I intended to have this page up last Tuesday, but a long series of unfortunate events kept popping up software-wise and slowing me down/losing me progress. Such as being nearly done with the flatting only to have Manga Studio crash right as I was clicking ‘save’, thus losing me the progress of an hour and a half! Suffice to say I was a bit too tired and cranky to just do it again so late at night. BUT. It is done! And we can continue on this flashback into Roe’s confusing and complicated past. Well… maybe not too complicated, but certainly confusing.

Writing for this series has been an interesting mixture of knowing Exactly where some things are going down to the last page, yet not knowing at all for others until the very page it shows up. A fairly standard experience in writing for webcomics, sure, but an entertaining sense of having one foot on each side of the Plan vs. Pants fence nonetheless.

This flashback sequence, for example, is actually quite new to the script. I really only worked it out as I was drawing for page 52, yet the following scene has been pretty much written (there’s always tweaks here and there as the story develops) for a few years, now. Including a bit more of Roe, though, felt necessary.

Originally, the plan was to devote an entire episode to Roe’s backstory. An entire volume in flashback, going over everything that led her to coming to the ‘Quarter. But… as much due to my own patience as anything else, it felt like holding too much of it wouldn’t really do the story any favors. Working with her background is complicated, though, as the way she relates to it is pretty nonlinear.

Roe’s very much an Ignore the Problem Until You Can’t kind of person when it comes to her own baggage, so letting things float to mind as she’s forced to remember them feels… appropriate.

Anyway. Just one more page of this scene (if my brain doesn’t go splitting it into two…) before we’re back in the present! And having to say goodbye to Dylan for a little while until he gets to come to the ‘Quarter himself…

 


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Maybe even add a few tropes of your own you think could apply!