Tales From the Low Roads, Chapter 23 (F/F, ub & belly; M/F, foot).

[Low_Roads]

… in which Miss Mercy Mew learns about the perils of inflation…

Tickling scenes:
#1. F/F, ub & belly - pages 10-13
#2. */M, side - page 18
#3. M/F, foot - pages 31-34

Pages 1-5:

 

[Low_Roads]

Pages 6-10:

 

[Low_Roads]

Pages 11-15:

 

[Low_Roads]

Pages 16-20:

 

[Low_Roads]

Pages 21-25:

 

[Low_Roads]

Pages 26-30:

 

[Low_Roads]

Pages 31-35:

 

[Low_Roads]

Pages 36-37:

 

[the_jimmy_james]

It's baaaaadaaaaass!!

 

[Abadon XXX1]

awesome as always ^_^

 

[Low_Roads]

It's baaaaadaaaaass!!

A thousand thanks for the roof-rousing, ribald round of enthusiasm, Jamie! I think they heard that in the next county!

awesome as always ^_^

Most pleased for your warm congratulations, Abadon! Thank you sincerely!

 

[limbo123]

ya ever have such a good day the suddenly turn out bad...
hehehe
well it appears Mercy is having one now huh? ihihihi

oh how good it is to see you Little Big Head
hope you had a good holiday vacation

anyways to the chapter
hmm how devilish Fiona is
using such strange tickly tool against poor Angie
though whats to expect in the dreaming world demons and Bogies who have similar body temperatures
she may need all the practice against any form of torment that should pass her by

and that man...what a pest
back at the village and here now
could be a lovely stalker but he could defiantly have some Sinister motives

i see Mercys and Sephies relationship, and it seems that it can only get better (i hope)
it will be fun to see the town...Blue Powder?

sorry if i got it wrong

also to go back to Fiona, man did it feel like i was getting an extra talk down to hear Fiona explain to Angie that she was in a precarious position against the empowered Mercy
mmm

now to Mercys own fight
wow
so does the terrain of dream time differ on location or how the dreamer perceives it?
because the ...yellow/gold quasi material does seem powerful
oh nice cameo Foxie
so is FF also a human...scratch that

and as i said earlier
she had a good day
but her nice big boot is up for sephies eyes
oh Mercy how will you ever explain a boot that may dissipate before your sisters eyes?

well done on the chapter LBH
always good to see you

 

[TickleWiazard]

Top right panel of 26 had me in hysterics

 

[Relent<]

Holy shit XD Firefox making a cameo appearance, and writing his own lyrics. Lol
Mercy didn't seem to be that interested in his rapier wit, and even less patient with her own sister. It kills me to see them on such odd terms, especially with Sephie trying so hard. {X(

 

[Low_Roads]

WHY DID I RENT A SUIT ONLY TO RUIN IT! (You know why) THEIR GUARANTEE WAS WRONG LBH. IT WAS VERY WRONG!!!

Sorry sir, but we cannot answer for the unorthodox way you treat our apparel once it leaves the controlled confines of our salesroom. But in store mirrors, rest assured you'll look good! Damn good! We guarantee it!!!

Good GOD what a fantastic chapter in this legendary saga! Maybe I'm just biased as all fuck but that doesn't change the fact that this issue featured some of the FINEST QUALITY foot tickling of an inconvenienced and breathtaking feline femme fatale one will ever hope to see!

You're too terribly kind, FF! This chapter worked particularly well for me too, but I can't ever be trusted to see any of them in an unbiased way. Your perspective is deeply valued; I'm delighted that you're so well satisfied with the chapter in which your character appears! Then again, your participation did much to make it a jewel!

First of all, my greatest and substantial thanks for having FF in your employ, I'm seriously so flattered that i'm suppressing my man-tears, and the job you did with him was perfect. I mean it was absolutely the perfect blend of your masterful literary style and his own tendency to run his mouth, it came together like chocolate and peanut butter.

I couldn't be more delighted to hear you say so! Our personal art styles are so radically different (you with your fine-lined Marvelesque technique, me employing a bulbous, cartoony approach), I was a little leery that I could do the stalwart vulpine gent justice. I will say that FF was a ton of fun to draw! Your character references and clothing recommendations were surprisingly easy to adapt (surprising in that I'd never attempted a were-fox before), yielding results that pleased me tremendously! Kudos to you for solid core design! As to his personality, my thanks to you for your guidance and for giving me license to craft wiseacre palaver for him! Crafting his bon mots, sly retorts and running spiel was a hoot and a half! Writing the script is generally the most personally entertaining element of this exercise, and this one was a standout!

I certainly hope Mercy walked away with this with a renewed appreciation for her loveliness u_u

Shhhh! I don't want her gaining a swelled head! Her cantankerousness is tough enough to handle! However, if she hasn't by now gleaned that impression from your generous attention, she's a mighty thick young lady!

Now i could go on and write a whole damned essay about my gratitude but my summary is that I'm incredibly thankful and you've definitely the right to look forward to more fanart of Mercy Mew, not to mention weary Sephie, whose emotional turmoil has won my heart and admiration.

