Hi Lee! I'm most pleased our schedules could coincide! These chapters are posted so irregularly, it's hardly a surprise we often miss one another! Since your commentary is amongst my very favorites, I really ought to figure a way to step up production!
Thank you! Dreamtime does come off as sort of a big playground (all the better to play in when one's learned how to work the equipment properly!) And this chapter was indeed intended as romp, with a less dire tone and little in the way of heavy dialogue exchanges. The Low Roads series tends to be so dense and so serious, chapters such as this one must surely seem like a breath of fresh air! Something to remember for future pacing purposes!
Heh heh! Mercy sorta reflects my own prudish attitude toward randy behavior! The whole scene involving Kitchenaut's Fox sisters plays a lot more "blue" than I generally tend; the bare-breasted tickling was included upon his recommendation (many aspects of the scene were the results of his suggestions, in fact; the demon's old-age disguise and his octopus morphing, for instance) and, now that all's said and done, I'm quite pleased it's here! I had planned (and still do plan) to include a future scene of naked tickling, but that's still years away. Breaking the ice now certainly does no harm, not even to Mercy!
I'm very pleased you like that! Though she's now had a much exposure with weird situations, Mercy is still basically a tyro, a reality she's often apt to ignore. Rubbing her nose in her own inexperience is a way of keeping her ego in check; she may be the story's hero, but she's far from being any sort of expert. The more often she's made to remember that, the better for her development.
Yeah, the demon (gods! I still need to name this guy!) kinda goes off the deep end, doesn't he! That was meant to be the point... not so much that his wicked nature had been revealed, but that he'd lost control and gotten carried away with fetish frenzy. Despite Mercy's current attitude, she hasn't had her last dealings with him ("it" actually, I guess; ethereals are meant to be genderless). Whether or not he's able to redeem himself is an aspect I'll leave up in the air for now.
Again, thank you! Getting Mercy from waking reality to dream state (and vice versa) presents a challenge for me not to repeat myself; the imprint transition suggested itself early on during the scripting stage, and I'm most pleased it seemed to make sense! The helpful thing (the curse too, perhaps, if it happens not to work) about purely visual business is that, once developed, it tends to become ingrained upon my concept of the scene. I barely ever forget visual bits, whereas a cute turn-of-phrase is much easier to lose.
Thanks very much for your generous appraisal of my storytelling skills! It's always my hope that I maintain internal logic and consistency, even while trying to provide a surprise. As to your own perspicaciousness (as self-serving as it may seem on my part), I rate it mighty high! You unfailingly focus on those plot and visual aspects which are the most important to me! Always a supreme pleasure to respond to your commentary! You make me look so confounded good!
My great pleasure, Lee! Thank you for another world-class reply!
Greetings once again, Limbo! I've had a very nice holiday season thus far! Thank you for inquiring! Spent it with family. Hope yours has gone as well!
You raise an interesting, perceptive point: Sephie isn't simply the reactionary hard-ass she might appear... she has an extremely pronounced sense of responsibility, intensified by traumatic personal tragedy (I'll be examining that thoroughly in Chapter 21). Her error is that she's rather fanatical in approach, which causes her to (1) tackle enormous issues solo, and (2) try to focus on general disasters without cleaning up her personal ones first. That she has immense energy isn't enough... no one is capable of handling this crisis alone. Deep down, I suspect she knows this. However, without proper social skills to guide her, she operates at a tremendous disadvantage.
Once again, good questions! In the dreamworld, demons are no special threat to sleepers. They can't do violence to spirits (which is the only part of a sleeper that visits Dreamtime), only provide terrifying nightmare contact, which is broken instantly when the sleeper awakens. Mercy's vulnerability is that she travels to Dreamtime corporeally, where quasi-matter can do her actual physical harm. Being squashed by a demon there would mean being squashed for real... I don't know that she's fully considered the consequences of that yet.
Mercy's demon pal is comparatively mild-mannered and something of a screw-up, which has made him more approachable then most of his kind. Of course, you see what happens when he gains a little competence... an imperious nature begins to assert itself! The gulf between demons (those spirits with evil intent) and gods (spirits with whom contact is beneficial) is illusory; ethereals hop back and forth between these roles regularly, at whim. As these being are eternal, their whims may take a long time to change, of course; it may be difficult to recall from generation to generation if the current good guys were one-time villains. Mercy's pink demon compatriot is either vile or divine based purely on his attitude and his ability to reward or harm. Pinky's made great strides in the second category; it remains to be seen how he'll fare in the first.
