Whitechapel - FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:05:14-08:00

It's Friday, it's FREAKANGELS: In which the greatest minds of their generation sit around and talk about balls-all. But Alice is all right.

Morning' Whitechapel. We've had 60°F and sunny weather here in the Bay Area all week. Except I wasn't actually here for half of it. But still, it's totally just begging to put away winter blankets and clothing... and then of course it'll drop down to fucking freezing again. I WILL NOT BE FOOLED.

How's everyone?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:13:25-08:00

Blimey, that is an episode and half. I even feel sorry for Luke.

I've been ill the last few days and off work, which means tonight missing free whisky, beer and haggis. And a home I've been avoiding the boy, as I don't want him to get this either.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:19:17-08:00

Luke seems pretty chilled about being castrated.

Is FreakAngels Vol 5 hitting the comic shops about now?

The baby finally popped out at 5:38pm on Monday after a short (compared to the last one) labour, weighing 9lb 4oz. Mother and baby came home on Tuesday. We still haven't agreed on a name for him yet. Getting back into the swing of interrupted sleep and washing bottles and not knowing what day it is. I realised it was Friday at about 2 minutes before FA was put up (then my wireless went down).

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:27:19-08:00

"Miki, what did you do to Luke's balls?"

Questions you hope you never have to ask a certain kind of friend but you know you inevitably will.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:34:16-08:00

Wow, so being run as a drone is addictive then? And Mark's big plan seems to have been sending people out in the street to massacre the population. Somehow I expected something more complex.

And Luke doesn't seem that concerned about his sudden loss of manhood. I suspect Miki did some work on his brain as well - assuming that Jack didn't blow something important out onto the street.

Here it is devillishly hot and humid. We were looking forwards to a week or so of similar weather with temperatures in the low 40s (about 110 in the old money) and humidity to make a lizard sweat from its eyeballs. But now they've revised the forecast and put us on cyclone (hurricane, typhoon, whatever you prefer) watch instead. Which is a bit of a novelty (the last one to get this far south was in 1989). If we don't get completely flattened by Cyclone Bianca on Sunday we can at least look forwards to cooler temperatures for the rest of the week.

Edit: Congrats Kradlum!

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:34:32-08:00

God, I love Alice. She could easily be the 'Angel's buttmonkey, but she holds her own, that one.

The Influence has hit my home. My wife's been down since Monday with the flu, and I've had a cough. We're both on Tamiflu, so whatever I've got isn't getting any worse, and she's improving day by day.

The post-holiday inertia has broken, so I've resumed work on three writing projects: one twelve page barbarian joint, that one I've been working on with Neil, and a prose serial for Weaponizer.

@Kradlum: Congratulations!

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:37:20-08:00

@Kradlum: Congratulations!

Ariana, you are wise not to be fooled. People round here keep saying things like "It's nearly the end of January, spring is here", as if they can't remember all the snow we've had right through to March before. Guessing that specific problem isn't likely to affect you, but still...

Cracking episode. Alice once again cements her reputation for badassery, and those panels of her rapelling down the tower are lovely.

All good here, glad it's the weekend.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:48:12-08:00

Castrated him... a bit?
Given that Luke was always prone to think with the base of his spine, this would explain his behaviour since he woke up.
(...and puts the thing on his forehead in a whole new light!)

'Dearly beloved...' (fades with E. John's 'Funeral for a Friend')

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:52:09-08:00

@Kradlum - Congratulations to you, your other half and the baby. Probably best you don't call the baby Luke. :)

Alice is cool.

Wouldn't Luke's missing bits grow back eventually? Does Miki have the power to cancel out another Freakangel's transformative powers?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T04:53:31-08:00

The pages with Alice are so exciting and compelling. Just love her!

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T05:37:06-08:00

Good morning!

Alice had me scared shitless w/ that first page, man. I hope the Little Bleeder keeps it cool.

Great episode. Thanks.

@Kradlum - Congratulations!

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T05:44:54-08:00

( psst, Ariana, quick - this is episode 123, not 122! )

Luke does seem unusually calm about what's been done to him, above and beyond what simply getting snipped a few hours back would seem to imply. I guess we should just be glad he's not growing bitch tits.

Alice as usual is her wonderfully independent and resourceful self. We all hope she knows what she's getting into, but fear she doesn't.

@Purple Wyrm - I doubt that being a drone is addictive. It seems much more likely that the poor bastard was already pretty well broken by the time Mark found him, and probably thought that God itself was talking to him. When the rest of them suddenly took that away, so great, he's not a drone anymore - but he still remembers being 'special', and wants it back. Maybe?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T06:36:45-08:00

I love Alice. I love her so much.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T06:39:10-08:00

@staticgirl I don't think Miki took out any of Luke's bits, so there's nothing to heal. She says she "turned them off". her knowledge of anatomy and medicine is greater than his, so it's possible he won't be able to figure out how to fix them.

@Kradlum congratulations!