My friend, I too am endlessly grateful for FF's sterling involvement in this chapter! What a thudding bore it would have been without a sharp personality to deliver blow-by-blow commentary… and, most importantly, to deliver his matchless coup de grace! Likewise, Mercy has gloried in the wonderful attention she's received at your skilled fingertips! And heavens, Sephie is similarly thrilled and honored at the prospect! What a lucky older lady she'd be to match the already blessed younger one!

Ah, it's soooo good to see some violence 8D This red-skinned stranger's complete "p'wnage" over the mountain beast was a nice appetizer before Mercy and She'Hilde started duking it out. Something about a heroine taking a sound lickin' in her early ventures makes me admire them that much more. It is official, Miss Mew will roll up her sleeves and whip an ass AND take a comically large punch.

And look good doin it 😉

That's very kind of you! Truth is, I'm much more at home laying out action scenes than fetish ones (a potentially deadly drawback on a fetish forum!) If I failed at playing to my strength, I'd be in big trouble!

I'm really pleased you enjoyed the young Stonedene tribesman's dustup with the boar! It's optional, throw-away material (not affecting the primary narrative thrust to even a faint degree), but I had a great time designing the beast and working out the kid's moves! Frequently, the best way to keep the storytelling fresh is to entertain yourself!

I'm delighted that you've keyed onto something essential I wished to emphasize about Mercy: she can take a punch without sniffling. This is a lesson she learned in years of grade-school scrapping, that getting your ass kicked is a necessary first step in learning how not to get your ass kicked. Now that she's acquired the rudiments of kick boxing from a fond friend, she's better armed and less likely to take guff than ever!

My, would you look at how sinfully sexy those torturous strokes are! Just watch them! So devious, molesting that ticklish kitten foot like it's never seen! Who could have such talent? Seriously! ROFL

FF is an obvious connoisseur, a fact that should flatter poor Mercy if she thought things through objectively (if she was able to think rationally at all during that barrage!) Expert skills would be a natural consequence of his fine taste, the same way a master sommelier can determine year and vintner just be rolling a small taste across his tongue. Damn… tongues seem indispensable in every line of lofty aspiration!

Damn, i'm just about out of words. And good for sweet Angie, trying new tactics in new elements! I can't say I blame the red stranger. After all, I was watching too ;D ;D ;D

Yeah, well… me too! My ler/lee preference doesn't read "voyeur" for no reason! We've only begun with that red-hued hunter (for whom I don't have a name finalized. A lot of the time, that's my last consideration); he'll gain plenty more definition as his story responsibilities expand. A good portion of that will be happen next chapter, by the way.

Angie vs. the icicle… timid as she is, she remains a bit more adventurous and questing than Mercy! That's bound to happen when you're driven by your appetites!

Amazing chapter and I can't wait to see the Mew sisters combat future antagonists, now that i've seen each in action 8D thanks again LBH!!!

Antagonists await in plenty for the Mews, though they may have to conquer a few personal demons first. My boundless thanks to you for helping them along the way! These stories would be so much less engaging without generous Community involvement! And Firefox (the rascally bloke who claimed her first kiss!) will always be number one with Mercy!

ya ever have such a good day the suddenly turn out bad...
hehehe
well it appears Mercy is having one now huh? ihihihi

Mercy, alas, is destined ever for bumpy road travel! That's the price exacted for blazing one's own trail!

oh how good it is to see you Little Big Head
hope you had a good holiday vacation

Thank you, Limbo! My holiday season went swimmingly, and I hope the same is true for you!

anyways to the chapter
hmm how devilish Fiona is
using such strange tickly tool against poor Angie
though whats to expect in the dreaming world demons and Bogies who have similar body temperatures
she may need all the practice against any form of torment that should pass her by

Heh heh! Fiona is both impish by nature and a devoted guide for Angie's growth! Happily, both her appetites and responsibilities can find mutual satisfaction in this tutoring role! As you suggest, the perils Angie will encounter are outre and daunting; better that she taste them under controlled conditions than have them overwhelm her when the situation is in earnest. And she's destined to face an overwhelming challenge when she finally reaches her destination!

and that man...what a pest
back at the village and here now
could be a lovely stalker but he could defiantly have some Sinister motives

Yes, I intend to leave that young man's motives mysterious for the nonce… though much will be revealed as soon as next chapter. I'll say this only: look forward to an interrogation session. And as we find ourselves at the TTC, you know what such a session is likely to involve…

i see Mercys and Sephies relationship, and it seems that it can only get better (i hope)
it will be fun to see the town...Blue Powder?

sorry if i got it wrong

Not at all! Sephie's home base is indeed called Blue Powder, so named for the clouds of blue-tinged (and tinging) dust arising from the placer mine works. Look forward to a thorough tour of the mining operation in Chapter 24.