Thanks a bunch, CT! "Tickle Cripple"! Heh, aren't we all! (... well, I'm a moral cripple, anyway! That's gotta count for something!)
Nice rhyme scheme! This chapter's tummy fixation (both the initially prodding and continuation into the raspberry tickling) was prompted by Ryufan's request; my personal interest doesn't extend much past the ankle (as far as fetish obsession is concerned), so this outside direction is very useful to me! The more input I receive, the richer the series becomes!
I'd be most surprised if I hadn't developed a British sensibility from my early reading! I cut my literary teeth on H.G. Wells ("War of the Worlds" is the first novel I read all the way through; about 10 years old, under the bed covers with a flashlight), Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Edgar Rice Burroughs, etc., Then again, Poe was in there too... leave it to a sneaky Colonial to creep through the cracks!
Very kind of you! And never fear... stroking Mercy's tender ped-pelt is always foremost 'mongst my aspirations! It becomes tougher and tougher, what with her increasing ability to escape (into Dreamtime and out again), but be confident! I'm ever eager to figure out new ways!
Hey, I'm successfully competing with cable TV! That's a hefty victory!
Thanks, Relent! It is meant to seem an ongoing tragedy, of course. Family discord can be the most hurtful of personal dilemmas; any outside annoyance can be faced from the confidence of a united front. The "why" of it is awfully important (fully understanding a problem is the first step toward solving it), and I mean to address all the circumstances head-on in Chapter 21.
That's a much-appreciated compliment! The relationships between characters is a story aspect I expend considerable creative sweat to perfect, and your recognition of it is terribly gratifying! The bond between Angie and Fiona has indeed become deeply intimate... still explicitly sisterly, but the element of pronounced, deliberate sensuality can't be ignored. You're quite right... Angie's initiation into the mysteries of Dreamtime has received considerable buildup! That's something else which will achieve fruition next time... Chapter 21 is going to be awfully busy!
Happy to hear that, Abadon! I always value your support and hope that future chapters will continue to delight!
Thanks for writing, Dae! You sure are right about Sephie... her autocratic, hidebound attitude has caused a gulf between the sisters which won't be easy to heal. Of course, Mercy is pretty stubborn herself, but her tender age has denied her much control over these circumstances. Sephie's fanaticism is rather more involved that it at first blush appears... I hope to demystify her bruised psyche within the next chapter or two.
Interesting you should say that... my initial concept for the scene had the demon approach and interact with the Fox sisters in his Mercy guise. It would have been more orgy than bondage session, with the faux Mercy receiving a large measure of the mammary stimulation he dishes out. This, of course, would have appalled and outraged the genuine article (watching "herself" participate so eagerly in a wildly wanton display). It would have allowed me to have my cake (prim modesty) and eat it at the same time... however, in pre-production conversations with Kitchenaut, he was most keen to pursue the old-codger theme he employed so successfully in "Avian Oddity"; also to utilize a certain amount of bondage. The octopus idea was his too... in the end, I think the current version plays just as well as the one I first had in mind!
That indeed is the dilemma I'd hoped to highlight at the end of the chapter! Prior to this, the demon had proved a pleasant and useful compatriot; what a loss to compromise all that carefully-built goodwill! Without me being specific and spoiling any tension, trust that I've thought the implications through... Mercy and the demon aren't done with each other just yet!
Oh, there's much story to tell yet! We're a little over a third of the way through the plot; at my current rate of production, I'll likely be at this for another 10 years (thank god I'm patient! I only pray that Low Roads readers will likewise be!)
I believe you may be referring to Janus's appearance in Chapter 9. That was a cameo tribute; Janus is, of course, a TTC member and a fine artist (who, unfortunately, isn't as active on the forums as he once was). I've cast him in the role of a gruff but benevolent ethereal, one who's taken a special interest in Mercy's progress. He hasn't been active in the story for quite awhile... high time to reintroduce him, in fact.
Not in the least! I found all your commentary most fruitful! Hope to hear more in the future!
Very kind of you, Owen! Thank you! It's true... this chapter is more of a relaxation break. Not much exposition is imparted and little narrative progress is made (in fact, for Mercy this counts as a setback). Taking a breather from time to time probably isn't a bad idea, especially for a longish piece of storytelling like this one; the reader and the writer both can become burnt out, having to deal with ramped-up forward momentum all the time.
