5.45-5.46: The battle continues...!
The battle so far has taken less than a minute so anything could happen!
We've seen a bit of what the Forn can do now - control of the elements... with "the elements" being earth, wind, fire, water. I had an email from one reader saying "ugh, more magic", however the Forn's control is no more mystical than Storm's is of weather, or Terra's is of earth, or the Human Torch's of fire... it's an ability inherent in all Forn like singing is in humans, it's just that some Forn can do it much better than others (like singing in humans!). Jenna's down for the count but we'll get to see Bif in action shortly.
Also we see Lin-Lin (aka Hidden Dragon) in action, or do we? She is meant to be invisible after all. I was tempted not to draw her in the frame at all but opted for an Invisible Woman approach - even so I faded her blue outline right back. I like the fact that when I look at that last frame she's not immediately apparent. Anyway, she's not the only invisible character to appear in Magellan - there was also Vanishing Vanessa from The Baxter Gang (in Go!Anna's dream sequence).
We've seen a bit of what the Forn can do now - control of the elements... with "the elements" being earth, wind, fire, water. I had an email from one reader saying "ugh, more magic", however the Forn's control is no more mystical than Storm's is of weather, or Terra's is of earth, or the Human Torch's of fire... it's an ability inherent in all Forn like singing is in humans, it's just that some Forn can do it much better than others (like singing in humans!). Jenna's down for the count but we'll get to see Bif in action shortly.
Also we see Lin-Lin (aka Hidden Dragon) in action, or do we? She is meant to be invisible after all. I was tempted not to draw her in the frame at all but opted for an Invisible Woman approach - even so I faded her blue outline right back. I like the fact that when I look at that last frame she's not immediately apparent. Anyway, she's not the only invisible character to appear in Magellan - there was also Vanishing Vanessa from The Baxter Gang (in Go!Anna's dream sequence).
posted by xmung at
6:30 am
11 Comments:
(like singing in humans)
:-)
Speaking of elements, I notice that Fatima's just been propelled into hers. That's good news. Especially since there's no shark-thingie among the hostile mutant whatevers.
You're right about Lin-Lin: I too didn't immediately see her. Works nicely!
But heck, is Kaycee Jones the only First Year to know what Alpha Nine means? ;-p
By
Pascal [P-04referent], at 3:56 pm
"If you're not enjoying the battle it'll be over in a few more pages."
That'll be a relief for the hapless fieldtrippers. THEY sure don't look like they're enjoying it!
Ouch. Poor Go!. Behold, that's a tail to be told...
"Don Stefano, Kaycee Jones sleeps with the fishes."
Let me recap the rest... Victoria in a secret swimsuit is napping with the spider, the tinkerer made the school bus vorp the basketball player and the shy fan, the rat bit the lizzard before the extinct tigress punched her, the Afro can't mojo the armadillo bozo Jojo, the dragon has vanished, the bad dog saved the goblin but then it escaped slowly from its rescuer in a frenzy, the mighty wind blew away the unmighty girl (Charisma insisted I said that), the red meat got beat by the green giant, we're ten seconds earlier than right now, my head hurts, and holy smoke bomb, (Wom-)Batman! "Yes."
"...and a partridge in a pear tree?", the police officer asked the witness sarcastically.
"No, I swear, I saw it all!
- What you need is a good night's rest in a calm cell to sober up!"
By
Pascal [P-04referent], at 1:19 pm
...And there we see Bif committing the classic mistake, worthy of a beginner, of talking too much and explaining his upcoming actions to the enemy.
Or it could just be a narrative trick to help the reader's understanding. :-)
By
Pascal [P-04referent], at 5:52 am
yeah - I know. I had five choices:
- say nothing and have the reader be totally confused;
- have a bystander character give some observation as to what Bif was doing (a bit hard now since most of them are no longer in the land of the conscious);
- have Bif think about what he is doing (probably the better option but I really hate dropping into a character's thoughts like that... Kaycee and Go! yes, the reader is familiar with their thoughts. I suppose I've done it with Captain Victoria and Brelvis too and perhaps I could have here;
- use a narrator box, but I hate those things... a legacy I think of all those 1970s and early 1980s where every action was put into a narrator box, even when it was really clear from the drawing what was happening;
- have Bif monologue...