Mercy and Sephie still have much to learn about one another; since Mercy has chosen not to leave town so soon, they in fact get the chance. It certainly would be best if they managed to cooperate; massive challenges await that would test even their combined effort.

also to go back to Fiona, man did it feel like i was getting an extra talk down to hear Fiona explain to Angie that she was in a precarious position against the empowered Mercy
mmm

Fiona's complaint is quite true (each point she makes is valid), though much of her bluster is prompted by face-saving. She wasn't operating at full potential during the tussle with Mercy… most importantly, her special tickle-induced energies had ebbed away during the tent-moving operation. Then again, Mercy's own durability is likely to have increased when next they meet, due to her tempering bouts with She'hilde. Mercy has potential she hasn't yet even begun to explore… plenty of variables are in play to prevent any certainty.

now to Mercys own fight
wow
so does the terrain of dream time differ on location or how the dreamer perceives it?
because the ...yellow/gold quasi material does seem powerful
oh nice cameo Foxie
so is FF also a human...scratch that

Firefox is both creator and creation… it does become a little confusing, though many artists (including myself) do the same thing. I'm most glad you enjoyed the part he played in this chapter! It was great fun for me, too!

Your inquiry about Dreamtime terrain is an interesting one! Alas, the explanation is involved, since it hinges on aesthetic considerations as much as any internal story logic (constantly presenting a red landscape with a green sky, say, would grow tiresome quickly). The colors are pretty arbitrary… basically, I search for combinations that differ from those in previous outings. I did think the gold armor looked pretty spiffy on Mercy (like she was a really pissed-off Oscar statue) and will likely use it again, though not exclusively. I'm eager to try her in teal, which is one of my favorite colors. As far as the cloud shapes are concerned, you're quite right: any recognizable structure (landscape, architecture, objects, etc.) would be caused by a mind's influence, not spontaneously. Quasi-matter, the only material substance intrinsic to Dreamtime, is hard-wired to react this way; it's meant to be used by dreamers to shape their fantasies. The reason we see planets forever floating in Dreamtime space is that these are the individual constructs of dreaming minds. Each dreamer whistles up a tailor-made world in which to enact his fantasies and refresh his spirit.

and as i said earlier
she had a good day
but her nice big boot is up for sephies eyes
oh Mercy how will you ever explain a boot that may dissipate before your sisters eyes?

That, of course, is the hook to drawn you into the next chapter! I'd give you some hints, but I'm not entirely sure myself how I want the problem to resolve. There are several possibilities… I'll have it worked out soon.

well done on the chapter LBH
always good to see you

My pleasure always! Thank you, Limbo!

Top right panel of 26 had me in hysterics

Ha ha! Thanks so much, TickleWizard! I'm delighted you enjoyed that! No point in having a figure made from silly-putty if you don't intend to deform it!

Holy shit XD Firefox making a cameo appearance, and writing his own lyrics. Lol

The Firefox is a multi-disciplined creature! A wit, a rake, a rabid foot lover, a ferociously Mercy-trainer… little lies beyond his reach!

Mercy didn't seem to be that interested in his rapier wit, and even less patient with her own sister. It kills me to see them on such odd terms, especially with Sephie trying so hard. {X(

Yeah (sigh)… Mercy may be pouncing on a perceived weakness, actually. Sephie's to blame for the way things stand, in large part… she's the one who allowed their relationship to dwindle till next to no civility or concern remained. It's too late for her to expect things to right themselves quickly; unfortunately, with bogey nightmares pressing in, little time remains for repair work. Each must exercise heroic effort if they expect their broken bonds to mend before crisis time.

Much thanks for your piercing commentary, Relent! Nothing is more gratifying to me than having a reader take these characters' problems seriously.

 

[Yumeshunketsu]

Oh wow! The story is as awesome as always, and admittingly I havn't read all the chapters, but I'm definitely going to now! Just want a fun read!

I love the sort of dialogue that you use very much! It's like reading old literature, and is a rarity to find these days, especially online.

Plus even more, I love how you have cameo's now and then! It just makes the story all the more exciting to read, because someone familiar could pop in at any given moment!

Plus I love Firefox in this. I couldn't help but laugh as he threw in a street fighter reference, much to their confusion XD

But in short, this was a great way to end my first week on TT, and I'm proud to be a part of a community with such insanely talented members!

So Mr.LittleBigHead. This was an amazing story, your both a talented artist; and talented writer, and thank you for making such a wonderful addition to your tale!

 

[Low_Roads]

Oh wow! The story is as awesome as always, and admittingly I havn't read all the chapters, but I'm definitely going to now! Just want a fun read!

Thanks so much for your vigorous enthusiasm, Yumeshunketsu! It's a splendid compliment to have inspired your interest in the series as a whole! Hope that the older chapters hold up well for you; some of the earliest ones will likely seem crude and unpolished by comparison, but I don't think the drop-off will be too jarring. Happy reading!

I love the sort of dialogue that you use very much! It's like reading old literature, and is a rarity to find these days, especially online.

Glad you enjoy it! The antique nature of the language is great fun to construct; fortunately, I have a pretty solid grounding in classic literature, so getting the cadence and phrasing to sound right isn't generally much of a trial. If I ever had to write something in modern slang, then I'd run into trouble!

Plus even more, I love how you have cameo's now and then! It just makes the story all the more exciting to read, because someone familiar could pop in at any given moment!

