlover, expecting to get a BUNCH of pages done quickly… so enjoy this page that has three backgrounds in it, because work expands to fit the time you give it. (:
Establishing panels, man! They’re necessary, and I’m a LOT faster at doing them than I used to be. Sometimes I look back and think about how I agonized over having to do backgrounds in chapter one, now it’s just like… yeah, I can draw that room with a weird perspective, no prob. I can’t wait to see what I think is easier in a few chapters.
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, y’all! I’m so pleased to be bringin’ y’all this chapter during Pride. It’s become more and more important to me (and politically relevant, unfortunately) since it was first written, and I hope you like it too.
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TRANSCRIPT
Panel 1 (Alex scrutinizing the broken heel of her shiny shoe)
Alex: Weird… they weren’t broken when I put them away.
Panel 2 (Imogen leans over Alex’s shoulder, peering at a note found in the shoe)
Alex: Is that… a note?
Alex, quoting: Sorry for playing in your shoes and breaking them. Aiden and Adrian.
Imogen: …there’s no way those boys would apologize first.
Panel 3 (Adrian, Aiden, and Gavin relaxing in a room with two twin beds)
Imogen, off-panel: Boys!!
Panel 4 (Imogen poking her head around the door)
Imogen: Were you playing with Ms. Koenig’s shoes?
Panel 5 (Aiden, angry; Adrian, guilty)
Aiden: Why? No.
Adrian: We didn’t do it!
Aiden: Lucas made us not tell!
Adrian: Ssh! Ssh!
Panel 6 (Imogen, confused)
Imogen: …Lucas?
!!!!!!!
I hope this is shows Imogen that her kids weren’t better off under their dad!!!
Oh, I love that Lucas is in Alex’s house for this. A safe space 💛
hot moms & trans pride, what a start 🏳️🌈!
I would feel so violated if someone just waltzed into my room, and then my riffled through my drawers/closet, tried on my stuff, and then especially broke it. I feel the fact Alex is borderline still a stranger to these kids is emphasized by Imogen referring to her as “Ms. Koenig” . I dunno – I have personal history with this kind of thing, so my reaction may be too visceral, but I hope this is addressed. 🙁
It’s a normal thing for a kid to do in their parents’ room. So the question really is how close they actually are with Alex. It’s possible that she’s using that name as a “underline how serious this is” move. Like using the middle name.
Nah, I feel like its pretty normal for kids to refer to adults as mrs/mr soandso. Its like a show of respect/heirarchy. I graduated to using my friends parents names mid waybthrough college. Its still weird for me. But i think it depends on your community culture. Some places are more relaxed. Some are more formal.
Okay but the kids aren’t the one who used it – Imogen is. Imogen usually calls her Alex, so the question is “do the kids see her as a near stranger or as near family”.
Kids should know not to go snooping in a near stranger’s space.
Kid’s going into family’s room to play dress up – much more normal.
My sister and I would sometimes play dress-up from my mom’s closet, but also from my great aunt or my grandmother’s wardrobe. We usually had permission, implied or otherwise. The only times I didn’t ask permission to play dress up was when I took something from my dad’s side of the closet (when nobody else was home). Your comment made me see how that’s an invasion of privacy. But as a kid my intention wasn’t to snoop, I was just desperate to see myself in the mirror wearing forbidden masculine attire and I had no other outlets, no brothers with ties and suits to covertly “borrow” for a few minutes.
Could the fights at school be a result of Lucas being bullying for being feminine?
Also… I was not expecting to get hit with THIS bombshell after the glorious gay haircut reveal <3 <3 <3 Hoping for a wholesome and loving outcome.
UM WHAT
I WAS ABSOLUTELY NOT EXPECTING THIS DELIGHTFUL TURN OF EVENTS
I’m sorry about the shoes but I’m here for Lucas.
OH
LULU GETS SILVER SLIPPERS JUST LIKE DOROTHY 🥰 For real tho omg I thought I was overanalyzing things out of projection. I totally agree with the other comments so far that this sort of thing could *only* have happened in a home environment free and safe from the slime of toxic masculinity we call Jon. I can’t *wait* to see where this goes!
Oh! I hope they are understanding of Imogen’s kid and the need to experiment and try things. Glad this might be a safer space for exploration
I… had my suspicions, yes. Very interesting.
Am I the only one curious about the completely bald child on the bed?
You mean Aang?
Kidding, it’s just Gavin. Imogen gave him a buzz cut in the haircut arc.
Nope, you’re not.
YES!!! I knew it ugh I’m so glad this is where you’re going 💓