The story so far: Geraldine was bullied by Stacey during most of her school life and now by chance her mother is helping Stacey sort hers out. It was Geraldine's aunt who suggested Stacey could work at her stables to pay off the cost of her keep, but being unaware of the past connection between the two girls it's proving to have been a bad decision to leave Gerry in charge while she is away… Emi's really excelled with the colouring this week I think, I love those moody skies and the tractor panel looks gorgeous. Can you see my puddy-cat? hehe:) Have a nice weekend all! Next week: The rest of the team start to become unsettled with Gerry who is determined to have her victory over a very stubborn Stacey!
Always felt Sare had a bit of the spitfire in her, but only when she was pushed too far or in defense of someone she felt needed the assist/backup. Just went back and looked at the original, liking the subtle changes you made, shows how far as an artist you have progressed from your 'early' days (hasn't changed tooo much, but the updated work shows more, umm, detail/skill)
DV: Funnily enough the pic I redrew for this art was from Chptr2 p57 where Stacey corners Sarah on her way home from school. In the original Sarah was tight lipped and Stacey was doing the talking but for the redraw I've shown Sarah answering back instead. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not but it does show Sarah's got some fire in her!
Now that you mention it, can see that it is Sarah, just couldn't remember seeing Stace get that physical with her at school (thought Sarah's bullying was more verbal/mental, Janey's was the physical stuff), that artwork in that litle scene is superb: can make out Sarah saying something back to Stace after Stace grabbed her (at least it looks that way to me :))
Darkvisor: Great to see you back again! Yes, the duck has gone through a lot of chnges and true to form only half of it still works properly. We have no stats chart any more nor the ability to vote per page (which is truly weird!) but there are some really nice new things about the site too so hopefully it will all be rectified. I have to say that it seems a lot more relaxed and fun again on here now than when the site was continually messed up and everyone was migrating a couple of months ago.
You've hit a key point there my friend btw and oh yes, that's Sarah being held by the collar in the background art but her long hair seems to ahve got lopped off a bit. I'll have to have a look at that!!
Abnon: I really love the contrasting views on Geraldine's behaviour here! Some are all dead on revenge and others think Gerry is being childish. In a way it's nice for me as the writer to explore avenues
I've thought of going down and comparing them to what others have done in real life if my own experiences don't go that far. You're the first to bring up the horrifying attack Stacey set-up and almost carried out on Sarah, whom Gerry as we all know is very fond of, so that could also be something she feels very bitter about. The big question as always though with both Geraldine and Stacey is how much allowance can you make for people whose emotions are under severe pressure.
Amber: Yea, you and stripey are both right. I dont want to give anything away but follow it through and I'll be able to discuss it further when it's over.
Interestingly enough a months or so ago I caught a UK documentary about a group of men in their 50's who had all been molested by a particular teacher at their old private school during their adolescent years. The documentary team took a hidden camera to the guys house (he was about 80 now and quite frail) and asked him about the claims. Some of these boys had been fondled during just a few short intervals but the impact it had had on their lives showed as they tried to recount for the camera how it had felt at the time. The one thing that upset all of them most though was that the guy never apologised. Just like my dad and his behaviour he preferred to pretend the boys were mistaken or lying. I think the modern term 'closure' is probably most apt and that's what Geraldine wants too.
Stripeyhat: Hi, yea you're absolutely right but I've based this scene pretty much on my own feelings about my father and his behaviour to me and my mum when we were kids. You do put the past behind you and even forgive but I always have one or two tender memories that if stirred will re-open old wounds for a little bit. One thing that really gets me going is when dad (who always preferred to deny rather than apologise for his acts)feels sorry for himself and blames mum for the marriage ending, suggesting it was all her fault. Stacey hasn't gone that far but I wanted to show how the past can come back to haunt you at times. You saw a change in the guy who bullied you and also had an apology which put your past to rest.
