20: We Are Off To A Great Start!
Nov15
on November 15, 2018
at 12:00 AM
Chapter: Getting Back Into the Groove
Characters: BJ, Deborah Fayet, Holly Smythe, JJ, Kazom, Melvin Clark, Patrica Stockman, Saachi, Tiffany "Red" Thornton
And so concludes the first chapter of the return of The Melvin Chronicles! We here on the production team hope you’re all having fun. Stay tuned next week for more of the gang’s wacky adventures! 🙂
Hoping for the harem route option myself, honestly. XD
Deborah Fayet. I wonder if she’s related to Morgan Fayet?
Considering how much effort Carlos puts into the backstory (that he’s told me, but would be spoilers!), I would not be remotely surprised. Except in so far as I’d be surprised that Morgan managed to convince a man to stay within 5 feet of her long enough to have sex.
Or maybe she’s just gotten a lot bitchier in the last few years, and was more mellow back when Deborah would have been conceived.
If they’re sisters, or cousins, or any other relation than mom/daughter, her bitchiness wouldn’t matter.
Also, good catch, Tom. I forgot Morgan even had a last name.
Possible. They are both blonde.
Hate harems myself, just hoping that Melvin or Holly gets a bit more courage and says something to each other before they screw things up to badly.
They did say some to each other and it was.
“CRAPBASKETS”!
I don’t think we can call that talking to each other, but, it at least something
I’m pretty sure “Crapbaskets” is still a thought. It’s just that both of them are thinking it at the same time.
No, it not Robert. Look at it closer. The first bubble, It Holly thinking, because, there are two smaller bubble coming from her to that bubble. The next bubble, it Melvin that thinking it, because, we have the two bubble coming from Melvin. In the third bubble we have two bubble coming from both Holly and Melvin at the same time. Which means there both thinking the same thing at the same time and there both doing the count down at the same time. The reason that is in big bold letters and bubble dark litters, is because there both yelling “CRAPBASKETS” at the same time at each other. In the next two frame both Saachi and JJ are responding to what Holly and Melvin are yelling at each other and JJ go’s one step and is basically thinking all nuts and does her crazy spell too.
Sorry Larry, the intention was that after the count to three, neither of them found the courage to speak, and ended internally screaming “Crapbaskets” at the same time. In the subject of internally screaming, Saachi, JJ, and BJ, all of them are immerse on their thoughts while waiting for Holly and Melvin to say something, believe me, all of them would have something to say if after a long silence, the only thing to come out was a loud scream of “crapbaskets”!
Sorry if I wasn’t able to make it clear enough, I got a little experimental with those thought bubbles in the first panel, but here is a clue for the future: If the bubbles aren’t clearly conected to the characters (which means, they have some kind of little bubbles or clouds instead of a more obvious arrow), the intention is that the character is not talking out loud, otherwise it could get confusing to distinguish talked dialogue and thoughts.
“Crapbaskets,” eh!? Should I take this to mean you’re a Team Four Star fan?
Great, Holly and Melvin mirror image each other and the both say Crapbaskets!
Saachi is in heat to get Holly and Melvin to talk to each other to get so she can get to Tiffany.
JJ acting Soap Opprah actress, she doesn’t know if she act like another girl friend of Melvin or act like a little sister to Melvin.
BJ having pity party that he being left out of having a girl out of his two guy friends and now one of them is a girl thing.
Now either or both Tiffany and Deborah are in trouble with Anning or possibility of just a pre-empty trike to keep those two from starting trouble in the future or some like that.
Now Kazom is holding magic girl won speaking to some unknown advisory.
Well, I have to say is: Stay tuned till next week same time same place and find out what happens next!
Oh, we know who his adversary is! We set this epic battle back at page 4 (of this run). The Butterfrog has been waiting to get revenge on Kazom for some time now!
Also, fun fact, this is not the first time we see this wand!
First line: “—- thing your a freak!” ?
Thanks for the heads up. It’s fixed.
JJ, sweetie? Real life is nothing like your fanfiction websites.
Actually, that thing she thinks about Melvin and Holly being similar (and possibly getting incestuous) . . . Carlos, did Kattgirl and I inspire that line with our EGS talk a few pages back? Or does JJ just need some serious counseling?