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T06:41:55-08:00

@Purple Wyrm and Berserker: I would think that the poor bastard is probably still following whatever orders Mark left in his head rather than acting of his own free will. Remember that when Alice arrived in Whitechapel she wasn't being activley run by Mark but was just following whatever orders he had implanted beforehand. I assume that mark left contingency plans in this fellows head that said somethin along the lines of "if at any time you sense the lack of my psychic presence you will do x". X, in this case, assumedly being some sort of plan of action to help mark out of whatever. Evidently the drone is now aware of what he's doing but still no more able of resisting marks pre-programmed control.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T06:49:44-08:00

Having an Alice drop on you suddenly would be rather off-putting...
But he's chasing someone with a gun, so he rather deserves it.

Hee Miki ; )

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T06:54:54-08:00

Alas, poor Willy! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know
not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your
gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,
that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one
now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?
Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let
her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must
come; make her laugh at that.

I'm fucking sorry...

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T08:27:36-08:00

@Kradlum - Congratulations! Babies rock!

Digging Alice. She's so "Action Hero" - bless her.

Miki had the right idea. I don't trust Luke or Mark.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T09:35:47-08:00

@Myles - In episode 113 they used their newly upgraded talents to find those drones and 'purge' them of those little seeds that Mark had planted. So I don't think myself that this is any sort of remaining 'instructions' - those were removed.

But, just because the instructions were taken out doesn't mean that they thought of everything else. Like someone under his control being so insane that he maybe LIKED hearing the reassuring voice, or they forgot to purge BOTH the instructions AND the memories? They did have their hands full at the time... Or maybe Purple Wyrm is right, and while Mark was giving them instructions he was also ramping up the endorphins in their brains while he did it, and REALLY WAS making junkies out of them.

And yeah, maybe too it's possible that Mark is far better at putting those instructions in than the rest are at taking them out - he is clearly the authority among them when it comes to messing in peoples skull-meats. And he was clearly still doing a lot of it AFTER he was accidentally upgraded by Kirk and Karl way back when he was initially kicked out.

( I'd considered the possibility that he simply wandered in after that happened, but the amount of time between them purging the drones and putting up the 'moat' is way too narrow to allow that, I think... )

So many of us were (more or less) correct about Miki 'snipping' Luke. But something about Luke is still really bugging me - he's just so completely the opposite of who he was. That, or the old Luke was a lot more of a show than was let on earlier - but that doesn't seem to be the case. From what I know, castration does suppress sexual urges, but he seems to have lost EVERYTHING. His confidence, arrogance, everything. It's like he's had his entire personality yanked out. Granted, he's been through a LOT, but...

Something isn't adding up with him, and it's getting creepy.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T09:58:30-08:00

Alice is the Batman of Whitechapel. That is all.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T10:31:26-08:00

Hah, I was right: phantom pain.

It seems a bit precipitous for Miki to make that move on her own. Then again, given the precedents of Kait has done, well, it's not all that bad.

My bet is that longer term Luke will be able to heal himself. Or rather, to turn his bits back on.

<3 Alice.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T11:12:37-08:00

Hmmm... still not sure about the morality of what Miki did to Luke.

Last episode, Luke seemed acutely aware and coherent and now he's back to seeming a little simple. Was that just a sudden wave of clarity, like he has these visionary episodes. Or was that Mark speaking through Luke in some way, or some seeds Mark left in Luke's mind?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T11:31:14-08:00

@kradlum - woohoo! and congratulations! And Welcome to the world, little one!

Still worried for Alice. So she's perfectly confident and competent with a shotgun. But I still worry she's choosing short term violence suppression over solid security by abandoning the tower. Not to mention, carrying a shotgun never made anyone bulletproof. Eek.

Had been imagining a sort of chemical castration on Luke. if that's the case then his hormones would be completely worked over, testosterone almost nil along with other aggression-inducing or supporting chemicals. Still, I do wonder that such a fix couldn't be overcome by the package. And also marvel at the completely calm way Luke is taking the information. Not being aggressive wouldn't mean he wasn't unhappy about it. something else happened.

Either way, I bet Kait is impressed.

My week has been... good. it hasn't brought me anything materially good, and actually cost a bit but I'm satisfied. And that's gold.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T11:38:20-08:00

...Am I the only one wondering what's going on in the two white spaces that we're not seeing...?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T11:50:49-08:00

Hey Ariana... Ah yes, west coast weather does like to make silly buggers of us all..

I think Luke is in a very confused place right now. He's crazy, and posessed of a sickness that afflicts many perverts the world over, and yet he is intelligent enough to see it.He also seems to be more concerned with what's going on in his head and is surprised by outside stimuli. This may account for his confusion over his body awareness (tears, burning balls, etc.). Sirkka may be on the right track I'm just not sure the FA will be able to put him back together again. Someone may put a door in backwards for instance...
It also does look like they may not have "fixed" Mark's drones as well as they thought . Here's hoping Batgirl Alice doesn't rip the bald guy too much of a new hole.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T11:53:52-08:00

"funeral for wily" i think that may be the greatest line ever.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T12:04:09-08:00

...Am I the only one wondering what's going on in the two white spaces that we're not seeing...?

