Riley's first time drinking reveals more than just her status as a light-weight. Jaden and Blaire work together to get her home safely while discussing the implications of what they learned. They learn more about each other, too.
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Welcome back, ladies. Thank you for waiting <3
🚨THIS IS NOT A DRILL, BREASTIES!!!! THE MOMENT IS HEEEEERE🚨
(Currently trying to decide if I’m gonna watch the premiere or save it as entertainment for my night audit shift)
ngl, natural Blaire got me thinking.
Thinking Thoughts.
(gay thoughts.)
Genuinely I think the best thing for them all is instead of them breaking up is just adding Jaden to their relationship like Blaire Jaden have so much chemistry together THEY WOULD BE PREFECT ALL TOGETHER PLEASE IM BEGGING OF YOU!!!!
The Blaire parts always feel so bittersweet, because you can see she’s not evil, she’s just extremely misguided. For example, she recognizes how religion is harmful against gay people, but doesn’t see how her own ideology does the same. I like her, I want her to have a redemption, but I think it probably won’t happen. Makes me think of some irl friends I have. When she gets really into the gender stuff it gets so annoying, and you KNOW she doesn’t mean any harm but she’s harming anyways.
(And dare I say no-makeup Blaire is really cute………hear me out…….)
Also Rusty. The Alexis callback. HOW DARE YOUUU I actually gasped out loud when it showed up on screen
Star Shifters. Oh, Star Shifters… I was expecting something bad and got something even worse. Well done. When they were about to do the gay kiss I thought, “one of them is gonna turn into a woman isn’t he.” And I was RIGHT!! I love how Jaden immediately knew that show was bullshit, and I find it amusing how the gendie fandom enjoyers took this very sexist caricature made by some lame conservative man and could only think of how Gender it was
And speaking of fandom, the fandom part at the end was so accurate it hurt lmao!! I’ve been a part of absolute insufferable fandoms before so I know exactly how it is. Really takes me back… Not only the gender stuff, but also how F/F ships get pushed aside + all that bullshit about how it’s great when female characters can get to be “strong AND feminine” because god forbid GNC women show up on screen
Anyways amazing chapter
I’M STILL WATCHING IT BUT I NEED YOU TO KNOW BIKERS4BIKERS AND MAKEUPLESS BLAIRE GOT EM ACTING UP
Rusty the pipe bomb has been sent.
I knew this (formerly) webcomic existed for a long time, but only recently got to binge it. First of all: Gosh, I *loved* watching the art & art style develop. That’s one of the greatest joys of such a project.
And also, BLESS YOU for this story that’s just really and genuinely focused on women (loving women), where gender-non-conforming doesn’t mean they/them or any other gender identity, but simply a woman who doesn’t play the role society expects, and is comfortable with that. I feel seen, and I appreciate it greatly!
I could probably go on for longer, but I think I’ll save that for another day. I’m looking forward to a reread of this comic, too! I can’t thank you enough for this work.
Now for the chapter – god, it was such a train wreck waiting to happen. In a good way, since the stakes aren’t that high. Blaire is… so well-intended but misguided, but also kind of difficult to get a proper read on? I don’t know; just from earlier parts, she feels like the type I wouldn’t want to disagree with too hard. (So I say, but I tend to be the type to still disagree regardless usually. lol) And Jaden is just too clueless to really take a hint at what Blaire is getting at. Good for her, wish I could unlearn and unsee all this stuff, too.
Star Shifters actually killed me. It’s peak in the way that it feels like something I’d watch to make fun of. It must’ve been fun to come up with it, too. lol
Admittedly, I wasn’t too happy about the format change. Generally speaking, I much prefer reading over watching when I have a choice, especially since I can read at my own pace, linger when I want to, and usually reading feels more immersive to me. But watching the chapter, I don’t have a single complaint. I couldn’t even say I’d prefer to still just read LB, because now that I’ve seen it in video format, it feels so perfect that I wouldn’t want to go back? If that makes sense.
Anyway, the Tumblr part near the end felt way, way too real. God, that hit close to home… I started to get back into writing fanfiction (F/F only, and I don’t give screentime to male characters when I can reasonably fill the role with a female character – not because I hate men, but because fandom and fanfiction specifically is so oversaturated with M/M and male characters, I don’t want to add more to what really, really doesn’t need it), and I made a Tumblr to go along with it and… god, the list of blocked tags and terms I have is so long, and I still occasionally find something new I have to add. It’s getting ridiculous.