Dark Pascual: haha I love it! I think Geraldine must have a bit of your blood in her! Like Stripeyhat says though, Gerry should have gotten over it by now and it was like 9-10 yrs ago so she should have gotten over it by now. Everyones different though and as gerry is such a placid person and naturally unaggressive, I think it's nice to show what evil she can do on the quiet without raising her fists.
Steve: Ah you are always too kind to me!! lol You are quite right of course along with those others who are not happy with Gerry's present attitude. Next page sees Gerry under pressure from all those who respect her and the message is clearly that she is not doing herself any favours with this overdue retributon which should have fizzled out by now, but I guess she has a lot of Dark Pascual in her that she didn't realise existed until Stacey showed up again! I think she thought she had dealt with it but the seed that Stacey has no remorse has grown into a fiersome weed that is overtaking her emotions. One thing not shown in the online version is the final humiliation of Geraldine in the school toilets where she was stripped and her clothes unsuccesfully flushed down the loo. I'd always meant to do the scene but because my focus back then was more on Sarah and Janey's
relationship I cut it out to save time and extra work.
Cath: Yea, I know!!! Poor Leo is one of my fave charcters and the only one who is always skimped over the most. I do have a storyline for her involving her progress in the music industry. If you recall, some film music composer guy gave her his card and we haven't followed that up yet.Its high time we explored her relationship side of things more and her background but the chapter is coming to a close soon so I'm planning on giving her much more of the spotlight in part five and letting Stacey and Nick have an easier time.
As for the fairytale, I know!! I wrote it all out and was pretty enthusiastic about it but with work and keeping SS going I just haven't had the time, but it's pretty unusual and darn creepy so I still want to do it.
AejaLove: I try to reply to everyone, but it is very time consuming sometimes if too many people raise points or questions that I feel need a response. I used to say 'hi' to all but unfortunately under this new comment thing you are limited to 500 words or something so I have to keep adding individual posts which kind of dominates the page a bit, so I try to keep my chat to a minimum if I can but I am a bit of a chatterbox so once I get going it's hard to stop! lol
Finally back and caught up, like the background to the page (who is Stace grabbing by the collar?)
Have a nasty feeling about what happened to Stace (wet+cold+pregnant=not a happy outcome)
Does DD not have a vote button/option anymore for any of it's comics?
She deserves this as far as I'm concerned. Stacey has never been shown to be truly apologetic for anything other than the attempted rape. Do you think if she didn't need help with her own life she'd be here working hard? The fact that she almost got someone raped for no reason other than spite would be enough to make me hold a grudge for a good long time.
PUSH HER IN THE MANURE! Seriously though, Gerry does seem to be taking things a little too far although I still don't blame her over much. But saying that, Stripeyhat does have a point. It would be more mature of Gerry to move on, but past hurts don't always heal well. I DO love Emi's colouring though, you're right, she really did hit the nail on the head with those moody storm clouds.
This might be just me but I'm not sure I understand what Gerry's problem is. PLEASE don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that because I want an explanation about bullying and how it "festers in the mind" from every amateur psychologist in the room. I know she was bullied and Stacey was awful to her in school and everything but my sympathy is running pretty dry. You know what happens when I run into somebody who gave me a hard time in school? We chat, share a joke or two and move on. It's not even a case of being the better person. See, we're not stupid kids anymore. We're different. We're adults now and basic control over ones own emotions is something I like to think comes with the territory. You know one time I met an old bully working in PC World about 5 years after leaving school and during the course of the conversation he actually apologised unprompted for how he treated me back then. Times change and people too. If you're still holding grudges perhaps it's time you grew up a bit. Just saying.
Gerry's little powertrip here just makes her look like a child and there's no way she's hateful enough to not notice that. If she DOES see it and just doesn't care what exactly does that make her?
I still think that Gerry has the right to be pissed. Hell, she has the right to seek some payback...
