Other People's Business: the commentary.

The rest of Other People's Business

crotalus_atrox — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:21:08 GMT

I'm ready if you are.

Reminder: this is a summary and is not meant to be an accurate representation of my prose writing style.

The Right Place, The Right Time

When we last left our intrepid protagonists, Efrén was falling in with a bad crowd –well, no, just a bad person, really, not so much a crowd. He’s bad at friends, leave him be. So, Danny finds out that Efrén’s new buddy is Mad Bart and internally blows her top. Externally, she manages to keep it together, and has a civilized conversation with Efrén about why she doesn’t think he should be friends with Bart, including details like “I am pretty sure this dude is stalking me.” Efrén admittedly finds
this hard to believe, but as she’s his sister, he agrees to be careful and think about this – however, he does discuss his own feelings, and how Bart has been supportive and a good friend. He possibly mentions something to the extent of “I’m sure the truth lies somewhere between the two extremes” which is incredibly hurtful to Danny and also really not true. However, Danny agrees to respect Efrén’s decision.

That’s a lie. Bart magically shows up once she’s alone, a fact which has stopped surprising Danny. She gives up. She doesn’t believe he’s the prophet to some god just yet, but at the least, she’ll hear what he wants to get him to leave. Bart makes an offer: Danny will never see him again provided she has a talk with an unhappy man.

That’s it. That’s all she has to do. Bart even points her to the guy. He’s just sitting on that bench over there. All Danny has to do is talk to him for a few minutes and she will never see Bart again.

The man doesn’t look particularly bad – he’s clearly distressed though. He has no idea why Bart would send someone to talk to him. That said…okay, maybe he does need a shoulder to lean on. He feels unappreciated at work, his home life’s a wreck, and he has a really tough decision to make. He really can’t elaborate too much. Danny encourages him to do the right thing, the thing that he won’t lose sleep over. “Whatever you choose, you’ll regret it,” she says helpfully. The man reflects on the truth of her statement and makes his decision.

The man is Dane Dietz of the Creed Corporation, and a day later, he acts as a whistleblower for Creed Corporation and then committing suicide. As clean as Creed has
tried to keep themselves, they’ve got a lot of white-collar stuff that can bring them down, and so it does.

Creed coming down is pretty big. Danny is shocked by the turn of events when she pieces together her role in them; this is not what she was expecting at all, to say the
least. Fox is a little bit jubilant, as he’s always wanted to see Creed come crashing down, and now it has. He admits that he’s worried about some of the people in the company; Danny is, too.

(At this point, I was going to have an aside of poor Joe, Mercedes’ downtrodden friend, being really rather happy that his company went under. Despite looming
unemployment, that kid’s going to be okay. He’ll probably go on to Kickstarter a business for himself making soft toys for kids who need a bit of extra gentleness. His name wasn’t Joe, by the way – it sounded like it, though. It was Gio.)

This is what they wanted, right? Creed’s gone down.

Danny talks to Hilary, who has a lack of peace despite Creed going down. Danny admits to what her part in this was, and Hilary agrees that there’s something off about this. They’re both annoyed they can’t just enjoy their victory. Despite being far away, Mercedes doesn’t feel any safer, either.

If they’re unnerved, Corazon Paulin is downright shattered. This, as far as she knew, wasn’t supposed to happen. Do you remember Harry, Penelope Gilpin’s son? Corazon Paulin’s mysterious employer speaks to Harry over the phone and apologizes for not being able to stop what’s coming, and goes on to say this is the problem with omniscience - you can’t really change things, only enjoy them as they come. The voice on the phone then introduces itself as Harry’s father, the god Yss. He’s pretty sure the world will be ending soon, by the way. Sorry about that.

Paulin is shocked that this is all her boss is going to do about the situation. Yss suggests Ms. Paulin ought to also enjoy the coming chaos.

Where are Collin and Leon in this?

They’ve absconded in all the confusion, Leon berating Collin all the while for not doing this sooner. They manage to leave the country just before it all goes down. Quite lucky, wouldn’t you say? Almost as if some higher power is blessing them. They’re heading South, anyway. Settling somewhere that is a lot more forgiving of Collin than it used to be. Look, I’m just going to say it: Belize.

No. Of course not. Collin wants Venezuela, Venezuela begrudgingly accepts the return of Collin and his money.

Bart promised Danny wouldn’t see him again, and indeed, she doesn’t, but he feels free to call her. She is understandably upset that at the least, it looks like a dude offed himself because of her advice. Bart confirms that yep, that’s exactly how that was meant to go. Danny is angry about this whole thing, and about allowing herself to be a pawn in his game, whatever it is.

That’s a mite self-important, says Mad Bart. Also, do you know where your brother is? That is the last Danny hears of Mad Bart, as he then hangs up the phone. Danny calls Efrén’s cell phone, which does not pick up.

This comic does not end with Danny worried about her baby brother. It ends with Danny grabbing Fox and his car and going to go find her baby brother.

Boston
That was a fakeout of sorts. Efrén’s fine. Jeez, Danny, what were you so worked up about? He has, however, made the decision to go to grad school in Boston in a few months.

That’s not so bad, right? Grad school is good for them. He even makes friends and manages to crush on a cute librarian named Hannah, hard enough to repress that thing where he and Bart kissed and maybe groped each other a bit. Yeah, that happened. He didn’t tell Danny about it, and he won’t, because there is no way Efren can even broach that topic to her. Plus he feels a bit awkward about it. What kind of guy sleeps with you and then tells you to go to Boston, for it is your destiny? (Answer: Bart.) What kind of guy is willing to go “ok I’m definitely going to do that”? (Answer: Efren.) Hannah likes Efren, and she is thoroughly charmed when he admits that he came to Boston because he felt it was his destiny.

Time passes. Mercedes slowly adapts to Chicago, but misses her old life in Houston (also, she cannot handle the cold). Ferocious Francine, Hilary’s furry femme fatale of an ex, tracks her down and has a serious chat with her regarding Hilary’s father’s death and Bart’s hand in it. Francine claims Bart foretold fame and fortune would come Francine’s way provided she be at a certain location at a certain time. Francine contends that during this time, Bart managed to get the gun to Hilary’s father so he could commit suicide. Francine’s alibi was airtight despite her gun being involved. She cautions Hilary against Bart, who she states is clever, conniving, and worst of all: right. Francine points out that her star is ascending - she has gigs all throughout the southern US, in fact. She invites Hilary along.

Hilary kicks Francine out.

Fox and Danny have shacked up together. They’re a cute, if messy and kind of gross, couple. Danny is still unemployed, but manages to scrape together enough money for her rent and half of her groceries thanks to helping out with some of Hilary’s less criminal schemes. Fox putters along as a reporter. On his days off, they play Mulder and Skully, tracking down various supernatural phenomena and debunking it. Or not.

Then Hannah kidnaps Efren and drugs him. He is kept unconscious, and when he wakes he is informed that he has a very special person. Hannah knew, when he said he didn’t really know why he came, but that it had been his destiny. Efren is a sweet, kind man, and there aren’t many like him. That’s why he is going to save the world, she says. He has been implanted with the egg of COH, the great creator god who can save the world from the encroaching darkness of the other two warring gods (the golden god Ys(s) of Fox’s Ynternational conspiracy and the dark Priest god served by Mad Bart) - however, COH must have a heart in order to save humanity, and what better heart for him than that of a sweet, kind young man? It’s too late, anyhow, as the egg is already sewn inside of Efren, and to ensure it stays there, he is currently being kept under strict watch by her and the other members of the COH cult.

His mouth has been sewn shut, allowing only the space for a feeding tube. Efren is to be kept this way, drugged and docile, for a period of thirteen days while the egg quickens. The last Efren hears before he is drugged again is that he must be moved to the sacrificial platform.

==
Collapse

While on one of their Solvin’ Mysteries, Suckin’ Face outings, Danny and Fox are ambushed by a figure from Fox’s past - a woman he knew as Washington, who he met in Vegas. She angrily grills them for more information on what happened with Creed, and then informs them that Creed was necessary to keep things running - without Creed in place, there’s enough power imbalance that another god can come in and wrench the world from Ys.

Ys, she says, is a cruel god and a petty god, but he is the only god actively interested in preserving the earth, even if it’s just because the humans on the planet are fun to play with. Without him, the world might be devoured by the other god. She’s asked about a third god, but does not know anything about that.

At this point, Mercedes calls Danny’s cell phone. She admits that she’d like to come back to Houston, and asks if Danny thinks she’d be safe. Danny asks to call her back. She does, after Washington drops her and Fox off back home (after calling them morons for playing into Bart’s scheme, of course). Danny is still a bit shellshocked, but has no idea how to say any of this to Mercedes tactfully. So she just says it.

Mercedes opts to stay in Chicago for a little while longer.

Efren comes to in the middle of a tropical zone. Where, he’s not sure. There’s definitely a pyramidy thing, though, so he’s going to guess somewhere in the vicinity of Central America, even though the style is slightly off. Also he is very very distressed by everything that is occurring, as he has been laid out on an altar and everyone around him seems to be waiting. This sure looks like the end!