Either way – thanks for the chapter! I can’t wait for the next one. (Good luck Riley, it’s not going to get easier any soon to avoid conflict… unless Jaden finds she can shift into a helicopter and flee with Riley after all. lol)
New Jasper outfit!! She’s so cute and gorgeous and I love her deeply. Martha-Jane, Star, Saturn, Jasper, they/them, she/her, he/him, I don’t give a fuck. Beautiful bisexual lady…..I love you….
I love you leasebound bisexuals….I love you Blaire and MJ and Alexis….I love you no makeup Blaire….
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!?! No-makeup Blaire is GORGEOUS, I love her!! Why must she have all that bullshit in her brain… Watching Blaire this chapter has been a little excruciating, she’s so well-meaning and sweet, but also wayyy too self-righteous… If Riley wants out, so help her, it’s gonna be HARD, because Blaire is by no means evil. She’s a sweetheart. She wants people she cares for to be comfortable and accommodated. She will inflict kindness on them if she must, whatever her definition of kindness.
Sigh
Also… Not Riley dropping the ‘I would disappear’ bomb and going right back to coma, UNDERSTANDABLE, GIRL, BEEN THERE!
I was dubious about the new format, but I love it, it’s so dynamic and great-looking, and the sounds make it more immersive, and it totally feels like one of my favourite pastimes: watching people play games. Thank you, Rusty! 💖
Ooh this was so good! gorgeous art as always, im upset blaire is cute, and I KNEW the starshifters creator would be some sexist/homophobic/trad person who is only ever called out for transphobia, that on top of the accurate lesbian in fandom experience, so good. Im one of the speedy readers who wasnt sure about the new format but this has won me over so much, its actually so immersive and its nice to sit and watch it rather than quickly checking a comic on my phone yknow and it really suits the story (plus this format also meant I could watch it with my wife, very enjoyable cheering/heckling experience)
I can’t believe I’m saying this but actually I kind of ship Jaden and Blaire XD
that ending described the Tumblr experience perfectly. I won’t say which fandom because I have many trans fandom friends (unsurprisingly, all of them are women, and most are straight. But sure, “extremely queer gay bois”) but one of my fandoms is full of “this character is so trans fem coded” (man who wears makeup in a scene). And the dreaded het sex in M/M or F/F ships. Fandom really loves to make gay sex straight and call it progressive
Sorry for going off on a tangent. I adored this chapter. And the intro and credits were super cute. I can’t wait for more!
Jaden being excited about Gay men being Repped and then the disappointment at that being taken away is the only true “ally” moment this episode.
I know Rusty wants this to be woman/lesbian centric (for good reason), but it would be a lie for me to say I didn’t appreciate the implied solidarity of “yay gay” as a gay man.
Girl. GIRL. I AM LIIIIIVIIIIIIIIIING AAAAAAH THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT I LOVED THIS!!!!!
Omg everything, the sound effects the graphics the cute little dating sim format omg RUSTTYYYYYYYY I love having you back and I want MOAAAAR. And the starshifter stuff was hilarious and crazy tbh haha, and don’t think I don’t see Ruth with her biking, riding, licking freaky aaah novel I see you you NASTY senior.
Also…whoo…highlight of the video though? Blaire without make up? Blaiiiire…Blaiiire…She could get iiiit kskjsjksjks
I admit that I’ll miss the comic format, but this video format is amazing! Worth the wait <3
Did I have to be up by 5 AM to get to work by 6? Yes.
Did I stay up til almost 1 to watch this? Also yes.
Was I, in turn tired, and late to work? Yes, ma’am.
Do I regret it? Hell NO.
All that being said: Rusty, you are a CRUEL woman. How DARE you give a flash of Alexis like that? I had a visceral reaction to that 😭
I don’t ship bladen but ngl, the whole “what’s your diagnosis, Dr. Anderson” thing made me blush. Dear God. Also Riley saying she’d dissappear if she could and then immediately passing out was both funny and sad 😭 my poor baby. Also, I want to personally thank you for giving Jaden’s muscles the definition they deserve. Talk about eye candy.
Anyway, great chapter!!! Worth the wait and I personally really love the format.
the wait was so worth it!!!! Firstly I was admiring how you drew blaire and her curls and thought she looked so cute and then she comes out of the shower??! HOT!!!! killing me how she was analyzing jaden the entire time and had no idea what was happening in the show lmfao. also the inclusion of fandom tumblr at the end is the reason I left it ten years ago. at the age of 16 (and I was starting to go through a libfem phase!) I recognized how fandom was gonna go downhill with how much focus there was on “trans rep” and the “q*eer umbrella” and I deleted my first account and never went back. the glimpses I catch of fandom tumblr look exactly what you showed and make me glad I left lol. I miss it sometimes, just for what it used to be and also the community