#also who is the black ball of floof in the background there?

[comicteaparty]

July 20th-July 26th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from July 20th, 2020 to July 26th, 2020.  The chat focused on Ring Spell by Artem Ficta.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Ring Spell by Artem Ficta~! (http://ring-spell.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until July 26th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Feather J. Fern

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic? I like how it seems lighthearted at first, but knowing Artem it's going to drop the ball on us really soon haha.(edited)

Also I always love how the backgrounds are, they look great.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Hahah, it's a shame I didn't get one more update up XD Thank you so much, Feather~!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

well, the CTP is gonna run for the rest of the week...

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

I can't finish the next 8 pages by then XD

My guess is they'll be up the week after next

RebelVampire

For the beginning, I'm with Feather and I like how quickly the comic transitions from just lalala happy school to oh wait there's weird shit going on. I really like stories where the status quo is quickly ripped out from under your feet. My favorite moment in the comic so far is probably the most recent scene when we get to see Lyall's apartment and ya know, Claire starts dropping all these bombshells on us. The scene is the epitome of "Well that escalated quickly" and its just loaded with so much info to unpack. My favorite character right now is Claire. One because she seems the most sensible and mysterious, and two because I love Claire's hair so much and I'm so jealous and want such floof beautiful hair. ;3; As for characters I like see interacting the most, probably Claire and Lyall and they have some really good banter and a relationship, insofar, that's just kind of hilarious in its brutal honesty. A close second for me is Claire and Tasha as it quickly switches from happy smiles to probably most likely to have a catfight in the hallway.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Catfight in the hallway, lolol. Makes me want to draw them dressed like cat girls XD

RebelVampire

No not that sort of catfight

probably

O_O

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

comic turns into a catgirl fetish comic

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

1. I like how the first word is Zenchav which was the title of the comic this is a hard reboot of XD 2. My favorite moment was Lyall sticking his hands up Damon's shirt XD I really like how it was drawn and it's the most Lyall thing ever to do. 3. My favorite character overall is Damon, although it's probably Lyall at this point in the story. But I like them all of course XD 4. Damon and anybody, lol. I like when I get to draw him XD 5. I've been trying out a new shading style with this since I almost exclusively just hard shaded before, so it's nice to be branching out a bit and trying some new things. The Intro page is probably my favorite atm.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Theory: Lyall sticking his cold hands up Damon's shirt is how he drains Damon's energy, because secretly he's the witch.

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Oh no! XD that would be a twist!

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Oh snap!

mathtans

Hmmm, so we ship Claire and Tasha then?

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

I don't not ship Tasha and Claire >v>

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Drew that picture of them

RebelVampire

We should indeed all suspect Lyall. I mean no parents, lives alone, yet somehow affords everything? That's witchery.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

How does he afford all that stuff

does he sell drugs on the side or something XD it is suspicious

mathtans

1. I'll mostly echo everyone else here in terms of the start seems pretty straightforward and makes one wonder how the teaser page fits into it all. I'll add a remark on the subtle details of world building, like you've got your digital alarm... and dude straight up has a TAIL, and it's like, no comment, that's normal too.

2. Favourite moment was probably recruiting Claire into the cosplay skit. It's like, hello new person, oh you want to associate with us? Then you need the proper accessories, and Claire's all 'Um, I'm not sure... prop weapons? Uh, okay then...' Cosplay is a force to be reckoned with. (nods)

3. Fave character... yeah, may have to echo Rebel here and go with Claire. Possibly because she's the first chapter name, and like the reader is coming into this new situation, so can get behind her trying to figure it out... but also because I'm big on the time/space bureau stuff and that sounds like a cool job to get.

Damon has a cool cane and has the mysterious ailment afflicting his cosplay though, so he's my fave guy at the moment. (Werewolf blood? Moon thing? Dunno.)

4. I honestly do like the Tasha/Claire interactions the most, because each of them seems to have something to hide, and so you're kind of wondering if and when one of them might slip up. The other girl interrupting with the paint was classic, and I felt it helped break tension. The ship picture (which I imagine won't show in the log) is kind of representative of that with the chessboard too, like they're making moves against the other (though I'm not yet convinced that one is a witch, could be a setup).

Of course, I'm very biased towards the yuri, so grain of salt for my opinions and all. And while the ship was a humour comment at first, I think I'm more into it after seeing a "catfight" could play out.

All that said, the Lyall/Damon interactions are equally good. Lyall's perversion sometimes saying the quiet part out loud.