But wait, on the horizon - two patches over his eyes, red hair shaved close to his head - it’s Mad Bart, snarling at the blasphemers, as he calls them. He promises they’ll get what’s coming to them. Efren is still slipping in and out of consciousness, so he doesn’t really see what happens, but when he does come to fully, the stars are shining down beautifully, the only light is coming from a flashlight by his side and a burning stake held by Bart, and everyone else has disappeared. The smell is horrible, but also Efren is not tied down, so he can deal with a terrible smell. Relieved to see Bart, he runs to him, hugs his savior, and tells him all about what the cult did to him and was planning to do. Bart tells him there was no way he would’ve let them do that to Efren; after all, Efren’s heart has been earmarked for another.
Efren erroneously interprets this statement as romantic.

Bart waits.

Efren realizes there is a growing darkness in the sky, blotting out the stars. It begins to take form, and it begins to come closer, and Efren realizes he has misjudged this situation very badly. If he stops to think, there is technically nowhere to run to, but that kneejerk panic grips him, and Efren runs where he can. There is light inside of the pyramid, lit tunnels, and Efren runs inside because where else will he go? He’s trapped himself quite thoroughly, though, and when he hears the dim beep of a cell phone, he manages to track it down and run to a portion of the pyramid that has a signal.

[Outside, Bart’s nose begins bleeding, as do his eye sockets. He falls to his knees and kisses the ground, and praises the arrival of the lord his god.]

Danny is woken by a call from an unknown number. She ignores it until Fox asks her to pick it up so they can get back to sleep.

It’s Efren.

She can’t make out what he was saying or what was going on, only that he was terrified and panicking. Danny asks him to calm down and breathe.

Efren has cornered himself in a dead end tunnel, unfortunately. It is too long of a tunnel to go back down, especially when it becomes obvious that something else has started down the end of the tunnel after him. It snuffs the lights out as it comes by, until Efren is left in total darkness.

Efren breathes; his sister hears him and begs him to talk to her. Efren is too frightened to; she calls his name, and all he can do is clutch the phone and breathe in and out. She can hear him breathing, at least, and tries to calm him down.

They stay like that until the call is lost.

==
Desperation

Danny immediately starts working with the authorities to track down her brother. The phone is identified as belonging to someone from Efren’s school, where a group of students and faculty have been reported missing. Eventually, investigations locate a site in the Yucatan Peninsula where members of the group were said to be headed.
Efrén is found by the side of the road by an elderly couple; he refuses to give any information about himself and only weeps, saying his heart has been eaten. He cries and cries. The doctors in the hospital are uncertain what to do, and his heart is definitely still inside his chest. His claims that there is Something Inside Of Him are listened to, but the tests are clear - he is perfectly healthy, at least, physically. He is put in the psychiatric unit.

Danny continues desperately searching for him, both with the police and with her conspiracy theorist boyfriend and sleazy best friend. Slowly, Fox finds out more information about COH, the creator snake god, and Hilary puts together information to find out about dodgy activities that were taking place deep in the Yucatan. Hilary’s search leads her to an unlikely source, a man who is said to know everything - Bart.

Mad Bart is quiet and compliant. He has shacked up in a one room hovel just past the border where he does nothing but fast and pray, and when Hilary finds him, he is happy to tell her everything he knows, starting with the fact that the world will end in a week. His god is now coming to eat the earth as he has overpowered Ys (who, being omnipotent, knew this would happen, and wasn’t particularly interested in stopping it), and Bart’s job as prophet is done. He is happy to tell Hilary where Efren is, but cautions that she has to hurry or Danny won’t get to him in time to see him before he is eaten by COH. Still, Hilary figures she has the time to punch Bart in the face.

For personal satisfaction.

Hilary wastes no time, and Danny trusts her enough to blindly travel to where Hilary tells her. She is rewarded by finding what’s left of her baby brother.

It’s not much. What’s left of Efren is sad all the time, barely able to function - Danny manages to get him out of the hospital, but whatever spark of him was left is gone. Danny is desperate with him, but Efren is listless, sad, and he will not stop lamenting how his heart has been taken. She attempts to take him back to Houston, but they don’t quite make it before she turns her back on her brother in the motel room where they’re staying and turns back in to find Efren gone and in his place COH the creator god.

==
The End of the World

This is the first supernatural phenomenon Danny has ever witnessed. It is not a spectacular one; the god is a pale, sullen creature that simply exists where her brother was when she turned her back. It is a quiet miracle, and an unhappy one. Danny asks for her brother back, and COH declines; the body belongs to him now.

Danny is exhausted. This entire ordeal has sapped her strength and spirit and now her baby brother is gone, and she doesn’t know how to get him back - it doesn’t seem she can. COH isn’t interested in saving the world; he has no spirit, no heart for it (much like Efren was before). He essentially desires nothing more than to sit in a corner and wait until the world is devoured. A corner in a river, specifically.

Numb and in a daze of sorts, Danny complies and takes COH to a river, where he walks in. That’s it. She slinks back home. Fox is out on assignment, so she instead hangs out with Hilary and apologizes for failing to save the world, apparently.

They’ve got a couple of days left, and neither of them really knows what to do. Hilary is going to visit her sister in the care facility and spend the days with her, she says; Danny figures she’ll probably encourage Fox to do the same with his family, at least one day. She thinks about her son and exhusband, but opts to leave them be. On the last day, she’ll go down to Galveston and see how her salty old stepmother is doing, maybe have a beer with her and watch the sunset or something. Hilary, oddly, asks if she can kiss Danny. Danny complies, though confused, and admits she didn’t really get much out of it, but it was still a sweet, nice kiss. Hilary nods and confesses that if Danny had liked women, Hilary would’ve been on her like white on bread - but at the same time, it’s probably for the best, as Hilary admits her relationships are always tumultuous, and Danny’s too nice for that. “Plus you have your loser boyfriend and he makes you real happy, and that’s all I want for you.” And anyhow, Hilary has really loved being Danny’s friend, because Danny’s a good friend. “Better than I deserve,” Hilary says sadly. She apologizes to Danny for getting her into this whole mess by falling into her window.

H: I’m the worst friend.
D: There are worst. And I like you anyway, short stuff.

They hug and squish the hell out of each other, aware that the way their paths go means they won’t see each other again.

On Sunday, when Fox is visiting his family and Danny’s spending her last few cents on a shuttle to go see her stepmother, Danny is surprised by a phone call from Mercedes. She’s back in Houston for a short four-day weekend and wants to know if Danny wants to meet up on Monday. There’s not going to be a Monday. Danny says yes anyway and suggests Mercedes drop by Pamplemousse to see her old coworkers and such.

The end arrives earlier than Danny thought. She almost misses it, but the shuttle driver’s flipping through radio stations and stops when a report comes through of a fast moving blanket of darkness covering the world. Very fast moving- there’s not even time to get a good panic going because people don’t know what it is. Danny reflects that she doesn’t really want to die in a traffic jam on I-45 during lunch hour, so she gets out of the shuttle and walks through the marshlands, contemplative. The blackness is already there; there is no horizon anymore, just a big sheet of dark coming closer and closer. Danny watches it come and thinks about her friends, her brother, and how this all seems really weird. She’s tired. She thinks about how she fucked up her life. She hopes to have done the best she could’ve with what she had.

The darkness comes closer, and Danny holds her breath.

==

The Morning After

Danny wakes up.

No, it wasn’t a dream. She wakes up anyway, finds herself lying on soft grass. Next to her is a young man who is also awake. He’s terrified; last he remembers, the world was ending. He doesn’t want to get up. He asks Danny if they’re dead.

She doesn’t know, but waiting is dumb. She sits up and finds herself in the middle of a park in central Houston. The sky is clouded over. She gets up, despite the pleas of the scared young man next to her, and starts walking around. She finds signs guiding the “recently awoken” to a Welcome Center. Well, what else is she going to do?

She goes.

She’s greeted by a cheerful professional who provides her with pamphlets and coffee and a nice seat. Danny leafs through the helpful pamphlets and sips her coffee. The pamphlets get across some important stuff:

1) Some sort of event occurred six months ago. We’re really not sure what it was! There are lots of theories as to what it may have been. (See pamphlet #2)

2) The world’s population is at roughly 1/10000 of what it was. People are coming back, but it’s a slow and unpredictable process. It happens when no one’s looking, in parks and fields and empty places: they wake up there, the way Danny did. If you can’t find your loved ones, don’t panic, they may not have come through just yet, and it may take awhile.

3) Lots of things have changed. (See pamphlet #3) We can no longer see the sun, stars, or moon, and any satellite we’ve tried to send past low orbit seems to disappear. The light quality doesn’t really change, either, or at least it hasn’t. Just that dusky, clouded-over quality. There are insects that chew on light, random aurora-esque phenomena.

4) It’s okay. No, really. While we’re struggling to rebuild society, everything that could’ve endangered us seems to have been put on hold. There’s been no nuclear meltdown or sewer tragedy while people were gone. It’s as if someone walked through our world, carefully turning off the lights in our kitchens and shutting off our hoses.