Thank you! That's the very thing I myself enjoy about being able to include these cameo appearances! They add interest beyond the limited scope of my story, while honoring inclusiveness and Community spirit! The Low Roads would be a whole lot poorer without them!

Plus I love Firefox in this. I couldn't help but laugh as he threw in a street fighter reference, much to their confusion XD

I can say, in all humility, that the passage you site is a brilliant piece of writing! I can say it with humility because I didn't have a thing to do with it: Firefox came up with the whole Street Fighter idea, as well as the reaction (I've never known enough about Street Fighter or any other combat game to have done it myself!) Hence his credit for additional dialogue! The great FF brings more to the table than just a pretty face!

But in short, this was a great way to end my first week on TT, and I'm proud to be a part of a community with such insanely talented members!

We're delighted to have you aboard, believe me! Thank you for joining up and for being so vocal in your support! This should be the first week of many entertaining hundreds!

So Mr.LittleBigHead. This was an amazing story, your both a talented artist; and talented writer, and thank you for making such a wonderful addition to your tale!

Thank you for all your generous encouragement! Hope that you'll enjoy each new installment just as much as this one! It's my ongoing mission to keep the series as fresh and entertaining as I can manage!

 

[Carnivore]

Always great to see another chapter of the Low Roads come out. The fantastic dreamscapes your drawing are a feast for the eyes. I liked the changing colors and aspects of the dream world, and hope to be continually be amazed at its creative and amorphous character. Also great to see them splitting off into desert and ice landscapes. I can only guess at what strange creatures manage to wriggle their way under furs, or under cool white robes. Each new chapter renews my interest in this engaging tale. Thanks for the effort, LBH.

 

[Sir Bombers]

Once again, a more than wonderful chapter continuing the theatrical adventures of Mercy and Co.!

You seem to have a profound interest in tickle methods that provide extreme stimuli to the experience! Fiona and the icicle was nothing short of genius. Even I felt the icy kiss from the naturally formed tool from my seat! Brrrr!

I love the part with the ahem... "Boar-asaurus"... Wonderful to have the sweetness of a good fetish scene melt into a hard action packed sequence!

and speaking of action packed, the fight between she'hilde and Mercy was as excellent as it was humorous. Mercy's frustrations with her opponent's shifting form had brought a smile to my face. Mercy still has an admirable naivety which makes the value of her character that much more appealing to me.

and for my friend Firefox... I'm totally not surprised at his behavior. You done an excellent job capturing his demeanor and foxy cocky attitude! I found myself laughing at his early dialog since that is very much what that furry fabio would say. 😀

My favorite panel out of this whole delightful ordeal is page 30 bottom right panel. That expression he's making is sooooo funny as he looks at Mercy's coveted treasure (worth more than gold for some... I suspect Mercy's feet are worth 100 bounties!) I hope you got a laugh out of it to while drawing it. That is the face of a true foot-a-holic. He would be one take advantage of such a situation when a ticklish foot is involved. But really who can blame him? This is one of the rare occasions that I've seen someone in the low roads have a taste of her feet that isn't a bogey!

Lastly I can't wait to see how Mercy can get out of this situation with Sephie... I would say the cat is out of the bag, but I think it would be more appropriate to say she's out of Dreamtime! 😀

Thanks for providing another great chapter, my friend. My Inspiration for more story elements grow with each masterpiece you conceive! 😉

 

[Low_Roads]

Always great to see another chapter of the Low Roads come out. The fantastic dreamscapes your drawing are a feast for the eyes. I liked the changing colors and aspects of the dream world, and hope to be continually be amazed at its creative and amorphous character.

Thanks so much for another flattering round of concise commentary, Carnivore! The plastic qualities of Dreamtime are tremendous fun to explore and play with, and I do intend to devise ever-new ways to exploit them for all the humor and wonder I can manage! The deeply saturated quality of the sleep vistas was rather inspired by the excitingly garish hues in early color TV, which tended toward big blocks of solid primaries (and, less often, secondaries), as opposed to the more muted, mixed pallet popular today. It made a huge impression on me at the time; I was already partial to solid colors anyway, and these were so intense they lit up the room! Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if they did cause cancer if you sat too close!

Also great to see them splitting off into desert and ice landscapes. I can only guess at what strange creatures manage to wriggle their way under furs, or under cool white robes. Each new chapter renews my interest in this engaging tale.

Thank you! The temptation to travel fresh environments is irresistible, however dangerously one trips near to video-game theme-landscapes (we'll get to see a swamp in the next chapter, along with beach-front property soon). It does undeniably supply unique visual interest, whatever the risks. As Angie and Mercy are forever on the go, one expects to encounter a variety of terrain; making the transitions seem natural should counter any hints of artificiality. Something for me to constantly bear in mind.

Thanks once again for your thoughtful points! Always a pleasure to hear from you!

Once again, a more than wonderful chapter continuing the theatrical adventures of Mercy and Co.!

You seem to have a profound interest in tickle methods that provide extreme stimuli to the experience! Fiona and the icicle was nothing short of genius. Even I felt the icy kiss from the naturally formed tool from my seat! Brrrr!