I'm positively delighted you think so! For me, that panel is the key image in the piece! It's certainly the one I worked hardest on: Mercy had to be redrawn four times before she was posed in a believable running stance; and while the poultry offered no similar difficulties, I had to do extensive pre-sketching before I was confident about getting their likenesses right. The gigantic barn owl and rooster, like the Fox Sisters, were plucked from the pages of Kitchenaut's "Avian Oddity"; I wanted them for this one panel only (dream logic would allow for their convenient appearance and disappearance), but the image was so firmly ingrained into my imagination, I knew it would be nearly impossible to do without it! Why Mercy chose to dash, rather than instantly make her waking escape, is a question best not addressed. I think she forgets where she is sometimes!
"Pipsqueak demon"... heh heh! That's nails him down pretty darned well, all right! Without being too specific and giving away the whole show... yeah! You're definitely on the right track! 😉
You, sir, are a master purveyor of loquacious delight! If English literature contained half the polished invention you lavish on these simple sentiments of praise, we'd have no need for Dickens or Wilde! How pleased I am, then, to return this favor with story material cleaving closer to your acknowledged preference than any I've heretofore submitted! To be fair, I needed a guide; a Fox shall lead them! XD
Aw, you say that every chapter! XD Your constant gracious encouragement aside, I suspected this fresh aspect of Low Roads naughtiness would suit you to a "T"! It's the sort you express and share so expertly yourself! As far as rendering overtly erogenous play is concerned, I'm a tyro; much of this has to do with my special fetish for the well-formed female foot, an appendage which may be displayed (even pestered) without regard to taboo. The social prejudice is empty, of course... personally, I find a barefoot lass far more arousing that a topless one (just a cross I'll have to bear... sigh!) Even so, the bared tootsie innately seems more eloquent of innocence than the bared breast. I will endeavor to combat my prejudice in this regard and provide more balance. If not here on an adult forum... where?
"There if I grow, the harvest is your own", to quote Shakespeare or some such hack! You've encouraged me for ages to expand my horizons into the more overt expressions of sensuality! Trouble's been, the Low Roads is rather frosty by design... its characters are lousy with hang-ups, which they can't compromise if they're to fulfill their narrative functions. Opportunities, then, for instances of full-frontal nudity, nipple or genital stimulation (and that's a line I'm still determined not to cross) have been very rare and mostly wrong for the series' tone. Happily, the frequent cameo guest shots have offered me a way out! Kitchenaut was most insistent that I let my hair down and go wild with his girls; and, while I likely didn't push the boundaries quite as far as he himself or you would have done (I look to you both as masters of non-exploitive, unapologetic carnal kinkiness), for prim Tabor County it does tear down a few walls! I was going to have to get there eventually... once Angie nears the end of her particular quest, she's destined to enter a realm in which sensual appetite approaches Tiberius-like levels of license. But that's still at least a good dozen chapters away... thanks to your excellent example and that of Kitch, I'm able to provide needed foreshadowing of these distant lands beyond crossed knees! The Low Roads were meant to be reserved (as it's creator tends to be), but not necessarily prudish. If further chances for a gay topless romp come along, I'll jump on 'em! I may not go out of my way to create them (not any more than I'd do for knee or facial tickling), but neither will I shun them! Appropriateness is the watchword.
I benefit from your fine example! Just when one believes that your superb TIS has summitted to the ceiling of artistic excellence, along comes the unthinkably awesome "Origins" to prove there are no upper limits! When space is all used up, you'll be jamming further quality into the space between spaces!
Your incoherent babbling would still better my best efforts at gratitude, my most eloquent friend! I'd feel inadequate and ungrateful, if your grand ego-inflating graciousness didn't make such simpering impossible! Let me say simply that I consider the opportunity to offer my attempts at self-expression to this ever-appreciative Community the most treasured of privileges; to be able to do so in the mighty company of an unparalleled Deeto feels more like giddy daydreaming than reality!
To lift a line from the recent film adaptation of "The Return of the King": my friend... you bow to no one! The Deet is humble by dint of a generous temperament... his modesty, like everything else about him, is a plus! To know you, alone, is a great joy; to be allowed to bask in all the wonder you create for our world is a special blessing!
Thanks so much for saying so, Kopfhorer! I doubt my style will ever be polished enough for publishing standards, but it's very nice to hear! The Low Roads, as it stands, is ideally placed in the free forums, where the cameo tributes don't create rights-clearing concerns. I hate the idea of performing to a deadline, anyway! 😉
Well, for this chapter at least! I'm not opposed to risque content on principle, but it most often doesn't fit into the tone I want for the story. Certainly, though, further instances will arise in which the "blue" spectrum can be exploited profitably (as Angie moves into more liberated lands to the west)... at that time, I promise I won't shirk my randy responsibilities!