To be fair, JJ is a fangirl living in a world of genies, witches, talking cats, vampires, eldritch abominations and gender bending boys. Can you blame her for believing it would work like in a fan fic? It already works like a sitcom back at JB!
Also, yes, you and Kattgirl are to blame here, you made me remember that there are fangirls out there that love the incestuous potential on any ship, and of course JJ would be one of those! She will grow up of that phase eventually… hopefully.
I’ll gladly take my share of the blame.
Saachi’s crying in Panel 3, right? Internally, I mean; that’s a “Whaaaaaa”, et cetera, missing the “W” in the background, right?
Also, a theory. Tiffany and Deborah are being called up to the office to discuss potential paparazzi interference now that they’re both models for different companies with potentially international ad campaigns. We have that problem here in America, and them being in school wouldn’t stop the most cockroach-y of them, I think.
It’s so it’s more an internal scream of frustration and certainty of failure. More of an “AAAAAAARGH!”
Let us hope that JJ never becomes the mistress of a Genie nor otherwise obtains access to reality-bending powers, or else she will become the next Haruhi Suzumiya.
*Loud gasping noise*
May I ask? I put a lot of things in this page, I am kind of curious now of which one catch your interest XD
You know, I don’t remember now. I was probably going for comedic effect about the eyes.
Looks like Kazom is about to battle the butterfrog. I was hopping it would turn out to be Melvin’s familiar. After all, he dig create it. Poor butterfrog.
Well, the butterfrog is a bad mix of insect DNA with a frog, there isn’t much the poor creature can do outside finding it’s place on the food chain.
Besides, to get a familiar, Melvin would have to summon one from *** ******** *****, or create one using part of his ***** and then ********** ** ************. So even if Melvin created the Butterfrog, he is not really material for a familiar.
Holy wall of text batman
Sorry for that! this was meant to be an epilogue for this re introduction, with the intention to give some little clues to the plot lines of each character, and I couldn’t even introduce all of them here! But now that we are done setting things up, I hope to be able to tell the story with more visuals and less text in the future.
Kazom has faced far worse? Just who cleans his litter box?
No litterbox. Kazom uses the toilet! See here
Yeah. I even said something at the time. After a layoff, some of the continuity is bound to drift off in my mind.
As Kattgirl just point out, he is a very well trained kitty genie of over three thousand years. Of course he would know how to use a toilet! The true question is… Does Guano and Araceli know how to use one?
Guano probably lives in one, in lieu of a lamp/bottle. His master undoubtedly summoned him by flushing.
I don’t know why JJ shits on BJ so much she clearly is a degenerate as well. Probably far worse than him. He is just a horny guy with one fetish she on the other hand has a whole grab bag of kinks.
I hope you get Melvin Holly together with him trying to hide his magic from her that would make for some fun writing.
To be fair here, JJ have the same opinion of her brother that all the girls he has meet on all of his life (including Red) have of him. Before Melvin give BJ a little of perspective, he was the kind of guy who wouldn’t understand when a no is a no, or why is inappropriate to tell your recent genderswaped friend whose live is getting upside down that they are as hot as Red Sonja. BJ has got a lot better since then… but he is also in love with a talking cat now, so JJ doesn’t see much of an improvement.
With that said, JJ does have her own set of problems, but she just want things to be more interesting! For both, her friends and the audience! And for herself of course, she has fan fics to write after all!
Can’t comment yet on my plans for the future for Holly, but I do have some ideas I hope all of you may enjoy.
@Badtaiming – I love how you put “probably” up there, like there’s a chance Miss Tentacle-Vampire-Yaoi-Rape-Harem-with-your-brothercousinpa Girl might not be the most perverted member of her family.
Because the primary duty of any little sister is to make their elder brother’s life miserable.
“Little sibling” and “elder sibling’s”. I’m the youngest (technically) out of four, other three girls, and I absolutely abused being “the baby”.
I thought Warlock was the term for a male witch… is that not the case here or at all?
I don’t believe that’s the case in the lore that Bach-Mann set up. But I’m not certain. I think Carlos can answer that more definitively, though.
