The Looking Glass Book Store

[Draconia St George]

"Roswell!" Draconia admonished her alien friend. "Cookies must stay in the kitchenette! Remember, you promised!"

Draconia scanned the area, looking to ensure any earstwhile crumbs hadn't escaped. The very last thing she needed while watching the Looking Glass in her Uncle Wocky's absence was an infestation of zombie ants.  

[Shadeaux D Gloom]

The closet door behind where Draconia was standing suddenly *thumped*.

"Ow."

The door knob rattled from the other side...

"Um..."

**rattle**  

[Vinnie Lovecraft]

Tuesday had come, and Vinnie sat in The Coffin Bean debating whether or not she should go to Comic Book Club. Might be a good way to get her mind off of things from the weekend... but she still felt like she didn't belong. As she finished her latte, cold after sitting in front a camera for 20 minutes, she headed over to The Looking Glass. Her feet froze a few inches from the door, still uncertain whether she should even bother; but she pressed on, pushing the door open and quietly finding a seat with the rest of the group.  

[Draconia St George]

Draconia sighed and unlocked the broom closet.

"Hello, Shadeaux." She greeted him flatly. It wasn't that she disliked the sack-boy, but every week it seemed he got turned around traveling between closets and wound up knocking over everything in there. Even more annoying, he never put it all away.

Draconia turned around - and discovered that another ghoul had appeared.

"Oh! He-" Draconia didn't even manage to get a greeting out as she became entangled in a knocked-over mop that had rolled out of the closet and lurched towards Vinnie, stumbling around and whapping the newcomer with her left wing.

"Ow!"  

[Cassandra MH]

Cassandra looked at everyone not really knowing what to say or do. She didnt know the first thing it was about comics, it took her a good 5 minutes she was reading a comic book backwards.  

[Hellene Harpie]

Ascreama Poweurgh

"Are you okay?"

Hellene perked up at the sight of the proffered tarts.

"OH! I'm...I'm....well I am ALL our of sorts today. Ooo, are those raspbury?" she asked, taking one and stacking on her plate of cookies. It was a 10-cookie kind of day.

Draconia St George

"Hellene, when you said you were bringing a few new moanga, I didn't think you meant you were bringing an entire libury!" Draconia hexclaimed as the bagful of books sunk ever deeper into the beanbag chair. "It makes my stash this week seem clawfully light."

Hellene turned to Draconia.

"They're NOT new! Well most of them aren't. Oh you would not believe what my sister did!"

Hellene flew over to her bag and popped it open, spilling it's contents on the floor. Among a few assorted titles she'd brought to share was a complete 20 volume set of The Rose of Were-sailles.

"You know that at the scare-stylinf hexpo Nephera got turned away, well it turns out Melpomene did too! She'd cried up a storm after we'd left but Scarie just said 'non.' Melly hates it when she doesn't get her way."

Carefully, Hellene began stacking the moanga into neat piles.

"Last month I finally completed my Rose of Were-sailles collection. Melly knew how much it meant to me so she told mother it was full of 'inappropriate content not suitable for a young harpy' and had it banned from the house! Now I have to hide it somewhere until I can talk mother down and Draconia I know you wanted to borrow it so could you just keep it here for a while? I can't give it up, I just can't, the story it too wonderful and it's one of my favorites."

"Uuurhhh huu ugg?" asked Ghoulia.

"It's not at all! It's about a werewolf prince who is raised as a princess to keep him safe from assassins, and his very close relationship with the head of the palace guard, Oscare. It's mostly about sword-fighting and there's very little romance in it until near the very end. Melly got mother all wound up because there's one scene in a dressing room where all the characters are in their underwear, but the whole book isn't like that and it's supposed to be funny!"  

[Shadeaux D Gloom]

Shad was used to not being noticed. It was the nature of being a Sackman, a creature that nine times out of ten was only seen from the corner of the eye and then got noticed. So it came as no surprise to him that he appeared to have been forgotten, even though he had caused Draconia to trip and almost wipe out the scary ghoul with the tentacles.

So he slowly approached Draconia from behind and tapped her on the shoulder -- and just missed being clobbered by her right wing as she jumped, startled, and spun around.