I know... take the higher road, be the better person, Stacey had such a shitty life, vengeance is never the answer, blah blah blah... Screw that! Karma is a bitch! Welcome to Retributionville, baby! Population, your sorry ass...
Huh... need to lay down the Kill Bill, I guess...
One, you aren't loosing your charm, appeal or unique ability to tell a riveting story, I do respectfully disagree with AeJaLove, You ARE the Undisputed, Undeniable Empress of Cliffhangers, that's why you have a loyal following we keep coming back to find out WTF happens next.
Now today, Gerry rule number one in a situation like this, show your opponent you are forgiving in victory, if they have to shovel shit in the rain, you grab a shovel and help, makes them feel about 2 inches tall and shrinking. They have a crappy job to do, pun intended, but you aren't too good to help get it done smell or high water. ++5+++
The coloring really is suberb! :) SS isn't losing it's charm and that's mainly BECAUSE you give the spotlight to other characters lives too. If it was all about Sarah and Janey it would've gone completely boring. Once this mess with Gerry and Stacy is dealt with, I would be interested in seeing more of Leo :D I suppose you may have same plans on that, considering what happened at the night-out :) I seem to recall you mentioning planning a fantasy/fairy-tale comic? What happened to that idea? :S
Dear Sky,
AeJaLove You have a lot of guts fighting against those odds. Hope things in your life are alot better now.
Yes, the coloring is really great Emi your woanderful!
I think Stacey, being a bully once herself, knows what Gerry is up to and will not give Gerry the satisfaction of getting the best of Stacey. tommy
DarkVisor at 9:15PM, Oct. 13, 2011
Always felt Sare had a bit of the spitfire in her, but only when she was pushed too far or in defense of someone she felt needed the assist/backup. Just went back and looked at the original, liking the subtle changes you made, shows how far as an artist you have progressed from your 'early' days (hasn't changed tooo much, but the updated work shows more, umm, detail/skill)
skyangel at 2:59PM, Oct. 13, 2011
DV: Funnily enough the pic I redrew for this art was from Chptr2 p57 where Stacey corners Sarah on her way home from school. In the original Sarah was tight lipped and Stacey was doing the talking but for the redraw I've shown Sarah answering back instead. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not but it does show Sarah's got some fire in her!
DarkVisor at 7:06AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Now that you mention it, can see that it is Sarah, just couldn't remember seeing Stace get that physical with her at school (thought Sarah's bullying was more verbal/mental, Janey's was the physical stuff), that artwork in that litle scene is superb: can make out Sarah saying something back to Stace after Stace grabbed her (at least it looks that way to me :))
skyangel at 3:44AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Darkvisor: Great to see you back again! Yes, the duck has gone through a lot of chnges and true to form only half of it still works properly. We have no stats chart any more nor the ability to vote per page (which is truly weird!) but there are some really nice new things about the site too so hopefully it will all be rectified. I have to say that it seems a lot more relaxed and fun again on here now than when the site was continually messed up and everyone was migrating a couple of months ago. You've hit a key point there my friend btw and oh yes, that's Sarah being held by the collar in the background art but her long hair seems to ahve got lopped off a bit. I'll have to have a look at that!!
skyangel at 3:36AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Dragonstea: I think you're right ;)
skyangel at 3:35AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Abnon: I really love the contrasting views on Geraldine's behaviour here! Some are all dead on revenge and others think Gerry is being childish. In a way it's nice for me as the writer to explore avenues I've thought of going down and comparing them to what others have done in real life if my own experiences don't go that far. You're the first to bring up the horrifying attack Stacey set-up and almost carried out on Sarah, whom Gerry as we all know is very fond of, so that could also be something she feels very bitter about. The big question as always though with both Geraldine and Stacey is how much allowance can you make for people whose emotions are under severe pressure.
skyangel at 3:22AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Amber: Yea, you and stripey are both right. I dont want to give anything away but follow it through and I'll be able to discuss it further when it's over.