The two words are from different linguistic backgrounds. Witch is from Old English, and can refer to either males or females. Warlock is from Celtic via Scottish, and specifically meant males who were evil (as opposed to, say, a conjurer or sorcerer, who could be benign or even good.)
Modern English has absorbed both the words, which is why the meanings sometimes seem to conflict.
Furthermore, CD Rudd has based the “witch” aspect of the IDOJB/Melvin universe on the “Bewitched” TV series lore, wherein all humans with inborn access to magic are considered to be witches.
Alright I see how it is, that one Scooby Doo movie stuck with me too well with that one guy.
@Mulgarath – huh. I’m always reminded of my half-orc warlock from D&D, honestly.
He has to take care of Sabrina?
Surprised it took someone this long to make a Sabrina the Teenage Witch reference. 🙂
Well, if Melvin switches his sex, he could become “Melvina”.
@Kattgirl – you mean aside from the time JJ imagined earlier?
@He Who Abides that was NOT JJ’s imagination, the page was called Summer Memories for a reason. It was an interesting summer.
@Carlos – those were real? Great googly-moogly, Fuzors are real!
Mistress Anning? She would not turn out to be a short red head crossover from Wotch would she?
Well, considering that Anne is her first name, I would guess that Mistress Anning is not the same character. But I do like the idea of a The Wotch cameo!
Let me guess. Southeil Academy is secretly a school for young female witches, or at least a cover for a coven (the way Debroah calls jokingly calls the headmistress a witch is a bit of a give a way) and these two have just been summoned because they are old enough to begin their training. I admit (if this guess is right) while I called Tiffany having her own magical heritage, and being the daughter of a magical matriarch I did NOT call the school being a cover for witches until this strip. Now THAT is a surprise!
No, not that we know of. I believe that Deborah is using it in this in a derogatory fashion when she is referring to Anning as a witch. It a common saying to call some older women that you don’t like a witch, you mostly are insulting her than actually thinking that she an actual witch. There is also at this point any indication that Southeil Academy is anything other than just an all girl school and nothing more. Both Red and BJ are both friend of Melvin who is a witch, but, at this point there isn’t any indication that either Red or BJ are themselves witches. Clarence was transformed into Tiffany by Jeanie and BJ mother owns a magic shop, but, there nothing said about either one of them or there parents of being witches, at least not yet.
I DID say she used the term JOKINGLY (you are right derogatorily would have been a better word choice, but I never meant to suggest she used the term literally) my point is this smells of obvious foreshadowing. On the other hand maybe it’s a Red Herring and Carlos is messing with our heads.
P.S. The Tiffany having her own magical heitage is a reference to a theory I made a ew pages back. I will see if I can find a link.
P.P.S. Or are you being sarcastic? It’s hard to tell with text.
Here’s the link. https://melvin.jeaniebottle.com/?comic=9-jealous-much#comment-36781
No, I am not being sarcastic or anything like that. We know that she knows about Kazom and that he a Genie. We know that she know that Melvin a witch too, but, what we don’t know and it never been revealed to us yet whether she has any magic powers of any type. At the present time, the answer appears to be, no, she doesn’t have any magic powers of her own.
Beside, the reason that both Tiffany and Deborah are being called to Anning office, is because, there both modals and she trying to cut off those people that chase Actor, Actresses and other famous people to take pitcher of them to put in there slander sheet they call a tablow or new paper.
Well guys, actually I haven’t say WHY they are being called to the head mistress office yet, it could be because they are brining to much attention to the school with their careers, it could be because they started a trend with how they use their ties that it’s against the uniform rules at the academy, Anning may have decide that BOTH of them will take care of the snakes this year, or they may have been chosen to be part of an exclusive club at the Academy, who knows! And neither of them seems to know either
Of course, even if I have hidden clues to the future plotlines of each character all over this page, in almost every panel, is not like I will tell you about it.
Can you at LEAST tell us if you got “crapbaskets” from Team Four Star?
Where else would I get that from? The best part of having a cast of nerds is being able to make that kind of reference without feeling forced!
JJ is quickly becoming one of my favourite webcomic characters. At this rate she’s going to soon end up as one of my favourite characters in anything.