"Um. Uh. Hi? I know I didn't join, like... officially... but I-I was wondering ... I mean I know it's not mega popular b-b-but I collect ... and thought maybe I could ... since y-you know Poetry Club only meets at t-t-the weekends. I-I..."

Boy did Draconia seem annoyed! Or maybe it was just his imagination? Either way, Shad shyly held up a first edition of He-Moan and the Monsters of the Universe.  

[Draconia St George]

It fortunately seemed that Vinnie took absolutely zero offense at being smacked in the face with a wing, so Draconia righted her self and took a spot next to Ghoulia to begin preparing the meeting. As they were setting up, the door bell jingled, and Heath Burns and Jackson Jekyll walked in.

"Sorry we're late!" Heath informed everyone cheerily. "But Jackson drives like an old lady. An old Zombie lady. An old zombie lady whose feet have both fallen off. An old zombie lady whose feet have both fallen off and -"

"THANK you, I think they get it." Jackson cut his cousin off with a sigh. "But the real reason we're late is that Driver's Dread training is taking place outside and it's turned some of the streets into actual hazards. I saw Iris Clops out there with Mr. Hack in the car with her...and it is REALLY true that cyclopses have no depth perception."


"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" Draconia informed the boos cheerily as everyone picked a chair and had a seat. "We were just about to get started. First off, we'd like to welcome the newest members who've come to Comic Book Club for the first time - we hope you have ever so much fun! Let's give a great geeky welcome to Vinnie Lovecraft, Cassandra, Shadeaux Gloom, and Wydowna Spider!"

"HEXCELSIOR!" The club all spoke in unison to greet the newbies.

"Since you're new, let me tell you how Comic Book Club works." Draconia nodded at Ghoulia, who held up the newest issue of Dead Fast. "Each meeting, we bring in our newest comics and give a little review of them, talk about what we liked and disliked. It can be big name comics, like Supermanster or Dead Fast, little indy comics like Dangers in Paradise, or even Moanga like Sailor Doom. As long as it has drawings and words, we love it."

Draconia held up the newest issue of Doctor Boo Magazine.

"Even magazines that just have a comic section are all right! We just want to see what everymonster else is enjoying. Now, we do have one little rule. And that is: No versus battles." Draconia cast a whithering glare at Heath and Jackson, who looked a bit guilty. "Arguing about whether Supermanster can beat Manbat in a fight has caused a literal flame war in here in the past, and the sprinkler system ruined everyone's comics as a result."

"Er, heh heh...." Heath rubbed the back of his head. "Everyone except mine...since all of my comics are downloaded on the iCoffin."

"Indeed..." Draconia took a deep breath, and then moved on. "Anyways, after Review & Recommendations, we move on to doing some projects! We talk about fangfiction and fangart, of course, and even a little bit of cosplay to prepare for Necro Con this Spring. We're in discussions with Arts & Crafts Club about the possibility of getting some help making costumes; it's very hexciting!"

"Uuuggggghhhhh." Ghoulia held up a hand and corrected Draconia.

"Oh! Right! Sorry." Draconia apologized. "Today, Ghoulia is going to unveil a special new project for Comic Book Club. It's based on something she's been collaborating with Wydowna on for a few months. Ladies and Gentlemansters....we give you....The POWER GHOULS!"

Draconia held up the notebooks and pages of Wydowna's art.

"Ghoulia and Wydowna have this fangtastic idea...it's creating our own comic universe! It's a world where our friends and we are the superheroes. You see, here is Spectra Vondergeist as Polterghoul, and Clawdeen as Wonder Wolf! We can each create our own ideal selves as superheroes, and we're going to produce our own comic book!"  

[Ronan Aalto]

He looked sympathetic to Hellene's plight, while his parents had paid little attention to the comics he read, his mother had protested a great deal over some of his video games. Still, violence seemed a more legitimate concern than romance.

"Your mother disapproves of romance?"

He shook his head and diverted his attention to the presentation of Ghoulia and Wydowna's pet project.

"And Toralei's a villain?" Ronan pointed to one of the images depicting Toralei dangling a necklace from one claw and smirking. Yeah, he could see her as a super villain, that ghoul always seemed to be moody to him.  