5) Here’s how you can help. (See pamphlet #4)

Unexpectedly, Danny runs into someone she does know: Mr. Hathaway, who is on the interim police force. He takes Danny in, and she begins to help out at a local hospital. In the meantime, she begins to learn the world anew as well. She copes with her grief over her brother. Over the next weeks, their friendship grows and they find many similarities in who they used to be – two people who’d messed up pretty badly and had thought themselves without redemption, really. Mr. Hathaway is very happy now, and admits that one of his great fears was that he was inherently a bad person – but now he is helping keep order, he is helping people feel safe. He feels like he has come through the end of the world and found out that instead of a rabid wolf, he is a well-trained dog.

So this is the end of the world, then. It’s not so bad. It could’ve been a lot worse. And maybe it is a mass hallucination like some people say, or her own private hallucination before dying, or maybe it is hell, Danny’s not sure. But here she is. And she, like so many others, is waiting for her loved ones to come through.

That was my whole theme for the series. Your world ends, you go on, it’s okay. You adapt to new circumstances. You do your best with what you’ve got.
OPB ends with Danny getting the news at the hospital that one of the people who has just arrived at one of the Welcome Centers is Mercedes. She asks if she can have the rest of the day off of work to go welcome her friend, and it’s granted. She leaves a message for Mr. Hathaway, who she thinks will want to know about this, and Danny heads off to see her dear friend.

I hope you liked my story. Thank you for reading it. I'm sorry I couldn't finish it. I'm not on LJ much anymore; you can find me instead on my Tumblr, Snakewife.

Other People's Business: Issue 10 [all of it]

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 18:06:00 GMT

Hello, busybodies.

Things have been tough for me. I'm trying to finish this up, and I'm sorry it's taking so long. I'll reply to your comments when I have the chance. It's easier to find me on tumblr, at snakewife.tumblr.com , if you need to - I know some people made noises about "where is she?" I'm not dead, just stressed and trying to finish up Cat Sick and the summaries. Only 6 more episodes of OPB to go!

North
We left off on a vaguely horrifying point, what with Collin and Leon's violent form of expressing affection and Efrén's nascent friendship with, of all people, Mad Bart.

The repercussions of Collin missing the meeting in France are immediate. Although Corazon Paulin assures Collin via telephone that his role was largely unnecessary, it is clear she is displeased with him. This makes Collin pretty fidgety and pretty cross with Leon, whom he blames for this whole incident. Leon is less than remorseful about jeopardizing Collin's career, and he pleasantly informs Collin that he expects Collin to put things into action and soon. Leon will not accept "no" on this.

This is a threat, don't get this wrong – but it bears noting that in Leon's mind, he is not being a menace so much as he's being a sitcom housewife laying down the law. This is Leon's perspective on his relationship with Collin. Collin is wonderful but needs to be controlled and kept in line. Leon doesn't think of this as abusive. Collin is Homer, Leon is Marge; he is doing what needs to be done to ensure his husband does the right thing. This is Leon's logic, here.

Collin, I should note, is very, very resentful about this turn of events.

After Paulin speaks with Collin, she calls her boss and expresses extreme concern about the future. Her boss is significantly calmer, and while Ms. Paulin suggests people to replace Collin, he shoots her down, stating that of them all, Collin was his only choice for some mysterious thing I won't reveal until next issue. Paulin hesitantly offers herself as an option for this mysterious thing.

Boss: Don't be silly, Paulin, you're a girl.

Ms. Paulin is unimpressed.

Boss: Lighten up, that was a joke. I'm a girl too, sometimes. Sometimes I'm several girls.
P: Yes, sir.

That panel hints at the nature of Paulin's boss. Remember some of what Fox was talking about in Issue 8?

After teasing her, Paulin's boss mentions that there is one person he'd like to see – Penelope Gilpin's son (from Issue 8), whom he also refers to as his son. Paulin promises to track him down.

Mercedes has been nervous as anything at work, meanwhile – as she should, since she is seriously considering going elsewhere. She corners Mr. Hathaway after their shift and asks him about his thoughts – there's no subtle way about it; what she's really asking is if she has any future with him. Mr. Hathaway would not want to be the man who kept a brilliant, talented woman from a bright future, even if it's a future without him. Mercedes accepts this with as much dignity as she can muster, but the embarrassment kills her a little bit.

Danny, meanwhile, finds that Bart has left a message in her photo album - 3 GO NORTH. She thinks for a moment of how Mercedes is considering Chicago, but quickly puts it out of her mind as synchronicity and a message that could be heavily open to interpretation.

Angry Friend drops by to visit Efrén and is surprised to find Efrén heading out. After some dodging, Efrén admits he is off to meet his new friend, Bart. Angry Friend does not scold Efrén, but does mention that Bart creeps him out.

Efrén and Bart continue to meet. Bart's apparently employed as a mechanic in the area, although Efrén has no idea how this would work and doesn't feel intimate enough to ask… which is surprising, considering that Bart seems to be able to get Efrén to open up about a lot. Insecurities, pressure he feels with school and Danny's breakdown, even admitting to being somewhat confused about his sexuality.

Mercedes, meanwhile, has been ill and missing work, an absolute rarity for her. After being badly scared by, of all things, a stray cat, Mercedes realizes that she wants to leave. The only concrete thing she has holding her here is…well, Danny.

Bart and Efrén sit on a couch in a coffee shop and have a long and involved conversation about life, the universe, and Efrén thinking about moving to Massachusetts where he can eventually go to grad school. Efrén worries about leaving his friend – well, friends, now that Bart's in the picture - and family, but Bart advises him to go for what he wants. It's Efrén's life, after all.

Bart then offers to tell Efrén the secret of life.

Bart: Here we go, man. Here's the secret. Watch.
--
Bart closes his hand.
--
Bart opens his hand.
--
Efrén stares.
--
Efrén: Was. Was that the sound of one hand clapping?
--
Bart: *big, big grin* Nuh uh. That was the secret of the universe.
--
Efrén: *curious* Opened and closed?
--
Bart: Contraction. Expansion.

Bart gets enigmatic after that, and Efrén drops the subject on grounds that he's not sure if Bart is honestly discussing universal forces or just being a douche.

Mercedes visits Danny, and admits that she's decided to go to Chicago. It may have been looking likely for awhile, but now that it is a certainty, it hits Danny harder than it should. And you know by now what a weenie Mercedes is. There is a lot of crying, as Danny promises to keep jobhunting even without Mercedes around to keep her in line. Mercedes asks Danny to go live with her for the month plus she'll be staying in Houston, and she apologizes for not having offered before – basically, lots of apologies, lots of tears. Danny agrees to go stay with Mercedes.

Later, Danny catches Fox on the phone, but he can't talk for long. He is prepping for a quick interview at a local newspaper, though he admits to Danny that he doesn't think it'll pan out or last long even if it does. But maybe? The paper in question is the North Houston Business Times.

Danny notes the one word and is uncomfortable – not to mention cross with herself for noticing.

A few days later, Hilary arrives at Mercedes' home, magnanimously offering her a ride so they can go help Danny move. Mercedes thanks her, but points out that Fox has already gone down to help Danny. Hilary sulks about this, feeling replaced, but Mercedes points out that she's being ridiculous as Fox has the hots for Danny, and Danny reciprocates, and they need to spend time alone together in order to make their next move. Hilary sulks slightly less, and after awhile, Mercedes asks if Hilary would like to help her make dinner for everyone. Hilary is always up for showing off, and when Danny and Fox arrive, they find the girls happily bickering with each other. Dinner is pleasant, and neither Fox nor Danny is too tired from moving. There's an undercurrent of sadness, though. Danny's unemployed, still, and Hilary still gets sad about her father, and Mercedes' life is tangled up. Fox is doing okay, though. Fox is definitely doing okay.

After dinner, Danny sees him out, but he lingers a bit. This is it, this is the moment, and in the doorway, Mercedes and Hilary are crossing their fingers. Danny notices her two friends being massively unsubtle.

Danny: They're not going to let me back inside unless I go for it. So this is me, going for it. I'm not very good at this, it's been awhile.
Fox: 's cool, I was never good at it, either. How about we get coffee tomorrow?
Danny: Sounds great.
Hilary: (offscreen) YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KISS HIM, DUMMY.
Danny: *shouts back* I can't kiss him before we have coffee! Who do you think I am, Mercedes?
Danny: *back to Fox* See, she's a tramp.
Fox: *rubs his hair* Well, I haven't been kissed in awhile, so it might be a good plan to wait. I'll spend tonight practicing on my arm.

They smile at each other.

Danny hesitantly gets up on her tiptoes.

Fox leans down and kisses her. It is not really a movie kiss. Just a peck on the lips.

It's enough for those voyeurs at the doorway, though. They are pleased.

In Efrén's apartment, meanwhile, Bart has fallen asleep on the couch. Efrén debates waking him, decides against it, and instead locks up for the night and goes to bed. On the couch, Bart smiles to himself.

Other People's Business: Issue 9 [all of it]

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:46:28 GMT

Hello, busybodies!

Only took me two months, right? Well, here is Issue 9's summary, ready for you to read! It is much shorter and much more summary-formatted than Issue 8, but hopefully you will like it regardless. I mean, at least it tells you what was happening!

Knock on wood, the next issue summaries will come much faster.

The wrong place at the wrong time.

