The Low Roads, Chapter 8 (*s/Fs, back and feet).

[Low_Roads]

Yes! I love waking up to find a new chapter on the forum. Keep crankin 'em out, Littlebighead.

Thank you, Paulie! The Memorial Day timing was just right for this chapter (not something I planned; just the way it worked out), so I had an extra free day to work on the submission! Things would have been awfully hectic, otherwise! Indeed, I'm fully committed to churning out these chapters as often as possible! I'd like to get this thing finished in my lifetime! :laughing:

 

[Low_Roads]

Classic, an absolute classic 😀

That's awfully nice of you to say, Reed! I'm very pleased you enjoyed this chapter! Such kind response makes it all the easier for me to prepare the next one!

 

[alwayssilver]

Looks great man. I can't wait to read more!

 

[FT Genikit]

Thanks 11225! You've picked up on a developing plot theme... thus far, the Low Roads has viewed tickling as little more than torture. But my aim is to expand this into enjoyment, too. From avoidance, to acceptance, and finally into control and mastery: that's where I hope to guide this story's view of the tickling act! Future enstallments will measure how far I succeed!

To me, your story will be off the chart (in a good way 😉 ) and that's what I will always believe.

 

[Low_Roads]

Looks great man. I can't wait to read more!

Many thanks, Alwayssilver! Wish I could offer these chapters more often... I certainly don't have your formidable rate of production! On the other hand, a leisurely pace does allow me the luxury of honing the story progress exactly the way I'd prefer it. Rushing might force me into snap plotting decisions I'd likely regret later; for me, haste would most likely make waste.

 

[Low_Roads]

To me, your story will be off the chart (in a good way 😉 ) and that's what I will always believe.

Thanks very much for your confidence! I'll do my very best to live up to it! The entire story has been plotted through to the end, though only in the briefest terms; much detail and incident needs to be concocted, which allows for a little leeway. Still, I believe the core concept is sound. Here's hoping for the best!

 

[scavenger]

Yet again you have created an amazing piece of comic art, LBH! There are so many elements that make this story chapter work particulary well. Like for example the tickling-collection of the mayor's late wife (Bandito's Bounce Chix as well as Khali herself make a marvelous appearance -not to say the work of the "mad expressionist" Rajee 🙂 ).

Mercy's soul was saved only moments ago, and yet again she finds herself in sanity-threatening circumstances. what a priceless expression on her face as the tongue of "Old Joe" touches her bare soles. 🙂

You keep amazing me how you add depth to the characters, even if they at first seems to play but a minor role. Take for instance the Mayor, who appeared at first an annoying and arrogant person (in the first few panels), but upon the revealing of the portrait, he turns out to be a sad and broken man. And who could not feel sorry for him - especially if this "Sal" would turn out to be the very same one we saw a few chapters back...
The scene in which angie "erupts" in anger, and the following shot of the characters's being silenced and baffled by it, is almost filmically rendered. Exactly something one would see in an animated cartoon, which is fitting, since your comics always remind me of those great animated films by Pat Sullivan and Max Fleisher. 🙂

I really enjoyed this chapter, thank you very much for the tremendous efford that you put in this ongoing series, and thank you for sharing it with us! 🙂 🙂 I'll be looking forward to the next chapter!!

 

[Low_Roads]

Scav, you are so amazingly incisive!! You are so right on, so sharp about every subtle item I want to have work! You are indeed dead right about Sal (a subject I won't be too vocal about right now... I'm laying a few hints in this chapter; it's an important plot point, but one I'd like to build up to. Thanks for not being specific about it, by the way! 🙂 ) We'll get to learn a bit more about Mayor Allgoode as things progress; he has much history with the Mews and much baggage to unload. I'm delighted that you've read that scene with the portrait so right; I took considerable pains to soften him, to anguish up his expression and add lots of shadowing. And it was indeed meant to contrast with his earlier blustery, authoritarian demeanor, an attempt to lend him a touch of tragic depth! And I'm so pleased you used the word "filmically" to describe the assembled reaction to Angie's outburst! That's precisely the way I wanted it to play (in fact, I've striven to achieve a cinematic feel throughout this series. As you say, Max Fleisher, Merry Melodies and all cartoons of vintage history have been the weightiest of influences!) Thank you for taking the time to supply such a thorough analysis! It really makes me grateful that the details were there to find! And it supplies renewed confidence that such ongoing detail will be appreciated in future chapters!

