Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout
haven't archived this post yet. have a subscription? use the importer!

Content

Please don't share these pages outside of Patreon! Thank you!

Managed to sit at my computer for a little bit today and edit a page! Just sharing the new page so you're not surprised when it goes live. For those new to the Patreon, I do sometimes edit pages like this before they go live on the webcomic sites (or sometimes after) if I've re-thought the scene / upcoming scenes or wanted to do things differently for some reason.

In this instance, a second flashback to Vol 4 era was unnecessary here, and could result in some readers misinterpreting what's going on in Nick's head. We're still at an early point in the story, so it's normal to not quite understand what's going on with him yet, but obviously I want to make sure I'm setting things up effectively according to my story plan.

See you soon with some new pages hopefully!

Files

Previews only

Comments

Gregory Toner

This is good 👍 thank you Alice 💖

Charlie

Thankyou for the new page alice! Im glad your doing better🖤🖤

Lauren

Oof this hurts more than the original page 😭

Olivia

omg i absolutely love this change!! glad to hear you are recovering well!! ❤️

Jo Mary

Hope your feeling better Alice x thanks for the new page 💕

ACxo

David looks just so punchable

Sarah

oh no i can tell we’re gonna deal with some of nicks mental health this season, which is needed but gonna break me😭

Brittney

Damn, it's wild to see two different ways but both are perfect thank you Alice, hope to see more very soon

Harriet Echo

🥺 Nick 🥺 (Hope your healing is going smoothly Alice 💜)

Jade

giving nick a hug

Merel

Nick lashing out... He has been holding all his feelings in for so long that a trigger like this will set him off 🥲

JJK

Glad you're feeling a bit better! Take care of yourself!

Alyce Ann

I like to see your process and hear about why you’re doing what. Thanks for explaining and I hope you’re healing up!

Jess🍂

Well…. I still can’t trust d*vid😶

Maja

not the black anxious dots around Nick for the first time :(

Chloe ♡

nicks so used to david being mean that he can’t tell if he’s being nice or not 💔

Koko

Oh no nick 🥺 thanks for the update Alice, hope your recovering well!!!

tess ^_^

can’t believe this is what u did to us on ur first taster back to drawing this is sickening

Maja

I don't think everything is fine Nick...

Merel

It's really interesting to see the edited version. It makes sense to me that Nick would react like this. He's lashing out instead of becoming introspective and properly examining what he's feeling.

Charlie

Oh hello snap dragon Nick. I hope Sarah or Charlie sees you struggling soon. Poor baby needs support. 🫂🫂🫂 Also, Alice I’m glad you feel up to drawing again but please don’t rush. I hope your recovery is going as smoothly as possible. 🫶🫶

NightSkiesDark

Spoiler alert: everything was in fact not fine

Merel

I'm laughing way too hard at David's eyebrows going ~

art

this edited page makes more sense.

ucfnurse

Nick so needs to talk to Charlie!!!☺️😯👍🌻🌼🏠🌞🫶🏻❤️🗣️🫂✌️🕊️☮️

Noemiette

Oh that's an interesting edit. Makes a big tonal shift to the page. But considering how much Nick is bottling up, it makes sense that a remark from David would be what makes him blow up a little and drop the mask of fake "im cool everything is ok" (and then going back to bottling up)

Ada Suzany

see you soon Alice!! Have a great recovery 💕

Jennifer Paddock

Nothing says you're fine like angrily shouting "EVERYTHING'S FINE." 😟 poor Nicky!

Justin S.

I like this bc it makes sense Nick’s been holding it all in so of course he’d snap and David doesn’t help

Katya818

I like this edit! I think it really exemplifies how Nick is near his breaking point and his brother is an easy target.

Phil Mercer

If you pronounce fine as FINE, you're not fine.

Tina

wait i'm confused, "second vol 4 flashback" but there was only one? the one of the fight? am i missing something?

Barb

Nick?? what's boiling inside his chest?😭😭

Clara B.

I love this change because I feel like this gives a glimpse of a shift in Nicks storyline to him starting to buckle under the pressure he has been putting on himself to be strong for everyone. Maybe he’s finally going to let himself ask for help or support ❤️ Also Alice take care and take it easy!

aliceoseman

At the Halloween party, Nick flashes back to Charlie's time in the ED inpatient clinic - not a moment that we saw in Vol 4, but in the time period of Vol 4!

Darcy

Aw, I liked the flashback personally (weird opinion but I love how badly Nick handles Charlie's relapse because it shows Nick isn't perfect, he's like anyone in that he's prone to occasionally give in to feelings of frustration and anger when he feels helpless). I liked that we got to see Nick feeling that moment of guilt looking back on his own behavior in that moment - I find it really relatable, as a flawed person 😂

Oliver

Ohhh poor nick 😭😭😭 he is sO STRESSED

John Walker

Agreed - I WAS a bit confused with the earlier version. This version works better :)

Tina

OH i thought you meant in this scene. that makes way more sense ahaha

aliceoseman

That was the intention of the moment for sure and I'm glad you liked it, but I think there will be readers who miss the meaning / struggle to interpret it this way so early in the storyline! Nick does feel guilt about Charlie's relapse and blame himself, which we'll get into a bit later in the chapter.