Thanks Bombers! Great to hear from you! Most happy you liked the icicle scene! As mentioned before, I'm not sure how far the application of ice actually tickles, but it certainly has to deliver a mighty sensory wallop of some sort! It did make for a pleasant change of pace from the usual "squishy" tickle implements I'm apt to favor (tongues, snails or worms, jam attractants, etc.). In an environment so frigid, you'd be hard pressed to expect anything else; at the very least, had I erred it would have been a massive missed opportunity!

I love the part with the ahem... "Boar-asaurus"... Wonderful to have the sweetness of a good fetish scene melt into a hard action packed sequence!

Delighted you think so, thank you! I tend to agree… it becomes critical to mix things up for pacing's sake. "Boar-asaurus"… that's great! I really like that! Entirely apropos, in that much of the creature's inspiration came from the extinct porcine monstrosity, the Entelodont (vividly recreated for the "Walking with Dinosaurs" companion series, "Walking with Beasts"), though the design features are principally those of a bulked-up warthog, a beast which can deliver a wicked gash even without the outlandish size.

and speaking of action packed, the fight between she'hilde and Mercy was as excellent as it was humorous. Mercy's frustrations with her opponent's shifting form had brought a smile to my face. Mercy still has an admirable naivety which makes the value of her character that much more appealing to me.

Very kind of you! Mercy's naivety actually comes off as a kind of a strength when coupled with her natural bull-headedness… sorta like the bumblebee who flitters happily on his way even when the physics argues against it. Likely she'd be making no progress at all if she limited herself to what she reasonably thought she could accomplish. 'Course, this hubris lands her in plenty of hot water, too… a more prudent heroine wouldn't have wound up being cemented into a wall. She'hilde makes for a forutnate faux-foil, as he'll be sure to throw her a few curves. She better start learning to think creatively, or she'll be in big trouble once the real fighting starts.

and for my friend Firefox... I'm totally not surprised at his behavior. You done an excellent job capturing his demeanor and foxy cocky attitude! I found myself laughing at his early dialog since that is very much what that furry fabio would say. 😀

I'm very relieved to hear you say that! Firefox was kind enough to give me loose guidelines for his character when I asked for them (specific enough to point me in the right direction, not too binding as to stifle creativity). Even so, it's difficult to know when you've done another artist's character justice. I did embrace the opportunity to break the 19th century mode of speech I generally apply to my own characters; there's a good deal of '50s hipster in my interpretation of him. That seemed to suit him well enough, although FF would be a superstar in any decade!

My favorite panel out of this whole delightful ordeal is page 30 bottom right panel. That expression he's making is sooooo funny as he looks at Mercy's coveted treasure (worth more than gold for some... I suspect Mercy's feet are worth 100 bounties!) I hope you got a laugh out of it to while drawing it. That is the face of a true foot-a-holic. He would be one take advantage of such a situation when a ticklish foot is involved. But really who can blame him? This is one of the rare occasions that I've seen someone in the low roads have a taste of her feet that isn't a bogey!

It's true! Principally because the major non-bogy players in the Low Roads are terribly repressed, timid ninnies, to whom any thought of sensual appetite is akin to mortal sinning. That's when these well-crafted guest stars really get to shine (I had tremendous fun playing with Teeva's famously uninhibited attitude, for instance), supplying much breath-of-fresh-air compensation! FF had already laid great groundwork for his appearance here; I did indeed have a ball pushing the foxy gent's well known foot hunger into manically intoxicated extremes! Not much of a stretch for me… I suffer from the same delicious malady myself!

Lastly I can't wait to see how Mercy can get out of this situation with Sephie... I would say the cat is out of the bag, but I think it would be more appropriate to say she's out of Dreamtime! 😀

Nicely phrased! Alas, a great deal of hard-won familial progress would be forever lost. Sephie is in no way ready to absorb a reality that partners her precious sister/daughter with demons (however fluid the demon/god affiliation of eternals might be). As to how the boot dilemma gets solved… yeah, I'm eager to see that myself! None of the details have been finalized yet, only possible solutions. Don't worry… I'll figure something out!

Thanks for providing another great chapter, my friend. My Inspiration for more story elements grow with each masterpiece you conceive! 😉

Thank you for your wealth of warm congratulations, sir! I can think of no higher aspiration than satisfying Teeva's daddy… unless it happened to be satisfying Teeva, of course!

 

[Ilohnoh1]

Took a couple of days to find the time to read another 30-page episode, but I did today!

Oh! I love panel 4 on page 2. It's a very refreshing viewpoint. Top-downs are so uncommon! 'up-views' are on the other hand very common (giving up-skirt opportunities of course) but you don't commonly see this kind of angle. If I may, however, and I mean this constructive: there is a bit of an error in the dynamics. Mercy is leaning forward too much. I see from panel 1 that the stairs are quite steep so from the current viewpoint I imagine you would see Mercy's front, not her back. Either way, the perspective in this view is really difficult in the first place and I wouldn't much want to give that a try! The picture works though, it has the wonderful atmosphere that the rest of the comic has too. Each time I'm surprised just how much detail and atmosphere you manage to put into many of the pictures. Like also the full town view one or two pages further. Just amazing!