skyangel at 3:20AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Interestingly enough a months or so ago I caught a UK documentary about a group of men in their 50's who had all been molested by a particular teacher at their old private school during their adolescent years. The documentary team took a hidden camera to the guys house (he was about 80 now and quite frail) and asked him about the claims. Some of these boys had been fondled during just a few short intervals but the impact it had had on their lives showed as they tried to recount for the camera how it had felt at the time. The one thing that upset all of them most though was that the guy never apologised. Just like my dad and his behaviour he preferred to pretend the boys were mistaken or lying. I think the modern term 'closure' is probably most apt and that's what Geraldine wants too.
skyangel at 3:12AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Stripeyhat: Hi, yea you're absolutely right but I've based this scene pretty much on my own feelings about my father and his behaviour to me and my mum when we were kids. You do put the past behind you and even forgive but I always have one or two tender memories that if stirred will re-open old wounds for a little bit. One thing that really gets me going is when dad (who always preferred to deny rather than apologise for his acts)feels sorry for himself and blames mum for the marriage ending, suggesting it was all her fault. Stacey hasn't gone that far but I wanted to show how the past can come back to haunt you at times. You saw a change in the guy who bullied you and also had an apology which put your past to rest.
skyangel at 2:59AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Dark Pascual: haha I love it! I think Geraldine must have a bit of your blood in her! Like Stripeyhat says though, Gerry should have gotten over it by now and it was like 9-10 yrs ago so she should have gotten over it by now. Everyones different though and as gerry is such a placid person and naturally unaggressive, I think it's nice to show what evil she can do on the quiet without raising her fists.
skyangel at 2:55AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Steve: Ah you are always too kind to me!! lol You are quite right of course along with those others who are not happy with Gerry's present attitude. Next page sees Gerry under pressure from all those who respect her and the message is clearly that she is not doing herself any favours with this overdue retributon which should have fizzled out by now, but I guess she has a lot of Dark Pascual in her that she didn't realise existed until Stacey showed up again! I think she thought she had dealt with it but the seed that Stacey has no remorse has grown into a fiersome weed that is overtaking her emotions. One thing not shown in the online version is the final humiliation of Geraldine in the school toilets where she was stripped and her clothes unsuccesfully flushed down the loo. I'd always meant to do the scene but because my focus back then was more on Sarah and Janey's relationship I cut it out to save time and extra work.
skyangel at 2:42AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Cath: Yea, I know!!! Poor Leo is one of my fave charcters and the only one who is always skimped over the most. I do have a storyline for her involving her progress in the music industry. If you recall, some film music composer guy gave her his card and we haven't followed that up yet.Its high time we explored her relationship side of things more and her background but the chapter is coming to a close soon so I'm planning on giving her much more of the spotlight in part five and letting Stacey and Nick have an easier time. As for the fairytale, I know!! I wrote it all out and was pretty enthusiastic about it but with work and keeping SS going I just haven't had the time, but it's pretty unusual and darn creepy so I still want to do it.
skyangel at 2:33AM, Oct. 11, 2011
Tommym: Yea I think Stacey knows exactly what Geraldine is up to and she finds it slightly amusing. Old Ironsides: I can't comment on that yet :)
skyangel at 1:53AM, Oct. 11, 2011
AejaLove: I try to reply to everyone, but it is very time consuming sometimes if too many people raise points or questions that I feel need a response. I used to say 'hi' to all but unfortunately under this new comment thing you are limited to 500 words or something so I have to keep adding individual posts which kind of dominates the page a bit, so I try to keep my chat to a minimum if I can but I am a bit of a chatterbox so once I get going it's hard to stop! lol
DarkVisor at 9:29PM, Oct. 10, 2011
Finally back and caught up, like the background to the page (who is Stace grabbing by the collar?) Have a nasty feeling about what happened to Stace (wet+cold+pregnant=not a happy outcome) Does DD not have a vote button/option anymore for any of it's comics?
