“NO!”
Aedre’s Firefly Chapt VII: Choices (Part 15)
The brewing trouble looks about to boil over. Will Mrs. Gryffin’s demands to be taken back to work, with its underlying appeal to the need to make money, have any effect on her enraged husband?
~~~
Process
The next couple of months of strips will include some switching of venues. This is due to the need to show in a fairly linear format that certain things are happening within the same time frame, and that some things are happening simultaneously. This of course may not be obvious when reading one strip a week, but on rereading, or reading from the beginning, I hope it will be more apparent. I’m also hoping that this way of presenting the material will gradually tighten the tension right to the end of the chapter. At that point I’ll ask you whether it worked or not.
I’ve returned to inking the unfinished pencilled strips for this chapter of Aedre’s Firefly. I’m getting excited again about the process, since creating my own “Photoshop Actions” to speed things up. This works so much faster when you have a larger number of files ready to be inked.
Other News
I haven’t yet had a chance to get to the post office to send off Todd’s sketch. Sorry, Todd. Will get to it as soon as I can.
I’ve been working on editing my Sci-fantasy novel “Endless Night of Stars” this month and though it’s going well, it’s pretty slow.
I’m also working on a fairly intricate tattoo design for a client, using the Inkpad app for the iPad. I’m really pleased with the results so far. I can only hope the client will be, too. I won’t be able to publish it, since the client wants it to be their own unique tattoo, but I may be able to show you some of the stages of the workflow involved and perhaps an altered version. We’ll see.
Thanks for reading Aedre’s Firefly and for your encouraging comments! <3
Yikes. The hunt is on. I can feel the tension ratcheting up already.
Editing is fun and aggravating, no? I have moments where I’m really happy with what I’m working on, and then I fall into, “Oh my god, what if this is all crap!?” I try to ignore the latter moments except to double-check to see if the section I’m reading actually is crap. I’m on the second hard-copy read-through of The Only City Left, so I may just be getting burnt out by reading the same 100k words again.
If you’re feeling it, I’m doing something right… :`)
Editing is what I do when my timer goes off and I go” OMG is THAT the time already?! I need to put away the art and get back to editing!” *shakes head*
That’s what’s hardest for me. Switching between the writing/editing and pencilling/inking. I’m not sure I’ll be doing it long enough to get burned out on the story. Fortunately, I have a couple of other writers here to help me go over it once I get past the first clean-up.
There is a way to transfer photoshop actions to photoshop elements since they don’t have them by default. I need to do that to speed up my coloring.
It would be good to know that trick, Bearman. Can you enlighten the rest of us?
Being able to auto-expand a selection and auto-fill it with the foreground colour (flatting) instantly with the press of hot-key has helped me speed up the process immensely. Keeping a copy of the inks on the layer above ( and the layer set to multiply mode) is essential for this to work properly.
I know it’s bad of me to feel this way, but at moments like this you can’t help but wish for a car accident.
We see in this dynamic who the catalyst is that keeps the flames fanned, dear old @#*! Dad. Statements like “Make her Pay!” really show the frustration that he has in life and how he has found his punching bag to take out all of life’s frustrations, and that is unfortunately Aedre. We get a glimpse of mom too, who is still more focused on her needs than that of her child’s, we continue to see those hints of how unimportant Aedre is to her and how she feels of her as a burden on her life.
So a car accident would not be a bad thing right now.
Like I told you on twitter, Todd, your response to this brought tears to my eyes. I sometimes think you missed your calling, even though you are a fantastic IT guy. :`D
Nothing wrong with thinking/wishing for bad things to happen to people who abuse others. The problem comes with acting on those thoughts.
That’s the difference between people like them and decent thoughtful people. You are aware that it isn’t a good thing. THEY believe they can solve all their problems that way.
I’ve learned to wish and hope that they learn to care enough that they can change their lives. Some people do manage it even late in life. ♥
That speeding car, all that anger! Such a tense comic. Great job capturing that racing sensation.
Thanks, Elizabeth! ♥
I only hope it’s staying within the “all ages” category…
Ahhh… poor Aedre. I think she is better off in the woods with the strange man and the Frog. Only time will tell.
Great stuff Jande.
I know what you mean about having a lot of stuff going on. I have been keeping pretty busy myself and I am not really trying to reach any goals…other than to get up and do it again tomorrow. :)
Only Jande can create such a great story where “..she is better off in the woods with the strange man and the frog.” sounds like good advice. :)
That made me blush with pleasure and giggle at the same time, Todd. Thank you! lol
Bo, you hit the nail on the head as usual. Thank you!
That is my wish for you as well, sir. Being here to get up and do your thing again tomorrow. I’m glad you got a new puppy and I’m looking forward to more of Molly’s delightful quips!
I can’t describe how honoured I feel that you choose to spend some of your precious time and life force right here. ♥
I’m really not sure which is worse in this case. Them not searching for their missing daughter, or their actually finding her.
Of those two choices? I’m betting on the latter. :`) so lets hope they never find her. Unlikely?
This is an exceptional storyline, Jande! I’m thrilled to follow, but feeling very afraid for Aedre!
Thank you, Mark! You know how much I appreciate your encouraging responses to my work. ♥
There is good reason to be afraid for her where those two are concerned. Their propensity for casual violence could easily get out of hand.
I was merely cautiously worried until you followed up Marks comment there Jande with your reply. Don’t make me crawl into that 2 dimensional world of theirs and slap those two straight! [wink]
You’re right about “their two-dimensional world” :`) But is more violence the answer? I certainly know it would relieve our own feelings. But what would the consequences of intervening in such a way be? Especially for Aedre.
And yes, Scott, I know you were joking. Pardon me if I use your comment to hop on my soapbox. lol
Jeeepers! No wonder Aedre would rather spend the least amount of time at home. Apparently, there’s not much there for her to appreciate. I truly hope she has her bases covered for whenever her parents catch up with her!
You’re doing an outstanding job of cranking up the tension, Jande! :)
Not much there that appreciates her, either.
Thank you, George!
Wow, the temper on these two. And the casual verbal abuse. Contempt just seems to ooze out of them. Scary! 0.0
Great job on the car, Jande. I know they are far from your favorite things to draw, yet this one’s looking really good. As Elizabeth mentioned, you’ve really captured that sensation of speeding along.
They do seem to be scaring even the adults. Imagine being a little kid living with those two.
If you draw something over and over again you can’t help but get better at it. I’m gradually becoming more comfortable drawing cars, though if I were asked what model it was I wouldn’t be able to say.
Thanks, Mal! :`D
Oh la la, just like in the previous comic you’ve put so much expression in the faces of Aedre’s old man and lady! I also like the lively dialogue, well not what they say on Aedre of course, but how it perfectly fits with your story. Maybe those lines are a fine side effect of your switching between writing/editing and making comics? ;)
I try to keep the dialogue as minimal as possible, but sometimes I just have to throw it all in there. It’s good to know that it fits. Thank you, Jorine.
Going from editing a Science-Fantasy story set in the future about a game tester and the role of technology in the shaping and shattering of relationships to Aedre’s tale is a kind of weird torture. lol
Thankfully, I wasn’t trying to write them at the same time. I don’t switch horses in mid-stream very well. A touch of the old OCD. lol
I hope your leg heals up perfectly. In the meantime I hope you get lots of time to laze around and work on your comic. ;`)