Another thing I like, is while there's need for lot of text in some frames, there are also frames that 'speak for themselves' so to say, to compensate. Letting the imagery do all the story telling. 🙂 (And I am a slow reader, so the little break is much welcomed 😛 )

The single snowman in the middle of the (seemingly mostly untouched) snow outcropping is an awesome detail.

Where Fiona is using the ice, again words are not needed and the expressions are sufficient to tell the tale. If well done of course, and you did well. 🙂 I like also how she appears to almost 'enjoy' it at the very end. Looks like she's relaxed now, knowing what she's feeling and just taking it in, enjoying the ride. Makes me want to have a relaxing 'ice prodding' myself sometime, I think it can be quite an interesting experience. While there is ice around, 'self inflicted' just simply doesn't give any comparable effect.

Haha, and it's very funny how the Firefox character is taking a announcer role at some stage, narrating the fight. That's a very cool idea. ^^

The pink one has some neat tricks up her sleeve. LOVE IT! But what she really should try, having such flexible 'taffy' stretchies, is just wrap around the harness, immobilizing it. That should stop the fighting I think. Not that her last trick didn't do the job. Oh, and as the fight proceeds Firefox REALLY gets into it...

Well well, and when the tickling actually starts (at the very end of the story), it really REALLY stars! Poor Mercy... but leaving the story with an all-round good-feeling. 🙂

That was another enjoyable chapter, thanks!

 

[Low_Roads]

Took a couple of days to find the time to read another 30-page episode, but I did today!

Thanks for taking the time, Iloh! Reading 30+ pages is quite an investment of effort, and I'm most grateful to readers who go to that trouble! Especially to contributors like yourself who have their own extensive project responsibilities!

Oh! I love panel 4 on page 2. It's a very refreshing viewpoint. Top-downs are so uncommon! 'up-views' are on the other hand very common (giving up-skirt opportunities of course) but you don't commonly see this kind of angle. If I may, however, and I mean this constructive: there is a bit of an error in the dynamics. Mercy is leaning forward too much. I see from panel 1 that the stairs are quite steep so from the current viewpoint I imagine you would see Mercy's front, not her back. Either way, the perspective in this view is really difficult in the first place and I wouldn't much want to give that a try! The picture works though, it has the wonderful atmosphere that the rest of the comic has too.

You're right, the perspective is really wonky in that panel. The angles don't line up anywhere near properly. Mercy is indeed leaning too far forward. It's unlikely we'd see the front of her body from the chosen perspective… not unless I were trying to "fish-eye" the scene (a technique I've employed on occasion, but focus of that sort was hardly called for here). The top of her head alone should have been shown. The ladder, though, is the biggest problem. Its angle doesn't sync with that of the wall just to its left, making it look all cock-wobbly. A certain sense of vertiginousness is achieved, something I was eager to convey, but it also makes the ladder look awkwardly placed. Skewing the rails to the right, the way they should have been, would have emphasized the drop just as effectively.

Each time I'm surprised just how much detail and atmosphere you manage to put into many of the pictures. Like also the full town view one or two pages further. Just amazing!

I'm not sure if you mean the roof-level view on page 4 or the extreme arial view on page 5, but thanks either way! Each of them has its own niggling little perspective inconsistencies, but nothing that stands out the way that page 2 panel does!

Another thing I like, is while there's need for lot of text in some frames, there are also frames that 'speak for themselves' so to say, to compensate. Letting the imagery do all the story telling. 🙂 (And I am a slow reader, so the little break is much welcomed 😛 )

My pleasure! It's practically imperative to do so in a longish undertaking like this which includes so many instances of extensive exposition. The pacing really drags if you don't offer the reader anything but text. A lot of the action (the encounter with the boar, for instance) doesn't call for a particle of gab anyway.

The single snowman in the middle of the (seemingly mostly untouched) snow outcropping is an awesome detail.

Thank you! Glad you like that! The snowman's a time-saver, there to suggest the extraneous frivolity Angie and Fiona have enjoyed up to that point. Readers are eager to get to the good stuff, the fetish stuff, and I'm most eager to accommodate; all the same, I want it understood that these two live complete lives that don't cue exclusively on tickling obsession. Visual short-cuts allow, to a certain degree, for me to have it both ways. Even then, this comic can be considerably stingy on tickling content. But my responsibility to my characters far outweighs the need for some slacker to get his pants sticky.

Where Fiona is using the ice, again words are not needed and the expressions are sufficient to tell the tale. If well done of course, and you did well. 🙂 I like also how she appears to almost 'enjoy' it at the very end. Looks like she's relaxed now, knowing what she's feeling and just taking it in, enjoying the ride. Makes me want to have a relaxing 'ice prodding' myself sometime, I think it can be quite an interesting experience. While there is ice around, 'self inflicted' just simply doesn't give any comparable effect.

Yeah, it's pretty well established that one needs a partner for complete satisfaction! Angie's wistful smile toward the end serves a double-purpose: first, to indicate that she's come to terms with the sensation and begun to master it (as a wake-walker, that's her job); secondly, to suggest some connection, however thin, between the use of ice and a more conventional tickle reaction. I've seen subjects giggle when it's employed in videos, but that always looked a little bogus to me. I'm not convinced you'd do anything other than gasp from such an application. This strays a little farther toward pure sadism than I like, so I left things vague and split the difference. Thank you for your positive appraisal!