5. I recognize the art style, have read some of the work before (under different name). Always find the hair impressive, like here you get the impression of each individual strand except that's not actually what's drawn... you can still see the neat ears, Claire having some strands that fall in front of her too. The shading is really good too, like definitely shades of grey, not just black and white.

Kind of echoing the author there, but I can see it.

I'm so bad with themes and need to charge computer, will be back later. o.o

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

I love all this input Math, thank you ;3;/

RebelVampire

@mathtans You have no idea how happy I am that someone noticed the tail that nobody seemed to comment on.

RebelVampire

What I like about the art is how clean and crisp everything is cause mmmm that sexy lineart you can just paint bucket when needed. <3 I like that the comic explores the idea of having someone you've known your entire life possibly be evil. Cause it opens up a lot of questions. Like should you doubt? Should you trust? And at which point have you hit the point of betrayal? So I'm glad we'll get to see a bit of this tackled as Lyall and Claire look for evidence. As for the overall story, I like that there's just lots of questions going on. It's a theorists dream. But I find the more mysteries a comic has, the more engaging it is. Because even when you know the answer, it's interesting everytime to see the characters reach that answer. As for the comic's strengths, see the above and the art. It's super pretty and clean to look at, has some fantastic emotive faces during the more comedic moments, and there's just lots to theorize and look forward too. ;3;

Now I will proceed to weep as someone who beta read the script and actually can't theorize cause I just know .

mathtans

Others may have noticed but not been sure what to say? (Does the tail turn into the cane?)

6. Ok, themes... could be a theme of belonging in there. Like Claire being accepted into the group, like Lyall wondering if she's only talking to him to get to Damon, that sort of thing? Then there's the idea Rebel raised of thinking you know someone but not necessarily knowing them.

Of course, there's also credibility, like maybe Claire is simply an escaped mental patient with really good hacking skills to get herself in the school and apartment. Because that's quite the tale she spins. (Though Lyall had heard of the organization? Or he's pranking her, bit hard to know for sure.)

7/8. The story's been setting up a number of things in the background, I feel. Which can be a strength, as we're learning more character items first. Though Claire's latest revelation I'm really jazzed about, because the idea of time travel (times when demons weren't supposed to be) and personification (Earth as a female entity) are right up my alley. So that's cool.

Also Lyall apparently has a strange aura to go with Tasha's strange energy? Maybe the witch is jumping bodies. Maybe we should ship Lyall/Tasha.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Oh my gosh, loving these ideas!

I don't want to give spoilers but I think I'll answer the tail thing cause I never really meant for it to be a mystery It's just tucked into his pants when he's in public is all. That's why he's wearing the track suit for the school and not the standard school uniform, cause the pants are looser.

although it turning into the cane could have been hella cool(edited)

now I'm a little bummed I never thought of that

But the cane has other purposes

mathtans

I didn't really think it was a big mystery, and that explanation makes sense. (So I suppose it could be not normal, only normal for Damon's friends... demon prejudice otherwise?) Ok, so the cane is where he hides his stimulants to keep awake until the full moon.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. What are your theories about Damon’s past? Why is he concerned about when the full moon is? Additionally, what do you think was meant about Damon and Xerfonos being the same age but not being twins?

10. Do you think Claire is right that Tasha is the witch Cadence? If so, how will she prove it? If not, who else could it be? Also, what might this all have to do with Tasha’s concern about Claire being the mysterious Draco’s student?

11. What do you think Cadence ultimately wants from Damon? Why would this compel the Earth, and by extension Apus, to protect him? Also, even if the characters find Cadence, can she actually be stopped?

12. Why do you think Lyall reacted so strangely to Claire mentioning Apus, and why do you think he’s so sure Apus wouldn’t care about protecting Damon? Do you think Lyall can trust Claire even for the long term?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

9. I mean, Damon seems to be a demon, but he's cool with being in our world, so... maybe he was born of a human/demon pairing? Or he was adopted by humans when he was a baby and simply given the same birthday as Xerfonos. I'm guessing the full moon has more significance than merely to werewolves (unless Damon needs to bite a werewolf to regain strength idk) and so it would help him.

I will say that initially the "same age" thing didn't phase me because there's more than 9 months in a year, plenty of time for having a second kid born in the same year. But now that I'm debating the adoption angle, maybe there's more to it.

