An LGBTQ+ school Dramedy comic by artist Coco Ouwerkerk, AKA Colourbee.
Arcus McCarthy loves fashion and designing. And he doesn't care who knows it. Proud to parade around in garish colors, glitter and sporting a rainbow hairdo.
Well, his unabashed standing out is about to be tested. As Arcus and family have recently uprooted from England to The Netherlands. Now as the newest student at Apollo High School, Arcus has to deal with the usual high school foibles: Math, prissy bullies, and being teased for who he is.
...Did we mention he's also secretly a famous fashion blogger named Gold Star?
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. Updates every Monday.
Tropes:
- A-Cup Angst: Iris. She frequently stuffs her bra to give the illusion that she's stacked. Part of her Character Development into the nicer girl she becomes is eventually giving up on it.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Arcus's first interaction with his classmates is them tricking him into walking into a janitor's closet and getting him soaked with a wet mop, and it takes a long while for things to improve. He's initially shunned for his eccentric faction choices, and then for being so peppy and talkative that it irritates people.
- Ambiguously Bi: Iris. Between an obsession with boobs, a seeming crush on Gabrielle and a running gag of finding girls hot. Less ambiguous after page 199, when a couple of helpful musicians explain what she's going through. Turns out she didn't even know bisexual was a thing, assuming one could just be bi-curious before picking a side.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Familial version. Maud may think her brother's a jerk, but she also begs him to make sure he doesn't end up like their mom.
- Alcoholic Parent: Maud and Gale's mother is a pitiful drunk, leaving the two to basically raise themselves.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Marge turns out to be quite the reprehensible person, as Iris finds out when she asks her on a date. Discovering in short order that she's cheating on her boyfriend, is trying to turn Iris into her side-piece and has a completely backwards view on bisexuality.
- Camp Straight: Despite the glitter, rainbows and assumptions of basically everyone, Arcus is straight as an arrow.
- Cast Full of Gay: Gay, lesbian, ace, trans, etc. The cast is predominantly of the LGBTQ+ persuasion.
- Chick Magnet: Casper constantly has a throng of girls around him trying to get his attention, and on Valentine's day he receives a huge pile of roses from anonymous admirers. He finds it mostly just awkward and annoying, and wishes they would leave him alone. Especially since he turns out to actually be gay.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Iris. Starting off as a fairly typical Mean Girl, but eventually evolving into an actually decent person. Even becoming friendly with Arcus.
- A Dog Ate My Homework: Arcus's final exam is blown out the window and eaten by a dog, with his teacher initially dismissing it as an obvious lie until the dog's owner rushes up to the school to apologize.
- Dramatic Irony: The comic cuts between Xavier mocking Arcus to his classmates and defending himself by saying that Arcus is always cheerful and clearly doesn't have any troubles and Arcus visiting his mom in the hospital as she begins her treatments for what’s heavily implied to be cancer.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Due to his long hair and dressing in pastel colors most days, people often mistake Arcus for a girl. It doesn't bother him, and he usually just corrects them and moves on.
- Groin Attack: Xavier hits Arcus in the groin with a basketball (something much harder and heavier than the regular dodge balls) during a dodge ball game as payback for an imagined slight. Xavier is confused at Arcus's pained reaction, having thought he was girl.
- Hates My Secret Identity: It's a running gag early on that Iris and her posse love Gold Star and but mock and belittle Arcus whenever he offers fashion advice.
- He Cleans Up Nicely: Thanks to Iris anonymously getting him on a skincare routine, Gale's rather horrendous acne clears up and leaves him looking much better.
- Held Back in School: Maud is furious when she finds out her brother was held back a year after he promised her he'd study hard with her and do well enough on his exams that he'd pass them. Unbeknownst to her, he'd gotten a job to help support the family that made him so exhausted that he passed out during his exams, missing some and failing the rest.
- Hidden Depths: Iris secretly keeps pet spiders.
- Look Behind You: Xavier tells Arcus to go look at a flying dead bird to distract him during a dodgeball class. It works, distracting Arcus long enough for Xavier to hit him with a basketball to the groin.
- Mistaken for Gay: Only one of the senior students betting on the freshmen believes that Arcus is actually straight: everyone else places bets that he'll come out before the year is over.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: While the comic has its fair share of bullies, Gabrielle is the only one who gets her bullying kicks being this. Frequently throwing out gay as an insulting term, and constantly harassing Lola over her sexuality and gender.
- Proud Peacock: Arcus' family have four peacocks named after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who also attack people with feathers since they think they're rival birds fighting for territory.
- Relative Error: Arcus assumes Maud and Gale are a couple for way longer than seems feasible.
- Secret-Keeper: Iris accidentally discovers Arcus' identity as Gold Star early on, and he begs her to keep it a secret until he's ready to tell the world. She agrees as long as she gets some personal designs from Gold Star.
- Arcus later tells Maud his identity and she promises to keep it.
- Secretly Wealthy: Arcus actually lives in a mansion, but keeps it a secret since he wants genuine friends.
- The Snark Knight: Maud is a grumpy, sarcastic, more often than not angry goth girl. Which serves as a good shield to hide her issues with her boozehound mother and verge of dropping out brother.
- Straight Gay: Casper, after much foreshadowing and personal confusion.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Maud is severely overweight, doesn't exercise, and lives on a steady diet of unhealthy foods. Not shockingly, she eventually contracts diabetes from her poor lifestyle.
- Tempting Fate: After Iris wonders if her summer can get any worse, she gets forced to wear glasses and braces.
- Yaoi Fangirl: A minor background character named Amanda. She apparently likes to ship her classmates (Specifically Arcus and Gale). Her friends have to remind her shipping real people is a little weird.