Haha, and it's very funny how the Firefox character is taking a announcer role at some stage, narrating the fight. That's a very cool idea. ^^

Thanks very much! It was the most proactive thing I could think for him to do without actually throwing a punch! It also allowed him to express himself, which he'd have little excuse to do otherwise. No point in him being there at all if he isn't going to participate in some way!

The pink one has some neat tricks up her sleeve. LOVE IT! But what she really should try, having such flexible 'taffy' stretchies, is just wrap around the harness, immobilizing it. That should stop the fighting I think. Not that her last trick didn't do the job. Oh, and as the fight proceeds Firefox REALLY gets into it…

She'hilde might indeed have employed his "Mr. Fantastic" capabilities more generally if this had been actual combat. The purpose of their duel, however, was to throw punches… particularly at Mercy, so her armor could be pounded ever more compactly. This was a tempering exercise more than it was an actual fight, mimicking the way a blacksmith heats up and beats on steel in order to harden it.

Oh yeah, Firefox really starts to foam as the fight progresses! I wanted him as rabid as possible for his "Shoryuken!" line! Plus, I was eager that he be good and sweaty afterward, when he sees Mercy vulnerable. It's a helpless kitten's worst nightmare: a fox with all sorts of pent-up agression!

Well well, and when the tickling actually starts (at the very end of the story), it really REALLY stars! Poor Mercy... but leaving the story with an all-round good-feeling. 🙂

That was another enjoyable chapter, thanks!

Poor Mercy must get her thrills as she can! However much she gripes, Firefox had it right… she dotes on the attention and sinful excitement! Being forced into it gives her an "out" for afterward!

Thanks very much, Iloh! I deeply appreciate your lavish commentary and all your compliments!

 

[Ilohnoh1]

Thanks for taking the time, Iloh! Reading 30+ pages is quite an investment of effort, and I'm most grateful to readers who go to that trouble! Especially to contributors like yourself who have their own extensive project responsibilities!

*nod* but it was enjoyable. The 'finding the time for it' was the hardest part. Indeed I have things going on myself too (my own comic and a commission ongoing currently as well). Last weeks have fled by much faster than I'd like. It's like time has gone double-pace. Luckily there's a little holiday coming up in a few weeks and maybe then I can force myself to also relax a bit more. Anyway, soon I'm going to take a small time-out anyway, call it a day and go read a bit of an (offline) comic before I go to bed.

something I was eager to convey, but it also makes the ladder look awkwardly placed. Skewing the rails to the right, the way they should have been, would have emphasized the drop just as effectively.

Ah, sometimes it's just fun to try new/different approaches too, even if they fail. I'm not holding that against you because you usually have a good eye (and skill) for bringing great perspective. Aside from that, trial and error is the way to learn. 🙂

I'm not sure if you mean the roof-level view on page 4 or the extreme arial view on page 5, but thanks either way!

The roof level (city view). 🙂

My pleasure! It's practically imperative to do so in a longish undertaking like this which includes so many instances of extensive exposition. The pacing really drags if you don't offer the reader anything but text. A lot of the action (the encounter with the boar, for instance) doesn't call for a particle of gab anyway.

*nod* I hope I don't put too much focus myself. I have lots and lots to tell in my own comic, but I can't really think of (many/any?) frames that don't have some text in them. And especially my latest chapter has had instances where there had to be a lot of text!... Maybe even I can learn from this. 😉

Thank you! Glad you like that! The snowman's a time-saver, there to suggest the extraneous frivolity Angie and Fiona have enjoyed up to that point. Readers are eager to get to the good stuff, the fetish stuff, and I'm most eager to accommodate; (--) But my responsibility to my characters far outweighs the need for some slacker to get his pants sticky.

Truth be told, I don't actually read this comic for the fetish stuff. Yes, I like feet and I think tickling is fun, but tickling doesn't really do me that much that I'd call it one of my fetishes. And in the same way my own comic (Jen) is about much more than just tickling. But you must have seen that. I do try to include it regularly (and the current chapter more than any other REALLY call for it, you'll find out soon) but it's not unlikely that future installments may even contain very little tickling at all. It's a part of Jen, but I don't think the most important part.

Don't you also have this... that your characters sort-of lead their own lives? That they rather than you yourself decide what will happen next? It may sound strange (especially for those who don't understand what I mean or don't share the experience) but while I write a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff happens also because the characters themselves almost have their own will. I don't even know how to explain... - Maybe like... stories sometimes tell themselves, I don't have to do all the work?

I've seen subjects giggle when it's employed in videos, but that always looked a little bogus to me. I'm not convinced you'd do anything other than gasp from such an application. This strays a little farther toward pure sadism than I like, so I left things vague and split the difference. Thank you for your positive appraisal!

hmpf. One of the main reasons I dislike adult movies/clips is just that: A lot of it is so overly fake. I can't get past obvious fake moaning or giggling, and almost even worse: why do the actors (women mostly, the men not generally) always have to watch in the camera? ALL the time? I always wonder if they have no director who tells them to act more believable and not continuously look somewhere that doesn't make sense? That is like a big turn-off. Comics are nicer in that respect. Sure, you see characters straight in the face too, but that's different.