Someone else commented in the forum that the monologue happens so rarely in Magellan that it really stands out when it's used. True. But some people... and blue-skinned demons... just have to think out aloud I suppose! :)
By
xmung, at 9:48 am
Ah, so blue demons like to monologue. Thanks for the precious insight. You never know when such knowledge might turn out vital during a pentagram accident...
Got any tips in case I accidentally summon a giant squid-headed world destroyer? Think I could apease him with sushi long enough to hop into the next Mars-bound rocket?
By
Pascal [P-04referent], at 3:20 pm
"My, grandmother, what big fists you have.
- The better to smash you to a pulp, my little dinner.
- And what big ears you have.
- The better to hear you hiding underwater, small fry.
- And (gulp) what big...
- Aaah, SHADDUP!
- Ak! Ugh! Ufff!
- This ain't no fairy tale, fugly. Okay, who ordered the calamari?"
By
Pascal [P-04referent], at 4:28 pm
LOL! It's even funnier with Ugly than it was with Charisma.
Just last night, I was watching a documentary on squid fishing in California, and one guy, while pulling up a poor hooked beastie, got a powerful squirt of ink smack in his face.
They say it's quite irritant and many fishermen are allergic to it.
Does Fatima also have their ability to modify her skin appearance and use it as camouflage?
By
Pascal [P-04referent], at 12:21 pm
An ink squirt is like slapstick... always funny! Fatima doesn't have camouflage ability, although it would probably come in handy right about now.
By
xmung, at 3:07 pm
Slapstick, exactly. Like a cream pie. Only in reverse. Maybe a chocolate or blackberry pie?...
Ideally, good humour in a story is about balance. You need some puns, some finesse, some very subtle stuff, some a little less subtle, various nods to known stuff, a bit of crude and rude (with moderation)... and a healthy amount of slapstick! "A little bit of something for all ages."
Humour AND storytelling itself should be like real life: with all the styles present at one point or another.
We writers know, don't we? :-)
I was very recently reading a book about the author of Tintin, no less. He stated that even though his stories were entirely made up from fictional facts, he loathed the idea of telling a story that wasn't as realistic, plausible and coherent as real life itself. He felt it would have insulted the reader.
And reading some "golden age" U.S. comics lately, I know just what he means. Since I was little, I hated spotting some "anything for an easy immediate dramatic effect" tricks. For example, a murderous psycho super-villain suddenly wimping out when it's convenient. In the "last story" of Cpt America vs the Red Skull, who became a master archer and found out Cap's secret identity, on their final confrontation the Red Skull shoots, misses(!), and then doesn't have the nerve to shoot again at point blank for a sure kill, "that coward", so instead he steps back and plummets to his death. WTF?
Boo! Fakers! We want our money back!
What I love about your stories, is how they're so carefully held together. None of that nonsense "okay, so we have a costumed hero, we have a villain, very very scary, and he goes all evil and stuff, and only the hero can stop him, the police and Army are so helpless they don't even try to show up or investigate".
The day I see a good guy walking against a whole army, calmly shooting the bad guys one by one without getting a scratch, in one of YOUR stories, I'll know immediately that you're joking with us.
Heck, even mighty Epoch hurt his back while carrying an airliner that was a little too heavy. :-)
Speaking of which, is he fully recovered? He seemed rather fine during the Gaius affair.
I should ask Charisma when I see her.
Or not. Better ask her how she gets her hair so dazzling, that's much safer! :-)
I wonder if Charisma will show up in this story... and if it'll inspire her for "Sista Smackdown". I'm SO eager for her world tour!
(And not because she has a wardrobe malfunction at every concert. Well, not JUST for that! ;-)
By
Pascal [P-04referent], at 3:46 pm
Somehow, I'm not sure Gray's allergic to squid ink...
I'm surprised to hear about Victoria's strong mind. Could it be simply a "flying brick" immunity to mind-controlling toxins?
By
Pascal [P-04referent], at 5:49 pm
re: Captain Victoria... very likely yes, re: Grey... more soon! :D
By
xmung, at 7:36 pm
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