#tmf lander

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).

Since S2 has been promised to be about double the length of S1, I’d love to see a more character-driven storyline, and my biggest hope for this season is that every character ends off on a positive note. I want every ‘main’ character to undergo some sort of development, and improve themselves in some way. Considering they’re all high school students with their whole lives ahead of them, I want their stories to end off on a hopeful note. And if we’re getting very specific, I’d love it if TMF ended with all the characters dancing at Prom. It’d be silly, a little cliche, and absolutely on-brand for this show. I just want to see all these characters I’ve grown to love dance and have a wonderful time while the credits roll and the theme song plays. I think that would complete me. Now, time to talk about my hopes for each character specifically. (Because I have a LOT.)

Jake

Considering everything Jake went through in S1, I believe his character deserves a little break. He’s already been through his development, so I think it’d be nice for him help other characters develop instead, while also perhaps trying to repair the damages left in S1. Namely, his relationship with his old friends.

Another thing I’d like to see done with Jake’s storyline is having him let go of his feelings for Daisy, considering she doesn’t even like him back. And I think it’d be interesting if Jake’s crush on Daisy was actually more of an idolization of her character. He’s only ever seen the good in her; he’s seen her stand up for him time and time again, and she stayed by his side when no one else would. She’s only ever been sunshine and smiles when around him, so it’d make sense for him to idolize her. And while it’s important to be able to love and adore every aspect of your partner, it’s also important to recognize their short-comings, which is something he doesn’t seem capable of doing. Because to him, Daisy’s nothing short of perfect, and while that may sound romantic, it isn’t the best foundation for a relationship. So for him to be able to realize this about himself, and let go of his feelings for Daisy while learning to appreciate and respect her as a whole rather than admiring her for being this perfect figure would be very rewarding.

Finally, another idea I had for S2 would be for the Music Club to start performing at local venues around Rosemeadow, which would parallel what Micheal said in Episode 6. And I could see Jake absolutely loving it. He eats up all the attention, and I could definitely see him taking center stage and becoming the main face and voice of the group. There’s all sorts of avenues you could take this. Perhaps this gets to his head, or perhaps it’s more than he’d signed up for? Either way, it’d be fun to see.

Hailey/Lia

Similar to Jake, I feel Hailey went through quite a bit of development in S1, but I’d love to see her past relationship with Lia finally be addressed. I’d like to know how they met, and what ultimately caused their falling out. I want to see Lia to finally stand up for herself, officially cut Zoey out of her life, and navigate the social consequences of doing so. I want her to discover who she is and what she wants, and ultimately decide to set things right between her and Hailey. I want Lia to apologize, and while I don’t see Hailey forgiving her right away, I do believe she’d be willing to give Lia a second chance, just as she did Jake. I want things to be painfully awkward between them. I want a tension that comes from seeing a stranger in who was once your best friend. But I hope they’ll be able to rekindle their friendship eventually.

Zander/Luke

Zander and Luke’s developments would likely be intertwined considering their relationship. For Zander, I’d want to explore how his depression and abandonment issues affect him, because similar to the Hailey and Lia situation, this aspect of his character was brought up once and never again. I think it’d be interesting if Zander was put in a position that left him questioning Luke’s loyalty. Not because of anything Luke himself did, but because Zander knows there’s so much better out there, and is scared of Luke leaving him behind. Not only would this allow for Zander’s abandonments issues to be explored, but his trust issues, too. It’d also be nice to learn about where these issues stem from. I assume his biological father, which I hope we learn more about as well.

Now, for Luke, I’ve seen many people suggest that Luke could have this complex that he is nothing without Zander, and I think that would be fascinating to explore. It also makes a lot of sense, considering we really don’t know anything about him outside of his relationship. Perhaps he places an unhealthy amount of pressure on himself to be this perfect boyfriend, and feels worthless when he’s alone? It would add a lot of dimension to Luke’s relatively simple character, and it would be fun to see him grow into his own character and find worth in himself outside of his relationship.

Milly

Milly is probably the character I have the least amount of ideas for. She seems to be a bit snippy with her parents in multiple episodes, remarking how they scream at her when she plays her music too loud or yelling at them when she’s on the phone. I think it’d be interesting to learn more about her dynamic with them. I also think it’d be fun to explore her relationship with Elliot, and with the Gardening Club as a whole. The Spin-Off laid some fantastic ground work, and I would love for it to be expanded on.

Sean

For Sean, I want angst. I want this man to have a break down at least once in S2. To me, Sean has always come across as someone who struggles with feeling like a burden. He worries if he shows weakness, he’ll drive people away. So instead of talking through his problems, he bottles them up and forces himself to stay strong for others. I also believe he worries deeply about the future, considering he’ll be graduating in a few months. Perhaps he worries about the Music Club forgetting about him when he graduates? I would love for all of Sean’s fears and anxieties to spill over at one point, and instead of facing ridicule like he expects, he’s met with comfort and support by the Music Club, who tell him he could never be a burden, and they could never forget about him. I think that’s just something Sean needs to hear.