[Roswell Grey]

"That's a great idea!! We can be superheroes! And dress up as them and go to Necro Con and save monsters and Melody and the world!"
Roswell had just come out of the kitchenette, after apologizing to Draconia, and quickly shoved several cookies in his mouth, walking out just in time to hear the announcement. Needless to say he was mostly excited and a little hyper.

"I don't know who I'll be yet, but I know it'll be out this world!!"

Roswell's imagination took hold as he drifted into a world where he was not a star to the stars but a Hero to heroes! It was Supernova!  

[Draconia St George]

Ronan Aalto

"And Toralei's a villain?"

"She was surprisingly cool with it!" Wydowna blushed, pleased at the reaction her artwork was getting. "We'll need more villains eventually, of course, but we want to be sure not to get anymonster angry or offended."

"I was thinking about asking Glen, actually." Draconia added in. "We've had a little bit of hexperience playing hero and villain with him, and I think it'd translate fangTAStically for the comic!"

As the drawings and scripts were passed around from monster to monster, Ghoulia blushed as much as a zombie could. It was humbling that everyone liked her idea so much.

Soon, the drawings and scripts were stacked back on the table, the seed of ideas planted in every mind. The kids all sat back down in a circle, and Ghoulia spoke.

"Uuuuuggghhhh hhhrrrrggggghhh."

"That's a brilliant idea, Ghoulia!" Draconia nodded. Having the newest members talk about their comics of the week first would give them a chance to show off their tastes without risking doubling up on a comic with an existing member. "Who would like to talk about their week's favourite comic first? Vinnie? Shadeaux? Cassandra?"  

[Ascreama Poweurgh]

Ascreama let out a squeak as the super-secret-project was revealed, "Oh my glob, that is such a fangtastic idea!"
She shimmied over to Roswell, "I would love to go to another con, ohmyglob I'd totally grossplay as my character! I could be a villain of pudding and obnoxious shiny things!" She gushed, very hexcited and eager about the idea of designing herself into a superhero world. So many possibilites! So many potential ideas! This was going to be hexciting.

The blob ghoul gathered in the circle with the other club members and the all gasped and 'oo'ed and 'aa'ed at the sketches and story boards, "Ghoulia, you're uh-mazing." She smiled up at the zombie.  

[Shadeaux D Gloom]

Shad sighed and said perhaps a little louder than he intended, "Boo, sometimes I don't know why I go to Necrocon. I just sit in the shadows and watch everybluddy else in their costumes having a craaazy time."

He sighed when...

Draconia St George

"Who would like to talk about their week's favourite comic first? Vinnie? Shadeaux? Cassandra?"

"Huh!? ME!?" Shad almost tipped his chair over backwards in his startled fright, earning an eye roll from Ghoulia. (Yes, just the one eye.) All heads turned toward Shad, an amazing thing in itself since it took a lot to take note a shadow creature was even present.

He swallowed and with a prod from Draconia, he stood up, shaking and holding his comic book up in front of him.

"I-I-I'm a b-b-g mark of Monsters of the Universe. I-I just picked up the new issue last week. Skulligore finally got inside of Castle Numbskull, er, Gnomeskull!"

He held it out to Draconia, the one closest to him, for a look see.

"It leaves on a trippy cliff hanger. He-Moan can't g-g-et inside Gnomeskull to save the Goreceress!"  

[Cassandra MH]

Cassandra heard her name and sank into her chair. she felt a little happy about the NecroCon subject since her parents are taking her to Fang-amie which was the largest Ahh-nime convention...like ever
She smiled and said "I sew costumes all the time if any of you need help on, makeup, wigs, anything im your ghoul "  

[Ronan Aalto]

"I'm not... dressing up." Ronan declared. He hadn't much enjoyed spirit week and the idea of dressing up and going to a convention made him shudder. Conventions were crowded places and he'd already had a taste of how badly he coped with crowds.

"Uh.." Everyone was now looking at him expectantly. "I'm reading the new Witchman series right now... " He held up his icoffin. "Everything's digital though."

Heath grinned. "Joined the modern age as well have you? Well, of course... I have to have them digital because the whole.. " He raised both hands at the other's sudden looks of panic. "Ok ok, no demonstrations!"

Ronan frowned a little but nodded. "Getting out to stores isn't always easy when you travel as much as my family do. I kinda... got used to it. " Not that there wasn't a certain something about the feel and smell of real paper comic books.