Low_Roads
4th Level Black Feather
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2004
- Messages
- 8,989
- Points
- 48
Hi Iloh! How very nice to hear from you! Thanks so much for writing! The TTC hasn't seemed nearly so vital without Jen to brighten it up; happily, I've just been able to catch up on her adventures! More on that in moments…Ooh! It starts with a beach scene. I love the beach, living too far from it nowadays to visit... but it's surprising to see that Angie has never visited a beach before! The ocean must be a sight to see for her too!
So glad you liked that early view of the beach! Being a California boy, I live within spitting distance of the Pacific Ocean (about an hour's drive… I can spit a loooong way… ), but I don't get to visit its sandy shores as often as I'd like; therefore, I sympathize with your current beach drought. As for Angie, she's lived her entire life landlocked within the sheltering embrace of the Gloominvald, far from any large body of water except for Lake Lamprey (a freshwater reservoir which has grassy banks rather than sandy ones). She's fond of travel literature, though, and has read much about the outside world; the notion of sand beaches holds a particular romantic appeal for her. In Chapter 27 (two from now) she'll get to enjoy the crystalline embrace of the Imp's Ransom (Bliss Harbor's renowned beachfront) firsthand.
Thank you! The idea of a Christmas display had a great deal to do with inspiring the glowing forest, and I'm pleased you picked up on that! Bliss Harbor is a town with many gifts to give, so the impression is most apropos. And my grateful thanks for your kind words concerning the architecture in the comic, though I can't claim much credit for creating it. I did tons of photo referencing in preparation for the town's layout (mostly of Mediterranean style structures, with lots of plaster and terra cotta shingles), examples which were either directly adopted or used to suggest my own design details. Below is a sampling (photos 1-4)… most of them should be familiar from the comic's establishing longshots.I love the trees with the lights. They seem like a weird mixture of Christmas balls and Christmas lights... The town is not less impressive; Build on a gigantic top. You really have a knack for impressive views and constructions, lbh!
Ha ha! Thank you for that! The girl is indeed window dressing, but I'll have expanded use for many of these background appearances in later chapters ("extras" often develop into stars when I can't get a particular character design out of my head. Crowd scenes can function as a recruitment tool that way). Again, I did much image research for the wild Bliss Harbor outfits… looking over Mardi Gras and similar festival dress provided a handsome payoff, though much good stuff came from runway modeling shoots. Photo 5 (below) is the image which prompted that particular costume.Another character that drew my attention was the one 'covered with purple berries'. I believe she only appeared as a figurant on one of the frames, but helped set the mood beautifully. Really cute outfit.
You're so kind to say so! The Tower certainly seems to be the standout element of this particular chapter! It's design is basically that of the famous Pisa tower; and, while not as outwardly askew, it does manage to be decidedly off-kilter in vanilla terms! Foot fetishism and bondage really appeal to me too… the notion of row upon row of vulnerable, obligation-free bare soles is a longtime fantasy!And then there is the tittering tower! Being a foot-fan myself, liking some light bondage in addition... this is naturally one of my favourite scenes in the chapter. Again AMAZING design (and then I'm not only talking of the idea, but also the beautiful art on the walls and the arches between the pillars. You ahve a talent for design, really! For a moment I thought there was even a dog tickling feet, but then I figured it was a person sitting on his knees. Ingenius thought behind the tower 'ritual' too.
The guy down on all fours does seem rather animalistic! He's also bare-ass naked, which wouldn't necessarily be frowned upon in this setting (except that it shows a certain want of creativity). The idea was to indicate the stripping away of inhibitions which the atmosphere in the Tower inspires.
So very pleased you found the raison and operation of the Tower appealing! Angie and friends will be paying one more visit, as active participants this time; I'll be going much more in-depth into these aspects when that happens.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this link! I don't get over to dA very often and didn't realize I'd missed so much of the latest in Jen's series! You've wrapped up "Pandora", done a Halloween special and a prelude for "Destiny"… such a treasury of unexplored material! I now have everything downloaded and saved, and will peruse it all at once! Expect my multiple replies at dA (oh yeah… I've got an account. I just never use it)! The idea that the fetish content might be muted doesn't dissuade me at all… your storytelling is extremely compelling, and that's the primary attraction!Another thing I'm surprised by is how you can output so much, so many LONG stories... I have been pretty productive myself but not all my chapters are that long. Actually, if you have a bit of time, I recommend you to take a look at my former-last chapter called "Pandora" because I think it would be an interesting read for you. Not tickle-wise, however. (And yes, it has some links to mythology, that's why I think it may interest you). You can find it here: http://jen-fan.deviantart.com/favourites/45936565
It's true, I do favor an extended page count in these chapters. It would probably provoke a great deal of frustration if I tried to present only a few pages at a time, as my story approach favors gradual development (it would be like trying to make sense of a couple of random minutes from the middle of a motion picture). Ergo, the necessary months' wait between installments, as I piece together enough material to be satisfying… the 30-some-odd pages I usually offer seems to be working out just about right. My thanks to you and all other readers for your patience and appreciation!
I'm honored and most grateful that you do, Iloh! I'll try my best to be more of a presence at dA, to keep up to date and reply regularly. I really do miss your regular participation here!Anyway, really a great publication again! I'm not visiting TT much anymore, but I keep coming back to read up on the Low Roads when I have the time. ^^