Haunted 1-15
he what
(We’ve used the second-to-last-panel-is-a-beat-panel trope—this is officially a real webcomic.)
(NOTE: Have you voted in the Monthly SimLit Short Story Contest yet? Go do it!! Help support our small community! For a genre this niche, every vote counts, and we’re grateful for every single person who ends up checking it out.)
Me, looking at the Nina-with-bedroom-eyes-(and-pronounced-collarbones), magenta-background panel: Is Nina your wife?
And that is a very casual “Oh, I bought the gallery” from Xiyuan. How often… does he do that…?
NOPE NOTHING TO SEE HERE
You are making me want to spoil an upcoming scene in CT so hard. Rrrgh. Guess I have to go work on that next chapter, then.
Oh, I love the little tippy guy! New crush!
Cathy Tea, you truly are a blessing.
A single gesture hints that while we thought this story was about the blossoming relationship between Liu Xiyuan and Lord Shallot, it’s really about the tragic doomed love between The Scarf and the Drinky Drinky Bird. It’s been that way all along. The Bird is enraptured by The Scarf’s quality stitching and carefree personality, or what it can see from its perch atop the espresso machine, yet without the breeze from outside, it’s impossible for the two to come within fluttering range of one another.
… OR IS IT?
Yes! And let’s not forget about that sexy couch from earlier, too!
Vlad looks Neta dead in the eye as he rakes a claw across the canvas, “If it’s not pointilism then I don’t want it.” (I’ve invited them to a dinner party, btw. Maybe the dinner party? I don’t know how it happened. Actually, they might have invited themselves).
Ummm, of course he’s purchased the Casbah Gallery, just like, casually. NBD. I do hope there is some kind of renovation process going on. Has he seen the back bar in that place? A travesty.
Did Neeta make the apron in panel 2? Is it an apron? How much damage can she do with that soldering iron?
Ahhh lovely as always! These panels give me life.
DUDE, you know what? I’m making a Google Doc for this dinner party. It exists now. The dinner party lives!! I can’t find a contact form on your blog to send the link, so let me know how I can share this thing.
That feeling when you’ve had such a day you call your friend Friday night and ask to buy her major-metropolitan art gallery, then wake up on the floor in your new penthouse apartment #relatable
He probably should renovate, yeah!
Thank you for recognizing that object as a soldering iron, because spouse, who owns a soldering iron and used it in the past week, looked right at it and asked what it was.
Not gonna lie I thought the soldering iron was a sex toy. No judgement just think twice about bringing it into work. 😛
Also gave this an updoot on the webcomic site. It’s a visual treat, definitely gotta catch up on CT but something’s gotta stop me from banging my fists for moar Xiyuan x Bernard when you dare to look at the other characters instead.
AHAHA. You’re not the first person to make that connection. I thought the yellow made it look more power-tool-y but that could just scream INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH magic wand for those tough jobs.
Oh man—I get the Xiyuan/Bernard addiction, believe you me, obviously to the point of creating a spinoff so I can yell about my OCs in this little padded room without disturbing the rest of the internet too much. But I also get the sense I need to double down on reaching the CT chapter where they ruin a posh formal event by being unreasonably extra.
(Also, thank you for the updoot!!)
Okay, I used your contact form because I’m a fool and do not have one (one day I’ma remedy that). Yesssssss let the plotting commence….
Althea sounds like a contender but XiYuan buys out the competition! Thea’s name is familiar XD I’m loving this universe already. It has dinky birds and Café with troll items on the menus, Bachata music and the owner carries a.. soldering gun in her pocket for some reason. I’m admiring the textures on the quilt thingy! That’s a lot of patterns and a ton of work!
This chapter makes me want to read all of Xi Yuan’s chapters in your story. Also makes me think of alternate storylines and happy endings. 😭
YES! Come to the Xiyuan side, we have tailcoat closets and undead-manslaughterer love interests!
Goal: put a bunch of awesome side characters because I don’t want Haunted to be 100% the Liu Xiyuan show. Outcome: I am in love with Nina and Althea and am angry at myself that I only get to write them for a few pages this chapter. They have to get little spinoff vignettes sometime.
(And I’ve gotten from a couple people that Neta’s bag doesn’t scream ‘bag,’ so next time I’ll make the shape clearer in relation to the speech balloons.)
Well, Neta’s definitely hit the networking jackpot today. I bet she’s over the moon she got his name right on the cup.
Nothing like distracting yourself from struggling to handle major life changes by buying a penthouse and a prominent gallery. Then again, Xiyuan did not have the sports car option, I suppose. Only in The Sims, haha.
Right?!? All after becoming the San Myshuno Philharmonic concertmaster and quitting that job. These people are little goddamn overachievers, I tell you. Occasionally ones with massive issues.
Why do I feel like Drinky-Drink bird is mooning me in that final panel. It’s like insisting I kiss it’s bulbous ass. Dang. Yuan Mic-dropping all over Chu’s Brews. Is that him SPILLING THE BEANS???? zinga!
“Don’t feel limited to one patron” or partner? So I’m kinda wondering. In your world/story, is Shallot and Mimsy a couple? [Or is this like spoilers?]
“SPILLING THE BEANS” MADE ME THROW MY WRIST REST AT MY SCREEN. AAAUGH
Ah, I’m sure you’ll figure it out pretty soon.
Hahaha hopefully your screen survived :-p
I really like how you keep the entire scene lively. Like, it’s not just characters talking, there’s also Yuan messing with the Drinky Bird and the bird still moving while the people do not in the last panels.
Also I SAW AND RECOGNISED THE SOLDERING IRON.