At the end of the last issue, Danny found Mad Bart in her bedroom, rifling through a very old photo album (despite the fact that Bart's eyes remain covered). When asked to leave, he informed her that he was there to help her bring down Creed.

Danny: What do you know about Creed?
Bart: Everything. What they really are.
Danny: Which is?
Bart: The machine of the beast.
Danny: I thought they were the ones running the show.
Bart: That's what they think, yeah. God and I would like you to prove them wrong.

Remember, Danny isn't privy to Penelope's theory that there are three forces at work here, not two. Danny's working under the assumption that Creed and company are the bad guys. Bart is in no hurry to clarify. Instead, he appears to be offering a partnership of sorts. Danny surprises Bart by outright refusing. Bart is not taking no for an answer, but after one of Danny's sore spots is accidentally poked (or, as Bart says, he was probably meant to do that without actually meaning to do that) during the conversation, she promptly throws Bart out on the sidewalk outside of her stepmother's home.

Frida is kind of really pissed off that Danny has just assaulted someone in her home. She does not care about Danny's reasoning. Danny storms back inside to argue with Frida, so eager to hash it out that she doesn't notice her brother, Efrén, and his Angry Friend about a block away. They, on the other hand, have not missed the fact that Danny just angrily threw someone out of the house and stormed back in to apparently chew off Frida's head.

Efrén and his Angry Friend help Bart up, asking what happened. Bart simply says that Danny owes him, and Efrén immediately assumes he is referring to money. He tries to offer Bart money, but Bart refuses (and Angry Friend adds that Efrén had said he wouldn't bail out Danny anymore). Since there are still loud and increasingly nonsensical screams coming from the two women in the house, the gentlemen decide to at least help Bart clean and bandage his various scrapes.

Elsewhere in the Houston metroplex, Betsy, Collin's mother (remember her?), is surprised by a visit from her son-in-law and her adopted granddaughter, Leon and Berlinetta. Betsy is delighted to see them both, though Leon wants to have a serious talk. Betsy sends Berlinetta upstairs to "give your Pop-Pop a good scare," and she and Leon settle down to talk about Collin. Leon has many misgivings about Collin going to France, and Betsy sympathizes with his inability to talk Collin out of things.

B: Oh, Leon. That boy had this hideous long blue hair when he was a teenager. I have never in my life been able to talk Collin into or out of anything.

After being tackled by her excited granddaughter coming back downstairs, Betsy admits she's glad Collin's held his ground on some things.

Going back to Galveston, it turns out Angry Friend accompanied Efrén to the island for his own reasons: while Efrén met with Danny, Angry Friend would meet with his girlfriend who goes to school there. Even though that plan is shot, Angry Friend still manages to take his dear Isla to lunch, and leaves Efrén alone and uncomfortable in a booth with Bart. Efrén admits that if Frida and Danny are arguing, there's a chance that Frida might kick Danny out and he might have to take her in for awhile, which has been an issue before - Efrén thought he might be okay with having her stay with him again, but the idea of a shouting, volatile Danny shakes him up a bit. Bart suggests Efrén go see Danny anyway, and Efrén continues to short circuit.

B: You could still go see her.
E: No, not now! It’d be awkward! So very awkward. She assaulted a blind man!
B: Well, I was probably gettin' on her nerves. Also I got a name.
E: Oh god, we’ve been talking for two hours and I bandaged your bleeding leg and I didn’t ask your name—
B: Bart is fine.
E: Please don’t sue, Bart.

Bart presses his advantage and makes Efrén incredibly uncomfortable by maintaining what would be a level stare if he had eyes. Efrén tries drifting into small talk and is surprised to learn that Bart apparently resides close to the area where Efrén's little apartment is. What a coincidence.

B: Maybe we’ll see each other around, then.
E: *small* ‘kay.

That will end well. Meanwhile, Danny is not exactly relaxing after her visit from Bart. She calls her buddy-in-conspiracy, Fox, to see if he might have any further details about the creepy sumbitch that leafed through her photo albums and is unbeknownst to her having a burger with her little brother.

Fox has no idea what Bart is talking about. He's curious, though. Danny promises to stall Bart the next time he shows up so Fox can meet him and together, he and Danny can figure out the mystery of the red-headed creeper. The idea of investigatin' something like that together makes Danny feel kind of warm and fuzzy.

And now, welcome to France, where something dastardly is afoot – not that we'd be able to tell from the swank hotel where Collin and Leon are staying. Leon is still really, really uneasy with Collin's decision to attend this mysterious meeting he won't talk about. He still plays dutiful housewife, preparing Collin's suit and a cup of coffee, but he attempts to talk Collin out of it one last time. Collin takes a sip of his coffee, realizes something is very wrong, and tries to make a break for it. It doesn't work; Leon tackles Collin, pins him to the floor, forces him to drink the rest of the sedative-spiked coffee, and chokes him into unconsciousness.

Hilary visits Danny. She hasn't found out much more about Bart, but has been trying to dig – the most she can get is that he's a drifter. He showed up at Sid's Circus after a series of unfortunate accidents left them without a mechanic. Danny hopes that this is the sort of thing that point to foul play, but no – just a series of very unlucky events that could've never been engineered by a person unless the person in question had very creepy superpowers.

Danny is not willing to even entertain that thought. Which is good, otherwise she'd be really freaked out at the idea that her baby brother was having coffee with Bart. They just bumped into each other, and Efrén has a lot of residual guilt about the circumstances of their meeting, and somehow that has ended up with coffee. Efrén is confused as to how this happened.

[Spoiler alert: Bart isn't.]

They have a very long conversation. Efrén tells Bart a little more about his insecurities than he probably should, but Efrén is a bit lonely, and aside from his Angry Friend, doesn't really have a lot of people he feels he can confide in. Bart is a really good listener. Efrén talks, Efrén talks a lot, and when Bart replies, it's in a soothing, soft drawl. This is kind of nice, Efrén thinks. Unnerving and he can't put his finger on why… but nice, nonetheless.

As for things that are creepy and very much not nice, there is this very mysterious meeting of very powerful people in France. They are missing one person (Collin), which doesn't seem like it should matter, but Corazón Paulín (the tall, blond Creed woman who seems to be everywhere and looks fab in a suit) is very, very upset about Collin's absence. This ruins everything, in her opinion. You'll find out why next issue.

Hilary gives Danny a ride off the island, and they both visit Mercedes – Hilary's nice enough to give them some space to talk, and they have a heart to heart about all the things Mercedes has been worried about. Mercedes relates to Danny what she found out when she attempted to dig into Creed a bit more: that Creed has noticed that she and Danny are digging. If you'll recall, it's not actually that Creed has noticed that they're digging – it's that Leon's a little paranoid about Danny and Mercedes since their inauspicious meeting way back in the first episode.

Mercedes admits she doesn't feel safe and that she's considering going to Chicago. Danny encourages her to do so, saying, "I've held you back long enough."

Mercedes smiles and corrects her. "You've held me up."

Hilary dry retches and ruins the moment.

Halfway across the world, Collin wakes in his comfy bed, neatly held in place by very secure chains. Leon has been very attentive to Collin's various injuries, but he is very standoffish and clearly upset. After prodding from Collin, Leon claims to feel concerned that Collin is starting to buy into the cult-mindset of the corporation, when as far as he knew, Collin's original intent was to take Creed for all he could and run away. Collin viciously berates Leon, telling him that of course this was the plan – and one way or another, it's too late and this whole thing is going to have serious repercussions. Leon is hurt, if not particularly remorseful, and Collin manages to give him an awkward, reassuring one-armed- because-the-other-arm-is-chained-down hug. It seems to calm them both down and they remember they love each other, violence and mean words aside.

After a pause, Collin admits he has a headache.

State of Other People's Business, February Edition

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:02:18 GMT

Hello, everyone!

That schedule listed on my last post looked really great. Then? Relapse. Nasty, nasty relapse. So much for scheduling.

You know how I like bullet points, so let me outline the state of things:

:: I found a place all by myself, no sharky realtor needed. Yay. I'm moving in a couple of weeks.
:: The comments are still unreplied to and my guilt is still tremendous. If four months from now you get a reply to something you said in October, please don't hate me? It's just hard and there's so many.
:: Cat Sick: still slow, but I'm still really happy with it.
:: OPB Issue 9 summary: only one little bit left to do. Knock on wood, it'll be up before the end of the month. Some luck, by the end of this week.

And that is where that stands. I hope you're doing well!

<3,
Stan

State of Other People's Business, January Edition

crotalus_atrox — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:03:37 GMT

Hello, everyone!

Sorry for the radio silence. I've been busy with a few things, mostly moving. ("Jeez, Miss Stanley, why the heck do you move around so much?" I don't! Moving around was last year, when I was a rogue virologist! This year, I am a respectable businesswoman whose job position is permanent, so I'm really going to move just the one time and hopefully that will be it for at least a year.) Or trying to move, as the case may be. Apartment hunting here is a humiliating experience, akin to showing up in a cute dress to a fun party and then noticing everyone else is dressed in somber black and also it's actually a funeral, not a fun party at all, and apparently you have to give a speech? And other people are competing with you to see who can give the best speech, and you just are not prepared for any of it and still holding the brightly colored balloons you thought would be pretty spiffy.