croxtonhas at 4:21PM, Oct. 10, 2011
xddddd!
dragonestea at 5:35PM, Oct. 9, 2011
Stacey is winning this battle of minds.
anonymous at 5:12PM, Oct. 9, 2011
She deserves this as far as I'm concerned. Stacey has never been shown to be truly apologetic for anything other than the attempted rape. Do you think if she didn't need help with her own life she'd be here working hard? The fact that she almost got someone raped for no reason other than spite would be enough to make me hold a grudge for a good long time.
Little Swan at 1:07PM, Oct. 9, 2011
PUSH HER IN THE MANURE! Seriously though, Gerry does seem to be taking things a little too far although I still don't blame her over much. But saying that, Stripeyhat does have a point. It would be more mature of Gerry to move on, but past hurts don't always heal well. I DO love Emi's colouring though, you're right, she really did hit the nail on the head with those moody storm clouds.
Stripeyhat at 10:44AM, Oct. 9, 2011
This might be just me but I'm not sure I understand what Gerry's problem is. PLEASE don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that because I want an explanation about bullying and how it "festers in the mind" from every amateur psychologist in the room. I know she was bullied and Stacey was awful to her in school and everything but my sympathy is running pretty dry. You know what happens when I run into somebody who gave me a hard time in school? We chat, share a joke or two and move on. It's not even a case of being the better person. See, we're not stupid kids anymore. We're different. We're adults now and basic control over ones own emotions is something I like to think comes with the territory. You know one time I met an old bully working in PC World about 5 years after leaving school and during the course of the conversation he actually apologised unprompted for how he treated me back then. Times change and people too. If you're still holding grudges perhaps it's time you grew up a bit. Just saying. Gerry's little powertrip here just makes her look like a child and there's no way she's hateful enough to not notice that. If she DOES see it and just doesn't care what exactly does that make her?
Dark Pascual at 11:35AM, Oct. 8, 2011
I still think that Gerry has the right to be pissed. Hell, she has the right to seek some payback... I know... take the higher road, be the better person, Stacey had such a shitty life, vengeance is never the answer, blah blah blah... Screw that! Karma is a bitch! Welcome to Retributionville, baby! Population, your sorry ass... Huh... need to lay down the Kill Bill, I guess...
dragonrider at 7:16AM, Oct. 8, 2011
One, you aren't loosing your charm, appeal or unique ability to tell a riveting story, I do respectfully disagree with AeJaLove, You ARE the Undisputed, Undeniable Empress of Cliffhangers, that's why you have a loyal following we keep coming back to find out WTF happens next. Now today, Gerry rule number one in a situation like this, show your opponent you are forgiving in victory, if they have to shovel shit in the rain, you grab a shovel and help, makes them feel about 2 inches tall and shrinking. They have a crappy job to do, pun intended, but you aren't too good to help get it done smell or high water. ++5+++
Cath at 7:13AM, Oct. 8, 2011
The coloring really is suberb! :) SS isn't losing it's charm and that's mainly BECAUSE you give the spotlight to other characters lives too. If it was all about Sarah and Janey it would've gone completely boring. Once this mess with Gerry and Stacy is dealt with, I would be interested in seeing more of Leo :D I suppose you may have same plans on that, considering what happened at the night-out :) I seem to recall you mentioning planning a fantasy/fairy-tale comic? What happened to that idea? :S
tommym at 6:24AM, Oct. 8, 2011
Dear Sky, AeJaLove You have a lot of guts fighting against those odds. Hope things in your life are alot better now. Yes, the coloring is really great Emi your woanderful! I think Stacey, being a bully once herself, knows what Gerry is up to and will not give Gerry the satisfaction of getting the best of Stacey. tommy
oldironside at 4:02AM, Oct. 8, 2011
The tension is unbearable. Where is this going?