Maisie

Oh Nick honey :(( I love this edit Alice. It’s been so clear that Nick’s been bottling stuff up so having him have this outburst really demonstrates that!

CinD

David’s version of “trying” will not sound sincere because of his past actions and that’s all right we don’t have to forgive people right away or ever because they’ve left us with a lasting first impression 🤷🏽‍♀️

Tina

actually i have a question about edits: do you go through the pages and see if they flow correctly every so often? i'm assuming you have a big master document of vol. 6 so do you just scroll through? i assume working on it page by page you can sometimes lose the big picture? idk if this makes sense

aliceoseman

Yes I do, very often! I've got all my pages in a folder and I frequently reread to see how the story is flowing :)

Scott Whittall

Well, David never tries to be nice or sensitive, so why would Nick care what he says? Unless David is the straw and here comes the explosion from all of Nick's suppressed worries, fears, and frustration. His love for Charlie is so deep it is like a raw nerve.

Katrina

Oh Nick :(

Elora (EeveeCollectorElora)

Oh I like this! It is so much more emotional without taking the impression away from Nick into the flashback

reece

So glad you’re starting to feel rested enough to start drawing a little bit! Don’t push yourself too much 🫶🏼 love the edit too, I think it brings nick’s emotions to more of a boiling point in his mind than just the Charlie flashback to vol 4 , but both being are necessary to fully understand why he’s feeling this way! It’s such a good build up :)

EC

Yes! We have seen so much of nicks internal struggle but then smiling and saying everything’s fine…. Not that this is the best way but it’s good to see it come out a bit… plus it shows that he’s human and everyone has a breaking point. I’m so looking forward to the rest of this story!!

Ronni Davis

I'm here for this showdown, and I'm REALLY hoping for a David redemption arc. I might be in the minority with that, though. I'm an author too, and I love seeing the process of other authors. I enjoy these edits! We're all so different and yet, we all have something amazing to share. Glad you're feeling better! And never feel bad if you have to take a step back. I remember recovering from surgery and thinking I was fine, then pushing myself too much, and being wiped the next couple of days. Take care, and thank you!

Angie Michaelis

Thank you for this question, Tina, and the answer, Alice. As an aspiring writer, I love watching your process unfold as much as I’m enjoying the story itself.

Ania W.

I still can't figure out David. Is he just an asshole or can't deal with his own feelings? But I know the way he talks would make me scream too. Focusing on the phone, talking dismissively about matters that were serious and important to Nick. The edit of this page is absolutely accurate.

Maia

I want to give Nick a hug

Faye

Nick we need to talk to someone maybe Geoff?

Ronni Davis

It's super fascinating! I don't write graphic novels (I write prose novels), so it's doubly interesting to learn how Alice's process is different!

Adriana

I think personally part of him is trying to be better but he probably has his own issues as well that kinda “prevents” him from fully being attentive and understanding so this is as far as being “nice” is to him

Adriana

Nick really needs an outlet for his feelings and emotions, I feel like he constantly bottles them down and has no one to talk to about it :(

Angie Michaelis

Thank you for this edit, Alice. I hope you’re getting rest and healing well. ❤️‍🩹 I really like this edit and how it brings the focus onto Nick’s emotions in the moment and not back to Charlie. And David goes from almost seeming like he cares in the previous page to looking disinterested in the first panel here. 🙄 I’m rooting for a Nick-David showdown with a David redemption arc, at least for Nick and Sarah’s sake.

Olav Gehle

Big hugs to you Alice, and to our boy Nick as well!

Evergreen

Alice, I think this is a brilliant edit. Based on your other comments here, I think you’ve made yourself a nice, clear way forward. Glad you’re recovering well!

Robby C

Seeing your process is so wonderful. I liked the original, but seeing Nick's armour crack and lash out at his brother is totally worth the edit. Hit me in my soul.

Hopeless

I think this is a really good choice, Thank you Alice! I can't imagine what it's like having hundreds of people 'sharing their beta' with you, but I think this really makes things a lot clearer, and I really love that nick and David have this charged relationship. And, nick having a bit of bite is really good to balance him out as a confused teen!

David C Witkin

Glad to see you are back, Alice! I think Nick cracking the shell and letting out some of his frustrations is very illustrative. I like this edit. Great to see you back in the saddle.

Gemma 🍂💙💛

So is the new panel part of nicks thoughts of what he wants to say to David? I thought at first he actually shouted at David

Vicki Lewis

I do feel for David a little although he should know better but he’s so invested in a relationship with his dad and his dad doesn’t even know where he’s living! And the winter episode showed him waiting at the door so there is so much more angst with him which is causing his anger. I hope things turn around for him and he realises that Nick is more important

Brent Henderson

Glad you’re back, Alice. It lets us know you are healing and getting stronger.