But you do not care about my attempts to figure out where I can get a trustworthy, non-sharky realtor. (edit - Well, yes, okay, you care about that, as well, and I am appreciative, but let's talk about comics, instead:) You care about finding out what happens with our intrepid crew and our dastardly villains! And here's where that stands:

:: If all goes well, I'll have the issue 9 summary finished by the end of January.
:: I need to send the issue 8 file to my webmaster so it can be uploaded to the site. Will do that by the end of this week, hopefully.
:: I have comments to reply to, so many comments. Oh dear. I will try to get on that, and while I read them all and hold them close to my heart, I can't always answer in the same week or…the same month, apparently. :( But I've read them, and thank you for leaving them. You're all really, really sweet.
:: Cat Sick progresses slower than I want it to, mostly because I want to open with at least 15 pages. I originally wanted to open it up in Sept or Oct of last year, but now it may be around February. Sheesh. I have ~7 pages done, if you're curious.
:: Me, I am doing a bit better, healthwise, though I'm definitely not recovered.

And that's it, I think! Have a great day. :)

Cat Sick: a comic about artistic integrity.

crotalus_atrox — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:25:11 GMT

I've been talking about Cat Sick for awhile. Originally, I meant to start it in September, but then there was work and moving and mental unhappiness issues, so now it looks like I'll start it up in January.

So what is it? Aside from sounding like either an excess of felines or felines that are feeling under the weather (or god help you, both), it is the title of my next comic. It will update maybe once a month with a few pages comprising an episode. Maybe more, depending. The first update will have a good five episodes.

Why purposefully go with a name that will doubtlessly turn off several readers in disgust? Well, it’s relevant to the story.

Meet Rose Cisneros, age 5. Her brother Alex tells her stories, and her favorites are about a character whose name she can’t pronounce correctly. Rose says it “Cat Sick,” Alex writes it “Kaxxik.”

Now twenty years later, Rose is worried about Alex. He’s not doing well.

In fact, Alex isn’t doing well in the clinical sense, if you catch my drift. He’s had something he loved very much taken away from him, and he’s not coping well. He’s hurt and angry, and more than a little freaked out by how the people around him have started dropping like flies. Either Alex has had a psychotic break, or he has called into being something that shouldn’t exist, something bloodthirsty and nasty and cruel, something that his sister used to call Cat Sick.

…it’s a comedy.

Q. Is this comic about you?
A. Dear God, no.

Q. Is this comic about anyone else?
A. Dear God, I hope not.

Q. So what is it about?
Well, this comic is not about how writing is magic, how writers are very important, how writing changes the world, how writing is a Calling, how writing turns things real, how Story is immortal, how Story is the most important thing, anything of that flavor. Many many others have already told that story, and there's nothing wrong with that story, but this is definitely not what this is about.

It is about one individual's relationship with his story and how that story is perceived by other people. It's also about doing right by your siblings and learning to not be a dick. In some ways, it's about coming to terms with your sexuality, but those ways would be classified less as "good example" and more as "terrible warning."

Honestly, it's a bit of a selfish story. I wrote it to amuse my very dark, very horrible, inappropriate sense of humor. It fits my scratchy, harsh b&w art style better than anything else I've done, I think, and I've been working hard on the art. I'm pretty proud of it; it's some of the best work I've done. I definitely think it's the funniest thing I've written.

I really hope you guys like it, though I'm aware that it's not going to be to everyone's taste.

What's a little odd is that I've always been about balance - so now that I've got something really dark, my head provides a story that is almost ridiculously light and fluffy and brightly colored to counteract that. I'm still working on that one, and doubt it'll be ready before the spring of next year at the earliest, maybe closer to fall, but it's called Abernathy Quad and is about monstrous teenagers in college. Less the "that man steals from orphans" monstrous and more "hey, it's that dude with tentacles - didn't you used to date him?" monstrous. Basically, if Cat Sick is too dark for you, you might like Abernathy Quad instead.

Update! Secretly a to-do list for me.

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:06:28 GMT

Hello, everyone! It's been awhile since I updated, so let me tell you some things in a helpful numbered format.

1. I am working on the summary for Issue 9, and that's about half done.

2. You all have left the best, sweetest comments and I will reply to you guys as soon as I can. I'm sorry I've been so lax. Work, you understand. :(

3. Speaking of work, in my off-time, I am still working on Cat Sick, the new series. I will tell you some more about it tomorrow.

I hope you all are doing well!

Other People's Business: Rest of Issue 8

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:09:11 GMT

Hello, busybodies,

I'd initially planned to put this up last week, but since no one was really around last week, I figured I'd hold onto it for a bit longer. Anyway, here is the summary for the rest of issue 8. It'll be available for download as a .pdf file on the OPB site soon, and I'll continue to post here about once a week to let you know how the rest of the summaries are going and what I'm working on next.

Anyway, I hope you like it. :) This one's fairly unique in that a lot of it is in script form; the others will be in more of a summary form. Er. I'll just be quiet now and let you have the story, shall I? :)

Other People's Business, Issue 8 (Continued)

8
Mercedes turns her back on Hilary.
MERCEDES: *ice* Excuse me, I have a call to make.

--

Hilary stands in the corner and rubs her arm awkwardly. She clearly regrets having teased Mercedes a little too well.

MERCEDES: [off-panel] Good morning, Joe! This is Mercedes Nieves - from Pamplemousse.

==

Establishing shot of the Creed offices from outside.

J: Oh, hi! I mean, good morning. How can I help you?
MERCEDES: [over the phone] I have a few questions to ask about the company.

--

Surprised, Joe glances over his shoulder at his computer, which has begun whirring and running a program.

--

The computer screen has pulled up Mercedes’ file and has begun recording the conversation.
J: Oh, right, about possibly hosting an event next month.
MERCEDES: [over the phone] *confused* Next month?

==

Mercedes frowns at her phone. She has understood enough to play along, but isn’t sure why.

J: I actually have the dietary restrictions in a file, but it'll be a lot easier if I can call you back in a few minutes, if that’s okay?
MERCEDES: Oh. Alright. Yes, please get those to me.

--

Mercedes turns off her phone.

MERCEDES: That was odd.
HILARY: I'm sorry.

--

Mercedes glances back at Hilary, who is pleading her apologetic case.
HILARY: About before. I shouldn't – I was just jokin', yeah? Like how you and Danny joke.

9

Mercedes is not having any of it; her back straightens in high ice queen mode.
MERCEDES: Danny has known me for ten years. You and I—
[She is cut off by her phone ringing.]

--
Mercedes answers.

MERCEDES: Hello?
J: [on phone] Hi! Sorry about that!
MERCEDES: Joe?
--

Joe is somewhere on the sidewalks of downtown Houston, talking into his cell phone.

J: You're coming up in the system as a Mark. Anything you have to do with the company is going to be monitored.

==

Mercedes is shocked.
J: [on phone] Hello?
MERCEDES: I'm here.
J: [on phone] I took my lunch break a little early. I'm calling from well outside the building, so don't worry.

--

Joe grins and runs a hand through his hair, leaving it significantly shaggier than we’ve seen it.
J: I'm not sure why you were Marked, but I figured just in case, we'd play it safe. Um. I'm going to feel really dumb if this really is just a business call.

==

Mercedes holds a hand to her mouth in horror.
MERCEDES: It's not. Oh, God, Joe, is your company going to kill me?
J: [on phone] Hahah, no, no, lots of people get Marked. Um. It just means we pay attention to what you're up to, I guess.

--

J: [on phone] What are you up to, Mercedes?
MERCEDES: I – we’re trying to solve a mystery.

[Hilary leans in and shouts into the phone.]
HILARY: A murder!

--

Joe’s expression is mildly surprised. Only mildly.
J: Oh.

10
Establishing shot: Penelope Gilpin’s house in Galveston.

--

In the office, Danny hums and collects papers from the printer.

--

Danny unceremoniously dumps the printer pages onto Penelope’s desk. Penelope is busy writing something longhand in her journal, but does spare Danny a glance.

DANNY: Tada! Forty pages of freshly translated French.
PENELOPE: Ah, thank you.

==

Danny, pleased, leans away, hands on the small of her back. Penelope rifles through the papers.

DANNY: I kept the margins wide so you can take notes, too.
PENELOPE: I am impressed with your ability to deal with that infernal machine.
--

Penelope skims the top sheet.

PENELOPE: And with your translation. This is very good.
--

Danny grins self-effacingly.

DANNY: Well, y'know, I do what I can.

==

Cut to a screenshot of a post on a Francophile forum by “Detective Sugarbritches”.

Post: You assholes couldn't conjugate your way out of a paper bag. [link to a file] Ten bucks says you can't even translate this.

--

DANNY: I do what I can. Yep.

--

Back to Penelope’s office. Danny leans over Penelope’s desk.

DANNY: Interesting stuff you have going there.
PENELOPE: Mm.

11

Danny leans closer, Penelope leans away.

DANNY: What do you do with it?
PENELOPE: It's research.

--

DANNY: For your own personal interest?
PENELOPE: That will be all, Miss Alvarez.