She'hilde might indeed have employed his "Mr. Fantastic" capabilities more generally if this had been actual combat. The purpose of their duel, however, was to throw punches… particularly at Mercy, so her armor could be pounded ever more compactly. This was a tempering exercise more than it was an actual fight, mimicking the way a blacksmith heats up and beats on steel in order to harden it.

Oh! Thanks for the clarification. I didn't pick that up (maybe I read over it or it was explained sometime earlier and I forgot)

It's a helpless kitten's worst nightmare: a fox with all sorts of pent-up agression!

So true!

Thanks very much, Iloh! I deeply appreciate your lavish commentary and all your compliments!

Not a problem at all. You always write such nice and useful reviews on my thread(s), wanted to return the favor and give you a more thorough review as well. Only my language use is not as colourful as yours. 😉

Keep up the good work!

 

[Low_Roads]

*nod* I hope I don't put too much focus myself. I have lots and lots to tell in my own comic, but I can't really think of (many/any?) frames that don't have some text in them. And especially my latest chapter has had instances where there had to be a lot of text!... Maybe even I can learn from this. 😉

I wouldn't worry about that. Your storytelling always maintains excellent forward momentum! Your formatting is so completely different from mine (structured so that you can post individual pages as soon as they're done) that it doesn't easily allow for long passages without text. For me, three or four silent pages out of a 30+ page chapter doesn't leave much of a gap. Your stuff tends to be more compact, and action scenes are required to be more brief. There's no wrong way to make comix, not as long as readers continue to be interested. Different approaches make for more pleasing variety!

Truth be told, I don't actually read this comic for the fetish stuff. Yes, I like feet and I think tickling is fun, but tickling doesn't really do me that much that I'd call it one of my fetishes. And in the same way my own comic (Jen) is about much more than just tickling. But you must have seen that. I do try to include it regularly (and the current chapter more than any other REALLY call for it, you'll find out soon) but it's not unlikely that future installments may even contain very little tickling at all. It's a part of Jen, but I don't think the most important part.

I don't subscribe to the notion that fetish comix have to be one long uninterrupted cover-to-cover tickle-fest. Those that try lose my interest pretty rapidly… watching someone strapped into stocks for ten pages mouthing "No-ho-ho! Not my Fee-hee-heet!" is monotonous by definition. It doesn't much bother me if Jen pursues her investigation for five pages before falling into an instance of tickle trouble; that seems spontaneous and believable. Trapping her forever with a torturer doesn't offer the momentum necessary for ongoing interest. She can only achieve that if she's free to move and explore.

Don't you also have this... that your characters sort-of lead their own lives? That they rather than you yourself decide what will happen next? It may sound strange (especially for those who don't understand what I mean or don't share the experience) but while I write a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff happens also because the characters themselves almost have their own will. I don't even know how to explain... - Maybe like... stories sometimes tell themselves, I don't have to do all the work?

When I write down plot development, it generally isn't off the cuff; I'm forever mulling over details until they seem to make sense (frequently months or even years before they'll be needed). It is true that if you've imagined your characters fully, they should behave according to their natures… which means you'll have some inkling of the way they'll react when placed certain situations. That definitely streamlines the process to a certain extent.

hmpf. One of the main reasons I dislike adult movies/clips is just that: A lot of it is so overly fake. I can't get past obvious fake moaning or giggling, and almost even worse: why do the actors (women mostly, the men not generally) always have to watch in the camera? ALL the time? I always wonder if they have no director who tells them to act more believable and not continuously look somewhere that doesn't make sense? That is like a big turn-off. Comics are nicer in that respect. Sure, you see characters straight in the face too, but that's different.

Well, comix provide more latitude for interesting novelty. It's a wholly controlled operation: you can go anywhere and do anything you dream up, without the drawback of third-party miscommunication. That's nearly impossible to do on film or video; you'd need space to move, involved sets, special makeup… is it any wonder that producers don't attempt more than just the basics? Personally, I have very little use for film clips. It's not like they can deliver any sort of involved story; it' s tough to masturbate when you're being distracted by plot development. Why anybody would need more than one in his collection is a mystery to me.

 

[Ilohnoh1]

Thanks for the insights! 🙂 Nice chatting with another artist about these things for a change.

One thing I wanted to comment further upon still (hoping it doesn't derail this thread too much)

is it any wonder that producers don't attempt more than just the basics? Personally, I have very little use for film clips. It's not like they can deliver any sort of involved story; it' s tough to masturbate when you're being distracted by plot development. Why anybody would need more than one in his collection is a mystery to me.

Same here. Too many scenes are just 'copy&paste intercourse' for me. And I so much would love to see a STORY in those, an actual story! I have been lucky to see a limited few movies that do actually have this and it brings a 500% better experience because the characters feel more real, have a background and such.

So yes, like what you say... let them build that snowman, it makes them real. =)