Gemma 🍂💙💛

Ahh right. Thinking about it now it looks like it’s in his head because of the background. In the original page it was a flashback to N&C arguing and David still said the same response so I think it’s in his head

Ariel

Love the update! So glad that you are doing a bit better - just take it slow and rest up💕🥰

Lolli98

Good the hear from you, Alice. I like the new edit. And I'm very happy that we are still at an early point in the story! And I'm very looking forward to what you have in store for us!😀

Murgy

Glad you're feeling better. And I think this works better, and it does lend more to David's ending comment, and also highlights Nick's state a bit better

Evergreen

He definitely said it. That’s a speech bubble, and Alice uses a different style for things happening in their heads. It happened! He really snapped at somebody about it for the first time! Step one to having to address his feelings.

Beam Bugge

it's giving luisa from encanto (right before breaking into a song about not being fine)

Isak

Glad to hear that you’re recovering well! I hope you aren’t pushing yourself too much though! I like the edit to this page, I think it shows us that Nick has things to deal with too and he’s neglecting that because he thinks he needs to be strong for Charlie and now he’s lashing out

Galen Longstreth

And it makes so much sense to me that he loses it (at least this much) with his brother. No one can get me to boil over more quickly than my sister.

Overlord

Omg the queen has posted 😍😍😍

Oscar Viklund

It must feel awful for Nick.. Wanting to move away but also not wanting to hurt Charlie, because if anything happens to him he'll blame himself. I'm sooooo looking forward to seeing them grow as individuals! You're a bloody genius Alice, this will be amazing!

Noah

ooo yes this works really well tbh !!!

Eileen

Thank you for your updates Alice!

Loveislove

This may be the first time we have seen Nick angry in the comics since he was angry with Charlie just before his relapse. Interesting that a reference that Charlie may not be fine is extremely close to the surface for Nick and immediately spills over angrily/defensively onto the easy target of his brother. It seems Nick is carrying a lot of fear and guilt that is keeping him emotionally frozen and withdrawn. He is carrying on a facade with Charlie that everything is normal, probably fearful of being the cause of another relapse or being too far away to get to Charlie quickly. OOF- that's a lot of pressure 😳

RCM

I love this edit because it holds our focus in the moment on NICK, rather deflecting back to Charlie's experiences...it's important to show that Nick has his own feelings and issues that belong to just him (even if they are his feelings about Charlie, they are still Nick's to own). I am also so glad to see this "outburst' as it has been building for a long time. As a people pleaser, it is hard for Nick to REALLY show HIS emotions without worrying how the other person might feel as he shares them. But, David is a safe person for this because Nick doesn't feel the need to placate the asshole brother that David has been thus far (despite David's BS about "trying to be nice"). And while it's so different to see any blackness gurgling around Nick, I'm actually okay with that, but there are TWO things that really make me hurt for him. One, his claim that "Everything's fine!!," is being yelled AT David, but you can tell it's Nick talking TO himself, trying to convince himself that all those buried fears and insecurities about the future (for himself, for Charlie in his absence, for uni..) actually are and will stay FINE, and two, that last panel on the bottom left after David and Nick's "..." stare down...Nick moves away to go to his room, and we see the sadness and exhaustion immediately return to him. I get the feeling he feels badly about his yelling (yes, even to David!), and he somehow feels worse despite letting those emotions out. I worry this will make it harder for him to share those dark, black background feelings again, because saying it just now only made him feel...like crap, I suppose. This is a harder page edit, but I am glad you did it. Also SO glad your are feeling better and healing nicely, Alice❤️

Evergreen

I think he was just reacting to Nick wordlessly turning and leaving. Siblings have a way of reading into our nonverbals - sometimes when we’d rather they didn’t!

Teri Lyn

Wow this page completely surprised me. Poor Nick… Glad you are feeling better Alice! Keep up the great work like always! 🩷

Sandra Day

I just love how your brain works, Alice! It’s just streets ahead of what’s happening… it’s all about what is about to happen, or what should be happening… does this make sense? 💙💛

Claire

Thanks for this edit. I like it because it does bring the focus on Nick and the stress and turmoil he is feeling. This feels more centred on the journey we are on in this section - rather than the flashback to Charlie's struggles. Also, I was one of those hoping we might see growth and change from David -- and I feel like this is a more firm hint that that might at least be possible.

Cliff

Ditto to the other folks who like the edit. The encounter between Nick and David is more interesting this way because it’s more layered with meaning. Nick isn’t just depressed; he’s scared. He wants to use his “everything is fine” facade, but it’s collapsed into his fit of rage. He’s angry at David, but the underlying situation is a lot deeper than that. Underneath it all is a feeling of helplessness that he can’t process yet, and David isn’t the person who can help him with that.

Elspeth Fougere

Urgggg why do bullys know exactly how to bait an argument and go straight for the most painful wound and then twist a little more. Its always that person who reacts who looks nuts and they always have an excuse, just joking, being nice, whats got you in a mood, etc. They are such revolting humans! I dont trust them for a second, and I used to be one of the most trusting goodwilled people ever, but Ive learned that for a small section of society, nothing is ever enough. They have no bottom line. The baiting never stops until you eventually cut them off. They are just broken humans.

Andreas hansson

I like both versions, the first one was very emotional to me, as this is too ❤️ I love how you invite us to your process ❤️

Neenie

Wow the staredown