--

Danny mimes casual, glancing at her nails. She is still leaning on Penelope’s desk, clearly making no move to leave.

DANNY: Though me being me, if I researched like this, I'd be trying to sell the fruits of my labor—
PENELOPE: *glares* What are you implying?

==

Penelope stands from her chair.
DANNY: Are you selling it?
PENELOPE: Yes, Miss Alvarez, I work freelance.

--

Danny realizes she may've gone a step too far as Penelope gets in her face with a surprising amount of ferocity for a little old lady.

PENELOPE: This means that any of the works you translate are my property. You are receiving more than proper compensation for your time.
DANNY: Oh! I didn't mean I—

--

Penelope sits back down.

PENELOPE: Good. For your safety and that of your loved ones, you are my maid. Nothing more. Is that clear?

--

Danny smiles awkwardly.
DANNY: Crystal.

--

[Establishing shot: Mercedes' house]

--

Inside, Mercedes is facing away from Hilary.

MERCEDES: I need you to leave.
HILARY: I said I was sorry.

--

12

MERCEDES: That's not enough! I don't even know you and I have the feeling that you've managed to change things for me.

--

MERCEDES: I don't even know how, but I—I don't feel safe anymore.

--

MERCEDES: And I used to feel safe.

==

Mercedes begins to cry.

--

Hilary watches, uncomfortable.

--

Awkwardly, Hilary places a hand on Mercedes' shoulder.

==

Mercedes bawls and clutches at Hilary.
HILARY: OH GOD--

--

They both fall over in a mess of limbs and tears.

13

A bit later, Mercedes and Hilary sprawl on Mercedes' kitchen floor with several pints of ice cream and a bottle of Angry Zebra liquor between them.

HILARY: My dad always said, "That which you seek is seeking you, as well." That's why I started carryin' weapons.

--

Hilary motions to Mercedes' feet. Mercedes is wearing a beautiful pair of Vince Camuto pumps.

HILARY: Why do you wear shoes like that? Don't they hurt?
MERCEDES: I'm used to it by now.

==

Mercedes tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
MERCEDES: I like having something that has no point or use except to make me happy by looking at them.

--

Hilary sits up and takes a swig of the Angry Zebra.
HILARY: Yeah. I'm like that with some'a my stuff. I'm sorry that you gotta be careful now, too.
MERCEDES: I wish Danny had never met you.

--

Hilary sadly looks down at the bottle of Angry Zebra.
HILARY: I wish that, too.

==

[Establishing shot: Frida's house]

--

Frida peers out the door as Danny walks in.

FRIDA: Sunrise or sunset?
DANNY: Sunset.
FRIDA: Goddamn. I guess this makes me nocturnal.

14

FRIDA: At least it means your visitor didn't show up early.
DANNY: :D!!!
--
In the living room, on a couch covered in a sheet, sits Fox in his trademark trenchcoat. He is very happy to see Danny, and the feeling is mutual.

FOX: Hi!
DANNY: Hey. :D
FOX: Please get me out of here.

==

Fox escorts Danny out of Frida's house. Frida watches them leave, suspicious through the haze of just-having-woken-up.

DANNY: I'll save you. Don't wait up, Frida.
FOX: She showed me her scar, you know.
DANNY: That's how she says hello.

--

[Establishing shot: an Island café]
DANNY: So I think this is the part where we pick each other's brains.

==

Danny sits in a booth, eating fries.

DANNY: *smirk* You first.

--

Fox bites his lower lip and drums his fingers on the tabletop.

FOX: Um. Okay. Where to begin…

15
[At this point, I, your author, shall now stop with the script format and progress to a summary, since this will supposedly be faster. However, I'll still inject bits of dialogue here and there that I especially like, and as always, you can visit the OPB Livejournal commentary [otherpeoplesbiz.livejournal.com] and ask me questions about it there. I'm happy to answer.]

Fox begins with a massive splash page of convoluted theories managing to interconnect. Of note are four things:
1. Monsters exist. All sorts of monsters, all sorts of horrible things. Yes, this includes vampires (he knows, he's met two). This includes worse, eldritch horrors from beyond the stars that we may or may not describe as 'gods.'
2. Any deist religion (he claims) is a millenniums-long sham perpetuated by one of these beings who has taken it upon himself (herself, itself, themselves) to mess with humanity. Several lesser monsters are equally duped.
3. This being is defending its territory like a dog protecting a favorite toy – why, Fox isn't sure, but he guesses there must be other creatures attempting to take it away; to this end, several high-powered companies and governments ensure that this being retains power over its territory, often without knowing what it is they're doing. Additionally, nexus companies exist to monitor the other companies and keep them in check.
4. Creed is one of these nexus companies; the devotion of any higher-ups to this being is a frightening thing (says Fox), and often is accompanied with severe psychological issues. Often they will believe they are being personally visited by this being, who will present itself in any of a variety of forms, but always calls itself Ys.

Fox finishes by saying that this is just like any other cult, only enormous and quiet. He refers to the entire thing as Ynternational.

With a Y.

Danny is stunned.

Fox feels ashamed after his outburst, but Danny quickly soothes him – she may not believe him, but she believes that others believe that, and she's definitely seen the name Ys crop up in Penelope's translations (sometimes written as Yss). Fox theorizes that Penelope may've been a Scholar, and explains exactly what a Scholar is.

FOX: A few really smart people got together in the 40s and 50s and dedicated themselves to throwing a monkey wrench in the Ynternational machine. Now, there's not really that many of them left, maybe a dozen or so still active. I don't know why she'd be working with Creed, though.

Danny guesses that they might be trying to hurt her son, and Fox agrees that this is exactly the sort of thing Creed would do.

Speaking of Creed…we cut to the Ratterly household, where Leon walks in on Collin threatening to take their daughter to the Louvre to look at art. She is venomously opposed to the idea of going to a museum and begs her father to spare her from her evil stepfather's plan. Leon agrees that she can stay, and after she leaves the room, Collin congratulates him on going along with the plan: Collin wants to keep Berlinetta in the country while they go abroad for business, but guessed she'd want to tag along if it was clear he and Leon needed to go alone. Which they do.

This is all news to Leon. He questions Collin about the trip, but Collin decides to use a cryptic one-liner and go upstairs. This would all have been very impressive if Collin hadn't forgotten his coffee downstairs.

Enough ridiculous domesticity. Back at Danny's place of employment, Danny sneaks into Penelope's library. She rifles through papers and reads, jotting down hurried notes on a pad of paper. A sudden noise startles her into jostling a table and spilling a scented candle over the notes on the desk. Great job, Danny. She tries to clean it off, but have you ever tried to clean soft wax off something? It ends badly, for the most part. Danny swears a lot and of course, that's when Penelope walks in.

Penelope is understandably upset and after much shouting and shoving, tosses Danny out of the house. Danny pragmatically observes that at least, she must be on to something. Back upstairs, Penelope tries to clean up the mess Danny made, and notes that the spilled wax has caused a map to have three colors instead of two. Penelope frowns at this.

A few days later, Danny and Mercedes at a local café. I like the dialogue for this, so I'm going to make you read it. You'll like it, it's cute:

DANNY: So she hasn't called to fire me, but I'm not exactly sure I should go back.
--
DANNY: Are you listening to me or just picturing me getting a haircut?
MERCEDES: *eyes fixed on Danny's growing roots* Can't it be both?
--
MERCEDES: Also, I believe you met up with a certain dashingly louche blue-eyed gentleman?
DANNY: *shy grin* Yyyyeah.
==
MERCEDES: How was it?
DANNY: Good. We both learned a lot and I think I'm finally figuring this mystery out.
--
MERCEDES: *unimpressed* … where is the kissing.
DANNY: I can't kiss him!
--
DANNY: We're just friends.
MERCEDES: Really?
==
DANNY: He's like my mentor in the world of crazy crap. I'm Harry Potter, and he's, um, Gandalf.
--
MERCEDES: *glare* Frodo. You would be Frodo.
--
DANNY: Did Frodo ever want to touch Gandalf's wiener?
--
MERCEDES: *unimpressed!*
--
DANNY: I'm sorry, that's an unfair question. Who wouldn't want to touch Gandalf's wiener.
--
MERCEDES: Why do you try to ruin the things I love?
DANNY: I note you say tried.
==
MERCEDES: Yes, yes I did. Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo. <3
--
MERCEDES:*sly smile* I like him for you, you know.
--
DANNY: *grin* Yeah?
MERCEDES: Yeah.
==
MERCEDES: He's handsome, sweet, crude, and apparently as obsessed as you are with a multinational conglomerate of power that as two individuals you have no hope of bringing down but are determined to try, anyway.
--
DANNY: *admits* He's really cute when he gets that obsessive sheen in his eyes.
MERCEDES: Yeah.

Enough friendship and sweetness. On to the cold, impeccably decorated offices of the Creed Corporation, where Dr. Karasek and Penelope Gilpin are having a meeting. Penelope claims to have valuable information which she will exchange for her son's guaranteed safety. After some discussion, she reveals her theory that there are not two forces at war: there are three. Dr. Karasek is condescending, and asks for a minute to have a discussion with his colleagues. He leaves the room, and Penelope grows more and more uneasy. She leaves the room and very quickly, very nervously, leaves the building. She flags down a cab outside and asks to be taken to the airport. While she tries unsuccessfully to phone her son, the cab driver, recognizable to us as one Leon Ratterly, watches quietly. The cab drives off.