I guess Kazom is about to have some Chilling Adventures…
What’s going on with those shadows in panel 5?
That’s a good question! 🙂
Out of curiosity is this set in a particular state? Or is just generictown, USA?
It is set in California, long before MC was even a thing, CD wanted to make clear the distance between Melvin and co with the main cast of JB at Cocoa Beach. Still, as far as I am concern, is a fictional town in California.
I personally don’t know much of the life in California, but Robert is helping me with that.
Thanks for the information.
If I can help, Carlos, let me know. California girl here, born & raised; complete with surfboard.
Silicon Valley guy here. The gang and setting feel a lot more like Southern California than Northern California to me, so that would put them anywhere within a hundred miles or so of Los Angeles.
Just rememberd isn’t the girls school getting new uniforms? And didn’t Carlos say there would be a plotline to address them. Given Red and Deborah are models that’s probably the reason the girls are being called into the headmistress’s office I read WAY TO MUCH into things.
Of course it’s fun to imagine that the uniform plot may eventually tie into the other plot, but for now I think I am better off sticking with occam’s razor. I mean crazy theories are fun, and I love sharing them, but at the same time, you have to be careful, not to let yourself get out of control.
That’s actually what I think the call to the principal’s office is probably about, too. But like with CD’s works, I ask Carlos not to spoil future plot points, so I’m speculating based on just as much info as you guys have.
I feel it’s a paparazzi thing, honestly. Bratzilla did a deodorant commercial over the summer, and Red did . . . a lot. I suspect a money for security discussion is coming for those two.
Also, I could be wrong but I think Red’s biggest problem is that he/she is caught up in a whirlwind. All the changes in his/her life are happening so fast that he/she hasn’t had time to figure out what he/she really wants. Does this sound accurate to anyone else?
Most boy that age don’t know who they are anyway. Then be turned into a girl and then be shoved into the fast lane 24/7 day a week for five to six months being the hottest girl, modal and paying super hero modal on top of that. Of course Red going to be just a little bit bewildered and completely beside herself. Especially since she didn’t want it and she hasn’t had time to sort things out or deal with her emotions and such.
Something I wonder, do witches in this world take the Bewitched “immotral” and/or ageless route? Although said witches would obviously be capable of disguiseing their true age via magic (and might even pull out all the stops to look normal). The reason I ask is because I reread the I dream of B-Witch arc over on JBComic and the stand in for Samantha’s mom was calling the stand in for Darren a “mortal” so I wanted to know if there’s anything to the use of that term besides the obvious reference. I mean yes witches can obviously die given what happened to Melvin’s father, but still knowing if agelessness is or is not a thing and/or what the term “mortal” was meant in that context would be useful to know if you can tell us.
Or would that as a spoiler?
Big Spoilers! there isn’t much I can tell you yet, but I can at least say this: Bewitched is jut one of three big sources in pop culture I am using for my witches, so there will be a mix of rules here and there between multiple iterations of witchcraft in fiction. I am also a huge nerd of folklore, mythology and fairy tales around the world, so you can expect to see some original things in regards my own rules for the witches and other magical beings.
I am thinking on adding an information page like the one in Jeanie Bottle once we expand more in the lore, which may be sooner than later!
Thank you
@Carlos – what are the other two sources?
@He Who Abides Sorry, it wouldn’t be fun if I share that info right now, it could spoil some of the ideas I have for the future, in fact, if I shared my willingness to take from Bewitched is only because is no secret that some witches in this world are, quite literally, exactly like in that show.
@Carlos – fair enough.
I am trying to speculate alternative theories for Red, the best I can come up with based on people’s speculation on her having Fae blood is that she is a half human half fae child of the fae queen and for some reason fae or more comefortable with (or at least willing to live along side in order to use and take advantage of) human society. But still have the weird fae blue and orange morality. But even if that was planned at one point it was probably under Bach-Mann’s run. Hence the whole “barbarian princess with a sword of cold steel” thing. Still thought it was worth throwing out.
I just noticed that nobody has commented on the strangely shaped shadows on the lockers below BJ’s thought bubble.
I assume it’s one of things that Carlos was hoping we would notice.