Yes.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T12:18:29-08:00

Yes.

Right. I'll fill it in with a pretend story element in my head then. Smile and nod.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T13:59:00-08:00

@kradlum: congratulations! May you and your new son have many happy years.

@razrangel: quite possible miki also ramped up dopamine production in lukes brain. Would explain a lot.

Finally, @bobsyuncle: from what we've seen of alice I think its safe to say she will rip the running gunman a new 12 bore sized hole. Perhaps two of them. Or a simple rappelling curb stomp, also quite likely given their positions in the last panel :)

Cheers, till next week

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T14:27:31-08:00

Ooh, the tension is ramping up. Exciting.

@kradlum Yay!

For my part, I've collected loads and loads of data this week (getting closer to a publication!!) and also I've been working on helping my friend get Internet back to his family in Egypt.

So far I've suggested IP over shortwave transceiver, or international dialup. Those seem to be the options, unless you're one of the very few to have a sat phone. He'd tell them to try either of those options if their landline would work for more than ten seconds.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T16:01:31-08:00

Mr Kradlum (and the Mrs) congratulations and best wishes.

This weeks episode had me going from laughter to wha?? SILENCE! at the click of a mouse. Nicely paced there Mr Ellis.

Stray thoughts on Luke; did Miki just do his nads? L is also for lobotomy, perhaps just a little bit?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T16:23:59-08:00

A wild theory that occured to me - does traumatic upgrading leave a mark? Arkady was initially upgraded by ODing - she ended up more powerful but spaced out, as if she's still on whatever drugs she was taking when she died. Luke was upgraded by being shot through the head - he now seems scatterbrained and simple minded, even though his brain grew back.

Of course Connor also shot himself though the brain and he seems fine (maybe he hit different areas? or does being prepared count?), and God knows what's going on with Mark...

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-28T20:41:41-08:00

As far as Luke's weird attitude goes, it is reported that after castration people can have mood changes, sometimes involving depression or a more serene outlook.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-29T03:59:00-08:00

It's just odd that when Luke's making his big speeches, he seems very intelligent (mentally and emotionally) and self-aware. The rest of the time, he's acting like he's brain damaged. Like a switch flipping on and off.

I REALLY want to know what Mark's deal is. Can't wait for him to wake up.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-29T10:29:02-08:00

Sussed the castration pretty well. Now, what's with the army of Mark's minions, who notice he's no longer in their heads? When is the USAF helicopter going to reappear? Will Alice shoot it down with a shotgun?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-29T11:01:20-08:00

Another revealing episode of FA. The way Miki took care of Luke is at least questionable... And Alice: way to go!!!

Busy week behind me: the moving of my daughter is finished, which was extra tiresome since I had to perform nightshift as well this week. Next week promised to be better since we were going on a vacation, but that one is cancelled: we were going to tour Egypt...

@Kradlum: congrats, hope you're all happy and healthy. :-)

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-29T18:47:01-08:00

I'm surprised this thread has gone so long with the incorrect episode number in the title, to be honest...

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-30T00:52:16-08:00

Never mind Luk's willy, Alice' shotgun needs a name,how about Hubert?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-31T00:26:15-08:00

Congrats, kradlum!

I've sort of been wondering from the start how Luke fell to the bottom rung in the first place. What did he do to become a pariah, actually? During the flashbacks, he wasn't half bad. Then, what? They got to Whitechapel and he started peepin' and rapin' straight off instead of helping build things? I think I missed something.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-31T01:25:37-08:00

I agree with Katrina. There's a missing piece in Luke's story. But I daresay there are gaps all across the board, hm? The good news is that we are into the final volume... and that's where all the missing pieces come plunk, plunk, plunking into place. I mean, usually... that is, I hope!

Meanwhile, in real life: Hey, kradlum! Cheers and congratumalations on the newbie! Give him a big, tickly burrfle for me, right on the tummy. And if I might wax philosophical for a moment, if baby can have his zwieback, maybe there's hope for Luke. Just sayin'.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-31T02:46:37-08:00

I wondered what happened to Luke from the start. He had some seeds of unpleasantness before, but nothing like what he became. I don't think he'd raped before (although he came close with Janine) but he was a user and a total pariah. Even Kirk wondered what happened to him, as he said Luke was as against what Mark did as the rest of them. Maybe that is a part of the puzzle, or maybe Luke just went a little crazy, as he said he did.

Is it significant that this seemed to happen after Mark left?

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-01-31T11:23:04-08:00

I love that curve on the building in the last frame - wide angle lens distortion. Nice detail that emphasises the scale.

FREAKANGELS Episode 0123

2011-02-04T12:01:26-08:00

Alice is the shit!