Parenthetical note: the name "Old Joe" is something I borrowed from the Ma Barker crime case files! Once the Barker gang separated, Ma and some of her boys retired to Florida, where they'd feed a captive alligator attraction named Old Joe. She mentioned this in an intercepted letter, and that's how federal agents managed to pinpoint her location. That's the legend, anyway! 😉

 

[Relent<]

Very much appreciated, Relent, especially from an artist who's recently contributed so much fine artwork to the community (I haven't commented on it as often as I should... a very full schedule and the onset of summer have left me a trifle burnt out lately... but rest assured that I've seen and enjoyed it!) You're so right about the Low Roads plot!... taken isolated chapter by chapter, it must seem impenetrable! But my grateful thanks for appreciating the attempted complexity! I'm hoping this will pay off when the tale is done and it can be approached as a unified whole!

aw, shucks XD. Its nothing compared to the steep number of contributions under your belt. I'm way behind, but with my lack of a social life and scanner, I hope to catch up to you some day. I'm too embarrassed to post most of my old work, but if I did, I'd have a relatively high number of horrible posts. Crap, I was rambling again. Sorry. :dead:

 

[Low_Roads]

aw, shucks XD. Its nothing compared to the steep number of contributions under your belt. I'm way behind, but with my lack of a social life and scanner, I hope to catch up to you some day. I'm too embarrassed to post most of my old work, but if I did, I'd have a relatively high number of horrible posts. Crap, I was rambling again. Sorry. :dead:

You have a detailed, distinctive art style, and at the rate you're going you'll soon be able to display an impressive portfolio of fetish work! And please, make sure to keep your older stuff! People are going to want to see it, if only for historical perspective! Damn... I really wish now I'd hung onto my old tickling drawings!

 

[Bebob4999]

And he created low roads and he saw that it was gooooood!

🙂

nice one as always! You should make a movie out of it😎

 

[Spillone]

Great comic!

Congratulation LITTLEBIGHEAD! This is a gret job...
Thank you!

 

[Darth Vegeta]

Read it entirely and i must say, magnificence incarnate as usual.
I like the original 'bondage' too lol ^^
The Rajee cameo was funny as hell too.

 

[Low_Roads]

And he created low roads and he saw that it was gooooood!

🙂

nice one as always! You should make a movie out of it😎

Thank you, Bebob! Great suggestion! I'd love to be able to make the Low Roads into a movie, though I don't have much talent for animation. And at the rate I'm going (the comic itself is likely to take three or four more years to finish), you can only imagine the progress I'd make on a feature film! Still, it's something I'd love to be able to do!

Congratulation LITTLEBIGHEAD! This is a gret job...
Thank you!

My warmest thanks for your congratulations, Sischio! Working on this story is so much fun and so fulfilling, but being able to share it is better still! I'm very grateful you took the time to let me know you like it!

Read it entirely and i must say, magnificence incarnate as usual.
I like the original 'bondage' too lol ^^
The Rajee cameo was funny as hell too.

Thanks Darth V! Very glad the bondage element worked! Unusual restraints are becoming necessary in order to avoid repetition. And I'm very pleased you liked Rajee's cameo! Trying to duplicate another artist's style can be chancy, and Rajee's work is unique and instantly recognizable. I hope I've done it justice.

As mentioned earlier (in my reply to Kal), I'm anxious to include a Darth V cameo in the next chapter. Please expect a PM, probably sometime next week, seeking permission for the idea I have in mind.

 

[Darth Vegeta]

Lol thanks! I'm honored. ^___^
As for the Rajee style, i recognised it immediately. Though... hope you don't mind me saying this Rajee, i think you exceeded the original with that painting.
Btw i was wondering ever considered having your female heroine's sister fight with a staff in a scene? Somehow i see her doing that with a weapon off that type. But a long staff (possibly with three feathers attached to the end) would be suitable. Especially since you seem to go for a slightly less violent edge for the 'good guys'.

Come to think of it i hang around here a lot.
(looks at his post count)
Where was the time i was 'new' here?

 

[U.N.Owen]

I love the "explanation" for the Mona Lisa's smile in its little known second panel. Cute touch. 😀

I also love the sculpture with a dragon tickling a captive girl. Great theme. (Reminds me of my old Pink Dragon story series... all long gone from the 'net, though, so I'm sure you never saw them).

 

[iron maiden]

LBH that comic was so good i really enjoyed it,very creative with the tree for trapping her feet, keep em coming your comics are awsome.🙂

 

[DarkPoet]

I dunno if I've said this before, but I'm an avid follower of this comic.

 

[Low_Roads]

Sorry about the late reply, guys! My schedule can be terribly hectic, and never more so then on Tuesdays!

Though... hope you don't mind me saying this Rajee, i think you exceeded the original with that painting.

That's very kind of you, and I hope I don't offend if I demur. I could only ever hope to be a pretender to Rajee's distinctive style, missing the nuance that can only spring from the rigors of original creation. It is fun to try my hand, though; to stretch and learn by trying to duplicate the success of a well-loved favorite!

Btw i was wondering ever considered having your female heroine's sister fight with a staff in a scene? Somehow i see her doing that with a weapon off that type. But a long staff (possibly with three feathers attached to the end) would be suitable. Especially since you seem to go for a slightly less violent edge for the 'good guys'.