Later, Danny stands in the garden of Penelope Gilpin's home, nervous and psyching herself up for approaching her former boss. Instead, she finds Penelope's son, who knows Danny as the maid. She asks where his mother is, and the man breaks down and admits he thinks something has happened to her, marking the second instance in the past few months where a man has cried to Danny about his mother. Harold Gilpin pleads with Danny to leave and put the incident out of her mind, considering himself a lost cause.

Danny arrives at Frida's house. She admits that she's no longer employed, and she wants to talk to Frida about some things – but Frida interrupts to tell Danny there's a visitor for her upstairs. Danny brightens at the idea that Fox has arrived, but Frida tells her that no, it's another man. Danny is surprised that Frida let a strange man upstairs, but Frida says she doesn't see the harm in it, as he was blind and all.

Danny opens her door. Inside, Mad Bart is standing at her bookshelf, rifling through a photo album as though he were capable of seeing it.

DANNY: Get out.
BART: I came to you for a reason. Ask yourself why.

==

Danny stalks around him, giving him a wide berth.

DANNY: Could ask you why, but I wouldn't get a straight answer.
BART: Why wouldn't you?

--

Bart smiles. If it wasn’t for the patches over his eyes, he’d look handsome.

BART: I'm here to help you bring down Creed.

OPB status update

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:46:58 GMT

Hello, busybodies,

So, a quick ETA of where we are:

- I just finished summarizing the rest of issue 8. It'll not be as info-dump-y as future issue summaries, mostly because I'd already started the process of converting it into a proper script before I realized "that will also take me ages." So hopefully that'll be posted next week. As mentioned before, it'll be posted both on the OPB website in downloadable form and on here.

- I definitely won't finish summarizing the comic by the end of the year. Ah ha ha, how naïve I was.

- This LJ will always have the most up to date status / information about the comic, so drop by if you're wondering how things are going.

- So what comes after OPB? Two things, actually. I'm working on a new comic, Cat Sick, that should debut at the start of December. I'll tell you more about it soon, possibly later this week or early next week, so you'll know why I chose such a ridiculous title. Additionally, I'm working on something that'll start up some time next year that is ridiculously brightly colored and fluffy; I'll be working with a friend to ensure that it is, in fact, brightly colored. It's meant to be the mirror of Cat Sick in more ways than one, and having them running alongside each other feels right. A "dark day to my bright night," sort of thing.

I hope you're doing well! Take care, folks.

Updates on comic status and the like.

crotalus_atrox — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:02:23 GMT

Hello, busybodies!

God, how awesome are you guys? Seriously, seriously awesome. That is the answer to a question you thought was rhetorical, but no. There is an answer, and if I could give you a non-awkward hug right this second, I would. Thank you guys for the responses, for the ideas, and for the general support. I'm still trying to catch up on replies, and I'm sorry if I haven't gotten to you yet.

In the spirit of being a little more open than I have been, I'll go ahead and admit that I'm going through a pretty big depression and it's… well, it's getting harder and harder to cope with things. Feeling isolated doesn't help. And for a while, having OPB hanging over me didn't help, either.

What did/does help is having you guys be so wonderfully supportive of me during this time; it's really lifted a big worry off my back. For the record, I am so sorry that I can't continue OPB in comic form. I know that it really sucks when you invest your time in something and find out it won't be going on – like a show you like getting canceled midseason. I am going to do everything I can to give you guys some closure.

In the comments of the last post, a few of you had a really great idea. "Hey," you said, "isn't it just going to stress you out more to have to convert the scripts into something readable? Why don't you just summarize it all, post that, and be done?"

Which, you know, dang. That is a great idea. So that's what I'll be doing, I think. I'll probably post them both here in post form and on the main site in .doc downloadable form, and if you want me to elaborate on a scene, ask away and I can post explanations or bits of dialogue.

I'll get working on those. Let's see how long it takes me to finish up the first issue, and fingers crossed, maybe we'll get these exposition dumps finished up before the year ends. :)

Thank you guys again.

State of Other People's Business

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:09:23 GMT

Hallo, busybodies,

First off, thanks to everyone for your kind words. I still have some comments to catch up with, but I'm trying to reply to everyone, and I will get to those sooner rather than later.

So I've been thinking about OPB and what to do, and the short story is that I think I can't go on and am going to have to end it.

Let's talk about that. Honestly, I like it, and I hope you like it, too. I think it's a good story. I just can't draw 200 more pages of it.

So the story's complete, which is what I've been telling you guys for a while, I think, and I want to give that story to you in some way, shape or form. That way, you can have closure, and I can have the satisfaction of having completed this story.

What I'm wondering about is how to do it. What do I have? I have the equivalent of rough scripts, mostly dialogue as they're written for me to draw off, which means – well, here, I'll show you a page from this issue:

22
D: We're just friends.
M: Really?
--
D: He's like my mentor in the world of crazy crap. I'm Harry Potter, and he's, um, Gandalf.
--
M: *unimpressed face* Frodo. You would be Frodo.
==
D: ...Did Frodo ever want to touch Gandalf's wiener?
--
M *unimpressed*
--
D: I'm sorry, that's an unfair question. Who wouldn't want to touch Gandalf's wiener.
==
M: Why do you try to ruin the things I love?
D: I note you say tried.
--
M: *looks away with a small smile* Yes, yes I did. Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo. <3

That is kind of hard to read. I'm not going to turn it into a novel, because that'd be a lot of work and not the same thing at all, but I'm thinking of either two things:

1. Keep the scripts as is and post one page at a time along with a really roughly sketched thumbnail page so you can tell what each panel was supposed to look like.
2. Polish them up into actual scripts and post them (either as one page or as a complete document) so you can read through them and have a better idea of what was supposed to be going on where.

So what do you think? Talk to me. Would you prefer one over the other?

State of the cartoonist update (now with bonus imaginary cookies!)

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:14:33 GMT

You'll notice there's no comic today, either. Hopefully next week will be different? Odds are 50/50, though.

There's a reason there's no comic today, and it's also the reason updates have been so spotty lately, and I'll talk to you about that behind the cut, where you can pretend we're sitting down for tea and cookies (the cookies can be vegan or gluten-free or loaded with candied bacon or however you like, because this is all in your ~*imagination*~) while I pour my heart out to you and possibly share more than I should.

If you don't want to hear the long story, allow me to summarize:

- Artist is having creative issues and personal issues.
- Burnout is imminent.
- Updates will be spotty until this is corrected.

For everyone else who is curious or just wants to gorge on imaginary cookies, I'll catch you behind the LJ-cut.

So things have been a little tough lately. I've moved to a brand new city I'd never been to before, where I don't know anyone – and I'm an introvert with social anxiety issues. Telling me to go out and meet people is like telling an oven to wash dishes: I'm not sure if I'm equipped to be able to do that. And when I'm stressed about not being able to wash dishes, I end up undercooking the cake I was supposed to make.

Also my metaphors tend to involve baked goods and not make a lot of sense. Actually, that was a simile, wasn’t it? Hell, I don’t even know anymore.

So I'm stressed and also I'm working hard, and it's clearly having an effect on the comic production and overall how I feel about the comic. OPB started for a lot of reasons. I really wanted to write a long-running mystery comic and challenge myself as a cartoonist. It's all in the name of growing and having fun, right? Anyway, I sat down, plotted the whole thing over a few weeks/months, and had the story down to each last twist and plot point.

This is part of the problem. I've been writing it since 2007, and it's almost 2012. I am unfortunately a fickle creature, and I write comics that end because I know I'm going to get bored and want to do something new.

OPB's main story is so tight that I can't deviate from it much. It's stifling me, in a way. I have had the next page half-sketched for weeks now and I can't bring myself to just put pencil to paper and finish it. I am also aware how crazy that sounds, and I appeal to you to be kind and understand that the fact that feeling like I can't do it is deeply upsetting to me.

OPB may've been a good idea, but as a friend put it, "Possibly the fact that you've gone through hell while making it has put a damper on your enthusiasm." Which is true. I started planning OPB in late 07. In the time since, I've been through everything from hurricanes to grad school and a lot of stuff in between. My personal issues translate to creative issues, and that has been a problem with OPB. As real life eats more of my time, I have to slow the updates down, and as the updates slow, OPB lasts longer, and I get more and more antsy.

There are about 200 pages left, and right now I don't know if I can draw them all.

This may pass. I may feel better and go back to 3x a week. Or I may post the scripts to the rest of the issues so you can see read them and get some closure that way. I mean, the story's done; I just have to pretty it up a little.

God, this is long and potentially overshare-y. Did anyone read this? Does anyone still care? But that's what's going on with me.

So how're you today?

No comic this week.

crotalus_atrox — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:40:53 GMT

Hello, everyone. Apologies, work has eaten my head, so no comic until next week.

In lieu of comic, I offer the "Coming Soon" graphic on the Cat Sick website.

