I know, Izzy! Cliffhangers can be so frustrating! And unlike the weekly Saturday morning serials, a 2-month wait is required before satisfaction! Chalk it up to my sadistic streak, something that both Mercy and Angie can affirm XD!
I got your e-mail before I saw this post, so I knew you'd had trouble with the zipped download. Dang it, I really hoped that would work, it simplifies things so much! A guy at the TTC had similar problems with one of my zipped files, and I desperately hope this problem isn't broad-based (I can trade zipped files with another of my long-distance friends; unfortunately, all that means is that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't). I'll send this chapter to you tonight in more conventional fashion, the way I have with the others.
My thanks, as ever, for all your heartwarming compliments! It's wonderful to me that Sid made an impression (for a persona so gross and distasteful, you could hardly say "favorable impression"!) and that Mercy and Angie's facial expressions did their characters credit! Have no fear, there'll be plenty more intriguing personalities to come! Chapter 10 hasn't plumbed my depths of inspiration by half!
God, so good. I think your eye and skill have improved immensely through the series. I've been starting to read these more as a comic and less for the tickling, it just feels like a perk heh.
Good of you to say so, Belmont! Thank you! Not fixating single-mindedly on the tickling elements has been important to me, as over-reliance on fetish conventions can render the plot predictable. This ought to be a story that one could tell (with a minimum of bending) without the fetish material. Thank you, too, for noting any improvement in style! I must say, I do feel more confident, more willing to try challenging visual scenarios that I might have balked at earlier!
And some fun Lovecraft/Eternal Darkness influence too. Quality all around.
It's true, I've been a Lovercraft fan for decades! In amongst the scads of inspiration that have prompted the Low Roads series, the Cthulhu Mythos becomes more and more prominent. Eventually, I hope that planned distinctions will make the Low Roads seem an original and separate entity, but that's for future analysis to decide.
You've done it again, my friend. I'm really enjoying the character development in this series, and in this episode the girls were particularly well written. Mercy's selfish side came through once again, echoing back to the night when she watched through the window as Angie was tormented by Bogeys in her bedroom. Without an evident shred of concern for her best friend's safety, Mercy egged the poor girl on to face an unknown fate in the basement all by her lonesome. Granted, she was being tickled out of her mind at the time, so I guess we could chalk that one up at least in part to "extenuating circumstances". Still, her curt dismissal of Angie's fears with a "So what, you're a voluptuary!" could be construed as somewhat callous, although as I said, she probably wasn't thinking clearly at the time. She just wanted the tickling to stop!
Once again, Moonknight, thanks a million for all your generous compliments and your beautifully perceptive commentary! Indeed, Mercy's backslid a bit from her heroic "holding the line" in Chapter 8... she's all too willing to throw Angie directly into the lion's jaws now! You're quite right, in that the intensity of this particular tickling session has prompted this change, but it still reflects rather ill on Mercy. She's undisciplined; she's reacts rather than developing any consistency. But then, she's still young and rather callow; gaining her maturity will become a primary theme as the tale continues.
In terms of the illustrations, it was the facial expressions which caught my eye in this installment. Particularly, of course, Mercy's cackling countenance, but also Angie's frightened face as she flees the scene in panel 22. She's never looked prettier.
Thank you! That's incredibly gratifying to hear! It's vital to me that facial expressions be appropriate, not simply because the visuals need to match the intensity of the dialogue, but because quirky personality touches will effect the viewer's reaction to (and possible affection for) the characters. Your reaction to Angie is particularly pleasing: being fully human (as opposed to were-animals Mercy or Sephie), she tends to fall into a clump with the rest of the predominantly human cast of characters. Still, she's one of the principals and needs to stand out: any suggestion of distinctiveness is a joy to my ears!
And the fact that you snuck in that one last tickle for Mercy at the appendages of those insects...spectacular! Again, a job well done.
Thanks once again! These casual tickling touches, as opposed to the full-blown torture sessions, can sometimes prove more pleasing in that they're unexpected and can serve as a treat. Plus, I hadn't yet done an "in peril" tickling scenario (though the fall could hardly have proved fatal). This seemed like a prime opportunity!
P.S. - That feminine hand that clamped down over Angie's mouth in the very last panel...Dare I hope? Will our eye (and your quill) soon be on the Sparrow?
I was of two minds about ending Chapter 10 with this particular cliffhanger, as I suspected it might leave you (as the Community's premier Sparrow fan) with a false impression. Rather than force a 2 month wait, let me compromise suspense just a smidge and confess that the hand in question doesn't belong to Sparrow Hall. Sparrow won't figure at all in Chapter 11, but she will feature in the beginning of Chapter 12 (a scene that finally includes some mild tickling). To assuage any disappointment, let me state that I've been working out the details for a Moonknight cameo tribute which I'd like to appear 4 or so chapters from now. This is still in rather embryonic form, but it would involve extended interaction with Sparrow. I'll send you a PM once things are more firmed-up to apply for formal permission and get your impressions of the scene.
A great update on the series there. Some real action and plot points.
Thank you, DEV! There was indeed more action in this chapter than is usual for the story!
Only one question springs to mind, why is Shakespeare wielding what appears to be an semi-automatic on the 4th page?
Haha! Very pleased you recognized both Shakespeare and the machine gun, as neither one is very clearly rendered! That's actually an inside joke relating to the Senshi cameo tribute. The character in question isn't really the Bard, but Member Green from Senshi's Team Kackfapp. Green is the team's disguise expert., and one of her most used cover identities happens to be William Shakespeare (Senshi's
WTF strip is chock-full of absurdist humor). Senshi draws Will rather regularly and, in an unrelated 4-panel comedy piece, had him threatening people in anachronistic fashion with modern weaponry. I blended the two ideas in the context of the tribute.
Man, that was a long trip! For those interested in
WTF and the adventures of Team Kackfapp, Senshi's gathered 3 parts of the continuing story onto the following site:
http://teamkackfapp.proboards84.com/index.cgi
I'll do my best to keep these chapters coming regularly. There'll be between thirty and forty all together, so we've got a ways to go!
MK
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