They're not twins... they're TRIPLETS! Dun dun dun. Anyway.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

they could also just not be twins due to a date technicality like one was born right before midnight and one was born right after

but yeah the adoption angle would explain a lot

mathtans

10. I don't think she's right about Tasha, or if she's right, not in the way she thinks. Because we've seen some from Tasha's perspective and she didn't seem to be the person in charge of whatever. In terms of proof, I guess she could see if Tasha would cosplay as a witch? And if the shoe fits? But yeah, maybe the witch is jumping between people like I mentioned earlier, or is not actually there yet, like APUS got the date wrong or something. Maybe Tasha's also trying to protect Damon from the witch (hence trying to give him that new name) but it's a rival organization?

I mean, technically still twins in that case, just not having the same birthday. (If Feb 29th enters into it, it gets even weirder.)

Actually, why wouldn't Claire use Damon's given name? Maybe her organization doesn't know everything it thinks it does?

Anyway, just had time for some random thoughts. Back later tonight.

mathtans

11. Cadence may just want him to keep living so that she can keep siphoning off energy. (Thus perhaps APUS wants him dead, it's not about protection?!) Or maybe Cadence wants a sweet cosplay. (Probably not.) Of course, it might be that if she's a free floating witch, she wants his body. Maybe she can't be stopped, but could be redirected?

The Earth aspect is one I haven't really been able to figure out yet. (Are pavonis a type of pasta?) But maybe there's a destiny or something that Damon needs to fulfil first.

12. Lyall could have been pranking, but maybe he knows a different organization like that... or maybe that's the name of some mystery file on his computer that he hasn't been able to open because the Cadence inside him hasn't revealed the password, oooh. I think Lyall can trust Claire (assuming she's not a raving lunatic) and she might even need him to provide better cover (she didn't seem to even know what apartment she was in)... but that's short term. Long term is another question, if she starts getting Apus directives saying to do things he wouldn't agree with.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

This is all so interesting ;3;

Pavonis as a type of pasta, lolol

mathtans

I'm glad it's more interesting than rambly.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Nah, I love it XD I'm afraid I'd give spoilers if I said anymore lmao

RebelVampire

My theories about Damon's past are that he's a werewolf. And that something about being a werewolf has changed how he ages compared to Xerfonos - thus why they're the same age but not twins. Granted I guess they could also just be half brothers who have a shared father who said, "Man I should knock two girls up at once." But werewolf sounds more interesting. No I think we've established Lyall is clearly the witch. He is too suspicious. Tasha probably is a super secret agent or something, hence the suspicion. Maybe Apus is into some shady shit that Tasha knows about, especially Draco, so she doesn't want them jumping in on everything. As for how proof, she won't. Cadence will reveal she's Lyall when the most damage can be caused and Claire will weep her career as a detective is through. Cadence might just think Damon is hot. Although I think Damon has a grand destiny ahead of him, and Cadence wants to interfere with that destiny while also bulking up on some of that tasty werewolf energy. Also, can Cadence be stopped? Probably. But definitely not by these chumps right now. XD Lyall reacted strangely cause that was the Cadence in him going oh shit and kind of taking over. And sure, Lyall can trust Claire to never figure out its him. Sorry Claire, you hot, but clearly aren't noticing some stuff.

mathtans

I hadn't considered the "same father different mothers" angle. O.o Maybe it was a sperm donation sort of thing though?

As to Claire, maybe Tasha will be nice enough to buy Claire ice cream and give her snuggles once she realizes the error of her ways.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Tasha and Claire will get to snuggling at some point I'm sure XD

The same father with different mothers sounds most probable

of what's been mentioned at least

mathtans

I mean, time travel could also be involved. What with Apus.

Maybe Claire is Damon's daughter and she's trying to protect her own existence.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Maybe Claire is Xerfonos' mother

Wait, I don't think that'd work out lmao

Daughter would be way more probable

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

I look forward to getting a bit further into the story XD it's still pretty early on atm and there's a lot of really good scenes later. I don't feel like we've really gotten to know Damon yet either

RebelVampire

I am looking forward to seeing people's theories as the story continues and pieces fall into place. It will be interesting to see the routes people take with the ideas of what the answers are going to be. My final words are just read the comic. O_O

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I didn't end up having any brain power to write responses over the week, but I really enjoyed Ring Spell. Damon and his brother are cuties, Claire seems very capable, and I can't wait to find out what Tasha's motives are. I'm real excited to see how the themes of magical marital vows come to the forefront :3

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Thank you~!

mathtans

Busy weekend was busy. Looking forward to seeing how the Apus thing fits in, like is Claire even from their time period? Will Lyall spill all the secrets? Will the ships happen? I'm so behind in all my reading but I've flagged it to check back when I can.