State of the cartoonist update

crotalus_atrox — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 22:49:37 GMT

Hallo, busybodies,

Oh dear god, I am so sorry. I didn't realize I hadn't mentioned anything here or on the OPB tumblr. Hopefully you caught sight of my message on twitter and haven't been too worried.

Long story short: I'm going through some stuff with OPB, and real life is a bit hectic. I'm really getting into my new job, which is fun but like nothing I've ever done before, and I'm also getting used to my new home for now*. I'm also working on getting the new comic, Cat Sick, up and running by October 31, so that's got me a bit busy.

So here's what you can expect:
- An OPB page this Wednesday (or Thursday)
- I'll be telling you guys about Cat Sick a bit more here
- An OPB page next Wednesday, probably. 85% probability, let's say.

And schedule resuming as normal, hopefully, hehe. Cat Sick, for the record, is a bit darker but (I think) a whole lot funnier than OPB. The comic I've idly started planning to follow with after OPB ends is, however, possibly the lightest, fluffiest, most cheerful thing I've done. So those'll be a hell of a contrast when they're running together.

Hope you've all been taking care.

*And between you and me, strangers on the internet, wondering if this may be a good place to finally put down my roots.

Other People's Business: Issue 8, pg. 7.

crotalus_atrox — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:53:20 GMT

Good uh, evening for busybodies-in-the-Western-hemisphere, greetings to everyone else, and here is your commentary.

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-8/page-07

Issue 8, pg 07: Oh God Hilary why.

:: Oh, Hilary.
:: You remember Joe, yeah? You've already met him. Pen-bird guy.
:: Awkward moment is awkward.
:: Next week! Mercedes talks to her friend Joe and ignores Hilary.

Other People's Business: Issue 8, pg. 6.

crotalus_atrox — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:07:24 GMT

Ack, late commentary is LATE but the comic updated today. Sorry, sorry, it was a day with a lot of Smac mimetics and a lot of homeless plants.

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-8/page-06

Issue 8, pg 06: Seriously, Hilary?

:: Well, they make sense together, but probably not to Hilary or to people untrained in such things.
:: Oooh, a capitalized In, even.
:: Cop-ly? Hilary, what are you even trying to get at there? Stop saying words.
:: I like to think that Mercedes' expression is the same expression everyone else has at Hilary, too. Stop, Hilary. Stop. We know.
:: Next week! Mercedes brushes Hilary off and tells us about her In.

Other People's Business: Issue 8, pg. 5.

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:27:17 GMT

Good morning, busybodies! I have now successfully moved and have started my new job.

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-8/page-05

Issue 8, pg 05: Hilary is unhelpful.

∷ Mercedes does not need anyone to tell her how good her cookies are.
∷ Like Hilary would know that.
∷ Eheheh, Hilary's hair is growing out. :D I can't wait until it's shaggy, that'll be fun to draw.
∷ Ah, le google. Good call, Mercedes. Start out with the basics.
Next week: Hilary continues to make things difficult. Mercedes continues to be unimpressed.

Commentary: Other People's Business, Issue 8, pg 4.

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:46:17 GMT

Good morning, busybodies! My to-do list is an intimidating two pages long today. How does that even happen? Good lord. Well, since "write and post commentary" is on that list, lets cross it off, shall we?

And as always, thank you guys for reading. I hope you're enjoying how the story is unfolding. :)

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-8/page-04

Issue 8, pg 04: The plot thickens.

∷ And Danny finds herself picking up interesting tidbits here and there.
∷ She will also get a haircut before the end of this episode. Mercedes and I are in agreement; something must be done.
∷ Speaking of Mercedes, that's her door.
∷ And since we've arrived at Mercedes' house, that means that next week, we get to see what she and Hilary are up to. Hilary is, unfortunately, as helpful as a dumb kitten.

Other People's Business: Issue 8, pg. 03.

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:02:19 GMT

Good morning, busybodies: it is time for your weekly page of OPB with a side order of delicious commentary.

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-8/page-03

Issue 8, pg 03: Don't read the comments, Danny.

∷ It is never a good sign when you can't tell which way the sun is heading.
∷ Well, they seem to be getting along…sort of.
∷ Good for you, Danny, ignoring that half-full bottle of Angry Zebra Frida left on the table. But seriously, that's the bad thing about living with Frida. Lots of temptation for a woman who supposedly agreed to drink less.
∷ Danny, never read the comments on newspaper articles. Ever.
∷ Next week: there is a visitor at Penelope Gilpin's door.

Other People's Business: Issue 8, pg. 2.

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:48:23 GMT

Good morning, busybodies! It is time to get our weekly fail!noir on.

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-8/page-02

Issue 8, pg 02: Everything is going to be okay and no one will get hurt or die.

∷ I may've mentioned before, but this issue and the next are the ones that answers a lot of questions. What does Creed do, what does Creed supposedly do, what does Fox know, and what's really going on with Scholars? Oh, yeah, you'll find out.
∷ Mercedes is right to feel freaked out. Poor woman. Now she can't enjoy her cookies in peace.
∷ Oh, look. It's morning.
∷ As you can tell, last week's preview was misleading, because I was a dork and looked at the wrong day. Sorry about that. Next week, though, Danny heads in to work.

Commentary: Other People's Business, Issue 8, pg. 01.

crotalus_atrox — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:50:32 GMT

Good morning, busybodies, and welcome back. I hope you're here, anyway. Hello?

I know between me moving last week and livejournal's assorted outages, this journal's been gone for awhile. Anyway, for those of you left, here is the page for today:

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-8/page-01

Issue 8, pg 01: The disgusting is worse, Mercedes.

∷ As I said over on the OPB tumblr, this issue involves Danny unscrupulously snooping through her mysterious employer's things, Hilary and Mercedes teaming up to do some detective work, and unexpected romantic entanglements a-go-go. I really like this issue, and I hope you do, too.
∷ I'm also going to do my best to get us back up to two updates a week.
∷ I just wanted a chance to draw the ladies in pajamas again.
∷ Hilary has shirts with sleeves! Somewhere. She doesn't like covering up her awesome tattoo, though.
∷ Next week: Danny goes to work.

Other People's Business: Issue 7, pg. 34

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:07:50 GMT

Good m...afternoon, darling busybodies. It's time for today's page.

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-7/page-34

Issue 7, pg 34: Less than qualified.

∷ If Danny's stepmother Frida knows one thing, it's how to bargain.
∷ You remember that Danny doesn't even really know Spanish, right? So basically, Danny's qualifications for this job are… none.
∷ I missed drawing you, shark t-shirt.
∷ The little cash register noise went off inside Danny's head in that second to last panel.

Next week! Danny talks to Frida about why she thought this would be a good idea.

Other People's Business: Issue 7, pg. 33

crotalus_atrox — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:40:30 GMT

Good morning, darling busybodies. I have a freshly made comic for you today!

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-7/page-33

Issue 7, pg 33: Danny tries.

∷ While you can't quite tell, Hilary is now minus her arm cast, but plus a mysterious cheek scrape. I'm sure Danny asked, and Hilary dodged the question so much that Danny's sure she can't really trust Hilary's answer to be in any way true, so she finally dropped the subject.
∷ Hilary loves her magazines. They're soothing.
∷ Ah, that moment when your potential future employee addresses you however the hell they feel like.

Next week! Danny lies.

Other People's Business: Issue 7, pg. 32

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:40:13 GMT

Good morning, my darling busybodies, and apologies for flaking out last week. Please accept some heartwarming heartwarmth in today's comic as an apology.

As a better apology, the pencils for the next page are done, and hopefully by tomorrow I'll have it inked and ready for you to see this very Friday. Only two days from now! Hilary's triumphant return in her muscle car! Danny gritting her teeth and being an adult! It's all less exciting than the exclamation points make it appear!

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-7/page-32

Issue 7, pg 32: Danny changes her mind.

∷ Family never lets you live that sort of thing down, do they, Efrén?
∷ Don't forget, Danny was originally planning on begging him to let her stay with him for awhile. So don't make him feel too guilty there, Danny.
∷ Efrén would consider a lot of things to fall under 'sordid.' He's a bit sheltered, poor shaggy-haired thing.
∷ Previews! Well, this Friday will have (as promised) Hilary's brief return. Also, I return to using backgrounds.
Next week, we'll have Danny feeling slightly intimidated and outright lying.

Other People's Business: Issue 7, pg. 31

crotalus_atrox — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:29:15 GMT

Good morning, my sweet busybodies. I am really crunched for time this week after an unexpected deadline turned out to be…today. Eep. :) Nonetheless, here is a comic page for you!

http://www.otherpeoplesbusiness.net/comic/issue-7/page-31

Issue 7, pg 31: Danny changes her mind.

∷As mentioned above, this comic was kind of an "ack! Comic!" at the last minute, so there are two minor design mistakes. You may or may not catch them, but I see them and am trying hard not to be bothered by them.
∷ As I inked this comic, it dawned on me that I love inking Efrén's shaggy hair.
∷ So Danny changed her mind about begging Efrén to let her stay for longer-term; I hope she's got a back-up plan.
∷ I'm sure you have some splendid biceps, my dear Efrén.
∷ Next week: Danny is going to have to do some things she doesn't want to do.

I hope you like the comic, and have a great week!