#tmf hailey

Fly Fly Away Lil' Hummingbird - The Music Freaks Fan Comic

Tiny break from the Gravity Falls blast to show off a comic I've had in the works for *roughly* three months, probably a little bit more. Regardless, it's done, and I wanted to cart it around like a prize pony.

I got into The Music Freaks (TMF) some time before my GF obsession after stumbling upon an animatic about it one night. And was instantly endeared to the story and characters. Then I believe the week following I pretty much binged the entirety of the series, and any other extra content I could get my hands one.

The writing can be kind of cheesy, but I grew up with Wattpad fanfics, so I am no stranger to The Cheese.

But the comic idea came a bit after my binge, as I'm trying to fall asleep one night. And I kept rotating the idea of Jake's bullying in middle school, like an infectious ear worm in my brain. Especially a line, he says when he's opening up to Hailey in one episode; about him getting teased for singing/humming to himself in the hall or at school. It got me thinking about what if there was a name that he got called that's associated with that, hence "hummingbird." Then everything sorta fell into place after that. I still spent a few more days sitting on the idea before actually starting the comic, but I pretty much busted out the first three pages that later week before struggling to finish the fourth for months until recently. (I sped through the last two and a half pages in one sitting because I was tired of it being incomplete).

My prediction of Jaisy becoming canon

My prediction of Jailey becoming canon

In both situations, Jake is visibly distant and unhappy. Neither Hailey nor Drew actually knows what’s wrong with him in the moment, the difference is in how they respond to that uncertainty.

Hailey notices Jake’s shift and chooses to pull him aside privately. She doesn’t assume the cause or push him to explain in front of others; instead, she creates space for him to speak honestly. 

I will admit that Jake’s distress comes from different sources (feeling inadequate after learning Hailey can sing in episode 7, and feeling upset about Saisy in episode 9), but you can still compare how they handle it I think??

Hailey’s instinct is consistently to prioritise privacy and emotional safety. Drew, on the other hand, also notices Jake is upset but responds by addressing it in front of the group. He asks what’s wrong publicly, including Zoey and Lia???? in the moment. While it may come from concern or a desire to “fix” the situation quickly, it removes Jake’s privacy and puts him on the spot socially. It also reflects that Drew doesn’t fully understand how personal Jake’s emotions are or how uncomfortable that kind of exposure might be for him.

The contrast isn’t that one cares and the other doesn’t, it’s that Hailey instinctively uses empathy and discretion, while Drew defaults to wanting complete transparency, which doesn’t always fit Jake’s emotional needs.