There was also the bit at the start implying knowing people from other lives, but the time travel possibilities make that weird. And I guess there's also the question of whether a Ring will have a Spell on it. Like, maybe the witch doesn't know she's the witch while she's wearing a ring? Or they have to get her to wear a ring? Here I am guessing again. ^^

14. To conclude, all the best with it, looks like a good setup. I do enjoy the art style too.

Also I guess congrats on being the finale CTP? Nice that you got it in there. Good initiative.

Artem Ficta (Ring Spell)

Thank you so much Math~!

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

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

Read and Comment: http://ring-spell.com/

Artem Ficta’s Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/artemficta

Artem Ficta’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtemFicta

#ctparchive #webcomics #indie comics #comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic bookclub #webcomic book club #comic tea party #ctp #ring spell #artem ficta

[prinanalogicality]

Kitty Anxiety

I am a huge fan of an AU where Anxiety is half cat, like a neko, so I wanted to just make a drabble piece that is all about Anxiety being a total and complete cutie kitty guy. 

Just a side note, I messed up my wrist real bad so I have a bit of a hard time typing. That being said, I’m super sorry if I don’t upload quite as often! I have several drafts, I’ll work on them as I go along, but even typing this was tough

AO3 link here.

My amazing friend @notallpotatoesarefrenchfries made super cute art of the kitty Anxiety idea!

Summary: A series of drabble-like pieces of Anxiety being half cat.

Pairing: Prinxiety-centric! Fluffy and cute stuff. Also, light background logicality!

Not even Logan can explain what happened.

One day Anxiety was as normal as the others in appearance. The next he woke up with cat ears, a tail, and an affinity for being pet, napping, and being thoroughly entertained by the movement of a pendulum or a laser pointer (to which Morality will not let that go).

“I do not see a blaring cause of the ailment, but I shall look into it. Something must have caused it,” Logan had said.

Morality finds Anxiety with cat tendencies to be adorable.

Logan finds it to be fascinating, and, though he will never admit it, quite precious.

Roman, who thought his beloved was cute to begin with, is often overwhelmed with cute by the development.

Anxiety simply wants to sleep.

The home within Thomas’s mind space is quiet, save for the sound of soft humming, purring, and the occasional hiss coming from the living room area.

Roman, sat on the sofa, looks at his lap with fondness, eyes roving over the fluffy head of hair resting on his thigh. His fingers card through said thick locks, pausing briefly to scratch behind perky cat-esque ears before moving on, repeating the process over and over. There, lying on the sofa, rests his boyfriend, the source of the purring. His eyes are closed, his face is free of makeup (Roman refused to risk foundation smearing on his immaculate trousers), revealing the healthy flush on his cheeks. He looks like an angel - but Roman knows the truth.

He bites back a grin as he pulls his hand away from his lover’s head, watching with keen interest as Anxiety almost immediately rouses from his content state, eyes opening and glaring up at him. His lips pull back in a hiss, revealing the sharp canine teeth he has.

“Stopping is a no.”

Anxiety shifts to reach up with curled fingers covered by his sleeves, his sweater paws settling on either side of Roman’s wrist. He tugs, craning his neck to convey to Roman what it is that he wants. In turn, Roman laughs, lowering his hand back to push Anxiety’s fringe from his eyes, the expression of his boyfriend melting back into content.

“I love you.”

“If you did, you wouldn’t keep stopping.”

“Are you not going to say it back?”

“It’s an understood thing.”

“How is that comfortable?”

Morality enters the living room with Logan, both eyeing the form sleeping on the back of the sofa.

“I do not believe that it would be a satisfying position for you or myself to be lying in, but his body chemistry has shifted to personify that of a human and a cat. Perhaps that could contribute to why he is pleased to lie there.” Logan responds, pushing his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose. “I do not suggest that we pause to rouse him from his rest in order to inquire about this, though. We may ask when he arises naturally.”

“Good plan. Let’s just go back to my room! We can snuggle!” Morality reaches out to grasp Logan’s hand, giggling as he pulls the intelligent trait along.

Anxiety yawns, sitting on the counter in the kitchen, sipping at his glass of milk. Morality is beside him, cooking pancakes, occasionally cracking jokes. 

“How do you make a pancake smile? You butter him up!” “Thin French pancakes give me the crepes.” “What is the best pancake topping? More pancakes!” The delighted giggles from the male bring small smiles to the morose trait’s lips, despite his urge to cringe at the dad-like comedy.