Henry/Liam

For Henry and Liam, I’d like to learn how they met, and who they were before Drew. I’ve seen several people speculate the potential of these two being unpopular or even the victims of bullying before Drew, which could potentially be an interesting parallel to Jake if this route was the one taken. I would also love to know their opinion on Drew, and how the viewed the whole situation between him and Jake. Considering the state Drew was left in after the events of S1, I think it’d make sense for Drew to cut them off out of fear, and it’d be interesting to see how they navigate that situation. Who are they without Drew? Who are they when it’s only them and they don’t have to worry about anyone else? I want them to be able to grow and reflect on how their actions affected those around them, and be able to grow as characters. I also like to imagine they’d develop before Drew does, so perhaps they could rekindle their friendship with Jake first?

Drew

RosyClozy has promised us Drew angst in S2 and I am absolutely holding her to that. And as much as I want this boy to be redeemed by the end of this show, I want this man to be insufferable initially. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there is no way the events of S1 left him in a good headspace. I want him to be horrible. (To the point where only the strongest Drew fans survive.) I want this man to be petty, vengeful and jealous most of all. I want him to push everyone away, and I want him to hit absolute rock-bottom. And that is when I want Drew to develop; to pick himself out of that hole he dug himself in and move forward. I want him to be able to apologize for what he did to Jake, and very begrudgingly apologize to the Music Club. And I do not want him to be forgiven. I want his redemption to come not from forgiveness, but from him trying to do better. From him no longer talking down on others and learning to control his anger. From him putting in the effort to do better, both for himself, and those around him.

Zoey

Finally, Zoey. The biggest thing I want is for her to get the hell away from that sugar daddy of hers. Because it’s creepy, no matter how you slice it. But the second biggest thing I want is to understand why she did what she did. Why did she cheat on Drew, and why did she feel the need to go after someone else for money when she was already dating someone capable of providing for her? None of this is explained in the show, which sort of paints her as a very one-dimensional villain, but there has to be some sort of motivation there. Is she struggling at home? Does she feel the need to obtain physical possessions because she’s terrified of never having enough? Or is she genuinely just greedy and has no concept of how her actions affect those around her? I want to know, and somehow, in some way, I want for her to at least acknowledge what she did as being wrong.

Chapter 8 of The Story of A SInging Asshole is out!

It's almost been a month, holy fu- college got in the way and still will by May! I just have finals to worry about left, then I can write freely again probably after the first week of May XD

For me personally, I find that the character who's a victim of bullying is much more loveable to me than the bully is. Because we all have to admit, that despite headcanons, despite the fact Drew brought up some good points in the Drakeup, Drew is still a bully, and he has been since middle school. He's not an innocent angel, and he simply just decided to drop Jake once Jake became fully himself. Drew's judgemental and genuinely not a good person, and I think some people forget that. Of course, liking an antagonist or a character who's not a good person is completely okay!! The issue is when you try to justify the antagonists bad behaviour, and oh man, have I seen people do that with Drew. I don't care if he has family issues, is insecure, has mental health issues, or anything like that (in this context, obviously I would still feel bad for him if he was facing such struggles), it doesn't justify his behaviour. The bottom line is, bullying isn't okay in any context (unless it's like a p3do or smth... in that case go crazy!!)

And there's more to me loving Hailey than the fact she's a bullying victim. Contrary to popular opinion, but I love how Hailey is so sensitive. I know people say she has "y/n moments" and that she's overdramatic, but honestly, there's nothing wrong with being sensitive. Sensitive people always try their best to be kind, despite how exhausting life is, being the way they are. Being hyper-sensitive is like walking around without your skin on, and the littlest thing can hurt you on a big scale. So hypersensitive people will try their best to make sure other people don't feel as awful as they often do. Also, Hailey always makes amends in situations where she did something wrong, or situations where someone needs to be forgiven (unlike Drew). Not saying everyone has to forgive everything, but she's very mature in that sense. The day after arguing with Drew, after she was provoked and repeatedly bothered and lashed out as a result of it, she apologized to Jake for getting angry. What apology was offered by the Dromies for barging in and provoking Hailey? None. And in episode 10, Hailey was genuinely considering talking to him about what he'd said, because she didn't think he actually believed what he'd said. But then Zander (oh, so cynical and traumatized, I love him) convinced her to think otherwise. However, she still clearly wanted to make amends with Jake. And when she did, she said she didn't regret letting Jake into the club, and that she forgave him. SLAYYY SLAYYYYYY!! Also wanna add I see people acting like bullies when talking about Hailey. I get not everyone is snowflake like me but come on guys... did you miss the plot of the show?