Sephie's had little chance for exercise thus far (only a brief bout in Chapter 5), but I do indeed intend a round of full-out staff-wielding combat in the middle section of this story, at at time when "normals" and bogies, (and things beyond either) converge and collide! Your staff idea is most interesting; I've striven for a "feather" motif in some of the story's weaponry (the distinctive serration in Sephie's dream-world sword, for instance), so further examples would be entirely in keeping. I'll certainly have your suggestion firmly in mind when it comes time to do preliminary artwork!

I love the "explanation" for the Mona Lisa's smile in its little known second panel. Cute touch. 😀

Thanks U.N.Owen! I wondered if anyone would recognize that as the Mona Lisa! XD (my da Vinci is rather ragged at best!) Wish I could claim the idea as wholly my own, but Ernie Kovacs did it first in one of his early "Ernest" TV sketches; in that scenario, cats licked feet protruding from underneath the portrait. I guess it's not entirely theft if I freely confess the source!

I also love the sculpture with a dragon tickling a captive girl. Great theme. (Reminds me of my old Pink Dragon story series... all long gone from the 'net, though, so I'm sure you never saw them).

You're so very good at spotting intricate detail! That's very gratifying! So sorry to hear these "Pink Dragon" stories aren't around to examine anymore... the title alone is quite charming!

LBH that comic was so good i really enjoyed it,very creative with the tree for trapping her feet, keep em coming your comics are awsome.🙂

You're very kind to say so, Ironmaiden! Thanks very much! I'm very pleased the tree stump devise has proved popular; I was eager for the sprites to employ an organic-type restraint, to contrast with the stocks and pillory of the town folk (otherwise, the girls might just as well have never left Fairview!) And I hope to offer little slow-down in the Low Roads release schedule, though beastly summer heat is bound to effect it somewhat. If Chapter 9 is a little late in coming, please bear with me. I intend to offer it just as soon as conditions will allow!

I dunno if I've said this before, but I'm an avid follower of this comic.

Thank you, DarkPoet! Each time I post, a few fresh voices will write in to offer a nice surprise! Such a pleasure, this renewing support! Please be assured, it means the world to me!

 

[FeatherHead]

Another great great job! Wonderful tickling scenes and allusions! You always have such a good inspiration, huh?

By the way, those lil' creatures looks like Pikmins!...

 

[U.N.Owen]

You're so very good at spotting intricate detail! That's very gratifying! So sorry to hear these "Pink Dragon" stories aren't around to examine anymore... the title alone is quite charming!

Thanks. I love the way your "art gallery" takes bits from so many cultures. The totem pole, the buddha, the marble statue... Very clever.

BTW, obviously Angie is in for some dire danger in coming episodes. I assume, given the tone of the story, that she'll ultimately be pulled back from the brink. Any chance of her rescuing her mother in the process? Poor Sally... You seem to have established the idea that even bogies may still have a fragment of soul left. (There's no need for you to answer if you don't want to give away plot-points, of course. Just thinking out loud.)

 

[Low_Roads]

Another great great job! Wonderful tickling scenes and allusions! You always have such a good inspiration, huh?

By the way, those lil' creatures looks like Pikmins!...

Thank you for your generous compliments, Featherhead! I hope my stock of inspiration will hold out long enough to complete this story; by taking my time (and keeping an open eye for fresh trends and intriguing situations), I suspect it will!

I had to look up Pikmins. I was only vaguely aware of them (having never played the game), but upon close examination I see you're quite right! They are indeed close cousins, and not simply superficially! Sprites and Pikmins share a common floral heritage, and the members of each species work in tandem fashion to achieve their objectives! Very well spotted! I love learning these little connections!

Thanks. I love the way your "art gallery" takes bits from so many cultures. The totem pole, the buddha, the marble statue... Very clever.

I appreciate that! The goal was indeed to broaden the story's scope of the tickling fetish, to grant it a bit of gravitas through world-wide connection and historical perspective. It was also useful in concocting variation (thinking up a sufficient number of different ideas to fill up the shelves proved to be murder!)

BTW, obviously Angie is in for some dire danger in coming episodes. I assume, given the tone of the story, that she'll ultimately be pulled back from the brink. Any chance of her rescuing her mother in the process? Poor Sally... You seem to have established the idea that even bogies may still have a fragment of soul left. (There's no need for you to answer if you don't want to give away plot-points, of course. Just thinking out loud.)

You've hit on what will likely become the most important plot objective in this series! While I plan to remain mum about specifics (to maintain the story's tension, but also because this theme is still rather embryonic; I know where I want to go with it, but not exactly how to get there yet), please believe that this very plot dynamic will be fully addressed and resolved before the story's end!

 

[rajee]

I'm working on a surprise for you, LBH. 😉

 

[Low_Roads]

I'm working on a surprise for you, LBH. 😉

Wow! That sounds wonderful! I love surprises! Thanks so much, Rajee! Can't wait to see! :super_hap

 

[U.N.Owen]

You've hit on what will likely become the most important plot objective in this series!

Cool.

Have you decided how many chapters the story will be total?