Anxiety’s ears twitch and perk up at the sound of whistling coming from another room, slowly getting louder, meaning the whistler is approaching - and he immediately knows it is Roman. He sets his mug aside and hops off of the counter, fingers already itching to cuddle up to his boyfriend (something he used to be able to control but, ever since the cat development, he has been attaching himself to Roman’s side more often). But, when Roman enters the room, Anxiety’s eyes are automatically drawn to it.

Held in Roman’s left hand is a thin black stick, about six inches in length, but what is attached to the stick is what gains Anxiety’s attention. There is a long, white fluffy material, about eighteen inches, in which every flick of Roman’s wrist causes the fluff to shift and twirl about, and all Anxiety can think about is how much he wants to catch the floof.

He reaches out for the end of the fluff, only for Roman to cruelly flick it away, expression amused. Anxiety, in turn, pouts, trying again, and again, and again. Roman simply watches, entertained, enjoying the sight of Anxiety’s pupils blown wide with interest and a childlike excitement in his movements.

No one likes this cat thing as much as Roman does.

“Did you just bite me?”

“You stopped again.”

“Anxiety? Anxiety, where are you?” Roman calls out in concern, walking down the steps to the living room. He has checked his room, the bathroom, Anxiety’s room - really, the entire upstairs, along with the living room and the kitchen downstairs. But, no matter where he looks, he cannot seem to find his boyfriend. “Anxiety, this isn’t funny, love. Where are you hiding?”

Roman is not met with a verbal answer, but instead, he sees a tail peeking out from beneath the coffee table in front of the sofa. Approaching the table, he crouches down, viewing Anxiety sleeping, curled up in the tightest ball possible, laid on a pile of carefully arranged pillows and blankets.

The sight is so adorable that Roman doesn’t even question when, why, or how. All he does is carefully scoop him up to carry him back to his room, where they can snuggle and take a cat nap together.

There is something about Roman’s voice that simply calms Anxiety. To him, Roman is home. Roman is his love, his universe, his go-to. Roman puts him at a peace he has never known, and no matter the topic - Roman could talk about the specifics of how cheese molds and Anxiety would hang on every word, taking each one in and simply basking in the glory that is his prince.

That is why Roman cannot just sit anywhere.

He sits and boom, Anxiety is there, settling on his lap. The sofa could be empty, the entirety of the bed could be available, but Anxiety craves Roman’s touch. He always has, but now, it makes his body ache when he goes without Roman’s caresses for too long.

Anxiety just loves to be close to him, to listen to him, to be reminded that he has an amazing, loving boyfriend.

Logan cannot sleep.

Roman, being Roman, had left to go on a quest two days ago, and he plans to be back the next afternoon. He made Logan and Morality aware of his trip, how long it would be, when he would be back, but he did not want them to tell Anxiety. He wanted to surprise the male with his return, and at the moment, Logan is cursing his promise to keep it a secret.

He can hear Anxiety’s lonely mewling (more like screeching) from down the hall. His door is closed, he made sure Anxiety’s door is closed, and despite the barriers, the boy’s voice just keeps carrying. Logan truly does enjoy Anxiety’s company, but Anxiety suffering from Roman withdrawals is downright unbearable. Perhaps, if Anxiety was aware of Roman’s return the next day, he would not be quite so upset.

Curse Logan’s honor.

He drinks plenty of coffee the next morning.

“Anxiety? My love, I have returned!”

Footsteps in quick succession, a bright smile, a surprised “oof!” as one is tackled to the ground.

“Darling, I was only gone a few days-”

Purring, soft mewling, gentle nuzzles.

“You know, Logan.” Roman speaks up, grinning as Anxiety perks up at the sound of his voice, looking up at him.

“Yes?” Logan hums a bit in response, looking up from his novel. Morality also turns his attention to Roman, leaning back against Logan’s chest.

“I am unsure if whether you were trying to come up with a solution for Anxiety’s current, you know, affliction. But, I do believe that it is unnecessary.”

Anxiety immediately rolls his eyes and mutters to Roman about how it actually sucks to be more tired than usual and that he hates being so easily distracted - but then Roman’s fingers deftly scratch beneath his chin and he goes quiet, the purring beginning.

Logan smiles to himself. He never had any plans to get rid of Anxiety’s cat-like qualities, nor does he plan to.

Roman smiles, kissing the crown of Anxiety’s head, lying in bed with him. “I love you, my kitten.”

#prinxiety #cat anxiety #headcanons #drabbles #mine #pure fluff #prinxiety fluff #background logicality